To All,
Good
Friday Morning 16 December.
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This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History
December 16
1821 Lt. Robert F. Stockton and Dr. Eli Ayers, a naval surgeon and member of American Colonizing Society, persuade a local African king to sell territory for a colony that becomes the Republic of Liberia.
1907 The Great White Fleet departs Hampton Roads, Va. to circumnavigate the world in 14 months, a journey of 43,000 miles that included 20 port calls across six continents. Fourteen thousand Sailors and Marines participated in the voyage, leaving a lasting legacy at home and abroad.
1922 Lt. Cmdr. Walter A. Edwards, commanding USS Bainbridge (DD 246), leads the rescue of 482 passengers from the burning French transport Vinh-Long by placing his destroyer in dangerous positions to ensure the passengers could disembark, despite a series of explosions. He later brings them to Constantinople. For his leadership and heroism, Edwards receives the Medal of Honor.
1944 USS Swordfish (SS 193) attacks a Japanese convoy south of Hainan Island and sinks Japanese army transport Atsutasan Maru.
1998 In Operation Desert Fox, Navy cruise missiles attack Iraq to degrade Saddam Husseins ability to make and use weapons of mass destruction.
2017 The Freedom variant littoral combat ship USS Little Rock (LCS 9) is commissioned in a ceremony at the Canalside waterfront in Buffalo, New York. It is the second warship named for the Arkansas state capital and is commissioned alongside the first USS Little Rock (CL 92), which serves as a museum at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park.
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2016 Today in History December 16
| 1431 | Henry VI of England is crowned King of France. | |
| 1653 | Oliver Cromwell takes on dictatorial powers with the title of "Lord Protector." | |
| 1773 | To protest the tax on tea from England, a group of young Americans, disguised as Indians, throw chests of tea from British ships in Boston Harbor. | |
| 1835 | A fire in New York City destroys property estimated to be worth $20,000,000. It lasts two days, ravages 17 blocks, and destroys 674 buildings including the Stock Exchange, Merchants' Exchange, Post Office, and the South Dutch Church. | |
| 1863 | Confederate General Joseph Johnston takes command of the Army of Tennessee. | |
| 1864 | Union forces under General George H. Thomas win the battle at Nashville, smashing an entire Confederate army. | |
| 1930 | In Spain, a general strike is called in support of the revolution. | |
| 1939 | The National Women's Party urges immediate congressional action on equal rights. | |
| 1940 | British troops carry out an air raid on Italian Somalia. | |
| 1944 | Germany mounts a major offensive in the Ardennes Forest in Belgium. As the center of the Allied line falls back, it creates a bulge, leading to the name--the Battle of the Bulge. | |
| 1949 | Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse-tung is received at the Kremlin in Moscow. | |
| 1950 | President Harry Truman declares a state of National Emergency as Chinese communists invade deeper into South Korea. | |
| 1976 | President Jimmy Carter appoints Andrew Young as Ambassador to the United Nations. | |
| 1978 | Cleveland becomes the first U.S. city to default since the depression. | |
| 1998 | The United States launches a missile attack on Iraq for failing to comply with United Nations weapons inspectors. | |
| 2003 | President George W. Bush signs the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, which establishes the United States' first national standards regarding email and gives the Federal Trade Commission authority to enforce the act. |
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Friday, 16 December 2022… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 16 December 1967… A disastrous night in the Bear cave on Mount Ogden…
… #2 For The List for Friday, 16 December 2022… post lost to computer problem recovered… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 16 December 1967… A day late, but good stuff for the record…
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 https://www.vhpa.org/KIA/KIAINDEX.HTM
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Thanks to the Bear
Fwd: [Helobubbas] Intense Video Emerges Of Yesterday's F-35B Crash At Fort Worth
Ouch… Bear
Begin forwarded message:
From: dickcatone <dickcatone@bellsouth.net>
Date: December 15, 2022 at 3:18:14 PM MST
Subject: Fw: [Helobubbas] Intense Video Emerges Of Today's F-35B Crash At Fort Worth
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/intense-video-emerges-of-todays-f-35b-crash-at-fort-worth
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Great Mig 21 video Thanks to Denny
Here is a good clip I had not seen before.
Best,
Denny Who said it was a lot of fun to fly and easy to maintain Just Gas and oil
This is very interesting and well done
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Another Thanks to Denny
Here is a great story of a C-130/F-35 midair near El Centro.
Denny
Great story of survival
USMC KC-130J Collision With an F-35 over the Salton Sea
https://www.coffeeordie.com/raider-five-zero
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Thanks to Brett…..Interesting read
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: On Jet Lag
Thoughts in and around geopolitics.
By: George Friedman
December 16, 2022
Meredith and I spent the past six weeks traveling. We went to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Germany, Italy, Abu Dhabi, Canada (twice) and several places in the United States. In the months before this trip, we went to Europe twice, including stints in Poland, Hungary and Austria. Incidentally, this is why I have not been able to answer your email comments, which I apologize for and will reform.
The purpose of these trips was always to converse with selected audiences who were under the illusion that I had valuable thoughts to impart. I am arrogant enough to believe this is true, but over the course of weeks, the arrogance falters. There is a ditty, I believe from Disney, claiming that it's "a small world after all," but on all these trips I discover that's a lie. The world is vast, filled with any number of hopes and fears and anger.
I didn't get to confront any of these on this trip, or on most of the trips I have taken since leaving my bell bottoms at home. I meet what I call members of the managerial class. They have much to offer, but I suspect they are more like me than they are like their countrymen. For one thing, they all speak English. Even in Hungary, whose language does not resemble any other human tongue, and which I can actually speak, I delivered my speeches in English. The managerial class may not "own" the country, but they make it work, whether they are in business, government, academia or shop-lifting. They are of their country, but I am not sure they embody their country.
The managerial class follows America meticulously. America is their trading power, their military ally, a place they visit regularly. In some countries, America is a land to pity; in others, it is a land to dread. But everywhere it is a land to watch. The managerial class cannot manage without knowing what the Americans will do next.
Their view is amusing to Americans because they seem to think that the U.S. has grand designs on all the things they care about, and they explain those plans with care. Their articulation of America's cleverly planned intentions always leaves me sad. I have to explain that the vast and chaotic United States may have some guy at a gray, metal desk thinking about them but that normally no one cares what he thinks. He is at his crummy desk precisely because he peaked in high school and has been lurching downward ever since. There is no one plan but a dozen potential plans that no one can agree on. America is so vast and sufficiently self-absorbed that government and corporations struggle to manage themselves, let alone the world. Yes, American plans could transform these countries. But the founders did not want an efficient government, and many American corporations don't plan past next month – or, if they do, the plans tend to be unrecognizable after six months. Americans fixate on the next moment, which limits their ability to organize around and execute a single plan.
Thus is the profound fault line of our times. The global managerial class has modeled itself on the leading managerial culture at the moment: America's. It is so taken by American culture that it imputes a level of Machiavellian intentions and execution to a nation that was designed to be disorderly. They speak perfect English but can't understand that Americans have enough wealth and depth to survive irresponsible clashes that would sink other countries. They expect an intentionality from the United States, and when it is not obvious what it is, they invent one. They need us to be something we aren't.
When I return home from my travels, my brain disconnects from the reality of my life. This is called jet lag, but I don't believe that traveling itself causes it. There is a wrenching difference between the life I lead in America and what the global managerial class thinks I do. In my travels, I cannot allow myself to stop thinking. When I'm home, my brain is unmoored from the things I was asked and the answers I gave, and I enter a world where random and absurd thoughts carry no consequences. Here, my wife and I can have a satisfying argument about nothing worth arguing over.
America is the land where it mostly doesn't matter. The rest of the world doesn't have that luxury. I am free to wonder if Trump is going to jail or if Biden is actually senile – things that don't really affect my life. In the rest of the world, the stakes are higher.
And this is the origin of jet lag: the transfer from countries that dread what the U.S. plans to do next – places that cannot fathom a world in which Americans don't think in ways others presume they do – to a country that cushions everyday life.
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Thanks to Carl….click the URL for the entire article
U.S. Patent Office Awards Dr. Rath Research Institute With World's First Patents For Natural Health Technologies To Fight Widespread Human Diseases
Published by Paul Anthony Taylor at December 16, 2022
In a major development, following a rigorous review process, the United States Patent Office has awarded the Dr. Rath Research Institute with the world's first patents for natural health technologies to fight widespread human diseases. Including patents for micronutrient combinations to fight high blood pressure, diabetes, viral infections, and cancer, as well as for promoting eye health, the recognition of these cutting-edge technologies constitutes an important step towards the establishing of natural approaches as the new focus for modern healthcare.
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This Day in U S Military History
December 16
1942 – Admiral Tanaka's supply run is attacked again, US dive bombers sink the destroyer Kagero off Guadalcanal. On land, US troops move on Mount Austen.
1944 – With the Anglo-Americans closing in on Germany from the west and the Soviets approaching from the east, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler orders a massive attack against the western Allies by three German armies. The German counterattack out of the densely wooded Ardennes region of Belgium took the Allies entirely by surprise, and the experienced German troops wrought havoc on the American line, creating a triangular "bulge" 60 miles deep and 50 miles wide along the Allied front. Conditions of fog and mist prevented the unleashing of Allied air superiority, and for several days Hitler's desperate gamble seemed to be paying off. However, unlike the French in 1940, the embattled Americans kept up a fierce resistance even after their lines of communication had been broken, buying time for a three-point counteroffensive led by British General Bernard Montgomery and Americans generals Omar Bradley and George Patton. The Germans threw 250,000 soldiers into the initial assault, 14 German infantry divisions guarded by five panzer divisions-against a mere 80,000 Americans. Their assault came in early morning at the weakest part of the Allied line, an 80-mile poorly protected stretch of hilly, woody forest (the Allies simply believed the Ardennes too difficult to traverse, and therefore an unlikely location for a German offensive). Between the vulnerability of the thin, isolated American units and the thick fog that prevented Allied air cover from discovering German movement, the Germans were able to push the Americans into retreat. One particularly effective German trick was the use of English-speaking German commandos who infiltrated American lines and, using captured U.S. uniforms, trucks, and jeeps, impersonated U.S. military and sabotaged communications. The ploy caused widespread chaos and suspicion among the American troops as to the identity of fellow soldiers–even after the ruse was discovered. Even General Omar Bradley himself had to prove his identity three times–by answering questions about football and Betty Grable–before being allowed to pass a sentry point. The battle raged for three weeks, resulting in a massive loss of American and civilian life. Nazi atrocities abounded, including the murder of 72 American soldiers by SS soldiers in the Ardennes town of Malmedy. Historian Stephen Ambrose estimated that by war's end, "Of the 600,000 GIs involved, almost 20,000 were killed, another 20,000 were captured, and 40,000 were wounded." The United States also suffered its second-largest surrender of troops of the war: More than 7,500 members of the 106th Infantry Division capitulated at one time at Schnee Eifel. The devastating ferocity of the conflict also made desertion an issue for the American troops; General Eisenhower was forced to make an example of Private Eddie Slovik, the first American executed for desertion since the Civil War. Fighting was particularly fierce at the town of Bastogne, where the 101st Airborne Division and part of the 10th Armored Division were encircled by German forces within the bulge. On December 22, the German commander besieging the town demanded that the Americans surrender or face annihilation. U.S. Major General Anthony McAuliffe prepared a typed reply that read simply: "To the German Commander: Nuts! From the American Commander." The Americans who delivered the message explained to the perplexed Germans that the one-word reply was translatable as "Go to hell!" Heavy fighting continued at Bastogne, but the 101st held on. On December 23, the skies finally cleared over the battle areas, and the Allied air forces inflicted heavy damage on German tanks and transport, which were jammed solidly along the main roads. On December 26, Bastogne was relieved by elements of General Patton's 3rd Army. A major Allied counteroffensive began at the end of December, and by January 21 the Germans had been pushed back to their original line. Germany's last major offensive of the war had cost them 120,000 men, 1,600 planes, and 700 tanks.
1950 – In the wake of the massive Chinese intervention in the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman declares a state of emergency. Proclaiming that "Communist imperialism" threatened the world's people, Truman called upon the American people to help construct an "arsenal of freedom." In November, the stakes in the Korean War dramatically escalated with the intervention of hundreds of thousands of communist Chinese troops. Prior to their arrival on the battlefield, the U.S. forces seemed on the verge of victory in Korea. Just days after General Douglas MacArthur declared an "end the war offensive," however, massive elements of the Chinese army smashed into the American lines and drove the U.S. forces back. The "limited war" in Korea threatened to turn into a widespread conflict. Against this backdrop, Truman issued his state of emergency and the U.S. military-industrial complex went into full preparations for a possible third world war. The president's proclamation vastly expanded his executive powers and gave Mobilization Director Charles E. Wilson nearly unlimited authority to coordinate the country's defense program. Such an increase in government power had not been seen since World War II. The Soviet Union, which Truman blamed for most of the current world problems in the course of his speech, blasted the United States for "warmongering." Congress, most of America's allies, and the American people appeared to be strongly supportive of the President's tough talk and actions. Truman's speech, and the events preceding it, indicated that the Cold War-so long a battle of words and threats-had become an actual military reality. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953.
1953 – Charles E. Yeager flew 2,575 kph in Bell X-1A.
1997 – The Galileo spacecraft flew to within 124 miles of the surface and recorded images of Europa. Volcanic ice flows implicated a vast ocean below the surface. Giant lightning bolts on Jupiter, a hundred times more powerful than those on Earth, were reported via the spacecraft and it indicated a magnetic field around Ganymede. It also indicated an atmosphere of hydrogen and carbon dioxide around Callisto. Metallic cores inside Io, Ganymede and Europa and the lack of a similar core inside Callisto was also indicated.
1998 – In Operation Desert Fox, Navy cruise missiles attack Iraq. Pres. Clinton ordered a sustained series of missile strikes against Iraq forces in response to Saddam Hussein's continued defiance of UN weapons inspectors. Iraqi envoy Nizar Hamdoon accused UN weapons inspector Richard Butler of producing a biased report on weapons inspections. The strike came one before scheduled vote on Clinton's impeachment by the House of Representatives and days before the beginning of Ramadan. Some 200 missiles fell on Iraq in the first 24 hours of the attack and initial reports indicated two people killed and 30 injured. The House Republicans postponed impeachment by at least 24 hours.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
WELCH, GEORGE W.
Rank and organization: Private, Company A, 11th Missouri Infantry. Place and date: At Nashville, Tenn., 16 December 1864. Entered service at: Keokuk, Lee County, lowa. Birth: Brown County, lowa. Date of issue: 24 February 1965 Citation: Captured the flag of the 13th Alabama Infantry (C.S.A.).
EDWARDS, WALTER ATLEE
Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Sea of Marmora, Turkey, 16 December 1922. Born: 8 November 1886, Philadelphia, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 123, 4 February 1924. (Medal presented by President Coolidge at the White House on 2 February 1924.) Other Navy award: Navy Cross. Citation: For heroism in rescuing 482 men, women and children from the French military transport Vinh-Long, destroyed by fire in the Sea of Marmora, Turkey, on 16 December 1922. Lt. Comdr. Edwards, commanding the U.S.S. Bainbridge, placed his vessel alongside the bow of the transport and, in spite of several violent explosions which occurred on the burning vessel, maintained his ship in that position until all who were alive were taken on board. Of a total of 495 on board, 482 were rescued by his coolness, judgment and professional skill, which were combined with a degree of heroism that must reflect new glory on the U.S. Navy.
McGARlTY, VERNON
Rank and organization: Technical Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company L, 393d Infantry, 99th Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Krinkelt, Belgium, 16 December 1944. Entered service at: Model, Tenn. Born: 1 December 1921, Right, Tenn. G.O. No.: 6, 11 January 1946. Citation: He was painfully wounded in an artillery barrage that preceded the powerful counteroffensive launched by the Germans near Krinkelt, Belgium, on the morning of 16 December 1944. He made his way to an aid station, received treatment, and then refused to be evacuated, choosing to return to his hard-pressed men instead. The fury of the enemy's great Western Front offensive swirled about the position held by T/Sgt. McGarity's small force, but so tenaciously did these men fight on orders to stand firm at all costs that they could not be dislodged despite murderous enemy fire and the breakdown of their communications. During the day the heroic squad leader rescued 1 of his friends who had been wounded in a forward position, and throughout the night he exhorted his comrades to repulse the enemy's attempts at infiltration. When morning came and the Germans attacked with tanks and infantry, he braved heavy fire to run to an advantageous position where he immobilized the enemy's lead tank with a round from a rocket launcher. Fire from his squad drove the attacking infantrymen back, and 3 supporting tanks withdrew. He rescued, under heavy fire, another wounded American, and then directed devastating fire on a light cannon which had been brought up by the hostile troops to clear resistance from the area. When ammunition began to run low, T/Sgt. McGarity, remembering an old ammunition hole about 100 yards distant in the general direction of the enemy, braved a concentration of hostile fire to replenish his unit's supply. By circuitous route the enemy managed to emplace a machinegun to the rear and flank of the squad's position, cutting off the only escape route. Unhesitatingly, the gallant soldier took it upon himself to destroy this menace single-handedly. He left cover, and while under steady fire from the enemy, killed or wounded all the hostile gunners with deadly accurate rifle fire and prevented all attempts to reman the gun. Only when the squad's last round had been fired was the enemy able to advance and capture the intrepid leader and his men. The extraordinary bravery and extreme devotion to duty of T/Sgt. McGarity supported a remarkable delaying action which provided the time necessary for assembling reserves and forming a line against which the German striking power was shattered.
MURRAY, CHARLES P., JR.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company C, 30th Infantry, 3d Infantry Division. Place and date: Near Kaysersberg, France, 16 December 1944. Entered service at: Wilmington, N.C. Birth: Baltimore, Md. G.O. No.: 63, 1 August 1945. Citation: For commanding Company C, 30th Infantry, displaying supreme courage and heroic initiative near Kaysersberg, France, on 16 December 1944, while leading a reinforced platoon into enemy territory. Descending into a valley beneath hilltop positions held by our troops, he observed a force of 200 Germans pouring deadly mortar, bazooka, machinegun, and small arms fire into an American battalion occupying the crest of the ridge. The enemy's position in a sunken road, though hidden from the ridge, was open to a flank attack by 1st Lt. Murray's patrol but he hesitated to commit so small a force to battle with the superior and strongly disposed enemy. Crawling out ahead of his troops to a vantage point, he called by radio for artillery fire. His shells bracketed the German force, but when he was about to correct the range his radio went dead. He returned to his patrol, secured grenades and a rifle to launch them and went back to his self-appointed outpost. His first shots disclosed his position; the enemy directed heavy fire against him as he methodically fired his missiles into the narrow defile. Again he returned to his patrol. With an automatic rifle and ammunition, he once more moved to his exposed position. Burst after burst he fired into the enemy, killing 20, wounding many others, and completely disorganizing its ranks, which began to withdraw. He prevented the removal of 3 German mortars by knocking out a truck. By that time a mortar had been brought to his support. 1st Lt. Murray directed fire of this weapon, causing further casualties and confusion in the German ranks. Calling on his patrol to follow, he then moved out toward his original objective, possession of a bridge and construction of a roadblock. He captured 10 Germans in foxholes. An eleventh, while pretending to surrender, threw a grenade which knocked him to the ground, inflicting 8 wounds. Though suffering and bleeding profusely, he refused to return to the rear until he had chosen the spot for the block and had seen his men correctly deployed. By his single-handed attack on an overwhelming force and by his intrepid and heroic fighting, 1st Lt. Murray stopped a counterattack, established an advance position against formidable odds, and provided an inspiring example for the men of his command.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for December 16, 2020 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 December
1907: The Chief Signal Officer called for bids on a lighter-than-air "airship." (24)
1958: Launching operations began down the Pacific Missile Range with a successful Thor missile shot from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. This was the first ballistic missile flight over the Pacific Ocean. (6) At Dover AFB, Del., Brig Gen Robert J. Goewey flew a C-133 Cargomaster with the heaviest load in aviation history to date. The aircraft carried 117,000 pounds to 10,000 feet. (24)
1960: From Vandenberg AFB, Calif., the Strategic Air Command fired the first Atlas-D equipped with a Mark-3 nose cone over a 4,384-mile course to Eniwetok Island. (24) The Semi-automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) facility at Gunter AFS, Ala., controlled two BOMARC-B missiles launched from Eglin AFB, Fla., and directed their interception of a B-47 drone flying at 500 MPH at 30,000 feet. (24)
1963: A 13-man Air Force and Army team set a 41,000-foot free-fall parachute record.
1970: The 509th Bombardment Wing at Pease AFB, N. H., received the Strategic Air Command's first combat-capable FB-111A. (12)
1976: First F-16A delivered to Edwards AFB, Calif., for testing. (12)
1982: The 416th Bombardment Wing at Griffiss AFB, N.Y., became the first Strategic Air Command unit to be operationally equipped with Air Launched Cruise Missiles. (6) (12)
1985: Pioneer 6 becomes the longest running spacecraft in history. When launched in 1965, the solarorbiting satellite had a six-month life expectancy. (8: Dec 90)
1992: MACKAY TROPHY. At night, a B-52 from the 668th Bomb Squadron lost two engines in flight when one exploded and damaged another. Two other engines on the same side of the aircraft flamed out, forcing the crew into frantic maneuvers to save the aircraft. The pilot managed to restart the two flamed-out engines and land the plane safely. For that feat, the crew received the trophy. (16) (26)
1996: At Seymour Johnson AFB, N. C., Gen Richard E. Hawley, Air Combat Command Commander, and Congressman Walter B. Jones Jr. of North Carolina, named the thirteenth B-2 the "Spirit of Kitty Hawk" to honor the Wright Brothers first flight. (AFNEWS Article 961250, Dec 96) General Hawley also announced that the 509th Bombardment Wing had achieved a limited operational capability with B-2 and conventional weapons at Whiteman AFB, Mo. (AFNEWS Article 961330, Dec 96) Lockheed Martin celebrated a major milestone in C-130 history, when the company assembled its last "H" model to end a 32-year production run. The C-130H was first introduced in 1964 and has been in steady production since. (AFNEWS Article 961271, 16 Dec 96)
1998: Operation DESERT FOX/PHOENIX SCORPION IV. The US and Great Britain initiated the operation against Iraq after Iraq prevented UN weapons inspectors from continuing their work. In the 4-day operation, cruise missiles and aircraft strikes hit about 100 Iraqi weapons production facilities. It was the largest air campaign against the Iraqis since DESERT STORM in 1991, and it featured the first use of the B-1B in combat. Under PHOENIX SCORPION IV, the Air Mobility Command deployed forces that were placed on alert a month earlier as a CONUS Crisis Response Force. In the 4-day deployment, Air Mobility Command aircraft flew 159 missions to airlift 2,462 passengers and 1,940 short tons of cargo. Air National Guardsmen and Air Force Reservists from five different units, plus several active duty units assigned to the Northeast Tanker Task Force in Maine, refueled Air Force aircraft deploying to the Persian Gulf. (21) (22) (32) A 33d Fighter Wing F-15D from Eglin AFB, Fla., became the first in the Air Force inventory to log 6,000 flying hours. (30)
2000: Lockheed Martin's X-35C Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator for the Navy made its first flight, a 27-minute trip, from Palmdale to Edwards AFB in California to begin flight testing. It resembled the USAF's X-35A, but had larger wing and control surfaces, ailerons, and a special structure for high-impact landings for carrier operations. (3)
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World News for 16 December thanks to Military Periscope
F-35B Goes Down During Hovering Test; Pilot Ejects
Source: USNI News
December 15 2022
USA
An advanced stealth fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps has crashed during testing at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas, reports USNI News.
On Thursday a U.S. government pilot was testing the F-35B short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) jet when it suffered an unspecified failure during a hover and crashed. The pilot ejected safely.
The fighter had not yet been delivered to the U.S. government.
Lockheed Martin's F-35 final assembly plant shares a runway with the joint base.
Head Of Air Force Training Wing Loses Job
Source: Air Force Times
December 15 2022
USA
The commander of the 81st Training Wing at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., has been removed from his post, reports the Air Force Times.
On Tuesday, Maj. Gen. Michele Edmondson, the 2nd Air Force chief, announced that Col. William Hunter had been relieved of duty, citing a loss of trust and confidence.
No further details were made public.
Hunter had led the 81st Training Wing since June 2021.
The wing provides more than 160 courses for Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard personnel.
L3 Harris Wins Deal For Smart Bomb-Release Systems For 3 Countries
Source: L3 Harris Technologies
December 15 2022
Bahrain
Jordan
Morocco
USA
L3 Harris Technologies says it has received a contract to supply smart bomb-release systems to Morocco, Jordan and Bahrain.
The US$29 million contract covers the provision of BRU-57/A bomb-release units, allowing F-16s to carry two smart weapons on each hardpoint instead of one. The systems are compatible with 500-pound (227-kg) and 1,000-pound (454-kg) guided weapons.
The release systems are also compatible with other strike platforms.
The indefinite-delivery contract covers an initial lot of 105 release systems, noted L3 Harris.
Senate Approves $858 Billion Defense Budget
Source: The Hill
December 15 2022
USA
The U.S. Senate has approved the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including a provision to end the military's COVID vaccine requirement, reports the Hill (Washington, D.C.).
The budget totals $858 billion, about $45 billion more than the White House's request.
President Biden is expected to sign the bill, despite the Republican provision to end the COVID vaccine mandate, which he has described as "a mistake."
The NDAA also amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to better support alleged victims of sexual assault and requires investigators outside of the immediate chain-of-command to investigate sexual harassment complaints.
Congress added more money on nearly every line item for which the Biden administration requested funding, analysts said.
Washington Bolsters Combined Arms Warfare Training For Ukrainians
Source: New York Times
December 15 2022
Ukraine
USA
U.S. forces are set to train more Ukrainians on combined arms warfare at their base in Grafenwoehr, Germany, reports the New York Times.
The U.S. is currently training around 300 Ukrainian troops per month. This number is expected to increase to 500, and possibly as high as 800, according to officials.
The training is intended to fill gaps between basic training provided by British forces and the current advanced, specialized weapons training provided by the U.S.
Wagner Group Infiltrating Border, Warns Ghanaian President
Source: State Dept.
December 15 2022
Ghana
Burkina Faso
President Nana Akufo-Addo says that Russian-backed mercenaries infiltrating Ghana through the border with Burkina Faso, reported the State Dept.
During a visit to Washington, Akufo-Addo said that Burkina Faso, working with Mali, had hired Kremlin-linked Wagner Group mercenaries, who were now operating on Ghana's northern border.
The deal was likely paid for through a deal transferring rights to a mine in southern Burkina Faso, he said.
Burkinabe officials had been in Moscow for the previous 10 days, during which it is believed the deal was finalized.
Akufo-Addo also discussed the divisions in West Africa between democracies and the military governments in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali following coups in those countries.
Last French Soldiers Depart CAR
Source: Agence France-Presse
December 15 2022
France
Central African Republic
The last French soldiers deployed to the Central African Republic (CAR) have departed, reports Agence France-Presse.
On Friday, 47 members of a French logistics unit, the last of a contingent of 130 soldiers, left Bangui airport on a C-130 transport aircraft.
At its peak, France had 1,600 troops on the ground as part of Operation Sangaris, which ran from 2013 to 2016.
Last year, Paris made the decision to end its military mission in the CAR.
Since 2018, the CAR has strengthened ties with Russia, including inviting Russian advisers and mercenaries to bolster security.
Joint Exercise Kicks Off With Kazakhstan
Source: United News of India
December 15 2022
India
Kazakhstan
India and Kazakhstan have just begun a joint training exercise in northeastern india, reports the United News of India.
The KAZIND drills kicked off on Dec. 15 at the Umroi Military Station in the Ri-Bhoi district of Meghalaya state and are scheduled to conclude on Dec. 28.
The training is focused on sharing strategic ideas, fostering bilateral ties and improving counterterror and combat capabilities.
Some drills will cover potential threats that could be encountered during U.N. peacekeeping missions.
Kazakhstan is sending troops from its Regional Command South, while India is deploying forces from the 11th Gorkha Rifles.
Officials emphasized that exercise was previously planned and unrelated to recent border clashes between Chinese and Indian soldiers.
Cabinet Approves Major Defense Spending Increase
Source: Asahi Shimbun
December 15 2022
Japan
The Cabinet has released Japan's latest national security strategy, national defense strategy and defense capability enhancement plan, reports the Asahi Shimbun (Tokyo).
The documents, published on Friday, call for a new framework for Japanese defense, moving away from its traditional focus on strict homeland defense.
Among other reforms, the strategies approve pre-emptive strikes in the cyber domain and against ballistic missile launch sites.
The new national security documents endorse a US$313 billion increase in defense spending over the next five years in response to anticipated threats from China, North Korea and Russia.
Suspected Mercenaries Intercepted En Route To Libya
Source: Malta Today
December 15 2022
Malta
Libya
Several men believed to be mercenaries were intercepted in Malta on their way to Libya, reports Malta Today.
The private military contractors, including ex-British military servicemembers, were arrested by Maltese police, while trying to board a private flight to Libya last weekend.
The men were released with no charges filed but were forbidden from using Maltese airspace to travel to North Africa. They are believed to already have left the Mediterranean country.
The group's exact destination and plan were not made public.
Solid-State ICBM Motor Tested Successfully
Source: NK News
December 15 2022
North Korea
North Korea has reportedly reached another milestone in its development of long-range, nuclear-capable missiles, reports NK News, citing North Korean state media.
A Dec. 15 test at the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground in northwestern North Korea met the design goals for elements of "the five top-priority tasks in the field of strategic weapons," established at the January 2021 party congress, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea.
This language suggests that a new solid-fuel motor involved in the test is intended for nuclear weapon systems, analysts said.
Solid-state propellant would allow North Korea to more quickly launch its ballistic missiles, potentially faster than any pre-emptive strike.
Death Toll In Protests Hits 15
Source: Reuters
December 15 2022
Peru
The Peruvian government has ordered ex-President Pedro Castillo to be held in pre-trial detention for 18 months, after deeming him a flight risk, reports Reuters.
The decision comes as protests by Castillo's supporters continued for a second week.
Peruvian authorities said that 15 people have been killed during the protests, which triggered a national state of emergency earlier this week.
Castillo was impeached on Dec. 7 and removed from power after attempting a coup.
Nevertheless, leftist governments in the region have called for Castillo to be reinstated.
Meanwhile, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, the U.S. and Uruguay have all recognized President Dina Boluarte as the head of the legitimate Peruvian government.
Joint Border Patrols With Italy Resume
Source: Euractiv
December 15 2022
Slovenia
Italy
Italy and Slovenia have restarted joint police and border force patrols to stem illegal crossings, reports Euractiv.
The patrols will only take place in areas where illegal crossings are most frequent and will include searches of buses, trains and cars, police said.
The patrols consist of teams of one Italian and two Slovenian police officers and are only being conducted on the Slovenian side of the shared border.
Italian police data shows that illegal border crossings have risen by 57 percent year-on-year.
9 Injured In Car Bombing In Southeast
Source: Middle East Eye
December 15 2022
Turkey
At least nine people have been injured in a car bombing in southeastern Turkey, reports the Middle East Eye (London).
The vehicle bomb was parked and detonated when a riot police minibus passed it on a highway. The explosion caused the minibus to flip over.
Eight police officers and a bystander were injured in the attack. Seven of the victims were quickly discharged from the hospital.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although Turkish police said they had arrested two suspects.
Kizilelma Uncrewed Fighter Makes 1st Flight
Source: Hurriyet Daily News
December 15 2022
Turkey
A new Turkish uncrewed fighter jet has flown for the first time, reports the Hurriyet Daily News (Istanbul).
On Thursday, Baykar Technologies launched the Bayraktar Kizilelma uncrewed aircraft during the Teknofest aerospace and technology festival in the northern Samsun province.
The Kizilelma is expected to carry a 3,300-pound (1,500-kg) payload, with a range of 580 miles (930 km), ceiling of 35,000 feet (10,670 m) and maximum speed of 560 mph (900 kph).
11 ADF Rebels Killed In Border Clash
Source: Voice of America News
December 15 2022
Uganda
Ugandan troops have killed 11 rebels seeking to enter the country, reports the Voice of America News.
On Monday, around 30 members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group crossed into Uganda from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the Ugandan army.
In the subsequent gun battle with Ugandan troops, 11 rebels were killed and eight others captured. Several others are unaccounted for.
Authorities said the ADF fighters were seeking to carry out reprisals against civilians in Ugandan border villages.
In November 2021, Uganda deployed troops to the eastern DRC as part of a local campaign to combat the ADF.
Since 1995, the ADF has been active in the border areas of Uganda and the eastern DRC. It is believed responsible for killing more than 700 civilians.
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