CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea - The 2nd Infantry/ROK-U.S. Combined Division completes a large-scale joint air assault training operation in conjunction with the ROK 2nd Rapid Response Division, Army Aviation Command, Air Force's 5th Air Mobility Wing during Freedom Shield 24 in the Republic of Korea, March 11-15, 2024. The exercise involved approximately 40 large-s  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 18 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: OKINAWA, Japan - Sailors assigned to the America Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and Marines assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, celebrated the completion of the 18th iteration of Exercise Iron Fist, alongside members of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), in a ceremony held on the flight deck of the  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 20 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: RAYONG PROVINCE, Thailand - Supervisory Special Agent Erin Chow, Department of the Army Criminal Investigation, Far East Field Office became the first Army CID special agent to participate in the multinational Indo-Pacific military exercise Cobra Gold, held annually in Southeast Asia. This year's exercise took place February 27 to March 8, 2024. Cobra Gold, estab  more

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii, March 23 -- The U.S. Army Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Command issued the following news: By Brian Beall The state of Hawaii, with its natural beauty and renowned local cuisine, features prominently in the daily lives of the Army's 25th Infantry Division and its 12,000 Soldiers at Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter. While the locale is enticing, the Soldiers of the Army's "Tropic Lightning" Division also experience unique challenges with the cost, ava  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, March 20 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division issued the following news release: The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has recovered $368,992 in back wages and damages for 16 employees of an Oahu restaurant -- owned by one of Japan's largest brewing and distilling companies -- whose operators denied overtime wages to salaried cooks and chefs, some of whom worked up to 70 hours per week. Investigators determined Restaurant Suntory wrongly excl  more

SAN FRANCISCO, California, March 23 -- The Environmental Protection Agency issued the following news release: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released its 2022 Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) National Analysis showing that environmental releases of TRI chemicals from facilities covered by the program were 21% lower in 2022 than 2013. This includes a 26% decrease in air releases. During 2022, facilities in Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the Pacific Islands and 148 Tribal Natio  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, March 22 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency issued the following news release on March 21, 2024: For 67 years, the Lahaina Public Library stood on the site of a former royal taro patch belonging to King Kamehameha III. The wildfires on Maui destroyed the 4,540-square-foot building on Wharf Street. Today, a new library -- part of the Hawaii State Public Library System -- is on the horizon. FEMA's Public Assistance program has a  more

GULFPORT, Mississippi, March 20 -- The U.S. Air Force issued the following news: By 2nd Lt. Harrison Matheny, 186th Air Refueling Wing Military members from all departments of the U.S. armed forces participated in the Southern Strike 2024-1 joint combat exercise at Gulfport Combat Readiness Training Center March 4-15. The two-week exercise included approximately 425 military personnel from all over the United States, including Hawaii, Alaska, California, Minnesota, Texas, New York and Puerto   more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 19 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: SOUTH KOREA - To strengthen crisis response in the Indo-Pacific region, U.S. Marines with 5th Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps conducted exercise Warrior Shield 24, which includes the Korean Marine Exchange Program, rehearsing close air support combat scenarios using the dep  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 18 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III held a call today with India's Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh to discuss growing momentum in the Major Defense Partnership between the United States and India in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The two officials lauded progress on bilateral defens  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 19 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: President Biden will host President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. of the Philippines and Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan on April 11 at the White House for the first trilateral U.S.-Japan-Philippines leaders' summit. At the summit, the leaders will advance a trilateral partnership built on deep historical ties of friendship, robust and growing economic relations, a proud and resolute  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 21 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: DEDEDO, Guam - In a testament to readiness and operational excellence, Task Force Talon's E-3 ADA THAAD Battery conducted a Table VIII evaluation for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system stationed in Guam, March 11-15, 2024. E-3 THAAD Battery, equipped with a state-of-the-art missile defense system, is tasked with defending Guam and its surround  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 20 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea - The 11th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, 2nd Infantry-ROK/U.S. Combined Division joins forces with the ROK army 5th Engineer Brigade to participate in a combined wet gap crossing training exercises as part of the annual combined training held near the Imjin River in Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do from March 11-20,  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 21 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: VISAKHAPATNAM, India (NNS) - Indian and U.S. combined armed forces began Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH 2024 with the arrival of amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD 25), March 18 and an opening ceremony March 19. This is the third time U.S. and Indian forces have come together for Tiger TRIUMPH, which stands for Tri-Services India U.S. Amphibious Exercise. T  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 15 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii - U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific is taking a giant leap forward in multi-domain integration, leading U.S. space participation in Joint Exercise Cobra Gold 24 in Thailand, Feb. 27 - Mar. 8. For the first time, over 33 nations worked and trained together in the space domain, as well as air and land, establishing a new standard  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 21 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: ZAMA, Japan - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Japan Engineer District (USACE JED) is the premier Department of Defense (DoD) military construction (MILCON) agent in the Pacific, providing facilities-related design and construction work in Japan for all military services and agencies. With over 60 years of experience in designing and constructing facilities in   more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, March 18 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: We are aware of the DPRK's March 17 ballistic missile launches and are consulting closely with our allies and partners. We have assessed these events did not pose an immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory. The United States condemns these launches and calls on the DPRK to refrain from any further destabilizing acts. *** Original text here: http://www.pacom.mil/Media/News/N  more