US Air Force fighters, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles, and US Navy fighters dropped a variety of weapons and provided numerous show-of-force actions against enemy forces throughout Afghanistan on July 20, according to a July 21 release from Air Forces Central. USAF F-15Es dropped 2,000-pound joint direct attack munitions around Gardez and Khowst and 500-pound JDAMs near Nangalam, while also around Nangalam a B-1B dropped 500-pound and 2,000-pound JDAMs and near Khowst dropped a 2,000-pound JDAM. A Navy F/A-18F dropped a GBU-12 laser-guided bomb on enemy vehicles with improvised explosive devices near Qarah Bagh, and F/A-18Es dropped 500-pound JDAMs during operations near Khowst. An Air Force MQ-1B Predator fired a Hellfire missile against an enemy mortar team in the action near Gardez. Joint terminal attack controllers pronounced all the missions successful.
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.