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.
Adm. Christopher Grady, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs and head of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, is pushing a “portfolio” approach to requirements and wants his position to have “more teeth” so he can enforce it.