Lt. Col. Richard Piazza, director of operations with the 23rd Operations Support Squadron at Moody AFB, Ga., has won the 2008 Lt. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault Award that recognizes the Air Force’s outstanding aerial warfare tactician. Piazza will receive his award Sept. 15 at the Air Force Association’s Air & Space Conference and Technology Exposition in Washington, D.C. He won for his work as lead pilot during developmental testing of A-10C upgrades at Nellis AFB, Nev. (Moody report by A1C Spencer Gallien)
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.