Afghan Surge Prompts Mobility Records

Afghan Surge Prompts Mobility Records:

USAF mobility forces for the past four months have bettered their own records for cargo airdropped, while the overall pace for cargo and passengers delivered and aerial tanker fuel offloaded has soared from spring throughout the summer to meet increasing needs of operations in Afghanistan. In June, USAF airdropped a record 3.2 million pounds, followed by 3.3 million in July, 3.8 million in August, and 4.1 million last month. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 James Wright in Afghanistan from the 101st Airborne commended USAF for "doing a great job" in providing "needed support to soldiers in the field." Other numbers: Cargo and passenger airlift jumped about 75 percent from February to March and has continued at an elevated pace, with an average of about 23,000 pounds and 34,000 passengers a month; aerial refuelers had offloaded 60 million pounds in February compared to 80 million pounds in September. (AMC report by TSgt. Scott Sturkol)

10/20/2009

On the Record

Mission One
"The health and safety of our pilots—all of our pilots—is our utmost priority. Our operational flight surgeons and our medical staff interact with our pilots on a daily basis."
—Brig. Gen. Daniel Wyman, Air Combat Command command surgeon, speaking to reporters during a teleconference, May 9, 2012. He was emphasizing that the Air Force is doing all it can to ensure the safety of F-22 pilots as service officials continue to home in on the cause of why some Raptor pilots have experienced hypoxia-like symptoms in the cockpit like difficulty concentrating, fatigue, headaches, and nausea.

On the Record

Message to Congress
"If you give us force structure back, give us the money, too. Because the quickest way I know to a hollow force is to give us structure without money. Simple as that. . . . 'Make it work' is not a satisfactory solution."
—Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz articulating his message to lawmakers on the Air Force's Fiscal 2013 budget proposal during a speech at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C., May 1, 2012. The Air Force leadership has proposed reducing force structure and personnel next fiscal year in order to maintain a ready and capable force as the service absorbs significant spending cuts.