The Pentagon announced Sept. 22 that Maj. Rodolfo I. Rodriguez, 34, of El Paso, Tex., died Sept. 20 in Islamabad, Pakistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device. The blast reportedly killed some 53 people, including two DOD personnel. Rodriguez was assigned to the 86th Construction & Training Squadron, Ramstein AB, Germany.
The Air Force Research Lab has awarded quantum computing firm IonQ a $7.5 million follow-on contract to bridge the gap between the lab and the field for the highly advanced technology.