Free Republic

The Department of Defense has ordered a review of all labs following revelations that the number of labs that received live anthrax samples is larger than first reported."As of now, 24 laboratories in 11 states and two foreign countries are believed to have received suspect samples. We continue to work closely with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who is leading the ongoing investigation pursuit to its statutory authorities. The Department will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates to the public," Defense Department said in a statement.The Defense Department had previously reported labs in nine states...

The US military has deployed an upgraded A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft to its base in South Korea. The new aircraft was deployed at the US air base in Osan near the South Korean capital Seoul late last month, the Korean news agency Yonhap reported Tuesday quoting a statement from the US Forces Korea (USFK). With this deployment, the 25th Fighter Squadron of the USFK has received its last batch of A-10C aircraft with “improved precision strike capability”, the statement said. The A-10 Thunderbolt is a twin-engine combat aircraft used to provide close-air support to ground forces and employs...

The Chinese military’s nonnuclear missiles have “the capability to attack” and close down five of six major U.S. Air Force bases in South Korea and Japan, an unpublished government report says. China’s improved inventory of short- and medium-range missiles provides a “dramatic increase” in its ability to stifle U.S. military operations in the western Pacific, according to excerpts from the draft of the 2010 annual report that the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission is scheduled to release on Nov. 17. China’s current force “may be sufficient” to destroy runways, parked aircraft, fuel and maintenance facilities at Osan and Kunsan...

South Korea — The Air Force’s ground-attack airplane in South Korea is being replaced with an upgraded version that can strike targets with state-of-the-art satellite-guided smart bombs, officials said Monday. The 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base currently flies the A-10A Thunderbolt II, known as the Warthog. It received its first three C-models with smarter weapons capability earlier this month, with more to come at an undisclosed future date. The squadron is known as the Assam Draggins and has 30 aircraft. The A-model Warthog can launch high-tech laser-guided bombs and other munitions, but not the more advanced satellite-guided JDAM...

KWANGJU, South Korea — The 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade celebrated its one-year anniversary in South Korea with ceremonies on Thursday and Friday. The brigade’s 2nd Battalion, 1st Air Defense Artillery — located at Kwangju — celebrated Thursday with a flagging ceremony. The brigade arrived a year ago from Fort Bliss, Texas. About 400 battalion soldiers, U.S. and South Korean guests gathered in the theater at Kwangju, a South Korean Air Force base, on Thursday. The ceremony began with a brief slide show of soldiers working and playing on base and in the community. Battalion commander Lt. Col. Marcus C....