A range fire that started on the Melrose Bombing Range used by aircraft from Cannon AFB, N.M., destroyed some 27,000 acres, quickly spreading off the range to private land around Floyd, N.M. There has been no official word on the cause of the fire, but Cannon officials told landowners the Air Force intends to “fairly compensate” for the damages, according to the Clovis News-Journal. Area landowners say the greater loss may be in the erosion caused by the fire, and that, unlike fences, erosion is harder to put a price on.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3