Hundreds of Air National Guard members are gathered in Baltimore through Friday for the Air Guard’s second-annual domestic operations equipment requirements conference. They are discussing the ANG’s equipment needs for future domestic missions, including disaster response. “Our job would be difficult enough if we were in charge and trying to fulfill our own requirements, but we are just one small element in a whole of government responsibility and must try to envision how the Air Guard fits within a much larger, ever changing matrix of authorities and responders,” said Lt. Gen. Bud Wyatt, ANG director. At last year’s conference, officials produced the 2011 Essential-10 Requirements book, which was used to prioritize funding requirements. This week, they will finalize the 2012 edition. (Baltimore report by MSgt. Mike R. Smith)
Meink Suggests E-7 Program Remains Unresolved
Feb. 24, 2026
Air Force leadership needs to have a "discussion" with Congress on the long-term future of the E-7 Wedgetail, Secretary Troy Meink said, after lawmakers blocked a Pentagon plan to cancel the program in 2026. Meink's remarks leave open the possibility that the Defense Department will try to curtail the airborne…
