The 
Air Force will deploy its newest aircraft, the C-27J Spartan, this summer, about four months later than originally expected due to the challenges of bedding down a new aircraft while also preparing for its initial deployment. Lt. Gen. Harry Wyatt, Air National Guard director, told the Daily Report Wednesday that he was confident in the new timeframe and said the Air Force has worked closely with members of industry to fix some of the early problems with the aircraft. The entire C-27J fleet was grounded in December when a routine maintenance check uncovered some metal shavings in the fuel cells. At the time, the heads-up display also was decertified because it was slipping during flight and disrupting the pilots’ line of sight, and crews were complaining that the avionics system wasn’t up to par, an industry official said. Those problems have since been fixed. Continue
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.