The 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, which operates airlifters out of an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia, recently shifted to commercial jet fuel from JP-8 military-specification fuel, a move that has the potential for big cost savings, announced wing officials. The 386th Expeditionary Logistics Squadron’s fuel flight last month received its first shipment of the commercial fuel, known as Jet A, states the wing’s July 29 release. The Air Force and Defense Logistics Agency have been working over the past few years to make the change possible. After the commercial fuel arrives, airmen inject it with the additives necessary for its use. “By buying a commercial fuel and injecting the additives later in the supply chain,” DLA is able to “procure the fuel at a cheaper price,” said SMSgt. Gregory Carrow of the Air Force Petroleum Agency. The Air Force is the largest consumer of jet fuel in the Defense Department. (386th AEW report by MSgt. Marelise Wood)
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.