Several hundred airmen at opposite ends of the country deploy to Southwest Asia for USAF’s Air and Space Expeditionary Force (AEF) 7 and 8. Base officials say that about 700 airmen—some on their second or third time in three years—will deploy from Eglin AFB, Fla. Another smaller group of airmen headed out from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. The airmen include civil engineers, logisticians, and communications specialists, making up what USAF calls expeditionary combat support forces.
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.