Turning in the Old in Iowa: T
he Iowa Air National Guard’s 185th Air Refueling Wing at Sioux City will be turning in some old iron over the next two years, according to the Sioux City Journal. The wing gets to trade its old E model KC-135 tankers for newer, re-engined KC-135R models. This will be an easy transition, notes the Journal, unlike in 2003 when the wing converted from F-16 fighters to KC-135 tankers.
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.