Good Tuesday Morning 16 November
I hope that your week is off to a good start.
Regards,
Skip
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History
November 16
1776 The first salute of an American flag (Grand Union Flag) by a foreign power is rendered by the Dutch at St. Eustatius, West Indies in reply to a salute by the Continental ship Andrew Doria.
1798 The warship Baltimore is halted by the British off Havana, intending to impress Baltimores crew who could not prove American citizenship. Fifty-five seamen are imprisoned though 50 are later freed.
1942 USS Woolsey (DD 437), USS Swanson (DD 443), and USS Quick (DD 490) sink the German submarine U-173 off Casablanca, French Morocco.
1963 President John F. Kennedy, on board USS Observation Island (EAG 154), witnesses the launch of Polaris A-2 missile by USS Andrew Jackson (SSBN 619).
1973 Skylab 4 is launched and recovery is performed by USS New Orleans (LPH 11).
Thanks to CHINFO
Executive Summary:
•There was widespread international and national coverage of President Joe Biden's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
•Trade press reported on updated CCDA guidance for COVID-19 vaccine refusal.
•National and trade press reported on an interaction between an Iranian helicopter that operated in an unsafe and unprofessional manner ivo the USS Essex.
This Day in History November 16
1533 The explorer Francisco Pizarro enters Cuzco, Peru.
1626 The Pilgrim Fathers, who have settled in New Plymouth, buy out their London investors.
1777 The Articles of Confederation, instituting perpetual union of the United States of America, are adopted by Congress.
1805 Meriwether Lewis, William Clark and their party reach the mouth of the Columbia River, completing their trek to the Pacific.
1806 Explorer Zebulon Pike discovers the Colorado Peak that bears his name, despite the fact that he didn't climb it.
1864 Union Major General William T. Sherman's troops set fires that destroy much of Atlanta's industrial district prior to beginning Sherman's March to the Sea.
1881 The American Federation of Labor is founded.
1909 M. Metrot takes off in a Voisin biplane from Algiers, making the first manned flight in Africa.
1917 Kerensky flees and Bolsheviks take command in Moscow.
1920 Forty-one nations open the first League of Nations session in Geneva..
1922 It is announced that Dr. Alexis Carrel has discovered white corpuscles.
1930 General strikes and riots paralyze Madrid, Spain.
Eighteen lawsuits are brought against the Tennessee Valley Authority, calling for its dissolution.
1942 An American fleet defeats a Japanese naval force in a clash off Guadalcanal.
1946 The 17th Paris Air Show opens at the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysees. It is the first show of this kind since World War II.
1952 Newark Airport in New Jersey reopens after closing earlier in the year because of an increase in accidents.
1957 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev asserts Soviet superiority in missiles, challenging the United States to a rocket-range shooting match.
1960 The first submarine with nuclear missiles, USS George Washington, takes to sea from Charleston, South Carolina.
1962 Cuba threatens to down U.S. planes on reconnaissance flights over its territory.
1963 Argentina voids all foreign oil contracts.
1965 In the second day of combat, regiments of the 1st Cavalry Division battle on Landing Zones X-Ray against North Vietnamese forces in the Ia Drang Valley.
1969 A quarter of a million anti-Vietnam War demonstrators march in Washington, D.C.
1976 A Syrian peace force takes control of Beirut, Lebanon.
1984 Baby Fae dies 20 days after receiving a baboon heart transplant in Loma Linda, California.
1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement signed by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Irish Taoiseach Garret Fitzgerald.
1988 Palestinian National Council proclaims an independent State of Palestine.
1990 People's Republic of Bulgaria replaced by a new republican government.
2007 Cyclone Sidr strikes Bangladesh, killing an estimated 5,000 people.
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Hand SALUTE!!!
Thanks to THE Bear and Dutch
Gents… River Rats website reports Jerry Coffee passed away on 12 November…
Lest we forget… Bear
Check About | Captain Coffee – Dutch
Gents… Jerry Coffee, among the "bravest of the brave," leaves an enduring memorial. I rate this masterpiece level with Magee's "High Flight."… God rest his soul… Bear
http://www.captaincoffee.com/resources/pow-poetry/one-more-roll/
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear For The List for Tuesday, 16 November 2021… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 16 November 1966… "Beware the cross-over point"…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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Thanks to Fred
STEM versus STEAM and National Aviation Hall of Fame promo video
Hoot,
I'm writing to ask for your feedback on a recent National Aviation Hall of Fame promotional video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYOi-mnuZRw
Once again, we're witnessing NAHF and PBS tacitly endorse the soft-major curriculum agenda of the National Education Association. Once again, we're seeing the critical need for STEM education being perverted into STEAM – science, technology, engineering, ARTS and math. I strongly believe the push behind steAm is driven by the ultra-powerful public education lobby, primarily because it has a dearth of teachers who've earned hard STEM degrees. Yes, NEA members can teach the arts, the humanities, the need for social justice, push critical race theory, support the 1619 Project. But, all those classroom activities don't enable kids to graduate with the skills they need to make a decent middle class living, let alone pay back their college debts. And then the find jobs that will help rebuild America.
Put this into perspective. China graduates 7 to 8 times more engineers each year than the United States. The high tech industry has to hire engineering graduates from India and elsewhere outside the US because our education system produces so few engineers each year. Do you think China and India have prostituted STEM into STEAM? Far from it, both nations realize that STEM education is the most important pathway to economic success in the 21st century.
'Ever hear of the term "starving artist"? It's been around for centuries. STEAM didn't enable Hoot Gibson to become the Chief of the Astronaut Office, the winner of the Reno Air Races, a Pax River grad or a Top Gun graduate. STEAM didn't put US astronauts on the moon. STEAM didn't invent the microprocessor or the internet. STEAM didn't make possible the revolutionary mRNA COVID vaccines. STEAM didn't enable Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn and Mary Jackson to play key parts at NASA making possible the first moon shot. STEAM didn't build the US aviation and space industries.
STEM made possible these milestones. STEM is the key to lifting so many under-privileged / under-served children out of poverty. Johnson, Vaughn and Jackson, among hundreds of other people of color, bear witness to that truth. STEM is critical to re-establishing the United States as the world leader in engineering and manufacturing.
'Ever heard of the terms "starving scientist", "starving technician", "starving engineer", or "starving math major"? Nope. They just don't exist.
In my opinion, STEAM is a ridiculous distraction when STEM education is in such short supply. Why, in the world, would NAHF bow down to such partisan political pressure from PBS and its NEA allies?
I don't know Michael Quiello, NAHF chairman of the board. I did talk with Doug Schwartz for more than an hour on this topic. I will talk with Jim Cooling, Phil Roberts, Frank Craven and anybody else I know who is an NAHF trustee. If I personally knew Captain Quiello, I'd call him and exhort him to scrap this STEAM video in its entirety and replace with one focusing purely on STEM.
Thanks for reading this rant. I hope you'll view this video and then provide your unvarnished feedback to both me and NAHF.
Best wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving.
Fred George
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Thanks to Shadow
There is hope... Random Act of Kindness
Folks,
Was meeting FBI Mike for Breakfast this morning… we usually meet every Monday morning either here in town or up at Amelia Island at 0800. As we're walking up to the front door of "The Cracker Barrel" restaurant… from the opposite direction comes a gentleman, dressed in what my mom used to say was… "His Sunday Go To Meeting Clothes". Beautiful and tasteful blue suit, perfect fit… white shirt, conservative tie… spit shined shoes. He was a handsome man by any standard. Now Cracker Barrel ain't no upscale eatery… pretty damn casual. And I was compelled to remark to him as he got near the door… "Hold on there friend… any man dressed as fine as you are should have the door opened for him… let me get it"! He laughed and said, "Thank You".
Well he went his way and we went ours. As we sat down I noticed he was sitting behind Mike, by himself. I was tempted to ask him to join us, but was thinking he was waiting on someone… also the fact that Mike and I usually talk politics at breakfast… and you never know where others come from.
Anyway… as we're finishing… our waitress comes over and says… "The gentleman who just left, picked up your tab… your meal has already been paid for"… and she pointed to where the nicely dressed man had been sitting. Couldn't believe it! I'd done things like that many times in my life… but never had it happen to me! I got up and headed for the cashier's station, hoping to catch him before he left. I did and reached out, to shake his hand and said, "I want to thank you, that was a cool thing to do… we really appreciate it. Had we known you were dinning alone, we'd have invited you to join us. My friend Mike and I meet every Monday for breakfast… he's retired FBI and I'm an old Marine". He said, "My name's Mike too… and I'm retired Law Enforcement… My pleasure, you guys have a nice day"… and with that he left. What a neat guy.
Did I mention he was a Black Man… who didn't know us from Adam's House cat?
What a cool thing! There is hope folks!
Shadow=
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This Day in U S Military History
1944 – Allied air strikes support offensives of US 9th and 1st Armies; about 10,000 tons of bombs are dropped by some 1200 US 8th Air Force planes and 1100 RAF bombers with the goal of obliterating the fortified towns of Duren, Julich and Heinsberg as well as the German defensive position west of Duren. The US 9th Army advances toward Geilenkirchen and Eschweiler with the objective of reaching the Roer River. To the right, the US 1st Army attacks toward Duren, east of Aachen.
1945 – Eighty-eight German scientists, holding Nazi secrets, arrived in the U.S. In a move that stirs up some controversy, the United States ships 88 German scientists to America to assist the nation in its production of rocket technology. Most of these men had served under the Nazi regime and critics in the United States questioned the morality of placing them in the service of America. Nevertheless, the U.S. government, desperate to acquire the scientific know-how that had produced the terrifying and destructive V-1 and V-2 rockets for Germany during WWII, and fearful that the Russians were also utilizing captured German scientists for the same end, welcomed the men with open arms. Realizing that the importation of scientists who had so recently worked for the Nazi regime so hated by Americans was a delicate public relations situation, the U.S. military cloaked the operation in secrecy. In announcing the plan, a military spokesman merely indicated that some German scientists who had worked on rocket development had "volunteered" to come to the United States and work for a "very moderate salary." The voluntary nature of the scheme was somewhat undercut by the admission that the scientists were in "protective custody." Upon their arrival in the United States on November 16, newsmen and photographers were not allowed to interview or photograph the newcomers. A few days later, a source in Sweden claimed that the scientists were members of the Nazi team at Peenemeunde where the V-weapons had been produced. The U.S. government continued to remain somewhat vague about the situation, stating only that "certain outstanding German scientists and technicians" were being imported in order to "take full advantage of these significant developments, which are deemed vital to our national security." The situation pointed out one of the many ironies connected with the Cold War. The United States and the Soviet Union, once allies against Germany and the Nazi regime during World War II, were now in a fierce contest to acquire the best and brightest scientists who had helped arm the German forces in order to construct weapons systems to threaten each other.
1950 – A dedication of the monument erected in Arlington National Cemetery on the gravesite of those who lost their lives on the night of 29 January 1945, when USS Serpens was destroyed off Lunga Beach, Guadalcanal. This was the largest single disaster suffered by the US Coast Guard in World War II.
1965 – In the last day of the fighting at Landing Zone X-Ray, regiments of the U.S. 1st Cavalry Division repulsed NVA forces in the Ia Drang Valley. Joe Galloway served at LZ X-ray. He later received the Bronze Star for his actions during the epic battle. Based on that and his subsequent actions in Vietnam, Galloway came to be regarded by the military leadership and the GIs alike as a journalist who was fair, objective, and who could be trusted to get the story right. He co-authored with Lt. Gen. Hal More "We Were Soldiers Once…And Young."
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
HORNER, FREEMAN V.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company K, 119th Infantry, 30th Infantry Division. Place and date: Wurselen, Germany, 16 November 1944. Entered service at: Shamokin, Pa. Birth: Mount Carmel, Pa. G.O. No.: 95, 30 October 1945. Citation: S/Sgt. Horner and other members of his company were attacking Wurselen, Germany, against stubborn resistance on 16 November 1944, when machinegun fire from houses on the edge of the town pinned the attackers in flat, open terrain 100 yards from their objective. As they lay in the field, enemy artillery observers directed fire upon them, causing serious casualties. Realizing that the machineguns must be eliminated in order to permit the company to advance from its precarious position, S/Sgt. Horner voluntarily stood up with his submachine gun and rushed into the teeth of concentrated fire, burdened by a heavy load of ammunition and hand grenades. Just as he reached a position of seeming safety, he was fired on by a machinegun which had remained silent up until that time. He coolly wheeled in his fully exposed position while bullets barely missed him and killed 2 hostile gunners with a single, devastating burst. He turned to face the fire of the other 2 machineguns, and dodging fire as he ran, charged the 2 positions 50 yards away. Demoralized by their inability to hit the intrepid infantryman, the enemy abandoned their guns and took cover in the cellar of the house they occupied. S/Sgt. Horner burst into the building, hurled 2 grenades down the cellar stairs, and called for the Germans to surrender. Four men gave up to him. By his extraordinary courage, S/Sgt. Horner destroyed 3 enemy machinegun positions, killed or captured 7 enemy, and cleared the path for his company's successful assault on Wurselen.
LINDSEY, JAKE W.
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Hamich, Germany, 16 November 1944. Entered service at: Lucedale, Miss. Birth: Isney, Ala. G.O. No.: 43, 30 May 1945. Citation: For gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 16 November 1944, in Germany. T/Sgt. Lindsey assumed a position about 10 yards to the front of his platoon during an intense enemy infantry-tank counterattack, and by his unerringly accurate fire destroyed 2 enemy machinegun nests, forced the withdrawal of 2 tanks, and effectively halted enemy flanking patrols. Later, although painfully wounded, he engaged 8 Germans, who were reestablishing machinegun positions, in hand-to-hand combat, killing 3, capturing 3, and causing the other 2 to flee. By his gallantry, T/Sgt. Lindsey secured his unit's position, and reflected great credit upon himself and the U.S. Army.
*MILLER, ANDREW
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company G, 377th Infantry, 95th Infantry Division. Place and date: From Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany, 1629 November 1944. Entered service at: Two Rivers, Wis. Birth: Manitowoc, Wis. G.O. No.: 74, 1 September 1945. Citation: For performing a series of heroic deeds from 1629 November 1944, during his company's relentless drive from Woippy, France, through Metz to Kerprich Hemmersdorf, Germany. As he led a rifle squad on 16 November at Woippy, a crossfire from enemy machineguns pinned down his unit. Ordering his men to remain under cover, he went forward alone, entered a building housing 1 of the guns and forced S Germans to surrender at bayonet point. He then took the second gun single-handedly by hurling grenades into the enemy position, killing 2, wounding 3 more, and taking 2 additional prisoners. At the outskirts of Metz the next day, when his platoon, confused by heavy explosions and the withdrawal of friendly tanks, retired, he fearlessly remained behind armed with an automatic rifle and exchanged bursts with a German machinegun until he silenced the enemy weapon. His quick action in covering his comrades gave the platoon time to regroup and carry on the fight. On 19 November S/Sgt. Miller led an attack on large enemy barracks. Covered by his squad, he crawled to a barracks window, climbed in and captured 6 riflemen occupying the room. His men, and then the entire company, followed through the window, scoured the building, and took 75 prisoners. S/Sgt. Miller volunteered, with 3 comrades, to capture Gestapo officers who were preventing the surrender of German troops in another building. He ran a gauntlet of machinegun fire and was lifted through a window. Inside, he found himself covered by a machine pistol, but he persuaded the 4 Gestapo agents confronting him to surrender. Early the next morning, when strong hostile forces punished his company with heavy fire, S/Sgt. Miller assumed the task of destroying a well-placed machinegun. He was knocked down by a rifle grenade as he climbed an open stairway in a house, but pressed on with a bazooka to find an advantageous spot from which to launch his rocket. He discovered that he could fire only from the roof, a position where he would draw tremendous enemy fire. Facing the risk, he moved into the open, coolly took aim and scored a direct hit on the hostile emplacement, wreaking such havoc that the enemy troops became completely demoralized and began surrendering by the score. The following day, in Metz, he captured 12 more prisoners and silenced an enemy machinegun after volunteering for a hazardous mission in advance of his company's position. On 29 November, as Company G climbed a hill overlooking Kerprich Hemmersdorf, enemy fire pinned the unit to the ground. S/Sgt. Miller, on his own initiative, pressed ahead with his squad past the company's leading element to meet the surprise resistance. His men stood up and advanced deliberately, firing as they went. Inspired by S/Sgt. Miller's leadership, the platoon followed, and then another platoon arose and grimly closed with the Germans. The enemy action was smothered, but at the cost of S/Sgt. Miller's life. His tenacious devotion to the attack, his gallant choice to expose himself to enemy action rather than endanger his men, his limitless bravery, assured the success of Company G.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for November 16, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 November
1913: John Domenjoz, a Swiss aviator, looped his Bleriot over the Battery and Statue of Liberty in what was presumed to be the first loop. Lt Petr Nikolaevich Nesteov of the Imperial Russian Army claimed an earlier first loop in his 27 August 1913 flight over Kiev in a Nieuport Type IV. (8) (24)
1927: The Navy commissioned its second aircraft carrier, the USS Saratoga. The US destroyed it in a 1946 atomic bomb test. (20)
1944: In the largest air and ground cooperation to date, over 4,000 allied planes, with 750 fighter escorts, dropped over 10,000 tons of bombs in front of the 1st and 9th Armies to prepare for a ground attack. (4) (24)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force fighter-bombers made over one-hundred rail cuts between Sinanju and Sukchon and between Kunu-ri and Sunchon. They also damaged bridges, knocked out gun positions, destroyed supply buildings, fired fuel dumps, and took a toll of enemy rail cars. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. USMC aircraft attached to Fifth Air Force attacked hydroelectric facilities at Kongosan. (28)
1956: The 98 AREFS at Lincoln AFB, Nebr., received the last production KC-97, a G-model (number 53-3816). (1) SECDEF Charles E. Wilson transferred the northern part of Camp Cooke, Calif., from the Army to the USAF to set up a training site for Thor, Atlas, and Titan missiles. (6)
1959: At the White Sands Missile Range, Capt Joseph W. Kittinger, Jr., set three unofficial records by taking an open-gondola balloon to 76,400 feet. From there, he parachuted back to earth. This jump included a 64,000-foot free fall, the longest to date, that lasted 2 minutes 58 seconds. (9)
1966: Maj William J. Knight set an unofficial X-15 speed record of 4,159 MPH at Edwards AFB. (3)
1973: FIRST SKYLAB MISSION: In Skylab 4, the astronauts set a 7-hour, 1-minute space walk record in a 2,017-hour mission. They returned on 8 February 1974 after 34,523,000 miles and 84 days 1 hour 15 minutes 32 seconds in space.
1982: The Space Shuttle Columbia ended its first operational mission (fifth overall) by landing at Edwards AFB. It was the first craft to take more than three people into space. (3)
1987: Operation BUSY TIGER. MAC participated in the initial test to check KC-135 capabilities for short-notice deployments. Aircraft, personnel, and equipment from Grissom AFB and Beale AFB were used in the test. (16) (18)
1988: Through 30 November, MAC aircraft flew 442 tons of insecticide and supplies to Dakar, Senegal, to battle a destructive influx of locusts. (26)
2004: In its final flight, NASA's B-52 #008 launch vehicle, the oldest plane in the USAF inventory, carried the X-43A mounted on a Pegasus booster into the air. The X-43A then broke its 4,780 MPH record of 27 March 2004. After separating from a Pegasus booster rocket at 110,000 feet, the scramjet engine accelerated the X-43 to 7,000 mph (Mach 9.8). With this flight, the Dryden Flight Research Center validated the operation of the supersonic-combustion ramjet, powered by liquid hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. The Guinness Book of World Records added the X-43's flight as a new world speed record for jet powered aircraft. (3)
2006: The Air Force Special Operations Command received its first CV-22 Osprey at Hurlburt Field. United States Special Operations Command commander, Gen Doug Brown, flew the Osprey to the arrival ceremony at Hurlburt. (USAF Aimpoints, "Hurlburt Gets First Osprey," 17 Nov 2006) DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. An F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, Capt David Anderson from the 35th Fighter Squadron at Kunsan AB, Republic of Korea, received the award for his actions in Operation Iraqi Freedom. While assigned to the 524th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Balad Air Base in Iraq, Captain Anderson and Capt Nick Sweeney flew a routine combat mission to Kirkuk. During their 16 November mission, they engaged enemy forces in contact with a US platoon near Baghdad. A joint terminal attack controller on the ground tasked the fighters to search for a vehicle near the platoon's position. When an enemy attack pinned down the ground troops, the controller immediately directed the F-16 pilots to the location. After a third low pass, Captain Sweeney had to disengage to get fuel. As the enemy fire intensified, the controller then ordered a strafe pass with the F-16's 20mm cannon. As Anderson executed a fourth low pass of the target area he identified his target and opened fire. In three successive strafe passes, he fired all 510 rounds to silence the enemy position. His attack killed enemy fighters, including one insurgent who was setting up a 60 mm mortar. (AFNEWS, "Kunsan Pilot Receives Distinguished Flying Cross," 12 September 2007)
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World News for 16 November thanks to Military Periscope
USA—New Okla. Guard Chief Says Will Not Enforce DoD Vaccine Mandate Army Times | 11/16/2021 The new commander of the Oklahoma National Guard says he will not implement the Dept. of Defense's novel coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination mandate for his personnel, reports the Army Times. On Nov. 10, Brig. Gen. Thomas Mancino was installed as the new adjutant general of the Oklahoma National Guard, though he had not yet been confirmed by the state senate. The following day, he issued an order halting the Army and Air National Guard requirement for personnel to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Mancino was not originally scheduled to replace Maj. Gen. Michael Thomas until Jan. 15, 2022, reported the Oklahoman. The accelerated change of command came after Gov. Kevin Stitt sent Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin a letter on Nov. 2 that formally requested that the Pentagon not enforce the vaccine mandate in Oklahoma. In the letter, Stitt said that 10 percent of Oklahoma guardsmen had refused the vaccine and called the mandate "irresponsible." The Defense Dept. indicated that it was aware of the Mancino memo and Stitt's letter and would "respond to the governor appropriately." National Guard forces are generally under the control of their state's governor under Title 32 when not federalized and placed under the control of the Dept. of Defense under Title 10. A majority of funding, training and equipment is provided by the federal government, and Oklahoma's decision to refuse to comply with the DoD mandate could jeopardize that funding. A spokesman for the Oklahoma National Guard noted that should any personnel need to attend any school or training activity run by an active-duty component or Dept. of Defense, the order would not protect them from federal requirements that they be vaccinated.
USA—SPACECOM Condemns Russian Anti-Satellite Weapon Test U.S. Space Command | 11/16/2021 U.S. Space Command says a Russian anti-satellite test earlier this week created a significant amount of space debris threatening a variety of spacecraft in orbit. On Monday, a Russian direct-ascent anti-satellite missile struck satellite Cosmos 1408, creating a field of more than 1,500 pieces of trackable debris in low-Earth orbit, the command said. There are likely hundreds of thousands of smaller pieces of debris now in orbit. The debris will pose a danger to space activities for years to come, said Army Gen. James Dickinson, the head of SPACECOM. The test is part of Russian efforts to "deny access to and use of space by the U.S. and its allies and partners," Dickinson said. SPACECOM continues to monitor the trajectory of the debris and will work to ensure spacefaring countries have the information needed to protect any on-orbit activities that may be affected by the debris cloud. ROSCOSMOS, the Russian space agency, said that astronauts aboard the International Space Station had to prepare for emergency evacuation in case the debris threatened the station, reported CNN.
NATO—Poland, Baltic States May Seek Formal Consultations On Border Issue Cable News Network | 11/16/2021 The NATO states bordering Belarus are considering invoking the alliance's consultation mechanism in response to the migrant crisis engineered by the Lukashenko regime, reports CNN. Latvia, Lithuania and Poland are discussing whether to trigger Article 4 of the NATO Charter, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told the Polish Press Agency on Sunday. Article 4 allows any NATO member to call for consultations in the event that the territorial integrity, political independence or security of an alliance member is threatened. The move comes as thousands of migrants organized by Belarus have gathered near the Polish border in recent days. Some groups have attempted mass crossings. Some of the migrants have behaved aggressively toward police, including throwing stones and firing a flare gun, according to the Polish border guard service. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is accused of organizing the migrant waves flowing into Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in retaliation for E.U. sanctions. A NATO official previously said the alliance was monitoring the situation and stood in solidarity with the three countries. Separately, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that the body will implement additional sanctions on the Lukashenko regime this week, as well as measures against airlines, travel agencies and others involved in bringing migrants to Belarus.
Italy—Chinese State-Linked Firms Acquired Italian Drone Manufacturer, Probe Finds Wall Street Journal | 11/16/2021 Italian investigators say they have evidence that China illicitly acquired a European drone manufacturer and began transferring its technology, reports the Wall Street Journal. In July 2018, a Hong Kong-registered company acquired Alpi Aviation, which manufacturers light aircraft and mini drones, including the Strix, which the Italian air force employed in Afghanistan. Investigators say that they traced Mars Information Technology's ownership to the state-owned China Railway Rolling Stock Corp. and an investment group controlled by the municipal government of Wuxi, a city near Shanghai. Raids of Alpi offices earlier this year showed that the Chinese firm bought a 75-percent stake in the aircraft manufacturer for 4 million euros (US$4.6 million), which police said was a significant overpayment. The Chinese company has begun transferring some of Alpi's technology to a new production site in China, said investigators. Alpi has denied violating any laws.
Turkey—Plans Scrapped For N. Syria Op Amid Pushback From Moscow, Washington The Syrian Observer | 11/16/2021 Turkey has suspended a planned operation in northern Syria following objections from the U.S. and Russia, reports the Syrian Observer. Turkish diplomatic sources told the New Arab (London) that the government had suspended planned operations against Kurdish armed groups following pushback from Russia and the U.S. Ankara began preparations for new operations against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in October. The U.S. and Russia quickly rejected the plan. Former U.S. Special Envoy for Syria James Jeffrey told Ankara that President Joe Biden was opposed to such an operation and emphasized that the U.S. would not abandon its partnership with the SDF. Biden has indicated support for maintaining U.S. forces in eastern Syria to support local forces and combat ISIS elements in the region. Russia has also rejected the Turkish plan in part to prevent Ankara from expanding its influence in an area that Moscow has its eye on, analysts said.
Turkey—Police Arrest Suspect In Assassination Of Haitian President Reuters | 11/16/2021 Turkish police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in July, reports Reuters. Samir Handal was detained at Istanbul Airport while traveling from the U.S. to Jordan, Haitian Foreign Minister Claude Joseph said on Monday. Joseph called Handal a person of interest in the investigation into the murder of Moise. Turkish media reported that an Interpol red notice had been issued for Handal's arrest. Moise was shot and killed at his residence. A group of Colombian mercenaries has been identified as the main suspects, although no one has been charged or convicted to date.
European Union—Ministers Approve Sanctions Against Wagner Group Wall Street Journal | 11/16/2021 The foreign ministers of the European Union member states have agreed to sanction the Wagner Group, a private military company linked to the Russian government, reports the Wall Street Journal. On Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that the bloc had agreed to measures against the mercenary force and entities linked to it after agreeing that it posed a threat to E.U. interests. E.U. officials said that the bloc would use existing regimes, meaning that a package of measures could be ready for approval when the ministers meet again in December. France pushed for the sanctions after the Malian government reportedly sought to hire Wagner mercenaries following reductions to French forces there.
Ukraine—Construction Of Naval Base Accelerated As Tensions Increase Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 11/16/2021 Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov says the construction of a new naval base on the Sea of Azov will be accelerated due to growing tensions with Russia, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Reznikov made his remarks on Saturday following a visit to Berdyansk where the facility is being built. The base needs to be completed as soon as possible to prevent Russian attempts to claim control of the Sea of Azov, the defense minister said. Kyiv initially announced the decision to build the base at Berdyansk in 2018.
Thailand—Air Force Orders AT-6 Light Attack Aircraft Textron Press Release | 11/16/2021 The Royal Thai Air Force has become the first international customer for the light attack variant of the T-6 Texan II trainer, reports manufacturer Textron. On Nov. 13, the company announced that it had received a US$143 million order from Thailand for eight AT-6 Wolverine aircraft, ground support equipment, spare parts, training and other equipment The order was announced on the first day of the Dubai Airshow, noted Defense News. Under the contract, Textron will begin training maintenance personnel in Thailand in 2023 and commence pilot training in Wichita, Kan., in 2024. The first AT-6s are scheduled for delivery in 2024. The AT-6 will replace the air force's aging fleet of L39 Albatros jets. The aircraft, which will be known as the AT-6TH in Thai service, will be operated by the 41st Wing at the Chiang Mai Air Base in northern Thailand. The Wolverines are intended for missions such as border security, anti-smuggling, counter-narcotics and anti-human trafficking. Thailand previously ordered the T-6TH Texan II training aircraft in 2020.
India—2 Dozen Maoist Militants Killed In Maharashtra Op Indian Express | 11/16/2021 Indian security forces killed more than two dozen militants in an operation in the central Maharashtra state, reports the Indian Express. On Saturday, heavy fighting broke out in dense forest in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. Sixteen teams of C-60 commandos, totaling more than 500 personnel, launched the operation after receiving reports that Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-M) fighters were camping in the area. Around 100 CPI-M members were at the camp when the fighting broke out. At least 26 CPI-M fighters were killed in the clash, while four police officers were injured and taken to a hospital in Nagpur. Authorities recovered around 100 bags and at least 29 weapons following the clash. Police officials later confirmed that Milind Teltumbde, a member of the CPI-M's Central Committee and the leader of its Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh (MMC) zone, had been killed in the clash, reported CNN. Two other key members of the CPI-M's MMC zone were killed, both of whom served on the Gadchiroli divisional committee of the CPI-M. A member of the CPI-M's Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee escaped despite the death of two of his bodyguards, reported the Times of India.
United Arab Emirates—ST Engineering Wins Contract To Design New OPVs St Engineering | 11/16/2021 ST Engineering has announced that its Marine subsidiary has been awarded a subcontract for design work for new offshore patrol vessels for the United Arab Emirates. The subcontract awarded by Abu Dhabi Ship Building (ADSB) covers the basic, detail design and production design of the planned Falaj 3-class offshore patrol vessels, ST Engineering said in a Monday release. The value of the deal was not disclosed. ST Engineering will also provide technical assistance during the construction of the lead ship. The Falaj 3 will be based on Singapore's Fearless-class patrol ships. The 200-foot (60-m) ships will be used for maritime security and search-and-rescue operations. They will feature 100 percent redundancy for critical and major systems and high survivability requirements. The U.A.E. navy plans to acquire four Falaj 3-class OPVs.
Israel—Gantz Heads To Morocco To Sign Defense Cooperation Deals Jerusalem Post | 11/16/2021 Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is headed to Morocco to strengthen defense ties, reports the Jerusalem Post. Gantz is making an official visit to Rabat next week to meet with his Moroccan counterpart, Abdellatif Loudiyi, and sign a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, reported the Times of Israel. Among the deals to be signed is a plan to develop a domestic Moroccan capability to produce loitering munitions. Defense News and Africa Intelligence have reported that Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) subsidiary BlueBird Aerosystems has been in talks with Moroccan teams to start an incubator to manufacture such drones.
Israel—Elbit To Supply SIGMA Howitzers To Asia-Pacific Nation Elbit Systems | 11/16/2021 Elbit Systems says it has received a contract to supply self-propelled howitzers to an unidentified country in the Asia-Pacific. The five-year, US$106 million contract covers an unspecified number of 155-mm SIGMA self-propelled howitzers, the company said in a press release on Monday. The SIGMA features a 155-mm/52-caliber gun with an automatic loading and laying system enabling rapid in- and out-of-action times and a high rate of fire. The crew of three operates the weapon from a protected cabin.
Uganda—3 Killed In Series Of Suicide Attacks In Kampala Daily Monitor | 11/16/2021 At least three people have been killed in a series of suicide bombings in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, reports the Daily Monitor (Kampala). The first attack on Tuesday targeted the central police station. The bomber detonated explosives in a backpack at a checkpoint, killing himself and two others. At least 17 people were injured. Two other bombers on motorbikes set off their bombs on Parliamentary Avenue, killing one civilian, police officials said. There was a fourth bomber, who was arrested in Bwaise, a suburb of Kampala, after a pursuit. Police said the bombings, which took place about three minutes apart, were conducted by the Allied Democratic Forces terrorist group. The three bombers and three civilians were killed and 33 injured in the attacks, the police said. CNN reported that three police officers were killed. Parliament was suspended following the attacks, reported the Uganda Mirror (Kampala).
Burkina Faso—32 Killed In Attack On Gendarmes In North Xinhua | 11/16/2021 Unknown militants have struck a gendarmes outpost in northern Burkina Faso, reports Xinhua, China's state-run news agency. On Sunday, gunmen attacked the Inata gendarmerie outpost in Soum province in the Sahel region, Security Minster Maxim Kone said. The next day, the death toll was raised to 32, including 28 security personnel and four civilians, making it the deadliest suffered by Burkinabe security forces since the insurgency took off in 2017, reported Reuters. Burkinabe troops are regularly targeted by militants linked to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State, analysts noted.
Ecuador—Military Chief, Head Of Prison Agency Resign After Deadly Riot Agence France-Presse | 11/16/2021 The heads of Ecuador's prison system and armed forces have resigned in the wake of a deadly riot at a jail in Guayaquil, reports Agence France-Presse. On Monday, President Guillermo Lasso accepted the resignations of military chief Vice Adm. Jorge Cabrera and prisons chief Bolivar Garzon. They tendered their resignations after 68 people were killed in two days of violence at the Litoral Penitentiary. Gen. Orlando Fuel has been named the new army chief, while the former head of the Center for Strategic Intelligence (CIES) Marlo Brito has been named the head of SNAI, Ecuador's prison agency. Lasso also announced plans to pacify prisons with the assistance of the military, reported Reuters. Violence at Ecuadorian prisons has been attributed to drug gangs fighting over trafficking routes.
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