Air Education and Training Command and Air Combat Command joined forces for the first combined F-16 Fighting Falcon hot refueling course at Holloman AFB, N.M., last month, according to a Dec. 22 release. The course, taught by members of the 49th Logistics Readiness Squadron and the 54th Fighter Group, is not new, though it is rare for the two commands to join forces. “The 54th doesn’t have its own fuel support here, so being the home station gets us [49th LRS] involved and it becomes a joint effort,” said MSgt. Raymond Lara, 49th LRS section flight chief fuels information service center. “It’s beneficial for us to perform this type of operation because this is something we perform on deployments. While deployed, hot refueling becomes a regularly occurring operation, so having the opportunity to work with the 54th and do it here keeps our guys more proficient in operations.”
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
