US jets targeted al Qaeda twice in the first few days of the new year, killing at least 20 fighters in the Idlib Province of Syria. US jets on Jan. 1 struck two vehicles near a headquarters facility in northwest Syria, killing at least five fighters, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said Thursday. On Jan. 3, US jets returned and bombed the headquarters facility itself, killing more than 15 fighters, Cook said, though the US is still assessing the results of the strike. The strikes were aimed at weakening al Qaeda in Syria and limiting its ability to attack the US, Cook said. The coalition also conducted several other strikes targeting ISIS in the region, including in the same province on Jan. 1.
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.