Airmen of the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron are finishing construction of “All American Square” at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. It is a facility designed to temporarily house the US military personnel pouring into the base as they redeploy out of Iraq during the US troop withdrawal from the Mideast nation by the end of 2011. Balad is serving as a major hub for removing the troops and their gear. “All American Square will give them a place to stay as they come and go and it is co-located with the passenger terminal, so this is going to be a great benefit,” said Capt. Ben Knost, 557th ERHS site officer in charge. Construction began in January and is scheduled to conclude in mid-May. (Balad report by A1C Allison M. Boehm)
A semi-autonomous Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone shot down an air-to-air target in a Dec. 8 test supported by the U.S. Air Force, a notable milestone in the development of the loyal wingman-type drones that will join the fleets of the USAF, other American services, and allies and adversaries.
