By Franz-Stefan Gady
Despite the formal end of combat operations in Afghanistan, the war is far from over for the US Air Force.
The Diplomat’s Franz-Stefan Gady is currently in Afghanistan reporting on the ongoing war against militants in the country.
Although NATO ground combat operations in Afghanistan were officially declared over at the end of 2014, for the U.S. Air Force’s sole remaining squadron of F-16 fighter jets in the country the fight is continuing much like before.
The 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron has been stationed at Bagram Air Field in Parwan Province for the past six weeks providing close air-support for Afghan and NATO ground forces in Afghanistan.
The squadron, equipped with 18 Block 40 F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, maintains a 24 hour, seven days a week presence over Afghan skies. At least two fully armed fighter jets are up in the air at any single moment ready to engage the enemy.
“Our mission has not changed much,” Major Tyler Niehbuhr, the director of operations of the fighter squadron tells The Diplomat. “We are still providing close-air support for ongoing operations throughout the country.”
Major Niehbur also deployed to Afghanistan back in 2011. “The major difference to 2011 is that there were just more scenarios with U.S. troops under fire,” he explains. “Today, our operational pace is slower and we employ a lot less assets.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat