The Dutch Are In: After much discussion and dithering, the Dutch parliament has agreed that the Netherlands will send up to 1,700 troops to Afghanistan under the NATO banner. According to the Washington Post, the parliament handily defeated a motion to not send Dutch troops as part of the NATO 6,000-member force that plans to take over from US and coalition troops in southern Afghanistan this summer. Getting the Dutch signed on was a high priority for NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheff.
For 30 days in April and May, a group of expeditionary communications technicians got together at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, with one task: Find a way for the F-35 to transfer data on remote or contested Pacific islands.