Gen. Bryan D. Brown, commander of US Special Operations Command, says USAF Special Operations Forces are moving fast to adapt to new world conditions “and doing a fantastic job.” He told us Wednesday that the air commandos are among the best SOF he’s seen, noting, “They are changing to meet the requirements of the [new] missions.” He praised the Air Force’s corps of battlefield airmen for their work tying on-call airpower in with other services. Brown, in a session with Washington reporters, pointed out that USAF’s Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field, Fla. is standing up a new Predator squadron to supplement current ISR. Wherever he goes, Brown said, he “can’t sell [AFSOC] hard enough.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.