Uzbekistan has told NATO and its allies that they can no longer use the Central Asian country’s territory or airspace to support operations in Afghanistan. The Uzbeks earlier kicked the US military out of Karshi-Khanabad Air Base—the Pentagon paid its bill for use of the base earlier this month. (DR 11/21/05) The NATO deadline is Jan. 1. According to Associated Press news service, NATO officials say there are other capabilities available to ensure the mission is undeterred.
The Air Force is launching an effort to develop a new stand-off missile with a range of 1,000 nautical miles, or 1,150 miles, that would eventually be used for both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions.