Airstrikes against ISIS dwindle as caliphate crumbles

By: Stephen Losey   6 hours ago - April 5, 2019

Q F-15E Strike Eagle graphic In the news again

Coalition airstrikes against the Islamic State dropped off considerably in February, as the campaign to oust the militant group from its last strongholds in Syria reached its final stages.

Airstrikes as part of Operation Inherent Resolve had dropped off in early 2018, hitting a low for the year in July, when 241 weapons were released, according to statistics posted online by U.S. Air Forces Central Command on Wednesday.

But the number of weapons released steadily increased through late summer, and then spiked in November, when 1,424 airstrikes were carried out. Airstrikes then hit the year’s peak in December when 2,214 weapons were released, and ticked down slightly to 2,005 in January.

Last month, however, the number of weapons released dropped to 607. That’s the lowest amount since August 2018. AFCENT said in a release that those February airstrikes, in support of allied forces on the ground, helped reduce ISIS territory to less than half a square kilometer.

A few weeks later, on March 23, U.S.-backed forces rooted out ISIS forces from their last piece of territory, and declared they had defeated the militant group after a devastating, nearly five-year war.

MOAR: https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/04/05/airstrikes-against-isis-dwindle-as-caliphate-crumbles/

Trump Moves To Protect America From Electromagnetic Pulse Attack

Apr 5, 2019, 09:02am Ariel Cohen

PHOTO: This is just lightning. An EMP pulse attack would likely be conducted via a high-altitude atomic device. It would fry vital electronics for hundreds of miles around.

ARTICLE: It’s not something many Americans think about: an Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) attack on the nation’s electric grid. However, both peer competitors (Russia and China), and emerging threat countries, like North Korea and Iran, are perfecting this strategic weapon.

The White House is taking this potential threat seriously. On March 26, President Trump issued “Executive Order on Coordinating National Resilience to Electromagnetic Pulses” in an effort to assess the risks of such an attack to critical U.S. infrastructure. Preliminary studies indicate that a catastrophic EMP event could cripple the U.S. economy and its military.

MOAR: https://www.forbes.com/sites/arielcohen/2019/04/05/whitehouse-prepares-to-face-emp-threat/#1b4a55e7e210