The coalition against ISIS recently hit a cash collection point in Mosul, Iraq, with GBU-31s and GBU-39s, the ninth such site struck so far, the spokesman for Operation Inherent Resolve said on Jan. 20. While officials are not sure exactly how much money was destroyed, Army Col. Steve Warren estimated it is “in the tens of millions” of dollars. “We do know that we have impacted their ability to pay their fighters in the immediate term,” he said. “These cash strikes, combined with our other strikes against their industrial base, we believe are having a cumulative effect.” The US and coalition airstrikes have been targeting oil operations ISIS is using to fund its activities. Warren said that since ISIS, also known as Daesh, only uses cash, officials hope that striking cash collection and distribution points will be a further blow to the organization’s funding. Still, he said, “As we strike the Daesh cash … we are going to see them react to the strikes.”
The Air Force has tapped sites in Oregon to build its first two new Over-the-Horizon Radars, capable of detecting inbound missile threats from up to 4,000 nautical miles away. The service is hoping to start construction by the end of 2028.