Air Show Presence Demonstrates Asia-Pacific Commitment

Heidi Grant, deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs, attended the 2013 Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in late March at Langkawi Island, Malaysia, as part of the Air Force’s ongoing efforts to build relationships in the Asia-Pacific region, announced Pacific Air Forces officials. Grant said the Air Force remains committed to engaging US partners and allies in the region—and around the world, for that matter—by participating in aerial events such as LIMA-13, even during periods of constrained fiscal resources such as under the current budget sequester, according to PACAF’s April 3 release. “Sequestration, as a near-term fiscal challenge, should not be interpreted as a lack of long-term commitment,” said Grant. LIMA-13 took place from March 26 to March 30. PACAF cancelled the F-16 demonstration team’s participation in the show due to sequestration’s spending cutbacks, but sent the C-17 demo team to preserve the Air Force’s aerial footprint at the biennial event, according to the release.