Good Tuesday Morning
I hope that your Week has started well. .
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Today in Naval History
July 28
1861
During the Civil War, the frigate, USS St. Lawrence, spots a schooner flying English colors and gave chase. Some four hours later, as she is overhauling the schooner, the fleeing vessel runs up the Confederate flag and fires three shots. Firing with her forecastle battery, St. Lawrence hits the vessel twice, once in her bow. Survivors from the sunken vessel reveal it had been the Confederate privateer, Petrel.
1926
USS S-1 surfaces and launches a Cox-Klemin (XS 2) seaplane flown by Lt. D.C. Allen. The submarine recovers the aircraft and submerges, successfully completing an airplane transport on board a submarine.
1943
PBM aircraft (VP 32) sinks German submarine (U 359) south-southwest of Puerto Rico. During her service, (U 359) deploys on three war patrols.
1944
USS Wyman (DE 38) and USS Reynolds (DE 42) sink Japanese submarine (I 55), 400 miles east of Tinian.
1945
USS Callaghan (DD 792) is the last ship sunk by a Japanese kamikaze attack when she hits a radar picket station approximately 50 miles southwest of Okinawa, 25X 43N, 126X 55E. USS Pritchett (DD 561) is also damaged by a near hit from a kamikaze as she assists the destroyer. The kamikaze that hits USS Callaghan is carrying Willow (a primary training biplane), revealing the desperation level of the Japanese. USS Callaghan is named in honor of Medal of Honor recipient, Rear Adm. Daniel J. Callaghan, who died during the naval Battle of Guadalcanal, Nov. 12-13, 1942.
1973
Skylab 3 is launched. The mission is the second to the first U.S. manned space station. The commander of the mission is Capt. Alan L. Bean, USN, the pilot is Maj. Jack R. Lousma, USMC, and the Science Pilot is Owen K. Garriott, a former Navy electronics officer. The mission lasts 59 days, 11 hours and includes 858 Earth orbits. USS New Orleans (LPH 11) recovers the crew.
1984
USNS Salvor (T-ARS-52) is launched at Sturgeon Bay, Wisc. The rescue and salvage ship conducts salvage, diving, towing, off-shore firefighting, heavy lift operations and theater security cooperation missions through the Military Sealift Command.
2000
USNS Watkins (T-ARK 315) is launched at National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, Calif. The large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship is part of the prepositioning program with Military Sealift Command. The ships serve as dry cargo surge sealift carriers. Watkins is named after Army Master Sgt. Travis E. Watkins, who received the Medal of Honor for his actions and leadership during the second Battle of Naktong Bulge during the Korean War.
Thanks to CHINFO
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. Executive Summary:
•Greek and trade press reported on the Dwight D. Eisenhower CSG's drills with the Hellenic Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.
•USNI News reported on USS Hershel 'Woody" William's first deployment.
•Reporting continued on tensions between the United States and China as the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations (AUSMIN) commenced in Washington
Today in History July 28
1540 Henry VIII of England marries Catherine Howard; Thomas Cromwell is beheaded on Tower Hill in England.
1615 French explorer Samuel de Champlain discovers Lake Huron on his seventh voyage to the New World.
1794 Robespierre is beheaded in France.
1808 Sultan Mustafa of the Ottoman Empire is deposed and his cousin Mahmud II gains the throne.
1835 King Louis-Philippe of France survives an assassination attempt.
1863 Confederate John Mosby begins a series of attacks against General George Meade's Army of the Potomac.
1868 The 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the United States, is adopted.
1898 Spain, through the offices of the French embassy in Washington, D.C., requests peace terms in its war with the United States.
1914 Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I.
1920 Pancho Villa surrenders to the Mexican government.
1932 The Bonus Army of impoverished World War I veterans is violently pushed out of Washington, D.C.
1941 A Japanese army lands on the coast of Cochin, China (modern day Vietnam).
1945 A B-25 bomber crashes into the Empire State Building in New York City, killing 13 people.
1965 President Lyndon Johnson sends an additional 50,000 troops to South Vietnam.
1988 Israeli diplomats arrive in Moscow for the first time in 21 years.
1990 A fire at an electrical substation causes a blackout in Chicago. Some 40,000 people were without power for up to three days.
1996 Discovery of remains of a prehistoric man near Kennewick, Washington, casts doubts on accepted beliefs of when, how and where the Americas were populated.
2005 Britain experiences its most costly tornado to date, causing 40 million Sterling Pounds of damage to Birmingham in just four minutes. There were no fatalities.
2005 The Irish Republican Army (IRA) announces an end to its 30-year armed campaign in Northern Ireland.
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thanks to THE Bear
Gentlemen... a new tale from the Summer of '67... Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
Begin forwarded message:
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #17…
COMMEMORATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR... and honoring the indefatigable Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and air crewmen who penetrated layered and integrated air defenses to destroy military targets in the heartland of North Vietnam in the years of Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)... GOOD EVENING. It's still Monday, 27...
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED… When Naval Aviation Roared… Tales of the Brave and Bold… #17…
COMMEMORATING THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF THE VIETNAM WAR… and honoring the indefatigable Naval Aviators, Naval Flight Officers and air crewmen who penetrated layered and integrated air defenses to destroy military targets in the heartland of North Vietnam in the years of Operation Rolling Thunder (1965-1968)…
GOOD EVENING. It's still Monday, 27 July 2020, and Faithful Servant has another tale to tell: the devastation of a surface-to-air missile holding area 35 miles southwest of Hanoi on 7 June 1967 by Carrier Air Wing NINE… But first, a few of the HEAD LINES made 50-years ago this week (27 July-2 August 1970)… IN CHICAGO…Sears, Roebuck announced plans to build the tallest building in the world, to be 1,450 feet high, taller than the 1,350 feet towers of the World Trade Center in New York… IN THE SOVIET UNION… Leonid Brezhnev jumped all over East Germany's leader Walter Ulbricht for cozying up to West Germany and ordered East Germany Security Affairs Secretary Erich Honecker to work to remove Ulbricht, who would be gone in the next nine months… EGYPT-ISRAEL… wage a major air battle over the Suez and the Israeli Mirages and Phantoms bagged five Egyptian MiG-21s. The Egyptians accused the Israelis of employing American pilots and admitted that Soviet pilots had manned some of the MiG-21s… NFL PLAYERS walk out, go on strike–a first… MID-EAST… Golda Meir leads a vote of Israeli ministers to accept a 3-month cease-fire in the "War of Attrition" with Egypt that had been waged since the end of the 1967 "Six-Day War."… NBC ANCHOR Chet Huntley retires… SPLICE THE MAIN BRACE, the British Navy daily issue of a rum ration, a tradition of 238 years, comes to an end…
ON THE BATTLEFIELD. Americans killed in battle in July 1970 numbered 404 as the South Vietnamese took over more of the fighting and thousands of Americans were withdrawn from Southeast Asia as Nixon promised. Meanwhile, at a meeting of the National Security Council in Washington the President spelled out what he wanted to happen. "I want to create as much doubt in the minds of the enemy about what we will do in Laos and Cambodia and complete doubt as to what South Vietnam will do. We won't be pinned down on what interdiction is. I want to be sure we give no signal to the enemy. We will continue the bombing of the North and South Laos. I want to leave the policies as they are. We have no plans for U.S. activity in Laos but I want to leave it there. I do not want to indicate that the South Vietnamese are planning large scale activity in Laos (Lam Son 719), but we don't want to be pinned down. We'll say only 'There are no present plans.' Leave the enemy concerned. Air power will be used in Laos to interdict supplies. I want everyone here to follow this line."…Unquote…
IN THE AIR WAR (27 July-2 August 1970). Three fixed wing aircraft and three gallant aviators were lost in Southeast Asia during this week fifty years ago. MAJOR Otis Cleveland MORGAN, USAF, was killed when his A-1H was shot down by automatic weapon fire 20 miles southwest of Danang. A second 56th SOW A-1H was downed on a night Commando Hunt mission in Southern Laos while conducting night attacks on enemy trucks. The pilot was rescued. The third loss was an RF-4C conducting night photo reconnaissance over Laos that perished without a trace. CAPTAIN Gary Anthony CHAVEZ and CAPTAIN Donald Alan BROWN rest in peace and remain where they fell fifty years ago. They are remembered here with admiration, and with sorrow for their respective families who wait… https://www.vietnamairlosses.com
WHEN NAVAL AVIATION ROARED. Tale #17 from Faithful Scribe's cache of notes from the Vietnam War awards files of CINCPACFLT, including CINCPACFLT letter FF 1-1, 1650 ser 102/PD of November 16, 1967. On 6 June 1967 an RVAH-7 RA-5C Vigilante from USS ENTERPRISE zipped through the area 30-35 miles south and southwest of Hanoi at 600-knots to photo the five SAM sites that were covering the approaches to the capital city from that direction. Two of those sites had scored kills on ENTERPRISE strike groups a few weeks earlier. While both of those firing sites were hit hard by ENTERPRISE after their successes, the RVAH-7 Viggie was there to ensure the status of all five of the enemy SAM sites was known for ongoing strike operations against military targets near Hanoi and in the Red River Valley. The film from the Viggie's 6 June pass was the immediate object of the squadron's photo interpreters on ENTERPRISE. A sharp-eyed PI detected a storage and assembly area in the trees and bushes about three-quarters of a mile from the unoccupied VN-94 SAM site. The area contained nine enemy missiles on transporters and a FAN SONG radar van hidden and camoflaged in the wooded area. A strike on the lucrative target was immediately set in motion. Unfortunately, dusk and bad weather, including massive thunderstorms, postponed the execution of the strike until the afternoon of 7 June. This is the story of that mission…
THE MISSION. Destroy the concentration of enemy surface-to–air missiles, vans and enemy personnel detected by the RVAH-7 reconnaisance.
photo
THE DEFENSES. The target of the strike group was situated in the center of an extremely active and effective enemy SA-2 missile area. As many as twenty-five missiles had been fired from the five sites in the area during the preceding month. Two ENTERPRISE aircraft were lost in the area on May 19. In addition to heavy missile defenses in the area the strike group had to penetrate about 75 miles of hostile enemy territory to reach the target. Within five miles of the target the attackers would be opposed by three active and confirmed 37/57mm, one 85mm and several automatic weapon sites. The target area was 35 miles from Hanoi and 45 miles from MiG airfields.
THE PLAN. Commander Carrier Air Wing-NINE, CAPTAIN James L. SHIPMAN opted to plan, brief and lead the quick reaction strike flying an A-4C of the VA-113 Stingers. The strike group was composed of: four VA-113 A-4Cs, each armed with three pods of 2.75 rockets; three VA-56 A-4Cs, the lead aircraft armed with four CBU-24s and two wingmen, each armed with four MK-117 750-pound bombs; three F-4Bs from VF-92/VF-96, each carrying ten MK-82 500-pound bombs, two Sidewinders and two Sparrows; and, one VA-35 A-6A armed with 22 MK-82s. Weather limited the size and employment ot the strike group to eleven aircraft and required a variety of ordnance to meet a full range of weather possibilities at the target. A weather abort was not an option.
EXECUTION. Launch, rendezvous, and navigation to the coast-in point south of Haiphong by the eleven aircraft strike force went as briefed. An E-2A aircraft provided vectors to assist CAPTAIN SHIPMAN with navigation as he penetrated deep into enemy territory below an overcast and above several broken cloud layers. Navigation assistance was also provided by the F-4B and A-6A crews as CAPTAIN SHIPMAN circumnavigated several thunderstorms along the planned route. Avoidance of dangerous concentrations of enemy defenses was attempted with limited success as the flight was under fire for several miles of the path to the target. Fifteen miles southeast of the target the F-4B division accelerated ahead of the strike group to locate the target and determine if the enemy missiles were still in position or had been moved. A cloud-covered ridge line was used by CAPTAIN SHIPMAN to mask the strike group's approach until just south of the target. The valley in which the target was located was clear of clouds below 10,000-feet. As the strike group popped up and positioned for the attack, the F-4B division, led by LCDR Morton WINCHESTER located the target, confirmed the presence of the missiles and vehicles and commenced the initial attack. CAPTAIN SHIPMAN followed with his four rocket shooters. The F-4B bombs ignited two enemy missiles which twisted above and impacted the storage area. The four rocket shooters pressed their attacks to minimum altitude to score direct hits on six more of the missiles, and the four bombers–3 A-4Cs and an A-6A followed with the delivery of 22 MK-82s, 6 M-117s and four CBU-24s on the area. Three secondaries exploded out of the towering fire and smoke to completely devastate the area occupied by the enemy SAM battalion. The CVW-9 attack was met with intense 37mm fire and automatic weapon fire but avoided by all eleven aircraft in the strike force. The extremely poor weather and numerous thunderstorms apparently cancelled out both enemy SAM and MiG opposition. The RVAH-7 post BDA photo bird was less fortunate than the strike birds and sustained a direct hit from a 37mm projectile. The RA-5C returned safely to the carrier with photos of the site on fire. CAPTAIN SHIPMAN remained over the target area to determine if a restrike was required and reported "total destruction, no restrike required," an assessment confirmed by the post-strike photos.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT. Confirmed damage: Nine SAMs on their transporters destroyed, one FAN SONG radar van and one POL truck destroyed.
The skipper of USS ENTERPRISE, CAPTAIN James L. HOLLOWAY III subsequently wrote of the successful strike: "This operation was a classic demonstration of the capability of the ENTERPRISE team. The remarkable reconnaisance and photographic interpretation that located this important target, and the swift, accurate and effective strike that destroyed the target, are commendable feats. The flight crews who participated in this totally successful mission against a lucrative target deep in enemy territory displayed unusual determination, professional competency and personal courage. The mission received a 'well done' from Commander SEVENTH FLEET and Commander Task Force SEVENTY-SEVEN."
BITS OF RIBBON. Medals all around. DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSSES for: CAG SHIPMAN ( His second of the cruise–he let his Squadron Commanders lead the big Alphas); LCDR WINCHESTER, VF-96; LCDR E. James BOCK, VF-92; and LCDR David WINIKER, VA-56. INDIVIDUAL AIR MEDAL: LCDR Jeremy TAYLOR, VA-113; LTJG David FORMO, VF-92; LTJG Charles E. BOEMER, VF-96; LTJG Rodney BANKSON, VA-35; and LCDR Dale DOSS, VA-35. NAVY COMMENDATION MEDALS with Combat V: LCDR Robert BRENNOCK, VA-113; LCDR Lawerence E. WEAR, VF-96; LCDR John E. HAMMACK, VA-56; LTJG Dennis a. LAWRENCE, VA-56; LTJG Michael L. McGRAW, VA-113 (CAG's Wingman–rated a DFC!); and ENSIGN Kenneth L. ROBERTS, VF-96…
END NOTE. Faithful Scribe was a steady letterwriter on my cruises on ENTERPRISE. When I opted to tell this CVW-9 story from 7 June 1967, I dug out the letter I wrote to my wife that evening to refresh my memory of that day 53 years ago. It is quoted in part here…
"Two very good hops today #s 94 and 95 for the cruise. I've flown five in three days…
"The first was a 0500 brief to lead four Stingers on an airborne RESCAP (rescue cover)–that's where somebody else goes in and bombs Hanoi and we hold off the coast to go in only if somebldy goes down and needs help. Nobody went down although 3 of the 15 planes were hit, so I ended up leading my guys on some barges south of Haiphong. Very good run and hits.
"The second one was in a gagle of eleven airplanes into 'SAM Valley' about 35 miles southwest of Hanoi. We hit a missile storage area about 3 miles from where I had my duel with a SAM site on 19 May. A photo plane got a pix yesterday that a fine eye spotted ten missiles hidden in the bushes. We charged in under marginal weather and thank goodness no missiles came up at us–so we found the spot and hit it. Did we hit it! I put my 57 rockets right in there along with almost everybody else and we had missiles frizzling up through the air, skittering along the ground, and blowing up on their trucks. It was great. There were ten, we got nine and two radar vans and an oil truck. There was some AAA but not enough to dim our glee. It was great fun.
"I took home-movies of both hops and together with a couple of Bullpup runs yesterday and a carrier landing this reel should be my best spool of film for the cruise. Unfortunately, my pix of a SAM twirling up through the air as I dove on the site today interested the intelligence people so they requested 'I loan them the film.' They assured me I'll get it back. I'll be worrying for months, then begging them for years to return the film (fifty-three years later I'm still waiting)…"... End quote from letter…
END NOTE #2… Faithful Scribe has it on good notice that TAILHOOK 2021 will feature "The Vietnam Air War: Rolling Thunder and Linebacker I and II" as the convention theme… I will oil up my walker and make it come hell or high water…
NEXT POST. USS CORAL SEA and CVW-15 surgically remove the railway/highway bridge in downtown Haiphong on 17 September 1967. This mission was earlier reported, in part, in my RTR post of 17-18 September 2017 (Ripple Salvo #561)…
Lest we forget… Bear
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From the Marquis' Commission to an F-86 Kill by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
07/27/2010
This Week in American Military History:
July 25, 1866: David Glasgow Farragut – best known for purportedly uttering the command, "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!," or the more likely command, "Damn the torpedoes! "Four bells. Captain [Percival] Drayton, go ahead! [Lt. Commander James] Jouett, full speed!" during the
1864 Battle of Mobile Bay, Alabama – is appointed to the rank of admiral (the first such rank in U.S. Naval history).
This same day, future American Pres. Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first "full [four star] general" in the history of the U.S. Army.
July 26, 1947: The National Security Act of 1947 – the law reorganizing the post-World War II national defense/intelligence structure of the United States – is passed.
The Act establishes the U.S. Department of Defense, which brings together the Departments of the Army, Navy (including the Marine Corps), the newly established Air Force (born of the World War II-era Army Air Forces), and it makes "official" the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Act also establishes the National Security Council (the highest-ranking executive council – composed of the U.S. president, vice president, secretaries of Defense and State, and others – responsible for advising the president on matters related to the integration of domestic, foreign, and military policies affecting national security) and the Central Intelligence Agency (born of a series of predecessor foreign intelligence-gathering/clandestine-operations organizations including the World War II-era Office of Strategic Services).
The Act, which will become effective Sept. 18, is considered to be the most sweeping reorganization of the American defense structure since the establishment of the Department of the Navy in 1798.
July 27, 1909: Aviation pioneer Orville Wright flies himself and U.S. Army Lt. Frank P. Lahm above the Fort Myer, Virginia countryside for more than an hour in his now-famous Wright Flyer. The Army leadership is impressed enough that it takes delivery of its first Wright Flyer, "the world's first military airplane," within days.
July 27, 1953: A negotiated ceasefire ends the "shooting war" in Korea.
This same day, U.S. Air Force Capt. Ralph S. Parr, flying an F-86 Sabre, shoots down a Soviet Ilyushin Il-12 transport, reportedly "the last kill"
of the Korean War.
July 28, 1915: Rear Admiral William B. Caperton, commander of the Cruiser Squadron of the Atlantic Fleet, orders 340 U.S. Marines and sailors ashore at Port au Prince, Haiti. The landing party is composed of the Marine Detachment USS Washington, the 12th Marine Expeditionary Company, and three companies of sailors. More troops will follow.
The landings are initiated in response to a spate of mob violence in which scores of political prisoners are summarily executed.
July 29, 1846: Sailors and Marines of USS Cyane seize San Diego, California, during the Mexican War.
July 30, 1864: In a special-operation that proves disastrous for the initiators, Union Army troops under the command of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside detonate a mine, blowing a huge hole (or crater) in the Confederate defenses at Petersburg, Virginia. Several units of Union soldiers charge in after the explosion, but each unit is beaten back with heavy losses by Confederates under Brig. Gen. William Mahone.
July 31, 1777: The Marquis de Lafayette, a 19-year-old French nobleman whom Gen. George Washington will soon take under his wing, is commissioned "major general" in the Continental Army.
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Thanks to Dr. Rich
F/A-18's to get IRST...
Thanks to Michael T. ...
The Navy's fleet of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets keeps getting better with age as it soars into the middle of its service life. The latest Block III upgrade package, which will be applied to many earlier Super Hornets and new build models going forward, will offer a big suite of improvements that you can read all about in detail here. These Super Hornets and earlier Block II ones will soon be able to take advantage of an old concept that has become incredibly relevant once again, not to mention far more potent with an injection of new technologies—the Infrared Search and Track system, commonly referred to as IRST.
The Navy has gone without any form of an IRST for nearly a decade and a half, but that is about to change as the Super Hornet's IRST is slated to enter operations with the fleet in September of 2021, and it really couldn't come sooner. With the proliferation of stealth technology and advanced electronic warfare capabilities, being able to leverage a passive sensor, one that uses the infrared spectrum alone, to detect and track airborne targets far beyond-visual-range is becoming essential. Not only can the IRST do this independently, but now, leveraging the latest in sensor-fusion capabilities, it can provide another critical sensor data stream that can corroborate a flight crew's situational air-to-air 'picture' at any given time. It can do this while being totally immune to electromagnetic jamming and other electronic attacks, and it can see right through radar-evading stealth technology.
Captain Jason Denney, head of the Super Hornet and Growler program for the U.S. Navy, was kind enough to field an in-depth interview and share his enthusiasm for this critical new capability with The War Zone. The discussion below answers a lot of questions many may have about the Navy's IRST 'renaissance' of sorts, such as how the Super Hornet's IRST ended up in the nose of an external fuel tank and how the sensor differs from its evolutionary predecessor found on the F-14D Super Tomcat before its retirement.
For complete context and background, you can read an in-depth primer I wrote on IRSTs some time ago by clicking here.
Now, without further ado, lets launch into the fascinating and potentially game-changing world of cutting-edge Infrared Search and Track systems with Navy's officer tasked with leading the Super Hornet into the future:
TR: The last time the Navy fielded an IRST was on the F-14D Super Tomcat. That aircraft was pulled from service 14 years ago. What capability was lost with its retirement?
CD: So, an IRST is just another part of the spectrum. So, yes, when we retired the F-14 and we didn't have the follow-on IRST readily available, we lost access to that part of the spectrum. So, if you think about the spectrum, I like to use analogy because I can get the concepts that I want across without broaching anything that is sensitive or classified. So, if you think about the electromagnetic spectrum, you've got parts of it that are widely used and have a lot of traffic like I-5 [the Interstate 5 highway], right? And then, you've got other parts of it that not a whole lot of traffic, they're kind of like that side road, that country road that's got a lot of stoplights and things.
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Daily News from Military Periscope
USA—Army Plans To Test Long-Range Missiles For Future Helicopters Defense News | 07/28/2020 The U.S. Army plans to evaluate several long-range precision munitions that could equip its future helicopters, reports Defense News. The service must complete a preliminary design review for the assets for its future fleet by 2023, giving it three years to hold one or more fly-offs, Army officials said on July 24. The service is acquiring Israel Spike-NLOS missiles, with a range of more than 19 miles (30 km), to provide an interim capability. The Army has not determined the form factor for its required long-range precision munitions. Fly-offs over the next few years could be used to help finalize the requirement, officials said. The service is pleased with the range of the Spike-NLOS, so any competitor would need to provide comparable or better performance. The long-range missile is needed to enable Army helicopters to operate outside the envelope of future threats.
USA—Space Force Takes 1st Steps Toward New Force Structure U.S. Space Force | 07/28/2020 The U.S. Space Force has begun implementing its organizational plan by inactivating several units it inherited from the Air Force and replacing them, reports the service. On July 24, the service held a virtual ceremony to inactivate three space wings and eight lower echelon commands that it had inherited from Air Force Space Command, reported Air Force magazine. In their place, Space Force activated two garrison commands and eight mission "deltas," the new basic organizational unit of the service, which is the equivalent of an Air Force wing. In addition, Space Force activated the Space Training and Readiness (STAR) Delta Provisional, which will serve as a precursor unit until the Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) can be formed. STAR Delta Provision will oversee various education, training and operational test units on an interim basis Eight mission deltas were activated, replacing their related Air Force units. At Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., Space Delta 2 replaced the 21st Operations Group in the space domain awareness mission; the 721st Operations group was replaced by Space Delta 3 in the space electronic warfare mission; and Space Delta 7 was created to partner with the 544th Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Group for ISR missions. Space Delta 4 replaced the 460th Operations Group at Buckley Air Force Base, Colo., in the missile warning mission. At Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., Space Delta 5 replaced the 614th Air Operations Center in the command-and-control mission. At Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., the 50th Network Operations Group was replaced by Space Delta 6 in the cyberspace operations mission; Space Delta 8 replaced the 50th Operations Group in the satellite communications/navigation warfare mission; and Space Delta 9 replaced the 750th Operations Group in the orbital warfare mission. The 21st Space Wing at Peterson and the 50th Space Wing at Schriever were both inactivated replaced with the Peterson-Schriever Garrison. The unit will also oversee Thule Air Base, Greenland; Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colo.; Kaena Point Air Force Station, Hawaii; and New Boston Air Force Station, N.H. It will also support 16 other mission locations around the world. The Buckley Garrison unit was activated to replace the 460th Space Wing at Buckley AFB. The unit will support Cape Cod Air Force Station, Mass.; Cavalier Air Force Station, N.D.; Clear Air Force Station, Alaska; and 10 additional unspecified locations. The Air Force Warfare Center Detachment I; the 705th Combat Training Squadron Operating Location Alpha; the 25th Space Range Squadron; and the 527th Space Aggressor Squadron were also reassigned to Space Force.
Ukraine—New Cease-Fire Enters Effect In Donbas Politico | 07/28/2020 A new cease-fire agreement between the Ukrainian government and Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine has come into force, reports Politico (Washington, D.C.). The cease-fire went into effect on Sunday after the government and separatists reached a deal to halt fighting on July 22, reported Deutsche Welle. On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the conflict by telephone and expressed support for the cease-fire. Both sides also complained about the implementation of the Minsk peace agreement. Zelensky reiterated the need to support the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission and to grant Red Cross access to detainees. Putin objected to legislation passed by the Ukrainian Parliament earlier this month indicating that local elections would not be held in Russian-occupied territories. On Monday, the Ukrainian military said that there had been two breaches of the cease-fire, involving grenades, machine guns and small arms, neither of which caused any casualties, reported Euronews.
Azerbaijan—Joint Exercises With Turkey To Begin This Week Anadolu News Agency | 07/28/2020 The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has announced that it will hold joint military exercises with Turkey later this week, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). Air drills are scheduled from July 29 to Aug. 10 in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh, the ministry said on Monday. Ground exercises are slated for Aug. 1 to Aug. 5 in Baku and Nakhchivan and will involve armored vehicles, artillery, mortars, aviation and air defense systems. The move comes after deadly border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan earlier this month in which 12 Azerbaijani soldiers, including several high-ranking officers, were killed. Following the fighting, high-ranking Turkish officials, including Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, visited the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic in a show of support, reported the Daily Sabah (Istanbul).
China—Most Troops Withdrawn From Disputed Border With India Agence France-Presse | 07/28/2020 The Chinese Foreign Ministry says that Chinese and Indian troops have completed their withdrawal from most parts of the disputed border in the Kashmir region, reports Agence France-Presse. Front-line forces from both sides have "completed disengagement" at most places along the disputed border, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Tuesday. The situation in the area continues to de-escalate, he said. A fifth round of talks between military commanders is in the works to evaluate a final settlement in the region, reported the Hindustan Times. Tensions have been high in the region following deadly clashes between Chinese and Indian border forces in mid-June.
South Korea—Under New Agreement With U.S., Seoul Can Develop Solid-Fuel Rockets Yonhap | 07/28/2020 South Korea and the U.S. have agreed to revise rules for missile development to allow Seoul to develop solid-fuel rockets, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). The changes took effect on Tuesday, said South Korean Deputy National Security Adviser Kim Hyun Chong. The accord completely removes restrictions on the use of solid fuel for space rockets, said Kim. Accordingly, South Korean companies and research institutes are permitted to develop and produce various types of space rockets using liquid, solid and hybrid fuels, he said. Solid-fuel rockets are quicker to launch and harder to detect ahead of takeoff, while being cheaper and more fuel-efficient than liquid-fuel models. The move will enable the military to improve its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities by placing surveillance satellites in low-earth orbit. If Seoul accelerates related projects, it could have multiple satellites in orbit by the late 2020s, reported Reuters. South Korea has been subject to restrictions on its missile capabilities since 1979. The limits have been amended numerous times, most recently in 2017, when a payload cap of 1,100 pounds (500 kg) was lifted. Seoul launched its first military communications satellite on July 20.
South Korea—Huey Fleet Retires After 5 Decades Of Service Yonhap | 07/28/2020 The South Korean army has officially retired its fleet of UH-1H helicopters, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Monday, the service held a retirement ceremony commemorating the fleet's 52 years of service. The South Korean army operated 129 UH-1Hs that flew a total of 792,000 hours and 90.7 million miles (146 million km) over their service life. The UH-1H fleet is being replaced with the indigenous Surion multirole helicopter.
Taiwan—Defense Budget In Line For 3 Percent Boost Taipei Times | 07/28/2020 The Taiwanese defense budget is set for a 3 percent increase in fiscal 2021, reports the Taipei Times. The baseline fiscal 2021 defense budget is expected to grow by US$339 million, reaching US$11.4 billion, said unnamed sources on July 24. This would represent a 3 percent increase from the fiscal 2020 defense budget, said the sources. That figure does not include US$984 million in specially allocated funding for the purchase of 66 F-16V fighter jets from the U.S. If the special budget is added, the 2021 budget is 7 percent more than in 2020. Funding for that acquisition, which has a total value of US$8.4 billion, is being provided outside the military budget over the next seven years. The Taiwanese government is expected to present its official budget proposal next month. The defense ministry is still in talks with the government for additional funding to buy advanced equipment, said the sources.
New Zealand—Extradition Treaty With Hong Kong Suspended New Zealand Herald | 07/28/2020 The New Zealand government has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong after Beijing unilaterally passed a new national security law governing the semi-autonomous city, reports the New Zealand Herald. On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said that New Zealand could no longer trust the independence of the Hong Kong criminal justice system following the passage of the security legislation. That law was passed in June in response to months of pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and is widely seen as a way to crack down on any opposition to Beijing's rule. Should China show adherence in the future to the "one country, two systems" framework, then New Zealand could reverse the decision, said Peters. Peters also said that dual-use technologies, which have both military and civilian applications, that are exported to Hong Kong will now face the same restrictions as those exported to China. Chinese officials criticized the decision, which they called a violation of international law and interference in China's internal affairs. The decision follows similar moves by Australia, Canada and the U.K. The U.S. has indicated that it will take similar steps. Officials in Beijing said that they are suspending Hong Kong's extradition treaties with those countries, reported BBC News.
Singapore—1st CH-47F Emerges In Delaware Defense News | 07/28/2020 The first of as many as 16 CH-47F heavy-lift helicopters ordered by Singapore has begun test flights, reports Defense News. A CH-47F with Singapore air force markings was observed during test flights at Wilmington International Airport, Del. The helicopter flew there from Boeing's Chinook production line in Ridley Township, Pa. The civil registration number on the helicopter correlates to a set of 16 serial numbers Boeing filed with the Federal Aviation Administration in February, which is typically the precursor for new aircraft to undertake flight and other testing in American airspace. Singapore has not confirmed the size of its order for CH-47Fs, which was placed with Boeing in November 2016 as a direct commercial sale. Previous reports have indicated a purchase of 16 aircraft. The CH-47Fs intended for Singapore are significantly modified from U.S. Army aircraft. Changes include a lengthened nosecone to fit a radar and enlarged side sponson fuel tanks. An electro-optical sensor turret is fitted below the nosecone and a satellite communications antenna is provided on the top of the fuselage. The helicopters will replace Singapore's 10 CH-47SD and five CH-47D aircraft.
India—Defense Minister Discusses Increased Cooperation With Indonesian Counterpart Press Trust Of India | 07/28/2020 The defense ministers of India and Indonesia have agreed to expand cooperation on strategic and defense matters, reports the Press Trust of India. On Monday, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto discussed military and defense ties during face-to-face talks in New Delhi. Possible avenues for further cooperation include defense industry and defense technology, the Indian Defense Ministry said in a statement following the meeting. The officials also discussed the possibility of enhanced maritime cooperation and the export of BrahMos cruise missiles to Indonesia. The sides also reportedly discussed China's aggressive activities in the South China Sea and Ladakh, although this was not officially confirmed. The latest talks build on a defense agreement inked between India and Indonesia that was signed in 2018.
India—Initial Batch Of Rafale Fighters On The Way Press Trust Of India | 07/28/2020 An initial batch of fighter jets ordered from France are on their way to India, reports the Hindu. On Monday, the Rafale fighters took off from Merignac airbase in Bordeaux, headed for Ambala Air Force Station in the northern Haryana state, said Indian officials. The jets reached Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates on Monday afternoon for a scheduled stopover and were expected to arrive in India on Wednesday. The delivery includes three jets in the single-seat configuration and a pair of two seaters. Upon delivery, the jets are to be inducted into the air force's No. 17 Squadron, the Golden Arrows. Dassault, the manufacturer, has delivered 10 of 36 Rafales ordered by India. Five remain in France for training. Deliveries are scheduled to conclude by the end of 2021, said officials.
Iran—IRGC Wraps Up Large-Scale Drills In South Tasnim News Agency | 07/28/2020 The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has launched the final stage of a large-scale exercise in southern Iran and the Persian Gulf, reports the semi-official Tasnim news agency (Tehran). The Payambar-e Azam 14 (Great Prophet) drills kicked off on Tuesday in Iran's southern Hormozgan province, western part of the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf, said an IRGC statement. The joint exercise involves ground, air, naval and space operations, the IRGC said. The final phase of the training includes joint operations by missile units, vessels and drones from the IRGC navy and missile, drone and radar units from the IRGC aerospace forces. The exercise covers offensive missile operations, offensive minelaying, naval interceptions and helicopter and coastal defense system missile launches. Meanwhile, on Monday, satellite images showed that Iran had moved its replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier into the Strait of Hormuz, presumably to serve as a target, reported Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Syria—8 Die In Bombing In Turkish-Held Border Town Middle East Eye | 07/28/2020 At least eight people are dead after a bomb went off in a market in a Turkish-held town in northeastern Syria, reports the Middle East Eye. On Sunday morning, a motorbike rigged with explosives detonated in a vegetable market in Ras al-Ain on the Syrian border with Turkey, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said a car bomb was used in the attack. Nineteen people were wounded in the blast, including several who were in serious condition, the observatory said. Turkish-backed forces have held the town since Turkish troops and their Syrian allies seized it from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in October 2019. Turkey blamed the attack on the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), which it considers part of the Turkey-based Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been fighting the Turkish government for decades.
Israel—Troops Interdict Hezbollah Fighters Attempting To Cross Border Times of Israel | 07/28/2020 The Israel Defense Forces says it has intercepted a Hezbollah cell as it entered Israeli territory in the disputed Mount Dov area, reports the Times of Israel. Three or four militants were spotted shortly before they attempted to cross the border between Israel and Lebanon and were tracked the entire time that they were in Israeli territory, said an IDF spokesperson. Israeli forces opened fire on the militants as they crossed the border, driving them back into Lebanon, the spokesperson said. It was unclear if the Hezbollah cell suffered any casualties. No Israeli troops were killed or injured in the incident, the IDF said. A Hezbollah-linked news outlet said that the militant group had not suffered any fatalities. Shortly after the clash, Hezbollah denied that any of its forces attempted an attack and blamed the IDF report on a "fearful, anxious and tense enemy." The Iran-backed group also said that it would respond in the future to the killing of one of its operatives near Damascus in a suspected Israeli airstrike. Tensions have been high along the Israel-Lebanon border since Hezbollah pledged retribution for that attack. Separately, the Israeli military denied reports in Lebanese media that a Kornet anti-tank missile had been fired at an Israeli tank in the Mount Dov area.
Sudan—Dozen Die In Growing Darfur Violence Reuters | 07/28/2020 At least 60 people have been killed in the latest violence in Sudan's western Darfur region., reports Reuters. On Saturday, about 500 armed men attacked Masteri, a town north of Beida, said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as reported by Agence France-Presse. About 60 others were wounded in the assault, said OCHA. The motivations behind the attack were not immediately clear. The town's inhabitants are primarily members of the Masalit community. The attack was the latest in a series over the last week that resulted in the burning of several villages and houses, looting of markets and shops and damage to infrastructure, said OCHA. Sudanese officials said a joint force would be deployed in Darfur following reports of renewed violence, reported the state-run Sudan News Agency (SUNA). Separately, at least 20 people were killed and 22 injured on Saturday after unidentified militiamen attacked a village in South Darfur, said witnesses. Another three people were killed on Sunday during a renewed dispute between farmers and shepherds in the Al Jarf area of North Darfur, said the SUNA. Security forces intervened in that clash. Fighting has increased despite a peace deal signed between the government and a coalition of nine rebel groups in January. Much of the violence is thought to be spurred by land rights, after farmers returned to their fields in May ahead of the planting season, which usually runs from July to November.. .
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