A US Air Force medical team from Wilford Hall Medical Center at Lackland AFB. Tex., is hard at work in Esmereldas, Ecuador conducting the location’s first Medical Readiness Training Exercise—known as MEDRETE—which concludes Friday. Two surgeons, a nurse anesthetist, two medical technicians, and an anesthesiologist are performing more than 37 operations to repair cleft lips and cleft palates after reviewing some 90 patients who came from all over Ecuador.
The Air Force is requesting about $141 million for initial enlistment bonuses in its fiscal 2026 budget, while Space Force wants $13 million.
