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Lab techs’ final days in Afghanistan PAGE 2

TRAVIS

Travis airmen conduct Independence Day flyover PAGE 15

TAILWIND

Bird’s-Eye View: Master Sgt. Gary Bryant looks out from the back of a C-130J Super Hercules over Guatemala during exercise Resolute Sentinel 22, June 15. Friday, July 8, 2022 | Vol. 47, Number 27

SERVING TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE AND THE MILITARY COMMUNITY OF SOLANO COUNTY

TRAVIS

2 TRAVIS TAILWIND

July 8, 2022

Final days in Afghanistan: Lab techs stepped up to support withdrawal Claudia Sanchez-Bustamante MHS COMMUNICATIONS

It was a hot summer afternoon last year in Kabul, Afghanistan, when Air Force Master Sgt. Grace Hodge, lab services section chief at David Grant Air Force Medical Center, in Fairfield, heeded an emergency call for all hands on deck. Hodge had deployed to Bagram Air Base, just north of Kabul, in April, as the lab team’s noncommissioned officer in charge. She and her team were providing Covid-19 and trauma support while also closing down the medical treatment facility at Bagram to support the final withdrawal of U.S. forces. As the events in Afghanistan grew increasingly chaotic, Hodge forward deployed in June to a hospital at the international airport outside Kabul. There, she and her colleagues continued to process Covid-19 tests, blood work, and other routine lab tests as U.S. forces continued the troop drawdown and provided airlift support during the final days of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan. Hodge also led the Blood Product Distribution Center for American efforts in Kabul, working directly with the U.S. Central Command’s Blood

TRAVIS

Transshipment CenterOpens to an article in Qatar to provide whole blood products to treat wounded patients and service members.

ISIS Bomb Attack On the afternoon of Aug. 26, 2021, Hodge was one of only two lab techs working alternate 24hour shifts. “I think I was the one on duty at that time,” she recalled. The situation at the airport grew chaotic as the Taliban took over the area and thousands of Afghans, in their desperation to flee the Taliban, flocked to the airport to make it onto an outbound flight before the Aug. 31 deadline for the U.S. troop departure. Confusion and chaos turned into horror as a suicide bomber attacked the crowds, setting off an explosion that killed more than 150 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. The attack forced troops to adapt their drawdown plans and respond to the mass casualty. “Prior to the attack, teams were preparing to leave the area,” Hodge said. “Suddenly, everything changed, and our main goal shifted from Covid-19 support to blood supply and triage.” She remembers the sound of

TAILWIND

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David Grant Medical Group Air Force lab techs deployed to Afghanistan in 2021 to support Operation Allies Refuge. pagers as everyone received the emergency alert. “When patients arrived, it didn’t matter who you were,” said Hodge. “We helped anyone who needed it.” Hodge, along with a team of lab workers from several other NATO countries, supported the trauma cases however they could, even providing toiletries, clothes, snacks, and other supplies the United Service Organizations had sent for the deployed troops. “We were able to help a lot of

people,” she said. “And I’m glad we were there when that happened because if we hadn’t been there, a lot more people would have died.” A lab tech’s job during a mass casualty incident involves managing traumas, “making sure we have whole blood for the patients that need it, and taking blood samples for testing,” Hodge explained. Much like the way her team did at Bagram Air Base, they “had to pick and choose” who stayed behind in Afghanistan

Travis Tailwind is a publication produced by the Daily Republic. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form, in whole or in part, without written permission, is prohibited. Content published in Travis Tailwind is not necessarily the official view of, nor is it endorsed by, the U.S. government, the Department of Defense or the Department of the Air Force. The appearance of advertising in the publication, including inserts or supplements, does not constitute an endorsement by the Department of Defense, the Department of the Air Force or the Daily Republic of the products or services advertised. Those off base who wish to receive home delivery of Travis Tailwind may call 707-427-6975. For information on paid advertising, call 707-425-4646. Correspondence may be sent to: Travis Tailwind/Daily Republic, 1250 Texas St., Fairfield, CA 94533.

and what capabilities remained operational. “Some troops left earlier than us and some troops were retained [including Special Forces] in case anything else happened,” she said. After the bomb attack, Hodge’s team still had to shut down the hospital at the airport in Kabul. “We needed to complete the retrograde,” Hodge said, explaining the process that involves destroying patient records and other sensitive documents for safety as part of the evacuation. Once the hospital was shut down, she boarded an aircraft out of Kabul with two important lessons. Lesson one: “Don’t take for granted what freedoms we have – always remember those service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice to have the freedoms we have.” Lesson two: “Always take training seriously because at any given time your role can change and fill that role to the best of your ability whether you are part of a security or triage team.”

Adrenaline Dump Air Force Senior Airman Jacob Washington, a lab tech from

CONTENTS

See SUPPORT Page 16 9 12-13 14 15

Puzzle Worship services Classifieds Parting shots

Master Sgt. Gary Bryant, 815th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, looks out from the back of a C-130J Super Hercules over Guatemala, prior to static-line operations as part of exercise Resolute Sentinel 22, June 15.

ON THE COVER

Tech. Sgt. Michael Cossaboom/U.S. Air Force

July 8, 2022

AIR FORCE/DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

TRAVIS TAILWIND 3

U.S. wrestles with Russian, Iranian AMC transitions to MAFFORGEN provocations in the Middle East By Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

The Washington Post AL-TANF GARRISON, Syria — A burst of Russian and Iranian maneuvers against U.S. interests in the Middle East has forced the region’s new military commander toward an early reckoning over how to re-establish deterrence without sparking a wider conflict, a perennial problem that has taken on new urgency amid the global instability ignited by Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Army Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who took charge of U.S. Central Command this spring, met in late June with dozens of the approximately 300 soldiers, Special Operations forces and foreign trainees stationed at this sprawling base in eastern Syria. The high-level visit occurred just days after Russian fighter jets attacked a combat post operated by Syrian opposition fighters inside the garrison. Russian military officials, citing a purported vehicle explosion they claimed had wounded Syrian government troops, notified the Americans of their intent 35 minutes prior, according to a U.S. military official. The Biden administration is presiding over a unique moment, as familiar threats like those posed by Iran and its proxies have, in ways, been overshadowed by Russia’s aggressive posture toward Europe and China’s quest for regional dominance in the Pacific. As the U.S. government looks to reprioritize, key Middle Eastern allies - including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel - are growing impatient, acutely aware that Washington’s attention and war capital are being drawn elsewhere. It has given new urgency to a classic strategic challenge: How much harassment is the United States willing to tolerate, and how can it deter adversaries from testing Washington’s red lines? “The biggest question U.S. policymakers have to wrestle with is that at some point, the Emiratis, Saudis, Israelis, and other Middle Eastern

Karoun Demirjian/The Washington Post

U.S. military officials enter a high-mobility artillery rocket system facility at the al-Tanf garrison in Syria, June 21. allies, if they don’t believe that the United States is going to deter Iran on its own, they’ll be looking for ways to deter Iran by themselves,” said Raphael S. Cohen, who researches military strategy and doctrine at the RAND Corporation. No U.S. personnel were harmed in the Russian strike on Tanf. But that was little solace to Kurilla, who characterized the incident as part of a wider attempt by U.S. adversaries to assert dominance in the region while betting that the United States will not mount a kinetic response. “They’re going to push to what they think our limits are going to be and then re-establish our red lines,” Kurilla told those assembled in the bright morning desert sun. “We’re ready to come off the leash whenever the time comes,” one U.S. service member interjected. Kurilla cracked a smile. “I have no doubt,” the general replied. The month of June saw multiple instances of what U.S. military officials have decried as “provocative,” “escalatory,” or “unsafe and unprofessional” acts by Russia and Iran. In addition to the strike here at

Tanf, U.S. officials said they documented Russian aircraft menacing U.S. military planes over Syria through maneuvers that failed to adhere to long-established deconfliction protocols requiring that both sides assent to, not simply warn each other of, planned operations that could put either country’s personnel or interests in danger. Central Command declined to offer further details to bolster its claims. The brush with Russia has coincided with an escalation in provocations by Iran and its proxies, including a recent near miss at sea when fast-attack boats operated by Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps crept up on U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf, coming within 50 yards of one. The Pentagon earlier this year scrambled in response to attacks, orchestrated by Iranian-affiliated rebels in Yemen, targeted U.S. and UAE troops at a base south of Abu Dhabi. Iran, the United States’ most formidable rival in the Middle East, has long been a preoccupation of CENTCOM commanders. Kurilla, who

See PROVOCATIONS Page 11

Scott Air Force Base, Illinois — In alignment with priorities set by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force as well as Air Mobility Command Commander, Gen Mike Minihan, AMC has begun its transition to the new Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) model to increase high-end readiness, improve predictability, and provide a more sustainable and consistent mobility force to meet force presentation requirements in the future fight. “Our nation’s next fight will have a warfighting environment that is more demanding, challenging, and volatile than ever before,” said Minihan. “The Mobility AFFORGEN model will help us better integrate and present forces faster and smarter, while preserving readiness and increasing deployment cycle predictability for our airmen and their families.” The previous Air Expeditionary Force generation model in use for more than two decades crowdsourced airmen and resources to meet readiness or deploy to dwell requirements, which often meant deploying individual airmen, separate from their teams, on short notice. As a result, leaders had limited visibility into Total Force Readiness, force generation capacity, and the impacts of both long and short-term surge requirements. In response to the findings of its 2018 Readiness deep dive assessment, the Air Force announced its new force generation strategy, Air Force Forces Generation or AFFORGEN, which consists of a four-phase, two-year readiness cycle. Mobility Air Force Force Generation (MAFFORGEN) is AMC’s unique version of this model, which reconstitutes AMC manpower, aircraft, and equipment into force elements that train, deploy, and recover as cohesive units throughout each phase of the cycle. MAFFORGEN consists of the following cycles: Reset - Reintegrate and reconstitute; prioritize movement functions; and resource equipment and aircraft Prepare - Begin training to identify, evaluate, and improve manning and equipment deficiencies Ready - Build towards Combat Mission Ready status by continuing training, validation, and certification processes Available - Fully resourced force elements, certified and ready to conduct combat operations As force elements move from the Reset towards the Available phase, airmen can expect an increased operations tempo and longer-term taskings. Unlike other AFFORGEN models, AMC force elements will maintain a minimal level of manning during all phases of the cycle, including Reset, to

See TRANSITION Page 16

4 TRAVIS TAILWIND

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

July 8, 2022

Navy pursues accountability for fuel spill that poisoned drinking water The Washington Post The Navy says it is examining who will be held accountable for a catastrophic jet fuel spill last year that poisoned the drinking water at a Hawaii military base, acknowledging this week that the public health disaster resulted from widespread failures and ultimately was preventable. The incident sickened thousands of military family members and forced many more from their homes at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. Officials said problems first emerged in May 2021 after workers at the Red Hill fuel storage facility spilled about 20,000 gallons of petroleum product, which then was pumped into a fire suppression line and became suspended in a pipe. In late November a small train car struck the pipe, sending the contaminant into a nearby well that supplies water to 40,000 service members and their families, the Navy said in a report detailing its investigation. Navy officials suspended work at the facility a week later – as families reported illnesses from water that they said tasted and smelled like fuel - but did not disclose the decision to pause operations for several more days. At that time, senior military leaders, including the base commander then, Capt. Erik Spitzer, sought to assure the community their water was safe to drink. “The lack of critical thinking, intellectual rigor, and selfassessment by key leaders at decisive moments exemplified a culture of complacency and demonstrated a lack of professionalism that is demanded by the high consequence nature of fuel operations,” the Navy’s 234page report concluded. The Navy is scrutinizing the actions of multiple senior leaders as it assesses potential disciplinary action.

Spitzer was responsible for the “safety, security, environmental stewardship, and protection of personnel and property on the installation,” the investigation said. He eventually issued an apology for saying the water posed no danger. Spitzer was recognized in June with the prestigious Legion of Merit award after his departure from the post. Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful. For those who consumed or bathed with contaminated water, the fallout was dire. Military families reported a range of maladies with known links to toxic exposure, including severe nausea and gastrointestinal complications, skin rashes and memory loss. The response fell “unacceptably short of the Navy standards for leadership, ownership, and the safeguarding of our communities,” the vice chief of naval operations, Adm. William Lescher, wrote in his endorsement of the investigation, which was released publicly by the Hawaii Department of Health with extensive redactions late Thursday. The Navy later published the same documents.

Adm. Samuel Paparo, Pacific Fleet commander, told reporters a “number of people” are no longer in their jobs as a result of the incident, but he did not disclose how many people have been disciplined or fired. The Pentagon said in March that it would permanently shut down the long-troubled facility, surrendering a months-long battle to defy the state health department’s order to do just that. More than 100 million gallons of fuel must be removed, with an estimated completion date of Dec. 31, 2024. Built in the 1940s, Red Hill has been under scrutiny for years by environmental groups and declared a “ticking time bomb” by state officials. The massive tanks, located above an aquifer that feeds the base and civilian communities, are used to fuel military vehicles, ships and aircraft operating throughout the Pacific. Closing the complex poses a strategic quandary for the Pentagon, which has indicated it is exploring scenarios to ensure that the military’s capacity to project forces won’t be disrupted.

See WATER Page 9

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

TRAVIS TAILWIND 5

DoD accelerating innovative technologies, enabling manufacturing workforce David Vergun DOD NEWS

Groundbreaking technologies were on display in May when the Defense Department’s nine Manufacturing Innovation Institutes demonstrated advanced materials, engineering and manufacturing. Leaders from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering in attendance included Deputy Undersecretary David Honey; Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Science and Technology Barbara McQuiston; and Director of Science and Technology Futures Dr. Kevin Geiss. The DoD MIIs accelerate new technologies using federal funding combined with matching investment from academia, industry and state governments, building a national network of public-private partnerships and creating an industrial common for manufacturing R&D while advancing workforce education

and development. Marshalling the best talent across the country, the network strategically aligns resources to address critical technologies and drive interconnected manufacturing systems. The DoD Manufacturing Technology Program, or ManTech, oversees the nine DoDsponsored MIIs. Central to the DoD MII mission is identifying industry partners, including small businesses, that have cutting-edge technologies that could benefit the warfighter. Through the MIIs, DoD invests in these industries which specialize in particular areas of advanced manufacturing. Conversations with three of the nine institutes at the May 24 Pentagon event illuminated how technology acceleration is benefiting DoD and the Nation. The American Institute of Manufacturing – Integrated Photonics specializes in silicon photonics. Silicon photonics is a combination of silicon integrated

circuits and semiconductor lasers. This technology enables faster data transfer over longer distances compared to traditional electronics, while utilizing the efficiencies of high-volume silicon manufacturing. David Harame, chief operating officer of AIM Photonics, said his organization has three primary objectives. The first objective is to

See TECHNOLOGY Page 8

Two U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, arrive at Siauliai Air Base, Lithuania, Feb. 27, 2022. Senior Airman John Wright/U.S Air Force

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

6 TRAVIS TAILWIND

July 8, 2022

Sweden and Finland move closer to NATO membership Jim Garamone DOD NEWS

During a ceremony in Brussels, NATO ambassadors Tuesday signed the accession protocols that will move Finland and Sweden a step closer to joining the alliance. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said it was a historic day “for Finland, for Sweden, for NATO and for EuroAtlantic security.” The accession protocols now move to the alliance’s 30 member nations for national ratification according to the procedures of the various nations. In the United States, this means the Senate will have to approve the addition of those countries to the Washington Treaty of 1949. For decades, Sweden and Finland were content to work with NATO, but not become members of the defensive alliance. But Russia’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine in February shifted the ground in Europe, and those nations – both historically neutral – petitioned to join NATO. At last week’s NATO summit in Madrid, allied leaders agreed to invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance. “Finland and Sweden will make strong and important contributions to our alliance,” Stoltenberg said after the ceremony. He noted that years of training and exercising together has increased the interoperability of Finnish and Swedish forces with NATO, and the nations share the same values as the other members of the alliance. “I commend all allies for moving so quickly in accepting Finland and Sweden’s applications for membership, and I want to thank Turkey, Finland and Sweden for their constructive approach,” the secretary general said. “The trilateral agreement they signed at the Madrid

summit made today possible.” Finland shares a long border with Russia, and Sweden is just across the Baltic Sea from Russia. There are concerns about actions Russian President Vladimir Putin may take against the nations. “The security of Finland and Sweden is important for our alliance, including during the ratification process,” Stoltenberg said. “Many allies have already made clear commitments to Finland and Sweden’s security, and NATO has increased our presence in the region, including with more exercises.” The signing of the document means Finland and Sweden will have the status as “invitees” and will participate in alliance discussions. Sweden has a world-class military and will contribute to the security of all NATO allies. “We are convinced that our membership will strengthen NATO and add to the stability in the EuroAtlantic area,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde. “We will do our part in contributing to NATO’s collective defense shoulder-to-shoulder with the other allies.” Linde said the decision to join NATO has enormous support in her country, “and we believe that joining NATO is the best way for Sweden to ensure our national

security and keep the Swedish people safe.” Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said his country looks forward to working closely with the other NATO allies. “The membership of both Finland and Sweden will not only contribute to their own security, but to the collective security of the alliance,” he said.

NATO photo

Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Pekka Haavisto, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Ann Linde, following the signature of the NATO Accession Protocols for Finland and Sweden.

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TRAVIS TAILWIND 7

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

8 TRAVIS TAILWIND

Technology From Page 5 advance state-of-the-art technologies in silicon photonics. “In our case, we’re trying to advance integrated silicon photonics for the ecosystem in the U.S.,” he said. The second part is accessibility. “Our major objective is to make it available for DoD, small/ medium enterprises as well as large companies,” he said. The third part is education and workforce development. “This is a very rapidly expanding area. And we have a very large education workforce development activity,” he said. Some of the most exciting applications for photonics, he said, are Covid sensors. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act funding resulted in sensors that can detect Covid-19 in less than a minute from a drop of blood. Proteins associated with eight different viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, are contained in separate sensor areas of the chip. If someone has been exposed to any of the viruses, antibodies to those viruses in the

blood sample will be drawn to the proteins and detected. Joe Steele, senior director of communications and legislative affairs for LIFT – another of the Manufacturing Innovation Institutes – said his organization focuses on materials science, manufacturing processes and systems engineering, along with helping train the talent for advanced manufacturing. Examples of focus areas that support the warfighter are lightweight armor and hypersonics. LIFT, through its industry and DoD partners, managed a program to innovate the best materials and processes for designNASA photo ing a ship’s hull, he said. The The International Space Station releases the Cygnus cargo vessel S.S. project, he said, developed inno- Katherine Johnson over southern Wyoming in the U.S., June 30. vative computer modeling to better predict where distortion, or initial project was funded and kit is now available for purchase warping, will occur when steel managed by LIFT in collabora- by military units worldwide. plates are welded together. That tion with Ricardo Defense Sys- Based on National Highway led the team to ultimately re- tems, and led to the successful Traffic Safety Administration configure the welding sequence, retrofitting of 10 Michigan Na- data from similar vehicle classwhich will enable the use of tional Guard vehicles with the es, ABS and ESC systems siglighter weight materials and re- optimized ABS/ESC system. The nificantly reduce fatal rollovers duce the amount of post-welding work. Another LIFT project was designing an analog anti-lock brake system and electronic stability control system to help prevent Humvees from rolling over. The We can EASILY close a VA loan transaction in 19 - 22 days ys here locally, So if you want to get it done Quickly at a Great Rate ate and Low Fees, with the same person from the beginning till the end, Let’s Talk.

July 8, 2022 by 74 %. “We’re not a technology incubator. We’re technology accelerators,” he said. John Wilczynski, executive director of the America Makes Manufacturing Innovation Institute, said his organization specializes in additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing. Additive manufacturing produces components that can be made out of plastic, metal, rubber, polymers and ceramics. Having the capacity to additively produce parts strengthens the military’s ability to operate with agility and speed, especially in contested environments. “We primarily focus on applied research of the technology, making sure that it is a capable technology that can be used on a weapon system or a commercial system,” he said. America Makes additionally focuses on the qualification and

See TECHNOLOGY Page 10

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Water

tainted water. Jamie Williams, a Coast Guard spouse who lives near the site of the contamination, said in an interview that in May she sent a sample of her water to an independent lab, which returned a positive result for JP-5, the type of fuel that leaked into the well. Williams said she toured Red Hill this week with other military families and Navy officials. The walk-through took them over a catwalk that allowed the group to see into the cavernous 20-story tanks, where workers had left chalk marks to highlight points of concern such as rust and dents. There appeared to be a mark every few inches, Williams said. A third-party assessment of the facility found dozens of problems. The officials who guided the visit, she said, relied on talking points about the importance of the facility as the threat from China grows and seemed to dismiss the larger concerns of military families. “It’s like the gravity hasn’t sunk in,” Williams said. “They’re treating it like it’s a nonissue.”

From Page 4 The Navy’s investigation faulted a decision in February 2021 to remove military personnel from oversight of day-to-day fueling operations at Red Hill. It said that responders were neither trained nor equipped to stop the leak had no sense of the system’s intricate pathways that allowed fuel to flow into the water shaft. About 5,000 gallons were never recovered, officials determined. “No single person took charge at the scene,” the report concluded. The Navy has insisted that the water at Pearl Harbor is free of fuel and safe to drink and that there is no evidence of chronic exposure in any residents’ health records. Nearly a dozen military families told The Washington Post in December that they experienced symptoms of fuel exposure beginning in the summer of 2021, months before the Navy acknowledged contamination had occurred. Some families said they reported their illnesses.

Marie Eriel Hobro/The Washington Post

A plastic bag covers Jamie Williams’s bathroom faucet at her home in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Dec. 11, 2021, amid water contamination issues tied to the U.S. military’s Red Hill fuel storage facility. Others believed their symptoms were stress-related and didn’t seek care. The Navy’s claims have been contested by the affected families. One military spouse told lawmakers last month that her esophagus is permanently damaged and that her home still has

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TRAVIS TAILWIND 9

Puzzles STR8TS

No. 602

Previous solution - Medium

1 5

3 3 1

Easy

4 5 3

4 5 6

8 7 6 8 9 9

9 3 2

7 6

3 4 4 5 1

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

You can find more help, tips and hints at www.str8ts.com

SUDOKU

No. 602

8 1

Tough

3 7 4 9

The solutions will be published here in the next issue.

2 3 5 9 9 8 8 6 6 7 5 7

9 6 7 2 1 5 3 7 8 6 4

7 8 8 7 1 3 2 4 4 3 1 2 6 5

9 8 4 3 2

How to beat Str8ts – Like Sudoku, no single number can repeat in any row or column. But... rows and columns are divided by black squares into compartments. These need to be filled in with numbers that complete a ‘straight’. A straight is a set of numbers with no gaps but can be in any order, eg [4,2,3,5]. Clues in black cells remove that number as an option in that row and column, and are not part of any straight. Glance at the solution to see how ‘straights’ are formed.

9 7 6 4 8 5 2 1 3

3 2

3 2 1 9 5 6 8 9 6 8 7 1 2 7 1 9 4

4 3 2 5 6 6 7 7 5 8 9 8 2 4 3 1

Previous solution - Medium

8 3 5 1 6 2 4 7 9

1 2 4 7 3 9 6 8 5

2 5 9 6 7 1 3 4 8

4 6 7 3 5 8 1 9 2

3 8 1 9 2 4 7 5 6

5 4 3 8 1 6 9 2 7

7 9 8 2 4 3 5 6 1

6 1 2 5 9 7 8 3 4

July 8, 2022

For many strategies, hints and tips, visit www.sudokuwiki.org If you like Str8ts, Sudoku and other puzzles, check out our books, iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store at www.str8ts.com

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

10 TRAVIS TAILWIND

July 8, 2022

We Salute

THOSE WHO SERVE :H·YH EHHQ VHUYLQJ 6RODQR &RXQW\ VLQFH Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman/U.S. Space Force

A Falcon 9 rocket launches Inspiration4 toward space Sept. 15, 2021, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Four private citizens were transported into orbit inside Space-X’s Dragon Resilience capsule.

Technology From Page 8 certification of processes and materials, he said. Lack of qualification and certification is the main barrier to manufacturers fully adopting additive manufacturing. The organization also analyzes how the capability of the supply chain matches up with the requirements for additively manufactured components, he said. Education, talent management, and the transition of new technologies from research and development to production are other important aspects of America Makes, he said. Another ManTech-guided entity that accelerates manufacturing innovation is the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel, which serves to ensure coordination and collaboration across ManTech. Panel members include the directors and senior managers of each ManTech program

including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Logistics Agency, Missile Defense Agency, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense, The panel is chartered to identify and integrate joint requirements, conduct joint program planning, and develop joint strategies. The panel’s mission is to reduce the acquisition and supportability costs of defense weapons systems, reduce manufacturing and repair cycle times across the life cycles of such systems, and transition manufacturing research and development processes into production. ManTech is a leading vehicle driving the advancement of critical manufacturing technologies that support our national security, along with growing manufacturing ecosystems that underpin U.S. supply chains. These efforts together are helping the U.S. to build a resilient manufacturing economy and lead in global competitiveness.

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July 8, 2022

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Provocations From Page 3 spent much of the spring traveling throughout the region and meeting with foreign counterparts, is fixated on the aggressive activity Tehran has gotten away with and frequently references a recent NBC News analysis that counted 29 attacks against U.S. targets since October that did not elicit a forceful response. The Tanf garrison, located along Syria’s borders with Jordan and Iraq, still bears scars from an Iranian militia attack in October. Marks from where drones struck the compound are visible on a building near the U.S. military’s command center, where a whiteboard logs recent incidents within the 35-mile deconfliction zone that surrounds it. A floor-to-ceiling map of the area marks exactly what parts of Karoun Demirjian/The Washington Post the territory those threats have Tactical vests and weapons sit in cubbyholes outside a secure room in the Al-Tanf garrison compound in Syria, June rendered vulnerable. 21. The U.S. military has enough firepower here to beat back an work to their advantage ... and attack, officials say: There are we have, in effect, largely acarmored vehicles and two high- cepted these malign norms of bemobility artillery rocket systems havior over multiple administrawith the range to hit anything tions.” encroaching on the deconflic“For red lines to work, one of tion zone. But most of the time, two dynamics must be in effect. as with U.S. assets elsewhere in One is that we understand our the region, they sit unused be- own red lines with great specificcause the perceived dangers of ity internally and communicate responding with force are ad- those externally very clearly,” judged to be too high. Wechsler said. “The second way “The last thing we want to is that if you have a degree of do is start a conflict with Rus- overwhelming power, then you sia right now,” Kurilla told the can have a degree of strategic troops at the garrison. But, he ambiguity. But I fear those days added, “we will defend ourselves are behind the United States ... ... We won’t hesitate to respond.” Fear of American power has fadKaroun Demirjian/The Washington Post Russia’s aggressive actions ed in the last 20 years.” Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Lt. Col. against the United States have In the Middle East, in particIan Ginty survey the garrison from an outlook. only complicated a balancing act ular, the United States is scaling in the Middle East that in recent down after decades of war in Afyears has dictated how the U.S. ghanistan and Iraq. That creates worried about losing clout else- troops at Tanf. “What is the reamilitary manages its interests. opportunities for adversaries to where in the world. Kurilla at- son for some of this more aggres“Iran routinely tries to test flex, experts say, and show they tributed Russia’s increased bra- sive behavior?” where American red lines might are a force to be reckoned with. There are questions as well vado in Syria to Colonel-General be, and march up to that,” said In the case of Russia, the obvi- Aleksandr Chayko, who has re- about what is driving the escaWilliam Wechsler, director of ous factor driving tensions with turned to the Middle East af- lation in attacks backed by Iran. Middle East programs at the the United States is the war in ter stunted tenure commanding Generally, they coincide with the Atlantic Council and a former Ukraine. The Kremlin is furious Russian forces in Ukraine. long, slow breakdown of efforts high-ranking Pentagon official. about the U.S.-led effort to con“What we don’t know is, is he to revive an international com“They’re trying to establish an strain Moscow and arm Kyiv – a dog off-leash trying to re-estab- pact to constrain Tehran’s nucleaccepted set of behaviors that and its leaders, analysts say, are lish himself?” Kurilla said to U.S. ar ambitions. The incident in the

TRAVIS TAILWIND 11 Persian Gulf also tracks closely with the United States imposing new sanctions against Iranian petrochemical producers and titfor-tat incidents between Greece and Iran involving the seizures of oil tankers. But there is another element at play: shifting signals from Washington. The Biden administration has not shown the lenience toward Russia espoused by his predecessor, nor the unsparingly hard line toward Iran. Unlike President Donald Trump, Biden has adopted a posture of defiance toward Moscow while putting greater emphasis on diplomacy with Tehran, though the administration insists it is not allowing provocations go unanswered. “There is nothing President Biden takes more seriously than the security of U.S. personnel deployed overseas,” said a National Security Council spokesperson, speaking on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House. This person said that the upon taking office, the Biden administration acted swiftly to deter attacks by Iran-backed groups, deploying a variety of tools, including military strikes, plus diplomatic and coercive measures. “Not every response will be seen or visible, but Iran fully understands that the United States is prepared to respond directly to any threat against U.S. personnel,” the spokesperson continued. Though U.S. government officials are coy about what would trigger a military response, there is a consensus among experts that one clear red line for the United States is the killing an American citizen. “Deaths of Americans demand a response. Destruction to U.S. interests or U.S. partners and allies, it’s a question mark,” said Matthew McInnis, a senior fellow with the Institute of the Study of War. “That’s just where the American people are right now.”

12 TRAVIS TAILWIND

July 8, 2022

For advertising information about this directory, call Classifieds at 707-427-6973 or email: cgibbs@dailyrepublic.net ASSEMBLY OF GOD

BAPTIST

First Assembly Of God of Fairfield

Lead Pastor: C. Eric Lura •9:15 AM SUNDAY SCHOOL •10:30 AM * MORNING WORSHIP •KID’z CHURCH Grades K-5th •10:00 AM WEDNESDAY SENIOR PRAYER • 7:00 PM WEDNESDAY NIGHT Adult Bible Study Girl’s Club Royal Rangers Revolution Youth *Nursery Care Provided

425-3612

707

2207 UNION AVE., FAIRFIELD

www.1agff.org email: info@1agff.org Live Stream on:

MOUNT CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH

First Baptist Church of Vacaville

Dr. Claybon Lea, Jr. - Senior Pastor

The All Together Different Church

Fairfield Campus 1735 Enterprise Drive, Bldg. 3 Fairfield, CA 94533 Sunday Worship Services 7:00am & 10:00 am Bible Study Tuesdays at 12 noon (virtual)

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Suisun Campus 601 Whispering Bay Lane, Suisun City, CA 94585

1127 Davis Street, Vacaville

707-425-1849 www.mcbcfs.org for more information

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CATHOLIC

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Holy Spirit Parish

CHURCH of CHRIST Meets at

1050 North Texas Street Fairfield, CA 94533-0624 707-425-3138 www.holyspiritfairfield.org

Weekend Mass: Saturday • 5:00 pm & 7:00 pm (Spanish) Sunday • 6:00am (Spanish), 7:30, 9:00, 10:30am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm (Spanish), 7:00pm (Spanish) Daily: M-F • 7:00am & 9:00am Saturday • 9:00am; Tues & Fri • 7:00pm (Spanish); Wed • 7:00pm (English) OLPH Confessions in English: Saturday • 3:00-4:30pm Spanish: Tues & Fri • 4:00pm-6:00pm

CHURCH OF CHRIST

Join Us In Person or Online Sundays – 10 AM CONNECT WITH US: 2024 Nut Tree Road, Vacaville CA 95687 707.446.4406 INFO@TSVV.ORG MORE INFORMATION:

WWW.SANCTUARYVACAVILLE.COM

Rockville Cemetery Stone Chapel

4221 Suisun Valley Rd, Fairfield 9:00 a.m. Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:50 a.m. Sunday Morning Worship 5:30 p.m. Sunday Evening Bible Study 7:00 p.m. Wednesday Evening Bible Study We welcome and encourage you to come and hear the good news of the gospel of Christ, and to learn about eternal salvation for all mankind that is offered through Jesus. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 Bring a heart and mind willing to hear God’s Word and to do His great will... For more information or directions, please visit our website at www.rockvillecofc.com

LUTHERAN

Worship With Us… St. Paul Baptist Church 1405 Kentucky Street Fairfield, CA 94533 Rev. Dr. Terry Long, Pastor

Sunday

Sunday School: 11:00 a.m. Morning Worship Service: 12:00 p.m. Children’s Church: 11:30 a.m.

Tuesday

Prayer Meeting: 6:30-7:00 p.m. Bible Study: 7:00-8:00 p.m. Web Site: www.stpaulfairfield.org Email: stpaulbcfairfield@comcast.net Church Phone: 707-422-2003

Live stream at: itsallaboutfamilies.org 301 N. Orchard Ave., Vacaville 707.448.5848 SUNDAY Classes for all ages.......... 10:00 am Worship ..............................11:00 am CORE Bible Studies 12:30 & 5:00 pm

(2nd & 4th Sunday)

WEDNESDAY Adult Studies........................2:00 pm AWANA for Kids ..................6:15 pm Adult & Youth Studies.........6:30 pm

Sunday Morning Worship 10AM

July 8, 2022

TRAVIS TAILWIND 13

NAZARENE

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

UNITED METHODIST “The People of The United Methodist Church™”

Bible-Based Expository Preaching Sunday Worship Services 9:00 & 10:45 AM

9:30 am Sunday For advertising information about this directory, call Classifieds at 707-427-6973 or email: cgibbs@dailyrepublic.net

LUTHERAN

310 Parker Street Vacaville, CA 95688

Pastor Jon Kile 192 Bella Vista Road, Vacaville 707-451-2026

Visit sonrise-vv.org for info Sunday school for all ages is provided during both services.

Visit our website for information on other ministries offered at

www.vacavillefaith.org

Loving the Lord – Learning the Walk – Living the Life

%LEOH &ODVV IRU DOO DJHV 6XQGD\V $0 6XQGD\ :RUVKLS $0 )HOORZVKLS 30 /LYH 6WUHDP *R%HWKDQ\ FRP 5HY 'U 3KLOOLS 3OHGJHU 3DVWRU 'U &KULV 6PLWK 3ULQFLSDO %HWKDQ\ /XWKHUDQ 3UHVFKRRO 'LUHFW /LQH %HWKDQ\ 7. WKUX WK 'LUHFW /LQH Look us up on the web: GoBethany.com

Sunday School 9:45am Morning Worship 11am Evening Worship 5pm

Thursday Service: Prayer Meeting 7pm

Bible Studies throughout the week Pastor Ben Smith

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NON-DENOMINATIONAL

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UNITY

BETHANY LUTHERAN MINISTRIES Church and School 1011 Ulatis Drive, Vacaville, CA 95687

“To know Him, and to make Him known” 490 Brown Street Vacaville, CA 95688 707-446-8684 Sunday Services:

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Vacaville Church of Christ 401 Fir St., Vacaville, CA 95688 (707) 448-5085 Minister: Elliott Williams

A Passion to... Worship God • Love People • Share Christ

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• Nursery + Children’s Classes • Youth Ministries • Men’s & Women’s Bible Studies • PrimeTimers (Seniors Ministry) • In Home Mid-Week Bible Studies • Celebrate Recovery Sean Peters, Lead Pastor

707-446-9838

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The Father’s House 4800 Horse Creek Drive Vacaville, CA 95688 (707) 455-7790 www.tfh.org Service Times Sunday: 9am & 11am Live Stream at tfhvacaville tfhvacaville

tfhvacaville

Sunday Morning Bible Study 9:30 AM Sunday Morning Worship 10:30 AM Sunday Evening Worship 6:00 PM Wed. Evening Bible Study 7:00 PM

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If you would like to take a free Bible correspondence course contact: Know Your Bible Program 401 Fir Street • Vacaville, CA 95688 (707) 448-5085

Celebrating Cel ellebr b ati ating ting our on onene oneness, eness ene ss ho hhonoring honor onor noriing ing ou ourr di ddiversity iversrsi ivers ive

350 N. Orchard Ave, Vacaville – 447-0521 unityvv@pacbell.net www.unityvacaville.org Sunday Morning

10 am In Person & Online

Non-Denominational Meditation Time

Available Continuously Online

14 TRAVIS TAILWIND

CLASSIFIEDS

July 8, 2022

PARTING SHOTS

TRAVIS TAILWIND 15 Heide Couch/U.S Air Force photos From left to right, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Deprey, 9th Air Refueling Squadron instructor pilot, Airman 1st Class Robert Carswell, 9th ARS flight engineer, and Maj. Joseph Rush, 821st Contingency Response Group instructor pilot, take off in a KC-10 Extender at Travis Air Force Base, July 4. The training flight provided an opportunity for aircrew to maintain proficiency and included a fly-over supporting two fourth of July parades. An overview from a KC-10 Extender assigned to Travis Air Force Base, California, during the Fourth of July parade in Fairfield, July 4. The annual event commemorates the passage of the Declaration of Independence by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.

Travis airmen conduct July 4th

FLYOVER U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Aaron Rasmussen, 9th Air Refueling Squadron boom operator, conducts preflight checks prior to a mission at Travis Air Force Base, Monday, July 4. The training flight provided an opportunity for aircrew to maintain proficiency and included a flyover supporting two fourth of July parades.

16 TRAVIS TAILWIND

Support From Page 2 Hodge’s team from Travis Air Force Base, deployed with Hodge to Afghanistan. “We were doing a lot of Covid-19 testing for different NATO countries,” he recalled. “We were processing so many people from so many different countries, fulfilling individual Covid testing requirements so [people] could safely fly back home to their country.” Leaving Bagram Air Base behind in June, the team continued their collaboration from different locations. Washington deployed to the U.S. military’s Blood Transshipment Center in Qatar, while Hodge headed to Kabul. “When the blast occurred, a supervisor woke me up and told me to get to work – so I got to work,” Washington said. “Over the next couple of days, we shipped about 256 units [of blood products] into Kabul through various means because the resources were cut off and a lot of the flights were grounded.” He said they needed to get “real creative with the ways to get blood there” including

TRAVIS/AIR FORCE piggy-backing pallets of blood products on “flights with special operations teams that went in on much smaller planes.” Troops at the airport in Kabul were in need, he said, and the emergency resulted in the troops assisting anyone who needed it. “The blood was going directly to the laboratory in Kabul whether it was for civilians, other services, other countries’ militaries . . . whoever needed the blood and was being treated as a trauma casualty at that time received the blood,” Washington said. He recalled his experience in Afghanistan as unique because although he works in a large hospital, it’s not a trauma center. “I’m a blood bank specialist,” he said. “I know blood. I know how to give blood. I know who needs blood.” He acknowledged his training that prepared him for emergencies like this one. “Doing that was a very eye-opening experience,” he said. “It’s really an adrenaline dump like nothing else. You find out exactly who everybody is in that moment.” “It really makes you see the value of what you do firsthand, and I feel like that is something that I will not forget.”

July 8, 2022 Air Mobility Command has begun the transition to its new Mobility Air Force Force Generation model, or MAFFORGEN, to increase high-end readiness, improve predictability, and provide a more sustainable and consistent mobility force. Air Mobility Command graphic

Transition From Page 3 support the critical mobility mission. Instead of redlining force elements in a particular phase, MAFFORGEN provides the flexibility to meet surge and contingency requirements while streamlining the readiness cycle and reducing uncertainty in decision

making across the command. In the coming weeks, AMC force elements will receive their phase assignments as the command works towards MAFFORGEN interim operating capability at the end of Fiscal Year 2022. “Our competitors have dangerous agendas and will not wait for America to be ready,” said Minihan. “MAFFORGEN will drive the readiness needed to win. Let’s go!”