The Iran deal addresses just one “point of friction” with Iran, and the US must continue to watch other “malign activities,” Maj. Gen. Steven Shepro, vice director for strategic plans and policy for the Joint Staff,? told a House panel on Sept. 10. “The Joint Staff will remain concerned with all of Iran’s destabilizing activities within the region, among which is its expanding ballistic missile inventory and technology,” Shepro said. During a one-hour public hearing, prior to moving to a classified session, Robert Scher, the assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans, and capabilities, emphasized that the Iran deal “places no restrictions” on the Defense Department, its plans, programs, capabilities, “or what we can do with our friends and allies.”
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.