The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army Lt. Gen. Steven Blum, believes Operation Jump Start is a “magnificent mission” that is “making a very, very big, positive difference.” On a week-long visit to see some of the 6,000 Army and Air National Guardsmen who are augmenting the US Border Patrol in all ways except actual law enforcement, Blum noted that morale among the Guardsmen is “extra high.” He added, “I haven’t met a soldier or airman here yet who doesn’t think they’re doing something that’s making a positive difference.”
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…