State Dept Seeks Aviation Advisor for Iraq Rescues 58 Days Before Liftoff
State Dept Seeks Aviation Advisor for Iraq Rescues 58 Days Before Liftoff Via Danger Rooms Spencer Ackerman: The State Department has already requisitioned an army, part of the roughly 5,000 private security contractors State is hiring to protect diplomats stationed in Iraq. Now, State is hiring someone to provide a little help from the air: an �Aviation Advisor� responsible for �Search and Rescue (SAR), medical evacuations (ME), transporting Quick Reaction Forces (QRF) to respond to incidents, and provid[ing] air transportation for Chief of Mission personnel.� It�s not a familiar job for the diplomatic corps, which is why State is seeking to bring in someone from the outside. The State Department put out this notice on Nov. 4. That�s 58 days before the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Fifty-eight days before State has the skies over Iraq to itself. [..] Air operations are not as simple has hiring skilled pilots to put well-maintained machines in the skies. The military has lon...