Air 
Force Special Operations Command may well get its own Predator squadron as early as this fall. An AFSOC spokeswoman, Capt. Elizabeth Paul, said the new unit, comprising 24 of the unmanned aerial vehicle (or, for those already into the new nomenclature, UASes), may stand up soon at Creech AFB, Nev. Ultimately, USAF expects to have at least 15 Predator squadrons, many run by Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve Command personnel.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
