Brig. Gen. Abdul Wahab Wardak, the Afghan National Army Air Corps Chief of Staff, following a visit to Bagram Airfield to see USAF combat and support operations in action, acknowledged the ongoing effort to “rebuild this country, to stabilize this country, and bring solidarity to the country.” He added, “The American troops are here and they are losing blood for the Afghan people and we appreciate them.” Host for the visit, Brig. Gen. Steven Kwast, 455th Expeditionary Wing commander, said, “We’re not here to tell them how to run their operations, we’re here to show them how we run ours and maybe, in discussions, we can all learn some new things.” A key part of the visit included a look at USAF cargo and passenger movement procedures to aid the Afghan airmen in setting up their C-27A Spartan operations. (Bagram report by Capt. David Faggard)
The Air Force has finished modifying and testing the new VC-25B Bridge aircraft that will serve as a temporary Air Force One, the service announced May 1. All that’s left now is to finish painting the jet before it starts flying this summer.