Airmen 
with the 58th Airlift Squadron at Altus AFB, Okla., in mid-June transported four Navy mine-hunting dolphins back home from Norfolk, Va. to Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego aboard one of Altus’ C-17s. The four bottlenose dolphins were in Norfolk to assist in underwater mine clearance activities during the US military’s annual Frontier Sentinel training exercise. For the trip home, the dolphins were housed in specially designed cradles and special care was taken to ensure that their flight was as comfortable as possible. For example, “We took off from Norfolk and we used the whole runway for a nice, slow rolling takeoff,” said Capt. Jud Baker, one of the pilots. The dolphins’ handlers, trainers, and veterinary staff were also present. (Altus report by TSgt. Jennifer Seidl)
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…