A spokesman for the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, says that a drone struck the ground hot, sparking a brush fire that started on the Utah Test and Training Range, spreading to Dugway Proving Ground and Bureau of Land Management property, ultimately consuming about 32,000 acres in Tooele County in Utah, reports the Deseret News. Officials attributed its spread to the dry, windy conditions. Residents in about 25 homes had to evacuate. The Air Force already is paying a lot for a New Jersey fire sparked by a flare from a New Jersey Air National Guard F-16 fighter.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.