About 60 airmen are gathered with 150 Congolese military personnel in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, for the start of MEDLITE 2011, a two-week, 17th Air Force (Air Forces Africa)-sponsored medical exercise focusing on aeromedical evacuation. The exercise consists of classroom instruction, an aeromedical evacuation training scenario, and a one-day mass-casualty exercise scheduled for May 4 to conclude the event. It’s taking place at the Centre Superior Militaire Academy. Active duty airmen, Air National Guardsmen, and Air Force Reservists are participating, making the exercise “truly a Total Force effort,” said Lt. Col. June Oldman, mission director for MEDLITE 2011, who’s assigned to the Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 137th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron. “It is a key element in a series of military-to-military activities that demonstrate the strong partnership and cooperation between the US and Congolese militaries,” she said. (Kinshasa release by TSgt. Todd Wivell)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
