Adm. William Fallon, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, says the US has made some headway in its efforts to engender more transparency about China’s military endeavors. Yet, Fallon told Associated Press news service, that Beijing has not shifted enough for him to recommend Washington permit extensive military exchanges between the two countries. He has invited them to witness a US-led exercise based on Guam next month.
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.