T
he Arizona Air National Guard formally activated its newest unit this week—the 214th Reconnaissance Group based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. It will be the latest guard unit to fly Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. Arizona Air Guardsmen have been flying aircraft over Iraq and Afghanistan since July, the Arizona Daily Star reports, but will eventually have dedicated aircraft based at nearby Ft. Huachuca and will grow from about 75 personnel to more than 120. Eventually, officials plan to bring about a dozen aircraft to Arizona, with pilots and support personnel split between D-M and Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista.
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to slash…