The gender issue isn’t a problem, according to Maj. Michelle Stringer and 1st Lt. Sarah Parris who are helping to train Iraqi noncommissioned officers. Stringer and Parris, deployed from the 78th Security Forces Squadron, Robins AFB, Ga., are assigned to Camp Ur, about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad, for a year-long mission to train and advise Iraqi troops. To ensure they do not offend the Iraqi men, the two women have worked out a system in which their teammates—male NCOs who teach combat arms—give orders to the Iraqi men. That too, says the major, is a novelty because NCOs in Saddam’s Army had little authority. When it comes to training, though, said the lieutenant, most of the Iraqi soldiers “don’t have a problem taking directions from a woman.”
Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East
Oct. 27, 2024
As tensions spiral in the Middle East, U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Germany have flown to the region, U.S. Central Command said Oct. 25. The F-16s are from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and represent some of the service’s most advanced models.