US Conducts More Airstrikes in Syria as Attacks on American Troops Continue

Nov. 9, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Editor’s Note: This article was updated Nov. 12 after additional U.S. airstrikes in Syria.

The U.S. conducted airstrikes in eastern Syria on Nov. 12, its third bombing raid against Iranian-linked targets in less than three weeks.

Iranian-backed militias have continued to attack American forces despite airstrikes the U.S. previously carried out on Nov. 8 and Oct. 26 in eastern Syria.

The latest airstrike represents yet another Pentagon attempt to reestablish deterrence against militias in Syria and Iran who seemed determined to continue their rocket and drone attacks against U.S. forces in those countries.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement that “precision strikes” were carried out against a training facility in Abu Kamal and safe house in Mayadin used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iranian-backed militias.

Austin’s statement did not discuss the significance of the targets that were struck, what damage was caused, and whether there were any casualties.

“The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Austin said.

As of the morning of Nov. 10, at least five militia rockets and drone attacks were directed against American forces in Iraq and Syria following the previous U.S. retaliatory airstrike on Nov. 8 against a warehouse linked to the IRGC.

The rocket attacks occurred at Mission Support Site Green Village, Syria, at 6:25 pm and 10:11 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 8. A one-way drone attack took place at Mission Support Site Euphrates, Syria, at 10:33 pm Eastern Time on Nov. 8. Al Asad Air Base, Iraq was also attacked with a drone at 8:45 am Eastern Time on Nov. 9, according to a U.S. military official. A one-way drone was shot down on the morning of Nov. 10 before it reached its target at Al Tanf Garrison, Syria, a military official said.

Three U.S. service members were injured in the 10:11 pm attack when multiple rockets hit the Green Village outpost in eastern Syria, though they have since returned to duty, a military official said.

The Nov. 8 U.S. airstrike, which was carried out by two F-15Es, was intended to send a message to Tehran that it should instruct the militias it supports to cease their attacks

A declassified video from a U.S. drone that was released Nov. 9 shows the target was a weapons storage facility at Maysulun, Syria.

Multiple secondary explosions occurred as debris was thrown high into the air amid large plumes of smoke.

“If the attacks against our forces don’t decrease or stop, we will take additional measures,” Austin said Nov. 9. “We’re going to do everything we can to protect our troops, and we are absolutely serious about that.”

Few experts, however, expect the militia attacks to stop. There have been nearly 50 attacks since Oct. 17, according to the Pentagon, which have resulted in 56 injuries to U.S. troops. The U.S. has confirmed a total of 47 attacks.

Many of the injuries were diagnosed as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and the number of troops suffering from that condition has grown as troops continued to report symptoms days after the attack. All the personnel have since returned to duty, including two service members who were sent to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, for further evaluation.

“Thankfully, none of our troops have been injured seriously,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told reporters Nov. 9.

The Pentagon said there were no Iranian or militia casualties in the Nov. 8 strike or in earlier ones that were carried out on Oct. 26. The Pentagon did not say whether the Nov. 12 strike caused any casualties.

The Iranian-backed militias, in contrast, have been attempting to cause American casualties by attacking bases when U.S. troops are known to be present, U.S. military officials say.

“We are minimizing what these groups are able to use, the capabilities that they are able to use,” Singh said. “We believe and we feel that these are proportionate responses.”

Attacks against the U.S. widened beyond Iraq and Syria when Houthis in Yemen shot down an Air Force MQ-9 over the Red Sea, also on Nov. 9. The Houthis have been developing air defense systems that can target some slow, lower systems such as drones for “quite a while,” said Michael Knights of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The rebel group has attempted to recover parts of the drone, Singh said.

“It is unlikely that they will be able to retrieve anything of significance,” she said. “We are not, right now, looking to recover anything, either.”

Multi-Capable Training Course Builds New Skills for Beale Airmen

Nov. 9, 2023 | By David Roza

A new course at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., prepares Airmen to be the Multi-Capable Airmen needed by a more flexible, expeditionary Air Force.

The Multi-Capable Airmen (MCA) Tier-1 certification course, held for the first time Oct. 16 to 27, trained 24 students in the legal, maintenance, and other career fields to handle expeditionary skills ranging from base defense, to forklift operation, cargo handling, aircraft refueling, and tactical combat casualty care.

The MCA concept is crucial to the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment strategy, which envisions Airmen operating in small units from small, distributed airfields and changing locations frequently to make it harder for adversaries to target them with long-range weapons. The strategy is a shift away from the large, sprawling air bases that have been the traditional model for decades. Emphasizing a light footprint, ACE can work only if Airmen are ready to be jacks-of-all-trades.

“Not only does this training help prepare our Airmen for successfully supporting the day-to-day mission downrange, but it also helps support the future of Agile Combat Employment operations at forward operating sites and contingency locations,” Maj. Matthew Mays, 9th Reconnaissance Wing A4 (Logistics, Engineering and Force Protection) director, said in a press release about the training.

“It is part of an Air Force initiative to move away from large-scale force packages and prepare units to operate as leaner, more agile forces within a permissive environment,” he added.

multi-capable airman — An Airman from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing conducts Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) to a simulated injured Airman during the Multi-Capable Airmen Tier-1 course Oct. 27, at Beale Air Force Base, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Juliana Londono)

As a prerequisite before joining the course, students had to complete Ready Airman Training, which included firearms training and how to operated in a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives environment.

The MCA course built on that, putting Airmen through the basics of operating and defending a small airfield, including ground defense, setting up tents and control points, treating casualties, and assaulting a target area or facility.

“The course did have a heavy focus on base defense skills and will continue to do so,” Mays told Air & Space Forces Magazine. “However, the class also had a number of days for cargo handling and refueling, and the plan in the future will be to increase this type of training.”

Cargo handling was where Staff Sgt. Clayton Johnson, 9th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels mobile distribution supervisor, came in to teach the students how to operate an all-terrain forklift that can pick up 10,000 pounds.

“This portion is important because when we go down range, if we have to drive a forklift and do not have a certified forklift operator, we can still move cargo that comes in and out of aircraft,” Johnson said in the release.

Under MCA, Airmen who don’t normally work with aircraft may have to help generate sorties, so the course taught students how to work safely on an active airfield.

“This included safe-for-maintenance (actions required to ensure the aircraft is safe enough for maintenance personnel to begin working on the aircraft), hazard areas such as moving surfaces and the engine intake, and safely working around aircraft support equipment,” Mays explained.

The course ended with an all-day field training exercise, after which students received their official MCA certification, a feature which distinguishes Beale’s training from similar courses at other bases. But MCA skills are perishable, so certified Airmen must take part in at least one certifying event, such as a large-scale readiness exercise, every two years.

Those large-scale readiness exercises, and MCA training in general, will be worked into the new Air Force Force Generation (AFFORGEN) system, which aims to cycle units through four six-month phases of preparedness—reset, prepare, certify, and available to commit—over continuous two-year cycles.

“Certifying events are an evolving requirement of the AFFORGEN model,” Mays explained. “They are intended to exercise training received during the “prepare” phase and determine a unit’s ability to succeed during a deployment. While complete definitions of a certifying event are not yet finalized, these events fall under large-scale readiness exercises that test units’ ability to survive and operate in a deployed environment.”

The 9th Reconnaissance Wing aims to hold the MCA course quarterly, with the goal to train up to 60 students. Airmen in the “prepare” or “certify” phase have priority, since they are closer to the deployment window.

The first to complete the course enjoyed the experience: Mays reported a 4 out of 5 average overall score on course feedback forms, with some students requesting another week of training.

“Being a Multi-Capable Airman is about generating airpower,” said Chief Master Sgt. Breanna Oliver, 9th Reconnaissance Wing command chief, in the release. “We can all contribute to that no matter what our function is.”

T-7A Red Hawk Trainer Arrives at Edwards to Begin Next Phase of Flight Tests

Nov. 9, 2023 | By David Roza

The first T-7A Red Hawk landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on Nov. 8, marking the start of the developmental flight test campaign for the two-seat jet, which is meant to replace the aging T-38 as a trainer for fighter and bomber pilots.

Designated APT 2, the Boeing-made jet was the first production representative T-7 to be built, and the same aircraft that Maj. Bryce Turner flew on June 28, in the first official test flight by an Air Force pilot. A joint Boeing and Air Force crew flew the jet from the Boeing facilities at St. Louis, Mo. to Vance Air Force Base, Okla., Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., and Luke Air Force Base, Ariz., before finally arriving at Edwards.

“This arrival marks an exciting transition into the next phase of developmental flight” Maj. Jonathan Aronoff, T-7A test pilot, said in an Air Force press release. “The T-7A gives immense capability updates that will allow the Air Force to train the next generation of combat aviators. Success of first delivery is truly a testament to the joint USAF-industry team we have in place.”

t-7a red hawk — The first T-7A Red Hawk, piloted by USAF test pilot Maj. Jonathan “Gremlin” Aronoff and Boeing test pilot Steve “Bull” Schmidt, soars over Edwards Air Force Base, California, Nov. 8, prior to arrival. Air Force photo by Bryce Bennett

The goal of developmental flight testing is to evaluate changes made earlier in the development process and determine how and whether to refine the aircraft further. Boeing and Air Force officials told reporters in September that another T-7 designated APT 1 will join APT 2 at Edwards while APT 3 will undergo weather testing at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., before being used as a mission systems testing platform. APT 4 and 5 are due later this year.

According to the press release, test pilots have been rehearsing missions in a simulator and will now start flying up to three times a day as they try expanding APT-2’s flight envelope—the maximum altitude and airspeed in certain conditions—before testing mission systems.

The Air Force needs the T-7 to replace the 1960s-era T-38 fleet, which is becoming increasingly difficult to keep airborne. The Red Hawk is designed to be easier to maintain. Its information management and modular systems architecture are meant to help student pilots better prepare for modern aerial combat. However, the jet, which was originally due to reach initial operational capacity in 2024, has been marred by delays, including problems with flight stability, flight control software, and its ejection seats.

Even so, the Air Force may find uses for the T-7 outside of training. Breaking Defense reported on Nov. 8 that the service is considering an armed variant called the F-7 to perform light attack missions. In the meantime, the team at Edwards will evaluate the Red Hawk for its training potential.

“This is the right team to go after any challenges we find,” Col. Kirt Cassell, division chief for the Air Force T-7 program, said in a Boeing press release.

EOD Airmen Blow Up TNT Stash Found in Alaska

Nov. 9, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

When archeologists found a crate of TNT in Eastern Alaska recently, an Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team at Eielson Air Force Base got a chance to practice their skills. And have a blast doing so.

The archaeologists discovered the TNT Sept. 28, but its original source remains a mystery. Soon after they called, Airmen arrived, assessed the materials, and coordinated a controlled explosion the same day, a spokesperson told Air & Space Forces magazine.

Such opportunities are rare, especially for junior personnel. Senior Airmen Andrew Payne, Erik Paulson, and Jonathan Grey, all with the 354th Civil Engineering Squadron, got a charge out of this real-world experience, the spokesperson said.

354th Civil Engineering Squadron Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians pose after executing a controlled detonation near Tok, Alaska, September 28. (USAF Photo)

“My main concern is ensuring the tasks I was assigned get completed, like estimating the hazard area, ensuring civilians did not enter the hazard area, and helping set up the demolition shot in a way that made sense and improved safety,” said Grey in a release.

Arriving at the scene, the team confirmed the archeologist’s find was, indeed, 98 half-pound blocks of TNT. Determining that the material could be safely relocated to avoid potential damage to buildings or infrastructure. But they also knew it needed to be neutralized as soon as possible .

Technicians assisted estimating danger zones, kept civilians away from the area, and then safely set up for detonation.

“This response really highlights just a small part of what we do in EOD,” said Staff Sgt. Jason Verhoef, an EOD Technician with the 354th CES. “I really enjoy being able to see first-hand the impact we can make in the local community by dealing with explosive hazards.”

EOD Airmen wield specialized tools to detect and handle dangerous weapons such as explosives.

Airmen lined up 98 blocks of TNT before a controlled detonation near Tok, Alaska, September 28. (USAF Photo)

TNT is a common military explosive, known for its stability and insensitivity to shock and friction. But it is also flammable and toxic, requiring strict controls to limit its exposure ti air, water, soil, and workplaces. TNT can bind to soil and be absorbed by plants.

Why This Staff Sergeant Can Spend ‘Unlimited’ Amounts of Air Force Money

Nov. 8, 2023 | By David Roza

Many Airmen have impressive abilities, like flying jets past the sound barrier or performing battlefield surgery. But Staff Sgt. Elijah Braly has his own crucial ability: the power to spend as much money as necessary to get service members what they need at Incirlik Air Base, Turkey.

As described in a Nov. 2 press release, Braly is the only staff sergeant outside of the continental U.S. with an unlimited warrant, the highest expenditure authority granted to Airmen in the contracting career field.

“The name says it all, there is no trick meaning in ‘unlimited,’” Incirlik’s 39th Contracting Squadron (CONS) explained to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “Unlimited contracting officers can obligate government funds without limitation.”

Contracting Airmen work with private businesses to help plug the “capability gaps that can’t be resolved from within the military” the squadron said. The contracts are generally used to purchase a commodity, a service, or construction.

“Each base supported is almost like a small town and a contracting officer (enlisted or commissioned) has been involved in purchases ranging from printer paper to forklifts (commodity), groundskeeping to doctors (services), and fences to ATC towers (construction),” the squadron explained.

air force contract — Staff Sgt. Elijah Braly, the 39th Contracting Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of architect engineering, shows off his unlimited warrant patch at Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye, Nov. 2, 2023. During his tenure at Incirlik AB, Braly was able to earn the unlimited warrant contract, the highest expenditure authority that is granted, which allows holders of the warrant to make purchases of any dollar amount. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Alexis Sandoval

As the noncommissioned officer in charge of architect-engineering for the 39th CONS, Braly is responsible for the phase before a construction project takes place. If a new facility needs to be constructed, repaired, or altered, he would hire a licensed private contractor to develop architectural drawings showing electrical diagrams, floor plans, egress routes, and other factors that would be used in the actual construction project. It is an important duty, but the new unlimited warrant is an even greater responsibility.

Warrants are special authorizations granting individuals the ability to spend money on behalf of the government, Capt. Gabriel Stelly, director of business operations for the 39th CONS, explained in the press release. Airmen who have more than a year of contracting experience can receive a simplified acquisition threshold capped at $250,000.

When Braly first enlisted in 2017, usually Airman ranked only at technical sergeant and above received warrants, but the culture is shifting to give more junior enlisted Airmen greater responsibility. Two factors led to this shift, the squadron explained. The first is that the Air Force is trending “towards augmenting their capabilities with more contracts over providing “inhouse” capabilities.” The second is that the Air Force wants to make the most of its people and resources, including high-performing enlisted contracting officers.

“Due to these reasons, junior enlisted have slowly earned more responsibility and authority to execute with higher dollar warrants,” the squadron said. “A higher dollar warrant isn’t just an increase in spending, it increases the impact a contracting officer can have, it allows them to be a bigger force multiplier, and it allows them to tackle bigger issues in the Air Force and military.”

Case in point, Braly received his first warrant capped at $250,000 in 2021. He later applied for the unlimited warrant, though it was not an easy process. The Airman had to have two years of experience with a contracting warrant and a bachelor’s degree. He also had to pass the contracting officer’s test, participate in the contracting study group, receive a nomination from unit leadership, and receive final approval from a board that often includes the director of contracting for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, a lawyer, a policy analyst, and a pricing analyst.

Just 102 enlisted Airmen have unlimited warrants. Now that Braly has one, he can execute multi-million or multi-billion dollar acquisitions, a crucial ability for procuring weapon systems, theater-wide support contracts, and other big-ticket items. One example at Incirlik is the $100 million Multiple Award Construction Contract, split among eight construction contractors to repair base infrastructure.

“While specific examples are abundant, the larger idea is that Elijah has demonstrated unique business acumen and acquisition prowess to a degree that qualifies him to execute contracts at any fiscal level,” the squadron wrote. “Whether it is a $100 million dollar contract local for base support services, a $300 million dollar multiple-award contract for infrastructure repair, or a $1 billion dollar theater-wide dining facility contract, Sgt. Braly is now appointed, endorsed, and uniquely qualified to obtain these capabilities for the Air Force.”

That kind of experience working on large contracts can also make Braly a mentor for younger contracting officers. He already has some advice in mind.

“Be persistent, and really talk to your leadership about your goals and how they can help you get you to that point,” he said in the press release. “Really hone your craft, understand the amount of effort it takes to get to that accomplishment, and piece by piece move toward that goal.”

‘Putin Wins’ If US Cuts Support for Ukraine, Senators Told

Nov. 8, 2023 | By John A. Tirpak

Pitching hard for aid to Ukraine included in a $105 billion security supplemental request, State Department officials told the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee that failing to support Ukraine would help Russia and undermine U.S. credibility worldwide.

“It’s clear President [Vladimir] Putin is now playing a waiting game,” said James O’Brien, assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, Nov. 8. “He thinks if he can wait for our elections, or for Ukraine to get tired,” Russia can prevail.

The House Republican majority has balked on further aid to Ukraine while supporting aid to Israel in its fight against Hamas in Gaza. The Senate hearing focused on non-military aid for Ukraine to shore up its industry so it can continue exporting grain and metal, preserve its first responder capacity and rebuild its energy infrastructure.

“What we need to do are several things at the same time,” O’Brien said. “We need Ukraine to continue fighting and thrive while this war goes on, and to soften Russia’s hold on parts of Ukraine so that, when the decisive battles come, they are able to fight effectively.”

The supplemental request would “set Ukraine up to thrive through 2024,” O’Brien said, and also “set the stage” for Ukraine’s post-war recovery.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said he sees the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and China’s aggression in the South China Sea as “an inflection point that will determine, in my view, what much of the rest of the century is going to look like.” But he also asked witnesses what he should tell constituents who ask “why Ukraine is important,” when compared to thousands crossing the U.S. border illegally, the rising national debt, and the fact that “the real military risk is China.”

Obrien answered that the first element of confronting China is ensuring a solid coalition of partners and allies. Backing Ukraine is helpful there, he noted: With “50-odd countries” supporting Ukraine, “we’re set to compete really effectively.” But if the U.S. were to end its support, he added, America will likely pay “more later…in military spending” than it is spending now in various kinds of aid. The U.S. would also cause some friends to rethink their alliances, he said.

Failure to stop Putin in Ukraine could also embolden him to press on into Poland and the other Baltic states.

The U.S. also benefits from supporting Ukraine in that it “allows us to reinvigorate our own industrial base,” O’Brien said, both in the military and energy sectors, strengthening the U.S. as a credible opponent to China. “All of that’s included in this supplemental, and that’s going to make us better able to defend Taiwan,” he said.

“The final point I’d make is, this is the wrong time to walk away, because Ukraine is winning,” O’Brien declared. “It’s already taken back half the territory Putin seized since February ’22. … You don’t walk away when you’re partway through the job.”

Erin McKee, Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development for Europe and Eurasia, added that the U.S. has “unlocked the alliances and mobilization” of dozens of countries in suport of Ukraine. “If we falter in our support, Russia will win,” she said. “And they won’t stop at Ukraine.”

Helping Ukraine defend itself also weakens Russia, noted Geoffrey Pyatt, Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources. He noted that U.S. suppliers have benefited from Europe’s shift away from Russian oil and gas, and that even if the war ended now, Russia’s Gross Domestic Product has suffered a 20 percent loss, which should deplete its war chest for future aggression.

Gaza and Russia

Asked by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Ha.) if there are linkages between the Ukraine war and the war in Gaza, O’Brien said there were.

“Putin sees Hamas as a way to distract us and to weaken the coalition that we have built against him,” O’Brien said. “His unwillingness to vote to condemn what Hamas did October 7, and his unwillingness to use any leverage he might have to get them to, say, move out of Gaza City…is a sign that he prefers to see us distracted by this fight. And he prefers to see Hamas as a sort of second front against us. And that’s the connection that’s most troubling.”

Putin wants “instability around his borders” as well, O’Brien said, and McKee added that Ukraine needs help to remain a functioning society.

“They don’t have any resources to take care of their people and govern, which is as vital to keeping up the unity of purpose and the resilience that we’ve seen from the Ukrainian people because they’re all-in, both on the civilian and the military side,” McKee said. Aid is needed to fund first responders and provide medical care, as well as to keep schools operating so that “they don’t lose a generation as a result of Putin’s attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure.”

Bottom line, she said: “If their economy collapses, Putin will have won.”

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) appeared to be the lone committee member present to object to further funding for Ukraine. He suggested the funds only prolong the war and that the put off negotiations to end it. Meanwhile, the U.S. is being asked “to fix the world’s problems” with borrowed money, he said.

“You’re ignoring the rot and ruin you’re creating in your own country, Mr. O’Brien,” Paul said. He warned that a nuclear-armed Russia may soon be “forced to choose between humiliating defeat on the one hand and escalating the level of destruction. There’s every reason to believe he chooses the latter.”

O’Brien stood his ground. “My belief is, if we don’t stand with Ukraine now, we’ll be spending much more on defense in the future.” But when he added that much of the spending actually goes to U.S. providers, Paul called “reprehensible” any explanation that “the war’s really not that bad.”

“Broken windows are not that bad because we pay people to fix them,” he said. “Broken countries are not so bad because hey, look, the armaments industry is gonna get billions of dollars out of this. That’s a terrible argument.”

Asked about a future off-ramp to war in Ukraine, O’Brien said negotiation is inevitable.

“All wars end with a negotiation,” he said. “. We’ve made clear we’ll do that with Ukraine, [and] not [go] over Ukraine’s head. “It takes two parties to negotiate the end of war. President Putin is not serious about negotiating the end of the war. He has said he wants to wait and see what happens in November ‘24,” after the U.S. presidential election.

“I just spent last weekend with 66 countries talking about the basis of a successful peace in in Ukraine,” O’Brien said. “Russia didn’t show up. That again is the problem. You don’t have a willing partner on the other side. So simply saying that there must be talks…you’re asking for a monologue, not…diplomacy.”

USAF Airstrike Hits Iranian-Backed Facility in Syria; MQ-9 Shot Down

Nov. 8, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

Two U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagles conducted an airstrike in eastern Syria in response to escalating attacks against U.S. forces by Iranian-backed groups, the Defense Department said Nov. 8.

The target was a weapons storage facility used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and affiliated groups, the Pentagon said.

The location housed “weapons that we believe are likely used in many of the strikes that have taken place against our forces,” a senior military official told reporters Nov. 8.

The strike was ordered by President Joe Biden and follows at least 40 attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria by Iranian-backed militias since Oct. 17. It marks the second use of force against Iran and its proxies in Syria in the past two weeks. The previous airstrikes were on Oct. 26.

“The United States is fully prepared to take further necessary measures to protect our people and our facilities,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement. “We urge against any escalation.”

But the militia attacks show no sign of abating, prompting some former officials to say that the Pentagon may need to take more forceful action. Current officials say the latest airstrike was “necessary and proportionate.”

“We hold Iran accountable for these attacks, not just the militia groups,” a senior defense official told reporters. “The message is to Iranian senior leaders: ‘We want you to direct your proxies in militia groups to stop attacking us.'”

The nighttime strike was intended to limit casualties, unlike the milita attacks against the U.S. that are attempting to kill American troops, the senior military official said. The official added that the U.S. had yet to fully assess whether there were any casualties.

President Biden’s first use of force was in February 2021 when he ordered an airstrike against an Iranian-backed militia in Syria. That action came in response to a rocket attack against U.S. forces in Erbil, Iraq, earlier that month. In this and a subsequent military response in March 2023, the White House has stayed clear of striking targets in Iraq for fear of inflaming the political situation in the country where the U.S. is operating at the invitation of the Iraqi government.

U.S. troops are in Iraq and Syria to advise and mentor local partners who are working to prevent a resurgence of the Islamic State group. Some 2,500 U.S. troops are in Iraq working with Iraqi forces, while 900 troops are in Syria.

The most recent U.S. airstrike occurred the same day a U.S. military drone was shot down by the Iranian-backed Houthis, the DOD said Nov. 8. The MQ-9 Reaper was lost off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea, U.S. officials said.

The MQ-9 belonged to the U.S. Air Force, a senior military official told Air & Space Forces Magazine. It is the third Reaper shot down while operating over or near Yemen since 2017. But it is the first drone shot down since Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the Israeli military’s intervention in Gaza inflamed tensions in the Middle East.

“We are concerned about all elements of Iran’s threat network increasing their attacks in a way that risks miscalculation or tipping the region into war,” the senior U.S. defense official told reporters Oct. 30.

The Houthis have become an increasingly worrisome part of that network.

On Oct. 19, the Houthis launched five land-attack cruise missiles toward Israel. The USS Carney, a guided missile destroyer that was operating in the northern Red Sea, shot down four of the cruise missiles. The fifth cruise missile was intercepted by Saudi Arabia as it was defending the Kingdom’s airspace.

On Oct. 31, the Houthis fired a ballistic missile and two cruise missiles toward Israel. Israel’s Arrow air defense system intercepted the ballistic missile while the cruise missiles were shot down by air-to-air missiles fired by Israeli F-35s.

The Houthis did not try to deflect responsibility for their action. They claimed the drone was carrying out “hostile, monitoring, and spying activities in the airspace of Yemeni territorial waters,” a spokesman from the group said. The group also posted a purported video of the engagement.

الدفاعات الجوية اليمنية تسقط طائرة MQ9 الأمريكية أثناء قيامها بمهام عدائية ضمن الدعم العسكري لكيان العدو الإسرائيلي 8-11-2023م pic.twitter.com/mTdqNuwwje
— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) November 8, 2023

“There should be no question or doubt that President Biden if he deems it necessary will direct additional strikes to defend U.S. forces and interests,” the senior defense official said.

NORAD Receives New Cloud-Based Command and Control Capability

Nov. 8, 2023 | By Chris Gordon

The U.S. took a significant step in modernizing its air defense recently when a new system, known as Cloud-Based Command and Control (CBC2), came online at one of the key centers monitoring the skies over North America.

The event marked a “pivotal milestone in the service’s modernization of tactical command and control capabilities,” according to a news release from a component of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

The Eastern Air Defense Sector, one of NORAD’s regional commands, recently rolled out its initial operating capability of CBC2, which uses artificial intelligence to help personnel monitor more information in a simpler way than the current system.

“Instead of an air battle manager having to consult different screens or systems for different sensor inputs or data, CBC2 brings together those inputs,” a NORAD official explained to Air & Space Forces Magazine. “The effect is a more streamlined connection between sensors, systems, and decision-makers.”

The new system is part of the Air Force’s push towards greater connectivity as part of the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS). The Air Force plans to expand CBC2 to the Pacific and other locations, using a model known as agile development, security, and operations (DevSecOps)—software that will continually receive updates.

“We didn’t do an overall CBC2 contract and hand it off to somebody that kind of did all the typical integration kinds of things,” Brig. Gen. Luke C.G. Cropsey, who is in charge of the Department of the Air Force’s ambitious ABMS efforts, said at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber conference in September. “We actually went directly to the experts in their respective layer of the stack, and we said, ‘Hey, who’s the best at ‘fill in the blank’ and we went and we got them on contract.”

CBC2 will aggregate and integrate military and commercial air defense data sources into one common picture to support homeland defense, the service says.

NORAD and U.S. Northern Command, which is responsible for the defense of North America, are the first to receive the capability, starting with EADS, which covers the eastern United States, including Washington, D.C.

EADS headquarters is located at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, New York, and is largely staffed by the Air National Guard. Despite its nondescript location, the rollout was attended by senior military officials, including Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Cropsey, and high-level representatives from the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the Joint Staff Director for Force Development (J7) USAF Lt. Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson.

Pictured left to right, Brig. Gen. Daniel Clayton, Director, ABMS Cross-Functional Team, Brig. Gen. Luke Cropsy, DAF Integrating Program Executive Officer, C3BM, Lt. Gen. Davgin R.M. Anderson, Joint Chiefs J7, Maj. Gen. Denise Donell, Commander, NY Air National Guard, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Acquisition & Sustainment Radha Inyengar Plumb, Brig. Gen. Paul Bishop, Chief of Staff, N.Y. Air National Guard. Eastern Air Defense Sector photo by Patrick Young

“Advancing our command-and-control capabilities is instrumental in achieving the department’s Second Operational imperative—achieving operationally optimized Advanced Battle Management Systems—while maintaining technological superiority in a rapidly evolving threat landscape,” Kendall said in remarks at the ceremony.

NORAD is a joint U.S. and Canadian command. CBC2, therefore, is a multinational effort.

“CBC2 incorporates a large number of tactically relevant data feeds as well as artificial intelligence and machine learning to assist decision makers with maintaining detailed situational awareness of the battlespace,” EADS said in its news release. “The platform uses this data to develop courses of action from which leaders can make higher quality and faster decisions that improve operational outcomes.”

Next to get CBC2 will be the Canadian Air Defense Sector (CADS), which is expected to field the new technology by mid-2024. NORAD expects to roll out CBC2 to the air defense sectors in Alaska, Hawaii, and Washington throughout 2024.

“NORAD will apply CBC2 in our air defense sectors to modernize air battle management software interfaces,” the official from the command said.

CBC2 is expected to be upgraded to fit in with hardware updates as they are fielded, such as NORAD’s planned new over-the-horizon radar, the NORAD official said.

“We’re deploying capability starting now,” Cropsey said in September. “It will obviously continue to happen in the future. But this isn’t something that’s five years away. This is today.”

200+ More Airmen to Get Medals for 2021 Afghan Evacuation

Nov. 8, 2023 | By David Roza

More than 200 Airmen will receive medals for their roles in Operation Allies Refuge, the evacuation of Afghanistan in summer 2021 as the U.S. completed its withdrawal. Eight Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Bronze Star Medals, 229 Air Medals, and 98 Meritorious Service Medals will be presented to Airmen on Nov. 9 at the 2023 Airlift Tanker Association Convention in Grapevine, Texas.

“It is with great humility, gratitude and honor that I have the opportunity to recognize the actions of these mobility heroes,” said Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, in a statement. “This recognition is long overdue but I hope everyone involved in this incredible operation knows our deepest appreciation for their sacrifice while saving more than 124,000 American and Afghan lives.”

The medals are in addition to the 96 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 12 Bronze Stars already awarded about a year ago, along with the Gallant Unit Citation awarded to the 621st Contingency Response Group following OAR. The entire operation lasted 17 days, including round-the-clock operations involving some 800 military and civilian aircraft from more than 30 nations, including about half the Air Force’s C-17 transport jets and more than 500 U.S. Air Force aircrews, along with hundreds of support Airmen on the ground. It was the largest non-combatant evacuation operation in U.S. Air Force history.

The U.S. Air Force conducted airlift operations to transport approximately 124,000 people from Kabul, Afghanistan, as part Operation Allies Refuge in August 2021. The operation was one of the largest air evacuations of civilians in American history. Courtesy photo.

Airmen delivered three babies during the airlift operation, all aboard C-17s, and created medical augmentation teams to care for the hundreds of evacuees crammed onto each flight. Both Airmen and aircraft were pushed to their operational limits. Aeromedical evacuation teams also transported 35 patients after a suicide bombing killed 11 Marines, a soldier, a sailor, and at least 170 Afghan civilians at Kabul’s airport on Aug 26, 2021.

“I’ve flown the C-17 for 15 years, and that was not only the most important and significant mission I ever flew, it was also the most challenging,” Lt. Col. Austin Street told Air & Space Forces Magazine last year about evacuating patients wounded by the attack. “That’s why I’m so proud of my crew for pushing through and overcoming the most challenging conditions I ever witnessed.”

These most recent medals recognizes maintainers, loadmasters, pilots, aeromedical evacuation specialists, and Ravens, the security forces Airmen trained to keep transport planes and jets secure while on the ground in dangerous areas. The medals were approved by the sixth awards board to review the records of Airmen involved in OAR. Another board is scheduled next week.

“We continue to reveal incredible actions taken to carry out this mission and it is our duty to recognize each and every one of them,” said Minihan. “Airmen proved, once again, that they can make the impossible, possible. But, it came with great personal sacrifice and risk.”