The Defense Department has reversed its previous statement that ISIS used chemical weapons against US troops during an encounter on Sept. 20. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters during a briefing on Wednesday that a “series of follow-on tests” concluded “it was not sulfur mustard.” No US troops were injured in the attack, which Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford had previously characterized as deploying “a blistering mustard agent,” and Davis said the Defense Department was unaware of ISIS making any use of chemicals weapons since then. “That said, we recognize that ISIL has used them on multiple occasions on both sides of the border and we should expect it’s a very real threat we will face as we continue to progress,” he said.
In the face of Chinese war plans to disrupt U.S. command-and-control networks in the event of a conflict, the Air Force needs to focus less on its “connect everything” efforts and prepare its combat aviators to fight without a constant connection to higher-ups, according to a new report from AFA’s…