US and Turkish KC-135 tanker crews came together earlier this month in the skies over Nevada to train together for the first time. Capt. David Puchalla, an instructor pilot with the 350th Air Refueling Squadron from McConnell AFB, Kan., flew with a Turkish crew from its 101st Air Refueling Squadron on March 8 as part of Red Flag 16-2 at Nellis AFB, Nev. Turkish air force Maj. Orcun Kus also flew with an American crew during the exercise. “I have no doubts about their ability to fuel the fight of the future,” Puchalla said in a release. “I have witnessed nothing but the best during my flights aboard their Stratotanker.” The exercise let the two crews see differences and similarities in how they operate, the release states.
House lawmakers unveiled a new reconciliation package July 15 with $60 billion for defense, $290 billion less than the Pentagon has been seeking, a day after a Senate vote to advance the annual defense policy bill failed—developments that show the perilous state of the Pentagon’s ambitious plans for fiscal 2027.