Air Forces Central reports that USAF F-16s dropped 500-pound bombs in strikes on May 19 against enemy combatants in Al Amarah, Iraq. According to a May 20 AFCENT release, the Viper strikes were among some 67 close air support sorties flown for Operation Iraqi Freedom on May 19, most providing shows of force that Joint Terminal Attack Controllers determined were successful in deterring enemy activities in various locales.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent direction that the military services return to a more old-school approach to basic training—with instructors "tossing bunks" and "putting their hands on recruits”—will likely require the Air Force to rewrite policies for military training instructors it has modified over time to cut down on such…