On a routine visit to Andersen AFB, Guam, Pacific Air Forces commander, Gen. Paul Hester, told reporters that the base is not ready to host some 7,000 Marines that the Pentagon envisions shifting from Okinawa. (DR 11/01/05) Hester wasn’t saying the move won’t work, just that Andersen need more information and some time to plan. According to KUAM-TV, Hester speculated that the southern part of the base—with renovation—might serve as a home for the Marines.
The Air Force will begin its 71st annual Operation Christmas Drop on Dec. 4. The weeklong exercise is a yearly tradition that delivers supplies such as food, fishing equipment, school books, and clothes to remote islands in the Pacific. It is the longest-running Department of Defense humanitarian mission.