The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center at Tyndall AFB, Fla., responds to multiple calls for help around the country “on any given day” as the inland search and rescue coordinator for the entire US, according to Lt. Col. Clifton Hicks, AFRCC director of operations. On July 10, for instance, the center handled three rescue operations, one each in Colorado, Utah, and Washington, working with local and state agencies that contacted the center for assistance. In many cases, the AFRCC turns to the Air Force Auxiliary Civil Air Patrol to conduct on-the-spot airborne searches. Last year alone, CAP helped save 91 people. The AFRCC, part of US Northern Command, operates 24/7 with “some of the sharpest SAR coordinators the military has to offer,” said Hicks. (Tyndall report by 1st Lt. Jared Scott)
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…