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U.S. Special Operations commander visits Paraguay
USSOCOM Public Affairs
U.S. EMBASSY ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay—Gen. Richard D. Clarke, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, and Commander of Special Operations Command South, Rear Adm. Keith Davids, visited Asunción today as part of a routine, regional circulation through South America.
Clarke and Davids met with the President of Paraguay, His Excellency Mario Abdo Benitez, the Minister of Defense Bernardino Soto Estigarribia, the Commander of the Military Forces General Eladio Gonzalez, and the Minister of Interior Federico Gonzalez Franco. Clarke and Davids also met with U.S. Embassy leadership and visited U.S. and Paraguayan service members training together.
“Partnerships are vital in addressing security interests regionally and around the world,” Clarke said. “I want to thank President Abdo Benitez, Minister of Defense Soto Estigarribia, Gen. Gonzalez, and Minister Gonzalez Franco for the opportunity to meet and grow in that partnership. Paraguay is a great friend and we share many of the same security concerns including counterterrorism and addressing transnational criminal organizations. Working together with our Paraguayan teammates strengthens and builds on the already strong relationship to the benefit of both our countries.”
Courtesy photo His Excellency Mario Abdo Benítez, President of Paraguay, and Gen. Richard D. Clarke, Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, shake hands in the Palacio de los Lopez in Asunción, Paraguay, May 10.
AMC’s longest flight yet: 24.2 hours in a KC-46A
by Airman Brenden Beezley
22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. (AFNS)—The KC-46 is Air Mobility Command’s newest aerial refueling platform, and now after completing the 24-hour flight, holds AMC’s record for the longest duration flight in its history.
The flight was for more than just bragging rights and getting in the history books, this was a crucial test of the capabilities of aerial refueling, a key factor of the United States Air Force’s global reach.
This flight took several weeks of planning, requiring collaboration from AMC, Boeing and various squadrons around the 22nd ARW.
In the weeks leading up to the flight, the planning teams had to remain flexible, balancing current operational needs, local extreme weather and logistical challenges that arose from the unprecedented nature of this flight.
Safety measures were at the forefront of the flight. The physical and mental well-being of the aircrew was closely monitored by an onboard physician assistant.
The Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, a detailed questionnaire on the crew members current fatigue levels, was administered to the crew throughout the flight in conjunction with the Psychomotor Vigilance Task test, a
