TheList 5290

The List 5290 TGB


Good Thursday Morning April 23

Regards,

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Today in Naval History

On This Day April 23

1915

Lt. Patrick N. L. Bellinger, in the Burgess-Dunne AH-10 seaplane, establishes a United States altitude record for seaplanes by ascending to 10,000 feet over Pensacola, Fla.

1918

USS Stewart (DD 13) races to the spot where two seaplanes are dropping bombs on a submarine. Stewart drops two depth charges and the explosions bring oil to the surface and the sub is declared a kill at the time, but it survives to surrender at the end of World War I.

1943

USS Seawolf (SS-197) sinks Japanese Patrol Boat #39 off east central coast of Formosa, while the enemy warship is screening the towing of the wrecked Nisshin Maru.

1945

Navy Patrol Bomber PB4Y Liberators (VPB 109) employ Bat missiles against Japanese shipping off Balikpapan, Borneo in the first combat use of the only automatic homing missile to be used in World War II.

1945

USS Besugo (SS 321) sinks the German submarine U 183 in the Java Sea.

1953

After five UN personnel are wounded on the island of Tee-do, Korea, USS Henderson (DD 785) is sent to suppress gunfire and USS Owen (DD 536) evacuates the wounded to USS Manchester (CL 83).



CHINFO

Executive Summary:

• President Trump warned Iran that the U.S. Navy would sink Iranian gunboats harassing U.S. ships at sea, numerous outlets report.

• Multiple outlets also reported that Iran announced the launch of its first successful military satellite.

• CNN reports that there are COVID-19 cases on 26 Navy warships while 14 have already recovered.

CORONAVIRUS:



This day in World History

April 23



1348

The first English order of knighthood is founded.


1500

Pedro Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.


1521

The Comuneros are crushed by royalist troops in Spain.


1661

Charles II is formally crowned king, returning the monarchy to Britain, albeit with greatly reduced powers.


1759

British forces seize Basse-Terre and Guadeloupe from France.


1789

President George Washington moves into Franklin House, New York.


1826

Missolonghi falls to Egyptian forces.


1856

Free Stater J.N. Mace in Westport, Kansas shoots pro-slavery sheriff Samuel Jones in the back.


1865

Union cavalry units continue to skirmish with Confederate forces in Henderson, North Carolina and Munford's Station, Alabama.


1895

Russia, France, and Germany force Japan to return the Liaodong peninsula to China.


1896

Motion pictures premiere in New York City.


1914

The Federals defeat Kansas City 9-1 in the first major league game to be played in Chicago's Weeghman Park, later renamed Wrigley Field.


1915

The ACA becomes the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics (NACA), the forerunner of NASA.


1920

The Turkish Grand National Assembly has first meeting in Ankara.


1924

The U.S. Senate passes the Soldiers' Bonus Bill.


1945

The Soviet Army fights its way into Berlin.


1950

Chiang Kai-shek evacuates Hainan, leaving mainland China to Mao Zedong and the communists.


1954

The Army-McCarthy hearings begin.


1966

President Lyndon Johnson publicly appeals for more nations to come to the aid of South Vietnam.


1969

Sirhan Sirhan is sentenced to death for killing Senator Robert Kennedy.


1971

The Soviet Union launches Soyuz 10, becoming the first mission to the Salyut 1 space station.




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Thanks to NHHC



This disaster was kept secret for many years.



In the early hours of April 28, 1944, 75 years ago, nine German S-boats attacked a U.S. Navy LST convoy in the English Channel participating in Exercise Tiger—an Allied rehearsal for the upcoming Invasion of Normandy—killing more than 700 Sailors and Soldiers. LST-507 and LST-531 were sunk. LST-289 was damaged. German S-boats were high-speed torpedo boats capable of operating at speeds of 34–36 knots, and they sometimes patrolled the channel at night. On the morning of April 28, the German torpedo boats managed to evade the Allied patrols, attack the convoy, and escape using smoke and high speed. The exercise was so secret that casualty information was not released until after the invasion. To learn more, read the oral history by Lt. Eugene E. Eckstam and Slapton Sands: The Cover-up that Never Was at NHHC's website. Next week, we'll share a new essay that combines what we know about Exercise Tiger with an analysis of German naval documents seized by U.S. forces at the end of World War II. These sources reveal underlying causes of the disaster as well as how Allied commanders managed to eliminate the S-boat threat in the English Channel just a week into Operation Neptune, the Normandy invasion.



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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS for April 23



1912: Lt Col Charles B. Winder, Ohio National Guard, became the first Army-trained Guardsman to qualify as a pilot (FAI pilot certificate No. 130). (24)

1915: Over Pensacola Bay, Lt Patrick N. L. Bellinger set an American altitude record of 10,000 feet for seaplanes in a Burgess-Dunne AH-10. (24) The NACA held its first meeting in Secretary of War Lindley M. Garrison's office. Brig Gen George P. Scriven, Chief Signal Officer, elected temporary chairman.

1919: Under Special Order 95, Brig Gen William "Billy" Mitchell, Lt Col Lewis H. Brereton, Lt Col John W. Reynolds, Maj Melvin A. Hall, Maj Carl A. Spaatz, and Capt Reed M. Chambers were rated Military Aviators for distinguished service in World War I with 75 percent flying pay. (24)

1924: Ward T. Van Orman won the National Balloon Race at San Antonio. He landed at Rochester, Minn., after covering 1,725.22 kilometers, or 1,070 miles. (24)

1945: In Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateers, Patrol Bombing Squadron 109 launched two Bat missiles against enemy shipping in Balikpapan Harbor, Borneo. This was the first combat employment of the only automatic homing missile used in World War II. (24)

1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces flew some 340 close air support sorties, one of the highest daily totals prior to 1953. The 336 FIS began operating from Suwon AB, S. Korea, so that its F-86s could operate for longer periods in MiG Alley near the Yalu River. Through 26 April, Far East Air Forces flew over 1,000 combat sorties daily, inflicting enemy casualties and destroying supplies needed to sustain the offensive. (28)

1956: The Douglas C-133 Globemaster first flown. (3) (12)

1958: From Cape Canaveral, a Thor-Vanguard reentry vehicle carried a mouse to obtain data on how space flight affected animals.

1959: A B-52 fired the first North American GAM-77 Hound Dog missile at Eglin AFB. The supersonic air-launched missile was designed to deliver a nuclear warhead to a target several hundred miles away. (6) (12) Launched from Cape Canaveral, a Thor missile struck a target area over 1,500 miles away. (24)

1962: NASA's Ranger IV, a lunar satellite, failed to achieve its planned parking orbit around the moon. NASA believed the satellite crashed on the moon's dark side on 26 April. (24)

1964: The DoD renamed the A-11 as the YF-12A, a fighter-interceptor that did not enter the USAF inventory. The USAF later accepted a reconnaissance variant, the SR-71 Blackbird. (4)

1965: The 1501 ATW at Travis AFB received the first operational C-141 Starlifter (63-8075). (12)

1970: A C-130 dropped 16 million leaflets over North Korea in the first FOCUS TRUTH mission since November 1968. These PACAF missions depended on rare southeast winds to ensure the proper distribution of leaflets. (17)

1979: The first B-52G modified for the ALCM program arrived for testing at Edwards AFB. (3)

1980: CLOUD CHORUS. Through 24 April, PACAF E-3A AWACS aircraft participated in this NATO exercise for the first time. The exercise occurred at Ramstein AB. (16)

1981: The 416 BMW, Griffiss AFB, received SAC's first operational ALCM. (6)

1991: SECAF Donald B. Rice announced the winner of the Advanced Tactical Fighter competition. He selected the Lockheed/Boeing/General Dynamics F-22 with the Pratt and Whitney F-119 engine. (20)

1998: A test team from Edwards AFB successfully dropped the first Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser Sensor-Fused Weapon from a B-52. (3)

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From Dutch….More Big Brother…No Joke

thanks to a Windmiller -



This 'contact tracing' program is already up and running. If you have a newer vehicle, a newer smartphone, an ebook (Kindle, etc) or other technology with a bluetooth beacon, you ARE being tracked and your personal data IS in massive databases.



They claim to 'wipe all personally identifiable data' by anonymizing it, to protect your privacy.

Not true.

Data is useless if it is not accurate. Anonymized data is worthless for developing any meaningful algorithms. ALL your data is in these databases.



If this worries you, and it should, consider placing your smartphone in a RFID-blocking sleeve. This way, you have it available in case of emergency, but as long as it is in the pouch, you cannot be tracked.

(Tinfoil will not work)



Turn OFF your bluetooth whenever you are not using it, to minimize your digital footprint.



Article below was written by Leftist media, so it is biased reporting; nonetheless, it does provide some useful details and explanations of what has been happening all across the globe.



https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/21/21230453/palantir-coronavirus-trump-contract-peter-thiel-tracking-hhs-protect-now



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Thanks to Barrett and Denny

Crozier and the chain of command

According to this review, published last week, Crozier did not jump the chain of command, which featured hugely in the navy's reason for sacking him. (The article lists his CCs.) Also, seems lost in the shuffle that his original email was leaked to the SFO Chronicle along the line, hence (presumably) the notion that he avoided the CofC.



https://blog.usni.org/posts/2020/04/17/return-crozier-to-the-roosevelt-restore-faith-in-the-navy?utm_source=U.S.%20Naval%20Institute&utm_campaign=ca13638b29-Proceedings_Editor_EMAIL_2020_3_03_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_adee2c2162-ca13638b29-222925633&mc_cid=ca13638b29&mc_eid=68238327dd




Return Crozier to the Roosevelt, Restore Faith in the Navy

I began a recent op-ed I wrote with a nod to then-Lieutenant General George Washington's thoughts on good order and discipline. In a 1757 letter to his Virginia Regiment captains, Washington commented on the importance of good order and discipline when he wrote that, "Discipline is the soul of an...

blog.usni.org


Reminds me of Kelso & Garrett's ready-fire-aim attitude during the Tailhook Leadership Scandal...

Anyway:

If nothing else, we're well rid of an atrocious SecNav, but at what cost? Remains to be seen.

BT

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23 APRIL

Feast Day of St. George, Patron Saint of Armor and Cavalry: The story and history of Saint George. Saint George was born in Cappadocia, at the close of the third century, of Christian parents. In early youth he chose a soldier's life, and soon obtained the favor of Diocletian, who advanced him to the grade of tribune. When, however, the emperor began to persecute the Christians, George rebuked him at once sternly and openly for his cruelty, and threw up his commission. He was in consequence subjected to a lengthened series of torments, and finally beheaded. There was something so inspiriting in the defiant cheerfulness of the young soldier, that every Christian felt a personal share in this triumph of Christian fortitude; and as years rolled on St. George became a type of successful combat against evil, the slayer of the dragon, the darling theme of camp song and story, until "so thick a shade his very glory round him made" that his real lineaments became hard to trace. Even beyond the circle of Christendom he was held in honor, and invading Saracens taught themselves to except from desecration the image of him they hailed as the "White-horsed Knight." The devotion to St. George is one of the most ancient and widely spread in the Church. In the East, a church of St. George is ascribed to Constantine, and his name is invoked in the most ancient liturgies; whilst in the West, Malta, Barcelona, Valencia, Arragon, Genoa, and England have chosen him as their patron.

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1945 – Less than two weeks after taking over as president after the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman gives a tongue-lashing to Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov. The incident indicated that Truman was determined to take a "tougher" stance with the Soviets than his predecessor had. When Roosevelt died of a massive stroke on April 12, 1945, Harry S. Truman took over as president. Truman was overwhelmed by the responsibilities so suddenly thrust upon him and, particularly in terms of foreign policy, the new president was uncertain about his approach. Roosevelt had kept his vice-president in the dark about most diplomatic decisions, not even informing Truman about the secret program to develop an atomic bomb. Truman had to learn quickly, however. The approaching end of World War II meant that momentous decisions about the postwar world needed to be made quickly. The primary issue Truman faced was how to deal with the Soviet Union. Just weeks before his death, Roosevelt met with Russian leader Joseph Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at Yalta to discuss the postwar situation. Agreements made during the meeting left the Soviets in de facto control of Eastern Europe in exchange for Soviet promises to hold "democratic" elections in Poland. Some officials in the U.S. government were appalled at these decisions, believing that Roosevelt was too "soft" on the Soviets and naive in his belief that Stalin would cooperate with the West after the war. Truman gravitated to this same point of view, partially because of his desire to appear decisive, but also because of his long-standing animosity toward the Soviets. On April 23, 1945, Soviet Foreign Minister Molotov arrived at the White House for a meeting with the new president. Truman immediately lashed out at Molotov, "in words of one syllable," as the president later recalled. As Molotov listened incredulously, Truman charged that the Soviets were breaking their agreements and that Stalin needed to keep his word. At the end of Truman's tirade, Molotov indignantly declared that he had never been talked to in such a manner. Truman, not to be outdone, replied that if Molotov had kept his promises, he would not need to be talked to like that. Molotov stormed out of the meeting. Truman was delighted with his own performance, telling one friend that he gave the Soviet official "the straight one-two to the jaw." The president was convinced that a tough stance was the only way to deal with the communists, a policy that came to dominate America's early Cold War policies toward the Soviets.



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World News from Military Periscope for 23 April



USA—Chinese Agents Pushed Disinformation About COVID-19 Response New York Times | 04/23/2020 U.S. officials say Chinese intelligence personnel helped spread misinformation and conspiracy theories as the U.S. began to implement measures to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the New York Times. The messages spread in early March warned of an imminent shutdown of most of the country enforced by the military. Further intelligence analysis indicates that Chinese operatives helped to spread the messages across several platforms, six U.S. officials told the newspaper on Wednesday. Intelligence personnel did not reveal details of the evidence linking the Chinese to the spread of information. Two sources said that they did not believe China created the messages but merely amplified existing conspiracy theories. Chinese operatives appeared to use similar methods as Russian agents during their 2016 disinformation campaign ahead of the U.S. presidential election.



USA—Trump Tells Navy To Destroy Iranian Boats Harassing American Ships Business Insider | 04/23/2020 President Donald Trump says that he has instructed the Navy to destroy any Iranian vessels that harass American ships at sea, reports Business Insider. On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that he "instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea." No additional information on such an order to the Navy has been made public. The Navy would continue to abide by the international laws of armed conflict, a Navy spokesman said, as reported by the Washington Post. The spokesman said the service had nothing to add in response to the tweet. Use of lethal force in response to harassment by other vessels would likely violate the laws of armed conflict. Senior Pentagon officials said that the tweet was intended as a warning to Tehran and indicated that the U.S. military would likely continue to abide by its existing right to self-defense instead of making any changes to its rules, reported Reuters. Trump was responding to the harassment of a U.S. naval flotilla in the Persian Gulf last week by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy gunboats.



USA—COVID-19 Pandemic Expected To Hit F-35 Production Defense News | 04/23/2020 Lockheed Martin says it expects that production of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter will be disrupted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports Defense News. On Tuesday, Lockheed officials said that distancing requirements at companies and other workforce disruptions are slowing production throughout the supply chain. More analysis will be performed over the next few weeks to determine the affect of the disruptions, including on deliveries, said the officials. In addition, Lockheed has discovered a problem with performance-based payment invoices from suppliers, which are issued once certain milestones are met. Several unnamed suppliers will be delinquent on their invoices in April, some for administrative reasons and others for failing to achieve milestones, said a Lockheed official. Most of the issues are related to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, Lockheed officials maintained that development and follow-on modernization work remained on track. Lockheed's announcement came a day after Pentagon officials warned that it anticipated a three-month delay for all of its major acquisition projects as a result of COVID-19.



Spain—Lockheed Wins Aegis Work For New Frigates Dept. Of Defense | 04/23/2020 The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a Foreign Military Sales contract to supply Aegis combat system components for five new multimission frigates being built by Spain, reports the Dept. of Defense. The US$519 million contract covers international Aegis fire-control loop development; solid-state S-band radar processing groups; tools and test equipment; and spare parts for the frigates, the Pentagon said in a release on Wednesday. The equipment will support the Aegis Baseline 9C.2 combat system. Work under the contract is scheduled to be completed by April 2030.



Germany—Trial Of Syrian Intelligence Officers Begins In Koblenz Deutsche Welle | 04/23/2020 The trial of two Syrian intelligence officers accused of crimes against humanity has begun in Germany, reports Deutsche Welle. On Thursday, the trial of Anwar Raslan, a 57-year-old former colonel and head of Branch 251 of Syrian military intelligence, and Eyad Al Gharib, a lower-ranking member of Branch 251, began in Koblenz, in the western Rhineland-Palatinate state, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). Raslan, the principal defendant, is believed to have overseen the torture of about 4,000 prisoners from April 2011 and September 2012. He is accused of responsibility for the rape and torture of detainees, which led to the deaths of at least 58. In 2012, Raslan defected from the regime and eventually fled to Germany, where he was living when he was arrested last year. Gharib is charged with complicity in the torture of at least 30 people. Most of the victims were said to be political opponents of the Syrian government who were picked up in the early days of the civil war. This is the first international trial to target members of the Assad regime for human-rights violations during the war. They are being charged under Germany's Code of Crimes Against International Law, which allows for universal jurisdiction in extreme cases. Evidence for the trial includes thousands of photos of victims and survivors supplied by a defector known as Caesar as well as evidence collected by human-rights organizations in Europe, in some cases brought by Syrian refugees, reported BBC News.



Russia—Development Of New Destroyer, Frigate Halted The War Zone | 04/23/2020 Russia's Severynoye Design Bureau says that it has halted development of new destroyer and frigate designs for the Russian navy, reports the War Zone website. Work on the Project 23560 Lider-class destroyer and Project 22350M modernized Admiral Gorshkov-class frigate stopped in 2019 due to a lack of interest from the Russian navy, according to an annual review of its 2019 activity obtained by the Interfax (Russia) news agency. The Lider project was unveiled in 2015, although work reportedly began in 2013. The design called for a nuclear-powered warship with a displacement of 19,000 tons, much greater than most destroyer classes. Each vessel was expected to cost US$1.5 billion, although analysts have questioned how realistic such estimates were. The Lider class would have carried 64 vertical launch systems for land-attack and anti-ship missiles. Various air defense systems were also to be fitted. The project was put on hold by the Russian government in 2017, which was believed to be due to its high costs. Nevertheless, there continued to be reports that construction on the first vessel would begin in 2022 or 2023. The Project 22350M frigate was an upgraded variant of the Admiral Gorshkov-class design featuring a larger hull and additional vertical launch cells. The shipyard warned in the annual report that cancellation of two major state-backed programs left it in an unstable financial situation.



Taiwan—Defense Minister Takes Responsibility For COVID-19 Outbreak On Supply Ship Taipei Times | 04/23/2020 Defense Minister Yen De-fa has taken responsibility after a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on a navy support ship, reports the Taipei Times. Th Panshih was part of a three-ship flotilla that visited Palau in March before returning to Kaohsiung in April 9. The crew disembarked on April 15, with the first COVID-19 cases confirmed on April 18, said the Taiwan Central Epidemic Command Center. On Tuesday, three more cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 27. On April 18, all 744 personnel who sailed on the Panshih were recalled for testing and quarantined for 14 days. Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Yen took responsibility, saying he had approved the mission. Yen and navy chief Adm. Liu Chih-pun apologized and asked to be punished. President Tsai Ing-wen ruled out immediately dismissing Yen in a social media post shortly after the apology, reported Reuters. Rear Adm. Chen Tao-hui, the captain of the flotilla, and Vice Adm. Kao Chia-pin, the flotilla commander, were reassigned to new posts for their role in the incident. Yen said that disease prevention plans had been drawn up prior to the deployment, but shortcomings in reporting, testing and measures to prevent the spread of the virus contributed to the outbreak.



Japan—Counter-Piracy Detachment To Remain In Djibouti Asahi Shimbun | 04/23/2020 A Japanese maritime patrol aircraft unit deployed on a counter-piracy mission in Djibouti will not be relieved due to travel restrictions caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo). On April 21, Defense Minister Taro Kono announced that the 60 personnel assigned to the unit would remain in Djibouti and continue their mission. The ministry has been prevented from replacing the personnel with a new detachment by restrictions on the entry of foreign nationals by the government of Djibouti to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tokyo is continuing to negotiate with Djibouti to reach an agreement that would allow the personnel to be replaced, Kono said. Two P-3C maritime patrol aircraft currently deployed with the detachment will be replaced with aircraft from Japan. The deployed aircraft are due for inspection next month. The unit deployed in January and was scheduled to rotate back to Japan at the end of April.



North Korea—Panic-Buying In Pyongyang Linked To COVID-19 Measures NK News | 04/23/2020 Reports from Pyongyang indicate that people have been "panic-buying" staples, creating shortages in shops in the capital, reports the NK News website. Witnesses told the news website that store shelves have been increasingly empty since Monday, with a surge of shoppers seen on Wednesday. A source told the website that they had been instructed to stock up on some staple goods. The reason for the panic-buying was not immediately clear. The range of goods available in Pyongyang has been diminishing since North Korea closed its borders in January due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in China. On Monday, state media reported undisclosed "tougher measures" to address the pandemic in North Korea. North Korea has publicly denied that the any cases of the virus had been confirmed in its territory. A recent report by Radio Free Asia indicated that the virus has spread to several areas of the country. The report noted that the prices of staple goods were rising due to increased demand.



Thailand—Defense Ministry Slashes Spending To Support COVID-19 Efforts Bangkok Post | 04/23/2020 Thailand is cutting its defense budget to free up funds to deal with the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, reports the Bangkok Post. On Wednesday, army chief Gen. Apirat Kongsompong confirmed that US$555 million from the defense ministry's fiscal 2020 budget had been returned to the government. More than half of the cuts have been taken from the army's budget, resulting in the postponement of several procurement projects, including for tanks, artillery and radar systems, said a source. This includes deferring the acquisition of 50 additional Stryker armored personnel carriers until next year. The US$139 million acquisition was met with criticism when it was announced on Monday. Meanwhile, the Thai navy cut its budget by 33 percent, or US$126 million, including payments for the second and third submarines being ordered from China. Those payments are being deferred to 2021, officials said. Other naval infrastructure and modernization projects have also been put on hold.



India—Four Militants Die In Kashmir Gun Battle The Hindu | 04/23/2020 Indian security forces have killed four suspected terrorists in a gunfight in southern Kashmir, reported the Hindu. On Tuesday evening, personnel from the army's 55 Rashtriya Rifles, police and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) encircled the militants during a search-and-cordon operation in the village of Melhora in the southern Shopian district. The militants opened fire on the troops and were killed in the subsequent gun battle, said police. No casualties were reported among the security forces. Police were still investigating what group the militants belonged to, officials said. This was reportedly the 12th engagement between security forces and militants in Kashmir over the past 20 days, reported Russia's Sputnik news agency. As many as 16 terrorists and 11 troops have been killed in that fighting.



Pakistan—New VT-4 Tanks On The Way Defence-Blog | 04/23/2020 Chinese manufacturer NORINCO has shipped an initial batch of VT-4 main battle tanks to Pakistan, reports the Defence Blog. The tanks were shipped in mid-April from the Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group factory, a NORINCO subsidiary, in Baotou in China's Inner Mongolia province. The Pakistani army chose the VT-4 in 2019 to fill a requirement for new tanks. The Pakistani vehicles will be equipped with a 125-mm cannon, autoloader and explosive reactive armor. The gun, autoloader and crew configuration are the same as the older Al Khalid tanks already in Pakistani service. Pakistan has reportedly ordered 100 VT-4s to fill a gap due to inadequate domestic tank production.



Afghanistan—Security Forces Destroy JeM Bases In Nangarhar Province TOLONews | 04/23/2020 Afghan troops have destroyed bases belonging to a Pakistani terrorist group in eastern Afghanistan, reports the Tolo News (Kabul). On Wednesday, Afghan forces destroyed the bases used by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Nangarhar province, near the border with Pakistan. During the operation, troops captured a Pakistani national from Punjab. Zee News (India) identified the individual as Muneeb, alias Abu Hilal, who was believed to have links to a number international and Kashmiri militant groups. Afghan forces also recovered several weapons, including small arms and undisclosed "advanced weapons," said military officials. JeM formed to oppose Indian administration of the disputed Kashmir region. It is widely believed to receive support from Pakistani intelligence services.



Iraq—4 Brigades Break Away From PMF Command The National | 04/23/2020 Four brigades of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) umbrella group have departed to come under the direct control of the Iraqi government, reports the National (Abu Dhabi). In a letter to Faleh Al Fayyad, the new head of the PMF, outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi wrote that the Imam Ali, Ali Al Akbar, Abbas and Ansar Al Marjaiya brigades would no longer serve under the PMF. The four brigades would come under the direction of the prime minister's office. The units, created in June 2014 following a fatwa from Ayatollah Ali Sistani, remain loyal to the Iraqi Shi'ite leader, reported Asharq Al-Awsat (London). In March, representatives of the brigades met with Defense Minister Najah Al-Shammari to express their support for the unity and independence of Iraq and readiness to come under the command of the defense ministry. The move indicates the end of Sistani's call for Iraqi paramilitaries to unite to oppose ISIS, said an Iraqi lawmaker. In July 2019, Abdul Mahdi ordered that the militias from the PMF, officially part of the Iraqi armed forces, more closely integrate with the military command, including facing the same punishment for violating regulations, Reuters reported at the time. Iraq has struggled to rein in the influence of the paramilitaries, many backed by Iran, since declaring victory against ISIS in 2017.



Egypt—Lawmakers Pass Expanded Emergency Law To Counter COVID-19 Reuters | 04/23/2020 Egyptian lawmakers have passed amendments to emergency laws granting greater authority to the president and military prosecutors as part of efforts to combat the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Reuters. The amendments, approved on Wednesday, permit security forces to enforce measures intended to slow the spread of the virus, including banning large gatherings, quarantining those returning from abroad, banning certain exports and restricting some trade. It also grants increased authority in administering or directing health care, including transforming some sites into field hospitals. Egypt has the largest COVID-19 outbreak on the African continent, with more than 3,600 confirmed cases and 276 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Egypt has passed extensions of an emergency law every three months since the Easter 2017 bombings at two churches that killed dozens.



South Africa—Hercules Transport Suffers Minor Damage After Landing Gear Collapse Defence Web | 04/23/2020 A South African air force cargo aircraft has been damaged after its nose wheel collapsed as it was preparing for a test flight, reports Defence Web (South Africa). On Tuesday, the C-130H transport was preparing for a flight at Air Force Base Waterkloof. When the number two engine was started, the nose wheel either collapsed or was accidentally retracted. State-owned defense firm Denel has been bringing the aircraft back to airworthiness, including addressing oil pressure issues on the number two engine. The damage to the aircraft was said to be minor. An investigation into the incident has been launched.