Turkey is calling for the US and the anti-ISIS coalition to reconsider a no-fly zone in Syria, citing constant bombardment of civilians by Syrian aircraft. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in a speech Monday during a UN conference in Istanbul, said the US needs to reconsider the proposal it has long called for, The Associated Press reported. Erdogan also criticized the US alliance with Kurdish fighters—a group Turkey views as an insurgency on its borders but one Washington has relied on as a dependable force combatting ISIS. NATO officials, including Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, condemned Russian and Syrian bombing that “is just adding to the human suffering in Syria,” according to the AP. American officials have opposed a no-fly zone in Syria, which Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said is difficult, but doable.
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.