Officials at Aviano AB, Italy, inactivated the base’s 603rd Air Control Squadron as part of Air Force-wide cost-saving measures. The inactivation took place during an Aug. 29 ceremony, according to Aviano’s Sept. 4 release. “It is truly an honor to have commanded this fine group of airmen from this legendary unit,” said Lt. Col. Stephen Carocci, the squadron’s commander, at the event. He thanked the unit’s airmen for their accomplishments. The unit, which traces its history back to December 1945, provided one of two Air Force theater air control systems in Europe in support of NATO ground forces. In mid-January, the unit returned from its final deployment, having spent time in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. (Aviano report by SrA. Michael Battles)
NATO Allied Air Command is making moves now for its member nations’ air forces to be able to service each others’ fighters, fly them with each others’ weapons, and integrate more closely together than they have in decades, a top official said April 24—ahead of an influx of F-35s and a coming…