US Joint Forces Command sees great value in its new Joint Public Affairs Support Element, or JPASE, which it sent forth on three occasions over the past five months. A JPASE team covered task force commander needs for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the US and the earthquake in Pakistan. In the past, PA support has been ad hoc, according to JPASE director Army Col. Steve Campbell. The new approach provides a “seasoned team on call” tailored to the job at hand that can “manage a task force’s PA processes while the combatant command evaluates the long-term outlook,” says Campbell. The JPASE team serves as an initial responder that turns over a “functioning public affairs apparatus to follow-on forces.”
Seven F-22 Raptor pilots have recently been awarded one of the military’s highest decorations for their actions during operations in the Middle East. Six of the pilots were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.