Does Stevens See an End to Galena?: Sen. Ted Stevens has uncharacteristically thrown in the towel on a state military base matter. The powerful Alaska Republican said in a Thursday press conference that he believes the BRAC panel will vote to close the USAF operation at Galena AS, Alaska. It was added to the Pentagon list by the commission. Stevens bluntly told reporters that he hopes a vote to close Galena would move Eielson Air Force Base off the endangered list. The Galena site is a small airstrip used by F-15s from Elmendorf Air Force Base for emergencies and touch-and-go training.
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.