In Sangin, Afghanistan, on June 5, a B-1B bomber struck enemy combatants with 500-pound and 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions, and an MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicle attacked with a 500-pound laser-guided bomb, Air Forces Central announced June 6. They were part of the 52 close air support missions flown by US and coalition aircraft in Afghanistan on that day, AFCENT said. A-10s were also busy, hitting the enemy with 500-pound LGBs in Bermel, cannon rounds in Bagram and Zormat, and cannon rounds and rockets near Orgune. As in Afghanistan, US and coalition aircraft flew 52 CAS missions in Iraq on June 5, including F-16s taking out an enemy position with 500-pound JDAMs at an undisclosed location.
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.