The one-of-a-kind Air National Guard unit assigned to Ft. Bliss, Tex., has an additional capability along with its heavy weapons role—sharpshooter. Among the Air Force’s some 270 sharpshooters, 12 of them reside within the Texas ANG’s 204th Security Forces Squadron. Their mission, said TSgt. Robert Johnson, the sharpshooter’s lead NCO and a former marine, is “to deliver long-range, precision rifle fire; enhanced observation and reporting in support of airbase defense and continuous airfield operations.” It is a skill, he added, for which “you always have to keep training.”
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…