The 34 airmen assigned to the 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s explosive ordnance disposal teams in Iraq have covered more than 900 incidents since September 2005. In that time, the EOD airmen disposed of approximately 57,000 explosive items, which add up to more than seven tons. USAF journalist SSgt. Tammie Moore reports that a third of the calls sent EOD specialists to check out IEDs, while another third required them to provide post-blast analysis.
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.