France is deploying its only aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to assist in the bombing campaign against ISIS. The carrier deployment is a “rational choice” to “allow us to be more efficient in coordination with our allies,” French President Francois Hollande said, according to the BBC. The carrier holds up to 40 aircraft and can support 100 flights per day, according to the report. US Central Command spokesman Air Force Col. Patrick Ryder said the command “appreciates the tremendous support” from France in this deployment. The country is responsible so far for 271 airstrikes in 1,285 aerial missions in Iraq, according to the BBC. This is the secon?d time the carrier has deployed to the fight this year. France also has deployed its fighter jets to conduct airstrikes in the operation from other bases in the region.
More than two dozen F-35 Lightning II fighters are heading to Kingsley Field, Ore., after Air Force Secretary Troy Meink signed the official record of decision to base the jets there on Oct. 5, clearing the last bureaucratic hurdle for the Air National Guard base to host the service’s third…