The United States was the first country to offer humanitarian aid to Lebanese refugees two and a half weeks ago, according to Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs. Burns told defense reporters Thursday morning that the US has pledged $30 million worth of assistance, including medical kits for 10,000 refugees. He declined to comment on possible US troop involvement in either peacekeeping or humanitarian actions. Burns did say that the US supports the UN plan to hold a conference in Stockholm at the end of this month to further discuss aid and reconstruction efforts.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…