US forces are closing out August having conducted almost 100 airstrikes against ISIS targets in Libya, though the month-long campaign still hasn’t enabled Libyan Government of National Accord forces to reclaim the city of Sirte. On Aug. 29, seven US airstrikes hit 16 enemy fighting positions and a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Since Operation Odyssey Lightning kicked off on Aug. 1, US aircraft have conducted 99 strikes, US Africa Command said in a Wednesday statement. The airstrikes have been conducted by remotely piloted aircraft, along with fixed-wing aircraft and attack helicopters from Navy ships in the Mediterranean. Libyan forces said this week they are advancing on the last strongholds of ISIS in the city, according to the BBC.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
