Mobility airmen and transport aircraft converged at Alexandria International Airport in central Louisiana to stage the largest movement of Army paratroopers in more than a decade. The Joint Readiness Training Center at nearby Fort Polk sponsored the exercise, which saw 29 C-130s and C-17s descend on Alexandria earlier this month, along with contingency response airmen, to move 1,700 paratroopers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and more than 70 tons of equipment. The aircraft carried the paratroopers day and night to their drop zones during the week of activities. “The scale of this operation has not been seen in many years,” said Col. David Chandler, 570th Contingency Response Group commander at Travis AFB, Calif. He added, “[It] demonstrated true joint training and capability to respond when and where our nation needs.” (Alexandria report by Capt. Paradon Silpasornprasit)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
