A trio of Hawaii Air National Guard KC-135 tankers recently deployed from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, to Al Udeid AB, Qatar, to support coalition aircraft engaged in Operation Inherent Resolve. More than 50 pilots, maintainers, and support personnel from the 203rd Air Refueling Squadron departed for the Middle East on Feb. 5, according to a release. Al Udeid’s 379th Air Expeditionary Wing hosts the largest fleet of KC-135s in the Air Force, supporting operations over Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen. Hawaii ANG F-22 Raptors are also currently deployed to the US Central Command area of operations, according to officials. The 199th Fighter Squadron and its Active Duty associate, the 19th FS, deployed to CENTCOM in September 2015 and are halfway through their rotation in theater.
After years of describing to lawmakers and Pentagon leaders the nature of that threat and the key role spacepower plays in deterring conflict in the domain and enabling the rest of the joint force, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told reporters during AFA’s Warfare Symposium here that the message appears to…