Iran’s Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehqan on Monday announced the country had successfully tested two new missiles, according to various media reports. Descriptions vary, but Dehqan described them as a “new generation of long-range, ground-to-ground ballistic missile,” reported Reuters, which cited a statement made on Iranian government television. On Tuesday, the state-run Fars News Agency reported on a missile with a multiple-reentry vehicle with radar-evading capabilities, according to a Nuclear Threat Initiative release. Dehqan called the missile “Bina,” describing it also as a “laser-guided air-to-surface and surface-to-surface missile” that is “capable of striking important targets such as bridges, tanks, and enemy command centers,” according to Reuters. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said the Defense Department is closely monitoring Iran’s missile program, adding it “continues to pose a dangerous threat to [the] region.” The test comes days before international talks aimed at curbing the country’s nuclear program are set to begin. The permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany reached an interim agreement with Iran in November and the parties are expected to begin negotiating a full agreement in Vienna on Feb. 18.
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, celebrated the beddown of its full complement of F-35s with a ceremony just weeks after the base received the last of its 54 fighters. The arrival of those F-35s in mid-April gave Eielson the Air Force’s second fully-equipped, combat-coded F-35 wing, comprising two fighter squadrons.…