The US Provincial Reconstruction Team led by Air Force Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan has made “significant progress” in its first four months on the job. Army Sgt. Sara Wood reports that the PRT has completed 11 projects worth about $800,000, and perhaps the key accomplishment is completion of a month-long effort to finalize a provincial development plan. On the PRT’s agenda are 33 projects, including building roads to link all 22 districts in the province to the main route through the region.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.