The 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota AB, Japan, airlifted 10,000 pounds of water and 100 air conditioning units to the Japanese prefecture hit by the July 16 earthquake, reports SrA. Veronica Pierce. The US Ambassador to Japan, Thomas Schieffer, and Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, US Forces Japan commander, flew with the supplies to meet with Japanese officials. Schieffer called the airlift a “small gesture to say thank you” for Japan’s help during Hurricane Katrina.
As the Pentagon increasingly pivots its focus to strategic competition with China, the U.S. will look to expand its partnership with South Korea to increase security across the entire Indo-Pacific region, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Dec. 2 during a visit to the northeastern Asian nation.