Alaskan lawmakers unanimously approved resolutions this week urging the Air Force to station the F-35 strike fighter at Eielson Air Force Base, reported Alaska’s Daily News-Miner. “The F-35 basing decision could reverse a wave of reductions started in 2005, which threaten to leave Eielson at the brink of closure,” said State Senate Majority Leader John Coghill (R-Fairbanks/North Pole) in a release. Eielson lost its A-10 mission following BRAC 2005 and the Air Force proposed removing its Active Duty F-16s in 2011. However, Congress has temporarily delayed that action, noted Coghill. “This resolution seeks to honor the historic, strong connection Alaska has with the Air Force, as well as reaffirming Alaska’s commitment to our nation’s security,” he added. Pacific Air Forces Commander Gen. Hawk Carlisle said in July that the first overseas F-35 squadron will be based in the Pacific, likely Alaska, Japan, or South Korea. The base selection process is underway.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.