The Air Force is using two C-5B and two C-5M transports operating out of Western Europe to help US Transportation Command move Army helicopters into Afghanistan and bring others back to the United States. The C-5s will haul more than 170 helicopters during this operation, including CH-47 Chinooks, UH-60 Black Hawks, and OH-58 Kiowas, according to Air Mobility Command officials at Scott AFB, Ill. Commercial ships are carrying 159th Combat Aviation Brigade helicopters to Western Europe for loading onto the C-5s, which then fly them directly into Afghanistan. The C-5s are bringing back 101st Combat Aviation Brigade helos to Europe for loading on the ships for the trip back to the United States. The four C-5 are assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del. (Scott report by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol)
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.