Reports of an end to the fighter firing range dilemma in South Korea seem to have been premature. According to the Korea Times, Seoul’s plan to expand the US Air Force’s use of the Chikdo shooting range and upgrade it with a new electronic scoring system is far from a done deal, primarily because of local opposition. The situation prompted Lt. Gen. Garry Trexler, commander of 7th Air Force, headquartered at Osan AB, South Korea, to publicly state last week that Seoul had 30 days to rectify the situation or US fighters would have to move off the island. (Trexler is retiring soon.)
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.