The U.S. pays the bulk of costs to keep U.S. troops in Japan and South Korea, but the expenditure is shared with the host nations and provides substantial strategic benefits in the Indo-Pacific, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.
A dozen C-130Js from the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, supported more than 500 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members in the “largest static-line personnel jump and cargo drop” between the two countries, according to a USAF release. “This was not an overnight effort. ...
Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on March 13 leaves on his first international trip, aimed at “revitalizing” relationships with Indo-Pacific allies while top U.S. diplomats will meet with Chinese officials. Austin will begin the trip by visiting U.S. Indo-Pacific Command headquarters in Hawaii, at ...
The White House declassified its Indo-Pacific strategy on Jan. 13, revealing its hopes to bolster the military strength of India as a counter to China. It also aims to strengthen a “quadrilateral” alliance with Australia, India, and Japan to share advanced technology and protect democratic ...
Col. Andrew J. Campbell, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing, declared a public health emergency at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on Dec. 16, and rolled out an extensive set of mandatory COVID-19 mitigation measures for U.S. and host-nation personnel—including mandatory contact-tracing for U.S. troops, DOD ...
As America's first approved coronavirus vaccine is shipped across the country and frontline workers are getting their first jabs this week, National Guardsmen have been activated to assist with transportation. Military airlifters are standing by to support commercial shipping networks as well. Governors in 26 ...
The lack of training ranges and airspace in Japan are making it difficult for U.S. aircrews to maintain readiness during the pandemic, the head of U.S. forces in Japan said. U.S. and Japanese aircraft and personnel need to leave the country for high-end training, often ...
The Air Force doesn’t need to grow its stockpile of “tactical” nuclear weapons to complement the Navy’s newly deployed submarine-launched W76-2 warhead, the Pentagon’s top nuclear policy official indicated Sept. 2. “The Air Force is doing more than its fair share in this area,” Robert ...
U.S. Air Force bases in South Korea closed or limited operations as Typhoon Maysak hit the country early Sept. 3 local time, bringing high winds and heavy rains shortly after grazing bases in Japan. Kunsan Air Base announced at about 3 a.m. that it was ...
Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper continued his verbal offensive against China, accusing the country of “self-serving” behavior and a disregard for international laws, the same day the Chinese military fired medium-range ballistic missiles during a military exercise. China is undergoing an aggressive modernization plan to ...
Japan has gotten a green light from the State Department to buy 105 more F-35s in two variants, which will make that country the largest operator of the Lightning II outside the U.S. The news comes the same week Japan's defense ministry informed the country's ...
The Air Force's F-35A fleet has become its third-largest fighter fleet—larger than that of the F-15C/D or E variants and larger than the F-22 Raptor fleet—and the type will likely surpass 250 air frames by the end of August, according to the Joint Program Office. ...