Members of the 621st Contingency Response Wing and 60th Air Mobility Wing wrapped up the Gladiator Challenge exercise at Travis AFB, Calif. The three-day, in-garrison event centered around members of the 621st CRW responding to a simulated earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area, with a displacement of some 750,000 residents. The wing’s contingency response team helped establish initial command and control for C-5 and C-17 of the 60th AMW to bring in relief supplies, according to Travis’ Sept. 11 release. “This exercise also allowed both wings to strengthen ties and complete mission-essential training tasks,” said TSgt. Kenneth Griffin, the noncommissioned officer in charge of combat support training for Travis’ 573rd Global Support Squadron. He added, “The cost effectiveness of utilizing local assets provided both wings training at a fraction of the cost of off-station training, and it kept all assets readily available to meet our real-world, 12-hour notification cycle.” (Travis report by TSgt. Lesley Waters)
Pakistan's kill chain of Chinese-origin weapons was likely a bigger factor in shooting down an Indian fighter than the jets' relative strengths, an expert said.