Officials with the 47th Flying Training Wing at Laughlin AFB, Tex., last week formally opened the base’s new aircraft maintenance operations complex. It is the new home of the wing’s maintenance directorate. Col. Michael Frankel, 47th FTW commander, Michael Johnson, directorate boss, and Rep. Ciro Rodriguez (D) participated in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The center is valued at more than $7.6 million. The 47th FTW conducts joint specialized undergraduate pilot training for Air Force and allied air forces using T-1, T-6, and T-38 aircraft. (Laughlin photo caption by A1C Blake Mize)
The Pentagon is significantly bolstering airpower near Venezuela, dispatching the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to Latin America, it said in an Oct. 24 statement. The announcement came just hours after U.S. Air Force B-1 bombers and other U.S. assets flew near the Venezuelan coast on Oct. 23.
