I
n case you missed the follow-up reports, Gen. Paul Hester, who heads Pacific Air Forces, confirmed that the widely reported Russian claims that its aircraft buzzed Guam last week were exaggerated. The Russian bombers only approached within about 300 miles of Guam and were not intercepted in any conventional sense of the word by US aircraft, declared Hester. At the time, US and allied forces were engaged in Valiant Shield, with most flying units operating out of Andersen AFB, Guam, for one of the largest joint exercises in the region. Claims by a Russian general that bomber crews and Americans “exchanged smiles” were definitely suspect, Hester said, adding, “If he saw smiles, he’s got a pretty powerful telescope.”
U.S. military and law enforcement officials captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a high-stakes military operation on Jan. 3, a mission carried out by the Army's Delta Force and supported by extensive American airpower.
