Defense Secretary Ash Carter this week admitted to using his private email account for work-related purposes, a move he said was “entirely my mistake; entirely on me.” Carter told reporters on Dec. 17 in Iraq that he never used his personal account for classified information. He said he used his iPhone to forward administrative messages to his office. The Pentagon on Friday released 34 pages of Carter’s emails, which largely included administrative tasks, and a five-page discussion of cyber?security. The emails released were from late April. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he plans to have the Senate Armed Services Committee investigate Carter’s use of personal email. “With all the public attention surrounding the improper use of personal email by other Administration officials, it is hard to believe that Secretary Carter would exercise the same error in judgment,” said McCain.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.