The Air Force earlier this month elevated its foreign air advisory course to a full-up school, christening it the Air Force Air Advisor Academy during an activation ceremony at JB McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. Begun to train US advisors to train Afghan and Iraqi airmen, now “the skill set air advisors bring to the fight is highly sought after in all areas of responsibility,” said 37th Training Wing Commander Col. Eric Axelbank. Assigned to Air Education and Training Command since forming in 2008, the course cadre was previously an unofficial tenant of Air Mobility Command’s expeditionary center at McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. The new academy now reports directly to AETC’s 37th TRW at JBSA-Lackland, Tex., wing spokeswoman Collen McGee confirmed to the Daily Report. Roughly 1,500 airmen in a variety of specialties will graduate the academy per year. They will help to develop nascent air forces in every geographic command area. The activation ceremony was on June 12. (Includes McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst report by Bill Addison)
A recent seven-day exercise sent Air Force F-22s—along with other USAF aircraft—to austere, challenging environments across Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Agile Reaper, taking place for the second time after its inaugural edition last year, featured 800 Airmen and 29 aircraft across five different locations from April 10-16, training…