US military aircraft have delivered more than 10 million pounds of aid in support of the international flood relief efforts in Pakistan, according to Defense Department and State Department officials. Currently, an average of four to six C-130 and C-17 transports deliver aid throughout Pakistan each day. There are also 26 US military helicopters in Pakistan supporting the relief efforts, with more offshore aboard the USS Peleliu, a Navy assault ship. Further, an expeditionary contingent of airmen from the 621st Contingency Response Wing at JB McGuire, N.J., has been operating at Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala since late August to assist in distributing the relief supplies. US military aid operations began July 31. So far, US military helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, working with the Pakistan military, have rescued more than 17,000 people. (Scott report by MSgt. Scott T. Sturkol)
Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, nominee to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Defense Department needs to upgrade its electronic warfare capability and its EW training ranges; just as his predecessor said at his own confirmation hearing.