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I Am The Mission - Airman 1st Class Brian Bedford

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Christopher Schepers
  • 175th Wing
OHRID, NORTH MACEDONIA --  Meet U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Brian Bedford, a non-destructive inspections journeyman assigned to the 175th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, Maryland Air National Guard. Recently deployed to North Macedonia in support of #SwiftResponse, Bedford is responsible for the preventative maintenance on the A-10s participating in the exercise.

“What I do is preventative maintenance and the oil sampling is a part of it. We analyze the oil from the jet engines to track a trend of the metal that’s in the engines, so we are trying to get a heads up before or know if something is going to need to be fixed,” said Bedford. “Another part of my job is to perform crack inspections on the body of the aircraft using different techniques including the use of eddy current, ultrasound, X-ray, magnetic particle, and fluorescent dye penetrant.”

Bedford’s main goal during the exercise was to ensure the pilots were confident that the jets they were flying were safe and mission ready..

“My job is to help ensure the planes are ready and are performing the best they can for any mission. If there is a crack, I find it, measure it, and then notify structural sheet metal so they can repair it,” explained Bedford. “Readiness and safety is the key to my job to ensure the pilots are safe and can execute their mission.”

Swift Response 22 is an annual multinational training exercise, which takes place in Eastern Europe, the Arctic High North, Baltics, and Balkans from May 2-20, 2022. The purpose of the exercise is to present combat-credible Army forces in Europe and Africa, and enhance readiness by building airborne interoperability with Allies and Partners and the integration of joint service partnership.

To follow the latest news and information about DEFENDER-Europe 22, visit: http://spr.ly/6180y8A58 .