The Air Force dispatched a team of seven specialists to aid the Thai government in reopening Don Mueang International Airport following the worst floods there in decades. Deployed from Andersen AFB, Guam, members of the 36th Contingency Response Group joined US marines in strategizing how to drain Thailand’s second largest airport and major military air base in Bangkok. The airfield “is the primary hub used to send supplies and relief efforts throughout the country,” explained Lt. Col. Joey Mull, 36th CRG deputy commander. With the Royal Thai Air Force’s headquarters flooded and Thai C-130s up to their bellies in standing water, US and Thai personnel began draining and re-routing water into canals at the end of November. Along with military assistance, the State Department is providing some $11 million in relief to Thailand, with the airport as a key target of the aid. (Andersen report by SrA. Veronica McMahon) (Marine Corps release) (Clinton remarks)
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
