Two Air Force C-130s from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, have delivered the first loads of US firefighting equipment to Russia. The US is providing about $4.5 million of gear to help the Russians battle huge raging wildfires around Moscow, including fires that were threatening a nuclear research facility in Sarov. The two C-130s touched down at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport on Aug. 14 (Moscow time). A charter flight followed with gear supplied by the State of California. The gear includes water tanks, pumps, hand tools, fire protective clothing, and medical kits. Two additional C-130 flights were planned, along with another charter flight, according to US officials. (Ramstein photo caption by MSgt. Keith Houin) (See also Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty report, and Times of Malta report.)
A provision in the fiscal 2025 defense policy bill will require the Defense Department to include the military occupational specialty of service members who die by suicide in its annual report on suicide deaths, though it remains to be seen how much data the department will actually disclose.