Air Force sent C-17 to pick up US troops in Israel

The U.S. Air Force sent a C-17 to pick up U.S. troops on the ground in Israel after the terror attack Saturday by Hamas. 

A “small number” of U.S. military personnel in Israel flew home on the transport aircraft after a bilateral exercise was canceled because of the war. The plane flew into Israel “empty,” and left the country with only U.S. personnel on board, an Air Force spokesperson told Defense One.  

The Pentagon also sent the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean and “[took] steps to augment U.S. Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 fighter aircraft squadrons in the region,” the Pentagon said Sunday.

“Some of the units that were due to rotate back to the United States are staying in place and their replacements are going to come in as well, so that they will increase our force posture in the region. We've had a couple of missions I'm aware of where C-17s have brought some people back from Israel that were there,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday at an Atlantic Council event.

Since the attack on Israel, the Pentagon has sped up military aid to the country, including munitions, and officials said they continue to deliver aid as needed. 

But Kendall said the Pentagon can continue its support around the world as new threats pop up.

“This administration has not taken its eye off China as the pacing challenge, despite Ukraine, and I think despite what's happening right now with Israel and the Palestinians. We can do other things while we keep our eye on the most serious threat that we face,” Kendall said. 

Moving forward, there will be “strategic discipline” from the Pentagon and the Biden Administration to handle demands around the world, while keeping pressure on China, Kendall said. “You really cannot take your eye off that ball.”