Good Thursday Morning
I hope that your week has been going well
.Regards.
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Today in Naval History
August 6
1862 During the Civil War, CSS Arkansas is destroyed by Confederate Cmdr. Isaac N. Brown to prevent her capture when her engines fail during an encounter with USS Essex.
1917 During World War I, the tank steamer S.S. Campana is captured and sunk by the German submarine U-61 in the Bay of Biscay. Four out of the five Naval Armed Guard ships are captured, along with the ship's captain, and become the first American sailors to be taken prisoner since war is declared on Germany. Chief Gunner's Mate James Delaney receives the Navy Cross for commanding the Armed Guard on this occasion.
1943 Just before midnight, Task Force 31.2 waits at Vella Gulf as four Japanese destroyers carrying soldiers and supplies steam into radar range. Not giving away the position until firing their torpedoes, all four Japanese destroyers were subsequently hit. Bursting into flames, the destroyers, Hagikaze, Arashi, and Kawakaze were sunk. The last one, Shigure, is hit by a dud and escapes into the night.
1944 PV-1 (VB 130), PBMs (VP 204 and 205), along with USAAF B-18 aircraft sink German submarine U 615 off Venezuela.
1988 USS San Juan (SSN 751) is commissioned at New London, Conn. The Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarine is the third to be named after San Juan, Puerto Rico. The boat is assigned to Submarine Group Two.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
•Secretary of the Navy Kenneth Braithwaite wrote an op-ed in Navy Times praising those who fought the fire aboard USS Bonhomme Richard.
•Media reported on comments from Defense Secretary Mark Esper at the Aspen Security Forum.
•USNI News reported on use of land-based testing for the Columbia SSBN program to avoid shipbuilding mistakes.
This Day in history
Today in History August 6
1497 | John Cabot returns to England after his first successful journey to the Labrador coast. | |
1863 | The CSS Alabama captures the USS Sea Bride near the Cape of Good Hope. | |
1888 | Martha Turner is murdered by an unknown assailant, believed to be Jack the Ripper, in London, England. | |
1890 | William Kemmler becomes the first man to be executed by the electric chair. | |
1904 | The Japanese army in Korea surrounds a Russian army retreating to Manchuria. | |
1914 | Ellen Louise Wilson, the first wife of the twenty-eighth president, Woodrow Wilson, dies of Bright's disease. | |
1927 | A Massachusetts high court hears the final plea from Sacco and Vanzetti, two Italians convicted of murder. | |
1942 | The Soviet city of Voronezh falls to the German army. | |
1945 | Paul Tibbets, the commander of Enola Gay, drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. It was the second atomic bomb, dropped on Nagasaki, that induced the Japanese to surrender. | |
1962 | Jamaica becomes independent, after 300 years of British rule. | |
1965 | President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Voting Rights Act, outlawing the literacy test for voting eligibility in the South. | |
1972 | Atlanta Braves' right fielder Hank Aaron hits his 660th and 661st home runs, setting the Major League record for most home runs by a player for a single franchise. | |
1973 | Singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder is in an automobile accident and goes into a four-day coma. | |
1979 | Twelve-year-old Marcus Hooper becomes the youngest person to swim the English Channel. | |
1981 | Argentina's ex-president Isabel Peron is freed from house arrest. | |
1988 | A melee that became known as the Tompkins Square Park Police Riot in New York City leads to NYPD reforms. | |
1991 | Tim Berners-Lee publishes the first-ever website, Info.cern.ch. | |
1993 | Pope John Paul II publishes "Veritatis splendor encyclical," regarding fundamentals of the Catholic Church's role in moral teachings. | |
1997 | Microsoft announces it will invest $150 million in troubled rival Apple Computer, Inc. | |
2012 | New Zealand's Mount Tongariro erupts for the first time since 1897. |
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To all,
I recently found out that John Junek had cancer as a result of Dave Lovelady (Micro) sending me a note that he had received. I did not know about it and found that neither did a number of John's other friends. The short story is that Micro talked with his wife and has provided the following. This is to notify his friends and squadron Mates and to inform Vietnam veterans in general on what he has been through and what avenues may be open to others who are suffering from this problem
Skip:
(best I know it) to both inform and help others in the "brotherhood." I don't claim to have all the details perfect, but I think they're close enough to serve the purposes. Here's the story.
I talked to John a few times when this all started, maybe 3-4 years ago. He told me that his PSA had gone up dramatically, but his physician kept saying it didn't mean anything, and he shouldn't worry about it. After a couple of years of that with the numbers becoming astronomical, John insisted on biopsies of his prostate. I think it was 11 out of 12 samples showed cancer. (No, I do not know the fate of that physician, but he shouldn't be practicing medicine.)
John went to Walter Reed, which has a world class Prostate Cancer Research Center. They said his version was a relatively rare and very aggressive cancer and, after doing a little bit, they said there was nothing else they could do, so they referred him across the street to NIH. After a lot of testing, he was admitted into an experimental program. He was told there was no cure, but they would add some time for him. He suffered through some horrendous treatments with terrible side effects. There would be some periods of almost remission followed by the cancer morphing into a different strain, necessitating more tests and different treatments. Many treatments required John and Kitty to stay overnight near NIH and, later, back at Walter Reed.
In the meantime, John told me of his fight with the VA to try to get a disability rating. Since my wife was on the staff of the only Republican Congressman in Maryland, we made some suggestions on who to contact, since John didn't live in his District. John got zero help (both Senators Van Hollen and Cardin are Democrats, as is John's Congressman, Steny Hoyer, and, yes, I think there's a connection). All they could say was, "Call the VA." Of course, the reason he was contacting them was because the VA HQ (in Baltimore!) was incompetent.
Along with Ed Clexton (VADM, USN, Ret.), who was John's pilot on his second deployment to Vietnam, I signed an affidavit explaining what the entries in John's logbook meant—that he had landed at Danang several times and spent the night several times. The VA was, in my words, so lazy that they didn't even bother to read what was written.
Since he got no help from others in Congress, my wife approached her boss again (he's a retired Navy doctor), and he said he'd get involved. There was a conference call between some of his staff, John, and the VA. What the VA didn't know is the Congressman was listening. They kept up their incompetence until the Congressman couldn't stand it anymore. He bawled them out so strongly that one of them later admitted he'd never heard anything like that before. The VA Administrator in Baltimore called within a couple of hours saying that they had made a mistake and John was approved.
Simultaneously, John was still going through the treatments and dealing with all that comes with such health issues. The last thing someone needs in that situation is to run into bureaucrats that simply don't care.
John's cancer has recently spread to other parts of his body, and his Walter Reed doctor initiated Hospice. When I asked Kitty if I could pass along the word to all his friends through your LIST, here is what she said: "Dave just sitting here thinking that these friends/aviators need to know that NIH did extensive DNA studies on John's cancer and proved beyond a doubt that it was caused by his exposure to AGENT ORANGE… no family history etc. If their PSA creeps even .01 they need to take early action. Walter Reed has an excellent Center for Prostate Cancer research."
As everyone that knows him understands, John is one of the good guys. There's nothing he wouldn't do for someone else. He and I were in sister squadrons on Kitty Hawk, then we flew a lot of test flights together at Pax River in the early days of the F-14. Then we were roommates in VF-24 on Connie. In fact, John gave me my callsign: he would always go on a crash diet to pass his annual flight physical, and I'd give him a hard time about it. One day in our stateroom on Connie, I was kidding him, and I broke out the NATOPS manual to show him the ejection envelopes. I extrapolated and showed him that on a normal approach, he would have to eject at several hundred feet of altitude, whereas I was so light I could eject 100 feet underground and still make it. He said sullenly, "Well, that's because you're just a micro-man."
Please pass the pertinent info along to all those that know and think the world of John. I'm sure there are lots of stories out there. I have a few more that I may pass along at some point. For now, let's add some prayers for John, Kitty, and their children (John, Jr., is on the LIST, I believe).
Micro
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Thanks to the Early Bird Brief
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for August 6, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
6 August
1945: Flying his "Enola Gay" B-29 from Tinian Island, Col Paul W. Tibbets, Jr., dropped the atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima. (4) (12)
1946: Two radio-controlled B-17s, escorted by control planes, flew 2,174 miles from Hawaii to Muroc Lake, Calif. (24)
1950: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces began nightly visual reconnaissance of enemy supply routes. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force pilots observed an estimated 250 MiGs, the largest daily total since 1 April. In the major air-to-air battle of the month, 34 F-86s destroyed 6 of 52 MiG-15s. Far East Air Forces organized Detachment 3, 6004th Air Intelligence Service Squadron, to increase effectiveness of evasion and escape techniques by downed airmen. The detachment continued on-going experiments, such as "snatching" downed personnel by especially equipped C47s. It also emphasized aircrew training in emergency procedures, the use of radios and survival equipment, and helicopter rescue procedures. (28)
1953: The N-69A Snark research test vehicle flew its first flight test at Cape Canaveral. In this configuration, the missile's length increased from 50 to 68 feet and weight from 28,000 to 49,000 pounds for greater range and payload capability. (6) Operation BIG SWITCH. Through October, the USAF used C-124, C-54, C-46, and C-47 transports to airlift more than 800 former prisoners of war from Korea to the US. (21)
1954: MACKAY TROPHY. Through 7 August, two 308 BMW B-47s made a 10,000-mile, nonstop round-trip flight from Hunter AFB, Ga., to French Morocco with four KC-97 inflight refuelings. One bomber finished in 24 hours 4 minutes, while the other took 25 hours 23 minutes. The 308th received the Mackay Trophy for this flight. (1)
1958: The USAF issued a requirement for the Minuteman ICBM. (6) 1959: The TM-76 Mace replaced the Matador in USAFE's inventory. (4)
1966: HARMON TROPHY. Walter M. Schirra, Jr. (USN) and Thomas B. Stafford from Gemini VI and Frank Borman and James A. Lovell, Jr. (USN) from Gemini VII won the trophy for the first rendezvous in space of two separate launch vehicles. (5) The first threee civilian scientist-astronauts Owen K. Garriott, Edward G. Gibson, and Harrison H. Schmitt received their Air Force pilot wings at Williams AFB. (16) (26)
1971: Vandenberg AFB launched an Air Force Atlas rocket to place nine experiments into three different orbits. (16)
1982: Through 5 September, MAC supported a Multinational Peacekeeping Force in the Sinai Peninsula by sending 9 missions (1 C-141 and 8 commercial) to deliver a 101st Airborne Division battalion from Fort Campbell to Ras Nasrani and then to return a 82d Airborne Division battalion to Fort Bragg.
1987: Aeronautical Systems Division began phase two of the Mission Adaptive Wing tests at Edwards AFB. This phase tested four automated flight control modes: cruise camber control, maneuver camber control, maneuver load control, and maneuver alleviation/gust enhancement. This wing allowed aircraft to achieve a 25-30 percent increase in range and a 25 percent improvement in sustained G-forces.
1991: Through 9 August, MAC units moved 75 tons of blankets and supplies to Shanghai, China, after floods in eastern China caused 1,000 deaths and left over 100,000 homeless. (16) (26)
1998: During a 15-hour flight in Hawaii, the solar-powered Pathfinder-Plus, an upgraded version of the Pathfinder UAV, reached nearly 80,300 feet in altitude, the highest point ever reached by a propeller-driven aircraft. It carried a simulated payload of 68 pounds. (3)
2001: The 93rd Air Control Wing at Robins AFB received the first updated Block 20 E-8C JSTARS production aircraft. The Computer Replacement Program enhancement in the Block 20 aircraft reduced the number of on-board computers from five to two, while increasing processing power and speed. It also had several engineering changes to improve maintainability. (AFNEWS Article 1071, 6 Aug 2001) Following a final sortie by the Lockheed Martin X-35B, the X-32/X-35 Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstration flight test program ended. After 39 sorties (21.5 flight hours), the X-35B flew to Air Force Plant 42 at Palmdale for final disposition. (3)
2003: A B-2 released 80 inert JDAMs as part of a weapon separations test. The AFFTC test program integrated the Smart Bomb Release Assembly (SBRA) into the B-2. (3)
2007: EXERCISE NORTHERN GOSHAWK. Through 11 August, the Distributed Mission Operations Center at Kirtland AFB, N. Mex., implemented a complex, new electronic exercise to bring more "reality" to virtual reality simulations. The five-day exercise also gave Royal Air Force members their first opportunity to connect to the center in a virtual battlespace to engage simulated enemy forces. (AFNEWS, "Info Sharing Allows Realistic Coalition Training, .
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This Day in U S Military History
1777 – The Battle of Oriskany was one of the bloodiest battles in the North American theater of the American Revolutionary War and a significant engagement of the Saratoga campaign. An American party trying to relieve the siege of Fort Stanwix was ambushed by a party of Loyalists and allies of several Native American tribes. This was one the few battles in the war in which almost all of the participants were North American: Loyalists and allied Indians fought against Patriots and allied Oneida in the absence of British soldiers. Early in the siege of Fort Stanwix, an American relief force from the Mohawk Valley under General Nicholas Herkimer, numbering around 800 men of the Tryon County militia, and a party of Oneida warriors, approached in an attempt to raise the siege. British commander Barry St. Leger authorized an intercept force consisting of a Hanau Jäger (light infantry) detachment, Sir John Johnson's King's Royal Regiment of New York, Indian allies from the Six Nations, particularly Mohawk and Seneca; and other tribes to the north and west, and Indian Department Rangers, totaling at least 450 men. The Loyalist and Indian force ambushed Herkimer's force in a small valley about six miles (10 km) east of Fort Stanwix, near the present-day village of Oriskany, New York. During the battle, Herkimer was mortally wounded. The battle cost the Patriots approximately 450 casualties, while the Loyalists and Indians lost approximately 150 dead and wounded. The result of the battle remains ambiguous because the apparent Loyalist victory was significantly affected by a sortie from Fort Stanwix in which the Loyalist camps were sacked, spoiling morale among the allied Indians. For the Iroquois nations, the battle marked the beginning of a civil war, as Oneida warriors under Colonel Louis and Han Yerry allied with the American cause and fought against members of other Iroquois nations. There were also internal divisions among the Oneida, some of whom went to Canada as allies of the British. The site is known in oral histories of the Iroquois nations as "A Place of Great Sadness." The site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and is marked by a battle monument.
Those of you that follow the List Know that the USS Oriskany CVA-34 was sunk in the waters off Pensacola Florida and is also revered site to all those who lost their lives flying from her deck during the Vietnam War. also A Place of great sadness.
1918 – The Second Battle of the Marne ends In disaster for the Germans who sustain losses of 168,000 men and have been pushed back to the line of the Aisne and Vesle Rivers. Following a series of offensives since March, the Germans no longer have the resources to launch attacks. They have suffered huge casualties among their best-trained troops–the storm trooper units– and those who have survived are suffering from increasingly poor morale.
1918 – The first American lightship to be sunk by enemy action, Lightship No. 71, was lost on her Diamond Shoals station. LS 71 had reported by radio the presence of a German submarine which had sunk a passing freighter. That message was intercepted by the submarine U-104, which then located the lightship and, after giving the crew opportunity to abandon ship in the boats, LS 71 was sunk by surface gunfire. The lightship's crew took to their lifeboats and reached shore without injury.
1945 – Hiroshima, Japan, was struck with the uranium bomb, Little Boy, from the B-29 airplane, Enola Gay, piloted by Col. Paul Tibbets of the US Air Force along with 11 other men. The atom bomb killed an estimated 140,000 people in the first use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. Major Thomas Wilson Ferebee (d.2000 at 81) was the bombardier. Richard Nelson (d.2003) was the radio operator. Navy weaponeer, Captain W.S. Parsons, USN, armed the atomic bomb. The bomb is a uranium fission weapon and the yield is in the region of 20,000 tons on TNT. Sixty percent of the city is destroyed in the blast and the firestorm that follows. About 80,000 Japanese are killed. Many more are severely burned and others become ill later, from exposure to radiation. It is not the most devastating bombing attack of the war but the economy of the effort involved in sending only one plane on a mission to destroy a city shows only too well the complete change in military and political thinking which has begun. Meanwhile, other American aircraft raid Tarmuizu, Kagoshima and Miyakonoju.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*THOMPSON, WILLIAM.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, 24th Company M, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Haman, Korea, 6 August 1950. Entered service at: Bronx, N.Y. Birth: New York, N.Y. G.O. No.: 63, 2 August 1951. Citation: Pfc. Thompson, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. While his platoon was reorganizing under cover of darkness, fanatical enemy forces in overwhelming strength launched a surprise attack on the unit. Pfc. Thompson set up his machine gun in the path of the onslaught and swept the enemy with withering fire, pinning them down momentarily thus permitting the remainder of his platoon to withdraw to a more tenable position. Although hit repeatedly by grenade fragments and small-arms fire, he resisted all efforts of his comrades to induce him to withdraw, steadfastly remained at his machine gun and continued to deliver deadly, accurate fire until mortally wounded by an enemy grenade. Pfc. Thompson's dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflect the highest credit on himself and uphold the esteemed traditions of military service.
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Thanks to Dan
Here are two more stories about scary things that occurred to others during Army Flight School Training, about 50 years ago:
Story #1: The flight lines at both Ft. Wolters, TX (Primary helicopter flight training), and Ft. Rucker, AL (Advanced helicopter flight training), were similar. Rows and rows of helicopters, each on its own, numbered pad. During briefing, hundreds of students were provided with a weather briefing, safety briefing, then assigned a specific aircraft by tail number and numbered pad. The students would then go to their assigned aircraft, pre-flight, then start the aircraft and fly to their assigned airfields (miniature airports built in farmers fields), for further briefing and training. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, two of our stalwart students apparently didn't conduct a legitimate pre-flight, because, after they started their aircraft and picked it up to a hover, the aircraft spun like a top, and thrashed itself to death on the ground. The Accident Board did not have to work very hard to determine the cause of the aircraft accident, because IT DID NOT HAVE A TAIL-ROTOR INSTALLED! (for the starched-wing guys, that's that little propeller at the aft end of the helicopter that keeps it from spinning in the opposite direction from the main rotor) Maintenance personnel had just removed it for some unknown maintenance and had not yet written it up in the aircraft logbook. Needless to say, the two involved student pilots immediately sought new career plans!
Story #2: On the fixed wing side of the fence, the students were told that if there was a serious problem with their aircraft, land immediately, call in their location, and a flight instructor and mechanic would come to their location. A student had such an event occur, landed in a farmers field, and called the flight facility. A very senior Warrant Officer (who probably had his pilot certificate signed by the Wright Brothers), flew out and looked over the agricultural field where the student had landed. He thought the field was really small, but, if the student landed there, by gosh, so could he! Upon landing in the obviously small field, he proceeded to run into the trees which surrounded the field. Upon contacting the student, the Warrant Officer commented on the student landing in the small field. The student, with a look of incredulity on his face, said "land in this field? I landed in that field over there, and bounced over the trees into this field!"
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Daily world News thanks to Military Periscope for 6 August
USA—DSCA Prepares Financing Options For Countries Hit Hard By COVID-19 Defense News | 08/06/2020 The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency is formulating new options to help countries purchase weapons despite financial difficulties arising from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, reports Defense News. Former Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Director Army Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper told the newspaper that these include offering financing through foreign banks operating in the U.S., delaying payments on future purchases, creating new payment plans and extending payment timeframes. Some customers may also be permitted to withdraw funds currently on deposit in the U.S. Another option is for countries to draw on standby letters of credit at foreign banks operating in the U.S., under U.S. banking rules ensuring there is no fiduciary risk to Washington, said Hooper, who retired on Aug. 3. The goal is to discourage allies and partners from abandoning planned or in-progress acquisitions due to new priorities as a result of the pandemic.
USA—NSA Warns Of Risks To Military, Intel Personnel From Location Tracking Wall Street Journal | 08/06/2020 The National Security Agency has issued new guidelines for the use of mobile devices due to the risks posed by cellphone tracking capabilities to members of the national security community, reports the Wall Street Journal. The guidelines highlight the ability of mobile phones and devices to track the movements of the user through apps on the phone as well as Bluetooth and WiFi networks. The NSA recommends disabling location tracking and turning off Bluetooth when possible, granting fewer permissions to applications and turning off advertising permissions. Applications that track lost or stolen items create a particular vulnerability. The warnings are a tacit acknowledgement of the danger posed by the sale of anonymized consumer data by tech companies to third parties, including foreign governments. Such sales are usually done without the consent or knowledge of the user. Aggregated data from these transfers has been used to locate U.S. facilities and the movements of U.S. military personnel.
USA—V Corps HQ Headed To Poland As Part Of European Realignment Military.Com | 08/06/2020 A headquarters group from V Corps will be the first American unit to move to Poland as part of a realignment of U.S. forces in Europe, reports Military.com. During a visit to Krakow on Tuesday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville promoted John Kolasheski, the V Corps commander, to lieutenant general and officially unfurled the headquarters' flag in Poland for the first time. Elements of the V Corps headquarters had been scheduled to be based in Germany, but under a new plan about 200 of its 630 personnel will be located in Poland on a rotational basis, reported the Military Times. The rest will remain at Fort Knox, Ky. The move is scheduled for 2021. The location is still to be determined. The additional corps headquarters in Europe will provide the necessary level of command and control to synchronize U.S. Army, allied and partner tactical forces in Europe, McConville said. About 11,900 troops are scheduled to shift from Germany, with about half relocating to the U.S. and the remainder moving elsewhere in Europe, primarily Belgium, Italy and Poland.
USA—V Corps HQ Headed To Poland As Part Of European Realignment Military.Com | 08/06/2020 A headquarters group from V Corps will be the first American unit to move to Poland as part of a realignment of U.S. forces in Europe, reports Military.com. During a visit to Krakow on Tuesday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville promoted John Kolasheski, the V Corps commander, to lieutenant general and officially unfurled the headquarters' flag in Poland for the first time. Elements of the V Corps headquarters had been scheduled to be based in Germany, but under a new plan about 200 of its 630 personnel will be located in Poland on a rotational basis, reported the Military Times. The rest will remain at Fort Knox, Ky. The move is scheduled for 2021. The location is still to be determined. The additional corps headquarters in Europe will provide the necessary level of command and control to synchronize U.S. Army, allied and partner tactical forces in Europe, McConville said. About 11,900 troops are scheduled to shift from Germany, with about half relocating to the U.S. and the remainder moving elsewhere in Europe, primarily Belgium, Italy and Poland.
USA—Pentagon Shipbuilding Plan Anticipated In The Fall USNI News | 08/06/2020 The Pentagon expects to release its shipbuilding plan in the fall, reports USNI News. The Navy usually submits its 30-year shipbuilding plan along with its annual defense budget request, but Defense Secretary Mark Esper rejected this year's document, saying it did not provide a "credible pathway" to the 355-ship fleet objective, said John Whitley, the acting director of the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE) office, during his Tuesday confirmation hearing to lead the office full time. One of the issues with the original plan was that it assumed resource constraints for the first five years and none thereafter, Whitley told the Senate Armed Services Committee. In addition, analytical work by the Navy indicated that it needs more than 355 ships to accomplish its missions. The Navy has pushed for a 355-ship fleet since 2016, but this has not resulted in any increase to its budget. After Esper told Congress that he would not submit an unsatisfactory shipbuilding plan, the Defense Dept. took over work on the program under the Future Navy Force Study. A finalized document is expected to be ready in the fall, said Whitley.
United Kingdom—Explosive Devices Eliminated At RAF Mildenhall Stars And Stripes | 08/06/2020 Unexploded ordnance found at RAF Mildenhall in southeastern England has been safely disposed of, reports the Stars and Stripes. On Tuesday, unexploded devices were found near a hangar during routine construction work, said a spokesman for the base. More than 20 buildings at the base were evacuated and off-base personnel ordered to take shelter after the explosives were discovered. Personnel from the 100th Air Refueling Wing at RAF Mildenhall, 48th Fighter Wing at nearby RAF Lakenheath and the U.K. Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations Center were able to safely detonate the devices in a controlled explosion after about six hours. It was not immediately clear what devices were found or how many. Normal activity resumed after the disposal was completed, the spokesman said.
Norway—Intelligence Service Arrests Man Linked To Terrorist Plot Agence France-Presse | 08/06/2020 Norwegian police and intelligence authorities say they have arrested a man wanted on terror charges in Italy, reports Agence France-Presse. On Tuesday, Norwegian intelligence service PST announced the arrest of the unnamed suspect in the southeastern Viken county. The man is a Norwegian citizen but is wanted in Italy in connection to a criminal case, the PST said. He was previously convicted by an Italian court on charges related to planning a terror attack, reported Norwegian public broadcaster NRK. The suspect is also believed to be linked to Mullah Krekar, the founder of the terrorist group Ansar al-Islam. Following years of legal wrangling, Krekar, a Norwegian citizen, was extradited to Italy in March.
Russia—Fighter Intercepts U.S. Aircraft Over Black Sea Tass | 08/06/2020 Russia says it dispatched a fighter to monitor U.S. surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea, reports the Tass news agency (Moscow). On Wednesday, radars detected two aircraft over international waters in the Black Sea and heading toward Russian airspace, said Russia's National Defense Control Center. An Su-27 Flanker fighter jet from the Southern Military District was dispatched to intercept the planes, identifying them as a U.S. Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft and a Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the center said. Russian officials described the encounter as safe and professional.
China—Type 075 LHD Begins Sea Trials Defence-Blog | 08/06/2020 China's first domestically built large-deck amphibious warfare ship has started sea trials, reports Defence Blog. On Wednesday, the Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) left the Hudong Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai for its initial testing, reported Chinese language media. The unnamed ship was launched in September 2019 but suffered a serious fire in April 2020, noted the War Zone website. Some images indicated that the ship still bore signs of damage from the fire. She is expected to enter service within a year or two, reported the state-run Global Times (Beijing). The ship is believed to be able to carry up to 30 helicopters. At least two other ships in the class are currently under construction.
South Korea—Intel-Sharing Accord To Be Inked With Switzerland Yonhap | 08/06/2020 South Korea and Switzerland are negotiating an intelligence-sharing agreement, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). The sides are in the final stages of talks to conclude a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), South Korean Defense Ministry officials said on Thursday. Switzerland would be the 23rd country to finalize a GSOMIA with South Korea. The accord is intended to strengthen bilateral military and defense industry cooperation, the officials said. Together with Sweden, Switzerland sits on the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which monitors the truce between North and South Korea.
South Korea—Intel-Sharing Accord To Be Inked With Switzerland Yonhap | 08/06/2020 South Korea and Switzerland are negotiating an intelligence-sharing agreement, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). The sides are in the final stages of talks to conclude a General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), South Korean Defense Ministry officials said on Thursday. Switzerland would be the 23rd country to finalize a GSOMIA with South Korea. The accord is intended to strengthen bilateral military and defense industry cooperation, the officials said. Together with Sweden, Switzerland sits on the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, which monitors the truce between North and South Korea.
Australia—RFP Released For Army Special Operations Helicopters Australian Dept. Of Defense | 08/06/2020 The Australian government has released a request for proposals to acquire new light helicopters for its special operations forces, reports the Australian Dept. of Defense. Companies will have one month to submit their bids for the Land 2097 Phase 4 project, the department said on Tuesday. The proposals are scheduled to be evaluated by the end of 2020. The new helicopters are intended to keep Australia at the cutting edge of special operations aviation, said a departmental release.
Philippines—6 Suspected NPA Members Killed In Separate Clashes Philippine Daily Inquirer | 08/06/2020 Six suspected communist rebels have been killed in separate encounters with security forces outside of Manila, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer. On Tuesday, three militants opened fire on troops from the army's 84th and 91st infantry battalions and police from the 2nd Provincial Mobile Field Company who were attempting to serve an arrest warrant, said a spokesman from the 84th Infantry Battalion. The warrant was for Nicomedes Ortiz, who led a New People's Army (NPA) Special Partisan Unit (Sparu/Sparrow), which specializes in assassinations, and served as a finance officer for the NPA, said army officials. Ortiz was killed during the gun battle. Two other men killed in the encounter were also identified as suspected NPA members. Separately, another NPA leader and two members of the organization were killed in fighting with national police in the town of Kalayaan in Laguna province, southeast of Manila, reported the Manila Bulletin. Dioscorro Cello, who was among the fatalities, was reportedly a platoon leader for an NPA unit in its Southern Tagalog Region and general secretary of the Cesar Batrallo Command. Four assault rifles, a grenade launcher, improvised explosive devices and ammunition were recovered from the scene, police said.
Afghanistan—Senior ISIS-K Leader Captured In Kunar Khaama Press | 08/06/2020 The Afghan military says it has captured a top leader of ISIS-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, reports the Khaama Press (Kabul). Afghan special operations forces captured the unidentified man during a raid in Kunar, a military source said on Wednesday. The leader oversaw the movement of foreign fighters and their families within Afghanistan for ISIS-K, the source said.
Saudi Arabia—Air Defenses Intercept Houthi Drone Reuters | 08/06/2020 Saudi officials say its air defenses have downed a militant drone heading toward the kingdom, reports Reuters. The uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) was loaded with explosives and launched by Houthi militants from Hodeidah province on Yemen's Red Sea coast, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. Officials did not say where the vehicle was intercepted. The Houthis did not immediately comment on the report.
Syria—Washington Awards U.S. Firm Contract To Develop Oil Fields In Kurdish-Held East Cable News Network | 08/06/2020 The Trump administration has awarded a U.S. firm a contract to upgrade oil fields in Kurdish-held regions in eastern Syria, reports CNN. The secretive contract, which was in the works for more than a year, was awarded to Delta Crescent Energy in July and is expected to generate billions of dollars for Kurdish authorities in the region. The value of the deal, which covers about 60 percent of the oil under the control of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), was not made public. On Sunday, the Syrian Foreign Ministry condemned the deal as theft, reported Reuters. Delta Crescent Energy was incorporated in Delaware in February 2019 with the goal of clinching the deal to extract oil from areas of Syria where the SDF is in control, reported Politico. Its leadership includes a retired Delta Force officer, a former U.S. ambassador to Denmark and an oil executive. In April, the firm received a license from the Treasury Dept. exempting it from sanctions on Syria. Some oil will be sold locally but most is expected to be refined for export through Iraq and Turkey, said a State Dept. official and a Syrian source familiar with the project. None of the revenues from oil sales will go to the Assad regime.
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