Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said the Air Force is “ready to step up to the plate” in Ukraine if it’s asked, noting the service already has “kicked it up a notch with respect to some of our training, particularly with Poland and the Baltic policing mission.” Speaking to Stars and Stripes at Ramstein AB, Germany, during her first trip to Europe and Afghanistan since becoming Secretary, James said the Air Force is able to surge if necessary. “The situation between Russia and the Ukraine is not currently affecting our operations here in Europe, in terms of the way we project to reshape the Air Force in the future and our current operations,” she said.
The Pentagon plans to use U.S. Air Force C-17s and C-130s to deport 5,400 people currently detained by Customs and Border Protection, officials announced Jan. 22, the first act in President Donald Trump’s sweeping promise to crack down on undocumented immigrants and increase border security.