Civil engineering airmen enlarged the helicopter ramp at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, to support the closure of five forward operating bases as part of the US drawdown in theater. “It is truly a proud moment when you get tasked to turn a six-acre field into a fully operational helicopter landing zone,” said MSgt. Orlin Rohde of the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron in a June 13 base release. The 15 airmen sent from Al Udeid AB, Qatar, were tasked with completing the landing pad in only three months to support the flow of personnel, equipment, and supplies out of the FOBs. Hickory Landing Zone cost $425,000 and required significant earth moving and drainage work to prevent the pad from flooding during the region’s monsoon season, according to the release. (Bagram report by SrA. Sandra Welch)
NASA Boss: Race to Moon Has National Security Stakes
Sept. 15, 2026
NASA is pushing hard to get astronauts back to the moon by 2028—and the urgency is driven in no small part by the national security implications of doing so before China does, Administrator Jared Isaacman said Sept. 15.
