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 crash of a T-38 trainer jet this May—which caused a weekslong pause in flights across the fleet—was caused by an improperly installed pin for one of the jet’s horizontal stabilizers, according to a new accident report released Oct. 30. When the pin disengaged midflight, it created the slightest amount…