A brief statement from Lajes Field in the Azores attempts to end a rumor that the Air Force has frozen assignments. Apparently the Air Force Personnel Center did not, as is tradition, issue an assignments list last month covering the July, August, and September overseas cycle. MSgt. Shannon Parker of the Lajes military personnel flight says there’s been no official word about involuntary extensions. At worst, says the sergeant, assignments may be a “little later than usual.”
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.