The first Commando Sling of the new fiscal year has wrapped. Participating were some 80 airmen from the 14th Fighter Squadron, Misawa AB, Japan. The unit’s F-16s flew with and against Singapore Air Force F-5s. The Misawa airmen felt comfortable with their Singapore counterparts because “they think like we do,” having received much of their training in the US, said Lt. Col. John Pearse, 14th FS commander. However, he asserted it was “very good threat replication” because his F-16 force rarely gets to train against smaller aircraft.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
