‘Have bombs, will travel’: How agile deployments are reshaping combat in the Middle East May 3 The 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing configured six F-15E Strike Eagles to carry extra bombs to bare-base locations, taking off from an undisclosed location April 25. This new configuration is allowing the Air Force to increase combat capabilities by carrying more munitions to a forward operating base than the Strike Eagle can use on one mission. (Air Force) The Air Force’s latest push for a more flexible force known as agile combat employment could help the service keep airmen at home longer and its aircraft readiness up, the leader of a key expeditionary wing in the Middle East told Air Force Times April 30. But deployments could become more intense for airmen when they do go abroad.
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Rethinking the air expeditionary wing Brig. Gen. Larry Broadwell January 25 An F-16 Fighting Falcon assigned to the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron lands at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 2. (Senior Airman Bryan Guthrie/Air Force) Two months ago, the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing welcomed the 480th Fighter Squadron from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Al Dhafra Air Base in the United Arab Emirates, arguably the most strategically located and diverse AEW in the Middle East. Immediately upon arrival, the “Warhawks” were re-designated as the 480th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron and began executing kinetic operations, regional competition, partner integration and unit readiness training. The Warhawks were dozens of sorties into their deployment before even donning their new deployment patches; a testament to the agile, adaptable nature of our combat squadrons. In just over 60 days, they executed approximately 470 combat and training sorties, an