The List 6015 TGB
Good Friday Morning February 25
I hope that you all have a great weekend.
Regards,
Skip
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
February. 25
1861—The sloop of war Saratoga of the U.S. African Squadron captures the slaver sloop Express.
1917—Marines and a naval landing force from USS Connecticut (BB 18), USS Michigan (BB 27), and USS South Carolina (BB 26) move into Guantanamo City, Cuba to protect American citizens during the sugar revolt.
1933—USS Ranger (CV 4), the US Navy's first true aircraft carrier, is launched.
1944— USS Hoe (SS 258) attacks a Japanese convoy at the mouth of Davao Gulf, sinking the fleet tanker Nissho Maru and damaging the fleet tanker Kyokuto Maru, while USS Rasher (SS 269) sinks Japanese army cargo ship Ryusei Maru and freighter Tango Maru off the north coast of Bali.
1991—During Operation Desert Storm, USS Wisconsin (BB 64) and USS Missouri (BB 63) provide naval gunfire support and other operations.
Today in History: February 25.
1570 Pope Pius V issues the bull Regnans in Excelsis which excommunicates Queen Elizabeth of England.
1601 Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex and former favorite of Elizabeth I, is beheaded in the Tower of London for high treason.
1642 Dutch settlers slaughter lower Hudson Valley Indians in New Netherland, North America, who sought refuge from Mohawk attackers.
1779 The British surrender the Illinois country to George Rogers Clark at Vincennes.
1781 American General Nathaniel Greene crosses the Dan River on his way to attack Cornwallis.
1791 President George Washington signs a bill creating the Bank of the United States.
1804 Thomas Jefferson is nominated for president at the Democratic-Republican caucus.
1815 Napoleon leaves his exile on the island of Elba, returning to France.
1831 The Polish army halts the Russian advance into their country at the Battle of Grochow.
1836 Samuel Colt patents the first revolving cylinder multi-shot firearm.
1862 Confederate troops abandon Nashville, Tennessee, in the face of Grant's advance. The ironclad Monitor is commissioned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
1865 General Joseph E. Johnston replaces John Bell Hood as Commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee.
1904 J.M. Synge's play Riders to the Sea opens in Dublin.
1910 The 13th Dalai Lama flees from the Chinese and takes refuge in India.
1913 The 16th Amendment to the constitution is adopted, setting the legal basis for the income tax.
1919 Oregon introduces the first state tax on gasoline at one cent per gallon, to be used for road construction.
1926 Poland demands a permanent seat on the League of Nations council.
1928 Bell Labs introduces a new device to end the fluttering of the television image.
1943 U.S. troops retake the Kasserine Pass in Tunisia, where they had been defeated five days before.
1944 U.S. forces destroy 135 Japanese planes in Marianas and Guam.
1952 French colonial forces evacuate Hoa Binh in Indochina.
1956 Stalin is secretly disavowed by Khrushchev at a party congress for promoting the "cult of the individual."
1976 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that states may ban the hiring of illegal aliens.
1964
Young Muhammad Ali knocks out Sonny Liston for first world title
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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, 25 February 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 25 February 1967… Charter Schools + JROTC… Looks like a winning combination…
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 Boysie ... and Dr. Rich
Some Amazing Puns
1. Dad, are we pyromaniacs? Yes, we arson.
2. What do you call a pig with laryngitis? Disgruntled.
3. Writing my name in cursive is my signature move.
4. Why do bees stay in their hives during winter? Swarm.
5. If you're bad at haggling, you'll end up paying the price.
6. Just so everyone's clear, I'm going to put my glasses on.
7. A commander walks into a bar and orders everyone around.
8. I lost my job as a stage designer. I left without making a scene.
9. Never buy flowers from a monk. Only you can prevent florist friars.
10. How much did the pirate pay to get his ears pierced? A buccaneer.
11. I once worked at a cheap pizza shop to get by. I kneaded the dough.
12. My friends and I have named our band 'Duvet'. It's a cover band.
13. I lost my girlfriend's audiobook, and now I'll never hear the end of it.
14. Why is 'dark' spelled with a k and not c? Because you can't see in the dark.
15. Why is it unwise to share your secrets with a clock? Well, time will tell.
16. When I told my contractor I didn't want carpeted steps, they gave me a blank stare.
17. Bono and The Edge walk into a Dublin bar and the bartender says, "Oh no, not U2 again."
18. Prison is just one word to you, but for some people, it's a whole sentence.
19. Scientists got together to study the effects of alcohol on a person's walk, and the result was staggering.
20. I'm trying to organize a hide and seek tournament, but good players are really hard to find.
21. I got over my addiction to chocolate, marshmallows, and nuts. I won't lie, it was a rocky road.
22. What do you say to comfort a friend who's struggling with grammar? There, their, they're.
23. I went to the toy store and asked the assistant where the Schwarznegger dolls are and he replied, "Aisle B, back."
24. What did the surgeon say to the patient who insisted on closing up their own incision? Suture self.
25. I've started telling everyone about the benefits of eating dried grapes. It's all about raisin awareness.
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: Europe's Muted Response to Ukraine
Some EU members with closer ties to Moscow could try to water down sanctions.
By: Francesco Casarotto
February 25, 2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine will affect every region of the world, but none more so than Europe. The region's proximity to the conflict and its economic relations to Russia tether it to the war. NATO and the European Union had to respond.
Initially, Brussels unanimously condemned Russia's attack and pledged to enforce severe sanctions. These are on top of the sanctions issued Feb. 22, which targeted 27 high-profile individuals and entities, in the lead-up to the invasion. Now that Moscow has invaded, EU officials froze Russian assets in the EU and restricted access of Russian banks to European financial markets. They also pledged to block Russia's access to technologies and markets in aerospace and shipbuilding to raise the cost of waging war.
However, the European Commission cannot impose sanctions without the unanimous support of the heads of states and governments of EU members. There is no timeline for when member states will sign off on the latest sanctions, though the European Council did call on members to adopt them without delay. Given that relations with Russia vary from state to state, there is a risk that some members with closer ties to Moscow, such as Germany and Italy, will try to water down the sanctions.
France is a bit of a wild card. Paris wants to supplant Berlin as the de facto leader of the European Union, and the Ukraine crisis seems a perfect opportunity to show that, unlike Germany, France isn't afraid to stand up to Russia. Of course, it can afford to do so; it is far less dependent on Russia for its energy needs (just 17 percent of France's natural gas consumption comes from Russia). Paris will likely try to find a compromise between the two visions of its EU allies as it tries to prove that it is the country to deal with when dealing with EU affairs.
Importantly, Russia's invasion has breathed new life into NATO. Russia's initial strategy was to split NATO, banking as it was that economic ties would create unbridgeable gaps between members. The strategy has largely failed. Germany, for example, may depend on Russian energy, but it also relies on exports to fuel its economy. Its top buyer is the United States, which it cannot afford to antagonize. Berlin has thus promised to increase the number of German troops on NATO's eastern flank in an effort to reassure allies about its commitment to the alliance.
So far, NATO has made its stance abundantly clear. It will not send troops or other military assets into Ukraine, but it will respond to any attack on one of its members. Alliance members such as the U.K., U.S., Germany, France and Spain have already repositioned NATO military assets to the eastern flank in an effort to deter Russian advancement. NATO will meet on Friday to discuss the conflict further.
The invasion has also reinvigorated the Intermarium, the string of countries near Russia's border that run from the Baltics to Turkey. These countries lie along NATO's eastern flank and are generally more pro-U.S. than pro-Russian. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia all asked NATO to activate Article 4 of the charter, which requires all members to consult one another if any one of them is threatened. Their requests usually fall on deaf ears, but with NATO, the U.S. and EU aligned against Russian aggression, these Intermarium countries are hoping to use the circumstances to their advantage.
One country to keep an eye on is Turkey. It's a member of NATO and a critical player in the Intermarium, but it's in a delicate position. It is historically an enemy of Russia (which probably explains why the Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara asked Turkey to consider closing the Dardanelles and Bosporus straits to Russia despite the fact that it would call the entire Montreux Convention into question). Moreover, its economy is in disrepair and thus it cannot afford to alienate the United States and Europe.
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This Day in U S Military History
1933 – The USS Ranger becomes the US' first aircraft carrier, built to be a carrier. The sixth Ranger (CV 4), the first ship of the Navy to be designed and built from the keel up as an aircraft carrier was laid down 26 September 1931 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newport News, Va.; launched 25 February 1933, sponsored by Mrs. Herbert Hoover; and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard 4 June 1934, Capt. Arthur L. Bristol in command.
1944 – In the climax of the "Big Week" bombing campaign, aircraft of the US 8th Air Force (830 bombers) and the US 15th Air Force (150 bombers), with fighter escorts, conduct a daylight raid of the Messerschmitt works at Regensburg and Augsburg. Losses are reported at 30 and 35 bombers, of the 8th and 15th Air Forces respectively, as well as 8 escort fighters. The Americans claim to shoot down 142 German fighters as well as destroying 1000 German fighters on the assembly lines and 1000 more lost to the disruption of production. During the night, RAF Bomber Command attacks Augsburg in a two waves.
1945 – On Iwo Jima, the advance of US 5th Amphibious Corps continues but there are heavy losses in the area around the second airfield. The US 3rd Marine Division is committed to the battle.
1991 – In the most decisive actions of the Gulf War, VII Corps, moving directly east with three heavy divisions abreast, attacked the elite Iraqi Republican Guard units. Late in the afternoon on the twenty-sixth, the VII Corps hit elements of the Tawakalna Division in the battle of 73 Easting. In quick succession, the 2d ACR, 1st and 3d Armored Divisions, and the 1st Infantry Division smashed through the Tawakalna Division. Overwhelming the enemy with accurate tank fire and assisted by deadly Apache helicopter gunships, the VII Corps hit the Medina Division in the early afternoon of the twenty-seventh. At Medina Ridge, an attempted Iraqi ambush of the 1st Armored Division ended with the destruction of over 300 enemy tanks.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
*CONNOR, PETER S.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2d Battalion, 3d Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Quang Nag Province, Republic of Vietnam, 25 February 1966. Entered service at: South Orange, NJ. Born: 4 September 1932, Orange, N.J. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against enemy Viet Cong forces at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Leading his platoon on a search and destroy operation in an area made particularly hazardous by extensive cave and tunnel complexes, S/Sgt. Connor maneuvered his unit aggressively forward under intermittent enemy small-arms fire. Exhibiting particular alertness and keen observation, he spotted an enemy spider hole emplacement approximately 15 meters to his front. He pulled the pin from a fragmentation grenade intending to charge the hole boldly and drop the missile into its depths. Upon pulling the pin he realized that the firing mechanism was faulty, and that even as he held the safety device firmly in place, the fuse charge was already activated. With only precious seconds to decide, he further realized that he could not cover the distance to the small opening of the spider hole in sufficient time, and that to hurl the deadly bomb in any direction would result in death or injury to some of his comrades tactically deployed near him. Manifesting extraordinary gallantry and with utter disregard for his personal safety, he chose to hold the grenade against his body in order to absorb the terrific explosion and spare his comrades. His act of extreme valor and selflessness in the face of virtually certain death, although leaving him mortally wounded, spared many of his fellow marines from death or injury. His gallant action in giving his life in the cause of freedom reflects the highest credit upon the Marine Corps and the Armed Forces of the United States.
*MORGAN, WILLIAM D.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps. Company H, 2d Battalion, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 25 February 1969. Entered service at: Pittsburgh, Pa. Born: 17 September 1947, Pittsburgh, Pa. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a squad leader with Company H, in operations against the enemy. While participating in Operation DEWEY CANYON southeast of Vandergrift Combat Base, 1 of the squads of Cpl. Morgan's platoon was temporarily pinned down and sustained several casualties while attacking a North Vietnamese Army force occupying a heavily fortified bunker complex. Observing that 2 of the wounded marines had fallen in a position dangerously exposed to the enemy fire and that all attempts to evacuate them were halted by a heavy volume of automatic weapons fire and rocket-propelled grenades. Cpl. Morgan unhesitatingly maneuvered through the dense jungle undergrowth to a road that passed in front of a hostile emplacement which was the principal source of enemy fire. Fully aware of the possible consequences of his valiant action, but thinking only of the welfare of his injured companions, Cpl. Morgan shouted words of encouragement to them as he initiated an aggressive assault against the hostile bunker. While charging across the open road, he was clearly visible to the hostile soldiers who turned their fire in his direction and mortally wounded him, but his diversionary tactic enabled the remainder of his squad to retrieve their casualties and overrun the North Vietnamese Army position. His heroic and determined actions saved the lives of 2 fellow marines and were instrumental in the subsequent defeat of the enemy. Cpl. Morgan's indomitable courage, inspiring initiative and selfless devotion to duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the U.S. Naval Services. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for February 25, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
25 February
1914: Theodore C. Macaulay flew a Curtiss pusher with an OX engine to a new American altitude record of 12,139.8 feet at San Diego. (24)
1944: Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces bombed German aircraft factories in southern Germany. The Fifteenth launched 400 bombers, including 176 to Regensberg, to end "Big Week." (4)
1945: 334 B-29s dropped 1,667 tons of fire bombs and destroyed 15 square miles of Tokyo to begin a campaign of night incendiary raids. (20)
1949: The Caroline Mars, a JRM-2 flying boat, broke the world record for passenger lift by transporting 202 men in California from Alameda to San Diego, and broke it again the same day on the return flight with a load of 218 men. These loads were in addition to a four-man crew. (5)
1954: Convair R3Y seaplane, America's first water-based turbo-prop transport, made its first flight at San Diego. (5)
1955: A SAC B-47 Stratojet flew from March AFB to Hunter AFB, Ga., in 3 hours 19 minutes 35 seconds by averaging 641 MPH. (24)
1959: The free world's longest test track (35,000 feet) dedicated at Holloman AFB. (5) The Goodyear N-4-A Mayflower blimp first flew. (5)
1960: The Army's first test flight of the Pershing I missile proved successful. (24)
1961: Paul F. Bikle, Director of NASA's Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, flew a Schwiezer 1-23-E Sailplane to a world altitude record of 46,267 feet. (24)
1964: The first two Minuteman I (Model B) operational test missiles were fired from Vandenberg successfully. (6)
1965: The DC-9, a 90-passenger, short-haul commercial aircraft capable of landing on 98 percent of the nation's airstrips, made its maiden flight from Long Beach to Edwards AFB. (5)
1966: An F-111A completed a low-level flight from Edwards AFB to the General Dynamics plant in Fort Worth, Tex. It flew 1,045 nautical miles in three hours at 1,000 feet above terrain varying from 500 to 10,000 feet above sea level. This flight evaluated the aircraft's navigational equipment. (3)
1975: Brig Gen Chuck Yeager, the first pilot to exceed the speed of sound, flew his last Air Force sortie in an F-4 at Edwards AFB. (3)
1978: A MAC C-141 Starlifter flew 12 burn specialists from Newark, N. J., to Waverly, Tenn., following the explosion of a railway tank car filled with propane. (26)
1980: Through 28 February, F-15s from Clark AB intercepted two Soviet Bear D and two Bear F bombers after they penetrated the Philippine Air Defense Intercpetor Zone. (16) (26)
1987: Following a massive political protest in the Philippines, President Ferdinand Marcos and his entourage flew into exile. On 25 February, the 31 ARRS used five H-3 Jolly Green Giant helicopters to evacuate President Marcos and 51 other people from the Presidential Palace in Manila to Clark AB. A C-9 Nightingale then flew Marcos and his family to Guam. On 26 February, two C-141s and a C-9 carried Marcos and his entire entourage to Hickam AFB. (16) (18)
1991: DESERT STORM. After Iraqi forces surrounded an Army nine-man special forces team, F-16 Fighting Falcons attacked. Their action allowed Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to make a rescue. (16) (26)
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Thanks to GBox
This is pretty profound. Ron
The celebrated, oft-cited Iwo Jima sermon that was almost never preached
The fight for Iwo Jima in 1945 was one of the bloodiest of World War II. A tiny island in the Pacific dominated by a volcanic mountain and pockmarked with caves, Iwo Jima was the setting for a five-week, non-stop battle between 70,000 American Marines and an unknown number of deeply entrenched Japanese defenders.
The courage and gallantry of the American forces, climaxed by the dramatic raising of the American flag over Mt. Suribachi, is memorialized in the Marine Corps monument in Washington, DC.
Less remembered, however, is that the battle occasioned an eloquent eulogy by a Marine Corps rabbi that has become an American classic.
Rabbi Roland B. Gittelsohn (1910-1995), assigned to the Fifth Marine Division, was the first Jewish chaplain the Marine Corps ever appointed. The American invading force at Iwo Jima included approximately 1,500 Jewish Marines.
Rabbi Gittelsohn was in the thick of the fray, ministering to Marines of all faiths in the combat zone. He shared the fear, horror and despair of the fighting men, each of whom knew that each day might be his last.
Roland Gittelsohn's tireless efforts to comfort the wounded and encourage the fearful won him three service ribbons.
When the fighting was over, Division Chaplain Warren Cuthriell, a Protestant minister, asked Rabbi Gittelsohn to deliver the memorial sermon at a combined religious service dedicating the Marine Cemetery. Cuthriell wanted all the fallen Marines — black and white, Protestant, Catholic and Jewish — honored in a single, nondenominational ceremony. Unfortunately, racial and religious prejudice was strong in the Marine Corps, as it was then throughout America.
According to Rabbi Gittelsohn, the majority of Christian chaplains objected to having a rabbi preach over predominantly Christian graves. The Catholic chaplains, in keeping with church doctrine, opposed any form of joint religious service.
To his credit, Cuthriell refused to alter his plans. Gittelsohn, on the other hand, wanted to save his friend Cuthriell further embarrassment and so decided it was best not to deliver his sermon.
Instead, three separate religious services were held.
At the Jewish service, to a congregation of 70 or so who attended, Rabbi Gittelsohn delivered the powerful eulogy he originally wrote for the combined service:
Here lie men who loved America because their ancestors generations ago helped in her founding, and other men who loved her with equal passion because they themselves or their own fathers escaped from oppression to her blessed shores. Here lie officers and men, Negroes and whites, rich men and poor . . . together. Here are Protestants, Catholics and Jews together. Here no man prefers another because of his faith or despises him because of his color. Here there are no quotas of how many from each group are admitted or allowed. Among these men, there is no discrimination. No prejudices. No hatred. Theirs is the highest and purest democracy . . .
Whosoever of us lifts his hand in hate against a brother, or who thinks himself superior to those who happen to be in the minority, makes of this ceremony and the bloody sacrifice it commemorates, an empty, hollow mockery. To this, then, as our solemn duty, sacred duty do we the living now dedicate ourselves: to the right of Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, of white men and Negroes alike, to enjoy the democracy for which all of them have here paid the price . . .
We here solemnly swear that this shall not be in vain. Out of this and from the suffering and sorrow of those who mourn this will come, we promise, the birth of a new freedom for the sons of men everywhere.
Among Gittelsohn's listeners were three Protestant chaplains so incensed by the prejudice voiced by their colleagues that they boycotted their own service to attend Gittelsohn's.
One of them borrowed the manuscript and, unknown to Gittelsohn, circulated several thousand copies to his regiment. Some Marines enclosed the copies in letters to their families. An avalanche of coverage resulted.
Time magazine published excerpts, which wire services spread even further. The entire sermon was inserted into the Congressional Record, the Army released the eulogy for short-wave broadcast to American troops throughout the world and radio commentator Robert St. John read it on his program and on many succeeding Memorial Days.
In 1995, in his last major public appearance before his death, Gittelsohn re-read a portion of the eulogy at the fiftieth commemoration ceremony at the Iwo Jima statue in Washington, D.C.
In his autobiography, Gittelsohn reflected, "I have often wondered whether anyone would ever have heard of my Iwo Jima sermon had it not been for the bigoted attempt to ban it."
[Michael Feldberg, Ph.D. is executive director of the George Washington Institute for Religious Freedom. From 1991 to 2004, he served as executive director of the American Jewish Historical Society, the nation's oldest ethnic historical organization, and from 2004 to 2008 was its director of research.]
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World News for 25 February thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Biden Outlines Sanctions Against Russia Following Invasion Of Ukraine Cable News Network | 02/25/2022 The U.S. has announced new measures against Russia following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, reports CNN. On Thursday, President Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin the aggressor in a war of choice in a speech from the White House. The president announced new sanctions against Russian entities, including export blocks on technology, which are intended to hobble Russia's military and aerospace sectors. The Treasury has also introduced blocking sanctions on several Russian financial institutions, including Otkritie, Sovcombank and Novikombank, halting transactions with Russian state-owned institutions and tightening restrictions on other major sectors of the Russian economy. These steps have been taken with allies, said U.S. and Western officials, as part of a process that has been ongoing for months. Other steps include measures targeting the children of Russian oligarchs, primarily in the U.K., which has threatened to strengthen restrictions of its own, reported the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. and allied countries are also reinforcing NATO along its eastern front. On Thursday, Biden approved the deployment of 7,000 additional U.S. troops, including an armored brigade combat team, to Germany, reported Politico. Biden emphasized that no U.S. troops would go to Ukraine to fight Russian troops. Meanwhile, President Emmanuel Macron said that France would accelerate plans to deploy troops in Romania, reported Agence France-Presse.
USA—Justice Dept. Shuts Down Controversial China Initiative Politico | 02/25/2022 The Dept. of Justice is ending an initiative launched during the Trump administration focused on countering Chinese espionage, reports Politico (Washington, D.C.). On Wednesday, department officials announced that the China Initiative would be shut down. The initiative, launched by then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions in November 2018, saw the DOJ encourage U.S. attorneys to invest time and resources in developing cases against espionage conducted on behalf of the Chinese government. Many of the cases under the initiative involved charges against professors and researchers in the U.S. who allegedly hid their involvement in Chinese government scientific programs. Although some cases have led to convictions or guilty pleas, others have been reined in or dropped. Grouping the cases under the China Initiative led to the harmful perception that the Justice Dept. was holding itself to a lower standard when choosing to investigate or prosecute conduct by people with racial, ethnic or family ties to China, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security Matthew Olsen. Although the China Initiative is ending, the department is not abandoning strong use of law enforcement to counter national security threats from China, he said. The department will reframe efforts to be more widely focused on threats from China as well as Russia, Iran and other nations, said Olsen.
USA—Treasury Sanctions International Network Funding Houthis In Yemen U.S. Treasury Dept. | 02/25/2022 The U.S. Treasury Dept. has sanctioned an international network used to fund Houthi militants in Yemen. On Wednesday, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated an international trade network led by Houthi financier Sa'id Al Jamal and affiliated with the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The Turkey-based Abdi Nasir Ali Mahamud, Sweden-based Abdo Abdullah Dael Ahmed and U.A.E.-based Greek businessman Konstantinos Stavridis have also been sanctioned. The network uses a complex web of intermediaries to evade sanctions and has transferred "tens of millions of dollars to Yemen" in support of Houthi militant operations, said the department. Treasury previously sanctioned Al Jamal in June 2021.
Canada—Trudeau Revokes Emergency Act After 9 Days Ottawa Citizen | 02/25/2022 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has revoked the Emergency Act nine days after imposing it in response to escalating protests in Ottawa and along the border with the U.S., reports the Ottawa Citizen. Trudeau revoked the application of the act a day after the House of Commons voted to uphold it and hours before it was scheduled to be voted on in the Senate. The situation is no longer an emergency and existing laws were sufficient to keep the public safe, the prime minister said. Ontario Premier Doug Ford indicated that his province would end its state of emergency on Wednesday.
Germany—Government Pledges More Defense Spending Agence France-Presse | 02/25/2022 The German government says it will boost defense spending after military leaders revealed the limited capabilities of the armed forces, reports Agence France-Presse. On Thursday, Finance Minister Christian Lindner said that Germany could no longer neglect funding its armed forces. He made his remarks after German army chief Alfons Mais said on social media that Germany could not significantly contribute to NATO missions, calling the Bundeswehr "more or less bare." Armed forces commissioner Eva Hoegl suggested the growing threat from Russia could force Germany to reorient the Bundeswehr away from foreign missions and toward NATO and territorial defense, areas which it had previously neglected. No details of what such a spending increase might entail were released. NATO members are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss responses to the war in Ukraine.
Czech Republic—Production Begins On 1st Viper Attack Helicopter Bell Textron | 02/25/2022 Bell Textron says it has started production of the first of four attack helicopters ordered by Czechia. Work started on the first AH-1Z Viper ordered by Czechia under the Foreign Military Sales program, Bell Textron said in a press release on Tuesday. Prague is acquiring a mixed fleet of eight UH-1Y utility and four AH-1Z attack helicopters. Production of the first UH-1Y began last year.
Ukraine—Russian Troops Encircle Kyiv Washington Post | 02/25/2022 Russian troops are approaching Kyiv, reports the Washington Post. Western intelligence analysts have speculated that the Ukrainian capital could fall within days. On Friday, Russian forces had reached several areas around the Ukrainian capital, including Vorzel, about 20 miles (32 km) northwest of Kyiv. Saboteurs were also reported several miles north of the city. Street fighting with suspected infiltrators has been reported in Kyiv, reported the Wall Street Journal. Cruise and ballistic missile strikes have also been reported in and around the capital, causing many civilians to flee, reported CNN. Russian forces have seized critical infrastructure across the country, including several airfields and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 137 Ukrainians have been killed and 316 wounded in the fighting. The president also accused the Russians of targeting civilian areas and said that he and his family were prime targets for the Russian operation. Ukraine has taken several steps to respond to the invasion, including ordering a general mobilization and enacting border checks to prevent military-age men from leaving the country, reported the Independent (London).
Moldova—Airspace Closed, Emergency Declared Following Russian Invasion Of Ukraine Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 02/25/2022 Moldovan Prime Minister Maia Sandu has announced a series of measures in response to the Russian invasion of neighboring Ukraine, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On Wednesday, Sandu declared a state of emergency and said Moldova was prepared to potentially accept tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. She also called a meeting of the Exceptional Situations Committee to decide on measures to manage the humanitarian elements of the crisis. As of Wednesday, about 1,900 Ukrainian citizens had crossed into Moldova, according to Moldovan Interior Minister Ana Revenco. Shortly after Sandu's announcement, the Moldovan government also announced that it was closing its airspace.
Russia—Crew Killed In An-26 Transport Crash Near Ukraine Moscow Times | 02/25/2022 A Russian cargo aircraft has crashed near the Ukrainian border killing the crew, reports the Moscow Times. The An-26 transport went down on Thursday in the Voronezh region, which borders the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine, said the Western Military District. The aircraft was transporting unspecified military equipment at the time, the Russian Defense Ministry said. No damage was reported on the ground. All crewmembers aboard the An-26 were killed, said the district without revealing how many personnel were onboard. Video published by the Baza Telegram channel showed the plane breaking in two in the air. A technical malfunction caused the crash, reported Russia's Tass news agency. An investigation into the incident has been opened.
South Korea—Indigenous Long-Range Air Defense System Passes Test Yonhap | 02/25/2022 The South Korean military says it has successfully tested a domestically developed long-range surface-to-air missile (L-SAM), reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Wednesday, the Agency for Defense Development oversaw the trial in Taean, about 90 miles (150 km) southwest of Seoul, sources said. No information about the test was made public, but the sources said it was successful. The trial was reportedly designed to evaluate the ability of the L-SAM to fly a planned trajectory and land accurately on a preset spot. The system was also tested on Feb. 18. The South Korean military plans to field the L-SAM by 2026 as part of its multilayer missile defense system. The L-SAM is designed to shoot down missiles at altitudes of 30-37 miles (50-60 km).
Thailand—AH-6 Light Helos Ordered From U.S. Boeing | 02/25/2022 Boeing has received a contract to build light attack reconnaissance helicopters for the Thai army, reports the U.S. aerospace firm. On Feb. 18, the U.S. Army awarded Boeing a US$103.7 million Foreign Military Sales contract to build eight AH-6i helicopters for Thailand, according to a Defense Dept. release. The deal includes spare parts, training devices, support equipment and technical publications, Boeing said in a release on Wednesday. Deliveries are scheduled through 2024, the company said. The aircraft will replace the Thai army's aging AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters. The AH-6 features an advanced mission computer to process large amounts of data and share system information with the rest of the aircraft, enhancing situational awareness and safety; supporting faster decision-making; reducing pilot workload; and reducing support costs, according to Boeing. The helicopters would be used to provide light attack reconnaissance for close air support to special operations forces, Stryker infantry soldiers and border guard units, reported Defense News. Thailand is the second international customer for the AH-6.
Afghanistan—2 Killed In Clash On Border With Pakistan Khaama Press | 02/25/2022 At least two people have been killed in fighting along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, reports the Khaama Press (Kabul). Pakistani forces fired on Taliban security personnel in Chaman, near the Spin Boldak crossing in Afghanistan's southern Kandahar province, a Taliban spokesman said on Thursday. Sources told Agence France-Presse that the Taliban fighters were among the fatalities. Another 20 people were injured in the clash. The Taliban spokesman said the incident was under investigation and that additional personnel had been sent to the border.
Pakistan—8 Killed In Separate Ops In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Dawn | 02/25/2022 Eight suspected militants have been killed in a pair of military operations in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, reports the Dawn (Karachi). On Thursday, security forces conducted an operation near Hamzoni in North Waziristan, killing six suspected militants, said the military-run Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Rifles, ammunition, explosives and handcuffs were recovered from the scene. The operation was launched following reports of militant activity in the area. Separately, security forces launched a raid in the Kulachi area of the city of Dera Ismail Khan, killing two suspects. The affiliations of the slain militants were not disclosed.
United Arab Emirates—Plans Made To Acquire Chinese Light Jets The National | 02/25/2022 The United Arab Emirates plans to procure training and light attack aircraft from China, reports the National (Abu Dhabi). On Wednesday, the U.A.E. Ministry of Defense announced plans to purchase the 12 L-15 Falcon trainer and light attack jets, with options for up to 36 more. The value of the deal has not been made public, but the aircraft has an estimated unit cost of around US$10 million to US$15 million. Talks on the contract were in their final stages and expected to be signed soon, Emirati officials said. The procurement is part of efforts to diversify and modernize the capabilities of the U.A.E. air force, said the officials. The U.A.E. purchased Wing Loong II uncrewed aerial vehicles from China in 2017, but this would be the first time that it buys a non-Western fixed-wing crewed military aircraft, noted Breaking Defense. The announcement comes as the U.S. has been holding up a planned sale of 50 F-35 stealth fighters in an effort to get the U.A.E. to reduce its ties with China.
Syria—Israeli Airstrikes Hit Positions Outside Damascus Times of Israel | 02/25/2022 Three Syrian soldiers have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on Syrian army positions near Damascus, reports the Times of Israel. On Thursday morning, several missiles struck sites in and around Damascus, reported Agence France-Presse. Some explosions were heard in the town of Zakiya outside Damascus, according to local social media posts. Syrian state media claimed that Syrian air defenses intercepted most of the missiles. The airstrikes came several hours after Israel dropped leaflets over Syrian army positions warning that they could be targeted for working with Hezbollah.
Burkina Faso—Panel Recommends 30-Month Transition To Democracy Al Jazeera | 02/25/2022 A panel established by the military junta in Burkina Faso has released its recommendation for a democratic transition, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). On Wednesday during a ceremony in Ouagadougou, the capital, the panel released a draft report on the plan to transition back to democracy. The panel, consisting of 15 members, including military officers and technocrats, recommended a 30-month transitional period, reported Reuters. It also recommended forming a transitional government of 20 ministers and a transitional Parliament of 51 members. The panel was formed two weeks ago by coup leader Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) had asked military authorities to rapidly propose a schedule for the return to constitutional order.
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