Air Force combat search-and-rescue, also known as CSAR, is the military's force dedicated to rescuing downed aircrew. Combat search-and-rescue missions are dangerous under the best of conditions, ideally on dark nights with no moonlight.
In an interview Saturdayon the sidelines of the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith offered new details about lawmakers' compromise on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act just ahead of the bill's Sundayrelease.