The US and Philippine air forces held a conference at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Aug. 29-31 to synchronize air power planning. Philippine Air Force Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Conrado Parra, Jr., a delegation of eight Filipino airmen, Pacific Air Forces Vice Commander Maj. Gen. Mark Dillon as well as 24 PACAF, Marine Forces Pacific, and Hawaii National Guard personnel took part in the fifth-annual talks, according to a PACAF release. US forces recently began deploying rotational air contingents to the Philippines in the wake of China’s military buildup in the South China Sea. “Our goal during these talks is to continue the momentum by strengthening and thickening the relationship between the two air forces by building on the successes of the past with a solid roadmap for the future,” Dillon said, according to the release. (See also: A Numbers Game.)
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
