The 22nd Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron surpassed its own monthly refueling sortie record set in June while supporting coalition operations over Afghanistan. From its staging base at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, the 22nd EARS flew 493 sorties in July, passing an average of one million pounds of fuel daily, to upset the previous 473 sortie-record set the month before. “Whether they are F-15s, F-16s, A-10s, several different types of Navy and coalition aircraft, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft— just about everything that flies over Afghanistan—we refuel,” stated Lt. Col. Pete Tschohl, 22nd EARS commander. Col. Brian Newberry, commander of the 376th Expeditionary Operations Group at Manas, said he “fully expect[s] further records to fall in the next few months.” (Manas report by TSgt. Tammie Moore)
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
