Valiant Shield is done and the airmen at Kenney Headquarters in Hawaii believe the air operations portion went well. They orchestrated some 2,000 sorties from Kenney’ Pacific Air Operations Center for one of the largest joint exercises in the Western Pacific. Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Kenney HQ commander, said the exercise was an opportunity to work out some of the “frictions” that arise in a joint combat environment, allowing planners to work out those challenges in advance.
The Pentagon’s watchdog has identified serious concerns over corrosion, mold, and the structural decline of “critical infrastructure” at Air Force bases and other military installations in the Pacific, according to a recent report.