The US and Serbia have signed a status of forces agreement. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and Serbian President Boris Tadic formally signed the agreement in Washington on Sept. 7. Rice remarked that Serbia’s future vision is one of “prosperity and democracy and a force for stability in the Balkans.” Tadic noted that Serbian defense forces planned to cooperate “in terms of practice” with the Ohio National Guard. A State department spokesman later said that the SOFA is one element necessary to pursue the “fullest possible relationship with Serbia” once certain obstacles—like failure to turn over war criminals—have been overcome.
With upgrades, F-16s can serve as a numbers-builder in the combat air forces until the 2040s, and it’s not necessary to launch its successor yet, program officials said at an industry conference. “We anticipate hundreds of F-16s in active service for decades to come,” meaning into the 2040s, Col. Tim…