Air Mobility Command has started a new course at Travis AFB, Calif., which should produce more airmen able to perform basic maintenance on the service’s KC-10 aerial refueling aircraft operating in the Pacific region. The first six airmen—from Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and Kadena AB, Japan—began the 30-day course last week at Travis. After they graduate, they will be the first in-theater maintainers trained to recover the aircraft and handle 79 routine maintenance tasks. Previously, KC-10 flying crew chiefs had to handle all such work and that meant lost man-hours and scheduling inefficiency.
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.