Officials at Cannon AFB, N.M., officially activated the 43rd Intelligence Squadron during a ceremony last week. The squadron, which is taking the place of Det. 1, 25th IS, which was inactivated, will train and employ direct support operators specializing in threat warning and situational awareness while flying aboard Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft. “As a detachment, we’ve been here since the 27th Special Operations Wing first stood up,” said 1st Lt. Paul Caruso, 43rd IS chief of current operations. “As a squadron, we’ll be here for as long as there are flying squadrons who need the intelligence we provide.” Maj. William J. Howery, the former Det. 1 commander, relinquished command to Lt. Col. Frederick Humphrey, the new squadron commander, during a ceremony at Cannon, Nov. 1. The transition from a detachment to a squadron was necessary to accommodate an increase in flying squadrons and aircraft located at Cannon, according to the release.
Exasperated with the delays to the F-35’s Tech Refresh 3 update—which has held up deliveries of completed fighters since last fall—the House Armed Services Committee wants to slash the military services’ fiscal 2025 F-35 purchase by at least 10 aircraft and as much as 20.