Daily Report

Control of the skies in Operation Epic Fury is enabling the Pentagon to rely more on satellite- and laser-guided bombs, throttle back on expensive long-range standoff munitions, and move to a new phase of air war, defense officials said on March 4.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said the degrading of Iran’s air defenses had enabled the U.S. to achieve air superiority in the southern part of the country, enabling strikes deeper inland.

Pentagon leaders insist they have a sufficient stockpile of munitions to continue strikes on Iran amid reports that the U.S. military’s supply of key weapons and interceptors has been diminished in the first four days of conflict.

The Air Force won’t finalize a new deal with Boeing for another 75 KC-46 tankers until some of the “deficiencies” with the refueler are resolved, new Vice Chief of Staff Gen. John D. Lamontagne told lawmakers March 4.

With more than a third of the Air Force's entire E-3 AWACS fleet deployed to support the war against Iran, the ability to perform airborne battle management, or ABM, remains essential to the broader joint force, a new think tank report argues.

The Air Force conducted its first test of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile in 2026 on March 3, launching an unarmed missile from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., equipped with two test reentry vehicles at 11:01 p.m. Pacific Time.