Category: Navy

A Japanese court has ruled that the government must compensate residents living near the strategically important Atsugi Air Base for past noise pollution, but stopped short of halting flight operations. The Yokohama District Court handed down the ruling on Nov. 20, awarding approximately 5.9 billion yen (US$38 million) to roughly 8,700 plaintiffs who claimed that aircraft noise, particularly at night and in the early morning, had significantly impacted their lives.

Yamaguchi Yoshiaki from Japan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Continue reading “Residents near NAF Atsugi win compensation, lose bid to halt flights”

A recent BBC report shines a light on India’s expanding footprint in the Indian Ocean, focusing on the small island of Agalega, part of the Mauritius archipelago. Located approximately 1,100km (680 miles) north of Mauritius, Agalega was once an isolated community of 350 individuals sustained by fishing and coconut farming. Now, the island is rapidly transforming into a strategic hub, raising questions about India’s military ambitions and their implications for regional security.

NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Continue reading “Islanders fear “Second Chagos” as India develops Agalega”

The sun dipped low over the Arizona desert as two E-2C Hawkeyes, their wings casting long shadows across the tarmac, made its final approaches. The aircraft, belonging to Airborne Command & Control Squadron (VAW) 123, touched down gently at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, the last of their kind to leave the squadron’s care. This event marks the end of an era for VAW-123 and the beginning of its full transition to the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye.