The US conducted defensive airstrikes in Somalia on Sept. 26 and Sept. 28 in support of the efforts of the Somali government and the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to defeat al-Shabaab, the Al Qaeda affiliate in the Horn of Africa, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis on Thursday. On Sept. 26, after Somali forces were attacked by al-Shabaab fighters near Kismayo, a US airstrike killed four enemy fighters. On Sept. 28, US and AMISOM forces were working to disrupt an IED factory near Galkayo when they came under small arms fire from al-Shabaab militants, and a US airstrike killed nine enemy fighters. Davis declined to identify the airframes involved in the strikes, but he said that no Americans were injured in either action. According to Davis, the ongoing mission in Somalia consists of “a small number of US personnel” committed to separate missions of support for the Somali government and AMISOM. (See also: US Conducts Defensive Strikes in Somalia and US Strikes al-Shabaab Leader.)
This year’s Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting buzzed with talk of countering the rapidly evolving drone threat facing the entire U.S. military, including the Air Force. Leaders and defense industry officials discussed the need for new approaches to procurement and employment of a new class of these…