The US Provincial Reconstruction Team led by Air Force Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips in the Nangahar province of Afghanistan has made “significant progress” in its first four months on the job. Army Sgt. Sara Wood reports that the PRT has completed 11 projects worth about $800,000, and perhaps the key accomplishment is completion of a month-long effort to finalize a provincial development plan. On the PRT’s agenda are 33 projects, including building roads to link all 22 districts in the province to the main route through the region.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.