Army officials from the 7th Joint Multinational Training Command at Grafenwoehr, Germany, have completed assisting German authorities with fuel decontamination and cleanup efforts at a nearby F-16 crash site, according to an Aug. 19 release. The F-16 pilot, assigned to the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem AB, Germany, intentionally ejected the fuel tanks over an unpopulated area prior to the Aug. 11 crash in an effort to minimize a potential fire or explosion, states the release. Army officials were informed by German authorities on Aug. 13 the crash site was cleared of the fuel tanks and they could begin fuel cleanup efforts before heavy rain moved into the area, said Reinhold Plössner, the JMTC maneuver damage prevention officer. By late Aug. 14, around 25 cubic meters of contaminated soil was removed and delivered to a US Army facility near Grafenwoehr, Germany. The site of the crash remains secured by the Germany military. An investigation into the crash is ongoing. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft.
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.
