Gen. Lori Robinson, the head of Pacific Air Forces, was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people Thursday—the same day she appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a hearing on her nomination to lead US Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command. Robinson, during the hearing, said she was concerned about the flow of illegal drugs across the country’s southern border, but said she believes Russia is the “greatest threat” facing the US, with homegrown violent extremists also a threat within the homeland. If confirmed, Robinson will be the first woman to serve as a combatant commander.
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes in the Middle East are flying with fresh modifications as the Air Force looks to make the plane more versatile amid America’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports and a tenuous ceasefire in the U.S. air war against Iran.