An additional two C-130s have been requested for firefighting support in California as the National Interagency Fire Center raised fire preparedness to level five—the highest possible, on Thursday, Aug. 13. The additional aircraft from the Wyoming and North Carolina Air National Guard will augment the two Air Force Reserve Command C-130s from Colorado’s 302nd Airlift Wing, bolstering the Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System equipped force to four aircraft, according to a release. Two California ANG C-130s—tasked to the state rather than federal agencies—stood down Aug. 9, when civil assets were deemed sufficient to tackle ongoing operations, a unit spokeswoman told Air Force Magazine. By the end of the day on Aug. 13, C-130s had flown 103 retardant drops totaling 253,060 gallons of retardant, 302nd AW spokeswoman Ann Skarban told Air Force Magazine. Operations late last week focused on the 21,278-acre Mad River fire in northern California, and the Rough fire engulfing more than 12,452 acres of the Sierra National Forest.
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
