B-52s from Barksdale Air Force, La., on June 18 finished the latest bomber task force deployment to Europe in a dramatic fashion, flying two separate long-distance training missions in the Arctic and in Africa. On June 17, B-52s that were part of the task force ...
Africa
An MQ-9 suffered a catastrophic fuel leak while flying in an undisclosed area of Africa, prompting the crew to crash as hard as possible into the ground to avoid a successful recovery of the aircraft, according to an Air Force investigation released June 4. The ...
The USAF air refueling mission to support French counter-terrorism operations in Mali is entering its eighth year, with KC-135s offloading more than six million pounds refueling French aircraft. The 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, is now the sole unit deploying to ...
The U.S. military will withdraw the “majority” of its personnel and assets from Somalia by early 2021, the Pentagon announced without providing specifics. President Donald J. Trump ordered the move, though the Defense Department in a Dec. 4 statement said the “U.S. is not withdrawing ...
The U.S. military’s workforce can’t succeed in the long run unless it fully embraces the digital age, overhauls its lagging information technology systems, and pursues a more flexible and diverse workplace, according to the Pentagon’s new personnel strategy. The document from Pentagon personnel and readiness ...
MQ-9 Reapers, the workhorse drone of America’s two-decade counterterrorism fight in the Middle East and Africa, want to show they’re getting a second wind. The MQ-9 schoolhouse at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M., recently rewrote its syllabus to prepare Reaper pilots and sensor operators for ...
Russian private military contractors have expanded their presence in Libya, bringing in additional aircraft and air defense systems, U.S. Africa Command alleges through newly released surveillance photographs. The private Wagner Group deployed to Libya to support military commander Khalifa Haftar’s offensive against the United Nations-backed ...
Senators confirmed Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. as the first black military service chief in American history in a 98-0 vote June 9. Brown, the decorated four-star general in charge of Pacific Air Forces, is expected to begin his four-year term as the ...
U.S. Africa Command says Russia deployed fighter jets to Libya to provide air support for state-sponsored mercenaries on the ground, and surveillance photographs show Moscow is intentionally hiding the origin of the aircraft. Images show MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-24 Fencer aircraft deployed to Al Jufra ...
A U.S. strike on al Shabaab militants in February 2019 killed two civilians in addition to the intended targets, according to a new review of all U.S. Africa Command strikes on violent extremist organizations in two theaters. The command is now conducting quarterly reviews of ...
The Air Force and U.S. Africa Command skirted Congressional oversight, didn’t adequately complete a site survey, and didn’t meet safety requirements in building a new operating base in Niger, leading to extended delays, cost overruns, and possibly unsafe conditions for personnel at Air Base 201, ...
This is the era of great power competition, and the means of competition are growing increasingly clear and diverse.