Brig. Gen. Scott Goodwin, Air Mobility Command’s director of operations, led an aircrew that flew the Air Force’s newest C-17 transport from Boeing’s production plant in Long Beach, Calif., to JB Lewis-McChord, Wash. The airplane touched down at McChord on Feb. 20, according to the base’s Feb. 26 release. It joined the 62nd Airlift Wing, which operates McChord’s large complement of C-17s together with Air Force Reserve Command’s 446th AW. By our count, this airplane is the 219th C-17 that Boeing has supplied thus far to the Air Force. Overall, the Air Force has ordered 224 C-17s. (McChord report by TSgt. Sean Tobin) (See also Thinking Globally.)
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
