Col. Calvin Williams, vice commander of the 75th Air Base Wing at Hill AFB, Utah, received a Bronze Star medal for his exceptional service during a year-long deployment to Iraq. Among his achievements while serving as engineering and environmental director for the Multi-National Force-Iraq, William helped deliver a $7 million contract for surveys of Iraqi waterways and develop a comprehensive environmental program supporting 160,000 coalition troops. (Hill report by Lee Anne Hensley)
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.