The List 6028 TGB
Good Wednesday Morning March 9
A bit of history and some tidbits
Regards,
Skip
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
March 9
1847
An Army-Navy force begins the siege of Veracruz, Mexico. Approximately 12,000 U.S. troops land on the beaches, along with their horses, mules, artillery, and supplies. Veracruz surrenders March 29, and the forces make their way to Mexico City.
1862
In the first battle between ironclads, USS Monitor and CSS Virginia engage in close combat in Hampton Roads, Va. Neither side could claim victory, but it eventually ends the era of wooden ships.
1919
The first flight from a battleship platform is made by Lt. Cmdr. Edward O. McDonnell in a Sopwith Camel from turret No. 2 of USS Texas (BB 35) while anchored at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
1944
USS Lapon (SS 260), while pursuing a Japanese convoy in the South China Sea, sank two freighters and survived a counterattack by Japanese gunboat.
1952
USS Samuel N. Moore (DD 747) and HMS Morecambe Bay silence enemy shore batteries firing at USS Merganser (AMS-26) near Songjin, Korea.
1991
USS Cowpens (CG 63) is commissioned in Charleston, S.C. The 17th of her 27-ship Ticonderoga-class of guided-missile cruisers, Cowpens.
Today in History: March 9
1617 The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the occupation of Northern Russia by Swedish troops.
1734 The Russians take Danzig (Gdansk) in Poland.
1788 Connecticut becomes the 5th state.
1796 Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais in Paris, France.
1812 Swedish Pomerania is seized by Napoleon.
1820 Congress passes the Land Act, paving the way for westward expansion.
1839 The French Academy of Science announces the Daguerreotype photo process.
1841 The rebel slaves who seized a Spanish slave ship, the Amistad, in 1839 are freed by the Supreme Court despite Spanish demands for extradition.
1862 The first and last battle between the ironclads U.S.S. Monitor and C.S.S. Virginia ends in a draw.
1864 General Ulysses Grant is appointed commander-in-chief of the Union forces.
1911 The funding for five new battleships is added to the British military defense budget.
1915 The Germans take Grodno on the Eastern Front.
1916 Mexican bandit Pancho Villa leads 1,500 horsemen on a raid of Columbus, N.M. killing 17 U.S. soldiers and citizens.
1932 Eamon De Valera is elected president of the Irish Free State and pledges to abolish all loyalty to the British Crown.
1936 The German press warns that all Jews who vote in the upcoming elections will be arrested.
1939 Czech President Emil Hacha ousts pro-German Joseph Tiso as the Premier of Slovakia in order to preserve Czech unity.
1940 Britain frees captured Italian coal ships on the eve of German Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop's visit to Rome.
1956 British authorities arrest and deport Archbishop Makarios from Cyprus. He is accused of supporting terrorists.
1957 Egyptian leader Nasser bars U.N. plans to share the tolls for the use of the Suez Canal.
1959 The Barbie doll is unveiled at a toy fair in New York City.
1964 The first Ford Mustang rolls off the Ford assembly line.
1967 Svetlana Alliluyeva, Josef Stalin's daughter defects to the United States.
1968 General William Westmoreland asks for 206,000 more troops in Vietnam.
1975 Iraq launches an offensive against the rebellious Kurds.
1986 Navy divers find the crew compartment of the space shuttle Challenger along with the remains of the astronauts.
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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 Wednesday, 9 March 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 9 March 1967… General Dan Sickles, USA, Gettysburg, July 1863: "In a war like this one, a man's life is of small account."…
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 DR
This is an amazing story that was in the List many years ago. F-8 Crusader pilot Lobo Brown was an Air Force exchange pilot and flew the F-106 and may even have flown this one after it was reborn. My memory is not that great and I am still looking for the List with that story
skip
The Wheatfield Fighter
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Thanks to Dick
Fwd: From a friend.
VERY INTERESTING…..
Subject: Dark Horse Reunion
From a former PeoplExpress pilot who flew in the Navy. It will be hard to watch by some, but it proves that war is hell! After all is said and done, it turns out that Ho Chi Mihn did not want Communism either! What a terrible waste of American and Vietnamese lives!
Some of you saw much of this first hand and this will ring greatly with the memories of your time their. Others of us could have been sent but the military seemed to continue to fight with the troops and equipment there so all we did was watch,read and listen--and keep track of friends we knew who were not coming back.
This item is terrific in showing that our enemy were in many ways not that much different then ourselves.
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Thanks to Barrel
If you're not scared you should be! We're on the brink! I am not at all conflicted about Ukraine.
We cannot be drawn into a nuclear war!
Are the Ukrainian elites corrupt? Undoubtedly.
Should innocents be slaughtered and towns strafed into oblivion? A resounding NO.
In a righteous world, the US could most certainly have prevented Putin's war through our strength.
In a righteous world, all Russian oil and gas purchases would stop.
In a righteous world, the US would be energy independent and be able to provide our friends with the same energy security.
In a righteous world, Russian elites would take care of the current problem. Perhaps, that might still happen.
God help our country with the incompetent and malicious leftists in power in the US. These crazed elitist ideologs have no business making life and death decisions.
Many of us, voted for weakness and not strength. Many of us voted for these socialists. All of us let this happen.
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March 9, 2022
Here's the truth on Ukraine, as far as I can tell
By Dan Truitt
First, and most importantly, virtually no one in the US has got this right, including conservative outlets and pundits. Putin's a thug, but he's an excellent politician and a strong leader. And he's not crazy, as some seem to surmise. He is a cold, calculating, strategic thinker who has disciplined his mind and body for decades. He's a Russia first guy. Think Donald Trump minus all that hot air, Big Macs, and add a willingness to off his enemies.
Read the rest here
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This Day in U S Military History
9 March
1938 – Comedian Bob Hope makes his first film appearance, singing "Thanks for the Memories" in The Big Broadcast of 1938. Hope was born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, England, in 1903 and moved to Cleveland, Ohio, at age four. The son of a stonemason and a former concert singer, Hope worked as a newsboy, a soda jerk, a shoe salesman, and a boxer (under the name "Packy East") in his teens. Later, he joined the vaudeville circuit with a song-and-dance routine, making his debut in 1924 in a Fatty Arbuckle revue. Hope began appearing in comedy shorts in the 1930s. He appeared on Broadway for the first time in 1933 and made his radio debut in 1935 as a cast member of The Intimate Revue. In 1938, he was picked to star in The Big Broadcast. Since he had already committed to a radio contract in New York at the same time, he moved to Hollywood to film the movie, and delivered his radio monologues via a long-distance wire hook-up to the New York studio. Hope's popularity grew in 1939 with the film Cat and the Canary. In 1940, he co-starred with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour in the Road to Singapore, the first of seven Road movies he made with Crosby and Lamour. In most of the years between 1941 and 1953, Hope ranked among Hollywood's Top 10 moneymaking stars. He regularly appeared on television shows like The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. From 1953 to 1994, he hosted a Christmas television special that was broadcast internationally. Hope also tirelessly entertained American troops stationed throughout the world during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. He made more than 700 trips to American military bases and hospitals around the world, entertaining some 10,000 troops. These efforts earned him five special Academy Awards and the nickname "Mr. Humanitarian." President John F. Kennedy once called him "America's most prized ambassador of goodwill throughout the world," and the United States Congress made him an "honorary veteran" in 1997-an unprecedented gesture. Hope has won more than 2,000 awards and citations, including 54 honorary doctorates, an honorary knighthood, and a Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1985, he was awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Achievement. His accolades earned him the title "Most Decorated and Honored Entertainer" in the Guinness Book of Records.
1945 – U.S. warplanes launch a new bombing offensive against Japan, dropping 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo. Almost 16 square miles in and around the Japanese capital were incinerated, and between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history. Early on March 9, Air Force crews met on the Mariana Islands of Tinian and Saipan for a military briefing. They were planning a low-level bombing attack on Tokyo that would begin that evening, but with a twist: Their planes would be stripped of all guns except for the tail turret. The decrease in weight would increase the speed of each Superfortress bomber-and would also increase its bomb load capacity by 65 percent, making each plane able to carry more than seven tons. Speed would be crucial, and the crews were warned that if they were shot down, all haste was to be made for the water, which would increase their chances of being picked up by American rescue crews. Should they land within Japanese territory, they could only expect the very worst treatment by civilians, as the mission that night was going to entail the deaths of tens of thousands of those very same civilians. "You're going to deliver the biggest firecracker the Japanese have ever seen," said U.S. Gen. Curtis LeMay. The cluster bombing of the downtown Tokyo suburb of Shitamachi had been approved only a few hours earlier. Shitamachi was composed of roughly 750,000 people living in cramped quarters in wooden-frame buildings. Setting ablaze this "paper city" was a kind of experiment in the effects of firebombing; it would also destroy the light industries, called "shadow factories," that produced prefabricated war materials destined for Japanese aircraft factories. The denizens of Shitamachi never had a chance of defending themselves. Their fire brigades were hopelessly undermanned, poorly trained, and poorly equipped. At 5:34 p.m., Superfortress B-29 bombers took off from Saipan and Tinian, reaching their target at 12:15 a.m. on March 10. Three hundred and thirty-four bombers, flying at a mere 500 feet, dropped their loads, creating a giant bonfire fanned by 30-knot winds that helped raze Shitamachi and spread the flames throughout Tokyo. Masses of panicked and terrified Japanese civilians scrambled to escape the inferno, most unsuccessfully. The human carnage was so great that the blood-red mists and stench of burning flesh that wafted up sickened the bomber pilots, forcing them to grab oxygen masks to keep from vomiting. The raid lasted slightly longer than three hours. "In the black Sumida River, countless bodies were floating, clothed bodies, naked bodies, all black as charcoal. It was unreal," recorded one doctor at the scene. Only 243 American airmen were lost-considered acceptable losses.
1953 – Responding to press reports that U.S. pilots routinely pursued communist jets across the Manchurian border, Commander in Chief Far East asserted that UN pilots broke off engagements at the Yalu River boundary, enabling many damaged MiGs to escape, although some border violations might have occurred in the heat of combat. Informing the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff that air operations in Korea were conducted strictly within limitations established by appropriate authority, he also directed Far East Air Forces to comply with directives concerning violation of the Manchurian border.
1970 – The U.S. Marines turn over control of the five northernmost provinces in South Vietnam to the U.S. Army. The Marines had been responsible for this area since they first arrived in South Vietnam in 1965. The change in responsibility for this area was part of President Richard Nixon's initiative to reduce U.S. troop levels as the South Vietnamese accepted more responsibility for the fighting. After the departure of the 3rd Marine Division from Vietnam in late 1969, the 1st Marine Division was the only marine division left operating in South Vietnam.
1974 – Last Japanese soldier, a guerrilla operating in Philippines, surrendered, 29 years after World War II ended.
2011 – Space Shuttle Discovery makes its final landing after 39 flights and 149 million miles. NASA offered Discovery to the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum for public display and preservation, after a month-long decontamination process, as part of the national collection. Discovery replaced Enterprise in the Smithsonian's display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. Discovery was transported to Washington Dulles International Airport on April 17, 2012, and was transferred to the Udvar-Hazy on April 19 where a welcome ceremony was held. Afterwards, at around 5: 30 pm, Discovery was rolled to its "final wheels stop" in the Udvar Hazy Center
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
CLUTE, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company I, 14th Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Bentonville, N.C., 19 March 1865. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Marathon, Mich. Date of issue: 26 August 1898. Citation: In a charge, captured the flag of the 40th North Carolina (C.S.A.), the flag being taken in a personal encounter with an officer who carried and defended it.
WILLIAMS, PETER
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy. Born: 1831, Norway, Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 11, 3 April 1863. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Ironclad Steamer Monitor, Hampton Roads, 9 March 1862. During the engagement between the U.S.S. Monitor and the C.S.S. Merrimack, Williams gallantly served throughout the engagement as quartermaster, piloting the Monitor throughout the battle in which the Merrimack, after being damaged, retired from the scene of the battle.
*JULIAN, JOSEPH RODOLPH
Rank and organization: Platoon Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. Born: 3 April 1918, Sturbridge, Mass. Accredited to: Massachusetts. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as a P/Sgt. serving with the 1st Battalion, 27th Marines, 5th Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the seizure of Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, 9 March 1945. Determined to force a breakthrough when Japanese troops occupying trenches and fortified positions on the left front laid down a terrific machinegun and mortar barrage in a desperate effort to halt his company's advance, P/Sgt. Julian quickly established his platoon's guns in strategic supporting positions, andthen, acting on his own initiative, fearlessly moved forward to execute a 1-man assault on the nearest pillbox. Advancing alone, he hurled deadly demolition and white phosphorus grenades into the emplacement, killing 2 of the enemy and driving the remaining 5 out into the adjoining trench system. Seizing a discarded rifle, he jumped into the trench and dispatched the 5 before they could make an escape. Intent on wiping out all resistance, he obtained more explosives and, accompanied by another marine, again charged the hostile fortifications and knocked out 2 more cave positions. Immediately thereafter, he launched a bazooka attack unassisted, firing 4 rounds into the 1 remaining pillbox and completely destroying it before he fell, mortally wounded by a vicious burst of enemy fire. Stouthearted and indomitable, P/Sgt. Julian consistently disregarded all personal danger and, by his bold decision, daring tactics, and relentless fighting spirit during a critical phase of the battle, contributed materially to the continued advance of his company and to the success of his division's operations in the sustained drive toward the conquest of this fiercely defended outpost of the Japanese Empire. His outstanding valor and unfaltering spirit of self-sacrifice throughout the bitter conflict sustained and enhanced the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
HARVEY, RAYMOND
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, Company C, 17th Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Vicinity of Taemi-Dong, Korea, 9 March 1951. Entered service at: Pasadena, Calif. Born: 1 March 1920 Ford City, Pa. G.O. No.: 67, 2 August 1951. Citation: Capt. Harvey Company C, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. When his company was pinned down by a barrage of automatic weapons fire from numerous well-entrenched emplacements, imperiling accomplishment of its mission, Capt. Harvey braved a hail of fire and exploding grenades to advance to the first enemy machine gun nest, killing its crew with grenades. Rushing to the edge of the next emplacement, he killed its crew with carbine fire. He then moved the 1st Platoon forward until it was again halted by a curtain of automatic fire from well fortified hostile positions. Disregarding the hail of fire, he personally charged and neutralized a third emplacement. Miraculously escaping death from intense crossfire, Capt. Harvey continued to lead the assault. Spotting an enemy pillbox well camouflaged by logs, he moved close enough to sweep the emplacement with carbine fire and throw grenades through the openings, annihilating its 5 occupants. Though wounded he then turned to order the company forward, and, suffering agonizing pain, he continued to direct the reduction of the remaining hostile positions, refusing evacuation until assured that the mission would be accomplished. Capt. Harvey's valorous and intrepid actions served as an inspiration to his company, reflecting the utmost glory upon himself and upholding the heroic traditions of the military service.
JACOBS, JACK H.
Rank and organization: Captain, U.S. Army, U.S. Army Element, U.S. Military Assistance Command, Republic of Vietnam. Place and date: Kien Phong Province, Republic of Vietnam, 9 March 1968. Entered service at: Trenton, N.J. Born: 2 August 1945, Brooklyn, N.Y. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Capt. Jacobs (then 1st Lt.), Infantry, distinguished himself while serving as assistant battalion advisor, 2d Battalion, 16th Infantry, 9th Infantry Division, Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The 2d Battalion was advancing to contact when it came under intense heavy machine gun and mortar fire from a Viet Cong battalion positioned in well fortified bunkers. As the 2d Battalion deployed into attack formation its advance was halted by devastating fire. Capt. Jacobs, with the command element of the lead company, called for and directed air strikes on the enemy positions to facilitate a renewed attack. Due to the intensity of the enemy fire and heavy casualties to the command group, including the company commander, the attack stopped and the friendly troops became disorganized. Although wounded by mortar fragments, Capt. Jacobs assumed command of the allied company, ordered a withdrawal from the exposed position and established a defensive perimeter. Despite profuse bleeding from head wounds which impaired his vision, Capt. Jacobs, with complete disregard for his safety, returned under intense fire to evacuate a seriously wounded advisor to the safety of a wooded area where he administered lifesaving first aid. He then returned through heavy automatic weapons fire to evacuate the wounded company commander. Capt. Jacobs made repeated trips across the fire-swept open rice paddies evacuating wounded and their weapons. On 3 separate occasions, Capt. Jacobs contacted and drove off Viet Cong squads who were searching for allied wounded and weapons, single-handedly killing 3 and wounding several others. His gallant actions and extraordinary heroism saved the lives of 1 U.S. advisor and 13 allied soldiers. Through his effort the allied company was restored to an effective fighting unit and prevented defeat of the friendly forces by a strong and determined enemy. Capt. Jacobs, by his gallantry and bravery in action in the highest traditions of the military service, has reflected great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
ADKINS, BENNIE G.
Rank and Organization: Sergeant First Class. U.S. Army, Detachment A-102, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces. Place and Date: Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam, March 9-12, 1966. Entered Service At: Waurika, Oklahoma. Born: 1 February 1934, Waurika, Okla. Departed: No. G.O. Number:. Date of Issue: 09/15/2014. Accredited To:. Citation: Sergeant First Class Adkins distinguished himself during the period 9 March 1966 to 12 March 1966 during combat operations at Camp A Shau, Republic of Vietnam. When the camp was attacked by a large Viet Cong force, Sergeant First Class Adkins rushed through intense hostile fire and manned a mortar position. Although he was wounded, he ran through exploding mortar rounds and dragged several of his comrades to safety. When the hostile fire subsided, Sergeant First Class Adkins exposed himself to sporadic sniper fire and carried his wounded comrades to the camp dispensary. During the evacuation of a seriously wounded American, Sergeant First Class Adkins maneuvered outside the camp walls to draw fire and successfully covered the rescue. During the early morning hours of 10 March 1966, a Viet Cong regiment launched their main attack. Within two hours, Sergeant First Class Adkins was the only man firing a mortar weapon. Although he was painfully wounded and most of his crew was killed or wounded, he fought off the fanatical waves of attacking Viet Cong. After withdrawing to a communications bunker where several Americans were attempting to fight off a company of Viet Cong, Sergeant First Class Adkins killed numerous insurgents with his suppressive fire. Running extremely low on ammunition, he returned to the mortar pit, gathered the vital ammunition, and ran through intense fire back to the communications bunker. After being ordered to evacuate the camp, all signal equipment and classified documents were destroyed. Sergeant First Class Adkins and a small group of men fought their way out of the camp and evaded the Viet Cong for two days until they were rescued by a helicopter. Sergeant First Class Adkins' extraordinary heroism in close combat against a numerically superior hostile force was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 9, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
9 March
1927: The Navy bought its first transport, the JR-1 trimotor, from the Ford Motor Company. (24) Capt Hawthorne C. Gray set an FAI altitude record of 28,510 feet for subclass A-8 (2,200 to 3,000 cubic meters capacity and A-9 balloons (3,000 to 4,000 cubic meters). (9)
1940: TSgt T. A. Petra (USMC) piloted an AD-17A Beechcraft biplane to 21,050 feet in altitude--a probable record altitude above Antarctica--to measure cosmic rays for the US Antarctic Expedition. (5)
1945: Changing tactics to low-altitude flights to double the bombload, the XXI Bomber Command dispatched more than 300 B-29s on an incendiary night raid from the Marianas Islands against Tokyo. They destroyed about 25 percent of the city. Previously, the bombers conducted high altitude daylight attacks against specific targets. (21)
1955: In a F-84F Thunderstreak, Lt Col Robert R. Scott set a 3-hour, 44-minute, 53-second record for the 2,446-mile flight from Los Angeles to New York. (9) (24)
1956: The Boeing B-52C Stratofortress first flew. (5) Hollywood filmed "Toward the Unknown" at Edwards AFB. (5)
1959: F-102 CONVERSION. The 16 FIS at Naha AB, Okinawa, became the first squadron in PACAF to convert to Convair's F-102 Delta Dagger. The unit, previously equipped with F-86D Sabres, became operationally ready later in September. (17)
1971: Thomas C. McMurtry, a NASA engineer and pilot, flew an F-8 fighter with a supercritical wing for the first time. (5)
1976: The Defense Systems Acquisition Review Council approved the M-X concept, the system validation plans, and the preference for the buried trench basing. (6) After a coal mine disaster in Whitesburg, Ky., two 314 TAW C-130s from Little Rock AFB airlifted rescue teams and equipment. (18)
1977: The 354 TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB received the first A-10 for hands-on training. (11)
1979: Cadet Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, graduated from undergraduate pilot training at Reese AFB, Texas. (16) Operation FLYING STAR. Two E-3 AWACS deployed to Saudi Arabia to respond to a threat to that country's southern border. (21)
1993: A Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird came out of retirement to fly a scientific flight for NASA at the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB. The aircraft, outfitted with an ultraviolet video camera, flew to nearly 83,000 feet to collect 140,000 images of stars and comets (20)
1998: Through 9 April, Air Mobility Command performed 104 airlift and 110 air refueling missions for a 6-nation tour of Africa. On 22 March, President Clinton--with First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, and a large official party on Air Force One-- left Andrews AFB on a 12-day journey through sub-Saharan Africa. It was the first time a sitting American president had visited Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana, and Senegal. (22)
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World News for 9 March thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Pentagon Pours Cold Water On Polish Proposal To Transfer Jets To Ukraine Cable News Network | 03/09/2022 The U.S. Dept. of Defense has rejected a Polish plan to transfer Soviet-era fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany for delivery to Ukraine, reports CNN. On Tuesday, the Polish Foreign Ministry proposed that to transfer all its MiG-29 Fulcrum jets to U.S. custody at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, from where they could be delivered to Ukraine. "At the same time, Poland requests the U.S. to provide us with used aircraft with corresponding operational capabilities," with costs to be negotiated, the ministry said. A Pentagon spokesman dismissed the proposal as not "tenable," citing the difficult logistical challenges and concerns that it would lead to direct conflict between Russia and NATO. The Polish announcement appeared to take the Defense Dept. by surprise. Officials said that they had no warning that Warsaw was going to make the offer. U.S. officials have quietly considered such a transfer but have noted the difficult logistics of doing so.
USA—Army Orders More Special Ops Chinook Helos Boeing | 03/09/2022 The U.S. Army has ordered additional heavy-lift helicopters for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC), reports Boeing. The $195 million contract covers six MH-47G Block 2 aircraft, Boeing said in a release last week. The order is the fifth for the MH-47G Block 2 and brings the total number ordered for USASOAC to 36. Deliveries under the latest contract are scheduled to begin in 2024. Five MH-47G Block 2 Chinooks have been delivered to date, said the company.
USA—Littoral Regiments To Be Commanded By Marines From Any Combat Specialty Marine Corps Times | 03/09/2022 The Marine Corps says officers from all combat arms specialties will be eligible to command its new littoral regiments, reports the Marine Corps Times. The new littoral regiments will be led by officers from any combat arms military occupational specialty, such as artillery and infantry, Gen. Eric Smith, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, said last month. The littoral regiments, the first of which was launched last week, will incorporate one infantry battalion, one missile battalion, one littoral anti-air battalion and a logistics battalion. Opening command of key units to non-infantry officers is a new milestone for the service. Artillery officers, for example, have a different viewpoint and experience with command-and-control and long-range fires, Smith said. Two of the three planned Marine Littoral Regiments will be led by infantry officers, while the 12th MLR will be headed by an artillery officer.
Poland—British Design Picked For New Frigates Babcock International | 03/09/2022 Poland has selected a British design for its new frigate program, reports Babcock International. The Arrowhead 140 design was selected by the Polish Armament Agency for the Miecznik (Swordfish) program for three frigates, Babcock said in a release on March 4. The shipbuilder also said that it had concluded a set of strategic cooperation agreements with the PGZ-Miecznik Consortium that would deliver the project in Poland, including for the construction of the frigates in Gdynia, reported Defense News. The Arrowhead 140 was chosen over the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems MEKO A-300PL design. Both designs were shortlisted for the program in February. Thales UK and local partner OBR CTM will equip the frigates with the TACTICOS combat management system, while MBDA Systems will provide the Sea Ceptor air defense missile system. Poland is the second export customer for the Arrowhead 140 design after Indonesia, which ordered the frigates last year. The design is being built for the British navy as the Type 31 frigate. The Polish frigate program is valued at around US$1.8 billion, noted Jane's.
Turkey—A400M Transports Remain Stuck In Ukraine Anadolu News Agency | 03/09/2022 A pair of Turkish air force cargo aircraft that landed in Ukraine shortly before Russia's unprovoked invasion are still there, reports the Anadolu Agency (Ankara). The two A400M transport aircraft landed at the Boryspil Airport outside Kyiv on Feb. 24, the day Russia invaded. The aircraft delivered humanitarian aid and expected to evacuate Turkish citizens at the airport. On Saturday, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar confirmed that the aircraft remained grounded at the airport due to the closure of Ukrainian airspace. The crews are staying at the Turkish Embassy, awaiting clearance to depart. Turkey is in talks with Ukraine and Russia for a cease-fire that would allow it to bring the planes back and evacuate Turkish citizens, Akar said.
European Union—West Takes Aim At Russian Energy Imports Washington Post | 03/09/2022 The European Union, U.K. and U.S. are moving to significantly reduce or end energy imports from Russia after its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, reports the Washington Post. On Tuesday, President Biden announced that he was immediately banning all oil and natural gas imports from Russia. British officials said that they would phase out all oil imports by the end of the year and look at ways to end natural gas imports, reported the Guardian (U.K.). Russian oil fills about 8 percent of British demand; Moscow supplies less than 4 percent of British natural gas needs. Meanwhile, E.U. officials unveiled a proposal to reduce Russian natural gas imports by two-thirds this year. E.U. leaders are scheduled to discuss the move during talks in Paris this week. As a first step, the bloc would diversify liquefied natural gas and pipeline imports from non-Russian suppliers, increase the production and import of biomethane and upgrade buildings to reduce energy consumption. It also includes measures to respond to rising energy prices in Europe and ensure adequate gas stocks for next winter. European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans said it would be "bloody hard" but possible. European countries receive about 40 percent of their natural gas and 27 percent of their oil from Russia.
Russia—At Least 2,000 Russian Fatalities In Ukraine, Says DIA Military.Com | 03/09/2022 U.S. intelligence has estimated that at least 2,000 Russian troops have been killed fighting in Ukraine, reports Military.com. On Tuesday, Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) Director Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier told the House Intelligence Committee that it estimated that from 2,000 to 4,000 Russians had been killed in the fighting to date. Berrier noted that the estimate, based on a mix of intelligence sources and open-source information, was made with "low confidence." The high casualty count in the first two weeks of the war illustrates the setbacks faced by Russian forces, experts said. Russia has officially acknowledged only 498 deaths and 1,597 soldiers wounded. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that it estimated that 12,000 Russians had been killed during the invasion.
North Korea—Work Resumes At Punggye-ri Nuclear Site Wall Street Journal | 03/09/2022 New satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed construction at a nuclear testing site it shut down in 2018, reports the Wall Street Journal. Imagery from March 4 taken by Maxar Technologies and reviewed by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies shows evidence that North Korea has begun construction activities at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. The photos show construction of new buildings, possible repairs to another and various construction materials, including suspected piles of lumber and sawdust. The changes took place within the last few days, says the report. The construction is preliminary, and the goal of such activity is not immediately apparent, according to the study. It would be several months if not years before it would be ready for fresh nuclear tests, said the researchers. North Korean officials publicly shut down the Punggye-ri facility in May 2018, though some reporting suggested that the site had suffered damage during a test that rendered parts of the site unusable. Punggye-ri was the site of all six of North Korea's nuclear detonations in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016 and 2017. Two tests occurred in 2016.
South Korea—N. Korean Patrol Boat Briefly Crosses Maritime Border Yonhap | 03/09/2022 A North Korean patrol boat briefly crossed the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the west coast maritime border with South Korea, this week, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul). On Tuesday, the patrol boat crossed the NLL, which serves as the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea, while chasing a stray vessel that had crossed the border shortly before, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The boat sailed 0.6 miles (1 km) south of the NLL but turned back after a South Korean warship fired three warning shots from a 40-mm cannon. The first North Korean vessel to cross the NLL was seized by the South Korean navy and taken to the island of Baengnyeong for investigation. The boat had seven personnel onboard, six of whom were wearing military uniforms. The North Korean sailors were not attempting to defect and claimed they accidentally veered into South Korean waters during a transport mission. On Wednesday, South Korea returned the boat and all seven personnel to North Korea. The South Korean Defense Ministry said the vessel had experienced a "navigational error and mechanical glitch" that caused it to cross the border.
Japan—Nonlethal Equipment Delivered To Ukraine Kyodo News Agency | 03/09/2022 Japan has started delivering nonlethal military equipment to Ukraine, reports the Kyodo news agency (Tokyo). On Tuesday night, a Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) KC-767 aerial refueling and transport aircraft departed the Komaki airbase in central Japan on its way to Poland. The aircraft carried a shipment of bulletproof vests and helmets for delivery to Ukraine. Japan is also preparing a shipment of tents, winter clothing, emergency food supplies, hygiene products, cameras and power generators for Ukraine. Those supplies will be delivered as soon as they are ready, according to the Japanese Defense Ministry. The Japanese government has confirmed it does not plan to deliver lethal aid. The nonlethal equipment is being delivered under new rules that ended Japan's embargo on defense exports in 2014. Those rules banned the supply of equipment to a country "party to a conflict." Tokyo has interpreted the term to mean "a country against which the U.N. Security Council is taking measures to maintain or restore international peace and security in the event of an armed attack," which does not apply to Ukraine.
Australia—Base To Be Built On E. Coast For New Subs Office of the Australian Prime Minister | 03/09/2022 Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced plans to build a new naval base for the Australian navy's planned nuclear-powered submarines, reports the Office of the Australian Prime Minister. The new facility on the east coast will add capacity and capability in addition to Fleet Base West in Western Australia, the home of Australia's fleet of Collins-class conventional submarines, Morrison said on Monday. It will be the first new major military base in Australia since Robertson Barracks was built in the 1990s. The military estimates that it will cost around Aus$10 billion (uS$7.3 billion) to develop the facilities and infrastructure to support the new nuclear boats. Specific costs for the new east coast base were not disclosed. The Australian Dept. of Defense has identified Brisbane, Newcastle and Port Kembla as preferred locations, based on access to exercise operating areas; proximity to industrial infrastructure; and significant population centers to support personnel and recruitment. Initial work with state and local governments to select an optimal site is expected to be completed by the end of 2023. The new base will support the new submarines; provide deployment opportunities in the Indian and Pacific; and increase Australia's strategic deterrent capability in the Indian Ocean. The base will also be able to host U.S. and British nuclear submarines. Fleet Base West will continue to serve as home to part of Australia's submarine fleet, the prime minister said.
Pakistan—6 Die In ISIS Attack In Balochistan Dawn | 03/09/2022 At least six people have been killed in a militant attack in Pakistan's western Balochistan province, reports the Dawn (Karachi). On Tuesday, a suicide bomber detonated their explosive device near security forces who were wrapping up after an event attended by President Arif Alvi in Sibi in northeastern Balochistan. The president and other VIPs had left the area before the attack took place, police officials told the newspaper. Five Frontier Corps paramilitaries were killed. The sixth fatality was not immediately identified. Nineteen security personnel were also among the 22 people injured in the blast. ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, reported the Voice of America News. This was the second attack by the terrorist group in Pakistan in less than a week. Alvi blamed the increased violence on the withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
Syria—2 IRGC Troops Killed In Israeli Rocket Attack Islamic Republic News Agency | 03/09/2022 The Iranian government has confirmed that two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) fighters were killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Syria, reports the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (Tehran). On Wednesday, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed the deaths of two IRGC soldiers in an Israeli rocket attack outside of Damascus. Both held the rank of colonel, reported the semi-official Tasnim news agency (Tehran). The spokesman vowed that Iran would respond. A spokesman for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (U.K.) told Agence France-Presse on Monday that the strikes on a suspected ammunition depot killed two and wounded six. IRGC personnel had deployed to the area to protect shrines, claimed the spokesman, citing a common justification for the Iranian presence in Syria.
Israel—F-35s Downed Pair Of Iranian Drones Last Year Times of Israel | 03/09/2022 Israeli stealth fighters shot down two Iranian uncrewed aerial vehicles last year, reports the Times of Israel. On March 15, 2021, F-35I fighters were scrambled to intercept two Iranian Shahed 197 drones that were on their way to the Gaza Strip and West Bank, respectively, according to the Israel Defense Forces. An F-35 from the 116 Squadron and one from the 140 Squadron, both operating from Nevatim Air Base in southern Israel, each shot down one of the UAVs, reported Breaking Defense. The location of the interceptions was not made public but occurred outside the borders of Israel. The incident was the first time an F-35 shot down a drone, according to the IDF. The F-35 is well-suited for the mission due to its advanced radar and other sensors. The drones were believed to be carrying equipment for Iranian-backed terrorists. One the drones was carrying pistols, according to photos provided by the IDF. The air vehicles were detected using a combination of air force airborne early warning aircraft and ground radars. The flights are believed to have been part of a technical evaluation of the Shahed 197, which has a reported range of 1,240 miles (2,000 km).
Somalia—U.N. Chief Pushes For Slower AMISOM Drawdown Agence France-Presse | 03/09/2022 U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recommended maintaining the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia at current personnel levels through the end of the year, reports Agence France-Presse. The mandate for the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) is scheduled to conclude on March 31. It is expected to be replaced by the African Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS). In a letter to the Security Council, Guterres recommended that ATMIS be gradually reduced over four phases, with no force reductions until 2023 to preserve security gains and ensure a smooth transition. The first reduction is expected to total 2,000 personnel, out of the 20,000 troops, police and civilians now serving under the mission. Somali forces should be able to assume most security functions by the end of 2023, with foreign troops departing the following year, he said.
Venezuela—Pair Of Americans Freed After Talks New York Times | 03/09/2022 The Venezuelan government has released two U.S. prisoners after a high-profile bilateral meeting in Caracas, reports the New York Times. On Tuesday, Venezuelan officials authorized the release of Gustavo Cardenas, an executive with the U.S. branch of Venezuela's state oil firm, and Jorge Alberto Fernandez, a Cuban-American tourist, said a U.S. official and Venezuelan human-rights groups. Fernandez was arrested on terrorism charges in February 2021 after bringing a drone into Venezuela, reported NPR News. The move came after a meeting between U.S. and Venezuelan officials on Saturday to discuss energy security and the status of imprisoned Americans, according to a White House spokeswoman. The U.S. stopped importing Venezuelan oil in 2019 following a rigged election. Some analysts have speculated that imports could resume as Western countries seek to cripple the Russian economy. Caracas is eager to resume direct oil sales to the U.S., where it could benefit from full profits from high prices, instead of having to sell it at a discount to middlemen to bypass the U.S. ban. At least eight other American citizens remain imprisoned in Venezuela on various charges.
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