Marine Corps News

A look into the remarkable life of Tuskegee Airman Harry Stewart
Harry Stewart got all three of his aerial victories on one sortie.
First organized as a “racial experiment,” a contingent of Black Americans began training to be aviators at Tuskegee, Alabama, during World War II. They would prove their worth — and then some — over the skies of North Africa and central Europe as escort fighter pilots in the Fifteenth Air Force.
Among their many vaunted exploits, Joseph D. Elsberry, Clarence D. Lester, Lee A. Archer Jr. and Harry Stewart stood out for bringing down three German aircraft in a single mission. Of those, Stewart went on to take part in the United States Air Force’s first “Top Gun” competition — and won.
Harry Thaddeus Stewart Jr. was born on the July 4, 1924, in Newport News, Virginia. His family moved to Queens, New York, when he was two. There, watching aircraft taking off and landing at North Beach Airport — later LaGuardia — he acquired a desire to enter aviation. When the United States entered World War II and the opportunity arose to train at Tuskegee, Stewart enlisted at 18.
After qualifying as a flier and earning a second lieutenant’s commission June 27, 1944, he was assigned to the 302nd Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. Due to personnel problems maintaining a four-squadron group, the 302nd was deactivated on March 6, 1945, and its pilots distributed among the other three squadrons of the 332nd: the 99th, 100th and in Stewart’s case, the 301st Fighter Squadron.
One of the last remaining Tuskegee World War II veterans dies at 100
By April 1945 Nazi Germany faced inevitable defeat, but in spite of shortages in aircraft, fuel and experienced pilots the Luftwaffe was scraping together massed formations against the Allies every few days.
One such occasion was April 1, when 45 red-tailed North American P-51 Mustangs of the 332nd rendezvoused with Consolidated B-24s of the 47th Bombardment Wing (Heavy) for a strike on the marshalling yards at St. Pölten.
Leading the escort were eight P-51s of the 301st under 1st Lt. Richard S. Harder, which did a sweep from Wels to Linz, where they encountered four Focke-Wulf Fw 190As near Wels airfield.
They were bait for a trap, of course, followed by 10 more Fws and Messerschmitt Me 109Gs, but the Tuskegee pilots were ready for the ensuing melee of head-on passes, Lufbery circles and deflection shots.
Second Lt. Charles L. White claimed two Me 109s, while single kills were awarded to 2nd Lts. Carl E. Carey, John E. Edwards, Walter P. Manning, Harold M. Morris and James H. Fischer.
The star performance on this occasion, however, was a triple by 1st Lt. Stewart, although only two of the Fw 190s he claimed as shot down. In regard to the third, he explained later, “I sneaked up on the two guys and I hit them both. It was just at that time I looked round and my God, there was this 190 on my tail.”

Stewart dived, vainly trying every maneuver in the book against the persistent German. Near the ground, he made a tight turn and pulled out. The Fw did not and was seen spiraling into the ground. The crash counted as Stewart’s third victory in one mission, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Despite the aerial victories, the 332nd did not emerge from the fight without loss. After downing his opponent, Fischer’s Mustang was brought down by ground fire and he bailed out over Yugoslavia — fortunately landing among pro-Allied partisans. Flight Officer William Armstrong was shot down and killed.
Most traumatic in Stewart’s memory, however, was that of 2nd Lt. Manning, who, after scoring his sole victory, was brought down and taken prisoner, only to be dragged out of jail by Werewolves, a paramilitary unit of German and Austrian Nazis incited by local Sturtzstaffel, and lynched from a lamppost.
In 2017 Stewart revisited Linz-Hörsching to accept an apology from the populace for the murder of his friend and the dedication of a monument in Manning’s honor.
In May 1949, Stewart was among a handful of remaining personnel in the 332nd Fighter Group who participated in the newly reorganized U.S. Air Force’s first “Top Gun Competition,” alongside Captain Alvan Temple and 1st Lt. Halber Alexander. Now flying the Republic F-47N, their displays of aerial proficiency, marksmanship and bombing accuracy won them the silver trophy, which the Air Force packed away until 1995.
Stewart left the regular USAF in 1951 but continued on in the Reserves before retiring as a lieutenant colonel.
As one of the Tuskegee Airmen, Stewart was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2006. His wife, Delphine Alice Friend, died in 2015 and James lived his last years with his daughter, Lori Collette Stewart.
In 2019 he and Philip Handleman co-authored a memoir, “Soaring to Glory: A Tuskegee Airman’s Firsthand Account of World War II.”
Stewart died in Bloomfield Hill, Michigan, on February 2, 2025. He was 100.

Oculus founder wants to help troops ‘surpass the limits of human form’
Anduril, founded by Oculus Rift creator Palmer Luckey, is taking over the Army's $22 billion program to create an augmented-reality headset.
Microsoft is handing over the Army’s do-it-all mixed reality device to defense company Anduril Industries, the companies announced Tuesday.
California-based Anduril formerly assisted Microsoft with the $22 billion program by integrating the Lattice platform into the Integrated Visual Augmentation System, or IVAS. Lattice allowed soldiers to see threats in real time by removing delays in processing signals between devices, according to a company statement.
Anduril will assume oversight of production, future development of hardware and software, and delivery timelines, according to a joint release from the two companies. Microsoft will continue to partner with Anduril on the project. Microsoft Azure will be the “preferred hyperscale cloud” for Anduril on all things related to IVAS.
Anduril Founder Palmer Luckey, the designer of the virtual-reality headset Oculus Rift, laid out his vision for the future of the IVAS program Tuesday in a blog post titled, “Turning Soldiers into Superheroes.”
“For me, this announcement is deeply personal. Since my pre-Oculus days as a teenager who had the opportunity to do a tiny bit of work on the Army’s BRAVEMIND project, I’ve believed there would be a headset on every soldier long before there is a headset on every civilian,” Luckey wrote.
Army's mixed reality device set for upgrades and battalion assessment
He wrote that IVAS will allow troops to “surpass the limits of human form and cognition, seamlessly teaming enhanced humans with large packs of robotic and biologic teammates.”
The Army has conducted IVAS-controlled drone flights for microdrones, such as the Black Hornet and other squad-level drones. The device is also used for inter- and intra-squad communication, both through voice and chat. Users can share map information, coordinates or other data via the headset.
In his blog post, Luckey said his involvement with IVAS signals his return to the forefront of technology. He maintains that the program is more than just a headset.

“IVAS isn’t just another product, it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine how technology supports those who serve,” Luckey wrote. “Whatever you are imagining, however crazy you imagine I am, multiply it by ten and then do it again. I am back, and I am only getting started.”
The Army has worked closely with Microsoft on IVAS since 2018. The current system was originally built on the commercially available Microsoft HoloLens device.
The service is working on the third of five prototypes of the device since the program began.
The current version, IVAS 1.2, is the second engineering validation build, Army Times previously reported. This version includes some design changes that must be implemented in the next prototype, as the service continues gathering troop feedback.
The following updates are in the works for IVAS 1.2:
- A low-light camera with increased sensitivity
- Improved low-light focus mechanism, especially when wearing gloves
- More robust bumpers, cables, bungees and tethered solar caps
- Hinge improvements for usability, display clarity and durability
- Improved transport case and mission bag for better storage and protection
- Minor visor and display improvements for greater clarity and durability
- Software improvements
This spring, soldiers with the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado, will conduct a battalion-sized operational field assessment of the device. Following the development of its 1.2 version, the Army will be poised to award a production contract to build the device for full fielding.

Hegseth signs order to restore Fort Bragg name — but with new angle
In a video he posted on X announcing he was renaming the base, Hegseth said, “That’s right. Bragg is back!”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an order Monday restoring the name of a storied special operations forces base back to Fort Bragg. The North Carolina base was renamed Fort Liberty in 2023 as part of a national effort under the Biden administration to remove names that honored Confederate leaders.
The base’s original namesake, Gen. Braxton Bragg, was a Confederate general from Warrenton, North Carolina, who was known for owning slaves and losing key Civil War battles, contributing to the Confederacy’s downfall.
But the Pentagon spokesman said Hegseth was renaming the base to honor a different Bragg, Pfc. Roland L. Bragg, who he said was a World War II hero who earned the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his exceptional courage during the Battle of the Bulge.
“This change underscores the installation’s legacy of recognizing those who have demonstrated extraordinary service and sacrifice for the nation,” spokesman John Ullyot said in a statement.
The choice of the World War II private first class got around a law prohibiting the military from naming a base after a Confederate leader.
In a video he posted on X announcing that he was renaming the base, Hegseth said, “That’s right. Bragg is back!”
In reality, the base had still been widely known as Bragg, the new name having not really taken hold. On Hegseth’s first official day as defense secretary he made a point of calling it Fort Bragg in his first exchange with reporters.

Coast Guard suspends search for crew member missing in Eastern Pacific
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search for Seaman Bryan K. Lee “pending the development of new information,” the service said.
The U.S. Coast Guard suspended its search Saturday evening for a crew member reported missing from the cutter Waesche while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean “pending the development of new information,” the service said.
Seaman Bryan K. Lee, 23, was discovered “unaccounted for” Tuesday morning while the cutter was conducting a “routine” counter-drug patrol about 300 nautical miles south of Mexico, the service said in a Monday release. The cutter immediately deviated from its patrol and initiated a comprehensive search effort.
“Our most heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Seaman Lee,” said Cmdr. David Stern, search-and-rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard District Eleven. “Considering all pertinent factors and available information, we made the difficult decision to suspend the search. This case has been extraordinarily challenging, and the decision to suspend the search pending new information is not an easy choice. We’re thankful for the support from our units and partners who searched a significant region of the Pacific Ocean.”
Details about Lee’s service record were not immediately available.
Waesche and other assets searched for Lee for nearly 190 hours, covering more than 19,000 square nautical miles, the service said.
In addition to Waesche’s embarked helicopter and unmanned aircraft system, responding assets included Customs and Border Protection Dash-8 aircraft from Joint Interagency Task Force – South, C-130 aircraft from the Air Force and Coast Guard and Mexican Navy Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Offshore Patrol Vessel.

Trump fires service academy boards that oversee morale, academics
President Trump claimed the boards of visitors at four U.S. service academies had been “infiltrated by woke leftist ideologies.”
President Donald Trump said Monday he fired the boards of visitors at four U.S. service academies, claiming they had been “infiltrated by woke leftist ideologies.”
Trump ordered the immediate dismissal of board members at the Military Academy in West Point, New York; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland; the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; and the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut.
“We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards,” Trump wrote on his social network platform, Truth Social. “We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!”
The boards of visitors are made up of lawmakers and presidential appointees who traditionally meet several times a year to provide nonbinding advice on issues like curriculum, student morale, academic methods and the needs of the institutions, such as equipment and funding.
Trump did not immediately name replacements to the boards.
Trump’s dismissal of the board members follows a similar action former President Joe Biden took after his inauguration in 2021. At the time, the White House asked for the resignation of 18 members of the advisory boards at the Army, Navy and Air Force academies who were appointed by Trump during his first term.
Biden boots Trump appointees from military academy advisory boards
Trump’s supporters criticized Biden’s decision at the time, saying it was a dangerous politicization of non-partisan boards. Biden’s administration argued they were concerned about the qualifications of the appointees. They included former White House press secretary and Navy officer Sean Spicer, former national security adviser H.R. McMaster and Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to Trump, among others.
Prior to Biden’s decision, non-lawmaker members of the boards typically served out their three-year terms, even across presidential administrations. Several members appointed by former President Barack Obama at the end of his term served several years into the Trump administration.
The boards consist of six members appointed by the president, three appointed by the vice president and four appointed by the House speaker, as well as one designated by the Senate Armed Services Committee and one designated by the House Armed Services Committee.
Among the recent members of the Military Academy board were former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the first enlisted combat veteran to lead the Defense Department, and retired Lt. Gen. Nadja West, a former Army surgeon general who was the service’s first Black woman to be made a three-star and the highest-ranking woman to graduate from West Point.
Jack McCain, a reserve naval aviator and the son of Navy veteran and longtime lawmaker John McCain, recently served on the Naval Academy board, as did retired Adm. Michelle Howard, who was the first Black woman to command a combatant ship and the Navy’s first female four-star.
Retired Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger, the former vice commandant of the Coast Guard and a former leader of the Transportation Security Administration, sat on the Coast Guard Academy’s board. Former Secretary of the Army Eric Fanning was recently part of the board at the Air Force Academy. Fanning became the first openly gay leader of any military branch in 2015.

SOCOM wants new helmet goggle mount and oxygen-generating device
The portable oxygen device would cut down the need for oxygen cylinders.
U.S. Special Operations Command is looking for a new aviation goggle mount and a way to get portable oxygen to troops in need.
Two recent postings under the U.S. Special Operations Command small business innovation research program seek solutions for those two issues among special operations forces.
A new sniper rifle for the Army, Marines and SOCOM
SOCOM wants a helmet mount that will work across various aviator helmets with “various night vision goggle systems,” including the AN/AVS-6 and Wide Field of View Aviation Goggles. The mount must also work within the Aviation Night Vision Imaging System mount currently used by special operations forces, according to the listing.
The portable oxygen device must not only hold oxygen but also generate it. The purpose, according to the posting, is to “improve oxygen therapy at point-of-need in an austere, pre-hospital environment.”
Operators need a rugged, compact instrument that can provide oxygen “as far-forward as possible” to cut down on the use of oxygen cylinders, according to the posting.
The Pentagon has focused in recent years on improving the delivery of medical aid in remote and austere locations across the services. Decades of ready medical services during the Global War on Terror allowed for rapid response to medical emergencies and theater evacuations for advanced medical care.
Most war game projects are showing higher casualties and less access to medical care in future conflict than in previous combat operations.
SOFWERX, a platform that conducts research and development for SOCOM, plans to hold a virtual Q&A session on the two initiatives on Feb. 18, according to the listing.

Army, Navy remove web pages highlighting women’s military service
In an attempt to align with President Trump’s termination of DEI initiatives, the Army and Navy have taken down web pages highlighting women's service.
In an effort to align with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that terminated diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives across the federal government, the Army and Navy have taken down web pages that highlight the history and myriad contributions of female soldiers and sailors.
While webpages on the history of female service remains intact on the U.S. Army Reserve website, the Army’s link to its “Women in Army History” page has been taken down as of Monday and leads readers directly back to its homepage.
Similarly, last week, a page devoted to women’s service in the U.S. Navy, as well as a page entitled “Navy Women of Courage and Intelligence,” was removed by the Navy History and Heritage Command, replaced by a “page not found” message.
The landing page URL has since been renamed and reuploaded.
“We are working to fully execute and implement all directives outlined in the Executive Orders issued by the President, ensuring that they are carried out with utmost professionalism, efficiency, and in alignment with national security objectives,” Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Ivester, a spokesman for the command, told Military Times.
In regards to the Navy History and Heritage Command website, the process of revising and reuploading the sub-landing pages regarding diversity, women and Black service members is ongoing but, according to Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Chatmas, a Navy spokesperson, will eventually all be back online, in accordance with Trump’s directives.
“Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) is in the process of reviewing and updating their online content to ensure compliance with directives outlined in Executive Orders issued by the President,” Chatmas told Military Times. “As this alignment systematically occurs, content will be available in the Heritage section of NHHC’s website. The Navy is executing and implementing the directives with professionalism, efficiency, and in full alignment with national security objectives.”
Elsewhere across Navy websites, some pages remain intact, including a “Women in the Navy” landing page.
Last Tuesday, the web page for the U.S. Army Women’s Museum at Fort Gregg-Adams in Hopewell, Virginia — the only museum in the world dedicated to “preserving and sharing the history of the contributions of women to the Army” — was removed, showing an error message. Since Friday afternoon, however, the webpage has since been restored, and the museum is operating at its normal hours.
Other government entities, such as the National Park Service, Library of Congress, the National Archives and the Smithsonian, have so far eschewed removing their history landing pages regarding women in uniform.
On Jan. 20, Trump signed an executive order deeming that “influential institutions, including the Federal Government … have adopted and actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI) or ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) that can violate the civil-rights laws of this Nation.”
The order left many of the branches scrambling to halt DEI programming, with the Air Force pulling a basic military training course on Jan. 23 that included videos on the Tuskegee Airmen and Women’s Airforce Service Pilots, or WASPs, before reinstating it after initial outcry.
On the eve of Black History Month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared “Identity Months” dead at the Defense Department and “that DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months, including National African American/Black History Month, Women’s History Month … Pride Month” among others.

Marine killed in Philippines plane crash identified
Sgt. Jacob M. Durham seved as an electromagnetic warfare analyst with 1st Radio Battalion.
The Marine Corps identified Sgt. Jacob M. Durham as one of the four people who died Thursday when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines.
Durham and three defense contractors were killed when the aircraft they were aboard crashed during a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement.
Durham had been promoted to sergeant on Feb. 1, according to a Marine release.
Durham joined the Marines in January 2021. He served as an electronic intelligence/electromagnetic warfare analyst assigned to 1st Radio Battalion, I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force.
“We mourn the loss of Sgt. Jacob Durham, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” said Lt. Col. Mabel B. Annunziata, commanding officer of 1st Radio Battalion. “Sgt. Durham embodied the highest traditions of the Marine Corps — exemplifying composure, intelligence, and selfless leadership. He was deeply respected and loved by his fellow Marines. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and his fellow Marines during this profoundly difficult time.”
US Marine, 3 contractors killed in plane crash
Durham’s awards and decorations include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Meritorious Mast and Naval Aircrew Insignia, according to the release.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
The bodies of the four people were retrieved from the wreckage in Ampatuan town, Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a safety officer of Maguindanao del Sur, told The Associated Press.
A water buffalo on the ground was killed as a result of the plane crash, local officials told AP.
U.S. military forces have been deployed in a Philippine military camp in the country’s south for decades to advise and provide training to Filipino forces battling Muslim militants.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Afghans who helped US fight Taliban left in limbo by Trump policy
Many are now left stranded in Albania, Pakistan and Qatar awaiting transfer to the U.S. Others remain in hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.
They helped the U.S. military order airstrikes against Taliban and Islamic State fighters and worked as drivers and translators during America’s longest war. They were set to start new lives in the United States.
Then President Donald Trump issued executive orders that put an end to programs used to help Afghans get to safety in America. Now those same Afghans, who underwent a yearslong background check, find themselves in a state of limbo.
“I was shocked. I am still in shock because I have already waited four years for this process, to get out of this hell and to get to a safe place and live in peace and have a new beginning,” said Roshangar, one of the Afghans whose life was upended by Trump’s action. Roshangar requested that The Associated Press only use his first name because he was afraid of Taliban reprisals.
He spoke in an interview from Afghanistan where he, his wife and son live in hiding, fearing punishment or even execution by the Taliban for his decade-plus partnership with American forces.
Roshangar served as a legal adviser to the Afghan Air Force, helping U.S. officials review and eventually approve airstrike packages that were used against the Taliban and the Islamic State group from 2007 until the fall of Kabul, the Afghan capital, in 2021.
“This was an unexpected move from Mr. Trump. ... Everything went wrong and ... [has left] us in severe danger under the Taliban regime,” he said.
His family’s experience is just one aspect of the fallout from Trump’s orders, many of which were implemented without broad consultation with experts in the areas affected.
“It’s an absolute stain on our national honor that we’ve pulled the rug out from under people who have patiently been awaiting relocation and those here in the U.S. who have recently arrived,” said Shawn VanDiver, a Navy veteran and head of #AfghanEvac, a coalition supporting Afghan resettlement efforts. “This is an imminently solvable issue and our national security demands we fix it.”

During the U.S. evacuation from Kabul in August 2021, American military planes airlifted tens of thousands of Afghans from the main airport. But many more Afghans did not make it onto the planes. Since then, the U.S. has had various ways to help Afghans emigrate to the U.S. depending on what their role was in helping the U.S.-led mission in Afghanistan. Those paths have been halted at this point.
It is the latest in a series of setbacks for the group of American allies who, despite strong backing from Republican and Democratic lawmakers along with veterans groups, continue to face hurdles in relocating and rebuilding their lives after the abrupt U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Many are now stranded in Albania, Pakistan and Qatar, where they were awaiting transfer to the U.S. Others are in hiding from the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Afghans who eventually make it to the U.S. have to undergo an extensive process that usually involves a referral from someone they worked with, background checks, a medical screening and an interview with U.S. officials.
Roshangar had his interview last August and was set to finish the final part of the process — a medical exam — this month when Trump announced he was halting all refugee resettlement.
One of the Americans he worked with, Lt. Col. Steve Loertscher, referred him to the refugee program in October 2021.
Loertscher describes Roshangar as a casualty of the Biden administration not prioritizing applicants like him who were at higher risk of retribution by the Taliban.
But he believes Roshangar could be exempt from the executive order, which states that the State Department could consider individual applicants on a “case-by-case” basis.
“Eventually, I’m hopeful that he’ll be able to become a refugee and come to the United States,” Loertscher said.
Many veterans of the conflict have tried for years to help Afghans they worked with find refuge in the U.S. Many were prepared for setbacks but had hoped for special consideration for the Afghans.
Hashmatullah Alam had a flight scheduled to take him, his wife and six children to the U.S. when Trump’s order went into effect, just a day after the Republican president took office. The 40-year-old and his family had arrived in Albania in December to be processed and granted special immigrant visas before leaving for the U.S.
He is among at least 15,000 Afghans who were already cleared for travel before the pause took effect, according to AfghanEvac.

Alam, who remains hopeful that the pause will be lifted, told the AP that he risked the lives of his family to assist the U.S. mission in Afghanistan during the war, landing him on the Taliban watchlist. He had hoped after three years to be repaid for that sacrifice with a fresh start in America, where his children can grow up and receive an education.
“Also we help our families back home,” Alam said. “They are living in Afghanistan, our mothers, our fathers and brothers.”
In Pakistan, Khalid, who worked alongside the U.S. Air Force, had been waiting by the phone to confirm his flight to America when the Afghan students he teaches notified him about Trump’s order.
“Let me tell you that my students cried after hearing that Trump has suspended the refugee program for us,” he said.
After arriving in Islamabad in March 2023, Khalid, who also asked to be identified by first name only, completed the security clearance, medical tests and interviews over the next year.
But as he waited to be approved to travel, he ran out of money to support his wife and children and began to teach children from other Afghan families who had come to Pakistan as part of the visa program.
He was reluctant to discuss how he helped America’s effort in Afghanistan, but said his contribution was “so important that if I go back, the Taliban will kill me.”
“We appeal to President Donald Trump to reverse his decision because we have lost whatever we had in Afghanistan, and he should know that we are waiting here for a bright future in America,” he said. “He should evacuate us from here and take us to America. We were promised that we would be taken to America, and please honor that promise.”

This Medal of Honor recipient jumped on a live flare to save his crew
During the Vietnam War, John Levitow jumped on a live flare to save his crew from death.
The Vietnam War was nothing if not loaded with ironies at every conceivable level. The lowest-ranking Medal of Honor recipient in the U.S. Air Force was a case in point: John Lee Levitow’s ultimate moment of truth was less attributable to enemy forces than it was to his own ammunition — in particular, a loose, live flare capable of subjecting him and his crew mates to a fiery death.
Levitow was born on Nov. 1, 1945, in Hartford, Connecticut. His ambitions progressed from civil engineering to the U.S. Navy and finally, on June 6, 1966, enlistment in the U.S. Air Force.
After training at McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey, and serving in a number of stateside units, Levitow was assigned in July 1968 to the 3rd Special Operations Squadron at Nha Trang, South Vietnam, as the loadmaster aboard a Douglas AC-47.
Based on the near-immortal C-47 twin-engine transport of World War II, the AC-47 was converted to a gunship.
Additionally, the aircraft carried parachute flares to light up the battlefield in support of ground forces.
Because its operations were carried out principally by night, the AC-47 was known as “Spooky,” but was also widely known as “Puff the Magic Dragon” after the Peter, Paul and Mary song.
On the night of Feb. 24, 1969, Airman 1st Class Levitow was serving as the loadmaster aboard an AC-47, codename “Spooky 71,” as it patrolled the night sky around Tan Son Nhut Air Base when a call came in that the U.S. Army post at Long Binh was under attack.
Hastening to the area, the plane’s pilot, Maj. Kenneth Carpenter, put the plane into a banked turn while Levitow set the ejection and ignition timers on a flare before passing it to a gunner, Airman 1st Class Ellis Owen.
As Carpenter turned around for a second firing pass, however, an enemy mortar team landed a shell on the plane’s right wing.
The results, as described in Levitow’s Medal of Honor citation, were devastating:
”The resulting explosion ripped a hole 3 feet, 1/4 inches in diameter through the wing along with more than 3,500 holes in the fuselage. All occupants in the cargo compartment were wounded and slammed against the floor and fuselage. The explosion ripped an activated flare from the grasp of a crew member who had been launching … flares to provide illumination for Army ground troops engaged in combat.”
Levitow suffered 40 fragment wounds in his back and legs but recovered enough to crawl across the cargo area, grab a crew member and drag him away from the open cargo door.
No sooner had Levitow got the airman to relative safety, however, than he saw smoke curling up from the flare storage. He realized that when the flare was jarred from the airman’s hand, it had been thrown back across the cargo area and was set to explode soon.
Levitow crawled up the cargo floor to reach the live flare. After rolling from his grasp several times, Levitow finally secured the flare and, holding it under his body, crawled back to throw it out the open cargo door.
The flare barely cleared the airplane when it exploded, just far enough away to spare the aircraft and its crew from destruction.
As Carpenter brought his battered aircraft down at an emergency airstrip at Bien Hoa, Levitow logged his 181st combat mission.
After his release from the hospital, Levitow would fly 20 more such missions before being honorably discharged in 1970.
On May 14, 1970, Levitow was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon, the first enlisted member of the Air Force to receive the award.
Levitow went on to serve more than 20 years in the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs.
Levitow died of cancer in Glastonbury, Connecticut, on Nov. 8, 2000. His remains are interred in Arlington National Cemetery.

Two charged in death of soldier who was stabbed nearly 70 times
Pfc. Katia Dueñas Aguilar, 23, was a member of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
Two people have been charged in the death of a Fort Campbell soldier who was stabbed nearly 70 times last year, police said Saturday.
Sofia Rodas, 35, has been charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence in the death of U.S. Army Private First Class Katia Dueñas Aguilar, 23, the Clarksville Police Department said in a news release. Aguilar’s body was found in her home in the Tennessee city of Clarksville in May.
Reynaldo Salinas Cruz, Aguilar’s husband, has been charged with tampering with evidence in her death. Both Salinas Cruz, 40, and Rodas had been held on unrelated federal charges, and they were extradited to Clarksville on Friday, police said. Their lawyers in their federal cases did not immediately return calls on Saturday.
The details related to the charges were not immediately available.
Dueñas Aguilar, of Mesquite, Texas, enlisted in the Army in 2018 and a year later came to Fort Campbell, on the Tennessee-Kentucky border. She was a member of the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division.
An autopsy report from the Montgomery County Medical Examiner’s Office said Dueñas Aguilar suffered 68 stab wounds to her neck and upper body
The medical examiner ruled the cause of death a homicide as a result of sharp-force injuries of the neck.
During a news conference in May in Texas, Dueñas Aguilar’s family asked for justice for her family. They said she was a mother with a 4-year-old son.

Deterring China, slashing waste top Pentagon priorities, Hegseth says
"Certainly, we want to send the signals to China that the [Indo-Pacific] area will be and continues to be contested.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday pledged to demonstrate to China that the United States will continue supporting its allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
The U.S., however, is not going to create unnecessary conflict with Beijing, Hegseth said in a question-and-answer session during a town hall with Defense Department personnel.
“We’re clear-eyed about the communist Chinese, the [People’s Republic of China], but we’re also not attempting to initiate conflict or create conflict where it otherwise doesn’t need to exist,” Hegseth said. “We’re going to stand strong with our partners. And then President Trump, at his strategic level, is the one who’s having the conversations to sort of ensure that we don’t ever have a conflict.
“We don’t want that, [the Chinese] don’t want that,” Hegseth continued. “We just have to remain strong in order to be in the best possible position.”
The Pentagon posted a transcript of the town hall Friday evening, after a livestream of the event was cut off following Hegseth’s 15 minutes of opening remarks.
Hegseth’s comments about China came after an Air Force official asked him whether the Defense Department would be more assertive in the “gray zone” area — short of war — to deter China and Russia.
“There’s gray zone activities that exist, some of which you can acknowledge, some of which you cannot,” Hegseth said. “But certainly, we want to send the signals to China that the [Indo-Pacific] area will be and continues to be contested.”
In response to a question about potential staff cuts at DOD, Hegseth also said that “there are thousands of additional … positions [across the Defense Department] that have been created over the last 20 years that don’t necessarily translate to battlefield success.”
“[There are] additional staff, additional layers of bureaucracy [and] additional flag officer positions that we would be remiss if we did not review,” he said.
Hegseth noted that the department operates in a “budget constrained environment,” and highlighted the armored cavalry unit at Fort Bliss, which has had to cut a series of upcoming training assignments due to tight budgets.
“When you’re living off of continuing resolutions and caps, and then you have contingency operations and things that change, suddenly you have shortfalls and now unit training falls by the wayside,” Hegseth said. “From my perspective, that’s completely unacceptable.”
Hegseth said that in addition to rooting out waste, fraud and abuse, the Pentagon needs to slash hierarchies and layers of bureaucracy that aren’t serving the military.
That could also involve a reduction in the number of four-star generals and flag officers, he said.
“We won World War II with seven four-star generals,” Hegseth said. “Today we have 44. Do all of those directly contribute to warfighting success? Maybe they do. I don’t know, but it’s worth reviewing to make sure they do.”
During the town hall an official from the Pentagon’s Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office, which provides independent analysis on DOD programs, asked whether the military’s acquisition process should focus on smaller capabilities that could be fielded more quickly, or larger-scale capabilities that can do more to deter adversaries.
“In a perfect world, I would say both,” Hegseth said, citing the effectiveness of low-cost drones in the war in Ukraine.
The Pentagon can work with Silicon Valley and fast-moving new contractors that are able to rapidly field new systems, he said.
And the Pentagon needs to speed up its testing process so commanders can see how new systems work in the field, and then scale up production once it’s clear how much practical use those new technologies have.
Additionally, Hegseth noted one question that highlighted the challenges facing military families, such as frequent moves, was “100% right.” And he suggested that massive military programs may need to take a backseat to family concerns.
Families’ frustrations are “a massive readiness and retention issue and a morale issue,” he said.
“Funding one more multibillion-dollar system is not as important as funding the families and the capabilities of our human systems that make it all happen.”

More US troops deploying to US-Mexico border
Roughly 1,500 more soldiers will deploy to the southern border to support President Trump’s expanding crackdown on immigration, a U.S. official said.
The Pentagon will deploy roughly 1,500 more active-duty soldiers to the southern border to support President Donald Trump’s expanding crackdown on immigration, a U.S. official said Friday.
That would eventually bring the total to about 3,600 active-duty troops at the border.
The order has been approved, the official said, to send a logistics brigade from the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Liberty in North Carolina. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deployment has not yet been publicly announced.
Hegseth travels to border amid military immigration crackdown
The Pentagon has been scrambling to put in motion Trump’s executive orders signed shortly after he took office on Jan. 20. The first group of 1,600 active-duty troops has already deployed to the border, and close to 500 more soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to begin moving in the coming days.
About 500 Marines have also been told to go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where some of the detained migrants will be held. Several hundred Marines have already arrived there.
Troops going to the border are expected to help put in place concertina wire barriers and provide needed transportation, intelligence and other support to Border Patrol. The logistics brigade will help support and sustain the troops.
Troops going to Guantanamo are helping to prepare the facility for an influx of migrants and conduct other support duties.

This program equipped the US military to take down drug traffickers
This commentary's author discusses how current debates about the military's role in stifling cartels bring to mind lesser-known stories from Afghanistan.
The link between terrorism and drug trafficking organizations, or DTOs, is now at the forefront of public debate due to President Donald Trump’s recent designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.
His suggestion to deploy U.S. Special Forces to dismantle cartels has met with speculation. In fact, U.S. Special Forces and federal law enforcement agents have cooperated successfully against international DTOs in the past — and their sacrifices are unfortunately being forgotten.
The 9/11 terrorist attacks brought attention to something overlooked for many years — the connection between terrorist activities and international drug trafficking. As the Global War on Terror developed, it became clear that Afghanistan-based drug traffickers were supporting the Islamic terrorist organizations through the opium and hashish trade.
With Afghanistan producing more than 80% of the world’s illicit opium, Islamic terrorists relied on drug trafficking to fund weapons, supplies and recruit fighters. The strong connection between drugs and terror prompted a 2010 report from the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control to state that “the Taliban operates as a drug cartel and … the drug trade in Afghanistan must be addressed with the same level of resolve as the insurgency.”
A partnership between DOD and law enforcement
The U.S. military faced a truly complex problem. Transnational criminal DTOs are well-armed, well-funded and often receive support from state actors, and operate with organization and command structures that can mirror military forces.
Some drug lords, such as Burma’s Khun Sa, have wielded private militia groups. However, the criminal nature of DTOs makes them different from military forces. Dismantling them successfully requires not only military-level strength but law enforcement expertise. This became evident in Afghanistan as military forces encountered clandestine drug processing labs throughout the country.
This led to a close and successful partnership between the Pentagon and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Although newer and smaller than other three-letter agencies, the DEA is second to none in the expertise it commands in detecting and dismantling drug cartels and thwarting complex illegal drug-related operations.

As a single mission agency, the DEA’s core focus is to identify and eliminate the most nefarious criminal networks. The level of criminal violence and deceit that that DEA agents tackle regularly would appall members of the public, yet many of their successes will forever be unknown.
In the wake of 9/11, the U.S. government invited all federal agencies to participate in the Global War on Terror by allocating resources and developing a strategy to assist with eradicating global threats. This resulted in the creation of DEA’s Kabul Country Office, which at its height consisted of 50 special agents and intelligence analysts who set out to identify and target the most notorious drug traffickers in the region.
Those efforts revealed that most of these traffickers were connected to the same terrorist groups that the Defense Department was anxiously targeting.
In 2004, the U.S. military and the DEA expanded their cooperation with the successful creation of the DEA’s Foreign-deployed Advisory Support Team, or FAST. This saw elite SOCOM units paired with a highly trained and select group of top-notch criminal investigators from DEA with superb tactical acumen.
Successful missions
This joint venture was aimed at dismantling narco-terrorist groups in remote areas where deeply rooted criminal activity and related extreme violence existed — including not only in Afghanistan but in other regions such as Central and South America.
SOCOM units including the U.S. Army Green Berets, the U.S. Navy SEALs, the U.S. Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC), the 160th Special Operations Aviation Unit (SOAR) — better known as the Night Stalkers — and international coalition forces worked closely and successfully with FAST agents to thwart transnational criminal groups.
While SOCOM units focused on accomplishing military objectives and took on violent narco-terrorists, law enforcement agents trained and mentored local counterparts on evidence collection, processing of evidence, informant handling, arrests and interpreting intelligence to uncover additional criminal activity.
This mutual support accomplished much. In Afghanistan in 2008, U.S. Special Forces and FAST agents seized over 262 metric tons of hashish in Operation Albatross from a Taliban “superlab.”
From May to June 2011, Special Forces units and FAST agents coordinated Operation Khafa Kardan, a 30-day mission in which 90 law enforcement operations took place alongside U.S. military missions, resulting in the seizure of 12,766 kilograms of opium, 127 kilograms of heroin, 25,666 precursor chemicals in addition to an estimated 50 pounds of homemade explosives plus IEDs and weapons. These examples barely scratch the surface of what was achieved.

Fallen heroes
Great sacrifices were made to accomplish these missions. On Oct. 26, 2009, seven U.S. military service members were killed alongside three DEA agents in a helicopter crash in western Afghanistan. Maj. Gen. Charles Cleveland of SOCOM designated the incident as a combat-related loss.
The U.S. soldiers included Chief Warrant Officer Michael P. Montgomery, Chief Warrant Officer Niall Lyons, Staff Sgt. Shawn McNabb, Sgt. Josue Hernandez-Chavez and Sgt. Nikolas Mueller of SOAR, and Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop and Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger of the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne).
The three DEA agents who lost their lives were Special Agents Chad Michael, Forrest Leamon and Michael Weston. SA Michael had previously worked with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, while SA Weston and SA Leamon were U.S. military veterans. SA Weston had served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, and SA Leamon had served in the U.S. Navy.
Relics of the fallen DEA agents’ personal effects, including a charred uniform patch and melted firearm fragments, were recovered from the smoldering 2009 helicopter crash at great personal risk. These hallowed items were mounted in a shadowbox at FAST headquarters to honor the memory of the fallen.
The names of all 10 men who lost their lives together in devotion to a common cause are inscribed on a single gravestone at Arlington National Cemetery.
Not to be forgotten
Despite its far-reaching successes, the FAST program was disbanded in March 2017 under the tenure of DEA’s Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2015.
The shadowbox containing the Afghanistan crash relics from the fallen—displayed reverently in FAST headquarters as a memorial—was unceremoniously removed from display and warehoused by DEA after the program ended with brutal disregard.
The sacrifices made by US Special Forces and law enforcement agents in combating narco-terrorists are undimmed in what they achieved together and in the memory they left in the hearts of their comrades, who still recall them vividly and honor them.
Although its achievements have faded from view in recent years, the FAST program created a successful blueprint for how the US military can successfully tackle violent threats posed by transnational criminal organizations alongside federal law enforcement—a blueprint that is highly relevant today.

Senators detail desired missile defense elements for Trump’s Iron Dome
Two senators introduced a bill that would authorize $19.5 billion for fiscal 2026 to build out Trump's "Iron Dome for America."
Two Republican senators have introduced legislation that would establish more detailed plans for President Donald Trump’s new missile defense shield for the homeland – to include resurrecting several previously proposed plans and capabilities that were either canceled or placed on the back burner over the last decade.
In the bill, submitted Feb. 5 by Sens. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., the senators lay out a plan for missile defense for the continental U.S. that would include Aegis Ashore systems (only two such systems exist and are operating in Poland and Romania). The plan also calls for using blimps for detection of complex threats, expanding the current Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, or GMD, at Fort Greely, Alaska, and adding a brand new interceptor site on the east coast.
According to the bill, the amount authorized for the endeavor to establish a new missile defense shield for fiscal 2026 would total approximately $19.5 billion, which comes to nearly twice as much as the Missile Defense Agency’s fiscal 2025 budget request of $10.4 billion.
If the bill passes, it would require all operations and sustainment of missile defense systems to be transferred to the services, freeing up the Missile Defense Agency, or MDA, to focus entirely on capability research and development. While this has been done for certain programs, such as the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System — developed by MDA but then transferred to the Army — the agency has opposed the transfer of other capabilities to the services, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System.
Slippery slope: MDA boss fights transfer of missile defense system to Army
Trump’s executive order to develop a next-generation homeland missile defense shield marks a shift in the country’s long-standing homeland missile defense strategy, which has focused on threats from rogue nations like North Korea and Iran, rather than from peer adversaries like China or Russia.
The order – titled “The Iron Dome for America” in a nod to the successful, lowest tier of Israel’s multilayered air defense system of the same name – also addresses a broader array of complex threats, from hypersonic weapons to cruise missiles and drones.
“Senator Cramer and I are introducing legislation to build a homeland missile defense system that can protect our country from the intensifying threats and growing arsenals of China and Russia,” Sullivan said in a statement Thursday.
The bill, named the “Iron Dome Act” builds upon both Trump’s order for a missile defense shield and recommendations from the 2022 Missile Defense Review, Sullivan noted.

Making a comeback
This year marks a decade since a giant tethered aerostat – the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System, or JLENS, as it is better known – broke free from its mooring station near Baltimore and took a three-hour jaunt through the skies of Pennsylvania, dragging its several-thousand-foot tether, which hit power lines along the way and caused significant power outages.
JLENS ultimately landed in a grove of trees in the countryside where Pennsylvania state troopers were ordered to open fire on the blimp to deflate it.
The Raytheon-made aerostat was designed to work in a pair, one with a fire-control system, and the other with powerful surveillance sensors capable of tracking swarming boats and vehicles and detecting and tracking cruise missile threats from Boston all the way to Norfolk, Virginia. It was canceled during its operational exercise at Aberdeen Proving Ground following the incident.
Sullivan and Cramer’s bill would require the Army secretary to field dirigibles, including airships and aerostats, “in support of the missile defense of the United States homeland from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles and drones,” it states. The legislation would authorize $100 million for the effort.
The bill would also authorize $25 million for the Missile Defense Agency to plan and design an east coast-based missile defense interceptor site at Fort Drum, New York, much like the GMD system at Fort Greely.
In 2016, the MDA was in the process of choosing a preferred site for a potential east coast location, but the agency never ended up settling on a spot after conducting environmental and feasibility studies of such an architecture.
MDA’s director at the time stressed the agency was not advocating for an east coast site, stating repeatedly that the site was not necessary and the agency would prefer to focus on other efforts, including improving the GMD system with better interceptors. But various lawmakers have continued to push for it over the past decade. One of its supporters is Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., who has Fort Drum in her district. Stefanik is set to leave Congress after Trump selected her to serve as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Trump’s “Iron Dome” executive order also included a renewed pursuit of space-based interceptors. The bill would support that effort, in addition to continuing to pursue a robust space-based threat detection layer. The legislation would authorize $60 million for space sensors and $900 million for space-based missile defense.

Building up
The legislation calls for the additional procurement of a variety of missile defense systems already in operation and the acceleration of a variety of development programs for next-generation interceptor capability.
The bill would also allow for an expansion of the GMD system at Fort Greely up to 80 missile silos – doubling the number of silos already in place – and it would accelerate the development of the Next-Generation Interceptor, or NGI, that will replace all of the ground-based interceptors in the system. A total of $12 billion would be authorized to expand the system.
MDA wants to field NGI by 2028, but Congress is pushing for an earlier deadline. Lockheed Martin was chosen last year to develop the system, in a surprise decision that came one year earlier than planned. The company was competing against a Northrop Grumman-Raytheon team.
Under the bill, the defense secretary would be required to field a minimum of 80 interceptors at Fort Greely no later than Jan. 1, 2038.
The bill also requires MDA to accelerate the development of its Glide-Phase Interceptor. The agency chose Northrop Grumman over Raytheon in September to build an interceptor capable of defeating hypersonic weapons in the boost phase of flight. The decision also came earlier than originally planned.
The Pentagon would also have to look into conducting parallel development of an alternative interceptor, according to the bill.
Part of the new missile defense shield would include the establishment of Aegis Ashore sites in Alaska, Hawaii and on the east coast, according to the legislation. The bill authorizes $1 billion for site selection and an execution plan for construction of the sites on the east coast and in Alaska, as well as an additional $250 million to complete and certify the paused Aegis Ashore system in Hawaii.
The number of THAAD systems and interceptors would also increase, should the bill pass. The legislation would authorize $1.4 billion to “accelerate the production and fielding of the [THAAD] system (including AN/TPY-2 radars) for forward deployment and homeland defense as the secretary and president consider appropriate,” the bill states.
The legislation also pushes to boost production numbers for SM-3 Block IB and Block IIA missiles that are fired from U.S. Navy Aegis weapon systems, for a total of $1 billion. The MDA attempted to end SM-3 Block IB production in its fiscal 2025 budget request in order to pursue higher development priorities, but Congress has restored funding to keep the line hot in the annual defense authorization bill. It has yet to approve fiscal 2025 funding.
Another $1.5 billion would cover the production of Patriot missiles and batteries.

Broken AC at Fort Cavazos leaves soldiers sweating
A mechanical failure at the Texas base has left soldiers dealing with room temperatures in the 80s this week.
Fort Cavazos, Texas, is currently working to address problems with its air conditioning units that have left soldiers facing uncomfortably hot conditions in their barracks.
Complaints about the conditions were posted in early February on Hots&Cots – a popular app where service members review dorms and dining halls – with photos showing room temperatures hovering around 80 degrees.
“Our Junior barracks doesn’t even have windows that open so Screw us/them I guess,” one post read. “Was advised by DPW to buy my own portable AC.”
The Hots&Cots account on the social platform X said 50 buildings were affected by the air conditioning issues. Soldiers also complained that work orders they submitted were immediately closed and labeled as a “known issue” by the system, rather than being left open until the problem was fixed.
“Accountability matters,” the X post read.
A Fort Cavazos spokesperson could confirm at least 10 buildings were affected. They included nine barracks plus one other structure, and the problems arose from a mechanical failure with water pumps, the spokesperson said.
Republican lawmakers urge Army leaders to improve barracks conditions
The spokesperson also explained that work orders were closed on the Army Maintenance Application website because there was preexisting knowledge of the situation. Replacement parts were ordered after the issue was identified.
“There is no need for multiple open work orders for a problem that has already been identified,” the spokesperson said.
On Wednesday, the Hots&Cots account on X reported a drop in Fort Cavazos room temperatures, only to publish another post one day later saying the air conditioning repairs hit a “snag,” “didn’t go as planned” and would need another five to seven days for a full fix.
“I appreciate that leadership is actively working with the soldiers to address this issue,” the X post read.
A Fort Cavazos spokesperson confirmed in a statement Thursday that the repairs were unsuccessful but did not give a timeline for when the work would be completed.
“The Fort Cavazos Garrison Team is working closely with 1st Cavalry Division leadership to provide appropriate accommodations to impacted soldiers until successful repairs can be completed,” the statement read.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the number of buildings confirmed by the base to be affected by the air conditioning failures.

Coast Guard searching for member reported missing in Eastern Pacific
A crew member aboard the cutter Waesche has been reported “unaccounted for” while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
The U.S. Coast Guard is searching for a crew member reported missing from the cutter Waesche while operating in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the service said.
The cutter, its attached helicopter and unmanned aircraft systems are conducting search efforts for the crew member, the service said in a brief statement Thursday.
“Additional Coast Guard and interagency search assets are being employed in this effort as well,” the service said.
The Coast Guard statement did not disclose the missing crew member’s identity or when they were discovered missing.
The service, citing operational security, also did not provide additional details about the specific location of the search efforts.
Homeported in Alameda, California, the Waesche is the second legend-class national security cutter, according to the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area.

Navy League urges rapid expansion of battle fleet for future wars
The nonprofit is asking lawmakers to bolster the Navy's fleet of battle force ships in preparation for long-term and large-scale wars.
U.S. leaders should invest at least $40 billion every year to grow and maintain the country’s fleet of battle force ships in preparation for long-term and large-scale wars, the nonprofit Navy League urged in a policy statement unveiled in early February.
The statement also called on Congress to increase funding for a Navy plan to revitalize public shipyards, add to the Coast Guard’s fleet of polar icebreakers and spend more on producing munitions to prepare for a “possible great power conflict.”
The nonprofit, which supports the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine, releases policy statements every other year to help guide lawmakers as they make decisions about maritime power.
In the wake of territorial disputes in the South China Sea, an ongoing fight against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, an escalating NATO-Russia contest in the Baltic Sea, increased competition between the U.S. and its adversaries over Arctic sea lanes and a looming Chinese threat to Taiwan, the Navy League focused its priorities for 2025 and 2026 on building up the fleet, as well as the shipbuilding industry’s ability to maintain more ships — and do it faster.
“America is undoubtedly a maritime nation, and our safety, security and prosperity depend on strength in this domain,” retired Rear Adm. Sinclair Harris said on a call with reporters Thursday. “American seapower is essential to global security.”
Challenges facing the country’s seapower “continue to grow with each passing day,” added Harris, the national vice president of the Navy League.
The nonprofit isn’t expecting an easy pathway to sway Congress toward huge investments in maritime power, said Jonathan Kaskin, the Navy League’s chair of Merchant Marine affairs. The policy statement would “give the Hill the background needed to provide additional resources,” he said, adding the caveat that they “will be very challenging to obtain in this fiscal environment.”
The nonprofit’s recommended $40 billion per year for battle force ships matches the cost associated with the Navy’s newest proposal to Congress. Under that proposal, the service would need to spend $40.1 billion on shipbuilding every year through 2054, for a total of more than $1 trillion, according to analysis from the Congressional Budget Office.
Navy shipbuilding plan would cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years
Over the next 30 years, the Navy wants to grow its fleet of battle force ships to 381 to face swelling global threats, the Navy’s proposal states. There are currently 295 in the fleet, and that number is expected to drop to 283 ships in 2027, when the Navy is planning to retire 13 more ships than it will commission.
The Congressional Budget Office described the cost of the shipbuilding plan as high when compared with both recent funding levels and historical standards. Funding for ship construction has climbed in the past 10 years, reaching the highest levels since former President Ronald Regan pursued the idea of a 600-ship Navy in the 1980s, the office said.
In addition to more funding, it would take a larger shipbuilding workforce to make the Navy’s plans for the future fleet a reality. The country’s shipyards would need to drastically increase their productivity from what they’ve achieved over the past decade, the Congressional Budget Office said. The shipbuilding industry has faced cost overruns and labor shortages that have set the production of some ships years behind schedule.
The Navy League plans to lobby lawmakers to again take up the SHIPS for America Act, a bipartisan bill introduced at the end of the previous congressional session that the nonprofit said addresses the maritime industry’s weak points.
The bill would create the position of a maritime security adviser in the White House, establish a trust fund the maritime industry would pay into through duties and fees, launch a Center for Maritime Innovation with hubs around the country and aim to bolster the shipbuilding workforce by launching a new recruiting campaign, among dozens of other measures.

US Marine, 3 contractors killed in Philippines plane crash
A U.S. service member and three defense contractors were killed Thursday when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in the southern Philippines.
Editor’s note: This story was updated Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, to reflect that the U.S. service member killed in the crash is a U.S. Marine. The photo was also updated.
MANILA, Philippines — One U.S. Marine and three defense contractors were killed Thursday when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines, U.S. defense officials said.
The aircraft was conducting a routine mission “providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance support at the request of our Philippine allies,” U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. It said the cause of the crash was under investigation.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines also confirmed the crash of a light plane in Maguindanao del Sur province. It did not immediately provide other details.
The bodies of the four people were retrieved from the wreckage in Ampatuan town, said Ameer Jehad Tim Ambolodto, a safety officer of Maguindanao del Sur. Indo-Pacific Command said the names of the crew were being withheld pending family notifications.
Windy Beaty, a provincial disaster-mitigation officer, told The Associated Press that she received reports that residents saw smoke coming from the plane and heard an explosion before the aircraft plummeted to the ground less than a kilometer (about half a mile) from a cluster of farmhouses.
Nobody was reported injured on or near the crash site, which was cordoned off by troops, Beaty said.
A water buffalo on the ground was killed as a result of the plane crash, local officials said.
U.S. forces have been deployed in a Philippine military camp in the country’s south for decades to advise and provide training to Filipino forces battling Muslim militants. The region is the homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

Medal of Honor recipient faced down 100 enemy troops to cover his men
Three officers were wounded trying to silence the enemy machine gun. Robert Craig would be the fourth to try.
As the Germans launched their last, desperate offensive on the Western Front in mid-1918, a relatively new United States Army unit, the 3rd Infantry Division, would earn the nickname “Rock of the Marne” for its refusal to give an inch of ground against the overwhelming and advancing German forces. The Germans failed to break through the division’s defenses, turning the tide of the battle.
Despite its heroic stand, not one member of the 3rd Division was awarded the Medal of Honor throughout World War I, but that would change in the next conflict. Not only would the 3rd produce 61 Medals of Honor — the most of any division — but one of them, Audie Murphy, would be the most decorated soldier in the U.S. Army.
Although Murphy fought a long and agonizing war before receiving his Medal of Honor, one of his comrades-in-arms, 2nd Lt. Robert Craig, was destined for a much shorter, though no less violent, tour of duty.
Both men served in the 1st Battalion, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division when they came ashore in Fedala, French Morocco on November 8, 1942, but at that time Murphy was a private in Company B, while Craig was in Company L.
Craig, born in Scotland in 1919 before immigrating with his family to Toledo, Ohio, in 1923, had enlisted in the U.S. Army in February 1941 as the likelihood of the United States entering the global conflict grew.
The following month Craig and the 15th Infantry Regiment left for Europe, participating in the November 1942 Operation Torch landings, cutting their teeth in Vichy-held French Morocco.
On July 10, 1943, however, the 3rd Division was place under the command of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.’s Seventh Army and tasked with job of taking Sicily during the Allied Operation Husky.
By day’s end, the 3rd Division had secured Licata and drove back a counterattack by the Italian 528th Coastal Defense Battalion while suffering less than 100 casualties.
On July 11, the division resumed its advance. Near the town of Favorotta, L Company encountered serious resistance on terrain short on cover or concealment, where a well-placed Italian machine gun position drove its troops to ground.
Three attempts were made to eliminate the obstacle, only to result in three failures with a lieutenant falling wounded during each attempt.
It was after the third failed attempt that Craig volunteered to have a go. In short order, his citation reads, he “snaked his way to a point within 35 yards of a point within 35 yards of the hostile position before being discovered.”
As he came under fire, Craig, armed with an M1 carbine, charged headlong at the machine gun nest and swiftly killed all three crewmen.
With the initiative back in their hands, Craig and his platoon advanced down the forward slope of the next ridge, only to encounter roughly 100 Italian troops.
Craig’s response was to signal his men back to the modest cover of the hill crest while he advanced, firing his carbine to divert enemy attention his way. At 25 yards, he dropped to one knee and, in quick succession, killed five enemy and wounded another three before being shot down himself.
“While the hostile force concentrated fire on him,” Craig’s citation continues, “his platoon reached the cover of the crest. Second Lt. Craig was killed by enemy fire, but his intrepid action so inspired his men that they drove the enemy from the area, inflicting heavy casualties on the hostile force.”
On May 26, 1944, Craig posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his valiant actions on the Italian coast. His father, William Craig, accepted the award on behalf of his son.
Buried in the Toledo Memorial Park in Sylvania, Craig’s name was subsequently commemorated on a Victory ship, the USAT Lt. Robert Craig, as well as a drawbridge, the Craig Memorial Bridge, spanning Route 280 over the Maumee River.

West Point shuts down clubs for minorities, women amid DEI purge
The U.S. Military Academy has disbanded a dozen West Point cadet clubs centered on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality.
The U.S. Military Academy has disbanded a dozen West Point cadet clubs centered on ethnicity, gender, race and sexuality in response to the Trump administration’s push to eliminate diversity programs throughout government.
The famed military academy in New York issued a memo Tuesday shutting down groups including the Asian-Pacific Forum Club, Latin Cultural Club, National Society of Black Engineers Club and Society of Women Engineers Club in order to adhere to recent guidance from the Army and Defense Department. It also shut down the Corbin Forum, a decades-old leadership club for female cadets, and Spectrum, a gay-straight alliance.
President Donald Trump last month signed an executive order aimed at halting diversity, equity and inclusion programs in the federal government and ordered the federal diversity, equity and inclusion staff be put on paid leave and eventually be laid off.
The West Point memo also ordered all other cadet clubs to pause activities until officials can review the groups to ensure that they comply with Trump administration rules.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point released a statement that said it is reviewing programs affiliated with its former office of diversity and inclusion and that the clubs that were shut down were sponsored by that office.
“More than one hundred clubs remain at the U.S. Military Academy, and our leadership will continue to provide opportunities for cadets to pursue their academic, military, and physical fitness interests while following Army policy, directives, and guidance,” the statement reads.
The Department of Defense directed questions on the memo to the Army and West Point but sent a link to recent Defense Department guidance that said “Going forward, DoD Components and Military Departments will not use official resources, to include man-hours, to host celebrations or events related to cultural awareness months” such as Black History Month.
“Efforts to divide the force — to put one group ahead of another — erode camaraderie and threaten mission execution,” the Defense guidance reads.
West Point graduate Geoffrey Easterling, who was a member of one of the now-disbanded clubs when he was at the academy, said the groups were open to all cadets and provided a way for students to interact with people from different cultures and build relationships with classmates.
“It was just community. There wasn’t any teaching of all these things people are worried about,” he said. “You could find help with your homework from upperclassmen, get help to know the military.”
Diversity, equity and inclusion programs are intended to provide support for communities that have been historically marginalized. But such initiatives have been criticized by conservatives who argue they are discriminatory against white people.
The nation’s military service academies have slowly become more racially diverse and have admitted more women in recent decades, but female cadets and cadets of color have spoken out about having to overcome hostility.

Key tests for latest F-35s will begin in 2026, two years after rollout
This is the latest in a series of delays for the Lockheed Martin-made fighter, causing modernization efforts to slip further behind.
An important series of tests for the latest upgrades to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will likely not begin until two years after these jets started hitting the field — and at least three years following their original due date.
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation said in its annual report, submitted to Congress on Jan. 31, that dedicated operational tests for the F-35’s Technology Refresh 3, or TR-3, upgrades will probably start in mid to late fiscal 2026, or around next summer. Those tests are intended to determine whether TR-3 is operationally effective.
Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the military’s F-35 program executive officer, said in a statement to Defense News that as of January, Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 100 TR-3 equipped fighters. All of those jets have software allowing its pilots to conduct training flights, including combat training.
“We are aggressively implementing comprehensive test plans to ensure this critical upgrade delivers cutting-edge capabilities to the warfighter,” Schmidt said. “The F-35 [Joint Program Office] remains focused on working through known risks to deliver TR-3 combat capability in 2025. The capability will continue to be improved in future lots to ensure warfighters have what they need to win in future conflicts.”
An official with knowledge of the operational test program for the F-35, who spoke about the program on the condition of anonymity, said that starting operational testing next year would not delay the fielding of the newest jets.
“It is not uncommon for fielding decisions to come before operational testing is complete,” the official said.
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation said the TR-3 tests can’t begin until its software is stable and aircraft modifications, flight test instruments and open-air battle shaping capabilities are in place. But if those systems and software are matured and in place sooner than expected, testing could start earlier, the office said.
Pentagon to accept deliveries of Lockheed F-35s after yearlong pause
The delayed launch of the TR-3 tests is the latest in a series of setbacks for the Lockheed Martin-made fighter, which have caused efforts to modernize the program to slip further behind.
TR-3 is a set of improvements to the F-35′s hardware and software, which include better displays, computer memory and processing power. TR-3 was originally set to be released in April 2023, but software problems and integration difficulties stalled the program.
The Pentagon refused to accept deliveries of the newest F-35s until July 2024, when an interim version of the TR-3 software that allows the jets to conduct training flights was completed.
But the TR-3-enabled F-35s can’t yet carry out combat missions. And while the F-35 Joint Program Office still hopes to have the jets combat ready in 2025, the timeline might slip further. In a January earnings call, Lockheed Chief Financial Officer Jay Malave said the work might not be finished until early 2026.
The delays in TR-3 are also having cascading effects on subsequent improvements to the F-35 – particularly another modernization program called Block 4 – which is intended to allow the jet to carry more weapons, better recognize targets and improve its electronic warfare capabilities.
The Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation criticized the F-35 program’s lack of progress in rolling out necessary software.
“The F-35 program has shown no improvement in meeting schedule and performance timelines for developing and testing software designed to address deficiencies and add new capabilities,” the office’s annual report said.

Hegseth to host Australian leader in first visit with a foreign peer
The visit between Hegseth and the defense minister of Australia comes during a moment of uncertainty for U.S. allies.
Australia’s defense minister will visit the Pentagon on Friday, marking the first time U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet with a foreign counterpart, according to multiple people familiar with the planning.
Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister and defense minister of Australia, will arrive at a moment of uncertainty for U.S. allies. Over the last four years, America has deepened its military ties to partners across the Indo-Pacific in an effort to better compete with China. Nowhere has that been clearer than in Australia, where the United States has opened new basing agreements, expanded military drills and signed AUKUS, a deal to share nuclear-powered submarines.
Allies in the region are now wondering whether these commitments will last. Hegseth has made enforcing immigration his top priority in his first two weeks in office, sending around 2,000 more active-duty troops to America’s border with Mexico and using military aircraft to deport migrants as far as India.
Some officials nominated to fill top policy positions in the Pentagon argue the U.S. needs a much more powerful military presence around Asia to contend with China’s own military buildup. But others in leadership would prefer America reduce its commitments abroad.
In Trump’s Pentagon, a growing skepticism about US military power
Australian media previously reported Marles’ intent to visit Washington. People who spoke to Military Times were permitted anonymity to describe the plans, which haven’t been officially announced.
Marles was the first counterpart Hegseth spoke to over the phone upon entering office, though the secretary has since held calls with Japan and South Korea’s defense ministers. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first foreign leader Hegseth called. He is visiting the Pentagon on Wednesday to meet with the secretary.
Tuesday evening, President Donald Trump said in a press conference that the U.S. would take control of the Gaza strip and rebuild it — leading to outrage from America’s allies in the Middle East, who fear the proposal would amount to ethnic cleansing.
Speaking with reporters after the call with Hegseth, Marles said he was confident the U.S. would continue to lead in the Indo-Pacific, despite questions about Trump’s threats to take Greenland or the Panama by force.
“There really was a sense and a commitment to see American leadership within our region,” Marles said.

The 5 Americans who made history by earning the Victoria Cross
Since Queen Victoria instituted the Victoria Cross in 1856, five American-born men have received Britain’s highest military award for valor.
Since Queen Victoria instituted the Victoria Cross in 1856, five American-born men have received Britain’s highest military award for valor.
The first, William Henry Harrison Seeley from Topsham, Maine, was driven by a family squabble to go to sea when he was 22 years old. After deserting a merchant ship in Boston, he enlisted in the Royal Navy and served aboard the warship Impérieuse on the China Station during the Taiping Rebellion.
In 1862, he transferred to the frigate Euryalus, on which he participated in a multinational punitive expedition to take out shore batteries that a Japanese daimyo, Mori Takachika, was using to bombard any European vessels that sailed through the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu.
Reconnoitering from Euryalus on Sept. 5, 1864, Seeley pinpointed a stockade and while wounded by grapeshot, returned to give a full report to 1st Lt. Frederick Edwards. Afterward, Seeley was taking part in an assault on Mori’s batteries when his captain, John Hobhouse Inglis Alexander, was badly wounded in the ankle, at which point Seeley carried him a quarter mile on his back to reach safety.
On Sept. 22, 1865, Seeley was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism at Shimonoseki. Seeley returned to Massachusetts, where he died on Oct. 1, 1914.
By the time of Seeley’s death, there was a new, rapidly expanding war in Europe, which included the British Empire and would soon involve the United States. The war would set the stage for four more Americans to earn Britain’s highest honor while passing themselves off as Canadians.

George Harry Mullin was born in Portland, Oregon, on Aug. 15, 1891. When he was 2 years old, Mullin’s parents resettled north of the U.S.-Canada border in present-day Saskatchewan.
Given the circumstances, Mullin had little trouble enlisting in the Canadian Expeditionary Force in December 1914. He was attached to the scout and sniper section of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.
Shipped to France, Mullin managed to survive the hazards and miseries of the trenches for two years, during which he was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery during the capture of Vimy Ridge in April 1917.
In July 1917, the British launched a new offensive centered around Passchendaele, which, like previous attempts, degenerated into a succession of struggles against one well-defended German objective after another.
Within that context, on Oct. 30, Mullin had his moment, as quoted in the Jan. 11, 1918, issue of the London Gazette:
“When single-handed he captured a commanding ‘Pill-box,’ which had withstood the heavy bombardment and was causing heavy casualties to our forces and holding up the attack. He rushed into a sniper’s post in front, destroyed the garrison with bombs, and, crawling on to the top of the ‘Pill-box,’ he shot the two machine-gunners with his revolver. Sgt. Mullin then rushed to another entrance and compelled the garrison of ten to surrender.
“His gallantry and fearlessness were witnessed by many, and although rapid fire was directed upon him, and his clothes riddled with bullets he never faltered in his purpose and he not only helped to save the situation, but also indirectly saved many lives.”
Mullin left the military as a lieutenant and returned to Moosomin, where he married and had four children. In 1934, he served as sergeant at arms at the Saskatchewan Legislature. During World War II, he served as a captain in the Veterans’ Guard.
Retiring as a major, he died in Regina on April 5, 1963, and is buried in Moosomin. His VC is on display at the Museum of the Regiments in Calgary, Alberta.

There would be three more Americans serving in the Canadian Expeditionary Force whose extraordinary actions earned them a Victoria Cross, all in 1918.
Raphael Louis Zengel was born in Faribault, Minnesota, on Nov. 11, 1894, but shortly thereafter his mother moved to a homestead in Canada.
In 1915, Zengel enlisted in the 5th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division, Canadian Expeditionary Force.
During a trench raid near Passchendaele, on Nov. 11, 1917, his platoon leader and platoon sergeant were disabled, but he took charge to accomplish the mission, for which he was awarded the Military Medal in March 1918.
Five months later, as his unit was advancing east of Warvillers on Aug. 9, 1918, Zengel noticed a gap in his formation where a German machine nest threatened his battalion with flanking fire. Rushing across 200 yards of open field, he killed two enemy soldiers and scattered the rest, after which he led and inspired his battalion for the rest of the day’s advance.
For this, King George V awarded him the VC at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 13, 1918.
Serving in the Calgary Fire Department until 1927 and on the home front in World War II, Zengel retired from his second conflict as a sergeant major. Zengel died on Feb. 27, 1977, and is buried in Alberta.
Born in Talmadge, Maine, on Jan. 29, 1894, William Henry Metcalf attended Waite Grammar School and was working as a barber when he enlisted in the 12th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, in Valcartier, Quebec on Sept. 23, 1914.
Metcalf shipped out to France the following month and transferred to the 16th Manitoba Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Canadian Division, as a corporal.
After surviving the battles of Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and Amiens, Metcalf was a lance corporal with the Military Medal and bar when the Allied forces launched their final offensives of the war.
On Sept. 2, 1918, Metcalf’s unit was assaulting the Drocourt-Quéant line at Cangicourt when it encountered heavy resistance on its right flank. Contacting a British tank, Metcalf led it against the enemy positions by preceding it in the open with a signal flag to make up for the poor visibility its crew was afforded.
Although repeatedly wounded by enemy fire, he guided the tank until a breakthrough was achieved and only then took cover to receive medical attention. He was hospitalized for nine months before receiving the VC.
After the war, Metcalf settled down in Maine as a garage mechanic. He died on Aug. 8, 1968, and in accordance with his last wishes, was buried in Maine soil overlooking the St. Croix River toward Canada.
On the same day Metcalf earned his Victoria Cross, another American was doing the same in the same area — but not in the same manner.
Bellenden Seymour Hutcheson was born on Dec. 16, 1883, and educated at Northwestern University Medical School.
He married a Nova Scotian, and on Dec. 14, 1915, he renounced his American citizenship to enlist in the 97th Battalion, 1st Ontario Central Regiment, Canadian Expeditionary Force, as a medical officer.
On the first day of the final British offensive on Aug. 8, 1918, he rescued multiple wounded British troops.
A month later, on Sept. 2, 1918, Hutcheson was attached to the 75th Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, assaulting Dury, east of Arras. During the battle, he recovered numerous soldiers, including a gravely wounded officer for whom he elicited the help of British and captured German troops, then advanced under fire to rescue a wounded sergeant.
Having already earned the Military Cross, Hutcheson was awarded the VC for his actions on Dec. 14, 1918.
After the war, Hutcheson reclaimed his American citizenship to resume his medical profession in Illinois. He died in Cairo, Illinois on April 9, 1954, and is buried in Illinois.

US, Philippine fighter jets patrol disputed South China Sea shoal
The joint patrol on Tuesday over the Scarborough Shoal was the first by the longtime treaty allies since President Donald Trump took office again.
MANILA, Philippines — U.S. and Philippine fighter aircraft staged a joint patrol and training Tuesday over a disputed South China Sea shoal where Chinese fighter jets fired flares last year to drive away a Philippine aircraft, Philippine officials said.
The joint patrol and air-intercept drills over the hotly disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines were the first by the longtime treaty allies since U.S. President Donald Trump took office again.
Trump’s “America First” foreign policy thrust has sparked concerns among Washington’s allies in Asia about the scale and depth of U.S. commitment to the region in his new term. His predecessor, former President Joe Biden, had moved to strengthen an arc of security alliances in the region to counter China’s increasingly assertive actions.
China pushing Philippines ‘to the wall’ with sea aggression: Manila
Two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft and three Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets joined the brief patrol and training, which involved practicing how to intercept a hostile aircraft, Philippine Air Force spokesperson Maria Consuelo Castillo said in a news briefing.
It was not immediately known if the joint patrol encountered any challenge from Chinese forces guarding the Scarborough Shoal.
"The exercises focused on enhancing operational coordination, improving air domain awareness and reinforcing agile combat employment capabilities between the two air forces,” the Philippine Air Force said.
In August last year, two Chinese air force aircraft flew close then fired flares in the path of a Philippine Air Force plane on routine patrol over the Scarborough Shoal in actions that were strongly condemned and protested by the Philippine government, military officials said.
All those aboard the Philippine Air Force NC-212i turboprop transport plane were unharmed, the Philippine military said.
The Southern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army said then that a Philippine air force aircraft “illegally” entered the airspace above the shoal and disrupted training activities by Chinese forces. It warned the Philippines to “stop its infringement, provocation, distortion and hyping-up."
The Philippine military chief, Gen. Romeo Brawner, said at the time that the incident “posed a threat to Philippine air force aircraft and its crew, interfered with lawful flight operations in airspace within Philippine sovereignty and jurisdiction and contravened international law and regulations governing safety of aviation."
China and the Philippines have had increasingly alarming faceoffs in the shoal, which is called Bajo de Masinloc by the Philippines and Huangyan Island by China.
"We are always prepared for any contingency, it’s part of the training,” Castillo said when asked if the allied forces had prepared to address any challenge by Chinese aircraft.
“It already happened before and, as I have said, whatever the coercive, aggressive actions of any foreign party, the Philippine Air Force will not be deterred to perform its mandate,” Castillo said.
The U.S. military has reported encountering such dangerous maneuvers by Chinese air force planes in the past over the disputed waters, where it has deployed fighter jets and navy ships to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.
China has bristled at U.S. military deployments in the disputed region, saying these have endangered regional security.
Aside from China and the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan have overlapping territorial claims in the busy sea passage, a key global trade and security route, but hostilities have particularly flared in the past two years between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and navy forces in the Scarborough Shoal and another fiercely contested atoll, the Second Thomas Shoal.
Washington has repeatedly warned that it’s obligated to defend the Philippines, its oldest treaty ally in Asia, if Philippine forces, ships and aircraft come under an armed attack, including in the South China Sea.