Daily Report

Jan. 14, 2016

Sailors Released by Iran

Ten US sailors who were detained in Iran on Jan. 12 have been returned unharmed, officials said. “I want to personally thank Secretary of State John Kerry for his diplomatic engagement with Iran to secure our sailors’ swift return,” Defense...

ISIS Fight Centered on Raqqah, Mosul

Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking to the next US unit tasked with training Iraqi troops in the fight against ISIS, said the battle is long from over and the next step needs to be targeting the “tumors” where the group...

Spec Ops Busy in Syria

US special operation teams have already “established contact” with new forces in the battle against ISIS in Syria and have created new lines of communication with local partners to help bolster the fight, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said. The Pentagon...

Thornberry: FY17 Budget May Fall Short of Budget Deal

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said he is “disturbed by rumors” that the Fiscal 2017 budget, which will be submitted to Congress in the coming weeks, may fall short of the parameters outlined in the two-year...

Delaying Retirement?

Two members of Congress are cheering reports that the Air Force is delaying plans to retire the A-10 Warthog. “It appears the administration is finally coming to its senses,” Rep. Martha McSally (R-Ariz.), a retired A-10 pilot, said in a...

More Helos for the Afghan Air Force

The Afghan Air Force has ordered 12 additional MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters, according to MD Helicopters. The company delivered the first dozen Cayuse Warrior helicopters to the Afghan Air Force to support the 2015 fighting season, less than nine...

Pave Hawk Packs the Big Gun

Testing of a new .50 caliber gun for the HH-60G Pave Hawk began at Edwards AFB, Calif., last week. The GAU-21 is being considered to replace the helicopter’s current GAU-18 .50 caliber defensive weapon, which suffers from a low rate...

Williams Tapped for First Air Force

President Barack Obama nominated Maj. Gen. Robert S. Williams for a third star and for assignment as commander of Continental US North American Aerospace Command region and commander of First Air Force (Air Forces Northern) at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Williams...