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Good Friday Morning February 11
I hope that you all have a great weekend
The List turns 22 today.
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
February 11
1862—Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles directs the formation of an organization to evaluate new inventions and technical development that eventually leads to the National Academy of Science.
1943—USS Fletcher (DD 445) and Scouting Observation Plane (VCS 9) from light cruiser Helena (CL 50) sink Japanese submarine I-18 in the Coral Sea.
1944—USS Gudgeon (SS 211) sinks Japanese freighter Satsuma Maru that was previously damaged by Chinese B-25s off Wenchow, China.
1945—The Yalta Conference ends after an 8-day session where President Franklin D. Roosevelt, along with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet Premier Josef Stalin, discuss Europe's post-war reorganization and the reestablishment of a war-torn Europe, and for the Soviets to enter the war against Japan upon Germany's defeat.
1957—USS William C. Lawe (DD 763) rescues all hands from the sinking Italian merchant vessel, Giacomo H. Atlieri, off Cape Bonifati, Italy.
This day in History
February 11
660 BC Traditional founding of Japan by Emperor Jimmu Tenno.
1531 Henry VIII is recognized as the supreme head of the Church of England.
1805 Sixteen-year-old Sacajawea, the Shoshoni guide for Lewis & Clark, gives birth to a son, with Meriwether Lewis serving as midwife.
1809 Robert Fulton patents the steamboat.
1815 News of the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, finally reaches the United States.
1858 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous, a French miller's daughter, claims to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary at Lourdes.
1903 Congress passes the Expedition Act, giving antitrust cases priority in the courts.
1904 President Theodore Roosevelt proclaims strict neutrality for the United States in the Russo-Japanese War.
1910 Theodore Roosevelt Jr. and Eleanor Alexander announce their wedding date--June 20, 1910.
1926 The Mexican government nationalizes all church property.
1936 The Reich arrests 150 Catholic youth leaders in Berlin.
1939 The Negrin government returns to Madrid, Spain.
1942 The German battleships Gneisenau, Scharnhorst and Prinz Eugen begin their famed channel dash from the French port of Brest. Their journey takes them through the English Channel on their way back to Germany.
1945 The meeting of President Franklin Roosevelt, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Marshal Joseph Stalin in Yalta, adjourns.
1951 U.N. forces push north across the 38th parallel for the second time in the Korean War.
1953 Walt Disney's film Peter Pan premieres.
1954 A 75,000-watt light bulb is lit at the Rockefeller Center in New York, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Thomas Edison's first light bulb.
1955 Nationalist Chinese complete the evacuation of the Tachen Islands.
1959 Iran turns down Soviet aid in favor of a U.S. proposal for aid.
1962 Poet and novelist Sylvia Plath commits suicide in London at age 30.
1964 Cambodian Prince Sihanouk blames the United States for a South Vietnamese air raid on a village in his country.
1965 President Lyndon Johnson orders air strikes against targets in North Vietnam, in retaliation for guerrilla attacks on the American military in South Vietnam.
1966 Vice President Hubert Humphrey begins a tour of Vietnam.
1974 Communist-led rebels shower artillery fire into a crowded area of Phnom Pehn, killing 139 and injuring 46 others.
1975 Mrs. Margaret Thatcher becomes the first woman to lead the British Conservative Party.
1990 South African political leader Nelson Mandela is released from prison in Paarl, South Africa, after serving more than 27 years of a life sentence.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
… For The List for Friday, 11 February 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER) 1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 11 February 1967… A wilted and dying Sunflower…
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 Wigs
Beautiful! Enjoyn.
Some Of The Best Shots You'll Ever See
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Thanks to Brett This is a very good read
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: The Phases of War
Thoughts in and around geopolitics.
By: George Friedman
February 11, 2022
As we consider the American claim that Russia intends to attack Ukraine – which the Kremlin denies – it is useful to consider in skeletal form the phases of warfare in order to understand not only the sequence but also the difficulty and risks of war.
There are four phases in attacking and occupying a country:
Phase 1: Intelligence. Understand who you are fighting, his intentions and capabilities, and what war is meant to achieve.
Phase 2: War. Initiate movement and firepower intended to break the enemy's will and ability to resist.
Phase 3: Occupation. Occupy the country, or that portion that is necessary to achieve the political end desired.
Phase 4: Pacification. Pacify the occupied terrain and break the will of the people to resist.
This is an orderly summary of what is likely the most disorderly thing humans experience. Each stage is more complex and disorderly than might seem possible, and the number of stages can boggle the mind. Nonetheless, simplifying and ordering the chaos of war will help us pose the proper questions and perhaps glimpse the answers.
Intelligence is the first phase, and it precedes the decision to fight. Understanding the intentions of a potential enemy tells you whether what he intends is compatible with your interests. Understanding his capabilities tells you whether you should take the enormous risk of going to war. Intentions and capabilities are things that all countries seek to understand about even the least likely adversary. They tell you who you have to fight and who might fight with you. Intelligence can also guide you on who the enemy might be. When Japan invaded China, it did not anticipate that in due course it might be facing the United States. If there is a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has a fairly clear idea of who it might be fighting if it intervenes. (China is unlikely to have the capability to project decisive force during the timeframe of any U.S.-Russian conflict.) Russia does not know the order of battle facing it, although it might be clear on what kind of force a potential adversary could bring to bear. The political uncertainty creates military uncertainty.
The second phase is the initiation and prosecution of war. The aggressor decides for the defender. When Germany, allied with the Soviet Union, invaded Poland, Berlin's intelligence did not tell it about the array of nations and long-run capabilities it would be facing. A decision to go to war is meant to anticipate the shape of the war in the end. Political intelligence is far more difficult to gather than military intelligence. The engines of war can be hidden only imperfectly. The intentions of countries are difficult to fathom, as even those countries are unaware of what they might do. Nevertheless, it is essential to evaluate what they will do when confronted with the war you are launching, either now or in the long run. You must know this in order to know the order of battle you will have to defeat. Hitler understood his potential enemies. He did not appreciate the order of battle the United States would bring to bear or the resilience of the Soviet defense. Whatever Russia's objective in Ukraine, its uncertainty about who its enemy might be is a deterrent. This is true unless Russian intelligence has deeply penetrated American decision-making.
The third phase is the occupation of the territory or country targeted. Occupation is an end. The means to this end must be the destruction of the enemy's military, physically or as a matter of morale. France had the material ability to continue resisting Nazi Germany but lacked the morale. The occupation of a country is a difficult and time-consuming process even when there is no resistance. There is first the sheer physical size of the country and the caution that must accompany imperfect intelligence about the enemy force. Then there is the matter of logistics. Soldiers must eat, and in modern warfare, gasoline must be delivered to vehicles, along with ammunition to replace what was consumed. In an armored assault, such as would be the case in Ukraine, armored vehicles, even when well maintained, have a tendency to break down. When 50 tons of moving parts encounter the road, parts may fail. And we should not underestimate the anti-tank weapons given to Ukraine. Any assault would have to be methodical and aware of possible threats, and the logistic movement itself is more vulnerable than the main thrust and just as essential. If the occupation faces resistance, movement will be slowed dramatically. If not, concern about the possibility of resistance will slow the movement. This has political ramifications, as a rapid defeat of a force precludes reinforcement by foreign powers – they would have to invade anew. An extended process of occupation increases the likelihood of foreign powers feeling pressure to intervene on behalf of the defenders – or at least the offensive force has to consider the possibility.
The fourth phase may be the most time-consuming and politically vexing. Some occupied populations accept defeat. Others do not. The best example of the military effectiveness of post-occupation resistance is Russia itself, where military and civilian forces continued resisting behind the advancing Germans, forcing the Germans to divert forces to pacification, which further alienated the population and increased resistance behind the front line. Britain in India faced this problem in the 19th century. Pacification is a political issue pivoting on the population's loyalty to its government and the hostility of the occupiers. From the occupiers' point of view, pacification is a double-edged sword, both limiting resistance and encouraging it through its brutal nature. It is, of course, not clear how loyal the Ukrainian people are to the government or the principle of an independent Ukraine, nor is it clear how much they dislike the Russians and how much a Russian pacification might encourage resistance.
In the case of Russia and Ukraine, the Russians cannot be certain whether the U.S. would become involved or what weapons they would use. In modern warfare it is not necessary to come within a kilometer of a tank to destroy it. Long-range missiles can attack the force and, more profitably, the logistical system that supports that force. A U.S. intervention would be the most dangerous for Russia, and Moscow can't trust whatever Washington says, particularly if Ukrainian resistance is stiff, casualties are high and the U.S. finds itself under pressure to intervene. It is a case where the Americans themselves don't know what they will do. In that case, what the Russians intended to be a short war could drag out, with the likelihood of successful pacification uncertain.
Military operations require the minimization of uncertainty. It is, however, in the nature of war that uncertainties multiply. The U.S. dismissed the idea of a German counteroffensive late in World War II. The Battle of the Bulge resulted. The U.S. expected North Vietnam to abandon its desire to unite Vietnam. It miscalculated. And Stalin did not expect a German invasion in 1941.
Intelligence frequently fails. Military operations suffer failures of command, communication and morale. The resistance to the invader unexpectedly surges. Allies of the defender emerge as a surprise, with military and non-military attacks. Superb sources of information from the enemy's capital turn out to be working for the enemy. To go to war, there must be an overriding interest for which no other solution or mitigation is possible.
When we use the stages of war as a skeleton on which to drape the various phases, war becomes an unattractive idea. For the Russians, who have not conducted an extended multidivisional war in nearly 75 years, the option might seem attractive. Time hides truths. But in the case of Russia, the truth of war will take centuries to forget. The Russians remember World War II in their bones. They also remember how many things Hitler miscalculated, from Russian resistance to the nations that supported Russia. And in remembering that war, considering the model I tinkered with here and the vast unknowns, the Russians, I don't think, will initiate another. It would make little sense.
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This Day in U S Military History
February 11
1815 – News of the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812, finally reached the United States.
1854 – Commodore Matthew Perry pulled into Edo Bay, Japan, 12 months early with 9 warships to begin talks for a treaty.
1942 – German battleships Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, as well as the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, escape from the French port of Brest and make a mad dash up the English Channel to safety in German waters. The Gneisenau and Scharnhorst had been anchored at Brest since March 1941. The Prinz Eugen had been tied to the French port since the Bismarck sortie in May 1941, when it and the battleship Bismarck made their own mad dash through the Atlantic and the Denmark Strait to elude Royal Navy gunfire. All three were subject to periodic bombing raids–and damage–by the British, as the Brits attempted to ensure that the German warships never left the French coast. But despite the careful watch of British subs and aircraft, German Vice Admiral Otto Ciliax launched Operation Cerberus to lead the ships out of the French port. The Germans, who had controlled and occupied France since June 1940, drew British fire deliberately, and the Gneisenau, Scharnhorst, and Prinz Eugen used the resulting skirmish as a defensive smoke screen. Six German destroyers and 21 torpedo boats accompanied the ships for protection as they moved north late on the night of February 11. In the morning, German planes provided air cover as well; ace pilot Adolf Galland led 250 other fighters in an unusually well coordinated joint effort of the German navy and Luftwaffe. The British Royal Air Force also coordinated its attack with the Royal Navy Swordfish squadron, but a late start–the RAF did not realize until the afternoon of February 12 that the German squadron had pushed out to sea–and bad weather hindered their effort. All three German warships made it to a German port on February 13, although the Gneisenau and Scharnhorst had been damaged by British mines along the way. The British lost 40 aircraft and six Navy Swordfish in the confrontation, while the Germans lost a torpedo boat and 17 aircraft. The "Channel Dash," as it came to be called, was extremely embarrassing to the British, as it happened right under their noses. They would get revenge of a sort, though: British warships sunk the Scharnhorst in December 1944 as the German ship attempted to attack a Russian convoy. The Gneisenau was destroyed in a bombing raid while still in port undergoing repairs, and the Prinz Eugen survived the war, but was taken over by the U.S. Navy at war's end.
1951 – General MacArthur informed the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "It is evident that the enemy has lost his chance for achieving a decisive military decision in Korea." This statement came on the eve of the Chinese fourth phase offensive.
1951 – The Chinese fourth-phase offensive was launched against X Corps in central Korea along the Hoengsong-Wonju axis. The U.S. 2nd and 7th Infantry Divisions and the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team suffered 2,018 casualties during the Battle of Hoengsong. The largest single loss of U.S. soldiers happened when 530 men of the 15th and 503rd Field Artillery Battalions were completely overrun.
1965 – Pres. Lyndon Johnson ordered air strikes against targets in North Vietnam, in retaliation for guerrilla attacks on the American military in South Vietnam. The American "Rolling Thunder" bombing campaign intensified.
1979 – Followers of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini seized power in Iran, nine days after the religious leader returned to his home country following 15 years of exile. Premier Bakhtiar resigned.
1994 – The space shuttle "Discovery" returned from an eight-day mission.
1995 – The space shuttle Discovery landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla., ending a historic rendezvous mission with Russia's Mir space station.
1997 – Space shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.
1999 – US jets struck 7 Iraqi air defense sites.
2000 – The space shuttle Endeavour lifted into orbit with a crew of six under commander Kevin Kregel and a mission to map the Earth.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
TOBAN, JAMES W.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 9th Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Aiken, S.C., 11 February 1865. Entered service at: Northfield, Mich. Born: 1844, Northfield, Mich. Date of issue: 9 July 1896. Citation: Voluntarily and at great personal risk returned, in the face of the advance of the enemy, and rescued from impending death or capture, Maj. William C. Stevens, 9th Michigan Cavalry, who had been thrown from his horse.
ATKINS, DANIEL
Rank and organization: Ship's Cook, First Class, U.S. Navy. Born: 1867, Brunswick, Va. Accredited to: Virginia. G.O. No.: 489, 20 May 1898. Citation: On board the U.S.S. Cushing, 11 February 1898. Showing gallant conduct, Atkins attempted to save the life of the late Ens. Joseph C. Breckenridge, U.S. Navy, who fell overboard at sea from that vessel on this date.
EVERETTS, JOHN
Rank and organization: Gunner's Mate, Third Class, U.S. Born: 25 August 1873, Therold, Canada. Accredited to: New G.O. No.: 489, 20 May 1898. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Cushing, 11 February 1898, Everetts displayed gallant conduct in attempting to save the life of the late Ens. Joseph C. Breckinridge, U.S. Navy, who fell overboard at sea from that vessel.
SMITH, ALBERT JOSEPH
Rank and organization: Private, U.S. Marine Corps. Place and date: Marine Barracks, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla., 11 February 1921. Entered service at: Michigan. Born: 31 July 1898, Calumet, Mich. G.O. No.: 72, 29 September 1921. Citation: At about 7:30 a.m. on the morning of 11 February 1921, Pvt. Smith, while on duty as a sentry, rescued Plen M. Phelps, late machinist's mate second class, U.S. Navy, from a burning seaplane which had fallen near his post, gate No. 1, Marine Barracks, Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla. Despite the explosion of the gravity gasoline tank, with total disregard of personal safety, he pushed himself to a position where he could reach Phelps, who was pinned beneath the burning wreckage, and rescued him from the burning plane, in the performance of which he sustained painful burns about the head, neck and both hands.
DAHLGREN, EDWARD C.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant (then Sergeant), U.S. Army, Company E, 142d Infantry, 36th Infantry Division. Place and date: Oberhoffen, France, 11 February 1945. Entered service at: Portland, Maine. Birth: Perham, Maine. G.O. No.: 77, 10 September 1945. Citation: He led the 3d Platoon to the rescue of a similar unit which had been surrounded in an enemy counterattack at Oberhoffen, France. As he advanced along a street, he observed several Germans crossing a field about 100 yards away. Running into a barn, he took up a position in a window and swept the hostile troops with submachine gun fire, killing 6, wounding others, and completely disorganizing the group. His platoon then moved forward through intermittent sniper fire and made contact with the besieged Americans. When the 2 platoons had been reorganized, Sgt. Dahlgren continued to advance along the street until he drew fire from an enemy-held house. In the face of machine pistol and rifle fire, he ran toward the building, hurled a grenade through the door, and blasted his way inside with his gun. This aggressive attack so rattled the Germans that all 8 men who held the strongpoint immediately surrendered. As Sgt. Dahlgren started toward the next house, hostile machinegun fire drove him to cover. He secured rifle grenades, stepped to an exposed position, and calmly launched his missiles from a difficult angle until he had destroyed the machinegun and killed its 2 operators. He moved to the rear of the house and suddenly came under the fire of a machinegun emplaced in a barn. Throwing a grenade into the structure, he rushed the position, firing his weapon as he ran; within, he overwhelmed 5 Germans. After reorganizing his unit he advanced to clear hostile riflemen from the building where he had destroyed the machinegun. He entered the house by a window and trapped the Germans in the cellar, where he tossed grenades into their midst, wounding several and forcing 10 more to surrender. While reconnoitering another street with a comrade, he heard German voices in a house. An attack with rifle grenades drove the hostile troops to the cellar. Sgt. Dahlgren entered the building, kicked open the cellar door, and, firing several bursts down the stairway, called for the trapped enemy to surrender. Sixteen soldiers filed out with their hands in the air. The bold leadership and magnificent courage displayed by Sgt. Dahlgren in his heroic attacks were in a large measure responsible for repulsing an enemy counterattack and saving an American platoon from great danger.
*BENNETT, THOMAS W.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, 2d Platoon, Company B, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry. Place and date: Chu Pa Region, Pleiku Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9-11 February 1969. Entered service at: Fairmont, W. Va. Born: 7 April 1947, Morgantown, W. Va. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Cpl. Bennett distinguished himself while serving as a platoon medical aidman with the 2d Platoon, Company B, during a reconnaissance-in-force mission. On 9 February the platoon was moving to assist the 1st Platoon of Company D which had run into a North Vietnamese ambush when it became heavily engaged by the intense small arms, automatic weapons, mortar and rocket fire from a well fortified and numerically superior enemy unit. In the initial barrage of fire, 3 of the point members of the platoon fell wounded. Cpl. Bennett, with complete disregard for his safety, ran through the heavy fire to his fallen comrades, administered life-saving first aid under fire and then made repeated trips carrying the wounded men to positions of relative safety from which they would be medically evacuated from the battle position. Cpl. Bennett repeatedly braved the intense enemy fire moving across open areas to give aid and comfort to his wounded comrades. He valiantly exposed himself to the heavy fire in order to retrieve the bodies of several fallen personnel. Throughout the night and following day, Cpl. Bennett moved from position to position treating and comforting the several personnel who had suffered shrapnel and gunshot wounds. On 11 February, Company B again moved in an assault on the well fortified enemy positions and became heavily engaged with the numerically superior enemy force. Five members of the company fell wounded in the initial assault. Cpl. Bennett ran to their aid without regard to the heavy fire. He treated 1 wounded comrade and began running toward another seriously wounded man. Although the wounded man was located forward of the company position covered by heavy enemy grazing fire and Cpl. Bennett was warned that it was impossible to reach the position, he leaped forward with complete disregard for his safety to save his comrade's life. In attempting to save his fellow soldier, he was mortally wounded. Cpl. Bennett's undaunted concern for his comrades at the cost of his life above and beyond the call of duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 11, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
11 February
1913: Representative James Hay of West Virginia introduced the first bill for a separate aviation corps (H.R. 28728) in Congress, but it failed to pass. (24)
1936: Iona Coppedge and Josephine Garrigus flew their Aeronca monoplane at Dayton, Ohio, to a women's altitude record of 15,252 feet for multiseat planes weighing less than 617.288 pounds empty. (24)
1944: Eighth Air Force conducted a radar bombing attack on important German chemical plants. (4)
1945: The Consolidated Vultee XP-81 first flew. (5)
1959: A weather balloon launched at the Army Signal Research and Development Laboratory, Fort Monmouth, N.J., set a world altitude record by reaching 146,000 feet. (24)
1962: The 1405th Air Base Wing at Scott AFB, Ill., acquired the first T-39 (later designated the CT-39) Sabreliner for the Military Air Transport Service. (18)
1964: B-26s WITHDRAWN FROM SOUTHEAST ASIA. After a wing failed in combat, all B-26s in South Vietnam were grounded. Then when other B-26s suffered structural wing failures the USAF withdrew the aircraft from combat. On 1 April, the last B-26 flew to Clark AB, Philippines. (17)
1965: The US for the first time stopped and restarted a Titan III-A in space to place the vehicle in three different orbits. This rocket also marked the 1,000th man-made object in space recorded by the North American Aerospace Defense Command. (5)
1966: Project FAST FLY. To complete an accelerated B-47 phaseout program, the Strategic Air Command retired its last two B-47E bombers (Tail Nos. 53-2286 and 53-6235). They were stationed at Pease AFB, N.H., and Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, respectively. (1)
1974: The Titan IIIE/Centaur suffered a partial failure in its first flight test at Cape Canaveral when the Centaur engine malfunctioned. NASA still planned to use the vehicle for the Viking Mars Lander in 1975 and the US-German Helios program. (5)
1975: During the B-1's third test flight at Edwards, the aircrew first used the new automated flight test data system. (3)
1977: Jimmy Carter became the first President to fly in the E-4A National Emergency Airborne Command Post in a flight from Andrews AFB, Md., to Robins AFB, Ga. (1)
1985: The T-46A "Next Generation Trainer" had its official rollout ceremony. (16)
1998: A B-1B dropped its first Joint Direct Attack Munition, a satellite guided conventional bomb, at China Lake, Calif. (21) The first C-32A, a modified Boeing 757-200, flew its maiden flight from the Renton Municipal Airport in Renton, Wash. The Air Force purchased 4 C-32As to replace the 89 AW's C-137 fleet, which had flown the Vice President, cabinet members, and congressional delegations around the world since the 1950s. (22)
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World News for 11 February thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Biden Rejects Criticism Of Afghanistan Withdrawal Washington Post | 02/11/2022 President Biden has rejected the findings of an Army report critical of the administration's handling of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, reports the Washington Post. In the report, obtained under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), senior military commanders said that senior White House and State Dept. officials failed to grasp the speed of the Taliban's rise and the need to rapidly prepare a plan to evacuate Americans and Afghans who worked with the coalition. For example, commanders told investigators that the decision to delay the evacuation of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul put soldiers and Marines needlessly in danger. Officials also disagreed over how to handle the evacuation of Americans and Afghans deemed to be at risk. The report includes details of previously unreported incidents, including a shooting outside Hamid Karzai International Airport that killed two Taliban fighters. On Thursday, Biden told NBC News that it was untrue that officials had ignored warning signs or were in denial of the rapid Taliban offensive. A White House official noted that the Biden administration took office in January 2021 with an agreement with the Taliban to withdraw all American troops by May 2021, but no plan to do so.
USA—Army Kicks Off Next Phase Of JLTV Program Breaking Defense | 02/11/2022 The Army has unveiled its solicitation for a competition to build the next batch of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, reports Breaking Defense. On Wednesday, the service issued the request for proposals (RFP) for a single-award contract to build 15,425 JLTVs and 7,644 trailers, program officials said. The contract, estimated to be worth up to $7.3 billion, includes a five-year base period and five one-year options. The Army always planned to open a second phase of the JLTV program to new contractors. The service purchased the technical data package for the vehicles and has shared it with potential bidders. Oshkosh Defense developed the production JLTV and has built more than 15,000 vehicles under the current contract.
USA—6 Raider Bombers In Production, Rollout Anticipated Later This Year Air Force Magazine | 02/11/2022 Air Force officials say that its next-generation bomber is in production with new milestones anticipated this year, reports Air Force magazine. On Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost, the director of strategic plans, programs and requirements at the Air Force Global Strike Command, said that six B-21 Raiders were in production and would likely be formally rolled out later this year during the Nuclear Deterrence Summit in Washington, D.C. The bomber is expected to make its first flight shortly after the rollout, Armagost said. The rapid development of the aircraft has been made possible by the latest digital technology, including models-based systems engineering and open mission systems architecture. For example, the software for the fuel-control system has been finished ahead of the completion of the aircraft through models-based systems engineering, the general said.
USA—High Portion Of Applicants To White Supremacist Group Linked To Military Guardian | 02/11/2022 Documents show that one prominent white supremacist group has been successfully recruiting former and current military personnel, reports the Guardian (U.K.). The documents obtained by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and alternative media collective Unicorn Riot from the white supremacist and neo-fascist group Patriot Front showed that 18 out of 87 applicants said they were current or former military servicemembers. One applicant claiming to be a former Marine also said that they worked for the Dept. of Homeland Security. Others said that they had been exposed to or shifted to extremist ideologies during their time in the military. Such applicants touted skills gained from military service, including land navigation, medical and firearms training. The Patriot Front is a rebranding of the neo-Nazi group Vanguard America following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va. It is considered one of the most prominent white supremacist groups in the country by the SPLC. The documents also showed that the Patriot Front is actively recruiting minors.
Canada—Boeing To Offer Poseidon For Maritime Patrol Requirement Boeing | 02/11/2022 Boeing says it has will offer its P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) for a Canadian air force requirement. The defense firm said it would propose the Poseidon in response to a request for information for the Canadian Multimission Aircraft project, which seeks to replace the air force's aging CP-140 Aurora patrol aircraft and enhance its anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. The CP-140 is the Canadian variant of the P-3 Orion that was replaced by the P-8 in U.S. Navy service. The Poseidon offers anti-submarine warfare; intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance; humanitarian and disaster relief; and search-and-rescue capabilities for Canada as well as interoperable systems to link with Canada's other ASW and ISR assets, Boeing said. The proposal comes as the U.S. Navy wraps up its orders for the aircraft, noted Breaking Defense. A final nine Poseidons were to be ordered in fiscal 2021.
United Kingdom—Johnson Pledges More Support For NATO Allies Guardian | 02/11/2022 British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says that he has agreed with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to provide additional military support to allies in Eastern Europe, reports the Guardian (U.K.). During a visit to NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday, Johnson said the U.K. would double its contingent in Estonia, where 900 troops are deployed as the lead nation of the NATO battlegroup there. In addition, more support would be provided for air-policing missions in Romania and the number of Eurofighter Typhoons based in Cyprus would be increased. The Royal Navy would also send a Daring-class destroyer and the offshore patrol ship Trent to the eastern Mediterranean, the prime minister said. The U.K. sent 100 engineers to Poland in December to help Warsaw secure its eastern border amid a migrant crisis created by Belarus and announced earlier this week that 350 Royal Marines would be deployed to Poland in response to a large-scale Russian-Belarusian exercise in Belarus. On Thursday, an additional 1,000 troops were placed on standby to deploy to Eastern Europe to help manage a refugee crisis that could be triggered by an invasion of Ukraine. Stoltenberg said that discussions were continuing about increasing NATO's military presence on its eastern flank, including the potential establishment of a battlegroup in Romania.
Denmark—New Bilateral Defense Agreement With U.S. In The Works Agence France-Presse | 02/11/2022 Denmark has responded positively to a U.S. request for a new bilateral defense agreement, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said that the U.S. had reached out with a new bilateral defense cooperation proposal. The details of the pact are still to be negotiated, but it could see American troops, materiel and equipment stationed in Denmark, the prime minister said. She emphasized that the agreement was not related to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Talks on the accord would focus on increasing U.S. access to Europe, said Defense Minister Morten Bodskov. It would enable additional partnerships and more activities at training sites in Denmark, he said. Bodskov said that there were no plans for an arrangement that would introduce nuclear weapons in Denmark or establish a new military base. Negotiations on the agreement would begin in the coming months, according to the Danish Defense Ministry.
Russia—Military Continues Buildup Near Ukraine Cable News Network | 02/11/2022 Russia continues to deploy forces around Ukraine, reports CNN. The latest satellite photos of Russian-occupied Crimea acquired by Maxar on Thursday showed more than 550 troop tents and hundreds of vehicles at the formerly unused Oktyabrskoye airfield. Other sites in Crimea have also seen the arrival of new forces, including Novoozernoye, where there have been significant artillery deployments and training exercises. In Slavne in northwestern Crimea, a new deployment of Russian troops was identified by Maxar. At the same time, several Russian warships, including large amphibious vessels, arrived in Sevastopol. Those ships are expected to take part in large-scale drills that would block off significant parts of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. Meanwhile, a joint exercise between Belarus and Russia kicked off on Thursday in Belarus. The Maxar images showed new deployments of Russian troops in Belarus, including military vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital at Zyabrovka airfield, near Gomel, about 15 miles (25 km) from the Ukrainian border. Several battlegroups remain deployed at Rechitsa, less than 30 miles (45 km) from the border. Video posted on social media also suggest that Russian troops have increased their presence in the Russian cities of Kursk, Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk near the Ukrainian border.
Russia—Police Arrest N. Korean Cyberwarfare Officer Who Attempted To Defect Voice Of America News | 02/11/2022 Russian authorities arrested a North Korean cyberwarfare officer who was seeking to defect and turned him over to Pyongyang, reports the Voice of America News. Maj. Choe Kum Chol has been held by the North Korean consulate general in Vladivostok since his arrest in September. Russian police are known for arresting attempted defectors at the behest of Pyongyang. Choe was stationed in Vladivostok when he left his post in July to seek asylum from the Moscow office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Russian police arrested him in Razdolnoe, about an hour away, on Sept. 20, where he had been in hiding Officials at the Russian Foreign Ministry and Moscow office of the UNHCR declined to comment. Choe worked in an elite cyberwarfare military unit after graduating from prestigious schools in Pyongyang. He specialized in computer encryption and was assigned to a unit focused on espionage as part of the Enemy Collapse Sabotage Bureau, as well as obtaining badly needed foreign currency for the North Korean regime. Sources told the VOA that Choe wanted to defect after seeing nothing would change in North Korea and deciding that he wanted to live in the free world.
China—Eastern, Southern, Northern Theater Commands Hold Drills South China Morning Post | 02/11/2022 China conducted three separate naval drills in the East, South and Yellow seas this week, reports the South China Morning Post. On Wednesday, three destroyers from the Eastern Theater Command, including the Luyang III-class destroyer Xiamen, conducted air defense, maneuverability and live-fire training in the East China Sea, reported the state-run CCTV. Separately, the Southern Theater Command's Weishanhu supply ship and hospital ship Youai took part in search-and-rescue, resupply and live-fire drills in the South China Sea. Also on Wednesday, the Northern Theater Command held a major search-and-rescue exercise in the Yellow Sea, including a search-and-rescue operation involving a burning ship. The training came days after the U.S. and Japan completed their large-scale Noble Fusion drills east of Taiwan involving the Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group.
South Korea—U.S. Agrees On Language For Proposed End-Of-War Declaration Yonhap | 02/11/2022 President Moon Jae In says that South Korea and the U.S. have agreed on the wording of a potential declaration to formally end the Korean War, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). During an interview with the news agency, the outgoing president said that the U.S. and South Korea had agreed on the language for a proposed declaration to end the Korean War, which would be presented to North Korea. Moon said that it would be "too physically demanding" for an accord to be reached with the North on formally ending the war before his term ends in May. The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, technically leaving the major combatants in a state of war. The proposal to formally end the Korean War is supported by China, Moon said. Formally ending the conflict would promote mutual trust and support progress toward denuclearization and the institutionalization of peace on the Korean Peninsula, the president said.
South Korea—Defense Ministry Seeks To Elevate Missile Command Yonhap | 02/11/2022 The South Korean Defense Ministry wants to expand the army's missile command in response to growing threats from North Korea, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Thursday, the South Korean Defense Ministry announced a push for legislation to rename the Army Missile Command to the Army Missile Strategic Command. As part of the proposed reorganization, the command's headquarters and subordinate units would be expanded and it would be led by a lieutenant general instead of a major general. Officials said that the move is in response to public demand to bolster strategic deterrence capabilities to respond to a variety of threats, including North Korean missiles.
Indonesia—2 Subs To Be Built Under MoU With Naval Group Antara News Agency | 02/11/2022 Indonesian state-owned shipbuilder PT PAL and French shipbuilder Naval Group have signed a memorandum of understanding that will support the construction of two submarines in Indonesia, reports Antara, Indonesia's national news agency. The agreement was signed on Thursday in Jakarta. It was one of several other MoUs signed on French equipment or assistance in area such as satellite defense and ammunition production, reported Naval News. The accord covers research and development cooperation on submarines, which would lead to the production of two French Scorpene-class submarines with air-independent propulsion technology and weapons, said Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto. The subs will be built entirely by PT PAL in Indonesia, with assistance from Naval Group.
Indonesia—U.S. Clears F-15 Sale After Rafale Deal Announced U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency | 02/11/2022 The U.S. State Dept. has cleared a potential sale of fighter jets to Indonesia, reports the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency. The potential US$13.9 billion deal covers 36 F-15ID aircraft; 87 F110-GE-129 or F100-PW-229 engines; 45 AN/APG-82(V)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars; 45 AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability Systems (EPAWSS); 48 Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II digital computers; 80 Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS); 92 embedded GPS/inertial navigation system (EGI) security devices; and 40 AN/AAQ-13 LANTIRN navigation pods. The possible sale also includes 40 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper advanced targeting pods (ATP); 156 LAU-128 launchers; 40 20-mm M61A Vulcan gun systems; air combat maneuvering instrumentation (ACMI) (P5 CTS) training pods and support equipment; MS-110 reconnaissance pods; AN/ASG-34 infrared search-and-track international sensors; and related software and support. The F-15ID is essentially the same as the F-15EX jets now entering U.S. Air Force service, noted Flight Global. The proposed sale would improve Indonesia's ability to meet current and future threats across a very complex air and maritime domain, the agency said. The announcement comes a day after Indonesia inked a deal with Dassault for 42 Rafale jets. Jakarta has previously considered acquiring a mixed fleet of Rafales and F-15s. It is not clear if it still plans to buy some of the American jets.
Libya—PM Survives Assassination Attempt Libya Observer | 02/11/2022 Libyan caretaker Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah has escaped an assassination attempt in Tripoli, the capital, reports the Libya Observer. Dbeibah was returning home early Thursday morning when gunmen opened fire on his convoy. The prime minister and his driver were unhurt in the attack. Sources said that a light weapon, possibly a Kalashnikov rifle, was used in the attack. Libya's top prosecutor has opened an investigation reported Reuters. The attack comes amid political turmoil. Dbeibah is resisting efforts by the Parliament in Tobruk in eastern Libya to replace him. Later on Thursday, lawmakers in Tobruk elected former Interior Minister Fathi Bashaga as the new leader of the transitional government, reported the Voice of America News. He appears to have enough support from militias in western Libya to assume the post despite Dbeibah's refusal to step down. Dbeibah has emphasized that he has support from the U.N. and the West and will only relinquish power to an "elected government," reported Al Jazeera (Qatar).
Somalia—Al-Shabaab Steps Up Attacks During Elections Garowe Online | 02/11/2022 There have been a series of deadly militant attacks this week in Somalia as its prolonged election process continues, reports the Garowe Online (Mogadishu). On Thursday, a suicide bomber set off their device at a security checkpoint in the El Gaab junction in Mogadishu, not far from the presidential palace. Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said targeted a bus transporting election delegates in the area, reported Agence France-Presse. Six people were killed and 13 injured in the blast, according to medical officials. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, locals said that Al-Shabaab militants fired five mortar rounds into the town of Barawe in southern Somalia, killing four civilians and injuring several others. The attack came during elections for 13 parliamentary seats in the South West state. Finally, four people were killed and seven injured in an explosion at a restaurant in Bosaso in northeastern Somalia on Wednesday afternoon. Al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the attack.
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