The Air Force on Monday dispatched an expeditionary medical support team aboard a C-17 transport from Lackland AFB, Tex., to Chile to aid local medics in treating victims of the massive earthquake that rocked the South American nation on Feb. 27. The EMEDS team comprises more than 80 airmen brought together from 13 different bases. These medical specialists will operate in the city of Angol, Chile, and are prepared to serve there for up to 60 days. Col. David Garrison, the EMEDS commander, said they will be able to conduct everything from surgeries to pediatric care. Many of them are experienced in such deployments; in fact, many volunteered for this mission. The EMEDS team is part of US Southern Command’s broader humanitarian-assistance to Chile after the disaster. Airmen also remain engaged in SOUTHCOM’s relief activities in Haiti. (Lackland report by SSgt. Paul Croxon)
The Pentagon needs a Digital Command and a Digital Warfare Corps, along with other changes, to take advantage of critical new technologies, according to a think tank founded by former Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt.
