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Good Thursday late Morning April 30. Frequent Wind and some world news

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This day in Naval History April 30, 2019



This one deserves the Headline



Thanks to The Naval History and Heritage Command



Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973 - 1975





Operation Frequent Wind

On 29 April 1975, Commander Task Force 76 received the order to execute Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese who might suffer as a result of their past service to the allied effort.



During the period from 29 March 1973 to 30 April 1975, the Defense Attaché Office (DAO), Saigon, administered the American military assistance to the Republic of Vietnam. Limited by the Paris Agreement to 50 or fewer military personnel, the activity was staffed predominantly by civilians and contractors. The DAO was responsible for providing supplies and material to the 42,000-man Vietnamese Navy, which operated 672 amphibious ships and craft, 20 mine warfare vessels, 450 patrol craft, 56 service craft, and 242 junks. The quality of personnel in the naval service remained adequate over the two-year period. A drastic cut in U.S. financial support, however, hurt the navy's overall readiness. The U.S. Congress appropriated only $700 million for fiscal year 1975, forcing the Vietnamese Navy to reduce its overall operations by 50 percent and its river combat and patrol activities by 70 percent. To conserve scarce ammunition and fuel, Saigon laid up over 600 river and harbor craft and 22 ships. The enemy did not target the waterways during 1973 and 1974, but such would not be the case in 1975 when the coastal areas of South Vietnam became the war's main operational theater.

Naval Evacuation of I and II Corps

The final test of strength between the Republic of Vietnam and its Communist antagonists that many observers had long predicted occurred in the early months of 1975. Seeking to erode the government's military position in the vulnerable II Corps area, on 10 March Communist forces attacked Ban Me Thuot, the capital of isolated Darlac Province, and routed the South Vietnamese troops there. The debacle convinced President Nguyen Van Thieu that even the strategic Pleiku and Kontum Provinces to the north could not be held and must be evacuated. Accordingly, on the fifteenth, government forces and thousands of civilian refugees began an exodus toward Tuy Hoa on the coast but that degenerated into a panicked flight when the enemy interdicted the main road. The enemy dispersed or destroyed many of the South Vietnamese II Corps units in this catastrophe.

These events set off a chain reaction as the demoralized South Vietnamese troops abandoned port after port along the South Vietnamese coast to swiftly advancing North Vietnamese forces. Learning of the disaster in II Corps and confused by contradictory deployment orders from Saigon, the defenders of I Corps also began to crack. Giving up Hue on 25 March, Vietnamese troops retreated in disorder toward Danang. The Vietnamese Navy rescued thousands of men cut off on the coast southeast of Hue, but heavy weather and the general confusion limited the sealift's effectiveness. On the previous day (24 March) government units evacuated Tam Ky and Quang Ngai in southern I Corps and also streamed toward Danang. Simultaneously, the navy transported elements of the 2d Division from Chu Lai to Re Island 20 miles offshore. With five North Vietnamese divisions pressing the remnants of the South Vietnamese armed forces and hundreds of thousands of refugees into Danang, order in the city disintegrated. Looting, arson, and riot ruled the city as over two million people sought a way out of the ever-closing trap.

During this period of growing chaos in South Vietnam, the U.S. Navy readied for evacuation operations. On 24 March, the Military Sealift Command (MSC), formerly the Military Sea Transportation Service, dispatched the following tugs, pulling a total of six barges, from Vung Tau toward Danang:

Asiatic Stamina
Chitose Maru
Osceola
Pawnee
Shibaura Maru

On 25 March, the following ships were alerted for imminent evacuation operations in South Vietnam:

SS American Racer
SS Green Forest
SS Green Port
SS Green Wave
SS Pioneer Commander
SS Pioneer Contender
SS Transcolorado
USNS Greenville Victory
USNS Sgt Andrew Miller
USNS Sgt. Truman Kimbro

Noncombatants were chosen for the mission because the Paris Agreement prohibited the entry of U.S. Navy or other military forces into the country.

With the arrival at Danang of Pioneer Contender on 27 March, the massive U.S. sea evacuation of I and II Corps began. During the next several days four of the five barge-pulling tugs and Sgt. Andrew Miller, Pioneer Commander, and American Challenger put in at the port. The vessels embarked U.S. Consulate, MSC, and other American personnel and thousands of desperate Vietnamese soldiers and civilians. When the larger ships were filled to capacity with 5,000 to 8,000 passengers, they individually sailed for Cam Ranh Bay further down the coast. By 30 March order in the city of Danang and in the harbor had completely broken down. Armed South Vietnamese deserters fired on civilians and each other, the enemy fired on the American vessels and sent sappers ahead to destroy port facilities, and refugees sought to board any boat or craft afloat. The hundreds of vessels traversing the harbor endangered the safety of all. Weighing these factors, the remaining U.S. and Vietnamese Navy ships loaded all the people they could and steamed for the south. MSC ships carried over 30,000 refugees from Danang in the four-day operation. American Challenger stayed offshore to pick up stragglers until day's end on 30 March, when the North Vietnamese overran Danang.

In quick succession, the major ports in II Corps fell to the lightly resisted Communist advance. Hampered by South Vietnamese shelling of Qui Nhon, Pioneer Commander, Greenville Victory, Korean-flag LST Boo Heung Pioneer, and three tugs were unable to load evacuees at this city, which fell on 31 March. The speed of the South Vietnamese collapse and the enemy's quick exploitation of it limited the number of refugees rescued from Tuy Hoa and Nha Trang. Before the latter port fell on 2 April, however, Boo Heung Pioneer and Pioneer Commander brought 11,500 passengers on board and put out to sea.

Initially, Cam Ranh Bay was chosen as the safe haven for these South Vietnamese troops and civilians transported by MSC. But, even Cam Ranh Bay was soon in peril. Between 1 and 4 April, many of the refugees just landed were reembarked for further passage south and west to Phu Quoc Island in the Gulf of Siam. Greenville Victory, Sgt. Andrew Miller, American Challenger, and Green Port each embarked between 7,000 and 8,000 evacuees for the journey. Pioneer Contender sailed with 16,700 people filling every conceivable space from stem to stern. Crowding and the lack of sufficient food and water among the 8,000 passengers on board Transcolorado led a number of armed Vietnamese marines to demand they be discharged at the closer port of Vung Tau. The ship's master complied to avoid bloodshed, but this crisis highlighted the need for the Navy to provide better security.

As the magnitude of the calamity in I and II Corps became apparent, the Seventh Fleet deployed elements of the Amphibious Task Force (Task Force 76) to a position off Nha Trang. Because of the political restrictions on the use of American military forces in South Vietnam and the availability of MSC resources, however, Washington limited the naval contingent, then designated the Refugee Assistance Task Group (Task Group 76.8), to a supporting role. For the most part, this entailed command coordination, surface escort duties, and the dispatch of 50-man Marine security details to the MSC flotilla at sea. By 2 April, the task group--Dubuque, Durham (LKA 114), Frederick (LST 1184), and the Task Force 76 flagship Blue Ridge (LCC 19)--was monitoring operations at Cam Ranh Bay and Phan Rang. That same night the first Marine security force to do so boarded Pioneer Contender. A second contingent was airlifted to Transcolorado on the fourth. Dissatisfied with the condition of reception facilities on Phu Quoc and ill-tempered after the arduous passage south, armed passengers in Greenville Victory forced the master to sail to Vung Tau. Guided missile cruiser Long Beach (CGN 9) and escort Reasoner (DE 1063) intercepted the ship and stood by to aid the crew, but the voyage and debarkation of passengers proceeded uneventfully. In addition, Commander Task Group 76.8 immediately concentrated Dubuque, guided missile destroyer Cochrane (DDG 21), storeship Vega (AF 59), and the three ships of Amphibious Ready Group Alpha at Phu Quoc to position security detachments on each of the MSC vessels and to resupply the refugees with food, water, and medicines. Naval personnel also served as translators to ease the registration process. By 10 April, all ships at Phu Quoc were empty, thus bringing to a close the intracoastal sealift of 130,000 U.S. and South Vietnamese citizens. With stabilization of the fighting front at Xuan Loc east of Saigon and the Communists preparation for the final offensive, the need to evacuate by sea diminished. By the fourteenth all naval vessels had departed the waters off South Vietnam and returned to other duties.

Eagle Pull

Meanwhile, the Seventh Fleet focused its attention on Cambodia, in imminent danger of falling to the Communist Khmer Rouge guerrillas. Since 1970, the United States had aided the government of President Lon Nol in its struggle with the indigenous enemy and with North Vietnamese forces arrayed along the border with South Vietnam. The American support included a bombing campaign launched from Navy carriers and Air Force bases as far away as Guam and the delivery to Phnom Penh of arms, ammunition, and essential commodities through airlift and Mekong River convoy. Material assistance to the 6,000-man Cambodian Navy included the transfer of coastal patrol craft, PBRs, converted amphibious craft for river patrol and mine warfare, and auxiliary vessels. Despite this aid, by early 1975 the Communists in Cambodia controlled every population center but Phnom Penh, the capital. As the enemy tightened his ring around the city, the resistance of Cambodian government forces began to crumble.

Concluding that it was only a matter of time before all was lost in Cambodia, American leaders prepared to evacuate American and allied personnel from Phnom Penh. Fleet commanders revised and updated long-standing plans and alerted their forces for this special mission, designated Operation Eagle Pull. On 3 March 1975, Amphibious Ready Group Alpha (Task Group 76.4), and the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (Task Group 79..4) embarked and arrived at a designated station off Kompong Som (previously Sihanoukville) in the Gulf of Siam. By 11 April, the force consisted of amphibious ships Okinawa,Vancouver, and Thomaston (LSD 28), escorted by Edson (DD 946), Henry B. Wilson (DDG 7), Knox (DE 1052), and Kirk (DE 1087). In addition, Hancock disembarked her normal complement of fixed-wing aircraft and took on Marine Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron (HMH) 463 for the operation. Anticipating the need to rescue as many as 800 evacuees, naval leaders decided that they needed all of the squadron's 25 CH-53, CH-46, AH-1J, and UH-1E helicopters and Okinawa's 22 CH-53, AH-1J, and UH-1Es of HMH-462. The amphibious group also carried the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, which would defend the evacuation landing zone near the U.S. Embassy, and reinforced naval medical-surgical teams to care for any casualties. Land-based U.S. Air Force helicopters and tactical aircraft were also on hand to back up the naval effort. Commander U.S. Support Activities Group/7th Air Force (COMUSSAG) was in overall command of the evacuation operation.

On 7 April 1975, the American command put Amphibious Ready Group Alpha on three-hour alert and positioned the force off the Cambodian coast. In the early morning hours of 12 April Washington ordered execution of the daring mission. At 0745 local time, Okinawa began launching helicopters in three waves to carry the 360-man Marine ground security force to the landing zone. One hour later, after traversing 100 miles of hostile territory, the initial wave set down near the embassy and the Marines quickly established a defensive perimeter.

Within the next two hours, U.S. officials assembled the evacuees and quickly loaded them on Okinawa and Hancock helicopters. Because many already had left Cambodia by other means prior to the twelfth, the evacuees numbered only 276. The group included U.S. Ambassador John Gunther Dean, other American diplomatic personnel, the acting president of Cambodia, senior Cambodian government leaders and their families, and members of the news media. In all, 82 U.S., 159 Cambodian, and 35 other nationals were rescued.

By 1041 all the evacuees had been lifted out, and little more than one-half hour later the ground security force also was airborne and heading out to sea. At 1224 all aircraft and personnel were safely on board Amphibious Ready Group Alpha ships. Although one Khmer Rouge 75-millimeter shell landed near the embassy landing zone, no casualties were suffered during the entire operation. The following day, task group helicopters flew the evacuated personnel to Thailand and the naval force set sail for Subic Bay. Thus through detailed planning, preparation, and precise execution, the joint evacuation force successfully accomplished the military mission in Cambodia.

The Fall of South Vietnam

The experience gained in Operation Eagle Pull and in the refugee evacuations from South Vietnam's I and II Corps served the fleet well when the Republic of Vietnam, after 20 years of struggle, collapsed under the Communist onslaught. During the latter half of April, U.S. naval leaders prepared ships and men for the final evacuation of American and allied personnel from South Vietnam. The ships of the MSC flotilla were cleaned, restocked with food, water, and medicine; and deployed off Vung Tau in readiness. In addition, Marine security detachments embarked in each of the vessels and prepared to disarm boarding refugees and ensure order. Rincon (T-AOG-77) stood by to provide fuel to Vietnamese and American ships making the exodus from South Vietnam's waters.

The Seventh Fleet also marshalled its forces in the Western Pacific. Between 18 and 24 April 1975, with the loss of Saigon imminent, the Navy concentrated off Vung Tau a vast assemblage of ships under Commander Task Force 76.

Task Force 76

Blue Ridge (command ship)

Task Group 76.4 (Movement Transport Group Alpha)

Okinawa
Vancouver
Thomaston
Peoria (LST 1183)

Task Group 76.5 (Movement Transport Group Bravo)

Dubuque
Durham
Frederick

Task Group 76.9 (Movement Transport Group Charlie)

Anchorage (LSD 36)
Denver (LPD 9)
Duluth (LPD 6)
Mobile (LKA 115)

The task force was joined by Hancock and Midway, carrying Navy, Marine, and Air Force helicopters; Seventh Fleet flagship Oklahoma City; amphibious ships Mount Vernon (LSD 39), Barbour County (LST 1195), and Tuscaloosa (LST 1187); and eight destroyer types for naval gunfire, escort, and area defense. The Enterprise and Coral Sea carrier attack groups of Task Force 77 in the South China Sea provided air cover while Task Force 73 ensured logistic support. The Marine evacuation contingent, the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (Task Group 79.1), consisted of three battalion landing teams, four helicopter squadrons, support units, and the deployed security detachments.

After a dogged defense at Xuan Loc, the South Vietnamese forces defending the approaches to Saigon finally gave way on 21 April. With the outcome of the conflict clear, President Thieu resigned the same day. On the 29th, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces closed on the capital, easily pushing through the disintegrating Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces. Although U.S. and South Vietnamese leaders had delayed ordering an evacuation, for fear of sparking a premature collapse, the time for decision was now at hand.

At 1108 local time on 29 April 1975, Commander Task Force 76 received the order to execute Operation Frequent Wind (initially Talon Vise), the evacuation of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese who might suffer as a result of their past service to the allied effort. At 1244, from a position 17 nautical miles from the Vung Tau Peninsula, Hancock launched the first helicopter wave. Over two hours later, these aircraft landed at the primary landing zone in the U.S. Defense Attache Office compound in Saigon. Once the ground security force (2d Battalion, 4th Marines) established a defensive cordon, Task Force 76 helicopters began lifting out the thousands of American, Vietnamese, and third-country nationals. The process was fairly orderly. By 2100 that night, the entire group of 5,000 evacuees had been cleared from the site. The Marines holding the perimeter soon followed.

The situation was much less stable at the U.S. Embassy. There, several hundred prospective evacuees were joined by thousands more who climbed fences and pressed the Marine guard in their desperate attempt to flee the city. Marine and Air Force helicopters, flying at night through ground fire over Saigon and the surrounding area, had to pick up evacuees from dangerously constricted landing zones at the embassy, one atop the building itself. Despite the problems, by 0500 on the morning of 30 April, U.S. Ambassador Graham Martin and 2,100 evacuees had been rescued from the Communist forces closing in. Only two hours after the last Marine security force element was extracted from the embassy, Communist tanks crashed through the gates of the nearby Presidential Palace. At the cost of two Marines killed in an earlier shelling of the Defense Attaché Office compound and two helicopter crews lost at sea, Task Force 76 rescued over 7,000 Americans and Vietnamese.

Meanwhile, out at sea, the initial trickle of refugees from Saigon had become a torrent. Vietnamese Air Force aircraft loaded with air crews and their families made for the naval task force. These incoming helicopters (most fuel-starved) and one T-41 trainer complicated the landing and takeoff of the Marine and Air Force helicopters shuttling evacuees. Ships of the task force recovered 41 Vietnamese aircraft, but another 54 were pushed over the side to make room on deck or ditched alongside by their frantic crews. Naval small craft rescued many Vietnamese from sinking helicopters, but some did not survive the ordeal.

This aerial exodus was paralleled by an outgoing tide of junks, sampans, and small craft of all types bearing a large number of the fleeing population. MSC tugs Harumi, Chitose Maru, Osceola, Shibaura Maru, and Asiatic Stamina pulled barges filled with people from Saigon port out to the MSC flotilla. There, the refugees were embarked, registered, inspected for weapons, and given a medical exam. Having learned well from the earlier operations, the MSC crews and Marine security personnel processed the new arrivals with relative efficiency. The Navy eventually transferred all Vietnamese refugees taken on board naval vessels to the MSC ships.

Another large contingent of Vietnamese was carried to safety by a flotilla of 26 Vietnamese Navy and other vessels. These ships concentrated off Son Island southwest of Vung Tau with 30,000 sailors, their families, and other civilians on board.

On the afternoon of 30 April, Task Force 76 and the MSC group moved away from the coast, all the while picking up more seaborne refugees. This effort continued the following day. Finally, when this human tide ceased on the evening of 2 May, Task Force 76, carrying 6,000 passengers; the MSC flotilla of Sgt Truman Kimbro, Sgt Andrew Miller, Greenville Victory, Pioneer Contender, Pioneer Commander, Green Forest, Green Port, American Challenger, and Boo Heung Pioneer, with 44,000 refugees; and the Vietnamese Navy group set sail for reception centers in the Philippines and Guam. Thus ended the U.S. Navy's role in the 25-year American effort to aid the Republic of Vietnam in its desperate fight for survival.



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A PERSONAL memory from Dutch and My fault for not putting it in the List 5300 but I wanted to put the entire chapter in on List.

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I am disappointed that today's History didn't mention the end of South Vietnam and the conclusion of Operation FREQUENT WIND.

On 30 April 1975, North Vietnamese troops completed their invasion of Saigon by entering the Independence Place of South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese were finished, and the oppression, the tortures, the re-education camps and indiscriminate deaths started.

I flew a bunch of missions during the Vietnam War in the late '60s. But the most memorable was a few years later.

I flew three missions in an A-7E from USS ENTERPIRSE on the 29April 1975. Our mission was to engage/destroy any forces threatening the evacuees , all to cover the swarm of people fleeing Saigon and the surrounding areas, using whatever means they could – if lucky a ride an in aircraft, otherwise a ship, a sampan or even small fishing boats; we saw the lot. The helos flying from an armada (see below) of USN ships were like a long swarm of insects as they went to/from the ships/LZs where they rescued helpless and hapless people fleeing the sure terror of the invading communist forces. Likewise, every tributary of the Mekong and adjacent waterways were full of just about everything that could float.

We could see the water-born craft clearly – and we could see that each was filled to its gunnels with an imaginable mass of humanity – men, women and children. That day was one of the saddest days of my career, something I still remember in my sleep.



The next day, a day 45 years ago the USN forces afloat disbursed. ENTERPRISE, with a number of the other participants, went to Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. What I saw was heart-breaking. Near the USN Cubi Point Air Station is a small island, Grande Island, which had been an R&R activity during the war. A number of the MSC ships had docked at Naval Station Subic Bay, and their human cargo had been moved to the island. More, I was astounded to see dozens of ships, some as large as old LSTs and other landing craft and such all tied abreast to Grande Island. The island was a mass of humanity, all now homeless, all now fortuneless, all a people without a country.

We – the United States had failed, grandly and grossly. We waged a war "to stop the spread of communism" in South East Asia and tp protect the People of South Vietnam. But it was a war doomed from the start – a subject of a long thesis but, simply, a war which we had no real desire to win, a war without an goals for victory and a war run according to the whims of US politikos and according to the whimsical directions of public opinion (the final death cut of the slow cuts = Walter Cronkite, 27 February 1968).

And what was before me and so plain to all who cared to open their eyes to it - very up close and personal - was the result of that epic failure = the detritus to which we had reduced the humanity that were the People of South Vietnam.

Dutch





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Some world News from Military Periscope for April 39



USA—Air Force Open Skies Monitoring Fleet Down To 1 Aircraft The War Zone | 04/30/2020 The U.S. Air Force has only a single OC-135B surveillance aircraft for use on Open Skies Treaty missions, reports the War Zone website. The service has two OC-135B aircraft, but one of them is currently sidelined while it receives a new digital visual imaging system (DVIS), an Air Force spokesman said on Tuesday. The jet is currently undergoing testing with the new system. Other treaty members will have to certify that it is compliant with the agreement before it can return to surveillance flights. The DVIS upgrade replaces the existing wet-film cameras with paired pan-chromatic and RGB digital high-altitude cameras as well as four digital low-altitude RGB near-infrared cameras. The new cameras are expected to provide increased reliability and ease of use over the wet-film cameras. The images produced by the digital cameras will also take less time to process. The Air Force awarded a $36.6 million contract to KIHOMAC in Virginia in 2016 to install the DVIS upgrade on both OC-135Bs. The program is currently expected to be completed in 2021 at a cost of $43.9 million.



USA—Army EW Pod Moves Into 2nd Phase Of Development Lockheed Martin | 04/30/2020 Lockheed Martin says that it has received a contract to continue development of a podded system for the Multifunction Electronic Warfare (MFEW) family of systems. On Wednesday, the defense firm said it was awarded a project agreement to begin the second phase of development for the "Air Large" component of the MFEW program. The $74.85 million contract awarded in January covers the development, build and testing of operational EW pods, reported Breaking Defense. Lockheed has developed its Silent Crow EW pod largely using its own funds. The company previously received an $18 million contract in January 2019 for an initial prototype of the pod, followed by a $6 million award in August 2019 for a second prototype. The Air Large component of the MFEW program will provide the Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones with an electronic warfare capability. The pod features the Army's C5ISR/Electronic Warfare Modular Open Suite of Standards (CMOSS) open system architecture to enable future upgrades to be quickly and easily integrated.



USA—Crew Returns To Theodore Roosevelt Carrier After Quarantine Navy Newsstand | 04/30/2020 Hundreds of sailors that have successfully completed their isolation periods are returning to the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in Guam, reports the Navy NewsStand. The carrier arrived at Guam on March 27 amid a growing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak onboard. Some 4,000 sailors who tested negative for the virus have been in isolation in hotels on Guam are now returning to the ship in batches, starting on April 29. Around 700 sailors remained onboard the carrier to maintain critical operations, such as operating the nuclear reactor, and begin disinfecting the carrier. Those personnel will now begin their isolation, reported USNI News. As of Tuesday, the carrier had 940 active COVID-19 cases. The Roosevelt's entire crew has been tested for COVID-19 to prevent another outbreak. Any crewmember returning to the ship is required to have two consecutive negative tests before embarking. It could take up to two weeks for the carrier to be ready to return to sea, said unnamed sources.



Canada—Cyclone Chopper Goes Down In Ionian Sea Ottawa Citizen | 04/30/2020 At least one person has been killed in a Canadian military helicopter crash during NATO exercises off the coast of Greece, reports the Ottawa Citizen. On Wednesday, a CH-148 Cyclone deployed on the frigate HMCS Fredericton disappeared from radar during drills with Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2), said the Canadian armed forces. Sources close to the Greek Defense Ministry told local media that the helicopter went down in the Ionian Sea, about 20 nautical miles west of Kefalonia island. Search-and-rescue operations were underway. Greek sources told CBC News that one body had been recovered. Five personnel were still missing, reported the Jerusalem Post. In January, HMCS Fredericton deployed to SNMG-2, a NATO maritime quick-reaction force, as part of a six-month mission in the Mediterranean.



NATO—Baltic Air-Policing Contingents In Estonia, Lithuania Rotate Nato Press Release | 04/30/2020 Three new countries are set to take over NATO's Baltic air-policing mission over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, reports the alliance. In May, fighter jets from France, Spain and the U.K. will replace Belgian and Polish air force detachments that have been conducting the mission since January. Spain is serving as the lead nation for this rotation. The Spanish and British fighter detachments are deploying to Siauliai airbase in Lithuania, while the French aircraft are headed to Amari in Estonia. The Royal Air Force contingent, consisting of Typhoon jets from 6 Squadron at RAF Lossiemouth, departed for Lithuania on Tuesday, said the RAF. The Spanish contingent will consist of four EF-18M Hornet fighter aircraft, while France is sending Mirage 2000s, reported Jane's Defence Weekly.



Germany—Government Bans Hezbollah Deutsche Welle | 04/30/2020 The German government has designated Lebanese militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and banned it from operating on its soil, reports Deutsche Welle. On Thursday, the German Interior Ministry announced the decision and said that police were conducting operations against four mosque associations believed to belong to Hezbollah. In Berlin, Dortmund, Bremen and Munster, police raided offices of mosque associations and the private residences of the leaders of the associations, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). Hezbollah activities violate criminal law and it is fundamentally against the concept of international understanding, the interior ministry said, emphasizing the group's calls for the elimination of the state of Israel. The group is thought to have more than 1,000 members in Germany.



Germany—Advanced Tank Program With France Moves Forward Defense-Aerospace | 04/30/2020 The French and German defense ministers have signed two new agreements to push forward a joint program to develop new tanks, reports defense-aerospace.com. German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly signed a framework agreement and initial implementing arrangement for the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS) program, the German Ministry of Defense reported on Tuesday. The framework agreement defines the project organization and management structures, while the implementing arrangement sets the basis for the partners to commission a system architecture definition study. Contracts under the project will be split evenly between Germany and France and intellectual property rights will be granted to both countries, the ministry said. The MGCS program is intended to develop a replacement for German Leopard 2 and French Leclerc tanks by the mid-2030s.



Ukraine—Open-Source Investigation Identifies Senior FSB Official Involved In Downing Of Malaysian Airlines Jet Business Insider | 04/30/2020 Open-source analysis has identified a key figure in the shootdown of a Malaysian Airlines passenger jet over Ukraine in 2014, reports Business Insider. On Tuesday, multiple outlets, including the Bellingcat open-source intelligence website, BBC Russia and Russian website the Insider, independently published reports linking Col. Gen. Andrey Ivanovich Burlaka, a high-ranking official in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), to the incident. Dutch intelligence had previously identified a Russian, known as Vladimir Ivanovich, as the intermediary between Ukrainian separatists and the Russian military. Burlaka's traveled to Rostov-on-Don, the main transit point for Russian support to rebels in eastern Ukraine, for a third and final time on July 15, 2014, returning to Moscow on July 18, the day after the civilian aircraft was shot down killing all 298 onboard, reported BBC News. Analysis of internal travel records and official documents link Burlaka's travel and phone voice patterns to those of Ivanovich. Ivanovich was repeatedly caught on the phone while coordinating separatist operations at the time of the incident. A NATO official confirmed to Business Insider that the two men are believed to be the same.



Saudi Arabia—Government Seeks To Jumpstart Domestic Drone Industry Asharq Al-Awsat | 04/30/2020 Saudi Arabia has announced a new project to procure uncrewed aerial vehicles from domestic manufacturers, reports Asharq Al-Awsat (London). The project, expected to be operational in the first quarter of 2021, will have a total cost of US$200 million, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) said on April 27. The program calls for the purchase uncrewed aircraft systems for delivery in 2021, with a another 40 to be acquired within five years, reported Jane's Defence Weekly. The type of drone being procured was not revealed. Intra markets the Karayel UAV, developed by Turkish firm Vestel, and the Asef vertical takeoff UAV, which was introduced last year. The GAMI is working to build an industrial base in Saudi Arabia for the maintenance and manufacture of UAV systems and equipment.



United Arab Emirates—Saab Delivers 1st Global Eye Surveillance Aircraft Saab | 04/30/2020 Saab has delivered the first of three Global Eye early warning aircraft ordered by the United Arab Emirates, reports the Swedish defense firm. The aircraft arrived in Dubai on Wednesday, Saab CEO Micael Johansson told Defense News. The Emirati government ordered three Global Eyes in 2015 and is considering exercising a contract option for two more. The second and third aircraft are expected to be delivered shortly, Johansson said.



Syria—ISIS Keeps Pressure On In SE Desert Voice Of America News | 04/30/2020 The Islamic State terrorist group has stepped up its campaign against military and civilian targets in Syria's southeastern desert region, reports the Voice of America News. In March, ISIS announced a new operation, dubbed "Saga of Exhaustion 2," against Syrian government and allied militias via its Amaq news agency. It is said to be the second phase of a campaign developed by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi before his death in a U.S. operation in August 2019. Militant attacks have been reported against numerous government targets in the Syrian desert, including in Deir Ezzor province, where U.S. forces are located in some strategic areas. At least 15 government soldiers and members of Iranian-backed pro-government militia members have been killed in the assaults. The growing attacks have led experts to warn that ISIS remains a threat despite its territorial defeat last year. Syrian government forces failed to fully defeat the group as it retreated into the desert, where it can hide fighters and equipment and use small groups of heavily armed fighters to attack isolated military outposts. At this point, the operation is about demonstrating the ongoing importance of ISIS in the Syrian conflict, said analysts.



Israel—Progress Made On Possible Prisoner Swap With Hamas Israel Hayom | 04/30/2020 Israel appears to be close to a prisoner exchange with Hamas, reports the Israel Hayom. On Wednesday, Yaron Blum, the Israeli special negotiator for hostages and prisoners of war, met with families of four Israelis believed to be held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The terrorist group is thought to be holding the remains of two Israeli soldiers killed during the 2014 war in Gaza and two citizens who willingly crossed into Gaza in 2014 and 2015 and were captured. Following the meeting, family members of one victim released a media statement suggesting that a deal was imminent. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a Cabinet meeting on the potential release, the first such high-level meeting since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, reported i24 News (Israel). Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh said that he was optimistic that a deal could be reached. He noted that Israel would have to meet several demands, including the release of women, children and elderly prisoners as well some Hamas members released in 2011 and later arrested again. A prisoner exchange could help reduce tensions on the Israel-Gaza border, analysts said.



Libya—LNA Declares Cease-Fire For Ramadan After Military Setbacks Reuters | 04/30/2020 Forces loyal eastern Libyan militia leader Khalifa Haftar have announced that they will halt operations for the remainder of the Muslim Ramadan holiday, reports Reuters. On Wednesday, a spokesman for the Libyan National Army (LNA) said that it would observe a cease-fire in line with requests from the international community. The announcement comes after the LNA has suffered military losses in heavy fighting with forces loyal to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in recent weeks. There was no immediate comment from the GNA. The spokesman said that the LNA reserved the right to respond to attacks. Ramadan is expected to end on May 23. Previous cease-fire declarations have not been fully implemented.



Ivory Coast—Former Rebel Leader, Presidential Candidate Convicted Of Embezzlement Bloomberg News | 04/30/2020 A court in Ivory Coast has sentenced a former rebel leader and prime minister and current presidential candidate to 20 years in prison for embezzlement and money laundering, reports Bloomberg News. On Tuesday, Soro was tried and convicted in a trial that only lasted a few hours, reported Agence-France Presse. In addition to the jail sentence, he was also fined US$7.6 million. Lawyers representing Soro boycotted the proceedings after the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights in Tanzania last week ordered the suspension of the arrest warrant on Soro and another dozen of his allies. Soro has been in exile in France since December 2019, when he was forced to divert there after the charges against him were announced while he was on a flight back to Ivory Coast. The former rebel leader was accused of purchasing a house with public money while he was prime minister in 2007, reported Radio France Internationale. The charges were revealed shortly after he announced his candidacy for president. Soro says that the charges are intended to keep him from running in the upcoming election. As part of the sentence, he was barred from civic duties for five years, reported BBC News. Soro was a rebel commander who later served as prime minister and parliamentary speaker. He also helped current President Alassane Ouattara come to power in 2010.



South Sudan—Government, Rebel Forces Clash In Central Equatoria State Voice Of America News | 04/30/2020 Recent fighting in South Sudan's Central Equatoria state threatens a fragile peace deal, reports the Voice of America News. On Sunday, a joint force composed of soldiers and former SPLM-IO fighters attacked the positions of the National Salvation Front (NAS) rebel group in Senema, Mediba and Kajo-Keji Kala 2, said an NAS spokesman. Two NAS fighters were killed and three wounded, he said. A spokesman for the SPLM-IO, who is also the press secretary for the South Sudanese defense minister, said that the NAS had attacked government positions, killing one soldier and injuring three. The spokesman said that the NAS had launched the attacks to disrupt efforts to unify rebels with the new South Sudanese military. The SPLM-IO signed a peace deal with the government in 2018. The NAS signed an agreement in 2019. The new government is attempting to merge the militias into a new national military force. The NAS and witnesses also accused government forces of attacking civilians and their property in Mukaya Payam in Lainya County, displacing 3,000 people.



Colombia—ELN Calls Off Cease-Fire Colombia Reports | 04/30/2020 The National Liberation Army (ELN) militant group in Colombia has ended its unilateral cease-fire declared to support efforts to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), reports Colombia Reports. On Wednesday, the militant group terminated the truce, blaming the government for continuing operations against the ELN and ignoring its peace proposals. The ELN announced the cease-fire in late March following a call by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to end fighting to focus on the fight against COVID-19. Colombian health authorities project that the peak of the pandemic is still weeks away. ELN operations are likely to hinder efforts to reach remote areas for treatment and testing. .