The Pentagon is balking at demands by Kyrgyzstan that the US military pay for past use of Manas Air Base, a hub for flights supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. (DR, 10/13/05) The country wants $80 million to compensate for previous payments made—arguing that fuel companies tied to former President Askar Akayev embezzled the money out of the country. DOD isn’t interested in paying for the same thing twice, however. “Any possible misappropriation of funds is an internal Kyrgyz matter,” Pentagon Spokesman Bryan Whitman told the London Financial Times.
AFA Inaugurates New Headquarters with Doolittle Raider Toast
April 17, 2025
The Air and Space Forces Association celebrated the grand opening of its new Operations Center on April 17 with a tribute to its founder, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle—the Doolittle Raiders Memorial Toast.