The Pentagon confirmed Dec. 3 that Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, the pilot whose F-16 crashed in Iraq on Nov. 27, died when the fighter crashed some 20 miles northwest of Baghdad. Officials had listed Gilbert, who was deployed to Balad AB, Iraq, from the 309th Fighter Wing at Luke AFB, Ariz., as whereabouts unknown while remains found at the crash site underwent DNA analysis. An Air Force statement says the Armed Forces Medical Examiner’s office made formal identification on Dec. 1.
President Joe Biden highlighted the positioning of two F-35 squadrons to the United Kingdom, and new air defenses to Italy and Germany when naming the European force posture moves to deter Russian aggression at the Madrid NATO summit June 29. “We’re going to send two additional F-35 squadrons to the…