US and partner-nation fighter and bomber aircraft carried out six airstrikes against ISIS terrorists in Syria and one strike against ISIS in Iraq on Jan. 3, announced Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials on Sunday. The Syria strikes destroyed three ISIS vehicles, four ISIS buildings, three fighting positions, and two staging areas all near Kobani, states the release. Additionally, the aircraft struck a tactical unit near Mosul, Iraq. “The destruction of ISIL targets in Syria and Iraq further limits the terrorists group’s ability to project terror and conduct operations,” states the release. The US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom all are conducting airstrikes in Iraq, while the US, Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates are conducting strikes in Syria. (See also Targeting ISIS from the October 2014 issue of Air Force Magazine.)
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
