More than 20 civilian bosses, who employ airmen with the Texas Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Wing got the chance to visit the unit in March at Lackland AFB, Tex., and experience first-hand the wing’s operations. This visit was meant to be a show of appreciation to the employers for their support. They learned about the unit’s heritage and its current F-16 training mission and state disaster preparedness activities. They also got an upfront look at the F-16 with Viper pilots and maintainers serving as their guides. And they even got to witness F-16s being refueled in flight from their vantage point aboard a KC-135 tanker. “I’ve never experienced anything like this,” said Keith Christian, a grocery store chain manager. “Wow. What a job!” added Jed Garmon, a local power generation equipment shop service manager. (Lackland report by SSgt. Phil Fountain)
If the Air Force is in line for a big budget bump from President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget in 2027, the head of Air Combat Command said he would make aircraft spare parts his top spending priority—but cautioned that more money to buy parts won’t equal a…
