Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones, Supreme Allied Commander Europe and head of US European Command, clearly has high hopes for NATO, which he recently told a crowd at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., has a “quite bright” future. The alliance is growing more agile and proactive today, said Jones, because its members and partner nations are “pulling together on the same oar” as they collectively face threats from terrorism to natural disasters. He praised efforts to achieve greater standards of interoperability. He also expects to see nations at great strategic distance that want to align with NATO. Jones said that the alliance currently has about 30,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, of whom more than 3,000 are from non-NATO nations, participating in operations on three continents.
The Air Force ramped up operations and maintenance spending to keep its F-35A fighters flying over the past six years, but readiness continues to lag behind goals, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.