Elsewhere in the Pacific region, the early morning flights—takeoffs and unusually quick returns—by USAF F-15s flying routine training from Kadena AB, Japan, on the island of Okinawa, caused an outcry from island residents, reports Stars and Stripes. Bad weather and some maintenance problems twice sent fighters back to the base shortly after their sunrise takeoffs. Just this past May, Japanese officials had asked the air base to cut back on F-15 noise.
Air Force Gen. Jacqueline D. Van Ovost—a trailblazer and one of the first 10 women to reach a four-star rank across the U.S. military—retired and passed control of U.S. Transportation Command to Air Force Gen. Randall Reed on Oct. 4, finishing an eventful tenure at TRANSCOM.