The Air Force last week opened a new aeromedical staging facility in Iraq, reports Air Force Print News in Iraq. It will serve as a holding area for injured troops transiting from the field to medical centers outside the theater. The center cost $85,000 to build and can accommodate up to 100 patients.
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.