Some 55 US military personnel are participating alongside their counterparts in the Philippine armed forces in Operational Pacific Angel-Philippines, a humanitarian-assistance exercise in the southeast Asian nation sponsored by Pacific Air Forces. The six-day exercise runs through March 9, with the two nations planning to provide medical care to local Filipinos and conduct three “engineering civic actions,” according to a PACAF release. In preparation for the exercise, a Philippine C-130 loaded with medical supplies landed in Dumaguete City on March 1. US and Philippine service members unloaded the cargo together. “We have already worked diligently together while strengthening our already strong bilateral bond through preparing for the operation itself,” said Lt. Col. Alvin Alana, Pacific Angel-Philippines mission commander. (Dumaguete report by 2nd Lt. Son Lee)
The Air Force is shoring up its cyber defenses both on and off base for critical infrastructure such as water and electrical power, and industry experts are calling for more, even specialized, dedicated microgrids offsite to support USAF operations in case of a total blackout caused by cyberattacks.
