Tarnak Farms Pilot Sues Air Force: Maj. Harry Schmidt, a former Illinois Air National Guard pilot who accidentally killed four and wounded eight Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2002 when he mistook them for enemy forces and opened fire from his F-16, is now suing the Air Force for violating his privacy when Gen. Bruce Carlson, then commander of 8th Air Force, released to the public the letter of reprimand he wrote, reports the Springfield Journal-Record. Schmidt filed his suit April 7 in US District Court in Springfield, Ill., claiming the military violated a settlement agreement that led Schmidt to accept a general officer hearing rather than stand for a court martial. (Read more on the history of this saga from Air Force Magazine files.)
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.