Members of the 887th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron held a deactivation ceremony Dec. 3 at Camp Bucca, Iraq, ending nearly three years of operations there in support of the Army. During its tenure, the unit oversaw detainee transportation and conducted outside-the-wire patrols, as well as supervising detainee visitation and operating Raven-B and Scan Eagle small remotely piloted vehicles for overhead intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance coverage. “No matter what the task was, you always made it look easy,” said Maj. Larry Wood, the squadron’s commander, at the ceremony. During their tenure, squadron members endured 40 improvised explosive device detonations. They were recognized with more than 1,000 medals for their service and bravery. “This is a unit with a myriad of accomplishments and successes,” said Col. John Williams, commander of the squadron’s partner organization, the 586th Air Expeditionary Group. (Bucca report by SSgt. Shaun Emery)
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.