Two Alaskan Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters worked with a Coast Guard helicopter on Monday to rescue 23 sailors from an Asian cargo ship, named Cougar Ace, that had begun taking on water and listing Sunday night, somewhere south of the Aleutian Islands. Officials reported that the operation took place during bad weather, so the aircrews decided to keep all 23 sailors on board the three helicopters rather than try to lower them to a merchant marine ship.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
