US Air Force F-15s and F-16s performed air strikes in the vicinity of Salman Pak, Iraq, on Jan. 4, according to CENTAF. The F-15s fired two precision-guided munitions against an enemy weapons cache, while the F-16s launched two PGMs, destroying an improvised explosive device location, both with successful effects.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3