The Governor of Guam has created a civilian-military task force to oversee arrival and permanent beddown of some 8,000 US Marines being transferred from facilities on the Japanese island of Okinawa, reports KUAM-TV. Gov. Felix Camacho wants the group to develop a master plan for the island’s military expansion, including the ongoing construction by the Air Force to upgrade Andersen Air Force Base. USAF plans to base Global Hawk UAVs and possibly aerial refueling aircraft at Andersen, in addition to continuing to use it as a rotational base for fighters and bombers.
The Air Force will promote 11.07 percent of eligible master sergeants to senior master sergeant this year, a decline from last cycle that snaps a four-year streak of increases. Out of a pool of 13,315 eligible individuals, 1,474 new E-8s were selected.