The Air Force announced Wednesday that it has recovered the remains of Capt. Jeff Haney, the F-22 pilot assigned to the 3rd Wing at JB Elmendorf, Alaska, who died Nov. 16 when his aircraft crashed about 100 miles north of Anchorage during nighttime training. He was 31. USAF officials also said the recovery team has removed visible pieces of wreckage from the crash site; safety experts are now examining it as they try to determine the mishap’s cause. The joint USAF-Army team at the site has now suspended recovery and restoration efforts. While much has been done to clean up the crash site, the officials said there remains some risk as winter snow and runoff could expose more aircraft parts that may be hazardous. (Elmendorf release)
Secretary of Defense Austin Lloyd III met with his counterparts from Australia, Japan and the Philippines to discuss bolstering defense ties on May 2. The discussion included plans for joint F-35 exercises with Japan and Australia in the coming years.