Defense Secretary-nominee Robert Gates made the rounds on Capitol Hill on Friday, holding private chats with senior Democratic and Republican Senators before his formal confirmation hearing on Dec. 5. Reportedly, he has passed his first test. According to Associated Press news service, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) expects Gates easily to secure the top defense post. Reid said it is definitely to Gates’s advantage that lawmakers want “The change to take place very quickly.”
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.