US aircraft have ramped up their airstrikes against al Qaeda in Yemen, bringing the total to more than 70 in about one month. Aircraft conducted 20 more strikes since the middle of last week, hitting militants, infrastructure, fighting positions, and equipment, the Pentagon said Monday, according to VOA. The airstrike campaign follows the Jan. 29 raid inside Yemen that resulted in the death of Navy SEAL Chief Special Warfare Officer William “Ryan” Owens, several civilians, and the destruction of an MV-22 Osprey.
Lloyd Austin, President-elect Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Pentagon, spent his Senate confirmation hearing on Jan. 19 pressing his civilian bona fides to lawmakers, with some pledging opposition to the waiver Austin would need to become the nation’s first Black Defense Secretary. Austin spent 40 years in the military…