The 554th RED HORSE Squadron, Det. 1, concluded Silver Flag training operations at Kadena AB, Japan, when it graduated the sixth and final Silver Flag class of 2013, according to a base release. The detachment is moving to Guam where it will join its parent unit and operate as part of the Pacific Air Forces Regional Training Center, according to the May 29 release. The detachment will help build partner capacity in the Pacific region; it is expected to start operations at Guam in 2015, states the release. Silver Flag training had taken place at Kadena since 1989. The final class graduated on May 22. The detachment’s instructors use the Silver Flag activities to train civil engineers and force support personnel in expeditionary skills like beddown planning and base recovery, as well as combat support. (Kadena report by Lt. Col. Matthew Rochon)
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…