The commander of the New York Air National Guard’s 174th Fighter Wing in Syracuse hosted a media event Dec. 17 to discuss the unit’s new mission as MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted vehicle operators. Bradley said the airmen of the wing, which conducted its first Reaper mission Dec. 1, are “extremely proud of the fine heritage of this unit and they are equally excited about operating this cutting-edge technology.” The media got to talk with some of the RPV operators and that’s when they learned that Bradley had imposed a no-last name rule during media interviews. The Syracuse News reports that Bradley had taken note of a rising number of protests directed at the use of military drones and events around the country, like the killings at Ft. Hood, Tex., that had raised his concern level. The Air Guard unit also serves as USAF’s Reaper maintenance training central. (174th FW report by Capt. Anthony Bucci)
The Pentagon’s new counter-drone task force will play a direct role in arming Airmen with new weapons to defend Air Force agile combat employment, or ACE, air bases in austere locations against enemy drone attacks, the director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 said Oct. 14.
