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 Air Force plans to finalize an acquisition strategy for its new Looking Glass nuclear command, control, and communications program by September—part of a prelude to a significant increase in the service’s NC3 spending in the coming years.