Pacific Air Forces’ new humanitarian assistance rapid response team (HAART) arrived Wednesday on the Micronesian island state of Chuuk for a five-day validation exercise. The team is built around elements of the 36th Medical Group and 36th Contingency Response Group, both based at Andersen AFB, Guam. HARRT is designed to deploy within 24 hours of notice to open an air base in an austere environment and provide initial primary medical care and preventive medicine to a distressed population for five days without resupply. During the evaluation, a group of observers will evaluate the team’s responsiveness and effectiveness as medical team members provide basic medical care and public health assistance to Chuukese patients. Once the concept is validated, the HARRT will be available to US Pacific Command to deploy to areas affected by real-world disasters. (Weno Island report by Capt. Andrew Hoskinson)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.