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.)
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. still “believes” in his mantra of “Accelerate Change or Lose”—and indicated the doctrinal changes it produced when he was Air Force Chief of Staff played a role in the service’s recent response to Iran’s aerial assault on Israel, he…