The Air Force hosts the Expeditionary Theater Distribution Center in Southwest Asia, maintaining and dispensing protective gear for about 75 percent of the airmen that deploy to the region, according to a May 2 release from the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing. The Air Force established the center, which is the baby of the 379th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, a 70-person unit that handles the largest of USAF’s three distro centers in Southwest Asia, in 2005 to absorb, refit, and dispense protective gear in-theater to save money on excess baggage fees and reduce equipment wear and tear when every airman carried his own gear into and out of the theater. (379th AEW report by SrA. Carolyn Viss)
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…

