Pacific Air Forces is slated to kick off its seventh annual joint humanitarian assistance operation with Tonga on Monday by sending approximately 65 US service members to the country. As part of Operation Pacific Angel-Tonga, they will work alongside Tonga’s military force to help provide “general health, dental, optometry, pediatrics, and engineering programs” during the six-day humanitarian operation, states a release. Led by Pacific Air Forces, Operation PACANGEL helps “improve and build relationships in the event of future humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts” and “supports US Pacific Command’s capacity-building,” states the release.
Senior U.S. lawmakers expressed frustration that they are being cut out of some of the Trump administration’s most central decisions on military policy and spending. Their concerns, which are shared on both sides of the aisle, concern the budget reconciliation process as well as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plans to slash…