Wing Makes Final Preparations for April IGX but Additional Stand-Off Range Isn’T to Enhance Its Maritime Engage- Interjecting Any Last-Minute Tricks to by Capt
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AIR FORCE NEWS JASSM is also scheduled to be one of the first weapons to be Uni- Cruise versal Armament Interface compli- Gold Continued from Page 6 Continued from Page 2 ant. UAI is a joint initiative that will as far away,” said Lt. Col. Stephen allow the Air Force to incorporate pians may serve us well under those Davis, JASSM Block 2 Squadron com- new precision-guided munitions circumstances in the days to follow: mander. onto its aircraft without requiring • 1: Don’t celebrate an apparent 123rd Airlift Wing, Kentucky Air National Guard, Louisville, Ky. Vol. XXII, No. 3 • March 18, 2006 “In the simplest terms, this means major changes to each aircraft’s victory too soon. The inspection is some child’s mom or dad won’t have software. not over until we get home. to fly their B-1 through enemy threats New development activity is • 2: Move smartly and me- to strike many deeply placed targets.” also planned to enable JASSM thodically toward the goal without Wing makes final preparations for April IGX But additional stand-off range isn’t to enhance its maritime engage- interjecting any last-minute tricks to By Capt. Dale Greer the only thing they are improving. ment capability and become the impress the IG or anyone else. Wing Public Affairs Officer The LRMSG is also adding a air launched weapon of choice not • 3: If you get bumped off course, weapons data link that will enable only for highly defended fixed and recover as quickly as possible and Duty sections across the base will be key command and control elements to relocatable land targets, but moving get back on the game plan. putting the finishing touches on their mobil- communicate with the weapon after maritime targets as well. • 4: Remember, even if things ity plans this weekend as the 123rd Airlift it’s already in flight. And recently the Australian De- don’t seem to be going well, never Wing’s operational readiness inspection “The data link will plug the weapon fense Force selected JASSM to be give up, stay the course, focus on the draws near. right into the warfighting network,” its long range air-to-surface missile finish line and what it will take to get The inspection, officially known as an said Michele Brazel, LRMSG deputy for their F/A-18 Hornet fleet. you there, and see the race through Air Mobility Command Inspector General Exercise, or IGX, is scheduled for April 2 director. “They’ll be able to track what As it stands right now the Air to the end. to 9. each missile is doing in flight, retarget Force currently plans to buy 2,400 Let’s go for the GOLD! The IGX will test the wing’s ability to it in flight if need be, and then get a JASSMs and 2,500 JASSM-ERs pack up its equipment, deploy to a remote good indication of whether or not it with production extending through location, operate in a hostile environment destroyed its target.” 2018. and redeploy back home. The deployment phase of the inspection is slated to play out at the Air National Guard Combat Readiness 123rd Airlift Wing Training Center in Savannah, Ga. Public Affairs Office Col. Mark Kraus, commander of the Kentucky Air National Guard 123rd Airlift Wing, said he was pleased by 1101 Grade Lane the performance of the unit during its last Louisville, KY 40213-2678 mobility exercise, which took place during OFFICIAL BUSINESS the Feb. 25-26 Unit Training Assembly. More than 400 passengers and 180 tons Staff Sgt. Diane Stinnett/KyANG of cargo were processed as part of that The 123rd Airlift Wing processed more than 400 passengers and 180 tons of cargo on exercise. Feb. 25 and 26 as part of the unit’s final mobility exercise prior to its April inspection. “I think the mobex went very well,” Col- onel Kraus said. “I think we accomplished what we set out to do — to streamline some of the processes, like joint inspections of cargo and palletizing issues. “On the personnel side, we got a full- spectrum look at how our outprocessing would go, and I think that went pretty well, too.” Individual duty sections will spend today completing final preparations and ensuring that all ancillary training has been accom- plished, Colonel Kraus said. He stressed that every Airman must take personal responsibility for his or her own preparedness. “Readiness is an individual responsibil- ity, so everyone should be examining their equipment, ensuring that they have every- thing they’re supposed to deploy with,” See IGX, Page 3 The Cargo Courier 8 March 18, 2006 COMMANDER’S CALL AIR FORCE NEWS Never give up — always ‘Go for the Gold’ Raptors Arrive what seemed to be the inevitable: two years invested only to settle for another second- place finish behind Jacobellis. id you know that the Winter Instead, she refused to buckle under to D Olympics recently con- doubt; she stayed the course, continued to cluded in Torino, Italy? race hard and hoped for a break. I have to confess, I really didn’t pay very Showing an iron will through the course, close attention to the games this year. My at- with the finish line now in sight and her com- tention, however, was momentarily captivated petitor so far ahead, hope may have started by the finish of the women’s snowboard cross to fade, and for a split second, as Jacobellis finals. launched away from the next-to-last hill, You may have seen the media coverage of Frieden may have begun to concede that the race. American boarder Lindsay Jacobel- there was no way to win. lis jumped off to a commanding lead in the Jacobellis may have simultaneously been medal race after Swiss rival Tanja Frieden thinking there was no way she could lose. and Canadian Dominique Maltais accidentally It’s funny how things work out sometimes. clipped their snowboards together, which With the passage of another split second and slowed Frieden and sent Maltais momentarily a badly executed “method air,” gold turned into the course safety fence. to silver and silver turned to gold. With the finish line in sight, Jacobellis held Any feelings of resignation that might a comfortable 40-yard lead over Frieden and Col. Mark Kraus have welled up in Frieden moments before seemed a sure bet for a gold medal win. 123rd Airlift Wing Commander suddenly were replaced with exultation as Airborne off the next-to-last hill of the she captured the win in an unbelievable course and sensing victory, Jacobellis elected turn-around finish. to wow the watching crowd by performing a You see, two years earlier, at the 2003 Just days from now, our months of stunt known as a “method air” — grabbing the Winter X games, Frieden lost a gold medal preparation for the wing Operational Readi- aft edge of her snowboard while airborne. to winner Lindsay Jacobellis and then lost an ness Inspection will go into its final phase Though most likely a trick she had per- opportunity for a rematch a year later at the — execution. formed hundreds of times before, this time she 2004 Winter X games when she was forced to We will pack up and deploy, employ our lost her balance on the way down and landed drop from competition due to an injury, which skills in a simulated combat environment, seat first just yards from the finish line. led to six months of painful rehabilitation. pack up and re-deploy home. Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker/USAF By the time she regained her feet and her Back to full strength for the Winter Olym- We can expect to encounter some adver- The first F-22A Raptors assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron turn on final approach to Langley Air Force Base, Va., on composure, Frieden breezed past in disbelief pics, Frieden worked through the qualifying sity along the way (or all the way). March 3. The 94th is the second squadron at Langley to receive the new stealth fighter. and took the gold medal, forcing Jacobellis to heats to the finals and saw an end to the two- It may be self-inflicted, naturally gener- settle for a second-place silver. year wait for a rematch against Jacobellis. ated, induced by the inspection team or Reporters mobbed Jacobellis to ask her The freak bump against Maltais off the a combination of two or all three of the about the stunning reversal of fortune but start left her a distant second behind Jacobel- above. gave comparative little notice to the 28-year- lis throughout the course. Seeing the distance The lessons drawn from these two Olym- New Airmen getting security forces training old winner from Thun, Switzerland, which, I to cover to get back in the race, it must have See GOLD, Back Page By Airman Eric Schloeffel services and acquaints them with the active- pick it up pretty fast.” believe, is where the real story is to be told. been tempting to ease up and just accept 347th Rescue Wing Public Affairs duty lifestyle. Once the Airmen complete the course, “One way we can catch Airmen and teach they become augmentees for one year. MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. — Air- them this training is when they first get here,” “The Airmen are put into a pool of names This funded Air Force newspaper is an authorized publi- 123rd Airlift Wing Editorial Staff men fresh out of basic training and technical said Staff Sgt. Clinton Ellis, 347th SFS unit and anytime we need augmentees for a high- cation for members of the U.S.