According to a July 10 release from Air Forces Central, US and coalition forces supporting operations in Afghanistan and Iraq during June set a new airdrop record. They airdropped 3.25 million pounds of supplies in Afghanistan, marking the most airdropped in one month in that theater since operations began in fall 2001. The tactical airdrops supported coalition forces in remote locations and provided humanitarian relief to Afghan civilians. In Iraq, coalition air forces conducted no airstrikes that employed munitions, which is the first time there were zero since operations began there in 2003. In May, coalition air forces dropped three munitions to support Iraq operations.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
