Airmen will be “front and center” in the deployment of special operations teams to Iraq, service Secretary Deborah Lee James said on Dec. 2. The teams, dubbed the “expeditionary targeting force,” will be made up of about 100 troops and will “assist the Iraqi army and Kurdish peshmerga to put even more pressure on ISIL,” Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren told reporters in a video teleconference from Baghdad also on Wednesday. The force’s special operators will conduct raids, free hostages, gather intelligence, and capture ISIS leaders, Warren said. Air Force mobility forces will bring the troops to the fight, and battlefield airmen—such as combat controllers and pararescuemen—will be a part of the special operations teams. Air Force combat search and rescue crews also will provide support, James said during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The details of the deployment are still being determined, but James emphasized that the Air Force will be an integral part of the teams, which she said will improve the “deliberate targeting” of ISIS members in Iraq. Defense Secretary Ash Carter first announced the deployment during a House Armed Services Committee hearing Dec. 1. Though the force will be in Iraq, the troops also will “be in a position to conduct unilateral operations in Syria,” Carter said. (See also Ramping Up the ISIS Fight.)
Competitors Not Picked for CCA Look Forward to Increment 2
April 25, 2024
While none of the major aircraft contractors were selected to develop the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, all three say they are seeking further autonomous aircraft work for the Navy, foreign partners, or in the classified arena, and maybe future versions of the CCA itself.