Senior State Department official, James Jeffrey, told defense reporters Tuesday that the US is “concerned whenever a foreign leader criticizes our forces,” as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has done over the alleged killing of civilians by Marines in Haditha, Iraq. However, said Jeffrey, that type of rhetoric is “typical” in that there is a “general attitude around the world is that whenever our troops do something, leaders speak out about it.” He noted that there is a constant buzz about what our troops do and do not do in Iraq and added that this is no different than in past conflict and post-conflict situations. Jeffrey asserted that the important thing now is to investigate the Haditha incident and follow through.
Boeing received a $2.47 billion Air Force contract Nov. 25 for 15 more KC-46s, bringing to 183 the number of Pegasus tankers on contract to all customers, foreign and domestic. The new contract—for Lot 12 of the initially planned KC-46 buy—is to be completed by 2029.
