The US and Japan are close to reaching an agreement about returning airspace over Yokota Air Base back to Japanese control, according to Associated Press news service. Remember that last spring US officials called such speculation “premature.” Now it would appear the move to ease operations for commercial airlines operating in Japan is set to return an unspecified amount of airspace that would provide more direct routes to civilian airports. The transfer date, reports AP, likely would happen by September 2008.
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.