Canada will bed down its combat-ready F-35 strike fighters at bases in Alberta and Quebec, according to Canadian Defense Minister Peter MacKay. Speaking last week at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville in Quebec, MacKay said the base would receive 24 of the 65 F-35s that Canada plans to acquire, with the first of the new fighters arriving in 2016, reported the Toronto Sun. CFB Cold Lake in Alberta will also be home to 24 F-35s. The bed down site is not yet known for the remaining 17 F-35s that will be used for training. Canada announced in July its commitment to procure the 65 F-35s to replace its aging CF-18s.
In the wake of a major Chinese military shakeup, the head of U.S. Space Command warned of China’s “breathtakingly fast” advances in space during visits to Japan and South Korea. Gen. Stephen N. Whiting’s trip to the Indo-Pacific is his first overseas visit since taking command of SPACECOM in January.