Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, chief of defense for the Republic of Lithuania, presented the Lithuanian Armed Forces Medal of Merit to USAF Maj. Daniel Manning at Ramstein AB, Germany, last month, according to a Dec. 3 release, for his team’s year-long assistance to Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia. Manning, who is chief of the Airpower Capabilities Team-Baltics at Headquarters US Air Forces in Europe, accepted the award on behalf of his team, whose effort over the past year, he said, “can serve as a model for future engagements with other regions.” Manning’s team developed a concept of operations for airpower capabilities for the three Baltic region countries, conducted symposiums, held face-to-face discussions with counterparts, and arranged for Lithuanian and Estonian air chiefs to observe flight operations in Slovenia. (USAFE report by MSgt. Corey Clements)
The Pentagon is counting on Congress to navigate a legislative tightrope and pass a party-line bill to fund nearly a quarter of its $1.5 trillion budget request for fiscal 2027, including billions of dollars for top priorities like Golden Dome, the F-35, munitions, and unmanned systems. Experts and lawmakers from…