Nine airmen participating in the Cope Tiger 06 exercise took a break from the operations to pay a visit to a local school in Nakhon Ratchaisma, Thailand. Every year, participating PACAF airmen raise donations for an adopted school, but this year, some of the airmen got to drop off the goods personally. MSgt. James Parris, a project officer from Hickam AFB, Hawaii said supplies this year included a refrigerator, an overhead projector, and several types of sports equipment.
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.