The Air Force’s 33rd Rescue Squadron at Kadena AB, Japan, rescued a Marine pilot Thursday after he safely ejected from the AV-8B he was flying in off the coast of Okinawa. The Harrier, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit at Okinawa, appears to have crashed 100 nautical miles off the coast of the Japanese island at 2? p.m. local time, the III Marine Expeditionary Force announced on Facebook. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
