The Pentagon on Thursday identified the airman who died in Syria earlier this week as SSgt. Austin Bieren. Bieren, 25, of Umatilla, Ore., died March 28 in northern Syria of reported natural causes. He was assigned to the 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., and was deployed in support of combat operations, according to a Defense Department statement. Bieren is the second US service member to die in Syria during Operation Inherent Resolve, following the November death of Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott Cooper Dayton.
While the Pentagon is halfway through its review of the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program in the wake of “critical” cost and schedule overruns, the service has declared a similar issue for the helicopters meant to provide security and transport across those ICBM fields. The Air Force recently…