USAF F-15E Strike Eagles and Navy F/A-18 Super Hornets in separate actions in Afghanistan last week flew close air support missions, aiding coalition ground forces near Dowlet Shah and Now Zad, according to Central Command Air Forces. One F-15E successfully bombed enemy forces moving along a ridge trail near Dowlet Shah, using a GBU-12 laser guided bomb. Another F-15E struck a hilltop enemy mortar position near Now Zad, while two F/A-18s used GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munitions on two other enemy mortar firing positions near the same village. Another F/A-18, also firing a GBU-38 JDAM, scored a direct hit on an enemy building near Sangin.
President Donald Trump’s nominee for Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff touted his highly unusual background for the job as an asset and reaffirmed his commitment to stay apolitical during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on April 1.