Members of Air National Guard units in different states are teaming to move equipment for a space-monitoring radar from Antigua to Australia, according to a release. The first team of Air Guard civil engineers was slated to leave for Australia by the end of August to begin preparing the site at the Harold E. Holt Naval Communications Station that will host the C-band radar system, states the National Guard Bureau’s release. In January, the first engineering installation team is scheduled to deploy to Antigua to begin disassembling the radar and packing it for shipment to Australia, states the release. Last November, the United States and Australia announced the relocation of this radar to Australia to bolster the coverage of the US space-surveillance network that monitors and tracks objects in space. Air Guardsmen from states including New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are supporting this project. The United States also intends to establish a space-monitoring optical telescope at a different site in Australia. (Arlington report by Maj. Gary Arasin)
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.