US Air Force C-130 and Singapore Air Force CH-47 airlift crews participating in the current Red Flag at Nellis AFB, Nev., brought their list of training requirements to the traditional fighter shootout, each checking off an item when they airdropped USAF airmen and other military members over Lake Mead in Nevada. Many of the jumpers—predominantly from USAF rescue, combat controller, and RED HORSE units—used the occasion to update their jump currencies. A USAF release noted that the SAF helicopter pilots are undergoing upgrade training with a Texas Air National Guard unit.
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.