Officials at Ramstein AB, Germany, have opened the Joint Mobility Processing Center and Installation Deployment Readiness Center. The new, state-of-the-art facility is designed to offer an efficient deployment process for airmen and soldiers of the Kaiserslautern Military Community. “It also provides an exceptional platform to present forces in support of US European Command, US Africa Command, and US Central Command operations,” said Brig. Gen. Mark Dillon, commander of Ramstein’s 86th Airlift Wing. The new setup maintains the integrity of a deployment package by processing, holding, and moving passengers and cargo all through the same facility. “[O]ur job is simply to ensure the Air Force is presenting fully trained and equipped personnel as warfighters, along with fully functional equipment, ready to contribute to the mission downrange,” said MSgt. Michael Morgan, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron and IDRC section chief. (Ramstein report by A1C Ciara M. Travis)
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.