The military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan is speeding up, with five facilities now handed over to the Afghan government and about 115 C-17 loads of material flown out of the country. U.S. Central Command reported May 18 that more than 5,000 pieces of material also have ...
U.S. C-17s have now flown 104 loads of materiel out of Afghanistan as the retrograde continues, and U.S. Central Command plans to destroy more than 1,800 pieces of equipment. Between six and 12 percent of the entire retrograde process is complete, CENTCOM said in a ...
The retrograde from Afghanistan is underway, with U.S. Air Force C-17s carrying equipment and other materiel out of the country. U.S. Central Command in a May 4 statement said about 60 C-17 loads have moved out of the country since President Joe Biden on April ...
The State Department on April 27 ordered some of its diplomatic staff to leave the U.S. Embassy in Kabul as the drawdown in Afghanistan begins and the U.S. continues planning for what future force protection in the country will look like. In a new travel ...
Two B-52s arrived in the Middle East on April 23 as part of an increase in airpower to protect U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan as part of the withdrawal in the country. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III approved the deployment of the bombers ...
U.S. Central Command and American diplomats are working with nations surrounding Afghanistan on agreements to base troops and aircraft for counter terrorism inside the country following the military’s withdrawal. CENTCOM boss Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr., in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee on ...
The proliferation of small unmanned aerial systems, usually commercially available drones that can be outfitted to drop weapons, is the most “persistent and dangerous” threat to troops in the Middle East in decades. “These small- and medium-sized UAS proliferating across the [area of operations] present ...
About 300 Airmen and F-16s from the South Carolina Air National Guard’s 169th Fighter Wing deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, recently for an expeditionary force deployment. The F-16s, deployed to the 378th Air Expeditionary Wing, will “increase defensive capabilities against potential threats ...
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III traveled to Israel for high-level meetings with Israeli officials, to discuss ways to further ways for the two militaries to work together as the U.S. prepares to re-engage on talks related to the Iranian nuclear deal, and an Iranian ...
The U.S. hasn't mastered how to close the seams between its combatant commands, and it still is not treating Russia's hybrid warfare activities with discipline and coherence, Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman USAF Gen. John E. Hyten told a Canadian defense conference March 10. He urged ...
Two B-52s flew direct to the Middle East on March 7 in a mission to “deter aggression” amid high tensions with Iran. The B-52s from the 69th Bomb Squadron at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., linked up with aircraft from multiple partner nations, including Israel, ...
The withdrawal of about 700 U.S. forces from Somalia required a massive nocturnal airlift, movement of fighters and tankers from the Middle East, and other overwatch from drones and other special operations aircraft, all planned and executed within weeks. The mission, called Operation Octave Quartz, ...