Airmen from the 15th Wing at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, worked with soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division at nearby Schofield Barracks to load Army Stryker combat vehicles onto four C-17 transports during an emergency deployment-readiness exercise, according to a wing release. This marked the first time that C-17s have carried Hawaii-based Strykers, which have previously moved by ship, states the wing’s Oct. 31 release. The exercise validated the 25th ID’s ability to deploy a quick-reaction force, states the release. “We all knew the C-17 can carry Strykers, but this is a very big deal for us,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Eric Pettengill of the 380th Ground Liaison Detachment. The four C-17s brought the Strykers from Hickam on the island of Oahu to Pohakuloa Training Area on the island of Hawaii during the Oct. 17 exercise, a wing spokeswoman told the Daily Report on Nov.1. (Hickam report by SSgt. Terri Paden)
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.