The 12 airmen who make up the Air Terminal Operations Center at Ali Base, Iraq, work 24/7 moving passengers and cargo through this C-17 and C-130 airlift hub. In one month the ATOC team moves more than 700 tons of cargo and 4,000 passengers, says SSgt. Gregory Steffers, load planner with the 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron. The load planners try to match seats and cargo booked to max out each aircraft’s load. The airmen all pitch in, when needed, performing work that often is handled by multiple work centers at stateside bases.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.