Japan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Takeaki Matsumoto thanked airmen from the 353rd Special Operation Group at Kadena AB, Japan, and all other US military personnel stationed on Okinawa for their role in helping Japan recover from the devastating earthquake and tsunami in March. Matsumoto presented the group with a small plaque as a token of gratitude at a ceremony during his visit to Okinawa. “[E]fforts of the US military in support of Operation Tomodachi strengthened the people-to-people bond between the citizens of Japan and the United States,” he said May 28. Among their contributions, members of the 353rd SOG played a pivotal role in re-opening Sendai airport in northeastern Japan just days after the disaster and then helped to manage air operations there to enable the flow of relief supplies and personnel. (Camp Foster report by TSgt. Aaron Cram)
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
