Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal received the Senate’s approval on June 10 to receive a fourth star and become the commander of US Forces Afghanistan and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force. He will replace Army Gen. David McKiernan. Defense Secretary Robert Gates last month decided he needed to put fresh eyes on Afghanistan operations as the US bulks up its forces in that country by 21,000 by October. McChrystal has been serving as director of the Joint Staff and has much experience commanding special operations forces. (For more, read yesterday’s AFPS report by Donna Miles.)
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.