Patrick Air Force Base reserves fly to Texas to begin hurricane relief training
BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - U.S. Air Force rescue helicopters left Patrick Air Force Base on Monday, headed for Fort Worth Texas, where they will begin training exercises in case they are asked to help efforts to rescue people stranded by Hurricane Harvey floodwaters. “If we are needed, we’ll be ready,” said Colonel Kurt Matthews, Commander of the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick Air Force base. “We worked Hurricanes Andrew, Katrina, Floyd, and Rita, so we’re prepared.”
Oh buoy! Soldiers anchor vessel for hurricane season
JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. -- The 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary) conducted hurricane preparation exercises at Third Port at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Aug. 22, 2017. With hurricane season on Virginia’s heels, Soldiers assigned to the 7th Trans. Bde. (Ex.) worked together towing and rigging a Landing Craft Utility vessel in preparation for severe weather that could impact Third Port’s 60 vessels. “This towing system will allow the LCU to be safely towed and con
OMB warns of sequestration cuts if House ‘minibus’ remains unchanged
The jury still is out on whether the Senate will pass the House’s “minibus” of spending bills, but a new report from the Office of Management and Budget guarantees sequestration if the fiscal 2018 numbers are approved without changes. OMB’s sequestration update warns if 2018 caps are not changed, the House’s Make America Secure Appropriations Act would trigger spending cuts put in place under the 2011 Budget Control Act. “If the 2018 discretionary caps remain unchanged, this
Travis continues to grow its economic impact
Those of us that were raised near or reside near major military bases know that these mega-facilities truly become a part of the “weave” of the community. This is true particularly for Air Force Bases, as these institutions maintain billions of dollars-worth of aeronautical equipment, namely the aircraft. Even more valuable are the expert pilots, navigators and crews that ensure that these amazing aircraft arrive and depart safely, protecting the ground we stand on These are
Why Military Chiefs Are Condemning White Supremacy
Since the president of the United States cast his lot in with white supremacists in his #NotAllNazis moment this week, the nation’s military service chiefs have responded with full-throated statements rejecting extremism and intolerance. These statements have alarmed many. “If we lived in a different sort of country,” Fred Kaplan wrote in Slate, “this could fairly be seen as the prelude to a military coup.” And I have some sympathy for this alarm. As I have written in these p
Jim Mattis calls looming stop-gap budget 'as unwise as can be' for military
The Pentagon would be hamstrung in dealing with new advances in electronic, space, and drone warfare if Congress passes another stop-gap budget measure this fall, according to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Lawmakers are heading into the fall with no clear path to passing proposed increases in defense spending, and analysts say it is likely they will pass a months-long continuing resolution at the end of September that would hold military spending to current levels. "It just c
Contractors Begin Early Shutdown Preparations
Contractors should immediately begin communicating with their contracting officers about the impacts of a potential government shutdown this fall, former executive branch officials and industry experts warned on Monday. Already, said David Berteau, who served for 14 years at the Defense Department before becoming president of the Professional Services Council, the contracting community is “way ahead” of where the government is in terms of shutdown preparation. Still, he and o
