According to Air Force Capt. Jonathan Songer, coalition forces simply “can’t get enough” of the Predator unmanned aerial vehicle. Songer, who currently commands the Predator launch and recovery element in Afghanistan, says the Predators finds improvised explosive devices and insurgents getting ready to fire rockets and tells coalition forces preparing for a raid what route to take and which window to enter. Songer and his team maintain the Predators in theater and get them into the air (and back down), passing control during a mission to operators back at Nellis AFB, Nev.
House, Senate Unveil Competing Proposals for 2026 Budget
July 11, 2025
Lawmakers from the House and Senate laid out competing versions of the annual defense policy bill on July 11, with vastly different potential outcomes for some of the Air Force’s most embattled programs.