US Pacific Command activated the airmen of the 36th Contingency Response Group from Andersen AFB, Guam, sending them to the area hit by the Feb. 17 mudslides to assess the situation for air support. The airmen, who were in the Philippines for the Balikatan 06 exercise, initially were put on 12-hour alert when the disaster struck. Officials say that many of the 36th airmen were among those who provided aid during the 2005 tsunami relief effort.
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.