The Defense Department has notified Congress of the possible foreign military sale of one C-17 transport and associated equipment and support services to the Kuwaiti air force under a deal with a total potential value of $693 million. “This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East,” reads the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s notice. Kuwait would be the third Middle East C-17 customer. C-17 maker Boeing has already delivered two C-17s to Qatar and is under contract to provide six to the UAE.
The Pentagon’s new counter-drone task force will play a direct role in arming Airmen with new weapons to defend Air Force agile combat employment, or ACE, air bases in austere locations against enemy drone attacks, the director of Joint Interagency Task Force 401 said Oct. 14.