All the KC-135 tankers that temporarily relocated to JB Charleston, S.C., have returned home to MacDill AFB, Fla., after completion of the roughly $8 million runway repairs there late last year, according to a Jan. 4 USAF release. The tankers first relocated in October 2016 and the last tanker returned to MacDill on Dec. 20, 2016, states the release. Having the tankers at Charleston helped members of the 437th Operations Group check off more than 288 currency events, said group commander Col. Louis Hansen. “Air refueling is a force multiplier, allowing US Transportation Command and Air Mobility Command to deliver forces and cargo anywhere in the world non-stop,” he added.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. still “believes” in his mantra of “Accelerate Change or Lose”—and indicated the doctrinal changes it produced when he was Air Force Chief of Staff played a role in the service’s recent response to Iran’s aerial assault on Israel, he…