Iraqi air force officials have opened a new communications building, communications equipment facility, and medical clinic at New Al Muthana AB, Iraq. These buildings offer vastly improved capabilities for Iraqi airmen. “Seeing the Iraqi air force being built up, if only one building at a time, really highlights that we do see the fruits of our labors,” said TSgt. Amy Everhard, an air advisor with USAF’s 321st Air Expeditionary Wing. The communications facilities set the groundwork for Iraq-wide computer network connectivity, a vast improvement over the hand-carried letters that have been a primary means of communication for the Iraqi air force. The clinic features top-of-the-line, up-to-date medical equipment and the space to house patients for extended periods. Its emergency room gives the Iraqis the ability to treat wounded and injured without the help of outside agencies. (New Al Muthana report by TSgt. Randy Redman)
The defense intelligence community has tried three times in the past decade to build a “common intelligence picture”—a single data stream providing the information that commanders need to make decisions about the battlefield. The first two attempts failed. But officials say things are different today.