F-16s from the Ohio Air National Guard’s 180 Fighter Wing in Toledo are temporarily operating from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, near Dayton, while workers repair the runway at their home station, according to a release. The F-16s arrived at Wright-Patt in mid-month and will remain there for several weeks, using the base’s runways and airspace to maintain mission readiness, said Wright-Patt officials. Lt. Col. Deron Reynolds, 180th FW alert commander, said the F-16 pilots would be ready to defend US airspace, if called upon, while operating from Wright-Patt. Dayton’s WDTN TV news station reported that the F-16s are expected to remain at Wright-Patt until Sept. 8. Wright-Patt is some 140 miles south of the Toledo Express Airport, home of the 180th FW. (Wright-Patt report by Amy Rollins)
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
