Air Force to retire A-10 attack jets from South Korea, modernize F-16s

The Air Force is retiring A-10 Thunderbolt IIs from South Korea and upgrading its F-16 Fighting Falcons there as part of a “modernization effort” across the service, a news release said.

US Forces Japan scouts central Tokyo property ahead of major command overhaul

As part of a restructuring initiative, U.S. Forces Japan is looking into appropriating an Army compound in central Tokyo as the command weighs a move from the city’s western suburbs potentially to a downtown district just a few miles from Japan’s Ministry of Defense.

US, Japanese athletes gather for Special Olympics at Air Force base in Tokyo

About 100 young athletes from across Japan gathered at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo over the weekend for the 45th Kanto Plains Special Olympics.

129th Rescue Wing saves Air Force veteran who experienced stroke-like symptoms on fishing trip

A team from California Air National Guard’s 129th Rescue Wing successfully saved a U.S. Air Force veteran who experienced stroke-like symptoms during a chartered fishing trip off the coast of San Diego early Friday morning.

Cherry blossom trees are being cut down for safety reasons at airlift hub in western Tokyo

Several of the iconic cherry blossom trees that make this airlift hub in western Tokyo a popular spot to visit during each spring have gone missing. 

Coral and oyster constructs to shield bases in Florida and Hawaii

A Pentagon agency that pioneered such technologies as four-legged robots is now giving rise to reefs made with coral and oyster colonies that it hopes will soon protect coastal military bases from deadly storm surges.

Utah-based F-35A stealth fighters arrive for rotational duty on Okinawa

Another contingent of stealth fighters has landed at Kadena Air Base as part of a temporary plan to fill in for retiring F-15 Eagles.

US, South Korean military drones carry out unprecedented live-fire training

Unmanned aerial vehicles from the United States and South Korea recently teamed up to improve their combat effectiveness via first-of-their-kind live-fire drills.

Italian AAFES workers plan walkout in protest of job cuts at US base in Aviano

Army and Air Force Exchange Service employees have the legal right to either show up on the job or walk out. Employees won’t notify supervisors of their choice until Monday, leaving AAFES in the dark about which areas of its operations will be affected and to what extent.

Okinawa left with no shortage of surveillance drones following Tritons’ departure

A pair of Navy surveillance drones has left Okinawa after working from the island for five months, but even with their departure, drones will continue to fly from Kadena Air Base courtesy of ongoing Air Force and Marine Corps deployments.