The 12 airmen who make up the Air Terminal Operations Center at Ali Base, Iraq, work 24/7 moving passengers and cargo through this C-17 and C-130 airlift hub. In one month the ATOC team moves more than 700 tons of cargo and 4,000 passengers, says SSgt. Gregory Steffers, load planner with the 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. The load planners try to match seats and cargo booked to max out each aircraft’s load. The airmen all pitch in, when needed, performing work that often is handled by multiple work centers at stateside bases.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…