Taking the Next Step: The Committee Defense Review—the “it’s not a separate QDR” examination of defense capabilities and needs launched by the House Armed Services Committee in mid-September has set up six more panels to augment its Threat Panel. The new ones—called “gap” panels—will review the current state of US military forces and future requirements to address the threats identified by the Threat Panel. Read the list of gap panels and their members here.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.