Pentagon leadership has not yet met with representatives of President-elect Donald Trump’s Administration, but the first conversations are expected this week, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday. “We’re ready to welcome them, and help the new team to get started,” Carter said at an event in Washington, D.C., sponsored by The Atlantic magazine. “We’re committed to the transition to the new Commander in Chief.” Carter said he was proud that his administration “adhered to the tradition to stand apart from the political process.” Carter last week sent out a memo to Defense Department staff urging the “orderly transition” to the Trump Administration.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.