The loss of crew situational awareness ultimately caused a Royal Air Force Puma Mk2 to crash in Kabul in October 2015, killing five on board, including two USAF airmen. The transport helicopter was landing at the headquarters of NATO’s training and support mission at the time of the crash. The UK Military Aviation Authority found that the pilots and rear crew fixated on ground features, and did not see an aerostat, according to a report in IHS Jane’s.The Puma hit the aerostat’s tether, causing the crash. The crash killed Maj. Phyllis J. Pelky, of Rio Rancho, N.M., and MSgt. Gregory T. Kuhse, of Kalamazoo, Mich., along with two Royal Air Force officers and a French contractor.
The Trump administration will not conduct a Nuclear Posture Review to accompany its 2026 National Defense Strategy but will instead mostly rely on its 2018 review, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby told lawmakers this week.