A counterterrorism expert warned that a large Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) presence in the region of the F-15E fighter jet crash could complicate search and rescue efforts for the missing U.S. crew member. 

Jim Hanson, a chief strategist at the Middle East Forum who served in the U.S. Army Special Forces, joined “Fox & Friends Weekend” to explain what the mission may look like.

Khuzestan Province, where the fighter jet crashed, is home to Arab tribes who oppose the central Iranian government. While that could help the stranded airman, it also means the IRGC is present to suppress opposition.

“The IRGC and Basij have a larger-than-normal presence there to go ahead and tamp [local tribes] down when they do protest,” Hanson said.

NEW IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER ‘LIKELY DISFIGURED,’ HEGSETH SAYS

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle performs during a demonstration flight in Miami, Florida, on May 25. (Jesus Olarte/Anadolu)

“The regime also has as many of their people in play as possible, and we need to hope that the people who dislike the regime are helping, not hurting,” he added.

Hanson said he believes the downed airman will likely try to get out of the flatlands and find cover in terrain that is more difficult for the IRGC to access. He noted that while the strategy makes it more difficult for the U.S. to locate the missing crew member, it provides safety benefits.

“You don’t want a bunch of Basij or other regime troops riding around in pickup trucks, able to easily get to him,” Hanson said.

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NEW IRAN OPTION: USS TRIPOLI READY TO STRIKE FAST, HARD

A U.S. F-15E fighter jet reportedly went down over the Khuzestan province in Iran on April 3, 2026. (Fox News)

He described the mission as a “balancing act,” saying that military officials are weighing how many additional troops to deploy to the area to find the downed airman without those forces becoming targets themselves.

SECOND US FIGHTER JET DOWNED BY STRAIT OF HORMUZ AS SEARCH FOR F-15E CREW MEMBER IN IRAN CONTINUES

Retired Air Force Brigadier General John Teichert, a former F-15E combat pilot, said that while the environment is dangerous, the silence from the ground may be a good sign.

“While there is a little bit of concern about the duration of time since they got shot down, I actually think it’s net favorable because they’re falling back on their training,” Teichert said.

A U.S. sailor signals the launch of an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford while supporting Operation Epic Fury at sea on Feb. 28, 2026. (U.S. Navy/Getty Images)

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“They’ve found a good place that clearly has indicated they haven’t been captured by the adversary. And now the forces are just trying to find the right time and the right way based on the terrain and disposition of enemy forces to rescue our downed crew member,” he added.

Two airmen were involved in the F-15E crash, one of whom was rescued Friday. The IRGC and Iranian state media have claimed responsibility for downing the jet.

The parents of the suspects connected to the foiled explosive attack outside MacDill Air Force Base in Florida last month are illegal immigrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced, adding that the case underscores the dangers of birthright citizenship.

ICE agents took the parents, identified as Qiu Qin Zou and Jia Zhang Zheng, into custody on March 18, days after their son, Alen Zheng, allegedly planted an explosive device outside the base.

Officials said the parents illegally entered the United States and applied for asylum in 1993, but an immigration judge denied those claims and ordered both Zheng and Zou removed from the US in 1998.

The Board of Immigration Appeals denied multiple attempts by the pair to reopen their case, but they remained in the US for decades despite the removal order.

The arrests add a new dimension to the case, as the Trump administration argues it underscores national security risks tied to birthright citizenship, an issue now before the Supreme Court.

Their children — Alen Zheng and his sister, Ann Mary Zheng — were both born in the US and are citizens.

Federal authorities allege Alen Zheng planted an improvised explosive device outside the MacDill Air Force Base visitor center in Tampa on March 10, while his sister later helped cover up the crime.

Prosecutors said Ann Mary Zheng “assisted after the fact” and tampered with evidence to hinder her brother’s arrest.

Federal investigators believe Alen Zheng fled to China and remains there. His sister was arrested after returning to the US through Detroit.

The explosive device, described by officials as potentially “very deadly,” failed to detonate and was discovered six days later by an Air Force airman.

Investigators later linked the device to materials recovered from Zheng’s home and a burner phone used to place a cryptic 911 call warning about the bomb.

DHS officials said the case highlights broader concerns about immigration enforcement and citizenship laws, as the Supreme Court weighs the scope of birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment.

“Automatically granting citizenship to children of illegal aliens born in the US … poses a major national security risk,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “This incident underscores the severe national security threat that illegal immigration and birthright citizenship pose to the United States.”

The agency noted that the suspects were born in the United States after their parents entered the country illegally.

President Donald Trump moved to restrict birthright citizenship through an executive order signed on his first day in office, arguing the current interpretation of the Constitution is flawed.

The policy is being challenged in the Supreme Court, setting up a major legal battle over the scope of the 14th Amendment.

Federal prosecutors have charged Alen Zheng with attempted destruction of government property by fire or explosion, as well as weapons-related offenses, which could carry up to 40 years in prison.

Ann Mary Zheng faces charges of accessory after the fact and evidence tampering, with a potential sentence of up to 30 years.

Officials have not publicly identified a motive or confirmed any connection to the Chinese government.

MacDill Air Force Base houses US Central Command and US Special Operations Command, making it one of the most strategically significant military installations in the country.

Fox News’ Alex Nitzberg and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.

FORT HOOD, TX – This week, the 1st Medical Brigade of the III Armored Corps at Fort Hood, Texas, held a training exercise called “Operation Silver Lightning.” 

The exercise, according to the 1st Medical Brigade, “is designed to simulate the challenges of providing advanced medical care in a contested, large-scale combat environment.”

Between March 23 and April 1, the 1st Medical Brigade employed the tactical arm of the Army Health System. Combat medics, optometrists, doctors, veterinarians, and other medical personnel simulated a mass casualty event in combat conditions in underground tunnels on the Fort Hood base. 

This week, Fox News got an up-close look at how this training exercise was implemented.

UKRAINE SIGNALS PROCESS ON US SECURITY GUARANTEES

Soldiers training on the wounded, or role players during a training exercise at Fort Hood.  (Fox News)

“So the medics have understood that you cannot set up a multi-tent field hospital that occupies four or five, up to 15 acres and provides that world-class care, above ground anymore,” said Col. Kamil Sztalkoper, director of public affairs for the III Armored Corps.

Sztalkoper said the shift is driven in part by drone warfare observed in the war in Ukraine. 

300 Soldiers treat and work on fake wounded soldiers for a training exercise. (Fox News)

“We have to disperse, number one. And then hide in plain sight, is number two. So dispersing is using multiple different kinds of locations. Hiding in plain sight could be in a building, a warehouse, or here. Using one of our unique training facilities that was designed in the 1940s. Utilized in the 1950s to house nuclear and atomic weapons,” Sztalkoper told Fox News.

The tunnels have since been decommissioned and cleaned out for use as a training facility — in this case, an underground field hospital. Sztalkoper said the several miles of tunnels are used as a “triage emergency room, operating room, vet, optometry [and] clinics,” allowing troops to avoid what he described as the growing drone threat observed in Ukraine.

US ARMY USING INFLUENCERS FOR RECRUITMENT

During this exercise, about 300 soldiers and role players portraying wounded troops ran through different evacuation and medical drills, with soldiers rushing the wounded from a helicopter to a military medical vehicle and then into the tunnels.

Combat medics are then trained to treat wounded soldiers, or, role players. Each of the wounded imitated the pain and symptoms of an injury that could happen on the battlefield.  

Soldiers as role players imitate the pain and injury of battlefield wounds. (Fox News)

“Really the dilemma for them is managing how they deal with all of this with what they have,” said Col. Brad Franklin, deputy commander of the 1st Medical Brigade.

Franklin, who also serves as a chief nurse, said he has experienced similar challenges in real-world operations. 

“Knowing you don’t have enough people, you don’t have enough surgeons, you don’t have enough nurses, don’t have enough medics and there’s more patients than you can handle,” Franklin said. “So it’s forcing them to triage, reverse triage and take care of these casualties.”

WORLD WAR II VETERAN SHARES SPECIAL PERFORMANCE

Aside from treatment for soldiers, K-9s and their handlers are also training in this exercise. Further down a dark tunnel, veterinarians work on a simulated wounded K-9, while the handler is being treated for simulated injuries across the room.

Lt. Col. Cynthia Fallness, commander of the 43rd Medical Detachment providing veterinary service support, said the personnel conducting this training are doctoral-level veterinarians.

“In this case, it is a traumatic fracture, a compound fracture of the hind limb. And the dog also has a chest wound and also, is having trouble breathing because there’s a traumatic injury to the mouth,” Fallness said. 

“So these are our diesel dogs,” she said of the fake K-9 on the operating table.

Soldiers practice all aspects of a mass casualty in combat, like evacuating the wounded (Fox News)

Out of the dozens of combat medics training, one medic says his role in the military is more than just a job. 

“My grandfather actually served in World War II as a combat medic,” William Rothwell, a combat medic with the 1st Medical Brigade, told Fox News. “He went into Normandy, I believe, after the push on Omaha Beach.”

Rothwell, a Boston native, never met his grandfather, but heard stories from his father.

“Which was just how brutal it was, how rough it was. Medicine back then wasn’t as great. So handling patients was somewhat traumatic.” 

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In this training, Rothwell is getting that real-world medical combat experience before stepping foot on a battlefield. 

“The stories of how much he cared and was willing to go, you know, the mile and above to make sure that he can get his brothers home … really touched me,” Rothwell said. “So that’s kind of how I feel in this situation.”

President Donald Trump said Sunday that the military is constructing a “massive complex” beneath a planned White House ballroom, which he said will feature bulletproof glass and drone-proof protections while being funded entirely by private donors.

The project, which Trump said is designed to accommodate large events and visiting dignitaries, would expand capacity at the White House, where he said existing rooms are too small for major gatherings.

“The military is building a massive complex under the ballroom, and that’s under construction, and we’re doing very well,” Trump said. 

Trump said the underground construction is already underway and tied to broader security measures surrounding the site, describing the ballroom as serving a dual purpose tied to what is being built beneath it.

DEMS MOVE TO SET LIMITS ON TRUMP’S DONOR-FUNDED WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM, CLAIMING ‘BRIBERY IN PLAIN SIGHT’

A rendering of the proposed White House ballroom shared by President Donald Trump on Truth Social on Feb. 3, 2026. (Copyright Donald Trump/Truth Social)

The ballroom itself will include a range of security upgrades, including reinforced materials and structural protections designed to guard against modern threats.

“We have all bulletproof glass. We have drone-proof roofs, ceilings,” Trump said. “Everything is drone-proof and bulletproof, and unfortunately, we’re living in an age where that’s a good thing.”

Trump said the project is being privately funded and will not rely on taxpayer dollars, emphasizing that the ballroom is being financed through personal contributions and outside donors.

FEDERAL JUDGE QUESTIONS TRUMP AUTHORITY ON WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT

The White House has started tearing down part of the East Wing to build the ballroom Trump wants added to the building. Demolition began Monday. (The Associated Press)

The ballroom proposal was approved in February by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which fast-tracked the roughly $400 million project following a unanimous vote of 6-0.

The project will be built on the site of the former East Wing, which was demolished in October, and is expected to significantly expand the White House’s capacity for large events.

Previous administrations have long relied on temporary structures to host major gatherings, as the old East Wing dining room had just a 200-seat capacity.

MICHELLE OBAMA TAKES SWIPE AT TRUMP’S DEMOLITION OF WHITE HOUSE EAST WING

A McCrery Architects rendering provided by the White House of the new ballroom.   (White House)

“All of the money paid is paid by myself and donors…it’s all donors,” Trump said. “There’s not one dime of government money going into the ballroom.”

He added that construction is progressing quickly and remains on track, describing the effort as both ahead of schedule and under budget as work continues.

“We’re ahead of schedule and under budget,” Trump said.

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Trump also described the ballroom as being designed to match the look and scale of the White House, including its height and architectural style, calling it a tribute to the historic building.

“I think it’ll be the greatest ballroom anywhere in the world,” Trump said. “It pays total homage to the White House, which is, I think, very important.”

The US Army has increased the maximum enlistment age to 42 years old and alleviated restrictions on recruiting people with prior marijuana convictions.

The enlistment age will officially change from 35 to 42 “for applicants with prior military service” on April 20, according to an Army Regulation report released last Friday.

The minimum age for the Army is still 18 — though 17-year-olds can enlist with parental permission.

Prospective recruits will also no longer need to secure a waiver if they have one conviction for possessing marijuana or other drug paraphernalia, according to the document.

The amendment falls in line with the widespread legalization of cannabis, which is in the process of being reclassified as a Schedule III controlled substance.

Still, the document noted that “[t]he Army does not tolerate the use of marijuana or harmful or habit-forming chemicals or drugs.”

Those with more serious drug-related offenses are still required to obtain a waiver to enlist.

The Navy and Air Force accept fresh recruits through their 41st and 42nd birthday, respectively. The Marine Corps has a strict cutoff at 28, though all four branches also consider age waivers on a case-by-case basis.

The changes come just as the Pentagon is prepping 3,000 Army soldiers for deployment to the Middle East in support of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

Last Friday, the Pentagon also dispatched roughly 2,500 Marines aboard three warships to the Middle East — which is a weeks-long journey by sea.

That same day, President Trump told Fox News that he needed “numbers” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil supply is funneled.

Iran began allowing “non-hostile” ships to pass through the Strait on Tuesday, so long as they are “in coordination with Iranian authorities.”

US officials have claimed that the recent deployments are intended to send a clear signal to Iran while reassuring allies in the region.

Thirteen US service members have been killed since Operation Epic Fury launched on Feb. 28.

Around 290 U.S. service members have been injured so far during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, U.S. Central Command spokesperson U.S. Navy Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News on Wednesday. 

“The vast majority of these injuries have been minor, and more than 255 troops have already returned to duty,” Hawkins added. 

The U.S. military operation, which was launched on Feb. 28, also has resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members. 

Six service members were killed in a March 1 Iranian drone attack in Kuwait, while another service member died of injuries suffered during an Iranian attack on troops in Saudi Arabia on the same day.

US STRIKES AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIAS IN IRAQ REPORTEDLY CONTINUE AS BAGHDAD WARNS OF ‘RIGHT TO RESPOND’

U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft “have been used to strike Iranian naval vessels during Operation Epic Fury,” CENTCOM said Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (CENTCOM)

On March 12, another six service members were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during a combat mission in support of Operation Epic Fury. 

The American military operation has inflicted heavy losses on the Iranian regime, including the death of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei 

BIDEN SECRETARY OF STATE SAYS ‘I WISH WE HAD GOTTEN’ IRAN DEAL

CENTCOM footage of strikes against airplanes during the war with Iran. (U.S. Central Command on X)

CENTCOM said Monday that over 140 Iranian vessels have been damaged or destroyed during Operation Epic Fury. 

In total, more than 9,000 combat flights have been conducted as part of the campaign. 

Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of Operation Epic Fury, from an undisclosed location on March 3, 2026. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters)

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“CENTCOM forces are striking targets to dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus, prioritizing locations that pose an imminent threat,” CENTCOM said. 

Fox News Digital’s Stephen Sorace and Bradford Betz contributed to this report. 

The United States military reportedly launched airstrikes targeting the headquarters of Iraq’s ​Iran-backed Shiite militia (PMF) and a residence belonging to its leader on ‌Tuesday, in an escalation of strikes against Tehran’s prized militias. 

The latest strikes from the U.S. military follows a statement last week from Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who said AH-64 helicopters “have been striking against Iranian-aligned militia groups to make sure that we suppress any threat in Iraq against U.S. forces or U.S. interests.” 

In what appears to be an Iraqi threat against the U.S., Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement on Tuesday, “In light of the unjustified attacks and grave violations of Iraqi sovereignty, including the targeting of official security headquarters, the Council decided the following: To confront and respond to military attacks carried out by military aircraft and drones targeting the headquarters and formations of the Popular Mobilization Forces Commission and other formations of our armed forces, using available means, in accordance with the right to respond and self-defense.”

US WARNS IRAQ MUST ACT AGAINST IRAN-BACKED MILITIA ATTACKS ON AMERICAN ASSETS

Smoke rises from the U.S. embassy building in Baghdad, Iraq, Saturday, March 14, 2026.  (Ali Jabar/ AP Photo)

Sudani also said that Iraq’s foreign ministry planned to summon the U.S. chargé d’affaires and separately the Iranian ambassador on Wednesday. The PMF is part of Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s government.

An Iraqi Kurdish government official said to Fox News Digital, “So what the Iraqi government will now fight the Americans?”

When asked about the Iraqi Kurdish government official’s comment, a spokesperson for Iraq’s embassy in Washington D.C., told Fox News Digital, “Absolutely not. It is against elements that target them.”

According to the Times of Israel, a fresh airstrike on Wednesday hit the PMF in western Iraq. “Two missiles were fired from a fighter jet” at a base in Anbar province, a security official said. The Anbar base was also reportedly struck by U.S. forces on Tuesday.

The Iraqi embassy spokesman said, responding to additional Fox News Digital press questions that he lacked the current information to comment regarding the fast-moving developments in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani chairs negotiations between Iraq and the United States to end the International Coalition mission in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 27, 2024. President Joe Biden is set to host al Sudani Monday, April 15, for talks that come as tensions across the Middle East have soared over the war in Gaza and Iran’s threats to retaliate for an Israeli military strike against an Iranian facility in Syria.  (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban, Pool)

The PMF has launched attacks on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, Israel and other American assets in the region, especially in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following the U.S.-Israel joint attack on the Islamic Republic on Feb. 28. Over the years, the PMF has been accused of killing American military personnel in the Middle East.

DEFIANT IRAN VOWS TO FIGHT ‘UNTIL COMPLETE VICTORY,’ DESPITE HEAVY MILITARY LOSSES

PMF leader Falih al-Fayadh was not present when his residence was hit in the northern city of ​Mosul on Tuesday. At least 15 PMF terrorists were killed in other ⁠airstrikes that hit a headquarters of the group in Iraq’s Euphrates valley ​province of Anbar, according to sources and a statement from the group.

The Kurdish government official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday: “The militias are brazenly doing Iran’s bidding. They’ve attacked U.S. forces and diplomats, Iraq’s own intelligence services, French troops, and the KRG’s Peshmerga [Kurdish Regional Government]. Energy and civilian infrastructure haven’t been spared. This does not require analysis — these groups openly claim responsibility.”

Supporters gather in Baghdad’s Sadr district holding Iranian flags and posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei following the announcement that he was killed in U.S.-Israeli attacks, on March 1, 2026 (Murtadha Al-Sudani/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Kurdish official added: “So why does the Iraqi government continue to pay those it itself describes as terrorists and criminals? There are four principal groups: Harakat al-Nujaba, Kataeb Hezbollah, Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl al-Haq. This government is unwilling to defend its own interests, let alone those of its partners. At this point, the distinction between the PMF and the state is increasingly hard to discern.”

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy and an expert on the PMF, told Fox News Digital there was a “sense of delusion” during the Biden administration, which tried to differentiate between the PMF and six of its pro-Iran militia members that are U.S.-designated terrorist entities.

She said the recent strikes clearly “show that the U.S. is tired of this inane distinction,” Tsurkov said. She stressed the “entire PMF structure is a problem.”

Tsurkov, who was held hostage by the pro-Iranian regime, Kataib Hezbollah, for two and half years in Iraq, said, “The U.S. possesses immense leverage over Iraq. The U.S. can sanction certain ministries and certain directors generals.” She added that the U.S. can also sanction Iraqi banks that transfer money to Iran.

An explosion is reported near the U.S. Consulate and the Erbil International Airport area, where a U.S. military base is also located, in Erbil, Iraq, with fire breaking out and thick smoke rising following the blast, on march 12, 2026.  (Ahsan Mohammed Ahmed Ahmed/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Tsurkov said the PMF are highly sensitive to U.S. strikes on their top leadership.

The PMF movement is reeling from the devastating alleged U.S. airstrikes. The dead included its operations commander, Saad al-Baiji. The statement said ​U.S. forces had targeted a command headquarters in Anbar while personnel were on ​duty. The security sources said the strikes were hit during a meeting attended by senior commanders.

TRUMP’S MIDDLE EAST ENVOY REVEALS WHAT LED TO BREAKDOWN IN IRAN TALKS BEFORE OPERATION EPIC FURY

A State Department official told Fox News Digital that, “The United States strongly condemns the widespread attacks by Iran and Iran-backed militias against U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities.”

The official continued: “As Secretary Rubio has said, the Iraqi government must take all measures to safeguard U.S. diplomatic personnel and facilities and ensure militia groups cannot use Iraqi territory to threaten the United States, our Iraqi partners, or the region. Doing so is in Iraq’s interest. Continued attacks by Iran-backed militias undermine Iraq’s stability and risk drawing Iraq into a broader regional conflict.”

Members of Shiite radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mehdi Army parade in Baghdad’s Shiite neighborhood of Sadr city 03 April 2004. Sadr’s followers have held almost daily demonstrations to protest the decision by the coalition to close his weekly newspaper, the al-Hawza al-Natiqa, for 60 days on charges of inciting violence. (Ahmed Labib/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A spokesperson for U.S. Central Command referred Fox News Digital to the White House and to the Office of the Secretary of War for comment on the administration’s policy. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Pentagon for comment.

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On Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert warning: “Iraq Iran-aligned terrorist militias have conducted widespread attacks on U.S. citizens and targets associated with the United States throughout Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR). U.S. citizens should leave Iraq now.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Israel Defense Forces regarding Israel’s role in the ongoing strikes against Iran-backed militias.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The Army’s top civilian and enlisted leaders have awarded eight Meritorious Service Medals and two Purple Hearts to Old Dominion University ROTC cadets who stopped the March 12 gunman later identified by the FBI as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former National Guardsman convicted in a case tied to support for the Islamic State.

In a private ceremony this week, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll and Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Weimer honored the cadets for their actions during the attack inside an ROTC classroom, according to U.S. Army Cadet Command on Facebook. The cadets’ names were withheld for privacy.

Federal authorities have said the cadets subdued and killed Jalloh after he opened fire, killing military science professor Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, 42, and wounding two others during an attack during their class at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Virginia.

One cadet was hospitalized in critical condition, while the other was treated and released after the deadly melee.

STRING OF ATTACKS CONNECTED TO NATURALIZED CITIZENS RAISES NATIONAL SECURITY QUESTIONS

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael R. Weimer and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll presented honors to Old Dominion University Army ROTC cadets, acknowledging their bravery and sacrifice during a classroom shooting earlier in the month. (Ian Ives / U.S. Army)

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who are wounded, killed or die from wounds received in combat, while a prisoner of war, or in action against an enemy force.

The Meritorious Service Medal is the noncombatant service equivalent honor to the Bronze Star.

It has not been made clear how many students were in the class at the time of the shooting, which the FBI has described as an act of terrorism, hailing the cadets’ intervention to prevent additional casualties.

“There were students that were in that room that subdued him, and, uh, rendered him no longer, uh, alive,” according to Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, in news conference remarks that raised outpouring of American pride on social media.

SOROS-BACKED DA SPARKS BACKLASH AFTER BLAMING OLD DOMINION SHOOTING ON PRO-GUN LAWMAKERS: ‘F— RIGHT OFF’

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll honored eight cadets from Old Dominion University’s Army ROTC program with Meritorious Service Medals and two were awarded Purple Hearts for their courage, service and bravery for “terminating” an ISIS terrorist attacker. (Ian Ives / U.S. Army)

“I don’t know how else to say it,” Evans said. “They basically were able to terminate the threat.”

They heroically did so without guns.

Jalloh “was not shot,” she added, as reports indicated the cadets killed the ISIS-linked assassin by stabbing him to death.

VIRGINIA MAN CHARGED WITH SELLING WEAPON USED BY OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY GUNMAN

Jalloh’s ability to carry out an ISIS-inspired terrorist attack in the U.S. after President Donald Trump started the military strikes on Iran is a function of former President Joe Biden’s Justice Department releasing a terrorist.

Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll shakes the hands of Old Dominion University Army ROTC cadets after awarding eight Meritorious Service Medals and two Purple Hearts during a private ceremony Sunday. (Ian Ives / U.S. Army)

Jalloh had pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to provide material support to ISIS and had been released from federal custody in December 2024 to mere supervised probation, which failed to prevent the attack.

He was released about 2 1/2 years early after completing a drug treatment program, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and did so on condition of anonymity.

It was not clear how Jalloh qualified for the program, which allows inmates to shave up to a year off their sentences. Inmates serving sentences for terrorism-related offenses typically are not eligible for such programs or other sentence-reducing credits.

DEM-BACKED ‘SOCIAL JUSTICE’ LAW PUT VIRGINIA’S ODU CAMPUS AT RISK BEFORE ATTACK, FORMER AG ARGUES

Old Dominion University Police Chief Garrett Shelton said less than 10 minutes passed between when officers were called about a shooting in the university’s business school building and when responders determined the shooter was dead.

“The shooter is now deceased thanks to a group of brave students who stepped in and subdued him – actions that undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote March 12 on X.

Three members of the U.S. Army ROTC program at Old Dominion were wounded, including one who died. Jalloh also had served. The naturalized U.S. citizen from Sierra Leone was a specialist with the Virginia Army National Guard from 2009 until 2015, when he was honorably discharged.

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Shah, 42, was the university’s professor of military science and a former ODU ROTC cadet who returned in 2022 to lead the program.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Vice President JD Vance joined the grieving family of a Kentucky man who was the seventh US service member to die in combat during the Iran war as his remains were brought back to the US Monday evening.

The dignified transfer, a solemn event that honors US service members killed in action, took place at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware for Army Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Kentucky. He died Sunday after being wounded during a March 1 attack on the Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, a Pentagon statement said.

Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saluted alongside high ranking military officials as the transfer case draped with the American flag was carried from the military aircraft and into an awaiting vehicle.

Mike Bell, retired pastor of Glendale Christian Church, said he’d known Pennington since he was a toddler and got a call from Pennington’s father when the soldier was hurt.

“I talked to Tim Saturday morning, and he was doing a little better, and they were talking about maybe moving him to Germany,” Bell said. Tim Pennington called again that evening, Bell said, to ask for prayers as his son’s condition was worsening, and then later told him the soldier had succumbed to his injuries.

“He was just a quiet person,” said Bell, noting that Pennington attended the church’s after-school program. “I mean, he never attracted attention because he was just steady doing what he needed to do to do it.”

State and local officials grieve

Pennington was assigned to the 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command based at Fort Carson, Colorado.

The unit’s mission focused on “missile warning, GPS, and long-haul satellite communications,” according to their website.

“This just breaks my heart,” Keith Taul, judge-executive of Hardin County, where Pennington was from, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press. “I have known the family for at least 30 years. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering they are experiencing.”

Glendale is an unincorporated town of about 300 residents south of the Hardin County seat of Elizabethtown.

In a statement posted on social media, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear called Pennington “a hero who sacrificed everything serving our country.”

Six other soldiers killed

The other six service members killed since the conflict began on Feb. 28 were Army reservists killed in Kuwait when an Iranian drone struck an operations center at a civilian port.

President Donald Trump on Saturday joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base at the dignified transfer for those six US soldiers.

The dignified transfer is considered one of the most somber duties of any commander in chief. During his first term, Trump said bearing witness to the transfer was “the toughest thing I have to do” as president.

‘An American hero’

Pennington graduated in 2017 from Central Hardin High School, where he was enrolled in the automotive technology pathway, district spokesman John Wright told the AP. Former automotive tech instructor Tom Pitt, who taught Pennington in 2017 at Hardin County Early College and Career Center, called him “an American hero.”

“A lot of times as a teacher, you have students who are smart, you have students who are charismatic, who are likable, dare I say, enchanting,” said Pitt, who called Pennington Nate. “Rarely do you have students who are all of those. And Ben Pennington was all of those. He was basically the quintessential all-American.”

Photos on his and family members’ Facebook pages show that Pennington achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in August 2017. His Eagle project was the demolition of some old baseball dugouts in Glendale, said Darin Life, former committee chairman for Troop 221.

“If you look up Eagle Scout, his picture’s probably there,” said Life, who knew Pennington throughout his scouting career. “He loved his country. I would have expected nothing less of him than to lose his life protecting his country.”

Awards and decorations

A month after his Eagle ceremony, Pennington posted a photo of himself taking the oath of enlistment. He entered the service as a unit supply specialist and was assigned to the Space and Missile Command on June 10, 2025, the Army said in a release.

Among his awards and decorations were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

“The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command is deeply saddened by the loss of Sgt. Pennington,” said Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, USASMDC commanding general. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice for the country he loved.”

Col. Michael F. Dyer, 1st Space Brigade commander, described Pennington as “a dedicated and experienced noncommissioned officer who led with strength, professionalism and sense of duty.”

Pennington will be posthumously promoted to staff sergeant, the Pentagon said.

The Swedish military has intercepted a suspected Russian drone off the south of the country as a French aircraft carrier was docked in the port of Malmö, officials say.

The armed forces said on Thursday that a Swedish naval ship observed the suspected drone during a patrol in the Öresund, the strait that divides Sweden from Denmark.

They said that unspecified countermeasures were taken to disrupt the drone, and that contact with the drone was then lost.

The French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is in the southern Swedish city of Malmö this week as part of regular NATO exercise activities. Malmö is located on the Öresund, opposite the Danish capital of Copenhagen.

French military spokesperson Guillaume Vernet told The Associated Press that the drone was detected on Wednesday and handled by Swedish forces integrated into a security system around the carrier.

He said Friday that the drone was more than 6 miles from the Charles de Gaulle.

“This system showed it is robust, and this event had no impact on the activity of the aircraft carrier battle group,” Vernet said.

Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jonson told public broadcaster SVT Thursday evening that the suspected violation of Swedish airspace by a drone happened in connection with a Russian military ship being in Swedish territorial waters.

Asked what country he thinks the drone belongs to, he replied: “Probably Russia.”

The Russian ship continued into the Baltic Sea, and Swedish authorities have been in close contact with Denmark about the incident, Jonson said. The armed forces said no further drones were observed.

Western officials say Russia is masterminding a campaign of sabotage and disruption across Europe. An Associated Press database has documented well over 100 incidents.

Not all incidents are public and it can sometimes take officials months to establish a link to Moscow. While officials say the campaign — waged since President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 — aims to deprive Kyiv of support, they believe Moscow is also trying to identify Europe’s weak spots and suck up law enforcement resources.