A US Air Force AC-130 gunship conducted another strike against al Qaeda in Somalia this week, reported the Washington Post. If so, it would be the second this month, but Pentagon officials, so far, have refused to confirm the report. Spokesman Bryan Whitman said Wednesday, “The nature of some of our operations are such that I just won’t be able to provide you much information.” He did say that US concerns about al Qaeda operations in the region, so “we’re working with countries throughout that AOR [area of responsibility] to identify, track, seek, capture, and, if necessary, kill al Qaeda working, taking safe haven, operating in that region.”
There's a growing consensus among experts, lawmakers, and Pentagon leaders that the Air Force should buy more than the planned minimum of 100 B-21 stealth bombers. Exactly how many more is a question USAF will likely answer in its 2028 budget request, the service’s top planner said May 13.