Going Civilian a Bit Premature: According to the Deseret Morning News, the Air Force Audit Agency has concluded that the civilian security guards hired by the Air Force shortly after 9/11 to help relieve airmen from working entry stations at US bases had not been properly vetted. The News reports that an audit revealed that one in six were not weapons qualified and 45 percent lacked required pre-employment background checks. The newspaper says the Air Force has started correcting the problems.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
