"The acceptance show is the culmination of the hard work and dedication by our entire team throughout the training season, from November to March," said Lt. Col. Case Cunningham, who is beginning his first year as the Thunderbirds commander and leader. "It is an opportunity for us to demonstrate a safe air show for General Fraser as we prepare for the 2010 air show season."

The ground and air show lasted one hour. Immediately after, General Fraser greeted the Thunderbird officers on the flightline and later addressed the entire Thunderbirds squadron in the unit's auditorium.

"The Thunderbirds are absolutely looking forward to the 2010 season and the opportunity to represent nearly 700,000 Airmen," said Capt. Jason McCree, Thunderbirds public affairs officer.

The Thunderbirds are scheduled to fly 73 shows throughout the United States and Canada and will be on the road approximately 250 days from March to November. Their season ends with the homecoming show at Nellis AFB open house in November.

The Thunderbirds' 2010 schedule is as follows:

March
20 and 21: Davis Monthan AFB, Ariz.
27 and 28: Maxwell AFB, Ala.

April
10 and 11: Eglin AFB, Fla.
17 and 18: Lakeland, Fla.
24 and 25: Barksdale AFB, La.

May
1: Dyess AFB, Texas
2: Altus AFB, Okla.
8 and 9: Shaw AFB, S.C.
15 and 16: Columbus AFB, Miss.
22: Grand Forks AFB, N.D.
26: U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo.
29 and 30: Janesville, Wis.

June
5 and 6: Ocean City, Md.
12 and 13: Quebec City, Canada
19 and 20: Tinker AFB, Okla.
26 and 27: North Kingstown, R.I.

July
10 and 11: Gary, Ind.
17 and 18: Duluth, Minn.
24 and 25: Fairchild AFB, Wash.
28: Cheyenne, Wyo.
Jul 31 and Aug 1: Rockford, Ill.

August
7 and 8: TBD
14 and 15: Abbotsford, Canada
21 and 22: Westfield, Mass.
25: Atlantic City, N.J.
28 and 29: Brooklyn (Coney Island), N.Y.

September
4 and 5: Martinsburg, W.V.
11 and 12: Coraopolis (Pittsburgh), Pa.
18 and 19: Whiteman AFB, Mo.
25 and 26: McConnell AFB, Kan.

October
2 and 3: Salinas, Calif.
9 and 10: Little Rock AFB, Ark.
16 and 17: El Paso, Texas
23 and 24: Houston
30 and 31: Cocoa Beach, Fla.

November
6 and 7: Lackland AFB, Texas
13 and 14: Nellis AFB, Nev.

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An instrument landing system is a precision-approach system that consists of hardware, including antennas and electronics, and a software application.

"Having a mobile ILS system in the Air Force inventory will provide warfighters in theater with three major capabilities: the ability to convert a bare base into an operating airfield, the ability to augment an existing airfield or the ability to temporarily restore ILS capabilities at damaged airfields during humanitarian operations," said Col. Jimmie Schuman, the 853rd ELSG commander.

The D-ILS will provide a system of equal performance to existing Category I fixed-based systems that provide aircraft guidance on final approach in low visibility/low ceiling weather conditions.

From a transportability perspective, a fixed-base ILS is very large and takes multiple aircraft to deliver all the equipment. The D-ILS will fit onto a single C-130 Hercules, which will provide the Air Force with a great deal of flexibility.

"The current fixed-based ILS systems are time-tested solutions that everyone in the aviation community has confidence in, since all major airports have been using this technology for more than 50 years," said Matthew MacGregor, the program manager for deployable air traffic control and landing systems. "However, fixed-base ILS systems are fairly large structures that require installation of concrete and utilize large containers of electronics and cabling. We are working to scale that system down and make it as lean as possible so a small number of folks can install, configure and maintain the system in a deployed environment."

Remote monitoring and maintenance is another capability the D-ILS will offer. The maintenance concept for D-ILS is very lean, as it allows for the majority of maintenance configuration activities to be conducted from a remote location.

The logistics concept for D-ILS consists of standing up a remote maintenance center in theater that serves as a central depot storage point for all maintenance items needed to sustain the system at multiple airfields. A maintainer is expected to deploy from the remote maintenance center when a system requires maintenance versus having dedicated maintainers at each site.

This concept significantly reduces the maintenance footprint of the system and avoids the need for a large number of system experts in the field.

Members from the 853rd ELSG said they are confident they will receive proposals that include these abilities.

"We have done a lot of market research and have seen the potential solutions industry may propose," said Laura Horstmann, the D-ILS lead engineer. "We feel that industry is prepared from a technology and technical maturity perspective, since they are primarily utilizing commercial technology and understand the integration risk associated with tailoring this system to meet our users' needs."

The final RFP is anticipated to be out in May with source selection in June, and an award by December. Initial operational capability is scheduled to occur in early 2013.

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Sentinel Focus 10A is the second review for the DCGS, the Air Force's globally networked intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance weapon system. The weapon system includes five core ISR distributed ground stations around the world that collect, analyse and distribute the right intelligence to the warfighters on the ground.

The premise of Sentinel Focus 10A is to optimize the Air Force DCGS weapon with a holistic review of the system's line of operations, service offerings and capabilities across the enterprise in order to present a unified ISR capability to joint and national consumers.

"At the end of the day, our customers want high-confidence reporting from our analysts," said Col. Daniel Johnson, the commander of the 480th ISR Wing. "We are in constant communication with ground forces before, during and after their deployments. Because of our direct outreach to the ground forces and continuous technological improvements, we are committed to this across-the-board review of the DCGS weapons system every six months in order to remain flexible and ready for any challenge manmade or from Mother Nature."

The five-day event will provide members of the wing an opportunity to focus on the weapon system's participation in the Operation Enduring Freedom surge, its ISR role during the drawdown in Iraq and information it provides for the special armistice mission in the Korean peninsula. Members of the 480th ISR Wing also provided disaster damage assessment imagery support to U.S. Southern Command Airmen's rescue and recovery operations after the earthquake in Haiti.

The Sentinel produces intelligence information collected by the U-2, RQ-4 Global Hawk, MQ-9 Reaper, and MQ-1 Predator aircraft. Operational crews of intelligence professionals analyze the data while it's being collected and provide actionable intelligence immediately to joint and coalition forces around the world.

“Our initial Sentinel Focus hard stare, held last August, is already reaping results and advancing the weapon system," Colonel Johnson said. "For example, we have seen direct results in the command, control and collaboration employment process across the ISR enterprise. Common operational standards have been solidified and flexibility (has been) built in to our systems to support the uniqueness of each supported combatant command and numbered air force."

Units and ground sites from the 480th ISR Wing are located in California, Hawaii, Virginia, South Korea and Germany. The wing also leverages a relationship with Air National Guard partners in those states as well as Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Nevada and Utah.

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"Virtually all aspects of military operations are affected in some way by the capabilities provided from (space and cyberspace), and it's difficult to overstate their importance to the success of our Armed Forces," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, the Air Force chief of staff.

"From precision navigation and timing, to global satellite communications, to space-based surveillance and missile warning, our space assets provide us with an unparalleled degree of accuracy, connectivity and situation awareness," the general said. "Our exploitation of cyberspace and advanced information technologies enable us and the Joint team to properly command and control our forces - binding virtually all of our advanced capabilities together into precise, increasingly networked, and better synchronized operations."

Speaking to an audience of more than 500 attendees at the Air Force Association-hosted event, General Schwartz addressed the increased dependence on space and cyber, and the risk of that reliance.

"Because our nation's diverse interests - diplomatically, financially, economically and militarily - exist around the globe, we have an enduring need for robust space and cyber systems and the inherently globally-oriented capabilities that they afford," he said. "From an Air Force perspective, space and cyber power enable our ability to provide global mobility, global strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, communications, and many other critical capabilities on which the Joint team relies on us for operational effectiveness.

"Our substantial dependence on space and cyberspace creates vulnerabilities that are potentially exploitable by our adversaries; an outcome with profound strategic implications," General Schwartz said. "Therefore, our efforts to protect these interests in space and cyberspace must be as ambitious as our reliance on these domains. We must be able to deter and defend against attacks on our space and cyber capabilities, and fight through any degradation, disruption or even denial of these vital capabilities."
Threats to space and cyber capabilities pose some of the most significant challenges to the nation's national security, said the 1973 U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. Those who pose these threats must be deterred or, if necessary, compelled to stop.

"Attacks on our space and cyber capabilities are potentially more consequential than what would occur from a purely military perspective," he said. "Because of this, we need to expand our definition of what constitutes a threat to our space and cyber capabilities.

"We must also consider a broader scope of adversaries," said the general with more than 4,300 flying hours in Air Force aircraft. "The list includes not only rival nation-states, but also potentially any number of non-state, sub-national and even individual actors that can threaten the advantage we currently enjoy from space- and cyber-borne capabilities."

Access to space is widening, involving more actors who benefit from, and increasingly rely on space, the general said. "The proliferation of missile and rocket technology, miniaturization techniques for smaller payloads, and other technological advancements are enabling more governments, as well as commercial space providers, to provide launch and satellite services more affordably. This has the ultimate effect of lowering barriers to entry, and suggests that we must always be vigilant in discovering further challenges, to be sure, but also opportunities for deterrence options."

Space and cyberspace also offer opportunities for economic and industrial growth, political leverage and other enablers of national power and influence, General Schwartz said. "Correspondingly, our efforts to stave off potential interference of our space assets gain other possible avenues of deterrence. To address these challenges, we must continue to focus attention on enhanced space situational awareness.

The general said that the Air Force's ability to conduct this vital mission not only helps us to characterize threats as either an intentional act or some other hazard in space. The result is our ability to recognize anomalies and evaluate options for taking action.

"This enhanced situational awareness not only will provide our nation with the ability to evaluate our adversaries' space orders of battle and clarify our understanding of their intent, but also to detect, mitigate and otherwise respond to threats to our space assets. Increased space situational awareness capabilities will also bolster our space cooperation with key international partners and allies."

Current realities continue to suggest the inevitability of contested space, General Schwartz said, noting that in December Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley ordered a top-down evaluation of the Service's management of military space responsibilities. The review is needed, the general said, given that the last significant restructuring took place in 2001. Since that time there are many new legal and regulatory requirements, as well as new agencies and authorities, impacting national security space. The goal is to ensure that "from the Pentagon to our space wings and centers ... appropriate structures and relationships are present to address various challenges."

"Our overall approach for the future must be capabilities-based. Instead of an emphasis solely on protecting satellites, we should also focus on preserving -- through appropriate redundancies -- the force-enhancing capabilities that our space systems provide," he said.

"While we continue to pursue our efforts on operationally responsive space -- to build reliable and responsive operational enablers, and focus them 'on timely satisfaction of joint force commanders' needs,' -- true agile responsiveness should emphasize effectiveness in meeting operational demands irrespective of whether the solution is space-based or otherwise," the general said.

The general concluded his speech by calling attention to the people behind the highly-technical mission -- some 46,000 total force Airmen and contract employees "from acquisition to operations to logistics" -- who are dedicated to supporting the space mission.

"While space and cyberspace certainly showcase our innovation and advanced technology, let us not forget that it is our Airmen, through their daily professional efforts, who make it all happen."

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That number, according to Ralph Jackson, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing historian, signifies the number of times KC-10s circled over a "hot" area and refueled fighter aircraft that were providing close-air support for troops on the ground in contact with enemy forces.

"As a KC-10 co-pilot, it is my duty, along with my fellow flight crewmembers, to fly the KC-10 Extender into the combat area of operations, delivering much-needed fuel to the fighters who protect friendly coalition forces on the ground such as in Afghanistan," said 1st Lt. Matthew Simpkins, who is deployed from the 9th Air Refueling Squadron at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. "On average, we fly three to four times a week, amassing around 30 hours of flight time."

Lieutenant Simpkins is one in a number of people in KC-10 operations who helped the 908th EARS achieve what Mr. Jackson called a "staggering" 4,760 combat air refueling missions for 2009.

"In all those missions, the statistics show the squadron offloaded more than 422 million gallons of fuel to more than 31,400 aircraft," said Mr. Jackson, who compiles the statistics for monthly and annual histories for the 380th AEW.

Capt. Wes Spurlock, a KC-10 pilot who also is from the 9th ARS at Travis AFB, said he enjoys driving the biggest air refueling aircraft in the Air Force inventory.

In addition to the three main wing fuel tanks, the KC-10 has three large fuel tanks under the cargo floor, one under the forward lower cargo compartment, one in the center wing area and one under the rear compartment. This air refueling giant has the capability of holding more than 55,000 gallons of fuel for every mission.

"Operations are happening every day that require fuel at a moment's notice," Captain Spurlock said. "The KC-10 has the capability and the people to make it happen."

On the ground, the maintainers helping the KC-10 amass more than 40,000 flying hours in 2009 are Airmen like Senior Airman Justin Lassiter, a KC-10 aerospace propulsion journeyman assigned to the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. After each mission is done, Airman Lassiter and other maintainers give the plane a thorough "look-over" and any problems they discover are fixed.

He said he knows without the work of the maintainers, the expansive refueling mission they're assigned to wouldn't be achievable.

"The aircraft I work on refuels other aircraft directly supporting troops on the ground in places like Afghanistan," said Airman Lassiter, who is deployed from the 605th AMXS at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. "If the aircraft engines I work on and maintain don't work properly, the aircraft won't be able to fly and do its mission. Our team of maintainers makes sure that is never a problem and we strive every day to make sure our planes meet their mission capabilities."

In the chain of support for the KC-10 mission there are aerospace ground equipment, or AGE, Airmen who assist the aircraft maintainers in getting work done. That's where Airmen like Staff Sgt. Efrem Flores in the 380th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron have the necessary equipment on hand, like generators, air conditioning units and maintenance stands, to keep the maintenance and flying missions going.

"We maintain the ground equipment which in turn supports the aircraft maintenance personnel," said Sergeant Flores, who is deployed from the 374th Maintenance Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan. "What we complete each day is vital to the deployed mission. Without us, the aircraft deployed to the 380th would not get repaired or leave the ground."

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"The modification that will be completed with this Foreign Military Sale contract advances the mission computing systems from their current capabilities, similar to the U.S. Block 30/35 system, to roughly the same capabilities as the U.S. Block 40/45 system," said Paul Sparaco, the England/French AWACS integrated product team chief.

The change to Block 40/45 takes the AWACS fleet from large legacy mainframe computer architecture to more modern Windows- and Unix-based mission computing. Improved situational awareness and combat identification capabilities are two of the benefits of the upgrade.

In addition to military-specific missions, AWACS aircraft have been used to support humanitarian missions, to assist with search and rescue, to provide security assistance for public events, and to help prevent drug trafficking and piracy.

"This upgrade provides the tools for the AWACS aircraft to perform these functions in a better way," Mr. Sparaco said.

Some of the changes include: new displays, computers and consoles, improved identification friend or foe, and a multisource integration process, which combines data from separate sources.

"This will be the largest modification in French AWACS history," said Robert Adamczyk, an engineer for the MITRE Corp., who serves as the chief engineer for the England/France AWACS program. "In fact, the modification is so large, a significant portion of the equipment currently on the aircraft will be removed and replaced by new wiring, consoles and computer racks."

The upgrades are scheduled to be installed in the E-3F aircraft by Air France Industries in Le Bourget, France, beginning in 2012, following the completion of design and integration activity at Boeing Seattle.

"France will be the first international customer to have the Block 40/45 capabilities," Mr. Sparaco said. "However, it was a long process to get here."

With the contract being awarded, the program now moves into the full execution stage for the upgrade of the four E-3F AWACS.

"The French are extremely happy with the progress we've made on the program," Mr. Sparaco said. "We were able to preserve their budget needs through an aggressive effort to reach a contractual agreement by December 2009."

The next steps include a post-award conference, scheduled for April 5 with key stakeholders from France, Boeing and ESC, and a baseline review in May. The contract runs through 2016.

"This opens the door for other nations to receive this capability," Mr. Sparaco said. "It will likely become the common international baseline for an AWACS Block 40/45 upgrade."

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In 2008, the Joint STARS program office at ESC received congressional funding to conduct a demonstration of integrating the Senior Year Electro-optical Reconnaissance System on a Joint STARS aircraft. The SYERS-3 sensor provides electro-optical and infrared images which will provide aircrews with combat identification and reduce fratricide.

The SYERS-3 Integrated Product Team identified several risk areas associated with integrating this third generation U2 reconnaissance aircraft camera onto a Joint STARS aircraft and contracted with specialists at Northrop Grumman Corp. to perform a SYERS-3 feasibility study. During that initial study, engineers determined the best location to mount the SYERS-3 sensor would be below the aircraft in an area known as the keel beam.

"As gaining access to the keel beam area is very difficult, NGC (engineers) originally planned to utilize modeling for the work, which would have been both expensive and time-consuming," said Capt. David Wright, SYERS-3 program manager.

After some discussions, experts with both NGC and the 751st Electronic Systems Group decided to try to obtain an actual keel beam.

Mark Lawrence, 633rd Electronic Systems Squadron program manager, contacted officials at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., to see if one was available.

Capt. Wright said, "I've had a lot of past success working with AMARG supporting C-5s and C-130s."

The 309th AMARG provides aerospace depot maintenance, aircraft regeneration, storage and preservation, aircraft parts reclamation and disposal in support of the Department of Defense, allied warfighters and other government agencies including NASA.

People from ESC and AMARG began working together on the SYERS project in November 2008. Eventually, they were able to identify a 707 aircraft, identical to operational jets in the Joint STARS fleet, which was available for parts reclamation.

"The individuals from ESC had a pretty good idea of what they were looking for, but not every aircraft would be ready for that type of work," said Eric Paulley, a maintenance specialist at AMARG. "Many had the landing gears gone or were up on modules. Not only do we want to make sure it's what the customer needs, but we need to make certain the work can be done safely."

The lower center fuselage keel beam area was cut out of the aircraft and shipped to the Northrop Grumman facility in Melbourne, Fla.

"This was not a trivial task," Captain Wright said. "The keel beam is more than 20 feet long and weighs 2,700 pounds."

Northrop Grumman engineers used the AMARG-provided keel beam for load and stress evaluation, to determine component installation location, and prototype structural re-enforcement designs.

"The Joint STARS team has worked with AMARG since initial production and they have always provided us outstanding support," Mr. Lawrence said. "They have been key in keeping the SYERS-3 demonstration on track. Using AMARG is an excellent risk reduction tool."

"Having the keel beam on-site helped us work through our air worthiness certification approval process," said Captain Wright. "It directly contributed to the accomplishment of the SYERS program. We would not have been able to get as far as we have, with the certainty we have, without it."

The partnership continues as the Joint STARS team asked AMARG officials to brief their organization's mission and recent successes at the 2010 707 User's Group this coming April in Orlando, Fla.

"I was extremely impressed with the professionalism and skill displayed by AMARG," said Patrick Dagle, the director of the 751st ELSG. "Their willingness to partner with the Joint STARS program lowered our cost, shortened our schedule and decreased our risk for installing this critical combat identification capability. I look forward to working with them in the future."

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WGS satellites are designed to provide high-capacity communications to U.S. military forces and the satellites will augment and eventually replace the Defense Satellite Communication System that has been the Department of Defense's backbone for satellite communications over the last two decades.

Secretary of the Air Force Michael B. Donley, who had planned to witness the launch from the Morrell Operations Center at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station prior to a 24-hour weather delay, said he and the entire nation depend on the 45th Space Wing and other space associated programs.

"The WGS provides a giant leap in communications bandwidth and technology," Secretary Donley said. "The launch of this satellite is another example of the Air Force bringing important and vital capabilities to our nation's military around the world."

This mission marked the third flight of a Delta IV rocket this year from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, a record for one year. It also was the second launch of a WGS this year from here. WGS-2 launched atop an Atlas V rocket here April 3.

"I am extremely proud to be a part of a team of space professionals that launched the third Wideband Global SATCOM satellite to complete the first phase of the WGS constellation," said Brig. Gen. Edward L. "Ed" Bolton Jr., the 45th Space Wing commander. "I am also pleased this marked our 20th launch of the year."

First launched in 2007, WGS will be a constellation of five satellites that will supply service for military leaders to command and control their tactical forces.

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It's been a long war, General McChrystal said. Coalition forces have been in Afghanistan for eight years and many have been lost, but it's important servicemembers remain focused for the way ahead.

"The reason I want to talk to you today is because I think we have a significant change in situation here and I think it's important that we get together and think about where we're going," he said.

The role of the NATO International Security Assistance Force has changed dramatically since 2001, and it now has the responsibility of partnering with Afghans across the country, the general said. More than 25 percent of the country is at war and ISAF troops are working to help the Afghan people shape their future, as well as working toward transferring the responsibility of security to Afghan security forces.

"There are 43 nations in this coalition," General McChrystal said. "Many of the nations of the coalition have been helped before. Many of the nations needed somebody else to help them gain their freedom, protect their freedom, maintain their freedom. Many of the nations had help after a natural disaster or during a war to help them defend themselves."

Coalition forces are helping each other, he said. He believes in the future Afghans will partner with these coalition forces to work together on other battlefields to protect other people.

"It's the right thing to do," he said.

The general then went to a drawing board where he illustrated the primary locations of troop populations, as well as multiple insurgencies.

"At the end of the day we have three major groups who operate together loosely, but all threaten the existence of the government of Afghanistan and the safety of Afghan people," General McChrystal said. "The most dangerous is right where you are. The Taliban wants to replace the government of Afghanistan, wants to be the government of Afghanistan, and has been the government of Afghanistan. And, as you know, after 2001, slowly, they have made a resurgence. There are also smaller elements up in the north but they're not insignificant."

The violence in Afghanistan has spread through the country, not only within southern and eastern regions, the general said.

From 2008 to 2009, violence has increased 60 percent. From 2007 to 2009, it went up 300 percent. Insurgents negatively affect the way of life for the Afghan people and security must be improved to help the local people, he said.

He mentioned how the increase of coalition forces in the Helmand River Valley in earlier 2009 has improved security and stability, which also helped to foster essential governance and basic economic development.

"Now, we're going to change the situation; actually we've been changing for a number of months now and this is the culmination of some of those changes that have already started," General McChrystal said.

He expressed his confidence with the decision announced by President Obama and with coalition partners indicating that they too will increase forces in Afghanistan. He went over some of the successful rebuilding projects that were completed in the country and how partnership with the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army have allowed attacks to go down 52 percent while intelligence went up 80 percent.

"At the end of the day the people are what we are here for," General McChrystal said. "We're here to respect the Afghan people, we're here to protect the Afghan people, we're here to enable the Afghan people."

General McChrystal explained his four buzz words, which are clarity, capability, commitment and confidence.

Clarity, he said, is gained by understanding the reason for the presence of coalition forces in Afghanistan, the strategic assessments, the decision-making processes and the impact that is being made within the country.

Capability does not necessarily mean numbers in troop strength or numbers of insurgent deaths, the general said. Examples of capability include the success of all that is being done to rebuild the country and the progress that stronger security has allowed to occur within various regions.

President Obama's speech was a demonstration of commitment, and all that people do each day for Operation Enduring Freedom is proof of their commitment, he said.

"The confidence we have can be derived from a number of things," General McChrystal said. "I believe that by next summer the new forces will make a difference on the ground. I believe by this time next year we'll see a level of progress that will convince us that we clearly articulated the progress and predicted the effectiveness of our operation. And I believe that by summer 2011 it will be obvious to (the Taliban, insurgents, Afghan nationals, security forces) that we can offer them the confidence that we're going to be able to provide that security."

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A three-man Iraqi aircrew from Squadron 3 fired an AGM-114 Hellfire missile from an AC-208 Caravan at a target on a bombing range near Al Asad Air Base, officials at Multinational Force Security Transition Command Iraq announced in a Nov. 10 press release.

The event marked a milestone for the Iraqi military as they become increasingly responsible for their own security. The ability for Iraqi aircrews to launch missiles from the AC-208 will dramatically improve their ability to operationally support Iraqi security forces on the ground and achieves a key foundational capability for a credible and enduring Iraqi air force.

“These rockets will have a great and active role in fighting terrorism in all parts of Iraq," said Staff Lt. Gen. Anwar Hamad Amen Ahmed, commander of the Iraqi air force.

“I’m extremely proud of both the Iraqi Air Force and our Advisor Team,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Rob Kane, director of Iraq Training Advisory Mission-Air Force. “Together we have all worked hard to make this important day a reality. From the enlisted crews who loaded the missiles, to the aircrew who employed the system, to the air operations directors who integrated the entire sequence of clearance and authorization, this live-fire exercise was a perfect example of what a strong professional partnership between air forces looks like.”

The capability is several years in the making and is a dramatic step forward in establishing the Iraqi military as a credible and effective force for defending the people of Iraq, said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, commander of Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq.

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