October 
2010 was a strong recruiting month for the Air Force, according to the Defense Department’s latest figures issued this week. USAF’s active duty force brought in 1,511 new accessions, matching its goal. The Air National Guard attracted 729 new recruits, surpassing its 541-accessions objective by 188. The Air Force Reserve exceeded its target of 760 accessions by nine. Across DOD, the Army active duty force exceeded its recruiting goal, while both the Marine Corps and Navy met theirs. All of the other services’ reserve components exceeded their targets, except for the Navy Reserve, which met its goal. October, the first month in Fiscal 2011, built upon DOD’s strong recruiting numbers throughout Fiscal 2010. Beginning with Fiscal 2011, DOD is reporting monthly recruiting numbers against the services’ “year-to-date” goals, as opposed to the monthly goals reported in the past.
When Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine described the 150 aircraft used in Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, he referenced many by name, including the F-35 and F-22 fighters and B-1 bomber. Not specified, however, were “remotely piloted drones,” among them a secretive aircraft spotted and photographed returning to Puerto…
