The Air Force has issued a small business grant to ADA Technologies of Littleton, Colo., to study arsenic levels following use of three different absorption media in well water near Castleford, Idaho, reports the Twin Falls (Idaho) Times-News. The goal is to discover the most cost-effective way to lower arsenic levels in the water supply on Air Force bases around the country. It may also benefit town like Castleford that must lower its 22 parts per billion arsenic level to about 10 ppb under new EPA guidelines. USAF officials expect the pilot test in Castleford, which is part of a larger study, to wrap up in February.
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.