The Air Force announced yesterday that it is redeploying some aircraft from Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, to McChord AFB, Wash., as a precautionary measure in case Mount Redoubt, an active volcano located about 100 miles southwest of Elmendorf, blows its top. Increased seismic activity associated with the volcano is raising concerns that it may erupt soon. As a result, the Air Force began relocating assets and about 200 airmen to McChord starting on Jan. 31. Three Air Force Reserve Command C-130Js on assignment from Mississippi made the trip on that day, followed yesterday by three of Elmendorf’s own C-17s. Additional aircraft may follow in the next day or two, the Air Force said. Their stay at McChord may last for several weeks, at a minimum, the service said.
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.