: According to a Sept. 18 report by KRQE-TV in Albuquerque, N.M., the agreement New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson announced Sept. 17 between the Air Force and Air National Guard that would make the New Mexico Air Guard’s 150th Fighter Wing an associate of the active duty 58th Special Operations Wing when the 150th FW loses its F-16 fighters next year is not final—it rests on a “handshake,” per Richardson. State officials have been working to find a mission since the Air Force issued its 2010 fighter cut list this spring, leaving the 150th out in the cold. Per KRQE, Richardson said such handshake agreements are “usually honored.” A Pentagon spokesman told the news station that details of the agreement are “predecisional.”
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…