A contingent of airmen and F-22s from the 1st Fighter Wing at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., deployed to Kadena AB, Japan, as part of a normal rotation of US combat forces to the Pacific, announced Pacific Air Forces officials. The F-22s arrived at Kadena on July 27, states PACAF’s July 29 release. “The F-22 deployment to Kadena is in support of US Pacific Command’s security obligations in the Western Pacific, and the deployed unit will perform training under the direction of the 18th Wing at Kadena,” states the release. Normally, these deployments last about four months. Pentagon Press Secretary George Little last week first announced the upcoming deployment. Little said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had authorized it after Air Force officials told him they’ve likely identified the reason why some Raptor pilots have experienced disorientation and dizziness in flight and were implementing a plan to resolve the issue in phases. As a safety precaution, the Raptors flew to Japan under altitude restrictions and kept close to usable runways along the route.
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.