Six specially equipped C-130s belonging to the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command continued to battle raging wildfires in Idaho, Oregon, and Texas. As of early Wednesday, four Modular Airborne Firefighting System-carrying C-130s from the North Carolina ANG’s 145th Airlift Wing at Charlotte and AFRC’s 302nd AW out of Peterson AFB, Colo.—now operating out of the Austin/Bergstrom International Airport in central Texas—had dropped 44,350 gallons of retardant over Texas, according to US Northern Command. Members of the Wyoming ANG’s 153rd Airlift Wing at Cheyenne, flying two MAFFS C-130s out of Boise International Airport, had dropped 2,700 gallons over Oregon and 2,760 gallons in Idaho. NORTHCOM, at FEMA’s request, also designated Randolph Air Force Base Auxiliary Field in Texas as a support base to assist in the relief efforts. (Peterson release) (See also Wicked Year of Wildfires from Tuesday’s Daily Report column.)
The Space Force’s small size has limited its capacity to consider what role it will play in future operations on and around the moon. That needs to change, according to Vice Chief of Operations Gen. Shawn Bratton.
