Tanker aircraft operating in US Central Command’s area of responsibility offloaded more than 1.05 billion pounds of fuel to more than 82,000 aircraft in 2010, according to statistics from Air Forces Central’s combined air and space operations center at an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia. That’s an average of roughly 87.5 million pounds of off-loaded fuel each month. “I know my job has an effect on the war effort on a daily basis—and that is helping save lives,” said Capt. Wes Spurlock, a KC-10 pilot assigned to the 9th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis AFB, Calif., who served two combat tours in Southwest Asia last year. 2010 was the third straight year that tanker airmen offloaded more than one billion pounds of fuel to more than 80,000 receiver aircraft. (Scott report by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol)
Three of four congressional committees with influence over defense policy have voted to change the official name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War—but final approval of the Pentagon rebrand is months away and not yet assured.