About 60 airmen are gathered with 150 Congolese military personnel in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the start of MEDLITE 2011, a two-week, 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa)-sponsored medical exercise focusing on aeromedical evacuation. The exercise consists of classroom instruction, an aeromedical evacuation training scenario, and a one-day mass-casualty exercise scheduled for May 4 to conclude the event. It’s taking place at the Centre Superior Militaire Academy. Active duty airmen, Air National Guardsmen, and Air Force Reservists are participating, making the exercise “truly a Total Force effort,” said Lt. Col. June Oldman, mission director for MEDLITE 2011, who’s assigned to the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 137th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. “It is a key element in a series of military-to-military activities that demonstrate the strong partnership and cooperation between the US and Congolese militaries,” she said. (Kinshasa release by TSgt. Todd Wivell)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
