For nearly three years, airmen at Balad AB, Iraq, have been installing extra armor on convoy vehicles, helping to fortify them against Improvised Explosive Devices. That work is coming to an end this month. The airmen have armored more than 1,300 vehicles, but now, officials say, the need for add-on armor is dwindling. More and more vehicles arrive in Iraq with armor kits already installed.
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.