Air advisors from the 435th Air Ground Operations Wing at Ramstein AB, Germany, conducted five outreach missions in one week earlier this month, setting a unit mark for simultaneous engagement, according to a release on Monday. “We have never executed this many at once during a single week,” said Maj. John Sherinian, air advisor branch chief with the 435th Contingency Response Group. “These [missions] represent months’ worth of diligent work, for which there are no set checklists for our airmen to follow. Every mission is a little different and has its own nuances,” he said. From Sept. 15 to Sept. 19, advisors in communications, fuel, medical, operations, and safety fields met with airmen in Bulgaria, Latvia, and Poland to practice techniques and exchange knowhow, states the Sept. 22 release. “Each of these missions helps build partnership capacities,” said Sherinian. Previously, the air advisor branch was averaging two outreach missions a week.
Lawmakers are growing impatient for an overdue fighter recapitalization study from the Air Force, and members say they'll demand more detailed justifications for future aircraft retirements.