According to CENTCOM boss, Army Gen. John Abizaid, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan killed up to 500 enemy fighters during Operation Medusa, the two-week offensive in Southern Afghanistan that ISAF officials called a “significant success.” Abizaid told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday that whenever the Taliban masses in one area as it did in Kandahar province—the site of Operation Medusa—it goes very poorly for them. Abizaid has heard from CENTCOM intelligence that the Taliban is very concerned about the number of casualties inflicted by Medusa.
The Air Force ramped up operations and maintenance spending to keep its F-35A fighters flying over the past six years, but readiness continues to lag behind goals, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.