Air Combat Command boss Gen. John Corley has appointed Brig. Gen. Mark Barrett, commander of the 1st Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Va., to head the accident investigation board looking into the fatal B-52 crash July 21 off the coast of Guam. The B-52 had deployed to Andersen AFB, Guam, from the 2nd Bomb Wing at Barksdale AFB, La. According to a July 25 statement from Langley, Barrett, as president of the board, must offer an opinion as to the cause of the crash that claimed the lives of six airmen.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…

