Hundreds of airmen from across US Air Forces in Europe, including those flying E-3 AWACS, F-15s, F-15Es, F-16s, and KC-135s, have been converging in Eastern Europe to support Operation Noble Endeavor, the Romanian-led effort to police the skies above the upcoming NATO summit in Bucharest. The US is augmenting the Romanian security presence at the host nation’s request during the meeting of the alliance’s leaders, including President Bush, from April 2 to 4. “This is just one example in a long list of accomplishments of NATO nations working together toward a common purpose,” said Col. Peter Davidson, commander of the 323rd Air Expeditionary Wing that is participating in operation. “There is great strength in allied interoperability, and I’m proud to be a part of this mission.” The summit agenda is expected to include the prickly issue of whether to offer membership to Georgia and Ukraine, a move that the US favors, but members like Germany oppose. (Includes USAF report by TSgt. Eric Petosky)
The B-2 Spirit remains grounded due to safety issues—and the plane’s stand-down is beginning to disrupt planned operations. According to information provided to the media, the stealth strategic bomber from the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo., was originally scheduled to participate in the latest iteration of…