To All
Good Friday morning 29 May 2020
Thanks to my daughter in law and cowboy for getting this out since I still
can't send only receive. I put it on a stick and she sends it to Cowboy and he sends it out to all of you
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Today in Naval History
May 29
1781 During the American Revolution, the Continental frigate Alliance, under command of Capt. John Barry, battles HMS Atalanta and HMS Trepassy off Nova Scotia. After several broadsides by Alliance, the British ships surrender.
1844 The frigate Constitution, commanded by John Percival, sails from New York to depart on her 52,370 mile around-the-world cruise. Heading eastward, she visits places such as Brazil, Borneo, China, the Philippines, Hawaii, and Mexico before returning to Boston on September 27, 1846.
1863 During the Civil War, the side-wheel "double-ender" gunboat , USS Cimarron, commanded by Cmdr. Andrew J. Drake, captures the blockade-runner, Evening Star, off Wassaw Sound, Ga.
1944 USS Block Island (CVE 21) is torpedoed and is sunk by German submarine U 549. During this attack, USS Barr (DE 576) is also damaged. Block Island is the only U.S. carrier lost in the Atlantic during World War II. U-549 is later sunk that night by USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) and USS Ahrens (DE 575).
1945 USS Sterlet (SS 392) sinks Japanese army cargo ships Kuretake Maru and Tenyro Maru despite the close proximity of the escort Coast Defense Ship No. 65.
1952 During the Korean War, USS Ozbourn (DD 846), USS Radford (DDE 446), and USS Heron (AMS 18), are engaged by enemy shore batteries and machine guns for two days off Wonson, Korea. Enemy batteries are silenced by counter-battery fire.
2004 USS Pinckney (DDG 91) is commissioned at Naval Construction Battalion Center Port Hueneme, Calif. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named for Cook 1st Class William Pinckney, who received the Navy Cross for rescuing a fellow USS Enterprise (CV 6) crew member during the Battle of Santa Cruz Oct. 26, 1942.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• USS Mustin conducted a freedom of navigation operation past the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea on Thursday, multiple outlets report.
• Multiple outlets reported on Senators Jim Inhofe and Jack Reed's support for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
• USNI News reported on NAVSEA's Naval Covid Rapid Response Team's efforts to prevent and slow outbreaks of COVID-19.
Today in History May 29
1453 | Constantinople falls to Muhammad II, ending the Byzantine Empire. | |
1660 | Charles II is restored to the English throne, succeeding the short-lived Commonwealth. | |
1721 | South Carolina is formally incorporated as a royal colony of England. | |
1790 | Rhode Island becomes the last of the original thirteen colonies to ratify the Constitution. | |
1848 | Wisconsin becomes the thirtieth state. | |
1849 | A patent for lifting vessels is granted to Abraham Lincoln. | |
1862 | Confederate general P.G.T. Beauregard retreats to Tupelo, Mississippi. | |
1911 | The Indianapolis 500 is run for the first time. | |
1913 | The premier of the ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) in Paris causes rioting in the theater. | |
1916 | U.S. forces invade the Dominican Republic. | |
1922 | Ecuador becomes independent. | |
1922 | The U.S. Supreme Court rules organized baseball is a sport not subject to antitrust laws. | |
1942 | The German Army completes its encirclement of the Kharkov region of the Soviet Union. | |
1951 | C. F. Blair becomes the first man to fly over the North Pole in single-engine plane. | |
1953 | Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay become the first men to reach the top of Mount Everest. | |
1974 | President Richard Nixon agrees to turn over 1,200 pages of edited Watergate transcripts. | |
1990 | Boris Yeltsin is elected the president of Russia. |
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From Decoration Day to Midway
by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
May 30, 1868: "Decoration Day" – the predecessor to Memorial Day – is first observed by order of U.S. Army Gen. John A. Logan, who had decreed on May5: "The 30th day of May 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land. In this observance no form of ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit." Maj. Gen. (future U.S. pres.) James A. Garfield presides over ceremonies at Arlington Cemetery (the former estate of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee), and approximately 5,000 participants decorate the graves of both Union and Confederate dead — about 20,000 of them — buried on the grounds.
June 1, 1864: The bloody battle of Cold Harbor opens in earnest between Union Army forces under the command of Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate forces under Gen. Robert E. Lee. Grant will launch a series of futile attacks over the next three days. Lee will defend and hold. Union losses will be staggering: 13,000 to the Confederacy's 2,500. In his memoirs, Grant will express regret for having attacked at Cold Harbor.
June 3, 1942: The great Naval battle of Midway opens between U.S. Naval and air forces under the command of Adm. Chester W. Nimitz and Japanese forces under Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto, who had hoped to lure the U.S. Pacific Fleet into a great air-sea battle and destroy it. Considered a turning point in the Pacific theater of operations, the Japanese fleet is intercepted near Midway atoll, engaged, and will be decisively defeated by Nimitz. The Americans will lose one carrier, USS Yorktown (the third of five U.S. Navy warships named in commemoration of the famous Battle of Yorktown), but four Japanese carriers will be sent to the bottom. According to the U.S. Naval Historical Center: [Midway] represents the strategic high water mark of Japan's Pacific Ocean war. Prior to this action, Japan possessed general naval superiority over the United States and could usually choose where and when to attack. After Midway, the two opposing fleets were essentially equals, and the United States soon took the offensive."
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THIS DAY IN HISTORY
MAY 29
1939
May 29
Ship carrying 937 Jewish refugees, fleeing Nazi Germany, is turned away in Cuba
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A boat carrying 937 Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution is turned away from Havana, Cuba, on May 27, 1939. Only 28 immigrants are admitted into the country. After appeals to the United States and Canada for entry are denied, the rest are forced to sail back to Europe, where they're distributed among several countries including Great Britain and France.
READ MORE: A Ship of Jewish Refugees Was Refused US Landing in 1939. This Was Their Fate
On May 13, the S.S. St. Louis sailed from Hamburg, Germany to Havana, Cuba. Most of the passengers—many of them children—were German Jews escaping increasing persecution under the Third Reich. Six months earlier, 91 people were killed and Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed in what became known as the Kristallnacht pogrom. It was becoming increasing clear the Nazis were accelerating their efforts to exterminate Jews by arresting them and placing them in concentration camps. World War II and the formal implementation of The Final Solution were just months from beginning.
The refugees had applied for U.S. visas, and planned to stay in Cuba until they could enter the United States legally. Even before they set sail, their impending arrival was greeted with hostility in Cuba. On May 8, there was a massive anti-Semitic demonstration in Havana. Right-wing newspapers claimed that the incoming immigrants were Communists.
The St. Louis arrived in Havana on May 27. Roughly 28 people onboard had valid visas or travel documents and were allowed to disembark. The Cuban government refused to admit the nearly 900 others. For seven days, the ship's captain attempted to negotiate with Cuban officials, but they refused to comply.
The ship sailed closer to Florida, hoping to disembark there, but it was not permitted to dock. Some passengers attempted to cable President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking for refuge, but he never responded. A State Department telegram stated that the asylum-seekers must "await their turns on the waiting list and qualify for and obtain immigration visas before they may be admissible into the United States."
As a last resort, the St. Louis continued north to Canada, but it was rejected there, too. "No country could open its doors wide enough to take in the hundreds of thousands of Jewish people who want to leave Europe: the line must be drawn somewhere," Frederick Blair, Canada's director of immigration, said at the time.
Faced with no other options, the ship returned to Europe. It docked in Antwerp, Belgium on June 17. By then, several Jewish organizations had secured entry visas for the refugees in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. The majority who had traveled on the ship survived the Holocaust; 254 later died as the Nazis swept through the continent.
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Oriskany Memorial
Gentlemen:
Forwarded with the greatest respect for your dedicated, and highly successful, efforts to educate and inform America.
Very Respectfully,
Brown Bear aka Dick Schaffert
Begin forwarded message:
From: Richard Schaffert <brownbearlead@gmail.com>
Date: May 28, 2020 at 8:45:08 AM MDT
To: Master Diver Snapp <diveright@downrightdiving.com>
Subject: Prayer and Oriskany
Dear Susan,
Having struggled unsuccessfully for four days and nights to compose an appropriate letter of appreciation for your heroic "blessed by Almighty God" dive to the USS Oriskany, submerged in her final resting place in the deep off Pensacola, I finally came to the inevitable conclusion: I am not worthy to address the honor you and your courageous team have bestowed upon the ship and those who died fighting to save her!
My heart was filled with hatred and disdain, when I composed that original "last letter" to my roommate Norm Levy, who, along with so many other brave souls, had died in the explosion aboard Oriskany. I had described a dishonest media, whose outrageous profit-seeking motives had sought to dishonor the memory of those who had died, and I had severely criticized the self-serving politicians and cowardly protestors who were destroying our America from within. As a Christian, whose life had already been spared numerous times from the "hell-fire" of enemy guns over North Vietnam, I realized full well that my hatred would not be forgiven by our God in Heaven.
I wrote that letter aboard Oriskany exactly one year after the fire, 26 October '67, following recovery from my 4th mission in 56 hours against the deadly Hanoi defense complex . . . and once again with the Grace of God without being hit by any of the hundreds of thousands of rounds of Soviet-supplied ammunition . . . I folded the letter into a "paper airplane", carried it through a darkened ship back to the fantail, lit it on fire, and sailed it out over the ship's rolling wake, symbolizing Norm being "smoked."
It wasn't until 30 years later that I related the letter's contents, via email, to other surviving combatants of that deadly and unpopular war; so honorably fought by a dedicated, professional, and unyielding military . . . supported only by a loyal and patriotic core composed of "real" Americans like you and your team! You know the rest of the story! You and your team of loyal patriots "picked up the pieces" and bestowed upon Oriskany and her crew the honor previously denied.
While I sincerely thank you, and respectfully request permission from our Supreme Commander in Heaven to express my appreciation to you and Rick and your team, who, in fighter pilot terms, "let it all hang out" to get the dangerous job done, I know it's far too less! In no way could you ever be properly rewarded for what you have done for so many others . . . wives, children, friends, shipmates . . . we must remain forever in your debt.
I find comfort in knowing there is a special place being prepared for you and your team . . . way up there, up there in the "blue." The guys you honored . . . the guys from Oriskany . . . are waiting for you. Braving high seas in a small boat for ten hours, refusing to give up and seek safe shelter, descending into the deep with far too heavy a burden . . . you and your team are "their kind of people!"
Susan, I feel so honored to have been allowed to make your acquaintance here on earth! In my 86th year, having used up far more than my share of oxygen, looking around at the chaos caused, once again, by Godless persons on foreign shores, with even a more callus and corrupt media now spewing their venom, I can nevertheless leave America with a smile on my face, knowing the country I've loved is still under the protection of our Almighty God, and Patriots like you and Rick and your team.
Very, Very, Respectfully,
Dick Schaffert aka Brown Bear
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On May 24, 2020, at 12:36 PM, Susan Snapp <diveright@downrightdiving.com> wrote:
Dear Mr. Schaffert
I would like for you to know that I carried your prayer in my BC pocket when we made our dive on the O. I believe that between your most eloquent prayer and Rick Risher's prayer on the boat is the reason on the second dive to "tie in" to the tower we were able to go straight to the pri fly room and tie the boat in. This made it so much more easier for Mike Kenney and I to get the plaque to the room. It was truly a gift from God.
I can't tell you how much Rick Risher has meant to this project. I am not sure how many photos or video I might have right now to show everybody the memorial is in place but it is there.
God Bless you, Rick and all 44 sailors that lost their life on Oct. 26.
Susan
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THE RETURN TO MAKIN ISLAND...🇸
Thanks to Tom K. …
Thanks Doc, here's the rest of the story.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raid_on_Makin_Island
Thanks to Felix …
Fly Marines
Subject: Fwd: FW: THE RETURN TO MAKIN ISLAND, ONE OF THE GILBERT ISLANDS IN THE PACIFIC. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
The Return to Makin Island, one of the Gilbert Islands in the Pacific. A touching story.
This video reflects a true story about 19 Marines killed in the Gilbert Islands in 1942 defending it against the Japanese.
Their unit had to retreat when they were greatly outnumbered, so they asked the Islanders to please bury their dead so the Japs couldn't find them. Years later, they checked and found a man who had been a teenager then and remembered where they were buried.
They sent a US Air Force C130 and an honor guard over there and found all 19 had been buried with their helmets on, their rifles in their hands, dog tags around their necks all of which were in perfect condition. The Islanders had really done a wonderful job!
As they were loading the bodies, a voice from out of nowhere started singing "The Marine Hymn", and gave these veterans goose bumps and tears flowed.
THIS WAS, OF COURSE, WW II. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS, IT IS VERY MOVING. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EXTRAORDINARY HUMAN GESTURES FOR WHICH THERE ARE NO WORDS.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/C6f_FvZpm3g
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Thanks to Mike
F/A-18 vs MiG-29 - Dogfighting the Fulcrum in Malaysia
I didn't know the Fulcrum smokes like the F-4 in afterburner!
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for May 29
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 29
THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1910: Glenn H. Curtiss flew a record 142.5 miles from Albany to New York in 2 hours 50 minutes to win his third Scientific American Trophy. This flight gave him permanent possession of the trophy as well as the $10,000 prize from New York World.
1934: COLLIER TROPHY. The Hamilton Standard Propeller Company, with credit to Frank W. Caldwell, received the 1933 trophy for developing a controllable pitch propeller. (24)
1940: The Vought F4U Corsair first flew.
1951: Flying a converted P-51, Charles F. Blair, Jr., traveled 3,300 miles across the North Pole from Bardufoss, Norway, to Fairbanks in 10 hours 29 minutes. Thus, he became the first man to make the trip alone and in a single-engine plane. (9) (24)
1953: SAC received its first KC–97G Stratofreighter, a flying boom-type tanker that could dispense 8,513 gallons of aviation gasoline. Unlike previous models, the KC-97G could haul cargo without reconfiguration or carry 96 troops or heavy equipment without modification. (18)
1966: The ARRS observed its 20th anniversary. In this period, the ARRS rescued more than 12,000people throughout the world. (16)
1997: A B-2 from the 509 BW at Whiteman AFB dropped a GAM-113 bomb over the China Lake Range near Edwards AFB. This drop marked the first time the 4,700-pound conventional penetrating weapon was paired with the B-2. (AFNEWS, 19 Jun 97)
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This Day in American Military History May 29
1940 – The first flight of the Vought F4U Corsair. The Chance Vought F4U Corsair was an American fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and Brewster-built aircraft F3A. From the first prototype delivery to the U.S. Navy in 1940, to final delivery in 1953 to the French, 12,571 F4U Corsairs were manufactured by Vought, in 16 separate models, in the longest production run of any piston-engined fighter in U.S. history (1942–53). The Corsair was designed as a carrier-based aircraft. However its difficult carrier landing performance rendered the Corsair unsuitable for Navy use until the carrier landing issues were overcome when used by the British Fleet Air Arm. The Corsair thus came to and retained prominence in its area of greatest deployment: land based use by the U.S. Marines. The role of the dominant U.S. carrier based fighter in the second part of the war was thus filled by the Grumman F6F Hellcat, powered by the same Double Wasp engine first flown on the Corsair's first prototype in 1940. The Corsair served to a lesser degree in the U.S. Navy. As well as the U.S. and British use the Corsair was also used by the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the French Navy Aéronavale and other, smaller, air forces until the 1960s. Some Japanese pilots regarded it as the most formidable American fighter of World War II, and the U.S. Navy counted an 11:1 kill ratio with the F4U Corsair. After the carrier landing issues had been tackled it quickly became the most capable carrier-based fighter-bomber of World War II. The Corsair served almost exclusively as a fighter-bomber throughout the Korean War and during the French colonial wars in Indochina and Algeria.
Congressional Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*GALT, WILLIAM WYLIE
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, 168th Infantry, 34th Infantry Division. Place and date: At Villa Crocetta, Italy, 29 May 1944. Entered service at: Stanford, Mont. Birth: Geyser, Mont. G.O. No.: 1, 1 February 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Galt, Battalion S3, at a particularly critical period following 2 unsuccessful attacks by his battalion, of his own volition went forward and ascertained just how critical the situation was. He volunteered, at the risk of his life, personally to lead the battalion against the objective. When the lone remaining tank destroyer refused to go forward, Capt. Galt jumped on the tank destroyer and ordered it to precede the attack. As the tank destroyer moved forward, followed by a company of riflemen, Capt. Galt manned the .30-caliber machinegun in the turret of the tank destroyer, located and directed fire on an enemy 77mm. anti-tank gun, and destroyed it. Nearing the enemy positions, Capt. Galt stood fully exposed in the turret, ceaselessly firing his machinegun and tossing hand grenades into the enemy zigzag series of trenches despite the hail of sniper and machinegun bullets ricocheting off the tank destroyer. As the tank destroyer moved, Capt. Galt so maneuvered it that 40 of the enemy were trapped in one trench. When they refused to surrender, Capt. Galt pressed the trigger of the machinegun and dispatched every one of them. A few minutes later an 88mm shell struck the tank destroyer and Capt. Galt fell mortally wounded across his machinegun. He had personally killed 40 Germans and wounded many more. Capt. Galt pitted his judgment and superb courage against overwhelming odds, exemplifying the highest measure of devotion to his country and the finest traditions of the U.S. Army.
*MORELAND, WHITT L.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Kwagch'i-Dong, Korea, 29 May 1951. Entered service at: Austin, Tex. Born: 7 March 1930, Waco, Tex. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as an intelligence scout attached to Company C, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Voluntarily accompanying a rifle platoon in a daring assault against a strongly defended enemy hill position, Pfc. Moreland delivered accurate rifle fire on the hostile emplacement and thereby aided materially in seizing the objective. After the position had been secured, he unhesitatingly led a party forward to neutralize an enemy bunker which he had observed some 400 meters beyond, and moving boldly through a fire-swept area, Almost reached the hostile emplacement when the enemy launched a volley of handgrenades on his group. Quick to act despite the personal danger involved, he kicked several of the grenades off the ridge line where they exploded harmlessly and, while attempting to kick away another, slipped and fell near the deadly missile. Aware that the sputtering grenade would explode before he could regain his feet and dispose of it, he shouted a warning to his comrades, covered the missile with his body and absorbed the full blast ??of the explosion, but in saving his companions from possible injury or death, was mortally wounded. His heroic initiative and valiant spirit of self-sacrifice in the face of certain death reflect the highest credit upon Pfc. Moreland and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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Daily News for 29 May thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Beijing Blasts FONOP Near Paracel Islands USNI News | 05/29/2020 The U.S. Navy recently conducted another freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea, reports USNI News. On Thursday, the destroyer USS Mustin sailed near the Paracel Islands, which are claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The operation " upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging the restrictions on innocent passage imposed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam," said a Navy spokeswoman. It also challenged "China's claim to straight baselines enclosing the Paracel Islands," she said. All U.S. FONOPs are conducted in accordance with international law, she emphasized. The destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of Pyramid Rock and Woody Island, where China maintains an airfield, reported CNN. A Chinese military spokesman said that the U.S. ship "trespassed" into Chinese territorial waters. Chinese air and naval assets were dispatched to monitor the Mustin during the operation. \\
USA—NSA Warns That Russian Hackers Exploiting Loophole In Email Security Cbs News | 05/29/2020 The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) has warned that Russian government-backed hackers may be exploiting a flaw in common email software, reports CBS News. On Thursday, the agency's Cybersecurity Directorate said that a group called the "Sandworm team" had been exploiting a vulnerability in the Exim mail transfer agent (MTA). These security gaps enable hackers to enter a user's computer remotely, obtain administrator privileges and further infiltrate the user's network. The Sandworm team operates under the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency, the NSA said. The hackers identified the vulnerability as early as August 2019. Exim is one of the larger MTAs, but considered less commonly used than Exchange and Sendmail, noted Wired. MTA software is responsible for transferring emails between separate computers. A patch that included a fix was released late last year, noted the NSA, which recommended that users install the latest updates.
USA—Boeing Announces Thousands Of Layoffs Seattle Times | 05/29/2020 Boeing has announced that it will lay off thousands of workers as it deals with the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports the Seattle Times. The workforce reduction will include about 6,770 involuntary layoffs and 5,500 voluntary buyouts, the company announced on Wednesday. Nearly 10,000 of the terminations are scheduled to occur before July 31. Additional layoffs in Canada and Australia are expected to bring the total number of job losses at the company to almost 13,000. The workforce reduction is due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the travel industry, which has significantly cut the airline industry's demand for aircraft and services. Boeing's defense, security and space division is expected to avoid most cuts, with only about 100 positions to be cut this week, reported Defense News. About 380 jobs from the defense side of Boeing have been approved for elimination to date.
USA—Software Issues, Pandemic Hit Stryker Air Defense Vehicle Defense News | 05/29/2020 The U.S. Army's Interim Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense (IM-SHORAD) system has experienced minor delays due to software issues and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports Defense News. The system, based on the Stryker wheeled armored vehicle, was scheduled to complete developmental testing in June, but this was postponed due to software integration issues, reported Jane's. The problems center on integrating the mission equipment package, which includes a 30-mm cannon and Stinger missile launchers, with the Stryker A1 platform, Gen. Mike Murray, the head of Army Futures command, said on Wednesday. Delays have also been caused by social distancing restrictions that make it difficult to conduct the necessary testing, the general said. The problems are expected to push some milestones back a few months, although this is not expected to affect the first unit equipped date, said Army acquisition officials. The initial contract for the first 32 production vehicles was expected to be awarded in June. It is not clear when that award might go forward, though it could be as late as the end of September. The Army plans to purchase 144 of the air defense vehicles to equip units in Europe.
Germany—Foreign Ministry Threatens Sanctions On Russia Over Cyberattack Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 05/29/2020 The German Foreign Ministry says that it will seek European Union sanctions against Russian officials involved in a 2015 cyberattack against the German Parliament, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. The measures would target individuals and entities that carried out cyberattacks against E.U. member states, according to the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). On Thursday, the German Foreign Ministry said that it had summoned the Russian ambassador and informed him that it planned to seek the sanctions after linking a hacker responsible for the cyberattack to Russian intelligence. On May 5, German prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for Dmitry Badin, who is alleged to have been a member of the APT28 hacker group, which is also known as Fancy Bear. Badin allegedly participated in the attack. There is hard evidence that he was a member of Russia's GRU military intelligence agency at the time of the attack, the ministry said. Russia has denied any involvement.
China—Shandong Heads To Sea For Initial Sea Trials China Military Online | 05/29/2020 China's first indigenously developed aircraft carrier has begun her initial sea trials, reports the official China Military Online. On May 25, the Shandong left the Dalian Shipyard for testing and training in the northern Yellow Sea, according to the Dalian Maritime Safety Administration, as cited by the South China Morning Post. The trials are focused on validating weapon systems and equipment, improving "the level of aircraft carrier training" and enhancing the skills of sailors, a defense ministry spokesman said. Training and testing has been disrupted by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, officials noted. This is the first time the Shandong has gone to sea for trials and training since her commissioning in December. P
hilippines—Soldiers, NPA Clash In Iligan City Philippine Daily Inquirer | 05/29/2020 A Philippine army soldier has been injured in fighting with New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas in Iligan City in the southern Surigao del Norte province, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. On Wednesday, soldiers from the 4th Mechanized Infantry Battalion were operating in the Mainit district in response to intelligence that suspected NPA rebels were extorting food and money from local villages when they were attacked. A single soldier was wounded in the 30-minute gun battle. He was evacuated to a hospital and said to be in stable condition. Soldiers said there was evidence that several NPA fighters were injured in the exchange. Lack of food may have forced the guerillas into the city, an army spokesman said.
Burma—Lawmakers Reduce Military's Additional Budget Request Irrawaddy | 05/29/2020 The Burmese legislature has cut a supplemental budget requested by the military, reports the Irrawaddy (Burma). On Wednesday, the Parliament passed a measure for additional military spending for the remainder of the current fiscal year, which ends in September. The Burmese military had requested about US$142 million, which lawmakers reduced by around US$7.57 million. This was the first time under the current government that the military has not received the full amount it requested in a budget. The defense budget for this fiscal year, which began in October 2019, authorized spending up to US$2.41 billion. The additional funds would primarily be used to pay for moving soldiers and materiel and other activities supporting operations in western Burma, where several rebel groups are active. Human-rights advocates have long criticized Burma's civilian government for its deference to military officials on security matters.
Afghanistan—U.S., Uzbekistan Pledge Greater Cooperation With Kabul TOLONews | 05/29/2020 Senior officials from Afghanistan, the U.S. and Uzbekistan have pledged to increase cooperation in a number of areas, reports Tolo News (Afghanistan). Acting Afghan Foreign Minister Mohammed Haneef Atmar, Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov and U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale met virtually on Wednesday. The talks covered mutual issues of concern including political ties, security and economic and human development. The participants each pledged to increase cooperation and called for support from countries in the region and globally to support the ongoing peace process in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan and Afghanistan also committed to strengthening cooperation in areas including security, combating cross-border threats, terrorism, drug-trafficking, smuggling, illegal migration, human-trafficking and wildlife-trafficking. The neighbors also committed to increasing rail connectivity and reducing trade barriers.
Kuwait—PAC-3 Missiles, Other Patriot Missile Work Sought From U.S. U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency | 05/29/2020 The Kuwaiti government is seeking to purchase air defense missiles, system upgrades and other work from the U.S. worth up to $1.425 billion, reports the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. One potential deal, valued at about US$800 million, covers 84 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) interceptors; 35 remanufactured (upgraded) missiles; Patriot kits to upgrade A902+ launchers to the A903 configuration; and related equipment, training and support. Another possible sale, worth about US$425 million, is for sustainment and follow-on support for Kuwait's Patriot systems, including Field Surveillance Program services, country unique support, parts and other training. Finally, a proposed US$200 million deal covers a Patriot missile repair and return program, including Patriot GEM-T missile and missile component repair services; transportation; repair parts; tools; and other related equipment and support. The repair and return program allows countries to ship items to the U.S. for major repairs at the expense of the customer, reported Defense News.
Nigeria—Gunmen Kill Dozens In Sokoto State Daily Trust | 05/29/2020 At least 60 people have been killed in armed attacks on several villages in Nigeria's northwestern Sokoto state, reports the Daily Trust (Abuja). On Wednesday evening, several hundred bandits on motorcycles attacked the villages of Garki, Dan Aduwa, Kuzari, Katuma and Masawa in the Sabon Birni local government area, officials said The bandits killed at least 63 people, according to locals. Other residents said 74 people were killed, reported the Nigerian Tribune (Ibadan). The attack came a day after the governor and security officials visited the area to meet with tribal leaders to discuss how to halt bandit attacks.
Nigeria—Thousands Of Children Abused In Army Detention Centers In Northeast, Says Amnesty Guardian | 05/29/2020 Amnesty International has accused the Nigerian military of unlawfully detaining thousands of children and abusing them at detention centers, reports the Guardian (U.K.). Security forces, including civilian militias, have wrongly deained thousands of children and adults who fled Boko Haram terrorist attacks, according to a new report from the non-governmental organization that was released on Wednesday. Detained children have been tortured and held for years without being charged or tried, says the report. As many as 10,000 children may have died while in detention. Abuses occurred in at least three detention centers, including the Giwa barracks, which has frequently been suspected of human-rights violations. Abuses were also reported in facilities run as part of Operation Safe Corridor, a dera dicalization program that is funded by the United Nations, European Union, U.S. and U.K., reported Reuters. Nearly everyone held as part of Safe Corridor was detained unlawfully, according to the report, including many who were not former militants. A spokesman for the Nigerian army rejected the report, saying it was "mere claims" and that the army has previously debunked such allegations.
Niger—Audit Finds Significant Corruption In Recent Arms Deals Reuters | 05/29/2020 The Nigerien government lost millions of dollars to corruption in arms deals over the last three years, according to a government audit cited by Reuters. The audit examined 177 contracts between 2017 and 2019. Over the last three years, about US$120 million, or 40 percent, of the US$312 million spent on military projects was lost, according to auditors. The losses were primarily attributed to inflated costs and materiel that was not delivered. The agreements covered ground vehicles, attack helicopters and ammunition with local firms, who then purchased the goods from companies in China, France, Russia and Ukraine. In one case, three companies belonging to a single supplier bid on a contract to give the illusion of competition, said the report. The review was delivered to Niger's top prosecutor in April, who promised to hold the violators accountable. ++
Cameroon—Villagers Flee Military Base In Northwest Region Voice Of America News | 05/29/2020 Villagers are fleeing the village of Ngarbuh, the site of a massacre by Cameroonian troops in February, after the military began building a base there, reports the Voice of America News. Soldiers arrived at the village in the Anglophone Northwest region on May 24, the news outlet reported on Thursday. Since then at least 300 villagers have fled, according to Cameroonian rights groups and opposition politicians. Locals fear that that the military presence could lead to more civilian deaths, said a resident. The military says that the base is needed to prevent Anglophone rebels from resupplying in neighboring Nigeria.
Mozambique—Militants Launch Another Attack In North Agence France-Presse | 05/29/2020 Islamist militants have launched another guerilla attack in northern Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, gunmen attacked the town of Macomia, causing thousands of civilians to flee and pushing security personnel to withdraw to areas around the city. A police officer told the news agency that security personnel lacked the capabilities to defeat the militants. Helicopters from a private security company flew from Pemba, about 96 miles (156 km) south, and repelled the attackers a few hours after the assault began. However, sources cited by Club of Mozambique said that the militants were still reportedly moving around parts of the town. No casualty figures were immediately available. More than 1,100 people have been killed in attacks by the Islamist militants since late 2017. The group, known as Ansar Al-Sunnah, is recognized by ISIS as its Central African Province (ISCAP). What began as hit-and-run attacks on towns and security forces have become increasingly sophisticated, with larger population centers coming under assault. For more on the insurgency in northern Mozambique, please see Military Periscope's recent report, "Mozambican Marauders."
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