According to 2008 year-end statistics complied by the 11th Rescue Coordination Center in Alaska, airmen of the Alaska Air National Guard are directly credited with saving 167 persons and aiding the rescue of another 10. That total includes 72 saves the Alaska airmen made while on a six-month deployment to Afghanistan and 16 they made providing support to hurricane victims in Louisiana and Texas. The remainder involved rescues in Alaska, which “can be a very unforgiving place,” said Maj. Guy Hayes, Alaska Guard spokesman. The three rescue squadrons of the 176th Wing—the 210th RS, 211th RS, and 212th RS—provide year-round search and rescue support in Alaska and elsewhere, as needed. Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, Alaska National Guard Adjutant General, praised the airmen for “their professionalism and expertise.” (Alaska report)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
