The first phase of a runway upgrade project at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, is scheduled for completion in about a week, according to base officials. The project consists of fixing “the primary landing surface” of Bagram’s main runway, said Capt. Richard Hallon of the base’s 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron, in a release. Before fixing the main runway, however, contractors must first repair a temporary runway, Taxiway Zulu, that the Russians built half a century ago. This work, the first phase, is scheduled for completion on Aug. 10, according to the release. Work on the main runway, the second phase, will begin soon thereafter and is expected to take about four months to complete. “The project will have a huge impact operationally,” said Capt. Dave Friedel, airfield operations liaison officer for the 455th Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron. (Bagram report by TSgt. Rob Hazelett)
President Donald Trump projected confidence Nov. 19 that a proposed sale of F-35s to Saudi Arabia will sail through the Foreign Military Sales process, an early test of the Pentagon’s acquisition reforms. The deal is also likely to face scrutiny from ally Israel over how it could affect the balance…
