The first group of Iraq national security force officers began training at a NATO course in Jordan on April 2, according to a press release. The course, part of NATO’s defense capacity building program for Iraq, was prompted by a request from the Iraqi government and part of the alliance’s effort “to help Iraq build up its defense capacities, reform its security sector, and increase its ability to contribute to regional stability,” according to the release. The course includes training on explosive ordnance disposal and countering improvised explosive devices, cyber defense, civil-military planning, and military medicine. Three hundred and fifty Iraqi officers will be trained in the course at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center in Jordan over the next six months. During a visit to the White House on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and President Obama discussed how NATO can increase support to other countries to help them stabilize and fight ISIL, stressing that the alliance and the US stand “together in the fight against terrorism,” which Stoltenberg said “affects us all, from Brussels to San Bernardino.” Obama called NATO “the lynchpin, the cornerstone” of US security policy, and noted that the alliance has been “an extraordinary partner” in Afghanistan as well.
Work Has Begun to Adapt Qatari 747 to Fly as Air Force One
Sept. 15, 2025
The Air Force has started modifying a Boeing 747 donated by Qatar for "executive airlift," a spokesperson said Sept. 15. President Donald Trump has said he wants to fly the jet as “Air Force One” since new presidential transports, held up by delays, won't be ready until after his term…
