With the activation of 24th Air Force, 
the Air Force’s new cyber operations organization, Tuesday at Lackland AFB, Tex., “a great deal of work remains” to integrate cyberspace operations with those in air and space, writes Gen. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command. In an Aug. 18 release, Kehler, whose organization oversees the new numbered air force, writes that AFSPC has “an extensive blueprint” in place outlining the first 100 days for 24th AF to guide this integration. Many of the lessons learned by the Air Force in operationalizing the space domain will apply, he says. In fact, he notes, space and cyberspace share three key characteristics: rapid global access, persistence, and enabling awareness at strategic levels. He writes: “This is the key: combining our capabilities brings game-changing effects to our military.”
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.