The Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Fighter Wing at Otis Air National Guard Base last week dispatched the first two of its F-15 fighters to their new home with the 104th FW, also of the Massachusetts ANG, at Barnes Airport. BRAC 2005 transfers the Otis F-15s to Barnes, which loses its A-10s. Last month, the folks around Barnes got a presentation on the mission switch from Warthog close air support to Eagle air defense. The Republican reports that Barnes will get two or three F-15s each month until it reaches its full complement of 18.
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.