The Pentagon finally plans to rebut the fury over the now-disbanded covert Pentagon intelligence operation called Able Danger, by releasing a report next week denying claims that an Army unit had previous knowledge about Mohamed Atta, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks. According to Reuters news service, the report will come from Pentagon inspector general Thomas Gimble. Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) last year chastised both the Pentagon and the 9/11 Commission for failing to heed claims of some Able Danger participants. The IG has been investigating the matter for a year.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.