More than 125 airmen from the 18th Civil Engineer Group at Kadena AB, Japan, worked to clean up the base after a slow-moving typhoon ripped through the island last week. The tropical storm hit Okinawa on Aug. 4 and lasted through the morning of Aug. 6, requiring all military personnel to stay inside their homes for nearly 60 hours. “I couldn’t be more proud of the 18th CEG team and their can-do attitude,” said Maj. Justin Morrison, the 18th CEG Operations flight commander, in a release. “The base was back to full operation quickly following the storm.” Kadena received 42.19 inches of rainfall during the typhoon, the second highest amount of rainfall recorded, according to a base release. The storm also caused about $1 million in damages to homes, vehicles, and other property.
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
