Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy personnel, along with US combat aircraft, are participating in Exercise Max Thunder, a bilateral training event with the South Korean air force that runs through Nov. 22 at Kunsan AB, South Korea. More than 1,300 airmen, soldiers, marines, and sailors are working with the South Korean airmen to plan and fly scenarios simulating combined operations against enemy forces, according to a Kunsan release. Participating aircraft include the F-16s of Kunsan’s 8th Fighter Wing, along with Marine Corps F/A-18s, Navy EA-18G electronic-attack aircraft, and South Korean F-15Ks, KF-16s, F-5s, and F-4s, states the release. “Max Thunder exercises give us the opportunity to sharpen our joint and combined capabilities with our [South Korean] allies,” said Col. Ken Ekman, 8th FW commander. As Max Thunder unfolds, North Korea has unleashed a new round of threats via the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Pyongyang on Nov. 19 slammed the previous day’s vote of the UN General Assembly that called for North Korea’s leaders to be referred to the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses, and warned that it would not refrain “any further from conducting [a] nuclear test.”
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
