Good Monday Morning March 22 .
I hope that you all had a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip.
Today in Naval History
March 22
1820
Commodore Stephen Decatur was mortally wounded in a duel with Capt. James Barron at Bladensburg, Md., over criticism Decatur had when Barron lost his ship, USS Chesapeake, to HMS Leopard in 1807.
1915
"Naval Aviator" replaces the title "Navy Air Pilot" for officers who become qualified as aviators.
1929
Destroyers USS Robert Smith (DD 324), USS Moody (DD 277), and USS Selfridge (DD 320) protect Americans and their property during the Mexican Cristero uprising.
1943
USS Gudgeon (SS 211) attacks a Japanese convoy 30 miles north Surabaya, Java, sinking an army cargo ship while surviving the depth charge attack by her escort vessels. Also on this date, USS Tambor (SS 198) damages a Japanese transport in the Sulu Sea, off Negros, Philippines.
1946
USS Missouri (BB 63) departs the U.S. to return the body of deceased Turkish ambassador, Mehmet Munir Ertegun, back to his homeland for burial, arriving in Istanbul on April 5.
1991
USS Macdonough (DDG 39) and USS Nicholas (FFG 47) arrive back at their homeport at Naval Base Charleston, S.C., the first Navy surface combatants to return to CONUS after participating in Desert Storm.
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
• National news outlets reported on Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visit to Afghanistan.
• 60 Minutes reported on the Pentagon's efforts to confront racial bias in the military.
• Associated Press reported the U.S. Navy will hold exercises alongside Belgium, France and Japan in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman.
This date in World history
March 22
1622 | Indians attack a group of colonists in the James River area of Virginia, killing 350 residents. | |
1630 | The first legislation prohibiting gambling is enacted in Boston. | |
1664 | Charles II gives large tracts of land from west of the Connecticut River to the east of Delaware Bay in North America to his brother James, the Duke of York. | |
1719 | Frederick William abolishes serfdom on crown property in Prussia. | |
1765 | The Stamp Act is passed, the first direct British tax on the American colonists. | |
1775 | British statesman Edmund Burke makes a speech in the House of Commons, urging the government to adopt a policy of reconciliation with America. | |
1790 | Thomas Jefferson becomes the first U.S. Secretary of State. | |
1794 | Congress passes laws prohibiting slave trade with foreign countries although slavery remains legal in the United States. | |
1834 | Horace Greeley publishes New Yorker, a weekly literary and news magazine and forerunner of Harold Ross' more successful The New Yorker. | |
1901 | Japan proclaims that it is determined to keep Russia from encroaching on Korea. | |
1904 | The first color photograph is published in the London Daily Illustrated Mirror. | |
1907 | Russians troops complete the evacuation of Manchuria in the face of advancing Japanese forces. | |
1915 | A German Zepplin makes a night raid on Paris railway stations. | |
1919 | The first international airline service is inaugurated on a weekly schedule between Paris and Brussels. | |
1933 | President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill legalizing the sale and possession of beer and wine. | |
1935 | Persia is renamed Iran. | |
1946 | First U.S. built rocket to leave the Earth's atmosphere reaches a 50-mile height. | |
1948 | The United States announces a land reform plan for Korea. | |
1954 | The London gold market reopens for the first time since 1939. | |
1968 | President Lyndon Johnson names General William Westmoreland as Army Chief of Staff. | |
1972 | The U.S. Senate passes the Equal Rights Amendment. The amendment fails to achieve ratification. | |
1974 | The Viet Cong propose a new truce with the United States and South Vietnam, which includes general elections. | |
1990 | A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, finds Captain Hazelwood not guilty in the Valdez oil spill. |
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Skip,
Military historians probably unaware of Joseph Walker.
'Westering Man' , Bil Gilbert , U of Oklahoma Press, 1983
Details life of Joseph Walker (Walker Lake, Walker Pass) who led an expedition over the Sierra, not even knowing what lay on the other side, and down into (now) Yosemite Valley in 1833/34. Gilbert documents that Walker and company were first European descendants to enter the Valley
JC Davis
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From the List archives
Thanks to Mike
1957
An A3D-1 Skywarrior aircraft piloted by Cmdr. Dale W. Cox, Jr., breaks two transcontinental records, one for the Los Angeles to New York flight in nine hours and 21 minutes, 35.4 seconds and the other for the return back east to west flight in five hours and 13 minutes, 49 seconds.
Reference A3D-1 Record Flights:
Skip, that west to east time of nine hours looked a little suspicious. Doing some research, it was LA to NY and back to LA in nine plus hours.
Mike
For those of you who read Naval Aviation News like I did there is a wealth of great reading here;
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Thanks to Carl
Time True
To realize
The value of a sister/brother
Ask someone
Who doesn't have one.
To realize
The value of ten years:
Ask a newly
Divorced couple.
To realize
The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.
To realize
The value of one year:
Ask a student who
Has failed a final exam.
To realize
The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a stillborn.
To realize
The value of one month:
Ask a mother
Who has given birth to
A premature baby.
To realize
The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.
To realize
The value of one minute:
Ask a person
Who has missed the train, bus or plane.
To realize
The value of one second:
Ask a person
Who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of a friendship of a comrade in arms
Lose one you have known for many years who was by your side in the worst of times
Time waits for no one.
Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more when
You can share it with someone special.
To realize the value of a friend or family member:
LOSE ONE.
The origin of this letter is unknown, but
Remember....
Hold on tight to the ones you love!
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Military Milestones from Patrick Henry's Speech to the First Medals of Honor by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
This Week in American Military History:
Mar. 22, 1820: Commodore Stephen Decatur – "America's Lord Nelson," the hero of Tripoli, and the author of the famous aphorism, "Our country, right or wrong" – is mortally wounded in a duel with Commodore James Barron near Bladensburg, Maryland.
Mar. 23, 1775: In a speech before the House of Burgesses, future Virginia governor (and colonel of the 1st Virginia Regiment) Patrick Henry exclaims, "Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"
Mar. 23, 1776: As a force-multiplier for the fledgling Continental Navy, the Continental Congress authorizes the employment of privateers (privately owned and armed merchant ships) against "enemies of these United Colonies,"
specifically Great Britain, her commercial shipping, privately owned vessels, and ships of the Royal Navy.
Mar. 23, 1815: Though the War of 1812 has officially ended – communications being what they are in the early 19th century – the Royal Navy sloop-of-war HMS Penguin under the command of Capt. James Dickenson engages the sloop USS Hornet (the third of eight so-named American Navyships) under Capt. James Biddle off the South Atlantic archipelago Tristan da Cunha. The fighting is quick and hot: Both captains are wounded; Dickenson mortally. HMS Penguin surrenders in less than one half hour.
Mar. 23, 1943: Elements of Germany's vaunted Afrika Korps clash with U.S.
Army forces near the oasis of El Guettar in Tunisia.
In previous fighting at Kasserine Pass, inexperienced and marginally led American troops had been defeated. At El Guettar, however, the American soldier under the command of Lt. Gen. George S. Patton Jr., literally outfights his German and Italian counterpart. At one point during the battle, Patton – observing the destruction of German forces – remarks, "My God, it seems a crime to murder good infantry like that."
Mar. 23, 2003: Task Force Tarawa (2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade) under the command of Brig. Gen. (future Lt. Gen.) Richard F. Natonski attack – and will ultimately defeat – Iraqi forces in heavy fighting at An Nasiriyah.
Mar. 24, 1945: Paratroopers of Maj. Gen. (future four-star general) Matthew B. Ridgway's XVIII Airborne Corps – composed of the U.S. 17th Airborne "Thunder from Heaven" Division and their British 6th Airborne Division comrades – strike and seize key German positions on the enemy side of the Rhine River.
Codenamed Varsity, the airborne assault is the last major parachute and gliderborne operation of World War II. During the fighting, Ridgway himself will be wounded by a grenade blast.
Mar. 25, 1863: Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton presents six Union Army soldiers – members of Andrews' Raiders – with the first-ever Medals of Honor.
Today, America recognizes all of its Medal of Honor recipients on National Medal of Honor Day – Mar. 25 (of each year) – the anniversary of the first presentations.
Mar. 25, 1864: Confederate cavalry under the command of Maj. Gen. (future Lt. Gen.) Nathan Bedford Forrest, "the wizard of the saddle," strike Union forces under Col. Stephen G. Hicks in the Battle of Paducah, Kentucky.
Forrest's horsemen quickly seize the town. Hicks' men retreat to prepared defenses at nearby Fort Anderson where Forrest issues an ultimatum: "If you surrender, you shall be treated as prisoners of war; but if I have to storm your works, you may expect no quarter."
Hicks refuses. A detachment of Forrest's cavalry attempts to take the fort, but the troopers are repulsed by both the defenders and two gunboats on the Ohio River. Forrest withdraws.
Nevertheless, Forrest's previous and future exploits will earn him a reputation as one of the most feared and respected cavalry commanders of the Civil War.
Forrest will be wounded four times over the course of the war. Twenty-nine horses will be shot out from under him. But he will purportedly kill 30 men in single combat, spawning the boast that he has one up over the Federals (Some sources say 30 horses and 31 men, but you get the idea).
In the decades following the war, U.S. and foreign military officers alike will study Forrest's campaigns. It has even been speculated that some aspects of the German Blitzkrieg were patterned after some of Forrest's operations.
Union Gen. William T. Sherman will describe Forrest as "the most remarkable man our Civil War produced on either side." And when Confederate Gen.
Robert E. Lee is asked to name the greatest soldier under his command, he will purportedly respond, "A man I have never seen, sir. His name is Forrest."
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Rolling Thunder thanks to The Bear
Monday, 22 March 2021
LOOKING BACK 55-YEARS to the Vietnam Air War— 22 March 1966...
From the archives of Peter Fey's rollingthunderremembered.com ...
Chris Hobson: "The Jim Stockdale Tale" and a note on the "Tuesday Lunch" bunch...
http://www.rollingthunderremembered.com/subject-rolling-thunder-remembered-22-march1966/
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
22 March
1621 – The Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe lead by Chief Massassoit reach a treaty agreement. They form a defensive alliance. Squanto, who speaks English because he had been captured by the English in 1615 and spent two years in England, brokers the pact.
1622 – The Powhattan Confederacy massacred 347-350 colonists in Virginia, a quarter of the population. On Good Friday over 300 colonists in and around Jamestown, Virginia, were massacred by the Powhatan Indians. The massacre was led by the Powhatan chief Opechancanough and began a costly 22-year war against the English. Opechancanough hoped that killing one quarter of Virginia's colonists would put an end to the European threat. The result of the massacre was just the opposite, however, as English survivors regrouped and pushed the Powhattans far into the interior. Opechancanough launched his final campaign in 1644, when he was nearly 100 years old and almost totally blind. He was then captured and executed.
1945 – The carriers of US Task Force 58 (Admiral Mitscher) are attacked by Japanese Kamikaze aircraft that fail to achieve significant success. However, it is noted that many of the attacks are made by manned rocket bombs. Admiral Spruance, commanding the US 5th Fleet, is present for the operations.
1953 – Chinese forces, supported by artillery and mortar fire, assaulted Hill Hedy and Bunker Hill. Hand-to-hand combat ensued before the enemy was finally forced to disengage.
1991 – A US warplane shot down a second Iraqi jet fighter that had violated the cease-fire ending the Persian Gulf War.
2003 – In the 4th day of Operation Iraqi Freedom intermittent explosions were heard throughout the day in Baghdad and by late afternoon at least 12 huge columns of smoke could be seen rising from all along the southern horizon of the city. US and British forces reached half way to Baghdad and British forces were left surrounding Basra. Special operations forces have taken control of an airfield in western Iraq and secured several border positions. Major-General Stanley McChrystal of the Joint Chiefs of Staff announces that US ships and warplanes have hit Iraq with 500 cruise missiles and several hundred precision weapons.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
McNERNEY, DAVID H.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. place and date: polei Doc, Republic of Vietnam, 22 March 1967. Entered service at: Fort Bliss, Tex. Born: 2 June 1931, Lowell, Mass. Citation: 1st Sgt. McNerney distinguished himself when his unit was attacked by a North Vietnamese battalion near polei Doc. Running through the hail of enemy fire to the area of heaviest contact, he was assisting in the development of a defensive perimeter when he encountered several enemy at close range. He killed the enemy but was painfully injured when blown from his feet by a grenade. In spite of this injury, he assaulted and destroyed an enemy machinegun position that had pinned down 5 of his comrades beyond the defensive line. Upon learning his commander and artillery forward observer had been killed, he assumed command of the company. He adjusted artillery fire to within 20 meters of the position in a daring measure to repulse enemy assaults. When the smoke grenades used to mark the position were gone, he moved into a nearby clearing to designate the location to friendly aircraft. In spite of enemy fire he remained exposed until he was certain the position was spotted and then climbed into a tree and tied the identification panel to its highest branches. Then he moved among his men readjusting their position, encouraging the defenders and checking the wounded. As the hostile assaults slackened, he began clearing a helicopter landing site to evacuate the wounded. When explosives were needed to remove large trees, he crawled outside the relative safety of his perimeter to collect demolition material from abandoned rucksacks. Moving through a fusillade of fire he returned with the explosives that were vital to the clearing of the landing zone. Disregarding the pain of his injury and refusing medical evacuation 1st Sgt. McNerney remained with his unit until the next day when the new commander arrived. First Sgt. McNerney's outstanding heroism and leadership were inspirational to his comrades. His actions were in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army and reflect great credit upon himself and the Armed Forces of his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 22, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
22 March
1915: "Naval Aviator" replaced the former "Navy Air Pilot" designation for naval aviators. (24)
1944: Through 23 March, Mount Vesuvius in Italy erupted and buried Pompeii airdrome, where the 340 BG conducted operations against retreating German forces. Lava cinders destroyed or damaged some 88 B-25s in what may have been the worst single loss of aircraft in the war. (5)
1946: Douglas built America's first rocket to escape earth's atmosphere. It reached 50 miles in altitude. (24)
1948: Lockheed T-33 Tee Bird (the TF-80C) made its first flight. (5)
1950: First four of 70 B-29s, called the Washington in British service, for the Royal Air Force (RAF) under the Atlantic Pact arms aid program reached Marham, England. (24)
1957: Lt Ralph S. Barnett (USN) flew an A3D Skywarrior to an unofficial coast-to-coast speed record of 3 hours 39 minutes 24 seconds for the 2,076-mile flight from Burbank to Miami. (24)
1962: The first Minuteman to be launched at night from a silo at Cape Canaveral flew 4,000 miles. (24)
1963: The National Rocket Club presented the Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy to Astronaut (Lt Col) John H. Glenn, USMC, for advancing missile, rocket, and space flight programs. (5) (16)
1966: The UK ordered 10 F-111s and components for 40 more aircraft. (16)
1976: A U-2 reconnaissance plane left U-Tapao Airfield, Thailand, and became the last SAC aircraft to leave SEA. In February 1964, a U-2 also became first SAC aircraft deployed to the area. (1) Davis-Monthan AFB received the first A-10 for operational testing and evaluation. (11)
1982: Through 30 March, the Space Shuttle Columbia completed its third mission. That third launch made it the first three-time spacecraft in history. Pilots Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton also successfully landed the Columbia at White Sands, when heavy winter rains made Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB unusable. (3)
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World News for 22 March thanks to Military Periscope
USA—High-Level Talks With China In Anchorage Turn Acrimonious Anchorage Daily News | 03/22/2021 The opening of the first summit between the Biden administration and top Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, quickly turned tense, reports the Anchorage Daily News. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Each accused the other of hostile actions following a pointed exchange during public remarks at the start of the talks, reported the Washington Post. The public session was a prelude to three closed-door sessions that concluded on Friday. In public comments, Blinken accused China of undermining the rules-based international order through cyberattacks on the U.S. and economic coercion of its allies U.S. officials signaled before the summit that they would bring up concerns over recent Chinese activity in areas such as Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In turn, Yang accused the U.S. of inciting other countries to attack China and criticized sanctions on Chinese officials over Hong Kong. He also demanded that the U.S. stop pushing its form of democracy on others and questioned Washington's credibility after recent domestic discontent and failure to deal with its own human-rights issues. Subsequent closed-door conversations were more "substantive, serious and direct," and lasted longer than the two hours originally allocated, said a U.S. official quoted by BBC News.
USA—Testing Underway For Autoloader For Long-Range Howitzer Picatinny Arsenal | 03/22/2021 Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey says it has begun trials of an advanced autoloading system for the Army's new long-range artillery cannon. In December, the objective configuration for the autoloader for the Extended-Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA) self-propelled howitzer was successfully tested at the Ballistic Evaluation Center at Picatinny. Several rounds were fired during the trials, which were designed to verify integrated hardware and software autoloader technology maturation in a live-fire environment ahead of full-scale testing at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., the arsenal said in a release last week. Two more demonstrations are planned in fiscal 2021 to further validate the technology at increased rates of fire. The objective autoloader is expected to load and manage legacy and emerging fuzes used by the Army, fuzes and propellant charges and work with larger capacity magazines. Projectiles, fuzes and propellant charges come in different sizes and weights, requiring the autoloader to be able to handle a range of configurations for different fire missions, officials said.
USA—Biden Administration Considering 6-Month Extension To Afghan Withdrawal Nbc News | 03/22/2021 The Biden administration is assessing its options on the military mission in Afghanistan, reports NBC News. Biden is reluctant to keep troops past the May 1 deadline set in the peace agreement signed with the Taliban in February 2020, while the Dept. of Defense has pushed for an extension, arguing that the Taliban has failed to live up to its obligations under the peace deal. There are also concerns about the logistics of withdrawing U.S. forces and their equipment by the May 1 deadline. The Pentagon presented several policy options, including withdrawing troops by the deadline, keeping them there indefinitely or extending them for a set period. Biden is reportedly considering a six-month extension that would keep U.S. troops in the country until November. A final decision has not been made.
USA—Makin Island ARG Leads Quadrilateral Maritime Exercise In Arabian Sea U.S. Naval Forces Central Command | 03/22/2021 The U.S. has kicked off a four-way naval exercise with ships from Belgium, France and Japan in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Oman, reports U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. The Group Arabian Sea Warfare Exercise (GASWEX) is focused on enhancing interoperability, maritime security, anti-air warfare, anti-surface warfare and anti-submarine warfare operations, the command said on Sunday. U.S. forces participating in the exercise come from the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), including the guided-missile cruiser Port Royal, F-35 and Air Force F-16 fighters, P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, MH-60 helicopters, E-3 aircraft airborne warning and control system aircraft and tankers. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) is embarked on the Makin Island. The international contingent includes French Charles De Gaulle carrier strike group, including the auxiliary ship Var and frigates Provence and Chevalier Paul, as well as the Belgian frigate Leopold I and Japanese destroyer Ariake.
Germany—Upgraded Puma, Digital Soldier System Good To Go For Operations Rheinmetall Ag | 03/22/2021 The German army has approved the System Panzergrenadier, consisting of upgraded infantry fighting vehicles and a digital soldier system, for operations, reports Rheinmetall. On March 18, army chief Lt. Gen. Alfons Mais declared System Panzergrenadier ready for action and recommended it for the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF), which Germany will be leading in 2023. The System Panzergrenadier consists of an upgraded Puma infantry fighting vehicle and the VJTF 2023 configuration of the Future Soldier-Expanded System (IdZ-ES). The milestone comes after a three-week tactical evaluation at the Bergen training area in February. System Panzergrenadier brings together the Puma with a digitized vehicle platform and the IdZ-ES soldier system equipped for digital radio communication, enabling mounted and dismounted soldiers to access the same data and share it faster, more precisely and more robustly, said Rheinmetall. The tightly integrated network of sensors and effectors employed by the vehicle and its soldiers supports rapid target engagements. The upgraded Puma includes the Spike anti-tank missile (known locally as MELLS); a new panoramic and driver vision system; and an improved command, control, communications, computers and intelligence (C4I) system. The German army plans to deploy 40 upgraded Pumas with the VJTF in 2023.
North Korea—Diplomatic Ties Severed With Malaysia Yonhap | 03/22/2021 North Korea has cut diplomatic ties with Malaysia after Malaysia's top court ruled that a North Korean citizen could be extradited to the U.S. on charges of violating U.N. sanctions, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). Pyongyang announced it was severing diplomatic relations on March 19. Mun Chol Myong, a North Korean businessman living in Malaysia, is accused of exporting prohibited luxury items from Singapore to North Korea and laundering funds through shell companies in violation of U.N. sanctions. The court overruled an appeal from Mun Chol Myong challenging the U.S. extradition request earlier this month. He was formally extradited on March 17. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry denounced the move as "unfriendly and unconstructive." Kuala Lumpur subsequently ordered all North Korean Embassy personnel to leave the country within 48 hours.
South Korea—Defense Ministry Pledges To Strengthen Cooperation With Japan Yonhap | 03/22/2021 The South Korean Defense Ministry says that it will seek to deepen defense ties with Japan following a visit by top U.S. officials, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Monday, Defense Minister Suh Wook told Bloomberg television that Seoul would continue to meet with Japanese officials and work to maintain defense cooperation, calling security ties with Tokyo a "valuable asset." South Korea would continue to advocate for various exchanges and cooperation, said a defense ministry spokesman. The remarks follow visits to Japan and South Korea last week by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who emphasized the importance of trilateral cooperation and pledged to promote regional security collaboration. Relations between Seoul and Tokyo remain tense following disputes over territorial claims and wartime reparations.
Japan—Haguro Destroyer Commissioned In Yokohama Naval News | 03/22/2021 The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force has commissioned its newest Aegis destroyer, reports Naval News. The Haguro was formally entered service during a March 19 ceremony at the Japan Marine United Isogo Shipyard in Yokohama. The destroyer, the second and last in the Maya class, is assigned to Escort Flotilla 4 in Sasebo. The Haguro is the eighth Aegis destroyer to enter service with the JMSDF. Her keel was laid in January 2019 and she was launched on July 17, 2019. She was built at a cost of US$1.5 billion. The Maya class are the first Aegis destroyers in Japanese service built from the start with ballistic missile defense capabilities as well as the Cooperative Engagement Capability.
Taiwan—Field Exercises Focus On Combined Arms Ops Central News Agency | 03/22/2021 Taiwan has kicked off field exercises as part of a month-long combat preparedness effort, reports the semi-official Central News Agency (Taipei). Units taking part in the drills mobilized on Monday, said military sources. The Taiwanese military holds a combat preparedness month every quarter, involving four stages: battlefield scouting, tabletop exercises, field strategy and tactics and field exercises. This month's drill is focused on combined arms operations and defending the Tamsui River, which connects the Taiwan Strait with Taipei. This week, combined arms battalions will deploy at strategic points along the Tamsui River, at beaches in central and southern Taiwan and in highlands to evaluate their counter-strike, air defense and reinforcement capabilities, the military said, Taiwan resumed the quarterly exercises two years ago, in response to increase military activities from China.
Philippines—Defense Minister Calls On China To Withdraw Fishing Vessels From Disputed Reef British Broadcasting Corp. | 03/22/2021 Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana has urged China to withdraw more than 200 ships from a disputed reef within the Philippine exclusive economic zone in the South China Sea, reports the BBC News. "We call on the Chinese to stop this incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory," Lorenzana said on Sunday. The fishing boats do not appear to be involved in fishing and are crewed by members of China's maritime militia, he said. The Chinese vessels first amassed around the Whitsun Reef (called the Julian Felipe Reef by Manila) on March 7, according to Philippine coast guard reports cited by the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin said that he filed a diplomatic protest with China, reported the Maritime Executive.
India—U.A.E. Plays Key Role In Latest Peace Effort With Pakistan Bloomberg News | 03/22/2021 The United Arab Emirates has taken an important role in recent peace negotiations between India and Pakistan, reports Bloomberg News. The talks reportedly began months before a Feb. 26 meeting between Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed and his Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, in New Delhi, said officials. Sources said that Emirati officials played a key role in the cease-fire that was agreed ahead of that meeting. On March 18, Pakistani army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said that it was time to "bury the past and move forward" with Indian-Pakistani relations, reported the Dawn (Karachi). The cease-fire is the first step in a peace process, said unnamed officials. The next stage would include reinstating envoys in the other's capital; resuming trade; and resolving the long-running Kashmir dispute. Officials said that there is little expectation that a comprehensive agreement on the Kashmir region could be reached.
Iran—Redesigned Arak Reactor Set For Initial Trials Fars News Agency | 03/22/2021 The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says it is set to conduct tests of the redesigned Arak nuclear reactor prior to its entry into service later this year, reports the semi-official Fars news agency (Iran). The "cold test," involving the initial startup of fluid and support systems for the reactor, will take place shortly after the Persian New Year on March 21. Iran agreed to shut down the Arak heavy water reactor under the 2015 nuclear deal and has since redesigned the reactor. Tehran says the reactor will be used to make isotopes for medical and agricultural use.
Yemen—Coalition Jets Hit Houthi Facilities Near Sanaa Al Arabiya | 03/22/2021 The Saudi-led coalition says it has destroyed Houthi military sites outside of Sanaa, reports Al Arabiya (Dubai). Coalition irstrikes targeted ballistic missile and drone workshops outside the Yemeni capital, the coalition said on Sunday. The raids targeted the Al Hafa area, the Al Nahdha neighborhood and the Sanhan district, as well as the Sanaa International Airport, reported the Houthi-run Al Masirah television (Yemen). There were no immediate reports of casualties. The coalition said that it continued to support government forces against a Houthi advance in the city of Marib, attacking Houthi fighters, foreign mercenaries and explosives stores outside that city. On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on an oil refinery in Riyadh, reported Reuters.
On Saturday, the coalition said that it intercepted an explosive-laden drone outside the southern city of Khamis Mushait.
Syria—Russian Airstrikes Hit Energy Facilities Near Turkish Border Reuters | 03/22/2021 Russian jets have attacked several targets in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, near the border with Turkey, reports Reuters. On Sunday, Russian jets hit a gas facility in Sarmada, as well as a cement factory and several other sites, including the Bab Al Hawa border crossing, where trailers were parked before bringing goods across the border. This was the second attack by Russian forces against energy infrastructure in the area, following a ballistic missile strike earlier this month, according to Western intelligence sources. Separately, Syrian government mortar strikes on a hospital in Atareb killed seven people and wounded 14 medics, said witnesses and rebel sources. Surface-to-surface missiles launched by the Syrian forces also landed near civilian population centers in the town of Qah, said the Turkish Defense Ministry. Separate strikes also targeted nearby Sfuhen, Kansafra, Bayanin and Fulayfel, all in southern Idlib, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (U.K.). A Russian-Turkish agreement last year had ended a Russian-led bombing campaign against rebel positions in the province.
Niger—Top Court Ruling Paves Way For Democratic Transition Agence France-Presse | 03/22/2021 The constitutional court in Niger has confirmed that Mohamed Bazoum has won the presidency with more than 55 percent of the vote in last month's run-off election, reports Agence France-Presse. On Sunday, the court confirmed the results, paving the way for Bazoum to take the reins in what would be Niger's first democratic transition since independence. Bazoum's term begins on April 2 and will run for five years. The former interior minister was the preferred successor of President Mahamadou Issoufou, who is stepping down after completing two five-year terms. Opposition candidate Mahamane Ousmane and his supporters have contested the results. At least two people were killed in protests in Niamey, the capital. The court acknowledged some irregularities, eliminating the results from 73 polling stations, without disclosing a reason, reported Reuters.
Tanzania—Suluhu Sworn In As President British Broadcasting Corp. | 03/22/2021 Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan has been sworn in as Tanzanian leader following the death of President John Magufuli, reports BBC News. On Friday, Suluhu became the first woman to serve as president in Tanzania, reported Al Jazeera (Qatar). She is also the only woman to hold the top post in African. Ethiopia's president is also a woman, but the role is largely ceremonial. Suluhu served as Magululi's vice president during his first term from 2015 to 2020 and was re-elected with him in October. She was first elected to public office in 2000 and later played a key role as the vice chairman of the 214 Constituent Assembly to draft a new constitution. Magufuli's death was announced on Wednesday. The government has claimed it was the result of heart failure, but it has been speculated that he died from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
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