First-known combat death since Trump sworn in identified
The Defense Department announced Jan. 30 that the U.S. Navy sailor killed during a raid on al Qaeda base in Yemen was from Peoria, Ill.
Chief Special Warfare Operator William “Ryan” Owens died Jan. 28 of wounds sustained during the raid.
The Pentagon said Owens, 36, was assigned to an East Coast-based Special Warfare unit. Owens’ death is the first known U.S. military combat casualty since President Donald Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20.
“My deepest thoughts and humblest prayers are with the family of this fallen service member,” Trump said when Owens’ death became known.
Three other service members were wounded Sunday during the firefight with militants from al Qaeda. The raid left nearly 30 others dead, including an estimated 14 militants. A fourth U.S. service member was injured when a military aircraft assisting in the mission nearby had a “hard landing.”
Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis issued a statement Jan. 30 praising Owens for his service.
“Ryan gave his full measure for our nation, and in performing his duty, he upheld the noblest standard of military service,” he said. “The United States would not long exist were it not for the selfless commitment of such warriors.”
Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has exploited the chaos of Yemen’s civil war, seizing territory in the south and east when it began in 2014. A Saudi Arabian-led military coalition has been helping government forces battle the rebels. AP
U.S. military botches online fight against Islamic State
A critical national security program known as “WebOps” is part of a vast psychological operation that the Pentagon says is effectively countering an enemy that has used the internet as a devastating tool of propaganda. But an Associated Press investigation found the management behind WebOps is beset with incompetence, cronyism and flawed data. Several people with direct knowledge of the program say it’s having little impact.
Several current and former WebOps employees cited multiple examples of civilian Arabic specialists who cannot speak Arabic fluently and have so little understanding of Islam they are no match for the Islamic State online recruiters.
Four current or former workers told the AP that they had personally witnessed WebOps data being manipulated to create the appearance of success. AP
Air Force Academy to pay $25,000 to settle suit over records
The Air Force Academy has agreed to pay $25,000 in legal expenses to a religious freedom advocacy group to settle a lawsuit over the group’s request for records.
The academy and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation announced the settlement Jan. 30.
The foundation says the academy also agreed to broaden its search for records the foundation requested. Foundation president and founder Mikey Weinstein says the documents concern the academy’s internal responses to him, his family and the organization.
Weinstein is a persistent critic of the school, accusing it of favoring evangelical Christianity.
His lawsuit accused the academy of delaying some documents and withholding others.
The academy says it didn’t admit any wrongdoing in the settlement. It says it had a backlog of records requests when Weinstein filed his in 2011. AP