Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in his final public appearance in office on Tuesday, would not provide a timeline for the defeat of ISIS, but said he is confident it will “conclude as soon as possible.” He added, “We know what the steps are, we know the steps that we have laid out in the plan. We take each of those as rapidly as we and our partners can.” Carter also would not say if the coalition is planning any attempts to strike ISIS leader Abu Bakr al Baghdadi in the near future, just that senior ISIS leaders should be worried about their safety. While the incoming Trump Administration is likely to push to increase the air campaign against ISIS, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph Dunford said the current pace is only dictated by ground operations, and not necessarily worry about civilian casualties. If Iraqi Security Forces or Syrian Democratic Forces are conducting operations at a high tempo, that will drive more air support.
Air Force F-16 pilots are testing out new sensors that could help maximize their performance and avoid deadly accidents while flying fast fighter jets under heavy G-forces and stressful conditions.