That sentiment did not sway John Thune (R-S.D.), who reminded Wynne that, as acting deputy secretary of acquisition, logistics, and technology, Wynne himself had played a “major role” in developing the BRAC recommendations. Thune, who had fought hard to get the BRAC commission to remove Ellsworth AFB, S.D., from the bases marked for closure by the Pentagon, asked for Wynne’s assurance that as Air Force Secretary he would not thwart efforts to enhance missions for bases previously slated for closure. Wynne replied: “As far as I’m concerned, the BRAC commission has ruled. … The past is past, and anything in the future will be reviewed on its own merits.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.