Daily Report

June 26, 2012

Specially Modified C-130s Activated to Fight Wildfires

Four C-130s saddled up with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System to help battle wildfires in Colorado. Responding to a National Interagency Fire Center request on June 24, the Defense Department activated two aircraft each from the Wyoming Air National Guard’s...

Shoot First, Question Now

Turkey invoked its right as a NATO member to have the alliance convene an emergency meeting on June 26 to judge whether Syria’s shootdown of a Turkish military jet is sufficient to trigger allied military response. Syrian forces downed a...

Woodward to Lead BMT Investigation

Maj. Gen. Margaret Woodward, acting director of operational planning, policy, and strategy on the Air Staff, will oversee a command-directed investigation into “sexual and other abuse-of-power misconduct” at Basic Military Training and all other Air Education and Training Command initial...

GOP Lawmakers to Air Force: Respect Religious Freedom

Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.), Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.), and Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) urged Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to investigate what they call a "pattern of hostility towards faith" in the Air Force. A total of 66 GOP House members signed their June 19 letter to Panetta, which called on the Secretary to "issue clear guidance" that will "assure Active Duty service members and those considering future service that they need not leave their faith at home when they volunteer to serve." The missive cites several examples where the lawmakers claim the Air Force went too far in censoring religious expression, including removing Bibles from Air Force Inn checklists and suspending an ethics briefing for nuclear missile officers because it included Bible references. "Censorship is not required for compliance with the Constitution, and should not be required for compliance with military directives," states the letter. In a June 21 release discussing the letter, Black called the Air Force's actions "unprecedented and without merit." Forbes said they represent "an alarming pattern" not seen in the other services.

Advisor Schoolhouse Stands Up

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...

Polka with Daggers

German Eurofighters earlier this month flew in Red Flag-Alaska 12-2 from Eielson AFB, Alaska. Not only was this the first overseas deployment of Germany’s newest fighters, it was also their first participation in a US exercise, according to an Eielson...

Roll in the Big Engines

Technicians tested a Pratt & Whitney F117 turbofan engine for the first time at Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center’s specially refurbished test cell, announced officials at Tinker AFB, Okla., site of the center. The test took place on June 13,...

Poised to Reconcile

Some 3,600 striking union workers may soon return to their jobs building fighter jets for Lockheed Martin in California, Maryland, and Texas. Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers have been on strike for nine weeks, having...

Missing World War II Airman’s Remains Identified

Defense Department forensic scientists have identified the remains of Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. Emil T. Wasilewski, who had been missing in action since World War II, announced the Pentagon June 25. Wasilewski will be buried with full military honors...