CMSgt. James Lucas, 48th Fighter Wing command chief at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, received a Bronze Star Medal for his actions during a deployment to Joint Base Balad, Iraq, as superintendent of the 732nd Air Expeditionary Group. Col. Jay Silveria, 48th FW commander, awarded Lucas the medal during a July 27 ceremony. Lucas was recognized for his accomplishments in helping the expeditionary group receive, train, equip, deploy, and redeploy 1,500 combat airmen, the group’s largest rotation to date, and for his participation in outside-the-wire combat vehicle and foot patrols. “I feel very privileged and honored,” said Lucas of the award. He added, “I have never been more proud of my service or to be an airman, than in the company of the people I was working with.” (Lakenheath report by SrA. Kristopher Levasseur)
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
