: In anticipation of the January arrival of Iraq’s 23rd Airlift Squadron and its three C-130E aircraft, three US Air Force Security Forces airmen are training the members of the first and, as yet, only Iraqi base security unit. Capt. Greg Holmgren, TSgt. Michael Marzec, and TSgt. Jared P. Skinner are teaching the Iraqi enlisted personnel how to set up a security operation of their own to and how to train other Iraqis. According to Skinner, overcoming the language barrier is less arduous than having to instill self-confidence in Iraqi enlisted troops who had been given little to no responsibility in the Saddam regime military. Skinner called their ability to pick up the confidence of the American airmen “encouraging.”
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.