The U.S. military is continuing to pursue its post-Red Hill refueling strategy in the Pacific with a new facility under construction in Papua New Guinea.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, the commander of the Hawaii- based U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, visited the country last week with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau as PNG celebrated its 50th anniversary of independence from Australia. While there, Paparo also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the new fuel facility in Port Moresby.
Photos released by the military showed Paparo and other dignitaries on Sept. 15 posing with hard hats and shovels to celebrate the official beginning of construction of the fuel complex, which is expected to hold about 70 million gallons of fuel.
According to a news release, the construction contr