US Pacific Command has invited representatives from China, among six other nations, to observe Valiant Shield 2006, which it bills as “one of the largest joint-military exercises in the Pacific in more than a decade.” Command officials say some 33 representatives from Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, and Singapore are on hand at Andersen AFB, Guam, the hub for the exercise, comprising about 22,000 US airmen, coast guardsmen, marines, sailors, and soldiers. The exercise runs through June 23.
The Sentinel Launch Support System, the digital backbone for testing the new intercontinental ballistic missile over its expected 50-year life, has completed critical design review, Northrop Grumman said Oct. 20.