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)
The Department of the Air Force does not consistently or systematically ask Airmen or Guardians how dormitory conditions affect their quality of life and readiness, which reduces the department’s ability to identify and prioritize improvement efforts, according to a Government Accountability Office study published Sept. 19.