The Air Force and Marines have both reported engaging in training maneuvers in the East and South China Sea in recent weeks amid escalating tensions in the region.

Earlier this week the Pacific Air Forces and U.S. Air Force announced on Twitter that the Air Force had conducted a training mission in the in the East China Sea "in support of the National Defense Strategy objectives of being strategically predictable and operationally unpredictable."

Last week the Chinese military expelled the guided-missile destroyer USS Barry from the Paracel Island chain in the South China Sea, saying U.S. forces were intruding into waters around the islands without permission.

The U.S. Marine Corps on Wednesday announced that the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in mid-April conducted training exercises in the South China Sea aboard the amphibious assault ship USS America near a standoff between China and Malaysia.

"Organizing, staging, loading, and launching two companies of Marines from the ship is not a small task. This training rehearses our Marines, the ship's crew, and other supporting components of the MAGTF so that if we were to execute a quick reaction mission real-world, we've already identified and addressed any friction that might arise," Maj. Jeremy Fisher, company commander of Bravo Company, said in a press release.

The South China Sea is subject to several overlapping territorial and maritime claims, and those disputes have been a flashpoint for escalating tensions between the United States and China, with Chinese military officials saying U.S. exercises in the area are "detrimental to regional peace and stability."

DoD releases name of soldier who died in 'non-combat-related' incident in Iraq
Washington DC (UPI) May 06, 2020 - The Pentagon released the name of a soldier who died Monday in Iraq in what officials describe as a non-combat-related incident.

Sgt. Christopher Wesley Curry, 23, of Terre Haute, Ind., died in Erbil, Iraq, in an incident that is under investigation, according to the Department of Defense.

Curry was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division in Fort Wainwright, Alaska.

"Sgt. Curry joined Charlie Company in April 2019 and immediately became a part of our Army family. His technical expertise enabled the unit to deploy from Alaska in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, and his continued effort eased the Company's transition while in theater," Lt. Col. Jimmy Howell, 3-21 Infantry commander, said in a statement sent to UPI.

"Sgt. Curry's incessant optimism was the hallmark of his personality, and often provided respite for others during times of stress," Howell said. "His honesty, light heartedness, and wit will always be remembered by his brothers in arms. His loss is being felt immensely by Charlie Company, 3-21 Infantry, and the 1/25th SBCT. It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to one of our own."

Curry's death marks the first in the area since March, when two U.S. service members were killed in Northern Iraq in support of operation Inherent Resolve.

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