A C-17 from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on June 24 dropped more than 25,000 pounds of supplies to Marines on the island of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific exercise. This marked the first time in RIMPAC’s 22-year history that C-17s are participating. Members of the 535th Airlift Squadron delivered the supplies using improved container delivery system (ICDS) bundles, an airdrop method utilized by C-17s over Afghanistan. “This type of training is not done typically in Hawaii, so it was good for our pilots and loadmasters to be able to conduct this type of real-world training,” said aircraft commander Maj. Paul Anderson. RIMPAC is the largest maritime, biennial exercise in the world. This year’s iteration runs from June 23 to August 1 in and around the islands of Hawaii. Fourteen nations are taking part. (Pearl Harbor-Hickam report by TSgt. Cohen Young)
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.