Some 130 air mobility leaders participated in Phoenix Rally at Scott AFB, Ill. last week for a three-day “focused look” at Air Mobility Command priorities, roles, and missions, reports Lt. Col. Lindsey Borg. In attendance was AMC’s new commander, Gen. Arthur Lichte, who reminded attendees that “air mobility is truly the center of the fight.” He also reminded the Total Force gathering that on-time delivery of the KC-X tanker replacement aircraft is vital. He said, “Just a three-year slip in this delivery timeline and cutting the annual delivery rate in half will force us to delay retiring the last KC-135 until 2084.”
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.