Afghan air force maintainers successfully inspected, serviced, and launched a C-27 transport on their own from Kabul, checking off another important first for the infant force. The maintainers have been working with NATO Air Training Command-Afghanistan advisors for the past eight months in preparation for the event, which is considered a major step toward the AAF’s autonomy. “I am proud of the C-27 AAF maintainers and of how hard they have worked to get to this point,” said TSgt. Charles McCollum, C-27 crew chief advisor with the 440th Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, of the Dec. 8 mission. He added, “We have a ways to go, but they are well on their way to becoming professional maintainers,” (Kabul release by MC3 Jared E Walker) (See also Afghan C-27 Fleet Hits Operating Milestone from the Daily Report archives.)
Gas is king in the vast expanse of the Pacific. And as the Pentagon has sought to build up its capability to deter China, the Department of Defense has undergone a major rethink about how to get fuel to the region. At the heart of the effort is the U.S. Transportation…