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GOP Rep warns US Navy plan to relocate fuel from Hawaii could jeopardize operations in the Indo-Pacific
U.S. lawmakers have sent a letter of warning to the U.S. Navy saying the country could be wholly unprepared for a possible conflict should the military follow through with a plan to move fuel from Hawaii to storage facilities across the Indo-Pacific.
Rep. Mike Gallagher, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on China, said in a letter to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro dated Jan. 17 that a plan to redistribute fuel from Hawaii’s Red Hill underground bulk storage facility was a “strategic imperative,” Reuters reported. He cautioned, however, that the Defense Department had yet to develop a long-term solution.
“It is unclear how exactly the Navy will replace and distribute the aggregate bulk fuel capacity of Red Hill,” said Gallagher, R-Wis, noting that U.S. operations in the Pacific would “grind to a halt” without a logistics network to ship the oil then to ensure ease of access.
“The Navy appears to be short – by several dozen – ships that will be needed to transport and deliver fuel to our bases and forces operating across the Indo-Pacific,” he continued. “We must address potential weaknesses in our logistical supply lines, while we still have the time to do so.”
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Scaffolding covers the Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol dome on September 27, 2023 in Washington, DC. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) continues to have difficulty finding a legislative path that would prevent the federal government from partially shutting down at midnight on September 30 and would also not jeopardize his speakership. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
In October 2023, the Pentagon revealed the Red Hill storage facility at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam suffered a leak that contaminated the water systems. It then began draining the 1940s-era facility, saying the fuel would be loaded by ship and transported to existing support sites. This process is expected to take several years.
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In Gallagher’s letter, the Republican lawmaker cited a 2016 Defense Department determination that it would need 86 tankers for moving such equipment. He requested that Del Toro explain to the committee whether the department had enough forward fuel storage facilities and would have access to refinery capacity for operations in the Indo-Pacific.
U.S. aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson approaches USNS Rappahannock (not shown) to perform an underway replenishment in the Pacific Ocean on May 27, 2017. Rappahannock is a Military Sealift Command ship that aides the U.S. Navy mission by delivering food, fuel and supplies to Navy vessels, thusly extending the Navy vessel’s ability to stay at sea. Picture taken on on May 27, 2017. (Torrey W. Lee/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS)
Gallagher also asked the secretary whether the Navy had identified secure locations to build replacement facilities for Red Hill, and whether it had plans to integrate facilities of allies and partners in redistributing fuel.
A Navy spokesperson affirmed the secretary would respond to the letter accordingly.
“As with all congressional correspondence, the Department of the Navy will respond, as appropriate. We have nothing additional to provide at this time,” the spokesperson said, per Reuters.
China’s sole aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, arrives in Hong Kong waters on July 7, 2017, less than a week after a high-profile visit by president Xi Jinping. – China’s national defence ministry had said the Liaoning, named after a northeastern Chinese province, was part of a flotilla on a “routine training mission” and would make a port of call in the former British colony. (ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. military experts continue to warn that the U.S. is unprepared to respond to China’s hegemonic ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, which include seizing territories, facilitating trade negotiations and managing trade routes, and expanding its operational control over disputed waters.
These experts have warned of gaps in U.S. defenses as China, which now has more naval vessels than the United States, continues to dramatically expand its military.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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Video captured a large emergency response after a small plane crashed into Beijing’s tallest skyscraper on Friday, prompting an immediate information blackout from Chinese authorities, The Associated Press reported.
Video and photos shared on social media appear to show the aircraft plummeting to the ground after smashing a large hole in the 108-story CITIC Tower, located in the Chinese capital’s business district.
Police, fire and EMS workers were spotted at the scene preventing witnesses from taking photos and attempting to clear the area.
People gather near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after an eyewitness reported plane debris at the base of Beijing’s tallest building. Video footage taken from a nearby building by the witness showed fire trucks blasting water at smoke billowing from the 528-metre (1,732-foot) CITIC Tower, while the wreck of a plane lay on the ground beside the building. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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A person working inside the high-rise said the plane crash triggered the building’s fire alarms.
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the aircraft was a Sunward SA 60L Aurora, which took off about 30 miles east of the city and crashed shortly before 6 p.m. local time.
ADS-B data for the flight only includes a partial flight path and stops prior to the crash, according to air traffic data.
A hole is seen (R) on the side of the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026, after a reported plane crash. (Peter Catterall/AFP via Getty Images)
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The AP reported that photos and videos of the incident escaped the country’s “great firewall” and were circulated on social media platform X, though Chinese censors have removed content about the crash from the country’s restricted internet.
No information has been released by government officials or state-run media, as of Friday afternoon.
Police personnel block the road near the CITIC Tower in Beijing on June 26, 2026. (Adek Berry/AFP via Getty Images)
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The cause of the crash, identity of the pilot, and the number of casualties remain unclear.
The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The military government, in power since a coup in 2022, accused France of having ‘neo-colonial ambitions’.
Published On 26 Jun 2026
Burkina Faso has broken off diplomatic relations with France, further widening the rift with its former colonial ruler.
“The government of Burkina Faso hereby informs the national and international community that it has decided to sever diplomatic relations with France with effect from today, June 26, 2026,” said Friday’s statement read out on national television.
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The military government led by Captain Ibrahim Traore, in power since a coup in September 2022, is pursuing a policy against critical voices and Western countries, especially France.
In the TV announcement, the government accused France of persistently acting against its interests.
“The essential conditions for promoting relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal trust, respect for the principle of non-interference in internal affairs and national sovereignty are not in place,” said Communications Minister, Gilbert Ouedraogo.
He said the decision followed a review of relations with Paris. He accused France of having “neo-colonial ambitions, made evident by its active support for subversive networks and the terrorists who are plunging our country and the Sahel into mourning”.
In January, political parties in Burkina Faso were formally dissolved by the military government, which has also seized all their assets in a move analysts say is a major blow for democracy in the West African nation.
Landlocked Burkina Faso is grappling with several armed groups which have seized control of land in the country’s north, south and west. These include the al-Qaeda-backed Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) and Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), which also operate in neighbouring Mali and Niger.
Burkina Faso’s military has been accused of committing atrocities, including the ethnic cleansing of Fulani civilians, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, Human Rights Watch found last April.
According to the government statement released on Friday, the decision to cut ties with France “exclusively concerns diplomatic relations between the two states” and “does not call into question the historical, human, cultural and social ties between the people of Burkina Faso and France”.
It added that French nationals in Burkina Faso will continue to be protected in accordance with the law.
Once a significant power in northern, central and western Africa, France has seen its influence shrink in recent years, especially as many of its former African colonies, particularly in the Sahel, have distanced themselves and become more closely aligned with Russia and China.
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