Defense News in Brief: U.S., Australia, and Japan strengthen ties during Southern Jackaroo 25

Source: United States Navy

TOWNSVILLE, Australia — U.S. Marines and Sailors with the Marine Rotational Force – Darwin (MRF-D) 25.3 Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) arrived in Townsville to train alongside the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) during Exercise Southern Jackaroo 25, a multi-lateral exercise held from May 25 through June 13, 2025 at the Townsville Field Training Area, Queensland, Australia.

Defense News in Brief: FRCE Innovation Lab manufactures quick win for F-35 fleet

Source: United States Navy

At the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) Innovation Lab, a team of two fulfilled a request from the F-35 Joint Program Office to use additive manufacturing – commonly referred to as 3D printing – to produce an O-ring installation tool used for all three variants of the fifth-generation fighter jet. With innovative thinking and the use of forward-leaning technology, FRCE helped fill the gap and put 2,000 tools in aircraft maintainers’ hands within days.