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 on March 12 awarded contract modifications worth a combined $2.4 billion to Boeing to procure an undisclosed number of E-7 Wedgetail as part of the program's engineering and manufacturing development phase and continue work on the airborne battle management aircraft’s radar.