Members of the 61st Civil Engineer and Logistics Squadron at Los Angeles AFB, Calif., have completed installing a solar energy system that they say will measurably cut the base’s energy consumption. The system is a 12-foot-high canopy of photovoltaic panels that covers the base’s north-side parking lot. Los Angeles is home to the Space and Missile Systems Center. The solar panels have a five-degree western tilt to maximum the effect of the afternoon sun. The energy that they collect will be used to power everything from the lighting in the base’s facilities, to their heating and cooling systems, and computer systems. Reducing the base’s energy costs will allow base funding to be spent on ways to improve the quality of life for airmen and civilian employees at the base. (Los Angeles report by P. A. Tezuka)
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.