Stephen Losey

Airmen at the 52nd Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, got an unexpected Valentine’s Day present on Tuesday: A bright red computer alert mistakenly warning them of an incoming missile.

It’s an often unheralded and sometimes painful task, but the resupply missions conducted by the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing are critical to the fight against the Islamic State.

Whether it’s helping an Army team check out an airfield the military might use, unloading cargo in an austere location, or helping an Iraqi unit coordinate with allies, hundreds of airmen throughout the Middle East are providing their expertise to other services and coalition partners.

Today, top military officers say, the Iraqi military is truly taking the lead in the fight against ISIS, with the United States and other coalition allies advising and assisting in a primarily support role.

The battle to wrest the strategically key city of Mosul, Iraq, from the hands of the Islamic State is one of the central campaigns of Operation Inherent Resolve, and the biggest since the war against ISIS began 2½ years ago.

Retired Gen. Arthur Lichte, the former head of Air Mobility Command, has been reprimanded and stripped of two stars after an investigation found he engaged in sexual misconduct.

The Defense Department and Iraqi diplomats are trying to find a way exempt Iraqi military pilots from President Trump’s executive order on immigration, and allow them to continue training with the Air Force.

President Trump intends to nominate Heather Wilson, a former New Mexico representative and a graduate of the Air Force Academy, to be the next Air Force secretary.

B-2 bombers and MQ-9 Reapers attacked Islamic State military camps southwest of Sirte.