We now have a transcript of Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Hostage’s remarks at an AFA-sponsored, Air Force breakfast earlier on July 29. In his remarkably candid, hour-plus comments and answers to questions, he covered the gamut of ACC issues, including today’s precarious readiness, the A-10 divestiture, the F-35 engine issue, USAF’s electronic warfare capabilities and stealth, integration of cyber forces, prospects for Syria, and sixth generation air superiority. “I’m going to tell you what I think,” Hostage said, because his successor has been confirmed and “there’s not much they can do to me.” You can read it here.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.