JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. (AFNS) -- A new C-17 Globemaster III was named for all Medal of Honor recipients during a ceremony here July 26 during Air Mobility Rodeo 2011.

Gen. Raymond E. Johns Jr., the Air Mobility Command commander, officially dedicated the C-17, which will join the fleet at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, as the "Spirit of the Medal of Honor."

After refining requirements during a two-year Technology Development phase for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, Army developers are poised to conduct a full and open competition geared toward formal production, service officials said.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, or JLTV, will be a next-generation light vehicle designed to bring Soldiers an unprecedented blend of protection, payload and performance, said Tim Goddette, director of Sustainment Systems.

More than a hundred Filipino-Americans and other well-wishers welcomed the Philippine Navy's newest ship, BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15), as it arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH), July 27 for a brief port visit.

Every Marine is a rifleman. Those words are drilled into every Marine’s head starting the day they go to basic training, and throughout the rest of their Marine Corps career.

To ensure that status remains true, more than 260 Marines and Sailors with Company G, Battalion Landing Team 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, and Combat Logistics Battalion 31, both with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, participated in a live fire training exercise, July 27.

"MY BELL WAS RUNG"
A Marine survives a close call with an IED.
http://www.sofmag.com/pittsburgh-native-survives-blast-returns-duty

Somali pirates have released a United Arab Emirates-flagged oil tanker and its crew just weeks after capturing the vessel in the Indian Ocean.

The MT Jubba XX was seized on July 16 while travelling from the UAE to the port of Berbera in the breakaway northern Somali region of Somaliland.

It was released Thursday after negotiations between the pirates, local officials and businessmen. The amount of ransom paid was unclear.

The 4,000 ton oil tanker was carrying a crew of 16 people, including sailors from Somalia, Sri Lanka, India, Ethiopia, Burma, Sudan and Bangladesh.

At least 10 people are reported to have been killed in the Somali capital Mogadishu, as African Union and government forces battle militants to protect the flow of food aid.

Witnesses said the deaths occurred during heavy fighting Thursday - one day after the World Food Program airlifted 14 tons of food into Mogadishu.

At least 30 people are reported wounded as government and AU troops fought militants with the al-Qaida-linked group, al-Shabab, which has banned assistance from the U.N. food agency.

The top United Nations peacekeeping official says 500 troops have been deployed to the disputed Abyei region, which is claimed by both Sudan and South Sudan.

Alain Le Roy told the Security Council Wednesday that he expects to have up to 1,200 troops in the region by Sunday.

Le Roy says the situation in oil-rich Abyei remains tense. But he says Sudan and South Sudan both appear committed to avoiding an escalation in violence.

The U.N. has authorized a total deployment of 4,200 troops to the region. The U.N. Security Council created the Interim Security Force for Abyei in June.