Good Tuesday Morning March 16 .
I hope that your week has started well
Regards,
Skip.
Today in Naval History
March 16
1944
PBY-5A (VP 63) seaplanes, employing magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) gear, detect German submarine U 392 while attempting to transit the Straits of Gibraltar. The sub is attacked and sunk by nearby allied ships.
1945
During the Iwo Jima Campaign, Pharmacists Mate 1st Class Francis J. Pierce provides aid to a wounded Marine while disregarding his own injuries and directs treatment of the injured man and fires on the enemy to provide cover for his fellow troops. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life," he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
1945 - "Fighting on Iwo Jima Ends" The west Pacific volcanic island of Iwo Jima was declared secured by the U.S. military after weeks of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders.
1952
During the Korean War, USS Wisconsin (BB 64) and USS Duncan (DDR 874) engage in counter-battery fire at Dojo-ri, Korea, making two direct hits on enemy guns.
1963
The Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7) is launched at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
1966
Gemini 8 launches. Former naval aviator Neil Armstrong and Air Force Maj. David R. Scott are on this mission that completes seven orbits in 10 hours and 41 minutes at an altitude of 161.3 nautical miles.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• Reporting about Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken's trip to the Indo-Pacific continued.
• Military.com reported PACFLT is studying the pros and cons of reactivating U.S. 1st Fleet.
• Trade and local press reported on comments from HASC Vice Chair Rep. Elaine Luria during a Hudson Institute event.
Today in History: March 16
0037 On a trip to the Italian mainland from his home on Capreae, the emperor Tiberius dies on the Bay of Naples.
1190 The Crusades begin the massacre of Jews in York, England.
1527 The Emperor Babur defeats the Rajputs at the Battle of Khanwa, removing the main Hindu rivals in Northern India.
1621 The first Indian appears to colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1833 Susan Hayhurst becomes the first woman to graduate from a pharmacy college.
1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is published.
1865 Union troops push past Confederate blockers at the Battle of Averasborough, N.C.
1907 The British cruiser Invincible, the world's largest, is completed at Glasgow shipyards.
1913 The 15,000-ton battleship Pennsylvania is launched at Newport News, Va.
1917 Russian Czar Nicholas II abdicates his throne.
1926 Physicist Robert H. Goddard launches the first liquid-fuel rocket.
1928 The United States plans to send 1,000 more Marines to Nicaragua.
1935 Adolf Hitler orders a German rearmament and violates the Versailles Treaty.
1939 Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia.
1945 Iwo Jima is declared secure by U.S. forces although small pockets of Japanese resistance still exist.
1954 CBS introduces The Morning Show hosted by Walter Cronkite to compete with NBC's Today Show.
1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson submits a $1 billion war on poverty program to Congress.
1968 U.S. troops in Vietnam destroy a village consisting mostly of women and children, the action is remembered as the My-Lai massacre.
1984 Mozambique and South Africa sign a pact banning support for one another's internal foes.
1985 Associated Press newsman, Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut.
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Thanks to Tom
View the Latest Edition of "This Week @NASA" (Published March 12, 2021)
View the latest "This Week @NASA" produced by NASA Television for features on agency news and activities. Stories in this program include:
· Perseverance Sends More Sounds from Mars
· Stacking Complete for Artemis I Rocket Boosters
· Fifth Station Spacewalk of the Year
· Vande Hei Assigned to Space Station Crew
· NASA Data Powers New Soil Moisture Tool
· Simulated Aerial Gas Pipeline Inspection
To watch this edition of "This Week @NASA" dated March 12, 2021, click on the image below:
Watch the Video
To access this edition of "This Week @NASA," you may also visit:
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thanks to Doctor Rich -
as we've ben saying ..............And, once again, the USMC threatens Naval aviation's existence - Dutch
Thanks to Todd S. ...
DOD tester's report: F-35 is still a lemon
In addition, under High G loads the engine flexes causing rubbing
The Navy and Marines are cutting back on F-35 order and ordering FA-18s. Air Force is ordering advanced versions of the F-15EX
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Thanks to Dr. Rich…..Beautiful
Master Sargent Ray Benavidez Message to America
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvlAHUur5eg
And - Read his Medal of Honor Citation
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Thanks to Dan
As another "end user" as referenced in "The List #5649", I can vouch for the importance of aircraft that can provide effective Close Air Support (CAS) to the Infantry. For the uninitiated, and contrary to Hollywood's portrayal of the Infantry's environment, our daily routine was endless days, or sometimes weeks, of slogging through the mountainous, triple-canopy jungle of I Corps, interspersed with sudden, violent contact with the enemy.
When we did need CAS, we needed it immediately, not later. And, fortunately for us, we routinely had it available when we needed it. The most common Forward Air Controller (FAC) that we used was "BILK", and the most common aircraft provided by him, was F-4's, and F-105's, with the occasional A-1E. I believe that all those aircraft were based at DaNang, S. Vietnam.
Now here's where I will apologize up front if I offend any of the jet fighter/bomber pilots who supported me. Given our preference, we always hoped for support from the A-1E's. They could stay on station longer, carried greater and more diverse ordinance, and were generally much more accurate. By staying on station longer, and not going "bingo" on fuel, the FAC did not have to waste time constantly briefing newly arrived aircraft. Once, they stayed so long that I actually got tired of talking with them (actually, the FAC). Because the A-1E's carried a greater selection of ordinance, we got to choose what we wanted, and, because they were more accurate, we could bring them in much closer without worrying about a "friendly fire" incident.
Lest any of the jet fighter pilots who read "The List" get the wrong idea, I am not complaining about any of their support. Every bit of it was greatly appreciated. To put this in perspective, let me tell you that I was in the 101st Airborne Division. Because it was "Airmobile" we had hundreds of helicopters, many of which were attack helicopters (which I flew my second Vietnam tour). However, often the scale of the battle that you are in, required greater ordinance, hence the request for CAS (Never Bring a Knife to a Gunfight!).
Dan
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ROLLING THUNDER Thanks to the Bear
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War—16 March 1966 From the archives of. http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com
"A Summary of the First Year of Operation Rolling Thunder"
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/subject-rolling-thunder-remembered-16-march-1966/
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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This Day in U S Military History
March 16
1802 – The United States Military Academy–the first military school in the United States–is founded by Congress for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. Located at West Point, New York, the U.S. Military Academy is often simply known as West Point. Located on the high west bank of New York's Hudson River, West Point was the site of a Revolutionary-era fort built to protect the Hudson River Valley from British attack. In 1780, Patriot General Benedict Arnold, the commander of the fort, agreed to surrender West Point to the British in exchange for 6,000 pounds. However, the plot was uncovered before it fell into British hands, and Arnold fled to the British for protection. Ten years after the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy in 1802, the growing threat of another war with Great Britain resulted in congressional action to expand the academy's facilities and increase the West Point corps. Beginning in 1817, the U.S. Military Academy was reorganized by superintendent Sylvanus Thayer–later known as the "father of West Point"–and the school became one of the nation's finest sources of civil engineers. During the Mexican-American War, West Point graduates filled the leading ranks of the victorious U.S. forces, and with the outbreak of the Civil War former West Point classmates regretfully lined up against one another in the defense of their native states. In 1870, the first African-American cadet was admitted into the U.S. Military Academy, and in 1976, the first female cadets. The academy is now under the general direction and supervision of the department of the U.S. Army and has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students.
1926 – The first man to give hope to dreams of space travel is American Robert H. Goddard, who successfully launches the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket traveled for 2.5 seconds at a speed of about 60 mph, reaching an altitude of 41 feet and landing 184 feet away. The rocket was 10 feet tall, constructed out of thin pipes, and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline. The Chinese developed the first military rockets in the early 13th century using gunpowder and probably built firework rockets at an earlier date. Gunpowder-propelled military rockets appeared in Europe sometime in the 13th century, and in the 19th century British engineers made several important advances in early rocket science. In 1903, an obscure Russian inventor named Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky published a treatise on the theoretical problems of using rocket engines in space, but it was not until Robert Goddard's work in the 1920s that anyone began to build the modern, liquid-fueled type of rocket that by the early 1960s would be launching humans into space. Goddard, born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1882, became fascinated with the idea of space travel after reading the H.G. Wells' science fiction novel War of the Worlds in 1898. He began building gunpowder rockets in 1907 while a student at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and continued his rocket experiments as a physics doctoral student and then physics professor at Clark University. He was the first to prove that rockets can propel in an airless vacuum like space and was also the first to explore mathematically the energy and thrust potential of various fuels, including liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. He received U.S. patents for his concepts of a multistage rocket and a liquid-fueled rocket, and secured grants from the Smithsonian Institute to continue his research. In 1919, his classic treatise A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes was published by the Smithsonian. The work outlined his mathematical theories of rocket propulsion and proposed the future launching of an unmanned rocket to the moon. The press picked up on Goddard's moon-rocket proposal and for the most part ridiculed the scientist's innovative ideas. In January 1920, The New York Times printed an editorial declaring that Dr. Goddard "seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools" because he thought that rocket thrust would be effective beyond the earth's atmosphere. (Three days before the first Apollo lunar-landing mission in July 1969, the Times printed a correction to this editorial.) In December 1925, Goddard tested a liquid-fueled rocket in the physics building at Clark University. He wrote that the rocket, which was secured in a static rack, "operated satisfactorily and lifted its own weight." On March 16, 1926, Goddard accomplished the world's first launching of a liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie's farm in Auburn. Goddard continued his innovative rocket work until his death in 1945. His work was recognized by the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, who helped secure him a grant from the Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics. Using these funds, Goddard set up a testing ground in Roswell, New Mexico, which operated from 1930 until 1942. During his tenure there, he made 31 successful flights, including one of a rocket that reached 1.7 miles off the ground in 22.3 seconds. Meanwhile, while Goddard conducted his limited tests without official U.S. support, Germany took the initiative in rocket development and by September 1944 was launching its V-2 guided missiles against Britain to devastating effect. During the war, Goddard worked in developing a jet-thrust booster for a U.S. Navy seaplane. He would not live to see the major advances in rocketry in the 1950s and '60s that would make his dreams of space travel a reality. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is named in his honor.
1945 – Iwo Jima is declared secured by the U.S. military after months of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders. The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese defense of Iwo Jima in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25 bombers raided the island for 74 days straight. It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war, necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese–21,000 strong–fortified the island, above and below ground, including a network of caves. Underwater demolition teams ("frogmen") were dispatched by the Americans just before the actual invasion to clear the shores of mines and any other obstacles that could obstruct an invading force. In fact, the Japanese mistook the frogmen for an invasion force and killed 170 of them. The amphibious landings of Marines began the morning of February 19, 1945, as the secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, accompanied by journalists, surveyed the scene from a command ship offshore. The Marines made their way onto the island–and seven Japanese battalions opened fire, obliterating them. By that evening, more than 550 Marines were dead and more than 1,800 were wounded. In the face of such fierce counterattack, the Americans reconciled themselves to the fact that Iwo Jima could be taken only one yard at a time. A key position on the island was Mt. Suribachi, the center of the Japanese defense. The 28th Marine Regiment closed in and around the base of the volcanic mountain at the rate of 400 yards per day, employing flamethrowers, grenades, and demolition charges against the Japanese that were hidden in caves and pillboxes (low concrete emplacements for machine-gun nests). Approximately 40 Marines finally began a climb up the volcanic ash mountain, which was smoking from the constant bombardment, and at 10 a.m. on February 23, a half-dozen Marines raised an American flag at its peak, using a pipe as a flag post. Two photographers caught a restaging of the flag raising for posterity, creating one of the most reproduced images of the war. With Mt. Suribachi claimed, one-third of Iwo Jima was under American control. On March 16, with a U.S. Navy military government established, Iwo Jima was declared secured and the fighting over. When all was done, more than 6,000 Marines died fighting for the island, along with almost all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers trying to defend it.
1975 – The withdrawal from Pleiku and Kontum begins, as thousands of civilians join the soldiers streaming down Route 7B toward the sea. In late January 1975, just two years after the cease-fire established by the Paris Peace Accords, the North Vietnamese launched Campaign 275. The objective of this campaign was to capture the city of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. The battle began on March 4 and the North Vietnamese quickly encircled the city with five main force divisions, cutting it off from outside support. The South Vietnamese 23rd Division, which had been sent to defend the city, was vastly outnumbered and quickly succumbed to the communists. As it became clear that the city–and probably the entire Darlac province-would fall to the communists, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu decided to withdraw his forces in order to protect the more critical populous areas to the south. Accordingly, he ordered his forces in the Central Highlands to pull back from their positions. Abandoning Pleiku and Kontum, the South Vietnamese forces began to move toward the sea. By March 17, civilians and soldiers came under heavy communist attack; the withdrawal, scheduled to take three days, was still underway on April 1. Only 20,000 of 60,000 soldiers ever reached the coast; of 400,000 refugees, only 100,000 arrived. The survivors of what one South Vietnamese general described as the "greatest disaster in the history of the ARVN [Army of the Republic of Vietnam]" escaped down the coastal highway toward Saigon. The North Vietnamese overran the South Vietnamese forces in both the Central Highlands and further north at Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang. The South Vietnamese collapsed as a cogent fighting force and the North Vietnamese continued the attack all the way to Saigon. South Vietnam surrendered unconditionally to North Vietnam on April 30 and the war was over.
2000 – Thomas Wilson Ferebee, the Enola Gay bombardier who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Windermere, Fla., at age 81.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
March 16
TRAYNOR, ANDREW
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 1st Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Mason's Hill, Va., 16 March 1864. Entered service at: Rome, N.Y. Birth: Newark, N.J. Date of issue: 28 September 1897. Citation: Having been surprised and captured by a detachment of guerrillas, this soldier, with other prisoners, seized the arms of the guard over them, killed 2 of the guerrillas, and enabled all the prisoners to escape.
TAYLOR, RICHARD H.
Rank and organization: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1871, Virginia. Accredited to: Virginia. G.O. No.: 157, 20 April 1904. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Nipsic, Taylor displayed gallantry during the hurricane at Apia, Samoa, 16 March 1889.
WILLIAMS, LOUIS (First Award)
Rank and organization: Captain of the Hold, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845 Norway. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884 Second award. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S Lackawanna, 16 March 1883, at Honolulu, T.H., and rescuing from drowning Thomas Moran, landsman.
PIERCE, FRANCIS JUNIOR
Rank and organization: Pharmacist's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy serving with 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, 15 and 16 March 1945. Entered service at lowa Born: 7 December 1924, Earlville, lowa. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, during the Iwo Jima campaign, 15 and 16 March 1945. Almost continuously under fire while carrying out the most dangerous volunteer assignments, Pierce gained valuable knowledge of the terrain and disposition of troops. Caught in heavy enemy rifle and machinegun fire which wounded a corpsman and 2 of the 8 stretcher bearers who were carrying 2 wounded marines to a forward aid station on 15 March, Pierce quickly took charge of the party, carried the newly wounded men to a sheltered position, and rendered first aid. After directing the evacuation of 3 of the casualties, he stood in the open to draw the enemy's fire and, with his weapon blasting, enabled the litter bearers to reach cover. Turning his attention to the other 2 casualties he was attempting to stop the profuse bleeding of 1 man when a Japanese fired from a cave less than 20 yards away and wounded his patient again. Risking his own life to save his patient, Pierce deliberately exposed himself to draw the attacker from the cave and destroyed him with the last of his ammunition Then lifting the wounded man to his back, he advanced unarmed through deadly rifle fire across 200 feet of open terrain. Despite exhaustion and in the face of warnings against such a suicidal mission, he again traversed the same fire-swept path to rescue the remaining marine. On the following morning, he led a combat patrol to the sniper nest and, while aiding a stricken marine, was seriously wounded. Refusing aid for himself, he directed treatment for the casualty, at the same time maintaining protective fire for his comrades. Completely fearless, completely devoted to the care of his patients, Pierce inspired the entire battalion. His valor in the face of extreme peril sustains and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
RASCON, ALFRED V.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry,173d Airborne Brigade (Separate) Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 16 March 1966 Born: 1945, Chihuahua, Mexico Citation: Specialist Four Alfred Rascon, distinguished himself by a series of extraordinarily courageous acts on 16 March 1966, while assigned as a medic to the Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate). While moving to reinforce its sister battalion under intense enemy attack, the Reconnaissance Platoon came under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. The intense enemy fire from crew-served weapons and grenades severely wounded several point squad soldiers. Specialist Rascon, ignoring directions to stay behind shelter until covering fire could be provided, made his way forward. He repeatedly tried to reach the severely wounded point machine-gunner laying on an open enemy trail, but was driven back each time by the withering fire. Disregarding his personal safety, he jumped to his feet, ignoring flying bullets and exploding grenades to reach his comrade. To protect him from further wounds, he intentionally placed his body between the soldier and enemy machine guns, sustaining numerous shrapnel injuries and a serious wound to the hip. Disregarding his serious wounds he dragged the larger soldier from the fire-raked trail. Hearing the second machine-gunner yell that he was running out of ammunition, Specialist Rascon, under heavy enemy fire crawled back to the wounded machine-gunner stripping him of his bandoleers of ammunition, giving them to the machine-gunner who continued his suppressive fire. Specialist Rascon fearing the abandoned machine gun, its ammunition and spare barrel could fall into enemy hands made his way to retrieve them. On the way, he was wounded in the face and torso by grenade fragments, but disregarded these wounds to recover the abandoned machine gun, ammunition and spare barrel items, enabling another soldier to provide added suppressive fire to the pinned-down squad. In searching for the wounded, he saw the point grenadier being wounded by small arms fire and grenades being thrown at him. Disregarding his own life and his numerous wounds, Specialist Rascon reached and covered him with his body absorbing the blasts from the exploding grenades, and saving the soldier's life, but sustaining additional wounds to his body. While making his way to the wounded point squad leader, grenades were hurled at the sergeant. Again, in complete disregard for his own life, he reached and covered the sergeant with his body, absorbing the full force of the grenade explosions. Once more Specialist Rascon was critically wounded by shrapnel, but disregarded his own wounds to continue to search and aid the wounded. Severely wounded, he remained on the battlefield, inspiring his fellow soldiers to continue the battle. After the enemy broke contact, he disregarded aid for himself, instead treating the wounded and directing their evacuation. Only after being placed on the evacuation helicopter did he allow aid to be given to him. Specialist Rascon's extraordinary valor in the face of deadly enemy fire, his heroism in rescuing the wounded, and his gallantry by repeatedly risking his own life for his fellow soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 16, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 March
1907: Cortlandt F. Bishop, Aero Club of America President, contacted President Theodore Roosevelt about the Wright Brothers project for an Army airplane. His effort led to a contract between the Army and the Wright Brothers. (12)
1916: Capt Townsend F. Dodd, pilot, and Capt Benjamin D. Foulois, observer, flew a Curtiss plane made the first American military reconnaissance flight over foreign territory. They flew from Columbus, N. Mex., over Mexican territory for Pershing's Punitive Expedition. (24)
1926: Dr. Robert H. Goddard test flew the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Mass. It flew 184 feet in 2.5 seconds at about 70 MPH. (4) (24)
1944: Seventh Air Force sent 11 B-24s from Kwajalein to make the first land-based attack on Truk, Caroline Islands. (24) The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) recommended the development of a jet-propelled transonic research aircraft. This suggestion led to the Bell X-1. (8)
1949: Fairchild Aviation Corporation delivered the first track-type landing gear to the USAF and the 314 TCW for installation on the C-82 aircraft. (24)
1953: Republic delivered its 4,000th F-84 Thunderjet to the USAF. (8)
1954: Representative W. Sterling Cole, Joint Atomic Energy Committee Chairman, reported America's capability to deliver a hydrogen weapon to any target in the world by airplane. (16) (26)
1961: Construction on the first Minuteman I (Model A) operational facilities began at Malmstrom AFB. (6)
1962: From Cape Canaveral the USAF launched its first Titan II down the Atlantic Missile Range to a target 5,000 miles away. (6)
1965: The nation observed the first "Robert H. Goddard Day," to honor the late Dr. Goddard's first liquid-fueled sounding rocket flight in 1926 at Auburn, Mass. (5)
1966: The National Space Club presented the 1966 Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy to President Lyndon B. Johnson for his legislative and executive leadership in the space program. (5) GEMINI VIII. An USAF Gemini launch vehicle (Titan II) took Neil Armstrong and David Scott into orbit for this mission. The astronauts accomplished the first docking maneuver in space by meeting up with an Agena Target Vehicle, developed by Space Systems Division, and launched on an Atlas booster. Air Force pararescuemen attached flotation gear to the Gemini VIII space capsule within 20 minutes of splash down 500 miles east of Okinawa. This was the first time pararescue forces participated in the recovery of a Gemini capsule. (16) (21)
1971: The Holloman High Speed Test Track recorded the fastest run on record (8,215 feet per second) made during a fuzing test for the AF Weapons Laboratory. (5)
1974: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite F-31 launched from Vandenberg AFB aboard an Atlas F with Burner IIA upper stage. (5)
1979: The Arnold Engineering Development Center test fired the large rocket motor for the space shuttle's Inertial Upper Stage for the first time. In the successful 145-second test, the motor generated more than 50,000 pounds of thrust. (5)
1983: After 25 years, the USAF ended the German Air Force pilot training program at Luke AFB. (16)
1988: At Long Beach, McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace unveiled the T-45A Goshawk, the Navy's new training aircraft. (8)
1995: An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 56 RS at Keflavik AB saved three Icelandic skiers caught in a blizzard. (26)
2006: While deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW), a C-17 Globemaster III from McChord AFB dropped 32,400 pounds of humanitarian goods (food, blankets, winter survival gear, and school supplies) within 40 minutes to four places in central and eastern Afghanistan. The mission set a record by airdropping the most cargo to multiple drop zones in the shortest amount of time in the history of US airdrop operations. (22)
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World News for 16 March thanks to Military Periscope
USA—OBIGGS Issue Hinders KC-46 Operations Defense News | 03/16/2021 Another issue with the KC-46 Pegasus aerial refueling aircraft, which increases the time needed to prep the aircraft for flight, has come to light, reports Defense News. The onboard inert gas generation system (OBIGGS) on the tanker, which converts oxygen in the fuel tanks to nitrogen to prevent fire should they be struck by lightning or enemy fire, takes about 90 minutes to fully boot up. In some cases, it can take much longer due to software glitches. Occasionally, the countdown timer indicating its readiness will randomly reset, said a Pegasus pilot. Current regulations require the OBIGGS to be fully booted up before the KC-46 can take off. The problem is believed to be linked to the way the Air Force powers up the KC-46, including conducting checks on the refueling boom and other system, which cause the resets. The increased preparation time limits the ability to get airborne rapidly in a scramble scenario, the pilot said. The issue was first documented in April 2019, and has been deemed a Category 2 deficiency, indicating it does not have a major impact on safety or operations. A workaround is expected to be implemented that will allow KC-46s to taxi and take off while the OBIGGS is still loading. The new policy will go into effect once it is officially incorporated into the KC-46 flight manual, which is anticipated in April. The search for a permanent solution is underway.
USA—Quad Leaders Hold Virtual Summit NPR News | 03/16/2021 The U.S. has hosted a virtual summit of the leaders of the four Indo-Pacific "Quad" nations, reports NPR News. The March 12 summit was hosted by President Joe Biden and was the first time that the leaders of the Australia, India, Japan and the U.S. have met in the Quad format. It was also Biden's first multilateral summit since taking office. During the summit, the leaders launched a plan to increase the production and distribution of vaccines for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The plan calls for 1 billion vaccines to be produced in India with U.S. technology, Japanese and American financing and Australian logistics support. The leader also agreed to form working groups to cooperate on vaccines, climate change, technology and cybersecurity and to meet in person before the end of the year. The Quad, short for Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, was formed by the four nations following the 2004 Indian Tsunami with the goal of securing a free and open Indo-Pacific. The forum largely languished due to leadership changes and opposition from China, which saw the Quad as an attempt at encirclement. Growing tensions with Beijing have led to the re-emergence of the Quad in the last year.
Italy—Patrol Ship Raimondo Montecuccoli Launched In Genoa Fincantieri | 03/16/2021 Fincantieri has launched the third Paolo Thaon Di Revel-class offshore patrol ship (PPA), reports the Italian shipbuilder. On March 13, the Raimondo Montecuccoli was launched during a ceremony at the Riva Trigoso shipyard in Genoa, Fincantieri said. The ship is scheduled for delivery in 2023. The Italian navy has ordered seven Paolo Thaon di Revel-class PPAs, which can be built in three configurations, light, light plus and full, each with increasing capabilities, noted Naval News. The Raimondo Montecuccoli is the first in the class to be built in the light plus configuration, reported the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).
Poland—U.S. Bomber Visits Poznan Air Force Magazine | 03/16/2021 Poland hosted a U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bomber at one of its air bases for the first time, reported Air Force magazine. On March 12, the Lancer landed in Powidz as part of a Bomber Task Force Mission, reported U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa. The bomber is from the 7th Bomber Wing based at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. It departed from Orland Air Base, Norway, where it is deployed as part of a bomber task force mission, reported the Aviationist blog. The bomber conducted a hot-pit refueling at the Polish air base, which involves refueling with the engines on and the crew inside the cockpit. This was the first time that a B-1B conducted a hot-pit refueling in Europe, Air Forces Europe said. During the flight, the B-1 also conducted operations with Swedish Gripen fighters as well as Polish and Danish F-16 Fighting Falcons. It also conducted aerial refuelings with a KC-135 Stratotanker.
Sweden—Global Arms Sales Stabilize After Years Of Growth Stockholm International Peace Research Institute | 03/16/2021 International arms transfers were relatively flat over the last five years, while remaining high overall, reports the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). The volume of international arms deliveries from 2016 to 2020 was relatively stagnant, remaining at levels similar to the 2011 to 2015 period, according to new data published by SIPRI on Monday. This was the first five-year period of no growth in the international arms trade since 2001-2005. Exports from France (up 44 percent), Germany (up 21 percent) and the U.S. (up 15 percent) were offset by declining Chinese and Russia exports. Some nations in the Middle East substantially increased their imports during the five-year period, among them Egypt (up 136 percent), Qatar (up 361 percent) and Saudi Arabia (up 61 percent). Japan also saw a 125 percent increase in arms imports. Taiwan imported fewer systems from 2016 to 2020 but has since moved to acquire several new American weapons. On the other hand, Turkey saw substantial drops in weapons imports, due in part to its removal from the F-35 program and increasing focus on domestic industry. The decline in Russian exports was due largely to fewer purchases by India. New Delhi has been working to reduce its dependence on Russian weapons. Procurement has also been affected by complex bureaucratic processes, said SIPRI.
Russia—NGOs Accuse Wagner Group Of Torture Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 03/16/2021 Several non-governmental organizations have accused Russian private military contractor, Wagner Group, of torturing a detainee in Syria in a recent court filing, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On March 15, the France-based International Federation for Human Rights, the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression and Moscow-based Human Rights Center announced that they were representing the family of a Syrian citizen killed in 2017, the groups said in a joint press release. The victim was allegedly tortured, killed and his corpse mutilated by six individuals in Syria's Homs province, said a March 11 court filing. The complaint was filed with the Russia's Investigative Committee. The men responsible were Russians working for the Wagner Group on a contract to secure a Russian- and Syrian-operated gas plant, reported the Daily Beast. Analysts said that the effort was unlikely to succeed but could force the Russian government to acknowledge alleged abuses by the Wagner Group.
Mongolia—Military Cooperation Discussed With Chinese Defense Minister China Global Television Network | 03/16/2021 Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe has called for increased cooperation during talks with his Mongolian counterpart, reports the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN). On Tuesday, Wei discussed bilateral ties with Mongolian Defense Minister Gursed Saikhanbayar. During the telephone talks, Wei said that China was ready to step up military exchanges and jointly defend regional peace and stability. Saikhanbayar said that Mongolia was ready to move forward to enhance military-to-military relations.
North Korea—Kim's Sister Warns Biden Administration Against Aggressive Approach To Relations Cable News Network | 03/16/2021 North Korea has issued its first public statement to the Biden administration after the White House said its efforts to reach out had not been returned, reports CNN. On Monday, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, warned that the U.S. was "trying hard to give off powder smell in our land," reported state media on Monday. "If it wants to sleep in peace for (the) coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step," the statement said. She also warned against abandoning a military agreement with South Korea and dismantling a body in North Korea tasked with overseeing inter-Korean dialogue, said the North Korean state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper. Analysts said that the tough language may be an attempt to buy time as the regime continues to deal with the novel coronavirus pandemic and international sanctions. It also comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are visiting Japan and South Korea, with North Korea expected to be high on the agenda.
Japan—Cooperation Agreement Planned With U.S. SPACECOM Breaking Defense | 03/16/2021 Japan is expected to become the third country to sign a collaborative agreement with U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), reports Breaking Defense. SPACECOM is working on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration with Japan, a command spokesperson said last week. The agreement is expected to be signed this year. France and Germany were the first two countries to sign collaboration agreements with SPACECOM. In February 2020, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond, then also serving as head of SPACECOM, signaled such collaboration plans when he said in written testimony to Congress that the command planned to expand cooperation at the Multi-National Space Collaboration Office to include Japan, Italy and South Korea. At the time, liaison officers from Germany, France and the U.K. were already working at the office to align policies, technologies, tactics and procedures.
Japan—Top U.S., Japanese Officials Warn Against Destabilizing Chinese Behavior Agence France-Presse | 03/16/2021 The Japanese and U.S. defense and foreign ministers have warned China against destabilizing behavior following talks in Tokyo, reports Agence France-Presse. On Tuesday, the ministers issued a joint statement warning that "China's behavior, where inconsistent with the existing international order, presents political, economic, military and technological challenges." The ministers said that they were "committed to opposing coercion and destabilizing behavior towards others in the region." Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi have been meeting with their American counterparts, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Blinken also called for deeper economic ties with Japan, reported Reuters. The talks were also expected to cover freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas, sensitive supply chain security, the coup in Burma and North Korea. The U.S. secretaries are scheduled to head to Seoul on Wednesday.
Iraq—Balad Air Base Targeted In Rocket Attack Rudaw | 03/16/2021 Militants have again attacked an Iraqi base housing U.S. troops with rockets, reports Rudaw (Iraqi Kurdistan). On Monday, at least five rockets struck Balad air base, while two more landed in rural areas outside the base, reported Reuters. Iraqi state media reported that three rockets landed short of the base, with none falling inside. The Iraq Security Media Cell said a civilian house was damaged by one of the projectiles. No casualties were reported in the attack. Security sources told Agence France-Presse that the rockets were fired from the province of Diyala, to the east of the base. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Similar attacks in the past have been claimed by various Iran-backed militias.
Saudi Arabia—Air Force Jets Join Greek-Led Exercise Al Arabiya | 03/16/2021 A Saudi air force detachment has deployed to the Mediterranean Sea for a joint exercise with Greece, reports Al Arabiya (Dubai). Six Saudi F-15 Eagle fighters arrived at the Chania/Ioannis Daskalogiannis Souda Air Base in Crete on March 13, reported Scramble (the Netherlands). The jets are taking part in the Falcon Eye 1 exercise, which is scheduled to run through March. Several Saudi C-130H transport aircraft have also made flights to Crete to support the deployment. The objective of the exercise is to increase cooperation between the Saudi Arabia and Greece, exchange experience and test combat readiness, said a Saudi air force official. Greece is contributing F-16 Fighting Falcon fighter jets from its 115 Combat Wing.
Yemen—AQAP Rebuilding As Security Forces Focus On Houthis Agence France-Presse | 03/16/2021 The Al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen is rebuilding as the internationally recognized government is increasingly focused on fighting Houthi rebels in the northern part of the country, reports Agence France-Presse. Marib province, where the government and Houthis are locked in heavy fighting over the capital city, also named Marib, has long been a stronghold for Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. AQAP has used the ongoing battle as cover to train fighters, plan attacks and build relations with the local community. The fighting has offered AQAP the chance to rebuild after years of international pressure almost wiped out the group, said one Yemeni intelligence official. One tribal leader said that AQAP has encouraged sympathizers and members to join the fight against the Houthis, to benefit from international financial support.
Yemen—Demonstrators Storm Presidential Palace In Aden Anadolu News Agency | 03/16/2021 Protesters have stormed the presidential palace in the southern Yemeni city of Aden, which serves as the capital for the internationally recognized government, reports Turkey's Anadolu Agency. On Tuesday, demonstrators breached the Maasheeq Presidential Palace amid protests against inflation, poor living conditions and a lack of public services. Security forces guarding the site are mostly loyal to the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) and made little effort to stop the protesters, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). Saudi troops control the interior of the site. At least some demonstrators were members of the security forces who have not been paid in nine months. Prime Minister Maeen Abdulmalik and other members of the internationally recognized government were inside the palace at the time, two sources told Reuters. The demonstrators departed peacefully after talks with Aden Police Director Maj. Gen. Mutahar Al-Shuaibi. Aden is the temporary site of the government but is largely controlled by the STC, which has at times had an acrimonious relationship with the government. Abdulmalik's Cabinet was formed in 2020 as part of a peace agreement between the STC and international government following years of tensions and clashes.
Sudan—Government Requests International Mediation To Break Dam Impasse With Ethiopia Sudan Tribune | 03/16/2021 The Sudanese government has formally requested mediation to help resolve the ongoing dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Nile River, reports the Sudan Tribune (Paris). A senior official told the site on Monday that Khartoum had requested mediation from the African Union, European Union, United Nations and United States. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has expressed concern over reports that Ethiopia plans to launch the second phase of the process to fill the dam's reservoir in July, whether or not a deal has been reached with Egypt and Sudan, according to a statement cited by Reuters. Egypt and Sudan have expressed concerns that unilaterally filling the reservoir could affect the downstream flows needed for drinking, construction and agriculture. Egypt has previously voiced support for four-way mediation. On March 9, Ethiopia rejected a proposal for a quadripartite mediation mechanism, reported Turkey's Anadolu Agency. A U.S. State Dept. spokeswoman said that Washington supports collaborative efforts to resolve the dispute.
Nigeria—Insurgent Forces Eliminated Near Lake Chad News Agency Of Nigeria | 03/16/2021 The Nigerian army says that it eliminated scores of insurgents in an operation along the fringes of the Lake Chad region, reports the News Agency of Nigeria. On March 13, troops from Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole conducted clearance operations along the fringes of Lake Chad and the Tumbus in Nigeria's northern Borno state when they encountered several Boko Haram gun trucks, reported the Vanguard (Lagos). Several insurgents were killed and gun trucks destroyed, said an army spokesman. A large cache of arms and ammunition was recovered. One officer and three enlisted personnel were killed during the encounter, while several more military personnel were injured, the spokesman said.
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