James had a few choice comments for Administration officials who think they can tinker with the Air Expeditionary Force mix of capabilities. “We do not want to be put in the position, as an Air Force, that we cannot ensure air dominance in the future,” asserts James, adding, “It really concerns me that people are talking about changing the AEF.” In his view, the AEF system has proved itself for more than 10 years. Any tinkering could affect not only the active Air Force but the Air Guard operations tempo and, ultimately, retention, says James. The ANG director maintains: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it; don’t do us any favors. We haven’t let you down and we don’t intend to.”
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.