Australia has signed the agreement with the US government to acquire a fifth C-17 transport via a foreign military sale, announced C-17 manufacturer Boeing. The additional airframe will bolster the Royal Australian Air Force’s ability to support international humanitarian-support and disaster-relief missions. Due to the RAAF’s pressing need for more airlift capacity, the US Air Force has approved Australia’s request to receive the new C-17 in August, according to Boeing. The aircraft will be assigned to RAAF Base Amberley, near Brisbane, home of 36 Squadron, which operates the country’s C-17 force. The Pentagon notified Congress of this potential sale in early March. Already this year, RAAF C-17s have supported disaster-relief efforts in Japan and New Zealand as well as at home after floods ravaged parts of Queensland.
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.