Thunderbolt 05/19/2022

PhotobyAirman1stClassLaurenCobin

Austinsays2023budgetbuiltonnewdefensestrategy

Thefiscal2023DefenseBudgetRequest wasbuiltonthebonesof thenewNationalDefenseStrategy, andtherequestisadequatefor today’smilitaryandensuresthemilitaryremainsstronginthefuture, SecretaryofDefenseLloyd J. AustinIIItoldtheHouseAppropriations DefenseSubcommitteetoday.

ThatstrategyseesChinaasthepacing challengefortheUnited States. Russia,withitsunprovokedinvasionofneighboringUkraine, is alsoathreatthatmustbetakenseriously.ArmyGen.MarkA.Milley, the chairmanofthe JointChiefsofStaffwhotestifiedalongsideAustin, saidthisisthemostuncertaintimehehasseeninalmost43yearsin uniform.

Spotlight:SupportforUkraine

“Wearenowfacingtwoglobalpowers, ChinaandRussia,eachwith significantmilitarycapabilities, bothwhointendtofundamentally changethecurrentrules-basedorder,” Milleysaid.“Weareenteringa worldthatisbecomingmoreunstable, andthepotentialforsignificant internationalconflictbetweengreatpowersisincreasing, notdecreasing.”

Therules-basedordercameintoplaceattheendofthelastgreat power war— World WarII.That warkilledbetween70millionand85 millionpeopleworldwide.

“Webuiltthisbudgetbaseduponournationaldefensestrategy,… [and]wewereverydiligentandcarefultomakesurethatwewentafter thecapabilitiesthatweneededtosupportthatstrategy,” Austinsaid.“ I’mconfidentthatweweresuccessfulindoingthat.”

At$773billion,therequestfundstheinitiativesintheIndo-Pacific

regionandinEurope.“Thisisaveryhealthybudgetandprovidesasignificantcapability,” Austinsaid.

Spotlight: FocusonIndo-Pacific

Still,inflationhascausedproblems.“Whenwebuiltthebudget,we hadtosnapa chalklineatsomepointintime, asyoualwaysdowhen youbuildabudget,” hesaid.

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MacDillThunderbolt

Publisher:JoeDeluca

Editor:NickStubbs

TheMacDillThunderboltispublishedbythe TimesPublishingCompany,aprivatefirminnowayconnectedwith theU.S.AirForce.Thiscommercialenterprisenewspaper isanauthorizedpublicationfordistributiontomembersof theU.S.militaryservicesonMacDill.ContentsoftheMacDill Thunderboltarenotnecessarilytheofficialviewsof,orendorsedbytheU.S.government,theDepartmentofDefense,

theDepartmentoftheAirForceorthe6thAirRefueling Wing.

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NewsitemsfortheMacDillThunderboltcanbesubmitted tothe6thAirRefueling WingPublicAffairsoffice,8208HangarLoopDr.,suite14,MacDillAFB,FL33621.CalltheThunderboltat828-2215.Email:6arw.pa.macdillthunderbolt@ us.af.mil.

Deadlineforarticlesubmissionsisnoon, Wednesdays toappearinthenextweek’spublication.Articlesreceived afterdeadlinemaybeconsideredforfutureuse.Allsubmissionsareconsideredforpublicationbasedonnewsvalue andtimeliness.

Everyarticleandphotographiseditedforaccuracy,clarity,brevity,conformancewiththe“AssociatedPressStylebookandLibelManual”andAirForceInstruction35-101.

PhotobyNavyPettyOfficer2ndClassZacharyWheeler SecretaryofDefenseLloydJ.AustinIIItestifiesonthePentagon’sfiscalyear2023budget requestduringahearingonCapitolHill,May11.

U.S.SpecialOperations commandervisitsParaguay

USSOCOMPublicAffairs

U.S. EMBASSYASUNCIÓN,Paraguay—Gen.Richard D. Clarke, Commanderof U.S. SpecialOperationsCommand,andCommanderofSpecial OperationsCommandSouth,RearAdm. KeithDavids, visitedAsunción todayaspartofaroutine, regionalcirculationthroughSouthAmerica.

ClarkeandDavidsmetwiththePresidentof Paraguay, HisExcellency MarioAbdoBenitez,theMinisterofDefenseBernardinoSotoEstigarribia,theCommanderoftheMilitary ForcesGeneralEladioGonzalez,and theMinisterofInterior FedericoGonzalez Franco. Clarke andDavids alsometwith U.S. Embassyleadershipandvisited U.S. and Paraguayan servicememberstrainingtogether.

“Partnershipsarevitalinaddressingsecurityinterestsregionallyand aroundtheworld,” Clarkesaid.“I wanttothankPresidentAbdoBenitez, MinisterofDefenseSotoEstigarribia,Gen.Gonzalez,andMinisterGonzalez Francofortheopportunitytomeetandgrowinthatpartnership.

Paraguayisagreatfriendandwesharemanyofthesamesecurityconcernsincludingcounterterrorismandaddressingtransnationalcriminalorganizations.Working together withour Paraguayan teammates strengthensandbuildsonthealreadystrongrelationshiptothebenefit ofbothourcountries.”

AMC’slongestflightyet:24.2hoursinaKC-46A

byAirmanBrendenBeezley

22ndAirRefuelingWingPublicAffairs

MCCONNELLAIRFORCEBASE,Kan.(AFNS)—TheKC-46is AirMobilityCommand’snewestaerialrefuelingplatform,andnowafter completingthe24-hourflight,holdsAMC’srecordforthelongestdurationflightinitshistory.

Theflight wasformorethanjustbraggingrightsandgettinginthe historybooks, this wasacrucialtestofthecapabilitiesofaerialrefueling, akeyfactoroftheUnitedStatesAir Force’sglobalreach.

Thisflighttookseveralweeksofplanning, requiringcollaborationfrom AMC, Boeingandvarioussquadronsaroundthe22ndARW.

Intheweeksleadinguptotheflight,theplanningteamshadtoremain flexible, balancingcurrentoperationalneeds,localextremeweatherandlogistical challengesthatarosefromtheunprecedentednatureofthisflight.

Safetymeasureswereattheforefrontoftheflight.Thephysicaland mentalwell-beingoftheaircrew was closelymonitoredbyanonboard physicianassistant.

TheKarolinskaSleepinessScale, adetailedquestionnaireonthecrew memberscurrentfatiguelevels, wasadministeredtothecrewthroughouttheflightinconjunctionwiththePsychomotor Vigilance Tasktest,a

Capt. TaylorJohnson,349thAirRefuelingSquadroninstructorpilot, checkstheflightpathdetailsMay5.ThesoftwareallowsJohnson toseeliveupdatesofweather,airtrafficandflightplansduringa 24-hoursortieinaKC-46APegasus,partoftheAirMobilityCommand’slongestflightever.

PhotobyAirmanBrendenBeezley

Courtesyphoto

HisExcellencyMarioAbdoBenítez,PresidentofParaguay,andGen. RichardD.Clarke,CommanderofU.S.SpecialOperationsCommand, shakehandsinthePalaciodelosLopezinAsunción,Paraguay,May10.

U.S.AirForceMaj.Gen.Kenneth T. BibbJr.,right,18thAirForcecommander,congratulatesanAirmanfromthe6thAirRefuelingWing(ARW)at MacDillAirForceBaseMay6.EighteenthAirForceleadership recognizedseveralstarperformersfromacrossthe6thARWonthefinaldayoftheir visit.EachindividualAirmanwascoinedandcongratulatedfortheiraccomplishmentsandthankedfortheirwork.

PhotobyStaffSgt.AlexanderCook

U.S.AirForceMaj.Gen.Kenneth T. BibbJr.,right,18thAirForcecommander,congratulatesanAirmanfromthe6thAirRefuelingWing(ARW) atMacDillAirForceBaseMay6.EighteenthAirForceleadership recognizedseveralstarperformersfromacrossthe6thARWonthefinaldayof theirvisit.EachindividualAirmanwascoinedandcongratulatedfortheir accomplishmentsandthankedfortheirwork.

U.S.AirForceMaj.Gen.Kenneth T. BibbJr.,18thAirForcecommander,speakstoAirmenduringhisvisittoMacDillAirForceBaseMay6. EighteenthAirForceleadershipvisitedthebasetoexperiencehow MacDill’smulti-capableAirmensupportrapidglobalmobilityatthe 6thAirRefuelingWing.

PhotobyAirman1stClassHiramMartinez

PhotobyAirman1stClassHiramMartinez

NEWS/FEATURES

Asimpleinnovationmakesa mightydifferenceinthefight

byStaffSgt.Noah Tancer

378AirExpeditionaryWingPublicAffairs

PRINCESULTANAIRBASE,KingdomofSaudiArabia—Asimple actionlikeanapplefallingontoanunexpectingscholar’sheadorascientistleavinghiswindowopenlettingamicroparticleofmoldwispinonthe windandlandinapetridish,cancauseripplesinsocietythatcan change thelivesofmillions.

InthegrandschemeofthingsSeniorAirmanOwenMonaghan,aflying crew chiefwiththe378thExpeditionaryAircraftMaintenanceSquadron, onlyreada101wordparagraphburiedina48,527word,106pageAir Forcetechnicalmanual. Fromthosewordshowever, thesimplemetalbox hedesigned,bothincreasedtheefficiencyofallfuelsspecialistsstationed atPrinceSultanAirBase, KingdomofSaudiArabia,andincreasedthe U.S. NinthAir Force’s(AFCENT)readinessandcapabilitiesinitsareaof responsibility.

TheKC-10ExtenderisanAirMobilityCommandadvancedtankerand cargoaircraftdesignedtoprovideincreasedglobalmobilityfor U.S. armed

SeeINNOVATION,Page14

Threemultiple receptaclejunctionboxesarepicturedinaconsolidated toolkitusedbyU.S.Airmenwiththe378thExpeditionaryAircraftMaintenanceSquadron,atPrinceSultanAirBase,KingdomofSaudiArabia, May4.SeniorAirmanOwenMonaghan,aKC-10Extenderflyingcrew chiefwiththe378thExpeditionaryAircraftMaintenanceSquadron, researchedanddesignedtheMRJBtoallowthegroundingofmultiple fueltruckswhile refuelinganaircraftatthesametime.

PhotobyStaffSgt.NoahJ. Tancer

RECORDFLIGHT

testdevelopedbyNASAthatmonitorsfatigue levelsbymeasuringcognitivefunctionincomparisontoapreflightbaseline.Additionally, the Fatigue AvoidanceScheduling Tool,asoftware thatdevelopsanoptimalinflightschedulefor thepilots, wasimplementedforthisendurance missiontomitigatetheeffectsoffatigue.

“Inflightmedicine, ourgoalistopreservenot onlythehealthandsafetyoftheaircrew, but alsotopreservethesafetyofthemissionsthose aircrewperform,” saidMaj. CoryHenderson, 349thAirRefuelingSquadronaeromedicalphysicianassistant.“Forthismission,we’vetried todothatfromthestartofplanningandnow throughtheexecutionphase.”

Theaircrewconsistedofsixpilots, threeboom operators, aphotojournalist,andaphysicianassistant.Twopilot teamsrotatedon andofffor 4-hourshifts.A backuppilotteam,readytostep inasneeded,focusedongatheringdataandtakingextensivenotes.Therotatingshiftsensured timeforrestandthesafetyofthemission.

Duringthe24hoursinflight,theMcConnell AFBKC-46performeddrycontactswithanotherMcConnellAFBKC-46,refueledfourMarine F-35s, and wasrefueledbyanotherMcConnell AFBKC-46.Theflightflewalongbothofthe U.S. internationalbordersaswellasalonga majorityofbothofthecoastsbeforeultimately landingbackatMcConnellAFB, travelingover 9,000 miles, andcompletingthelongest durationflightinAMChistory.

Thedatacollectedfromthis willbeusedto determinethefeasibility, limitations, potential risksaswellasuniquebenefitsoftheKC-46for long-durationflights.

“This24-hoursortieisacriticalstepinthe operationalevolutionoftankers, andtherole theKC-46playsinthat,” saidCol.Nate Vogel, 22ndAirRefueling Wingcommander “Thissortiehelpsmobilityforcesidentifyhowbestto operateonlong-durationsortiesfromhuman, tomachine, tomissionaspects. Long-duration flightsareinherentlyfullofrisk,andconductingthisoperationnowallowsustoidentify thoserisks, andthenbuildandapplymitigationsinamorecontrolledenvironment.The jointforce, ourallies, andourpartnersrelyon ourcapabilitytoprojectcombatpowerglobally ...weneedtobereadytoexecuteanytime, anywhere.This24-hoursortieisahugestepinrealizingthatvision.”

StaffSgt.JonathanSandersandMasterSgt.JustinMiller,349thAirRefuelingSquadronboom operators,setuppalletizedcotsinthebackofaKC-46APegasusMay5.Thecrewwasflyinga 24-hoursortie,thelongestinAirMobilityCommand’shistory.Inordertoensurethesafetyofthe flight,twopilotcrews rotatedonandofffor4-hourshiftsallowingadequatetimefor rest.

Theaircrewfromthe22ndAirRefuelingWing’s24-hourflightposeforagroupphotoMay5,at McConnellAirForceBase,Kan.Theaircrewtookagroupphotobeforeembarkingona24-hour sortieinaKC-46APegasus,completingtheAirMobilityCommand’slongestflightever.

PhotobyAirmanBrendenBeezley

PhotobyAirmanBrendenBeezley

AirForceunveilsnewairpoweradinmovietheaters

AirForceRecruitingServicePublicAffairs

JOINTBASESANANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas(AFNS)—The U.S. Air Force planstounveilitslatestcommercialtitled “OwntheSky”intheatersduringmoviegoers’ long-awaitedreleaseof TopGun:Maverick. Theheart-pounding, adrenalineinducingad givestheaudienceasenseofwhatitmightfeel liketobeonthereceivingendoftheAir Force’s mightandaccentuatestheimportanceofairpowerinAmerica’ssecurity.

Inthenewad,someoftheAir Force’s5th Generation FightersandtheirAir Forcepilots areseenpullingGsanddoingmaneuversciviliansmightonlyseeatanairshow.“Ownthe Sky”canalsobeviewedonwww.airforce.com.

Air ForceRecruitingServiceandtheAir Force’sadvertisingagency, GSD&M,filmed

SeeAD,Page10

AsseeninthisscreenshotoftheAirForce’snewairpower-centricad“OwntheSky,”someofthe AirForce’s5thgenerationfighterpilotsareseenpullingGsandperforminghigh-speedmaneuversciviliansmightonlyseeatanairshow.Thenewcommercialwillplayinmovietheatersin Mayandcanalsobeviewedonwww.airforce.com.

MACDILL

Courtesygraphic

Funforthewhole family:MacDill communityenjoys newplayground

storyandphotosbyAirman1stClassLaurenCobin 6thAirRefuelingWingPublicAffairs

Constructionofthenewall-inclusiveEagle ParkPlaygroundcompletedMay2022,atMacDillAir Force Base, Florida.

“Thisparkrepresentsourongoingcommitmenttobetteringourcommunity,” saidDawnSousa,communitydirectorforHarborBayfamilyhousing.

Thestaff’s mainpriority wastomeettheneedsofthe Exceptional FamilyMemberProgramandtheAmericans withDisabilitiesAct,whichensuredthat childrenofall abilitieshaveasafeexperienceusingtheplayground.

“Thisplaygroundhasbeensituatednearsomeofthe base’snewADAhomes,” saidSousa.“Forusprojectmanagers,it wasimportanttoaskthecommunitywhatthey wouldliketoseeinapark.”

Nearlyfiveyearssincethelastplaygroundaddition, HarborBaydesignedthenewareatostimulatethe imaginationsof childrenofallageswithnewfeaturesas wellassomefamiliarfavorites.

“Iliketoplayontheswings!”said FinleyDixon,(age 3),daughterofSarahDixonand U.S. CoastGuard Petty OfficerChristianDixon,assignedtoAirStationClearwater.

Thenewplaygroundisconvenientlylocatedacross fromBayshore’s waterfront walkingpathandhasserved asacentrallocationtohelpbringtogethermembers fromacrossthecommunity.

“Thisismyfavoriteplaygroundtotakemykidsto,” saidSarahDixon.“Theshadeandturfmakeitextra comfortabletospendtimeoutside.”

Incorporatingscenariostoinfluenceteamworkand boostcommunitymorale theHarborBayteamhopesthe designwillattractfamiliestospendtheirdayatthe waterfrontpark.

“Ourvisionhereisforthisparktobeadestination,” saidKurt Wicker, facilitiesdirectoratHarborBay. “Insteadofjustaplayground,thisisaplacewherepeople wanttotaketheirwholefamilytohangouttogether.”

Buildingplansandmaterialslayattheconstructionsiteofanall-inclusiveplaygroundatMacDillAirForceBaseMarch9.Theplaygroundwasbuiltspecifically tomeettheneedsoftheExceptionalFamilyMemberProgramandtheAmericans withDisabilitiesActtoensurechildrenofallagesandabilitieshaveasafeareato playoutdoors.

Contractorstakemeasurementswhilebuildinganall-inclusiveparkatMacDillAir ForceBaseMarch9.Theplaygroundwasbuiltspecificallytomeettheneedsofthe ExceptionalFamilyMemberProgramandtheAmericanswithDisabilitiesActto ensurechildrenofallagesandabilitieshaveasafeareatoplayoutdoors.

FinleyandRussellDixonplayatthenewall-inclusiveEagleParkPlaygroundatMacDillAirForceBaseMay11.NearlyfiveyearssincethelastplaygroundadditionatHarborBay,theareawasdesignedtofittheneedsofchildrenofallagesandabilitiesandprovideinteractiveelementsforfamiliestogather.

AsseeninthisscreenshotoftheAirForce’snewairpower-centricad“OwntheSky,” someoftheAirForce’s5thgenerationfighterpilotsareseenpullingGsandperforming high-speedmaneuversciviliansmightonlyseeatanairshow.ThenewU.S.AirForce “OwntheSky”commercialwillbeplayinmovietheatersinMay.AirForceRecruiting ServiceandtheAirForce’sadvertisingagency,GSD&M,filmed“OwntheSky”atEdwardsAirForceBase,Calif.

thiscommercial,amongothers, overseveraldaysatEdwardsAir ForceBase, California.MultipleAir Forcedemoteamscametogetherandwerefilmedair-to-airby aHollywoodjetequippedwithcutting-edgecamerasto makethisfootagepossible.

“Theintensityofthis spot is stunningsoholdonto yourpopcornbecausewearebringingtheAir Forceto yourseat,” saidMaj.Gen.EdThomas,AFRScommander. “We wanttogetAmericansexcitedaboutwhatitmeans toservethisgreatnation.Therearemorethan130careeroptionsanAirmancantakeontheirfullorparttimejourneytodefendourskies.Theairsuperiorityin thisvideojustgivesyouaglimpseofasmallpercentage ofwhatispossiblewhenyoujoinus.”

Thereleaseof TopGunin1986generatedexcitement aboutcareersinmilitary aviation,somethingrecruitershopetoseeagainwiththereleaseofthenewestfilm thattakesviewersintothe“DangerZone”andimmerses themintothethrillofmilitaryflying.

AskedifhethoughttheNavy-centricfilmwouldbenefittheAir Forceaswell,thegeneralsaidheexpects TopGun:Maverickwillgenerateabuzzaboutmilitary serviceingeneral.

“TheNavy, theAir Forceandtheotherservicesbenefit whenAmericagetstoseesuchpositiveandrealisticdepictionsofwhatwedoandwhatourlivesarelikeservingthecountry,” saidThomas, whoseuncle, RearAdm. BillHarrishelpedstanduptheNavy’s“TopGun” Fighter WeaponsSchoolinthe1950s.“Whetherviewers want to‘FlyNavy’or ‘AimHigh’wejust wantthemtothink aboutservingandtheexcitinglifeandtremendousopportunitieswecanoffer.”

Thomassaidthishasbeenthetoughestrecruiting marketinwellmorethantwodecades.

“It’samathproblem,” hesaid.“Thenationallabor shortageisdrivingmillionsofunfilledjobs.Thenation isbigger.Themilitaryissmaller. Fewpeopletodayknow someonewhohasserved.Eligibilitytoservehasdropped tojust23%duetoobesity, medicalorotherissues, and lesspeoplearegenerallyknowledgeableenoughabout themilitarytoknowwhatagreat wayofflifeservingin themilitarycanbe.”

Laterthismonth“OwntheSky”willbeplacedon AFRS’ YouTube channel, U.S. Air ForceRecruiting.Viewersareencouragedtocommentandtagsomeonethey knowwhomightbereadytosuitupandfly, fightand win.

Visitatwww.airforce.comformoreinformationabout opportunities.

2022 u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

Courtesygraphic

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

BUDGET

Austinsaidthedepartmenthadto“snapthe chalkline”in2021—atimewhengrossdomesticproductinflation wasaround2%andrising.

“Wesawthatthat wasincreasing, andwe doubleditbasicallyto…3.9%for‘22…and goingforward,” saidMichaelMcCord,DOD’s comptroller/chieffinancialofficer.“Ifyoulook atthelastsixmonthsofdata—whichwedid nothavethenbuthavenow—thatnumberis now5.3%.So, wearealittleunder,butassecretarysaid,wedidthebestwecouldwiththe informationwehad. We recognizethatthings have changedalittlesincethen.”

Thedefense leaderswereaskedabout Ukraineand U.S. supportoftheembattled democracy.AustinlistedthesystemsandsuppliestheUnitedStatesisprovidingUkraine includingartillerypieces, anti-tankandantiairweapons. Hespokeaboutthedeploymentof U.S. troopstothefrontlinestateswithinNATO, andthe U.S. vowtodefendeveryinchof NATO territory.

Spotlight:NATO

AustinthankedtheHousemembersforpassinga$40billionaidpackageforUkraineand urgedtheSenatetospeedilypassthelegislation.

Healsospokeofhowimportantitisthatthe NATO nationssticktogetherinthefaceofRussianPresidentVladimirPutin’sunnecessary war. Intelligencesharinghasbeenapartof thatsolidarity.“Whatwedid,intermsofsharingintelligencewithouralliesandpartners, wasvery, veryhelpfultodemonstratethatwe wantedtobetransparentandthisisatribute

orcreditto[President JoeBiden],”Austinsaid. “It washisdecisiontomoveforwardandmake surethatwesharedasmuchinformationas

possible.Thatcreatedtrustamongstourallies inamoremeaningful way. Thattrustallowed ustocreategreaterunity.”

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

PhotobyArmySpc.AustinSteinborn

U.S.ArmySpc.RenatoDepradines,withthe1stInfantryDivision,instructssoldiersfromthe BulgarianLandForces,onhowtoconstructgrapeshotandplatterchargesduringanexercise atNovoSelo TrainingArea,Bulgaria,May4.

INNOVATION

forces.Asimplifiedwayofsayingthatis,theKC10isabigaircraftmeanttocarryalotoffuel, notonlyforitselfbutfortherestof AFCENT’sairpowerinthesky.

Toavoidstaticelectricitydischarge during refueling,allequipmentmustbe grounded.TheR11fueltrucks,witha60,000gallonaluminum baffledtank,needs approximatelytwotothree pointsofground contact,andtheKC-10normal-lyneedsmore thanonetrucktorefuelbothitselfandthefuel tanksitusesforitsaerialmission.

Theinconveniencearosefromthefactthat therewerenotenoughgroundingpointsinthe flightlineformultiplefueltruckstorefuelasingleaircraftatthesametime.The908th Expedi-tionaryAirRefuelingSquadron’s KC-10sturnedouttobesimplytoobigan airframeformultiple truck’sgroundingcables toreacheverywhere theyneeded.Amultiple receptaclejunctionboxfixedallthatanditall cameaboutbytheinnova-tionandinitiativeof Monaghan.

“Inmyjob,ifthere’sanissueIidentifyit and comeupwithasolution,”saidMonaghan. “IfI canfixitonthespot,Ifixitonthespot,if itre-quiresmorehelp,thenIfigureoutwhich shopIneedandaskforhelp.”

Inamorebuilt-upbaseinanon-expeditionary environment,therewouldberefuelingpitsthat carryfuelthroughundergroundpipestowhere itneedstogo.Onlyasinglerefuelingtruck is neededtotapdirectlyintothatlinetorefuel anaircraft.

Whereasinanexpeditionaryenvironment, thetruckhastoberefueledoffsite,thencarry itsloadtotheaircraft.Thattakestimeor multiplegroundingpointsformultipletrucks. Orifyou’reMonaghan,justalittleingenuityis needed.

Monaghanfollowedthreesimpleinstructions fromthetechnicalmanualtomakethebox:it hadtobemadeoutofahighlyconductivemetal,ithadtohavespecificgroundingjacksandit couldnotexceed10-ohmresistance.

“It’sinthetechnicalmanual,youjusthaveto doalittlereadinganditwilltellyouwhattodo,” saidMonaghan.“Butitdoesn’texactlytellyou howtodoit,sothat’skindofthethingyouhave tofigureout.Idrewoneupmyselfandwentto thefabricationshop.”

The378thEAMXSaircraftmetalstechnology specialistsmadewhatMonaghanputonpaper andthroughtheprocesshefoundtheotherparts thatwouldberequiredforthebox.Theoutcome wasamultiplereceptaclejunctionboxnecessary forrefuelersandotherservicestosafelyground theaircraftduringoperations.

“Havingtheboxeliminatesneedingtocutinto theflightlinetoinstallmoregroundingpointsor justdoingonetruckatatime,” saidMonaghan.

Finallytotopthetankoff, Monaghan’smultiplereceptaclejunctionboxesarenotaircraft specific.TheycanbeusedonanyairframeinAFCENT’sarsenal,meaningPSABisnowcapable ofquicklyrefuelinganyotherlargemilitaryaircraftthatmayvisitorbestationedatPSABin thefuture.

InMarch, morethanhalf-waythrough Monaghan’sdeployment,nobodywouldhave blamedhimforlayinglowanddoinghisjobfor theremainderofhistimeatPSAB.TheKC-10 squadronhadjustmovedfromAlDhafraAir BaseintheUnitedArabEmiratestoabasestill beingbuilt-up, afterall. Takingthetimetoscour abunchoftechnicaljargonforaproblemthat wouldn’thavebeenhismuchlonger, mighthave

PhotobyStaffSgt.NoahJ. Tancer

U.S.AirForceSeniorAirmanOwenMonaghan, aKC-10Extenderflyingcrewchiefwiththe 378thExpeditionaryAircraftMaintenance Squadron,standsoveramultiple receptacle junctionbox,onPrinceSultanAirBase,KingdomofSaudiArabia,April28.Monaghan researchedanddesignedtheMRJB.

beenthelastthingmanywouldhavedone.

However, throughthedeterminationthat Monaghanandallwhoworkedwithhimshowed, theynotonlyhelpedcreateamoreagilefighting force,butweretheembodimentofthecorevaluesoftheAir Force:integrityfirst,servicebefore self, andexcellenceinallthatwedo.

u MACDILL THUNDERBOLT

EVENTS

KidsbowlfreeMay1–Sept.5

Registeryour childtodayfora springandsummerbowlingpass. Passincludestwofreegamesof bowlingaday. *Shoerentalregularprice.Visithttps://macdillfss. com/macdill-lanes-bowling/for moreinfo.

FitnessBingoMay1–31

GrabaBINGOcardfromthe frontdeskattheShort Fitness Center andplay allmonthlong. Completetheexercise, classor skillandmarkoffthesquareon yourBINGOcard.Completeone lineinanydirectionfora chance towinprizes.

Library–T(w)eenSTEMnight May23

Runs4 p.m.–6 p.m. Teensand tweens8-18canjointhefunat thelibraryforaSTEMevent.All children11andundermustbe accompaniedbyanadult.

DIYAutoHobbyShopopen

TheAutoHobbyShopnextto theArts&CraftsCenterisopen Wed.-Sat.with14workbaysfor performingbothminorandmajor automotiverepairs. Skilledtechnicianscanprovideprofessional guidanceshouldyouneedassistance. Formoreinformation,visit macdillfss.com /art-and-tradecrafts/ Findmoreeventsat:macdillfss. com

NewALSgrads!

U.S.AirmenandCoastGuardsmenfromClass22-DgraduatefromAirmanLeadershipSchool(ALS) atMacDillAirForceBaseMay12.ALSismeanttodevelopnon-commissionedofficersintocompetentsupervisorsandteachthemleadershipskillsthatwillhelpthemguideandtraintheAirmenof tomorrow.

CHAPELSCHEDULE

NormalHours- Monday-Friday -9a.m.to 3p.m.Afterhourschaplain,calltheCommand Postat828-4362/4361.

Monday-ThursdayMass -12:10p.m. www.macdill.af.mil/chapel

Catholic(in-person) -Saturday -5:30p.m. (confession4:30p.m.) Sunday- 9:30a.m.(con fessionsbyappointment)

Protestantservices Wednesday 11 a.m.. virtual)- Sunday -11a.m.

Jewish - MonthlyLunchandLearn:Forsched ule&tojoindistro,pleasecontactelimelach.es trin@us.af.mil

IslamicService - Friday12:30p.m.(space reserved)

OtherFaithGroups- Pleasecontactthe Chapelat(813)828-3621orviaemailat6ARW. HCADMIN@us.af.mil

MacDill’sChapelwebsiteis:https://www.macdill. af.mil/chapel

Formoredetailsandinformation,visittheChapel Facebookpageat http://www.facebook/6amwhc/

PhotobyAirman1stClassMichaelKillian

MACDILL THUNDERBOLT