The US-led coalition against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria carried out 2,829 July airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, the most of any month since Operation Inherent Resolve kicked off in August 2014, according to new figures from Air Forces Central Command. The coalition has launched a total of 19,760 airstrikes, the majority of which come from US Air Force aircraft. Coalition aircraft have flown 4,959 total intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance sorties, along with 5,620 airlift flights. Tanker aircraft have offloaded 557 millions of pounds of fuel through 61,303 air-to-air refuelings in 8,904 sorties. Meanwhile, the operations tempo in Afghanistan remained relatively slow in July, with just 75 total weapons released, down from 106 the month before. It is standard to see increases in the warmer months’ fighting season, Army Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, the deputy chief of staff for communication for the Resolute Support Mission, said at a Pentagon briefing Aug. 13. The coalition has also seen an increase in the ISIS presence in Afghanist?an, a threat that could be addressed in airstrikes in the future, he said.
Top Lawmakers Want 15 Percent Pay Raise for Enlisted Troops
April 19, 2024
A new law introduced by Congress would raise the pay rate 15 percent for junior enlisted troops and seek improvements on a range of quality of life issues, such as pay and compensation, child care, housing, health care access, and military spouse employment.