The Air Force has awarded Bronze Star medals for meritorious service to Lt. Col. Daniel Semsel and MSgt. Scott Rogge for their actions to support operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, respectively. Semsel, who is deputy commander of the 509th Mission Support Group at Whiteman AFB, Mo., led a team that conducted more than 1,200 unmanned aerial vehicle sorties against an opposing armed force. (Whiteman photo release by SrA. Jason Huddleston) Rogge, a member of the 43rd Contracting Squadron at Pope AFB, N.C., received his medal for providing contracting support while deployed to Iraq, where his accomplishments including traveling outside the wire to ensure construction completion of a key Iraqi government command and control facility. (Whiteman report by A1C Mindy Bloem)
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.