Guard and active duty troops are providing air and sea lift of cargo, fire suppression as needed and setting up supply staging areas on Maui and Oahu. The troops will be part of a joint force of National Guard and active forces responding to the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. President Joe Biden said the Coast Guard and Navy are supporting response and rescue efforts, and the Marines are providing helicopters to fight the fires. Mara Karlin emphasized the importance of crisis hot lines with China while highlighting the ongoing U.S. role in the Middle East. Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are in Australia for talks aimed at countering Beijing’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Carlos Del Toro said Friday that the major multination military training exercise launched in Australia sends a message to China. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong also says her country is considering whether to take part in joint patrols in the disputed South China Sea. Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made the rounds in Washington seeking to deepen the alliance amid concerns over Chinese aggression. The open-sourced report by CSIS’s Aerospace Security Project looked at the space activities of a variety of adversaries and allies. For the first time, the review addresses the need to harden Australia’s air bases and secure fuel supplies against attack from Australia’s north. Load More