A C-130J deployed from Dyess AFB, Tex., became the first airplane to make use of a newly constructed C-130 hangar at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, according to base officials. The C-130J, operating as part of Kandahar’s 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, parked in the hangar for the first time on Sept. 28, they said in an Oct. 5 release. Kandahar is home to the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing that operates numerous aircraft types providing aeromedical evacuation and casualty evacuation; airborne communications relay; close air support; combat search and rescue; command and control; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and tactical airlift capability. (Kandahar photo caption by SrA. Jack Sanders)
Airmen and Guardians in the Active and Reserve component, as well as civilian employees, in “mission critical and high-risk populations” are now required to receive influenza vaccinations annually to “preserve force readiness,” according to a recent Department of the Air Force memo.