International and industry partnerships will become even more “crucial” as the Defense Department begins to reduce the size of its forces and looks to cut costs wherever possible, said Lt. Gen. Richard Newton, USAF’s assistant vice chief of staff. Speaking at an Air Force Association-Air Force breakfast program event on Tuesday, Newton said the Air Force has had “225 agreements with 33 nations from four NATO organizations” since 2004. Such partnerships have led to major success stories, such as the multinational C-17 airlift wing at Papa AB, Hungary, he said. “There will be tough decisions that have to be made about our force structure and modernization, and it’s hard to predict the future, but we will persevere and make sure we provide the best force possible,” said Newton.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…