Six explosive ordnance disposal technicians assigned to the Air Force’s 447th EOD unit in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, worked with members of the Iraqi Army’s 17th Bomb Disposal Company on Nov. 24 to destroy a large stockpile of captured munitions at a range outside of Baghdad. This controlled detonation is part of the US military’s ongoing efforts to mentor and train the Iraqis in establishing their own EOD capability. “Today we are teaching them basic demolition procedures,” said TSgt. David Fields, a technician with the USAF unit. He added, “By teaching them these basic principles, we are hoping it will instill in them the information and tools they will need once this mission fully transitions to their unit.” (Baghdad report by TSgt. Joseph Kapinos)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. still “believes” in his mantra of “Accelerate Change or Lose”—and indicated the doctrinal changes it produced when he was Air Force Chief of Staff played a role in the service’s recent response to Iran’s aerial assault on Israel, he…