Two C-130 transports from the Texas Air National Guard’s 136th Airlift Wing at Fort Worth, Tex., and 27 mobility airmen from various USAF units participated in exercise Cooperation 1 in Chile. SICOFAA, the organization for the air forces of the Americas, sponsored this exercise, its first such event. The participants practiced how they would jointly respond to a large-scale humanitarian crisis in the region, using the devastating earthquake that struck Chile in February as the scenario. “This type of exercise is important for all of our nations,” said Lt. Gen. Glenn Spears, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. The Texas Air Guard’s C-130s flew near-daily missions during the Oct. 4-14 event, transporting approximately 24,000 pounds of cargo between several Chilean cities. (Puerto Montt report by Capt. Rebecca A. Garcia)
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.