Mobility airmen have helped to deliver approximately 20 million pounds of humanitarian aid to Pakistan, said Air Mobility Command and State Department officials last week. Their activities have been part of the US military’s response since July 29 to the devastating flooding that ravaged Pakistan. C-17 and C-130 relief flights concluded on Oct. 3 after more than 350 intratheater sorties. However, airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at JB McGuire, N.J., continue to operate out of Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala to assist with managing the distribution of the relief supplies. (Scott report by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol) (State Department release)
A top Pentagon tech official called on industry this week to help the military develop “lighter, more efficient” directed energy weapons designed to go on aircraft and conduct special operations missions or down drones—areas where the Air Force’s directed energy efforts have been quiet as of late.