Gen. Douglas Fraser, US Southern Command boss, said that airmen, soldiers, and marines on the ground in Haiti, following the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake, joined forces to help unload the hundreds of aircraft arriving daily to get them back in the air in less than five minutes to avoid gridlock. Following the quick work by Air Force Special Operations Command combat controllers to open the airfield at Port au Prince international airport, which quickly ramped up from 12 cargo flights per day to 160, with 100 helicopters transiting the facility daily, as Joint Task Force-Haiti worked initially to keep the supplies rolling in 24 hours a day in the initial phase of the operation. As of Feb. 16, the task force recorded more than 3,200 sorties at the airport—673 of which were DOD flights. (Also read Time Out for Haiti)
Congress Passes $839 Billion Budget for Defense
Feb. 3, 2026
Congress officially passed the fiscal 2026 defense spending bill Feb. 3 after a House of Representatives vote, approving $839 billion in Pentagon funding and sending the package to President Donald Trump for his signature.
