Security Forces airmen have increasingly since operations began in Southwest Asia served on six-month deployments in which they work outside bases, providing protection for VIPs to Provincial Reconstruction Teams. Those airmen on VIP watch, known as Personal Security Details, work “quite literally a 24/7 job,” said TSgt. Robert Winner, the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan PSD shift leader for Army Maj. Gen. Richard Formica, who heads CSTC-A. He added, “It isn’t rare for us to work 20-hour shifts; you have to be ready to roll when the call comes in.” The airmen typically train for a month before embarking on a six-month rotation, said SSgt. Erika Gonzales, who leads the PSD force for Army Brig. Gen. Ann MacDonald, the CSTC-A assistant commander for Afghan National Police Development. Winner noted that the Army does the training at stateside facilities. (Afghanistan report by SSgt. Stacia Zachary)
New B-52 Radar Makes First Flight
Dec. 12, 2025
The Air Force’s radar modernization effort for the B-52 Stratofortress entered flight testing recently, a “milestone” for the once over-budget system that senior leaders call the start of a new era for the Cold War bomber.
