Iraqi special forces have entered the eastern city limits of Mosul, Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said Wednesday. The return of government troops to the city for the first time in two years “is a very important milestone,” Davis said, “but we know there’s much more work to be done.” Iraqi forces—including Iraqi Security Forces troops approaching from the south and Kurdish Peshmerga forces approaching from the north—have spent the past day improving defensive works and conducting back clearances of recently seized areas surrounding the city. The Iraqi “forces continue to maintain the momentum as they consolidate gains and move forward on all of their axes,” Davis said. Since the beginning of the Mosul campaign on Oct. 17, coalition forces have delivered over 3,000 munitions. (See also: Empty Racks, which will appear in the January issue of Air Force Magazine.)
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the Air Force in fiscal 2027 would include billions of dollars in additional spending on advanced next-generation fighters, trainer aircraft, hypersonic missiles and more. But an expert close to Air Force issues said the service’s asks are paltry compared to the massive $1.5 trillion topline…
