The List 6239 TGB
To All,
Good Friday morning October 7.
I hope that your week has been going well. I failed another COVID test yesterday.
Have a great weekend.
Regards,
skip
Today in Naval and Marine Corps History
Oct. 7
1864—USS Wachusett rams the Confederate raider CSS Florida in the harbor of Bahia, Brazil. The collision brings down Florida's mast, then Wachusett opens fire. After Florida's surrender, both vessels are fired upon by Brazilian coastal forts as Wachusett tows her prize out to sea.
1924—The rigid airship Shenandoah (ZR 1), commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Zachary Lansdowne, begins a roundtrip transcontinental cruise from NAS Lakehurst, NJ. The airship returns 25 Oct. having covered 9,317 miles in 258 hours of flight.
1944—USS Hawkbill (SS 366) and USS Baya (SS 318) attack a Japanese convoy and sink the Japanese cargo ship Kinugasa Maru about 400 miles west of Manila, while USS Cabrilla (SS 288) sinks Japanese transport No.8 Shin'yo Maru off Vigan, Luzon.
1944—USS Greenling (SS 213) sinks the Japanese transport No 8 Kiri Maru and the merchant tanker Kotai Maru.
1955—USS X-1, the U.S. Navy's only midget submarine, is placed into service and conducts numerous scientific tests for the Naval Research Laboratory.
1975—President Gerald Ford signs a law allowing admission of women into service academies (Public Law 94-106).
1985—Palestinian terrorists hijack Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro. On 10 Oct. four of the terrorists attempted to escape aboard an Egypt Air Boeing 737 airliner, but F 14As from VF-74 and VF -103 are launched from USS Saratoga (CV 60) and intercepted the aircraft over international waters directing it to NAS Sigonella, Sicily.
2001—Operation Enduring Freedom begins with carrier air strikes and ship and submarine Tomahawk strikes in Afghanistan. USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and Carl Vinson (CVN 70) spearhead the first coalition strikes against al-Qaeda terrorists and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
2017—The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Washington (SSN 787) is commissioned in a ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk. Washington, named in honor of the 42nd state, is the 14th Virginia-class, fast-attack submarine to join the Navy's operational fleet.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day In History
October 7
1571 In the last great clash of galleys, the Ottoman navy is defeated at Lepanto, Greece, by a Christian naval coalition under the overall command of Spain's Don Juan de Austria.
1765 Delegates from nine of the American colonies meet in New York to discuss the Stamp Act Crisis and colonial response to it.
1849 Edgar Allan Poe, aged 40, dies a tragic death in Baltimore. Never able to overcome his drinking habits, he was found in a delirious condition outside a saloon that was used as a voting place.
1870 French Minister of the Interior Leon Gambetta escapes besieged Paris by balloon, reaching the French provisional government in Tours.
1913 In attempting to find ways to lower the cost of the automobile and make it more affordable to ordinary Americans, Henry Ford took note of the work of efficiency experts like Frederick Taylor, the "father of scientific management." The result was the assembly line that reduced the time it took to manufacture a car, from 12 hours to 93 minutes.
1944 Prisoner uprising at Birkenau concentration camp.
1949 Iva Toguri D'Aquino, better known as Tokyo Rose, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for treason.
1949 East Germany, the German Democratic Republic, is formed.
1957 A fire in the Windscale plutonium production reactor (later called Sellafield) north of Liverpool, England, spreads radioactive iodine and polonium through the countryside and into the Irish Sea. Livestock in the immediate area were destroyed, along with 500,000 gallons of milk. At least 30, and possibly as many as 1,000, cancer deaths were subsequently linked to the accident.
1976 Hua Guofeng, premier of the People's Republic of China, succeeds the late Mao Zedong as chairman of the Communist Party of China.
1985 Four Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) hijackers seize the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro and demand the release of 50 Palestinians held by Israel.
1993 The Great Flood of 1993 on the Mississippi and Missouri rivers ends, the worst US flood since 1927.
1996 Fox News Channel begins broadcasting.
2001 US invasion of Afghanistan in reaction to the terrorist attacks of 9/11 begins; it will become the longest war in US history.
2003 California voters remove Democratic governor Gray Davis from office in the state's first successful recall of a sitting governor (only the second successful recall of a governor in US history); a Republican candidate, bodybuilder/actor Arnold Schwarzenegger wins the election to replace Davis 17 days later.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Thanks to THE BEAR
… For The List for Friday, 7 October 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 7 October 1967…
Mac: "There are 412 fixed military targets in North Vietnam. All but 24 have been hit."
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.
This is a list of all Helicopter Pilots Who Died in the Vietnam War
. Listed by last name and has other info
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend last week and I forgot to forward. The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Thanks to Carl
October 7, 2022
The Army of the Woke
By Lt. Col. Darin Gaub
The Army fell approximately 15,000 (25%) people short of meeting its recruiting goals this year, and some Pentagon officials focused on the tight job market as the culprit. Though access to civilian jobs and higher pay is a factor, the truth is broader and ignored at our peril. Rather than confront the reality of what is occurring in the military and the consequences of these actions, these same officials have decided to make blaming anything but the truth an Olympic-level sport and our nation's readiness to defeat our adversaries is running in last place.
I served in the military for 28 years, both as an enlisted member of the Army's Infantry, and as an officer in Aviation. As a former junior enlisted soldier I know what it takes to keep good soldiers in the military, and because I commanded up to the brigade level as an officer, I know that retention of quality servicemembers is a critical component and signal of successful command. While I never failed to exceed retention goals in my seven years of command, today I don't think I'd sign up to serve at all.
Let's take a more critical and accurate look at why the Army failed to meet recruiting goals.
1. The Commander in Chief of the armed forces leads an administration targeting its own forces with friendly fire. People know the Department of Defense is supporting the administration's pursuit of "patriots" and as potential recruits themselves, or parents of potential recruits, they are saying "not now."
2. The American citizen knows three-letter agencies are targeting innocent American citizens while ignoring the guilty. The potential for this to spill over into the Department of Defense does not bode well. People won't sign up to serve a nation when it's clear we have an administration that will force them to bend the knee or be removed. Visions of Biden's speech in Philadelphia and the dangerous symbology and rhetoric applied come to mind.
3. The typical patriotic American signing up wants to be the wolf but is trained to be a sheep today. Those conservative and often rural families where a large number of America's servicemembers originate also provide the true warfighters in our military. They are the ones saying, "no thanks." Why join an organization to be told that your patriotic American beliefs are the problem and spend the term of an enlistment as a target of the chain of command?
4. It's becoming more obvious that America's wars are often not justified. For a period, Afghanistan was justifiable, but it turned into something else. Iraq was mostly a lie, and the newest generation is smart enough to know and has decided it's not worth it.
5. More are concluding that the military is another expendable class to the false oligarchs in D.C. Just take your food stamps and fight our wars for us; the military industrial complex needs its sacrifice. Has anybody else read The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empirelately?
6. Today's military often lacks the backing of the nation at large. Our failure in Afghanistan, a direct consequence of the current administration's actions, came at the end of years of conflict where the military remained at war and a nation had moved on. Why join the military and take part in Operation Enduring Conflict? Many who served over the last 20 years know what's happening, and like me they do not encourage our youth to join the military of today.
7. The military's senior leaders are never held to account for their failures and violations, but a soldier who puts up a patriotic symbol is a threat to society and will be pursued and removed. Similarly, those who refuse an experimental "vaccine" are also a threat and suffer the same friendly fire as those who refuse to play in "you're a racist" games.
8. There is the potential for America's servicemembers to be ordered to turn on their own. To deny this possibility is to deny everything that history teaches us and the specific actions of this administration. The Department of Justice targeting parents for standing up for their kids. FBI raids on Project Veritas and those faithful who support innocent life. Red Flag laws providing the excuse to the ATF to raid anybody they want. ATF agents also intimidating those who purchase legal gun accessories -- who needs a warrant anyway? The list could go on.
My family is proud of our service to the nation. From World War II to today, we've worn our nations' uniform in the Army Air Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army. We've served all over the world in and out of multiple conflict zones and have a combined 80-plus years of service. That tradition ends now and is ending for many families like ours.
If our nation wants a military that's ready to fight and win today, it's time to elect civilian oversight in our nation's government that will stop playing politics with readiness and remember that our adversaries do not care about our pronouns or skin color. In fact, they are happy to watch us fight among ourselves for it means they don't have to do anything but witness our nation destroying itself.
Lt Col (ret) Darin Gaub is a Co-founder of Restore Liberty, an international military strategist and foreign policy analyst, an executive leadership coach, and serves on the boards of multiple volunteer national and state level organizations. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
This Day in U S Military History
October 7
1958 – The U.S. manned space-flight project is renamed Project Mercury. Originally it was called Project Astronaut, but President Dwight Eisenhower thought that it gave too much attention to the pilot. Instead, the name Mercury was chosen from Greco-Roman mythology, which already lent names to rockets like the Atlas and Jupiter. It absorbed military projects with the same aim such as the Air Force Man-in-Space-Soonest.
2001 – U.S. aerial bombing campaign began, President Bush said "Full warning had been given, and time is running out." The State Department gave the Pakistani government one last message to the Taliban: Hand over all al-Qaeda leaders or "every pillar of the Taliban regime will be destroyed." Airstrikes were reported in Kabul, at the airport, at Kandahar (home of Mullah Omar), and in the city of Jalalabad. On the ground, teams from the CIA's Special Activities Division arrived first. They were soon joined by U.S. Army Special Forces from the 5th Special Forces Group and other units from United States Special Operations Command. At 17:00 UTC, President Bush confirmed the strikes and Prime Minister Blair addressed his nation. Bush stated that Taliban military sites and terrorist training grounds would be targeted. Food, medicine and supplies would be dropped to "the starving and suffering men, women and children of Afghanistan".
2002 – Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF – HOA) begins. It is one component of the overall mission of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) which has, until the creation of the new Africa Command, been run out of European Command. The Combined Joint Task Force – Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) is the primary (but not sole) military component assigned to accomplish the objectives of the mission. The naval component is the multinational Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150) which operates under the direction of the United States Fifth Fleet. Both of these organizations have been historically part of United States Central Command. In February of 2007, United States President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the United States Africa Command which took over all of the area of operations of CJTF-HOA in October of 2007.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BARKLEY, JOHN L.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Company K, 4th Infantry, 3d Division. Place and date: Near Cunel, France, 7 October 1918. Entered service at: Blairstown, Mo. Born: 28 August 1895 Blairstown, Mo. G.O. No.: 44, W.D., 1919. Citation: Pfc. Barkley, who was stationed in an observation post half a kilometer from the German line, on his own initiative repaired a captured enemy machinegun and mounted it in a disabled French tank near his post. Shortly afterward, when the enemy launched a counterattack against our forces, Pfc. Barkley got into the tank, waited under the hostile barrage until the enemy line was abreast of him and then opened fire, completely breaking up the counterattack and killing and wounding a large number of the enemy. Five minutes later an enemy 77 -millimeter gun opened fire on the tank pointblank. One shell struck the drive wheel of the tank, but this soldier nevertheless remained in the tank and after the barrage ceased broke up a second enemy counterattack, thereby enabling our forces to gain and hold Hill 25.
HILL, RALYN M.
Rank and organization: Corporal, U.S. Army, Company H, 129th Infantry, 33d Division. Place and date: Near Donnevoux, France, 7 October 1918. Entered service at: Oregon, Ill. Born: 6 May 1899, Lindenwood, Ill. G.O. No.: 34, W.D., 1919. Citation: Seeing a French airplane fall out of control on the enemy side of the Meuse River with its pilot injured, Cpl. Hill voluntarily dashed across the footbridge to the side of the wounded man and, taking him on his back, started back to his lines. During the entire exploit he was subjected to murderous fire of enemy machineguns and artillery, but he successfully accomplished his mission and brought his man to a place of safety, a distance of several hundred yards.
TALLEY, EDWARD R.
Rank and organization: Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 117th Infantry, 30th Division. Place and date: Near Ponchaux, France, 7 October 1918. Entered service at: Russellville, Tenn. Born: 8 September 1890, Russellville, Tenn. G.O. No.: 50, W.D., 1919. Citation: Undeterred by seeing several comrades killed in attempting to put a hostile machinegun nest out of action, Sgt. Talley attacked the position single -handed. Armed only with a rifle, he rushed the nest in the face of intense enemy fire, killed or wounded at least 6 of the crew, and silenced the gun. When the enemy attempted to bring forward another gun and ammunition he drove them back by effective fire from his rifle.
WHITTLESEY, CHARLES W.
Rank and organization: Major, U.S. Army, 308th Infantry, 77th Division. Place and date: Northeast of Binarville, in the forest of Argonne France, 2 -7 October 1918. Entered service at: Pittsfield, Mass. Birth. Florence, Wis. G.O. No.: 118, W.D., 1918. Citation: Although cut off for 5 days from the remainder of his division, Maj. Whittlesey maintained his position, which he had reached under orders received for an advance, and held his command, consisting originally of 46 officers and men of the 308th Infantry and of Company K of the 307th Infantry, together in the face of superior numbers of the enemy during the 5 days. Maj. Whittlesey and his command were thus cut off, and no rations or other supplies reached him, in spite of determined efforts which were made by his division. On the 4th day Maj. Whittlesey received from the enemy a written proposition to surrender, which he treated with contempt, although he was at the time out of rations and had suffered a loss of about 50 percent in killed and wounded of his command and was surrounded by the enemy
*HARRIS, JAMES L.
Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, 756th Tank Battalion. Place and date: At Vagney, France, 7 October 1944. Entered service at: Hillsboro, Tex. Birth: Hillsboro, Tex. G.O. No.: 32, 23 April 1945. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty on 7 October 1944, in Vagney, France. At 9 p.m. an enemy raiding party, comprising a tank and 2 platoons of infantry, infiltrated through the lines under cover of mist and darkness and attacked an infantry battalion command post with hand grenades, retiring a short distance to an ambush position on hearing the approach of the M -4 tank commanded by 2d Lt. Harris. Realizing the need for bold aggressive action, 2d Lt. Harris ordered his tank to halt while he proceeded on foot, fully 10 yards ahead of his 6 -man patrol and armed only with a service pistol, to probe the darkness for the enemy. Although struck down and mortally wounded by machinegun bullets which penetrated his solar plexus, he crawled back to his tank, leaving a trail of blood behind him, and, too weak to climb inside it, issued fire orders while lying on the road between the 2 contending armored vehicles. Although the tank which he commanded was destroyed in the course of the fire fight, he stood the enemy off until friendly tanks, preparing to come to his aid, caused the enemy to withdraw and thereby lose an opportunity to kill or capture the entire battalion command personnel. Suffering a second wound, which severed his leg at the hip, in the course of this tank duel, 2d Lt. Harris refused aid until after a wounded member of his crew had been carried to safety. He died before he could be given medical attention.
*WATKINS, LEWIS G.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps, Company I, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Korea, 7 October 1952. Entered service at: Seneca, S.C. Born. 6 June 1925, Seneca, S.C. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a guide of a rifle platoon of Company I, in action against enemy aggressor forces during the hours of darkness on the morning of 7 October 1952. With his platoon assigned the mission of retaking an outpost which had been overrun by the enemy earlier in the night, S/Sgt. Watkins skillfully led his unit in the assault up the designated hill. Although painfully wounded when a well -entrenched hostile force at the crest of the hill engaged the platoon with intense small -arms and grenade fire, he gallantly continued to lead his men. Obtaining an automatic rifle from 1 of the wounded men, he assisted in pinning down an enemy machine gun holding up the assault. When an enemy grenade landed among S/Sgt. Watkins and several other marines while they were moving forward through a trench on the hill crest, he immediately pushed his companions aside, placed himself in a position to shield them and picked up the deadly missile in an attempt to throw it outside the trench. Mortally wounded when the grenade exploded in his hand, S/Sgt. Watkins, by his great personal valor in the face of almost certain death, saved the lives of several of his comrades and contributed materially to the success of the mission. His extraordinary heroism, inspiring leadership, and resolute spirit of self -sacrifice reflect the highest credit upon himself and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for October 7, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
7 October
1909: Glenn H. Curtiss became the first American to earn a FAI airplane certificate, Aero Club of France Certificate No. 2. (24)
1913: Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels formed the Chambers Board (named after Navy Capt W. Irving Chambers) to develop a naval air service organization. (10)
1916: Harry E. Honeywell won the National Balloon Race by flying 519 miles from Muskogee, Okla., to Cascade, Iowa. (24)
1918: 2Lt Samuel R. Keesler and pilot 1Lt H.R. Riley of the 24th Aero Squadron went on a special reconnaissance mission and were attacked in flight by four German fighters. Keesler tried to drive off the Germans with his machine gun, but the attackers shot then down behind enemy lines. Keesler died the next day from his wounds. Keesler AFB in Mississippi is named in his honor. (4)
1931: Navy and Army observers tested Carl J. Norden's bombsight. Later, the Navy provided the Army the Norden sights for use in World War II. (21)
1943: The 422 BS dispatched four aircraft on a leaflet-dropping mission over Paris to begin special operations from the UK. (21)
1950: KOREAN WAR. The USAF dropped food to a group of 150 former POWs, who had escaped during the N. Korean retreat. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Fifth Air Force fighter pilots and US Navy airmen attacked the Communist Chinese Force's 26th Army at Yongpyongni. (28)
1963: The FAA expanded its traffic control system over most ADC airborne interceptor operations made under instrument flight rules.
1964: SYNCOM III communications link from Tokyo to Point Mugu began transmitting to US television stations. (5) (16)
1965: The Society of Automotive Engineers gave the 1964 Wright Brothers Medal to NASA scientists Marion O. McKinney, Jr., Richard E. Kuhn, and John P. Reeder for writing "Aerodynamics and Flying Qualities of Jet/Vertical Takeoff-Landing and Short Take-Off Landing Airplanes."
1966: The Air Force selected the University of Colorado to conduct independent investigations of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). (26)
1986: SAC received the last production ALCM from the Boeing Military Airplane Company. (16)
1987: The DoD awarded three contracts, at $25.5 million each, to McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, General Dynamics in Fort Worth, and Rockwell's North American Aircraft in Los Angeles to build selected aircraft components for the hypersonic National Aerospace Plane. (12)
1996: At Whiteman AFB, two 509 BW pilots, Capt Tony Monetti and Maj Chris Inman, flew a 34- hour long-endurance flight in the B-2 simulator. (AFNEWS Article 970175, 18 Feb 97)
2001: Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. The US initiated airstrikes against terrorist and Taliban targets in Afghanistan. The 509 BW at Whiteman AFB launched six B-2 bombers on the longest bombing missions in aviation history. The B-2s flew from Whiteman AFB over the Pacific to drop bombs on targets in Afghanistan and recovered at Diego Garcia. The longest flight took 44 hours, the longest combat mission in history. ENDURING FREEDOM also involved B-1Bs, B-52Hs, F-15Es, KC-10s and KC-135 tankers, E-3 AWACS, EC-130s, AC-130 gunships, and MC-130 and MH-53 special operations aircraft. Naval involvement included F-14s, F/A-18s, and AV-8 aircraft from three carriers in the Indian Ocean. (21)
2002: NASA launched the Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS mission 112 to install the S1 Truss to the new International Space Station. On 18 October, the shuttle returned and landed at the Kennedy Space Center. The crew included Capt Jeffrey S. Ashby (USN), commander (3); Col Pamela Ann Melroy (USAF 3), pilot; and David A. Wolf (ANG 3), Sandra H. Magnus (1), Piers J. Sellers (1), and Fyodor Yurchikhin (1) as mission specialists. Ashby, Melroy, and Wolf made their third flights into space on this mission, while Magnus, Sellers, and Yurchikhin were making their first flights. (32) (http://www.shuttlepresskit.com/STS-112/spk-112.pdf)
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
World News for 7 October thanks to Military Periscope
USA—Army Inks Deal With Palantir For Predictive Modeling Software
Defense News | 10/07/2022
Palantir Technologies has secured a U.S. Army contract for its predictive modeling software to improve forecasts of equipment maintenance requirements, reports Defense News.
The five-year, $85.1 million contract follows a pilot period with Army Materiel Command, which will now expand into additional monitoring of maintenance, sensor and supply data.
The goal is to find efficiencies and problem areas within the Army's supply chain and reduce the amount of time units are sidelined due to a lack of parts or unanticipated breakdowns.
Palantir's software has been used for years in commercial industry, particularly in the aircraft sector, said an unnamed senior official.
Officials also expressed hope that success with the software in the Army will lead to its implementation across the U.S. armed forces.
USA—L3Harris Selects Zmicro Computer For Sky Warden Planes
ZMicro | 10/07/2022
ZMicro, San Diego, Calif., says it has been chosen by L3Harris to supply ruggedized computers for light attack aircraft being supplied to U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM).
Under the program, ZMicro will supply its ZM3 ultralightweight servers for integration with AT-802U Sky Warden aircraft.
The ZM3 is designed to provide the "enterprise-class capabilities of a rack mount server in a fraction of the size and weight, making it ideal for space-constrained applications such as airborne" intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), according to ZMicro officials.
The servers will be installed in the body of the aircraft and connected using optical fiber to a storage docking unit in the cockpit, the company said.
The ZM3 uses a Type 7 COM Express module to support a 16 Core Intel Xeon D Processor with up to 96G DDR4 RAM.
The Sky Warden is intended to provide the functions of larger ISR and armed aircraft into a single, cost-effective platform capable of operating in austere environments.
USA—York Space Systems Chosen For Experimental Satellite Program
Space Development Agency | 10/07/2022
The Space Development Agency says it has selected York Space Systems (Denver, Colo.) to supply a constellation of demonstration and experimental satellites.
The prototype contract, worth up to $200 million, covers the development, production, test, launch integration and deployment of 12 satellites and supporting capabilities for the Tranche 1 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T1DES) program.
The constellation will augment the Tranche 1 Transport Layer satellites with demonstration and experimentation tactical satellite communication (TACSATCOM) and integrated broadcast services from low Earth orbit.
The SDA plans to launch the T1DES space vehicles with the Tranche 1 Tracking satellites on four launches procured through the U.S. Space Force's National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contract. The launches are anticipated in fiscal 2025.
Canada—Defense Chief Orders Focus On Recruiting, Retention In Response To Personnel Crisis
Canadian Press | 10/07/2022
The head of the Canadian Armed Forces has ordered a halt to all non-essential military activity so that leaders can focus on bolstering recruiting and retention amid a growing personnel crisis, reports the Canadian Press.
On Thursday, Gen. Wayne Eyre announced the shift, saying that dramatic action was needed to ensure Canada has the trained forces it needs to respond to growing threats at home and abroad.
Deployments to Iraq, Mali, Ukraine and Latvia as well as in support of domestic COVID-19 and natural disaster relief operations have stressed the military.
Eyre's order shifts the focus of the armed forces after years of a high operational tempo with an interim objective of addressing the shortcomings that are preventing the military from reaching its goals as a modern and combat-ready force.
The armed forces have been suffering from poor recruiting results and a shortage of experienced personnel to train new troops.
Plans call for adding an additional 5,000 military personnel, but the Canadian Armed Forces find themselves short by about 10,000 trained personnel, meaning around one in 10 positions is currently vacant.
The reconstitution is expected to take up to eight years, said Gen. Eyre.
Australia—Lockheed Martin To Build Factory To Bolster Domestic Weapons Production
Breaking Defense | 10/07/2022
Lockheed Martin is stepping up efforts to build weapons production facilities in Australia, reports Breaking Defense.
The company has hired Australian firm Conscia to identify potential future locations for a central manufacturing facility. The factory could be operational two to three years after a location is chosen, said Lockheed.
The move is part of Australia's Aus$1 billion (US$650 million) Sovereign Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance Enterprise (GWEO) program, which was first announced in March 2021.
The goal is to produce more weapons and equipment in Australia to address vulnerabilities in its supply chain.
Lockheed officials say the company will provide the same level of technology and development, including advanced programs and systems, that it has in the U.S.
Lockheed says it will also open a new facility in collaboration with Thales Australia in Muwala, New South Wales. Thales manages the existing government-owned facility at Muwala, which is the only manufacturing site for military propellants and high explosives in Australia.
Ukraine—Russians Blow Up Dam in Donetsk During Retreat
Ukrayinska Pravda | 10/07/2022
Retreating Russian forces have blown up a dam in Donetsk province, reports the Ukrainska Pravda.
The destruction of the dam flooded the adjacent town of Raihorodok, which had a prewar population of 3,900, reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The General Staff also noted that Russian forces were destroying archives and documents related to their occupation in Kadiivka in the Luhansk region.
Important infrastructure buildings in Svatove, also in Luhansk, have been mined, according to the General Staff.
Japan—U.S. Air Force Set To Deploy Reaper Drones To Kyushu
Diplomat | 10/07/2022
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to deploy combat drones to Japan as part of efforts to strengthen maritime surveillance in the waters around the country, reports the Diplomat (Tokyo).
Eight MQ-9 Reaper uncrewed aerial vehicles are slated to be temporarily stationed at the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kanoya Air Base in Kagoshima prefecture on the southern Kyushu Island beginning late this month.
The deployment is scheduled to last a year, conducting intelligence-gathering missions in the East China Sea, according to the Japanese Ministry of Defense.
Last month, U.S. Defense Minister Lloyd Austin and Japanese Defense Minister Hamada Yasukazu agreed that the allies would jointly analyze intelligence gathered by Japanese and American assets, including the Reaper drones.
The UAVs may also be used to help monitor North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile programs, analysts said.
Bangladesh—7 Arrested After Joining New Militant Group
United News of Bangladesh | 10/07/2022
Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) says it has arrested seven people who joined a new militant group, reports the United News of Bangladesh.
On Thursday, the RAB said it had arrested seven people, including four youths, who had joined the Jamatul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya (Jamatul Ansar of Eastern Hind), which was reportedly established in 2017 by leaders and activists from banned groups including Jamatul Mujahedin Bangladesh (JMB), Ansar Al Islam and Harakat ul Jihad-I-Islami Bangladesh (HuJI-B).
Group members ages mostly range between 17 and 25, according to the security service.
The group has an estimated 15-20 members, and they train in the Char areas of the Bhola and Patuakhali districts, according to the RAB.
Greece—7th And Last Roussen-Class Missile Craft Enters Service
Overt Defense | 10/07/2022
The Greek navy has commissioned its seventh and final Roussen-class fast missile craft, reports the Overt Defense news site.
The Ypoploiarchos Vlahakos (P-79) formally entered service during a ceremony at Amfiali Naval Base near Athens on Sept. 29, reported Jane's.
The Roussen-class program was launched in 2000 but it ran into financial issues, delaying the construction of the final ships in the class.
The missile craft feature stealth characteristics and a compact hull, making it an "economical solution" for surveillance, intelligence-gathering, patrol, interdiction and engagement of enemy forces operations, according to BAE Systems, which provided the Super Vita design upon which the Roussen class is based.
The ships are armed with MM40 Exocet Block II and III anti-ship missiles, Leonardo 76-mm Super Rapido naval gun, Rolling Airframe Missiles (RAMs) for air and missile defense and two 30-mm cannons.
It is also fitted with the Thales TACTICOS combat management system, MW08 3D radar, Mirador electro-optical sensor and Scout Mk II low-probability of intercept radar.
Poland—Agreement Reached With U.K. On Missile Programs
Defense News | 10/07/2022
The defense ministers of Poland and U.K. have signed agreements to bolster cooperation on missile programs, reports Defense News.
During a visit to Warsaw this week, British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace met with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, and signed several agreements.
The allies are looking at cooperation to develop a surface-launched, long-range missile.
Poland is also looking at integrating the British Common Anti-Air Modular Missile (CAMM) family of weapons into several new platforms, according to the U.K. Ministry of Defense.
On Tuesday, Blaszczak announced that Poland had fielded the first "small" Narew air defense system, based on the British Sky Sabre and using Polish radars and trucks in addition to British missiles and launchers.
A second system is due to enter service in the first half of 2023.
Warsaw is also seeking to develop a missile for its Wisla medium-range air defense system and planned Miecznik-class frigates, which will be based on the British Arrowhead 140 design.
The sides also agreed to work together on Poland's Pilica+ very short-range air defense system, including integration of the CAMM.
North Korea—Air Force Conducts Strike Drills
Yonhap | 10/07/2022
The North Korean air force held a large-scale air exercise in apparent response to recent drills between the U.S. and South Korea, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).
Eight fighter jets and four bombers made a formation flight just north of inter-Korean air border on Thursday afternoon, according to the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. They are also believed to have conducted strike exercises during the flight.
In response, the South scrambled 30 fighter jets as the North Korean aircraft moved south of the Special Reconnaissance Line, just north of the border. The line was drawn by Seoul for security purposes, experts said.
The North Korean exercise appeared to be a response to recent joint South Korean-U.S. drills held following several North Korean missile tests.
Syria—ISIS Leaders Killed In Pair Of American Ops
Nbc News | 10/07/2022
The U.S. has killed at least three ISIS leaders in northern Syria in a pair of operations this week, reports NBC News.
On Wednesday night, U.S. Central Command conducted a helicopter raid in northeastern Syria near the village of Qamishli, killing Rakkan Wahid al-Shammri, an ISIS official known to facilitate the smuggling of weapons and fighters for the terrorist group, the command said in a release on Thursday.
Another ISIS official was injured, and two others detained in the raid, said CENTCOM. This was one of the first such raids known to have taken place in territory controlled by Syrian regime forces.
Shammri had beheaded two Kurdish women fighters, said a senior U.S. security official.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, a U.S. airstrike in northern Syria killed Abu Ala, one of the top five ISIS commanders, and another ISIS official who was responsible for prison affairs.
No Syrian civilians or U.S. troops were injured or killed during the operations and no American equipment was damaged, officials said.
Nigeria—Military Touts Success In Recent Anti-Terror Operations
Leadership | 10/07/2022
The Nigerian military says it has killed at least 19 militants in its latest operation, reports the Leadership (Abuja).
Over the last two weeks of the ongoing anti-terror Operation Hadin Kai, the Nigerian armed forces killed 19 Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP)/Boko Haram fighters and accepted the surrender of 418. Another 42 "logistics suppliers' were also arrested, a military spokesman said.
Six 6 AK-47 rifles, 14 AK-47 magazines, one HK gun, one G3 rifle, 112 rounds of 7.62-mm ammunition, 285 stolen cattle and eight gallons of Premium Motor Spirit gasoline were also recovered during operations.
At least 22 people held by the militant group were freed, said the military.
Kuwait—NASAMS Medium-Range Air Defense Systems Sought From U.S.
U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency | 10/07/2022
The U.S. State Dept. has approved a potential sale of air defense systems to Kuwait, reports the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
The proposed US$3 billion deal covers National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), including seven AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel radars; 63 AIM-120C8 AMRAAM missiles; 63 AMRAAM-ER missiles; two AIM-120C8 guidance sections; 63 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles; six AIM-9X Block II tactical missile guidance units; 12 Multifunctional Information Distribution Systems-Low Volume Terminal (MIDS LVT) Block Upgrade 2; and 12 MIDS LVT Cryptographic Modules (LCM); fire distribution centers; canister launchers; tactical control center; various communication and navigation systems; and associated technical and logistics support.
The possible sale would improve the ability of Kuwait to meet current and future threats and improve interoperability with U.S. forces and other Gulf countries, the agency said.
Nicaragua—Ortega Cuts Ties With Netherlands, Bars Entry To U.S. Ambassador
Irish Times | 10/07/2022
President Daniel Ortega has decided to end diplomatic relations with the Netherlands after the Dutch government decided not to move forward with a long-planned program to build a hospital in Nicaragua, reports the Irish Times.
On Sept. 30, the Dutch ambassador in Central America, Christine Pirenne, told Nicaraguan officials about the decision. Construction of the hospital had been on hold since 2018 due to concerns about the "deteriorating democracy and human-rights situation" in Nicaragua.
Shortly thereafter, Ortega formally announced the end of diplomatic relations with the Netherlands.
Also last week, the Nicaraguan government declared European Union Amb. Bettina Muscheidt as persona non grata without explanation and barred entry to newly confirmed U.S. Amb. Hugo Rodriguez, after he had called Nicaragua a "pariah state" and "dictatorship" during Senate confirmation hearings.
Cameroon—Villagers Seek Food Aid Before They Will Return Home
Voice Of America News | 10/07/2022
Cameroonian villagers displaced by militant attacks are hesitant to return home despite reassurances from the country's defense minister, reports the Voice of America News.
Defense Minister Joseph Beti Assomo said this week that the 40,000 villagers who fled their homes near Cameroon's borders with Chad and Nigeria amid Boko Haram attacks earlier this year could safely return.
In June, Cameroon deployed hundreds of troops to its northern borders in response to protests demanding government protection from militants.
Assomo said that Boko Haram has reduced its threats and the military is stopping sporadic attacks.
However, the villagers have been reluctant to return home, saying they would not have enough food because they had to abandon their farms and cattle ranches during intense fighting.
The government says it will ensure security and supply planting seeds to villagers who agree to return to their homes.
To date, only 10,000 villagers have returned home, according to government figures.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TheList" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to skipslist+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/skipslist/004e01d8da66%24932dc7c0%24b9895740%24%40san.rr.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.