Defense Secretary James Mattis has said additional defense funds under the fiscal 2017 omnibus spending bill would support efforts to rebuild military readiness and address budget shortfalls facing the Defense Department, DoD Buzz reported Tuesday.

Mattis noted that the defense spending boost will aid the campaign against the Islamic State militant group and support ongoing operations in Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump signed the $1 trillion spending bill that would fund government operations through Sept. 30 and increase defense budget by $21 billion.

“Everything from new missiles and ammunition, to facility upgrades, to new aircraft are being funded by this bill,” said Mattis.

The bill includes a $15 billion increase in overseas contingency operations funds and provides $85 million for Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as $151 million for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in South Korea, the report stated.

Leo Davies, chief of Australia’s air force, has said he believes the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft will help increase connections between the armed forces of Australia, the U.S. and regional allies, Breaking Defense reported Thursday.

Davies told a forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the F-35 offers interoperability on a regional level for Australian and U.S. forces as well as allied JSF operators and potential partners in Asia.

“Ultimately, whether through friendship or institutional arrangement, our combined joint capability means we can prosecute our shared interest together more decisively,” added Davies, according to the report.

Davies noted that Australia’s adoption of F-35 aircraft and decision to procure P-8 Poseidon, EA-18G Growler and MQ-4C Triton units can also drive what he called “institutional interoperability.”

Maj. Gen. Steven Rudder, director for strategic planning and policy at the U.S. Pacific Command, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to serve deputy commandant for aviation at the U.S. Marine Corps headquarters.

The Defense Department said Wednesday that President Trump also endorsed the promotion of Rudder to the rank of lieutenant general.

Rudder previously served as commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing as well as supply officer and platoon commander of the 3rd Amphibious Assault Battalion.

His previous assignments have included roles such as maintenance quality assurance officer; weapons and tactics instructor; logistics and operations officer; future operations officer; and military assistant at the office of the secretary of defense, among others.

Rudder was also deployed to Japan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Qatar, Iraq and the U.S. European Command and Central Command‘s areas of responsibility.

The 49th Wing at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico has conducted a five-day surge to test the capacities of the base’s airmen and civilian personnel in a remotely piloted aircraft mission.

The U.S. Air Force said Wednesday the 6th, 9th and 29th Attack Squadrons performed 45 sorties for more than 465 flight hours using a General Atomics-built MQ-9 Reaper RPA to help maintainers, sensor operators and student pilots discover and experience the platform’s limitations.

The event also provided commanders with an opportunity to exercise the MQ-9 system and analyze the accuracy, competency and proficiency of the operating squadrons.

Holloman AFB’s aircraft maintenance team played a role during the surge in operations when both aircraft and simulators were fully utilized to the maximum extent possible in support of student training efforts.

“Right now we are launching aircraft that will stay airborne for 10, 11 or 12 hours, and it takes a very fine-tuned sequence and schedule in order to execute launching those operations,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Monroe, commander of the 9th Attack Squadron.