Due to the inactivation of 13th Air Force last month, the 1st Air Support Operations Group at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash., shifted under the administrative oversight of the 354th Fighter Wing at Eielson AFB, Alaska, according to wing officials. The move did not require the relocation of any personnel, states Eielson’s Oct. 30 release. “All of us here at Eielson are excited to work with the great battlefield airmen of the 1st ASOG,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Kelly, 354th FW commander. He added, “They are the combat connectivity tissue between the Air Force and the Army that enables the true speed and precision of airpower.” Airmen assigned to the 1st ASOG are attached to Army maneuver units in two-man teams, each known as a tactical air control party, that direct combat aircraft providing close air support. The shift took effect on Oct. 1 with the start of Fiscal 2013, states the release. (Eielson report by SrA. Yash Rojas)
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.