MAUI SPACE FORCE STATION, Hawaii, May 16 -- The U.S. Space Force issued the following news: By Abigail Behan Perched atop the 10,023-foot summit of Haleakala in Hawaii, lives Space Delta 2's 15th Space Surveillance Squadron. The 15th SPSS operates the Maui Space Surveillance Complex and is home to small, medium, and large-aperture tracking optics, including the Department of Defense's largest optical telescope designed for satellite tracking and imaging, as well as visible and infrared sensors  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: HONOLULU, Hawaii - What does it take to win in the complex Indo-Pacific region? Spanning over 4,000 miles and consisting mostly of the air and maritime domain, as well as densely populated land masses, the Indo-Pacific creates logistical challenges further complicated by the tyranny of distance and time - both of which feed into the calculus of providing sustained   more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: SUBIC BAY, Philippines - 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment concluded their participation in the 39th iteration of Balikatan, an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. military, on May 10, 2024. At the request of the Philippine government, instead of returning to their home base in Oahu, Hawaii, 900 U.S. Marines and Sailors from 3rd MLR w  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 18 -- The U.S. Pacific Air Forces issued the following news: Pacific Air Forces released the results of its investigation into an F-16C aircraft mishap that occurred near Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, on May 6, 2023. An F-16C assigned to the 8th Fighter Wing at Kunsan AB, ROK, crashed May 6, 2023, at 9:27 a.m. local Korea Standard Time, due to a partial electrical power loss and weather conditions. While in the clouds, approximately 11 seconds after takeoff, a partial  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 16 -- The U.S. Army Medical Readiness Command-Pacific issued the following news: By Lena Witham "Put people first" is the number one priority for Brig. Gen. Bill A. Soliz, the armed forces' first active-duty physician assistant to become a general. He was promoted by Lt. Gen. Mary K. Izaguirre, U.S. Army Surgeon General, during a May 11 ceremony at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Soliz is the commanding general of Medical Readiness Command, Pacific and th  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: BANDAR LAMPUNG, Indonesia - The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps began Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2024 with the Indonesian Navy (TNI-AL) and Marine Corps (KORMAR RI) in Bandar Lampung, Indonesia, May 13. This year marks the 30th iteration of CARAT, and 75 years of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the United States. CAR  more

SACRAMENTO, California, May 12 -- The Small Business Administration issued the following news release on May 10, 2024: Francisco Sanchez Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration, today reminded Hawaii small nonfarm businesses of the June 10 deadline to apply for an SBA federal disaster loan for economic injury. These low-interest loans are to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by drought in Hawaii  more

WASHINGTON, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news on May 15, 2024: By Joseph Clark, DOD News The Defense Department is expanding its work with interagency partners to promote sustainable land-use practices at key sites near military installations with the designation of five new sentinel landscapes, the department announced today alongside interagency partners. The newly designated sites in New Mexico, Utah, Hawaii, Pennsylvania and California add to the more tha  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: BASA AIR BASE, Philippines - Bilateral exercises such as Cope Thunder 24-1 underscore the importance of allied and partner nations coming together to enhance interoperability between participating forces. One key aspect of this collaboration is ensuring secure communications are established to reduce barriers to sharing information during realistic training scenario  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 13 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: DARWIN, NT, Australia - The rumble of U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Ospreys echoed across Port Darwin and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Darwin as Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 268 (Reinforced) (VMM-268 (Rein.)) arrived as the Aviation Combat Element of Marine Rotational Force - Darwin 24.3 (MRF-D) Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF), finalizing the formation  more

HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 18 -- The U.S. Pacific Air Forces issued the following news: By Emma Loscalzo, Headquarters Air Force, Office of the Director of Civil Engineers As threats around the world continue to evolve, Airmen must be ready to face the challenges that follow. At Readiness Challenge civil engineers and services from around the world compete against each other in the ultimate challenge of readiness to prepare for the future fight. Nearly forty years after the event's inception, 540   more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 16 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: DOD Spokesperson LTC Martin Meiners provided the following readout: Dr. Ely Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, spoke by video teleconference today with People's Republic of China (PRC) Major General Li Bin, Director of the Central Military Commission Office for International Military Cooperation, to discuss issues of mutual concern. The two offi  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 14 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Technology and National Security Tarun Chhabra and Department of State Acting Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies Seth Center will lead an interagency U.S. delegation to Geneva, Switzerland on May 14, for talks on artificial intelligence (AI) risk and safety with the People's Republic of China (PRC). These talk  more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 14 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: Fort Shafter, Hawaii - A U.S. Army national security law attorney conducted Defense Institute of International Legal Studies training with Papua New Guinea Defence Force officers in an effort to enhance their legal expertise April 4, 2024, in Tunmon Guam. Over three days, U.S. Army Capt. Matthew Lillard, a national security law attorney with the 8th Theater Sustain  more

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 15 -- The U.S. Embassy in Indonesia issued the following news release: Indonesian rising leaders from a range of sectors arrived in the United States on Saturday, May 11 to begin a three-week study tour exploring U.S. policy in the Indo-Pacific. The U.S. Department of State-sponsored visit will cover critical areas including freedom of navigation, international law, economics and trade, human rights, and security. The group will visit six cities during their U.S. stay:   more

CAMP SMITH, Hawaii, May 15 -- The U.S. Department of Defense's Indo-Pacific Command issued the following news: SOUTH CHINA SEA - On May 10, USS Halsey (DDG 97) asserted navigational rights and freedoms in the South China Sea near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law. At the conclusion of the operation, USS Halsey exited the excessive claim and continued operations in the South China Sea. This freedom of navigation operation ("FONOP") upheld the rights, fre  more