Mobility airmen delivered a pair of mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles to Irbil, Iraq, just prior to the new year, announced the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. Supported by members of the 386th Expeditionary Operations Group and 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, a C-17 operating from the wing’s undisclosed operating location in the Arabian Gulf on Dec. 30 carried the MRAPs to the northern Iraq city, which is the capital of the country’s autonomous Kurdish region. The vehicles will help bolster the capabilities of Iraqi security forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters in their conflict with ISIS terrorists in the country. The Pentagon and leadership of Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve are making resupply and capability building of these forces a key part of rolling back ISIS. The delivery came as the Defense Department is working with the Iraqi government to meet requests for replacing Iraqi equipment and heavy weapons.
A new White House policy calls for the Pentagon to craft plans for additional space launch facilities to support a projected increase in launch demand that could see the U.S. supporting as many as 1,000 launches by 2030, more than a fivefold increase from 2025.