Good Tuesday morning January 3, 2023.
I hope you all had a great weekend. Back to work this week and this is a bubba Breakfast Friday.
Warm regards
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
January. 3
1904 - Marines from USS Dixie arrive in Panama.
1909—USS Scorpion arrives to help the survivors of the Messina, Sicily earthquake. With the Great White Fleet making its way through the Suez Canal, President T. Roosevelt orders the U.S. Navy to assist.
1943—USS Humboldt (AVP 21) rescues 10 survivors from the Philippines motor-ship Dona Aurora, which was sunk by Italian submarine Enrico Tazzol on Dec. 25, 1942.
1944—Marine Maj. Gregory Boyington is shot down by Japanese and taken prison of war.
1945—Task Force 38, under Vice Adm. John S. McCain, begins operations against Japanese airfields and shipping in the Formosa area, with aircraft sinking six enemy ships.
1945—USS Kingfish (SS 234) attacks a Japanese convoy in the Bonin Islands sinking a Japanese army cargo ship and two freighters 200 miles north of Chichi Jima.
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Today in History January 3
1521 Martin Luther is excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.
1777 General George Washington defeats the British led by British General Lord Charles Cornwallis, at Princeton, New Jersey.
1861 Delaware rejects a proposal that it join the South in seceding from the Union.
1903 The Bulgarian government renounces the Treaty of Commerce tying it to the Austro-Hungarian empire.
1910 The Social Democratic Congress in Germany demands universal suffrage.
1912 Plans are announced for a new $150,000 Brooklyn stadium for the Trolley Dodgers baseball team.
1916 Three armored Japanese cruisers are ordered to guard the Suez Canal.
1920 The last of the U.S. troops depart France.
1921 Italy halts the issuing of passports to those emigrating to the United States.
1924 King Tutankhamen's sarcophagus is uncovered near Luxor, Egypt.
1930 The second conference on Germany's war reparations begins at the Hague, in the Netherlands.
1931 Hundreds of farmers storm a small town in depression-plagued Arkansas demanding food.
1933 The Japanese take Shuangyashan, China, killing 500 Chinese.
1946 President Harry S. Truman calls on Americans to spur Congress to act on the on-going labor crisis.
1958 The British create the West Indies Federation with Lord Hailes as governor general.
1959 Alaska is admitted into the Union as the 49th and largest state.
1959 Fidel Castro takes command of the Cuban army.
1961 The United States breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba.
1966 Cambodia warns the United Nations of retaliation unless the United States and South Vietnam end intrusions.
1977 Apple Computers incorporates.
1978 North Vietnamese troops reportedly occupy 400 square miles in Cambodia. North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops were using Laos and Cambodia as staging areas for attacks against allied forces.
1985 President Ronald Reagan condemns a rash of arson attacks on abortion clinics.
1990 Manuel Noriega, former leader of Panama, surrenders to US forces.
1993 George H. W. Bush and Boris Yeltsin sign the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START).
1994 More than 7 million people receive South African citizenship that had previously been denied under Apartheid policies.
1996 The first mobile flip phone, the Motorola StarTAC, goes on sale.
1999 Mars Polar Lander launched.
2000 The last original weekday Peanuts comic strip is published after a 50-year run, following the death of the strip's creator, Charles Schultz.
1924 King Tut's sarcophagus uncovered »
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
… For The List for Tuesday, 3 January 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 3 January 1968… The costs of war…a one-year Report Card…
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
2023: Last Chance for Survival?
Greetings to All,
On the eve of a New Year, we are a nation falling out-of-control in the clutches of a tightening spin (or is it an increasingly slippery slope?)… What now?
Stick forward, power up, and full opposite rudder. Neutral ailerons. When the spin stops, neutralize rudders, and when the wings are level, gently ease the nose up to horizon maintaining flying speed. Accelerate to cruising speed. Climb. Thank Jesus.
Or, hold the stick and rudder where they are, kiss the republic goodbye, and pray.
The usual wish for our country and our people entering a new year is for Peace and Prosperity. This year everything must start with The TRUTH… Our government, our elected representatives, and every talking head that appears on a screen or writes for the media, must tell the truth and nothing but The TRUTH. That is the equivalent of moving the stick forward. In addition, countless of our leaders and commentators have abandoned INTEGRITY as a paramount driver of their personal and professional responsibilities. INTEGRITY must be restored. That's the opposite rudder. And finally, massive COMMON SENSE must be restored to their decisions. Cockamamie ideas must be abandoned (e.g. Green New Deal, Open Borders, and Free Money). That's the added power. With these corrections, recovery from the spin becomes possible…
Forget PEACE and PROSPERITY for 2023. What we need is TRUTH, INTEGRITY and COMMON SENSE restored in our government and the media. Without these essential qualities of character, the death spiral will continue and America will end up in a smoking hole on the trash heap of history.
2023: NOW or NEVER…. TRUTH, INTEGRITY and COMMON SENSE… That's my wish for 2023 and that's my prayer. Without these essentials health, happiness, peace and prosperity are unattainable… Bear🇺🇸⚓️
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Thanks to Brett
January 3, 2023
Geopolitical Futures - Daily Memo: Moscow's Warnings to Tokyo
Russian warnings. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko warned against Japan's move toward militarization, saying Moscow may be forced to take retaliatory measures. Among the changes Rudenko said ran counter to Tokyo's "peaceful development" are large-scale military exercises near Russian borders, the adoption of updated defense doctrines and large increases in military spending. He called the moves "a serious challenge for the security of our country and the Asia-Pacific region" and said negotiations on a peace treaty to formally end World War II hostilities would not be possible if Tokyo doesn't abandon its "anti-Russian course."
Turkish inflation. Annual inflation in Turkey fell sharply to 64.3 percent in December, from a 24-year high of 85.5 percent in October and 84.4 percent in November. Clothing and footwear registered the lowest annual inflation at 25.9 percent, while housing recorded the highest at 79.8 percent. With presidential elections set for June, the government will tout indicators like these that show improvement in the otherwise flagging economy.
Bridging the divide. Following talks on Dec. 31 with Turkish, Syrian and Russian defense ministers in Moscow, Ankara has agreed to withdraw its troops from northern Syria, according to Syrian newspaper Al Watan, which cited an anonymous source. Turkey also said it would respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the war-torn country. The three states agreed to set up a special commission to oversee implementation of the agreements they jointly negotiated. Turkish authorities are reportedly looking to next organize a summit between the Turkish and Syrian presidents.
New counterpart. New Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang spoke by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Qin, who was promoted to the post on Friday, said U.S.-China relations would be among his top priorities as foreign minister. Blinken confirmed last month that he would visit Beijing in January or February, which would be his first trip to China since he took office two years ago.
Russian-Kazakh talks. The presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan held a call, initiated by Moscow, in which they discussed cooperation in a number of areas, including energy. Moscow has proposed creating a gas union with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, though no specific plan has so far been put forward.
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Thanks to Wigs
TOMORROW HAS ARRIVED
Now it is clear why the media hardly mentioned Pearl Harbor this year.
When I was a kid, I couldn't understand why Eisenhower was so popular. Maybe this will explain why General Eisenhower Warned Us. It is a matter of history that when the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, found the victims of the death camps he ordered all possible photographs to be taken, and for the German people from surrounding villages to be ushered through the camps and even made to bury the dead.
He did this because he said in words to this effect: 'Get it all on record now - get the films - get the witnesses - because somewhere down the road of history some bastard will get up and say that this never happened.
This week, the UK debated whether to remove The Holocaust from its school curriculum because it 'offends' the Muslim population which claims it never occurred. It is not removed as yet. However, this is a frightening portent of the fear that is gripping the world and how easily each country is giving into it.
It is now more than 70 years after the Second World War in Europe ended. This e-mail is being sent as a memorial chain, in memory of the, six million Jews, 20 million Russians, 10 million Christians, and 1,900 Catholic priests Who were 'murdered, raped, burned, starved, beaten, experimented on and humiliated' while many in the world looked the other way!
Now, more than ever, with Iran, among others, claiming the Holocaust to be 'a myth,' it is imperative to make sure the world never forgets.
This e-mail is intended to reach 400 million people! Be a link in the memorial chain and help distribute this around the world.
How many years will it be before the attack on the World Trade Center 'NEVER HAPPENED', because it offends some Muslims?
Remember when all classrooms had an American flag in them?
Do they even teach our children about the World Trade Center attacks in 1993 and 2001, or did it go the way of Pearl Harbor and Veterans Day?
Don't even mention Christmas or Hanukkah or prayers in school. Many schools no longer recite the Pledge of Allegiance and many children do not know the words to our National Anthem, or that we even have one!
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Thanks to Carl
(Anyone want to bet Gates is $upporting this dangerous idea?)
January 3, 2023
Rogue start-up launching reflective clouds into Earth's stratosphere To Cool Planet?
By Eric Utter
A rogue solar geoengineering start-up firm claims to have begun using balloons to launch reflective clouds into the stratosphere for the purpose of changing the weather.
Luke Iseman, cofounder and CEO of Make Sunsets, recently told the MIT Technology Review that he hopes this cloud-seeding effort might help launch a lucrative "cooling" industry. Because, as Make Sunsets' website states, "we need to start cooling the world immediately." And he'd like to make money doing it.
As of now, Make Sunsets efforts have been minor and stunt-like…thank God.
According to theblaze.com, Iseman has even "condoned property destruction" as a way to bring about global cooling, though the method he has personally resolved to use is "geoengineering, specifically by way of 'albedo enhancement' or albedo modification (i.e., the reflection of sunlight)." This involves spraying reflective substances such as sulfate aerosols, calcium carbonate particles, aluminum dioxide, or diamonds into the atmosphere 12 to 16 miles above the Earth. Supposedly, this can accomplish what volcanic eruptions have previously achieved in terms of partially blocking sunlight and temporarily cooling global mean temperatures.
It is anything but clear that "we need to start cooling the world immediately." Making the sun set is a fool's errand. Do we really want rogue entities throwing stuff up into the Earth's atmosphere to see how it affects temperature and weather patterns? What could go wrong? What happens if we "succeed" in cooling the Earth…and then suffer a series of massive volcanic eruptions? Massive crop loss for starters? No one can be certain that man-caused climate change is occurring…or is a true threat to our way of life or the planet as a whole. Temperatures and weather patterns have changed far quicker in the distant past, well prior to homo sapiens's existence let alone rising greenhouse gas emissions from humans' agricultural exploits and industry. But if we greatly expand on Make Sunsets efforts, we can be sure that the result will be man-caused climate change, though not of what the results will be.
And which countries might benefit by (potential) global cooling? Which might be extremely adversely affected? How does one rogue start-up/company/operator/entity—or even one nation—get to throw stuff up into our collective atmosphere? I mean, every little stupid thing is regulated government nowadays, from how big of a soda container we can purchase to how old we have to be to buy a pack of smokes or a slingshot, etc. We are subject to ridiculous regulations, mandates, permits and fines.
If there is anything on Earth that should be subject to strict regulation and oversight, it would be the use of experimental methods of launching various reflective substances and materials into Earth's atmosphere! Shouldn't the majority of us have a say in that?
Or can I start a competing firm, Make Sunrises, and leverage its resources to shoot down the balloons Make Sunsets is using to launch reflective clouds into our stratosphere?
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January 3
This Day in U S Military History
1777 – General George Washington defeats the British led by British General Lord Charles Cornwallis, at Princeton, New Jersey. On the night of January 2, George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, repulsed a British attack at the Battle of the Assunpink Creek in Trenton. That night, he evacuated his position, circled around General Lord Cornwallis' army, and went to attack the British garrison at Princeton. Brigadier General Hugh Mercer of the Continental Army, clashed with two regiments under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Charles Mawhood of the British Army. Mercer and his troops were overrun and Washington sent some militia under Brigadier General John Cadwalader to help him. The militia, on seeing the flight of Mercer's men, also began to flee. Washington rode up with reinforcements and rallied the fleeing militia. He then led the attack on Mawhood's troops, driving them back. Mawhood gave the order to retreat and most of the troops tried to flee to Cornwallis in Trenton. In Princeton itself, Brigadier General John Sullivan encouraged some British troops who had taken refuge in Nassau Hall to surrender, ending the battle. After the battle, Washington moved his army to Morristown, and with their third defeat in 10 days, the British evacuated southern New Jersey. With the victory at Princeton, morale rose in the ranks and more men began to enlist in the army. The battle (while considered minor by British standards) was the last major action of Washington's winter New Jersey campaign.
1945 – Third Fleet carriers begin a 2 day attack against Formosa destroying 100 aircraft with loss of only 22 aircraft. VMF-124 and VMF-213 from the USS Essex struck Formosa and the Ryukyu Islands in the first Marine land strike off a carrier.
1945 – In the Ardennes the fighting continues. There are desperate German attacks on the narrow corridor leading to Bastogne which manage to upset the timetable of the US attacks a little but achieve nothing else. Forces from the US Third and now also the First Armies are attacking toward Houffaliza from the south and north. In Alsace the German attacks and the American retreat continue. The US VI Corps is being pressed particularly hard around Bitche. Farther south there is also fighting near Strasbourg.
1951 – As massive numbers of Chinese troops crossed the frozen Han River east and west of Seoul, Eighth Army began evacuating the South Korean capital. The ROK government began moving to Pusan. In one of the largest FEAF Bomber Command air raids, more than sixty B-29s dropped 650 tons of incendiary bombs on Pyongyang. UN forces burned nearly 500,000 gallons of fuel and 23,000 gallons of napalm at Kimpo in preparation for abandoning the base to the advancing enemy. Far East Air Forces flew 958 combat sorties, a one-day record.1958 – The Air Force forms two squadrons of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) armed with medium-range ballistic missiles.
1959 – President Eisenhower signs a special proclamation admitting the territory of Alaska into the Union as the 49th and largest state. The European discovery of Alaska came in 1741, when a Russian expedition led by Danish navigator Vitus Bering sighted the Alaskan mainland. Russian hunters were soon making incursions into Alaska, and the native Aleut population suffered greatly after being exposed to foreign diseases. In 1784, Grigory Shelikhov established the first permanent Russian colony in Alaska on Kodiak Island. In the early 19th century, Russian settlements spread down the west coast of North America, with the southernmost fort located near Bodega Bay in California. Russian activity in the New World declined in the 1820s, and the British and Americans were granted trading rights in Alaska after a few minor diplomatic conflicts. In the 1860s, a nearly bankrupt Russia decided to offer Alaska for sale to the United States, which earlier had expressed interest in such a purchase. On March 30, 1867, Secretary of State William H. Seward signed a treaty with Russia for the purchase of Alaska for $7.2 million. Despite the bargain price of roughly two cents an acre, the Alaskan purchase was ridiculed in Congress and in the press as "Seward's folly," "Seward's icebox," and President Andrew Johnson's "polar bear garden." Nevertheless, the Senate ratified purchase of the tremendous landmass, one-fifth the size of the rest of the United States. Despite a slow start in settlement by Americans from the continental United States, the discovery of gold in 1898 brought a rapid influx of people to the territory. Alaska, rich in natural resources, has been contributing to American prosperity ever since.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
TURNER, GEORGE B.
Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Army, Battery C, 499th Armored Field Artillery Battalion, 14th Armored Division. Place and date. Philippsbourg, France, 3 January 1945. Entered service at: Los Angeles, Calif. Born: 27 June 1899, Longview, Tex. G.O. No.: 79, 14 September 1945. Citation: At Phillippsbourg, France, he was cut off from his artillery unit by an enemy armored infantry attack. Coming upon a friendly infantry company withdrawing under the vicious onslaught, he noticed 2 German tanks and approximately 75 supporting foot soldiers advancing down the main street of the village. Seizing a rocket launcher, he advanced under intense small-arms and cannon fire to meet the tanks and, standing in the middle of the road, fired at them, destroying 1 and disabling the second. From a nearby half-track he then dismounted a machinegun, placed it in the open street and fired into the enemy infantrymen, killing or wounding a great number and breaking up the attack. In the American counterattack which followed, 2 supporting tanks were disabled by an enemy antitank gun. Firing a light machinegun from the hip, Pfc. Turner held off the enemy so that the crews of the disabled vehicles could extricate themselves. He ran through a hail of fire to one of the tanks which had burst into flames and attempted to rescue a man who had been unable to escape; but an explosion of the tank's ammunition frustrated his effort and wounded him painfully. Refusing to be evacuated, he remained with the infantry until the following day, driving off an enemy patrol with serious casualties, assisting in capturing a hostile strong point, and voluntarily and fearlessly driving a truck through heavy enemy fire to deliver wounded men to the rear aid station. The great courage displayed by Pfc. Turner and his magnificently heroic initiative contributed materially to the defense of the French town and inspired the troops about him.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 3, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
3 January
1933: General Douglas MacArthur ordered the Air Corps "to conduct the land-based air operations in defense of the US and its overseas possessions." (5)
1935: Lincoln Ellsworth and Herbert Hollick-Kenyon completed an Antarctic flight. (24)
1945: BATTLE OF THE BULGE: American and British forces counterattacked the Germans under the protection of American airpower. (4) TEST FIRE-BOMB RAID. In a test-bombing mission to determine the efficacy of fire bombing over conventional high-explosive bombing, 57 of 97 B-29s bombed Nagoya, Japan,. The results gave the Japanese the mistaken impression that their fire-prevention system was adequate. (17)
1949: Representative Carl Vinson of Georgia introduced a bill to speed guided missile research and to create a 70-group Air Force. (24)
1950: Jacqueline Cochran set new Federation Aeronautique Internationale 500-kilometer closedcourse speed record of 444 miles per hour. (5)
1951: KOREAN WAR. In one of the largest Far East Air Forces Bomber Command air raids, more than 60 B-29s dropped 650 tons of incendiary bombs on Pyongyang, N. Korea. UN forces burned nearly 500,000 gallons of fuel and 23,000 gallons of napalm at Kimpo before abandoning the base. Altogether, Far East Air Forces flew 958 combat sorties, a one-day record. (28)
1960: American Airline Boeing 707s set records of 3 hours 39 minutes from Los Angeles, Calif., to Baltimore, Md., and 4 hours 24 minutes from Los Angeles to Boston, Mass. A Transworld Airlines 707 flew from Los Angeles to New York in 3 hours 57 minutes, while Eastern Airlines DC-8 completed a flight Long Beach, Calif., to Miami, Fla., in 3 hours 58 minutes (5)
1963: At Eglin AFB, Fla., a Boeing BOMARC-B missile successfully intercepted its first low-altitude aircraft. (5) PROJECT FARM GATE. The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) augmented the Farm Gate detachment in Vietnam with an additional 10 B-26s, 5 T-28s, and 2 C-47s. (17)
1966: The No. 2 XB-70 flew for 3 minutes at 70,000 feet over Edwards AFB, Calif., for the first time. (16)
1978: Lockheed Missiles and Space Company received $34 million to build a spacecraft for the Satellite Infrared Experiment (SIRE) to measure long wave infrared signatures of objects against the stellar background. This craft also carried two secondary payloads, a space sextant and a sensor to measure the isotopic composition of solar flares. (5)
1993: President George Bush and Soviet President Boris Yeltsin signed the second Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) to reduce nuclear bombers, missiles, bombs, and warheads. (16) (26)
2007: Through 4 January, a Wyoming Air National Guard C-130 Hercules and 10 airmen assisted the Colorado National Guard with a cattle feeding operation near Lamar in southeast Colorado after huge snowstorm blanketed the area. Colorado National Guard helicopters and the C-130 dropped hay to cattle. (AFNEWS, "Air National Guard Dropping Hay for Colorado Cattle," 4 Jan 2007.) (32)
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WORLD NEWS FOR 3 JANUARY THANKS TO MILITARY PERISCOPE
Looks like the world is off to a not so great start for 2023
Chinese Warships Sighted Near Guam
Source: U.S. News & World Report
January 03 2023
China
USA
Chinese warships, including an aircraft carrier, have been observed near the U.S. territory of Guam, reports U.S. News & World Report.
On Dec. 29, Japanese officials confirmed reports that Chinese vessels, led by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, had sailed near U.S. waters off Guam.
The Liaoning has been on a tour of the western Pacific in recent weeks, including near Okinawa, where it conducted provocative takeoff and landing drills, prompting the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force to scramble fighter jets and helicopters.
This maneuver caps off a year of escalating tensions between Washington and Beijing, largely fueled by the increased U.S. military support for Taiwan. Analysts have interpreted the drills as a warning to the Biden administration.
Pentagon Considers Transferring Bradley IFVs To Ukraine
Source: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense
January 03 2023
Ukraine
USA
The U.S. is considering shipping M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) to Ukraine, reports the Ukrainian Defense Ministry
The vehicles would provide significantly greater capabilities compared to previously supplied M113 armored personnel carriers (APC).
The U.S. is currently in the process of replacing its Bradley armored vehicles.
The IFVs are equipped with a 25-mm gun and TOW anti-tank missile systems, making them a capable rival to equivalent Russian vehicles.
Ambassador To U.S. Set To Become Foreign Minister
Source: South China Morning Post
January 03 2023
China
China has appointed its ambassador to the United States as foreign minister, reports the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong).
Qin Gang will replace outgoing foreign minister Wang Yi, who will stay on as state councilor in charge of diplomacy.
The move was expected following Qin's appointment to the powerful Central Committee at the Communist Party national congress in October.
Qin has served as ambassador in the U.S. since July 2021, overseeing the embassy and its work during a period of heightened tensions.
Qin is regarded as "one of the toughest voices" in the ministry, and has defended China's positions on human rights in Xinjiang and Hong Kong as well as its territorial claims on Taiwan.
Counter-Explosive Equipment Delivered To Ukraine
Source: U.K Ministry of Defense
January 03 2023
United Kingdom
Ukraine
The U.K. Ministry of Defense has announced the delivery of a variety of counter-explosive ordnance equipment to Ukraine, reports the British Ministry of Defense.
The latest package of aid to Ukraine includes more than 1,000 VALLON metal detectors and 100 bomb de-arming kits, the ministry said on Dec. 30.
VALLON detectors can help troops breach and clear minefields, clear explosive hazards and de-arm fuses from unexploded Russian bombs in recaptured civilian infrastructure and residential areas.
The U.K. has provided a total of 2.3 billion pounds (US$2.8 billion) in aid to Ukraine in 2022, the second-highest of any nation behind the United States.
The government has committed to maintaining its current aid levels to Ukraine in 2023.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Declared A Terror Group
Source: Daily Telegraph
January 03 2023
Iran
United Kingdom
The British government is moving to formally designate the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, reports London's Daily Telegraph.
The move comes after the discovery of 10 plots to kill or kidnap people in the U.K. in 2022.
Proscribing the IRGC on the same legal footing as Al-Qaida and ISIS will make membership and any support of the group a crime.
The IRGC has also been designated as a terrorist group by Canada and the U.S.
10 Killed In Attack On Oil Facility In Deir Ezzor
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency
January 03 2023
Syria
At least 10 workers have been killed in an attack on an oil facility in Syria's eastern Deir Ezzor region killed, reports the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
On Friday, unknown assailants attacked three buses carrying workers at the Al Taim oil field, killing 10 and injuring two.
The attack began with explosive devices that went off as the buses went by, after which armed militants opened fire on the workers, reported the U.K.-based Syrian Observer for Human Rights.
The Islamic State is active in the region and has been escalating attacks over the last year.
Damascus Airport Hit In Another Israeli Airstrike
Source: Times of Israel
January 03 2023
Israel
Syria
Israel has conducted an airstrike on Damascus International Airport, reports the Times of Israel.
Early Sunday morning, a barrage of missile struck the airport, killing two Syrian soldiers and putting the airport out of service for seven hours, according to a Syrian military source cited by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
The Israeli strike appeared to have made one runway unusable, while shortening another by 550 yards (500 m).
Israeli does not typically comment on such attacks.
The airport may have become an Israeli target because of suspected Iranian arms shipments that arrive at Damascus prior to transfer to Iranian allies in Lebanon, the Times said.
HIMARS Strike Kills Dozens Of Russians In Donetsk
Source: Institute for the Study of War
January 03 2023
Ukraine
Russia
There are conflicting casualty reports following a New Year's Eve strike on a Russian military equipment concentration point in Makiivka in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk Oblast, reports the Institute for the Study of War (Washington, D.C.).
On Jan. 1, the Ukrainian armed forces claimed that the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) attack killed 400 Russian personnel and injured another 300.
The Russian Ministry of Defense acknowledged the Ukrainian attack on Jan. 2, saying that four of the six HIMARS rockets struck the site in Makiivka, killing 63 Russian servicemen.
Syrian Democratic Forces Launch New Anti-ISIS Operation
Source: ANF News
January 03 2023
Syria
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have launched a new counterterror operation against Islamic State militants in Syria, reports ANF News (Amsterdam, Netherlands).
The SDF says the Jazeera Thunderbolt operation is intended eradicate ISIS cells in the Al Hol and Tal Hamis regions.
The move follows a Dec. 26 attack by ISIS on an SDF prison complex in Raqqa, which held many Islamic State militants.
Jazeera Thunderbold will be conducted in cooperation with internal security forces in northeastern Syria and the international coalition fighting ISIS, officials said.
Large-Scale Military Exercises Underway In Strait Of Hormuz
Source: Tasnim News Agency
January 03 2023
Iran
The Iranian military has planned large scale military exercises spanning parts of the Straits of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, reports the state-affiliated Tasnim news agency (Tehran).
On Thursday, the Iranian armed forces launched the Zolfaqar 1401 drills, with the goal of strengthening the combat capabilities of the Iranian armed forces.
The training will cover specialized electronic warfare operations and maneuvers in adverse conditions, such as inclement weather and nuclear, biological and chemical contamination.
Infantry, armor and mechanized army units are taking part in the drills along with air defense systems, naval vessels, naval infantry and air force aircraft, officials said.
The drills will demonstrate to regional powers that Iran can defend itself and its interests and show off advanced military equipment, said the officials.
Navy Decommissions 8 Warships
Source: Yonhap News Agency
January 03 2023
South Korea
The South Korean navy has decommissioned eight warships after decades of service, reports the Yonhap news agency (Seoul).
During ceremonies at the naval bases of Jinhae and Pyeongtaek, South Korea removed the patrol ships, frigates and corvettes formally left service.
The retired ships included two Ulsan-class frigates, Jeonnam and Jeju; two Pohang-class corvettes, Sokcho and Yeongju; and four Chamsuri-class patrol boats.
The aging warships are being replaced with more advanced vessels, including the Incheon-class and Daegu-class frigates.
Second-Highest Military Official Replaced
Source: Reuters
January 03 2023
North Korea
North Korea has replaced its second-highest military official behind dictator Kim Jong Un, reports Reuters.
Pak Jang Chon, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, was replaced by Ri Yong Gil during a commission meeting last week, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
The commission, headed by Kim, is considered the most powerful military decision-making body, above the defense ministry, experts said.
No reason was given for Pak's dismissal. Pyongyang regularly shuffles its military leadership, with such changes often announced at the end of the year.
U.S. Denies Nuclear Exercise Plans With South Korea
Source: Stars and Stripes
January 03 2023
South Korea
USA
The South Korean and U.S. governments have sent contradictory messages about joint nuclear exercises ahead of talks this week, reports the Stars and Stripes.
On Jan. 1, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol told the Chosun Ilbo that Seoul and Washington were holding, "considerably positive" discussions about "joint exercise concepts" related to nuclear weapons.
The next day, U.S. President Joe Biden and the National Security Council denied that any joint nuclear exercises were planned with South Korea.
An NSC official emphasized that the U.S. was fully committed to its alliance with South Korea and was providing extended deterrence through its full range of defense capabilities.
14 Die In Juarez Prison Attack
Source: CNN
January 03 2023
Mexico
At least 14 people have been killed in an attack on a prison in Juarez in northern Mexico, reports CNN.
On Sunday morning, unknown gunmen in armored vehicles drove up to the jail and opened fire on security personnel.
Four prisoners and 10 security guards were killed and 13 people injured in the attack.
Twenty-four inmates escaped during the assault.
It was not immediately clear what group was behind the attack.
ISIS Claims Attack That Killed 3 Police Officers
Source: Agence France-Presse
January 03 2023
Egypt
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed three Egyptian police officers last week, reports Agence France-Presse.
On Dec. 30, militants opened fire on officers at a road block in Ismailia, on the west bank of the Suez Canal.
The following day, the group's Amaq news agency claimed responsibility for the attack.
This is the first ISIS attack in mainland Egypt in three years in mainland Egypt.The ISIS insurgency has been primarily contained on the Sinai Peninsula.
Opposition Votes To End 'Interim Government'
Source: Washington Post
January 03 2023
Venezuela
The opposition-controlled National Assembly in Venezuela has voted to dissolve the interim government led by Juan Guaido, reports the Washington Post.
The vote was taken on Dec. 30.
Nora Bracho, an opposition party member, said that there was no reason to maintain a system that had failed to achieve results and was a "bureaucratic burden."
U.S. law recognized the opposition interim government as the rightful owners of various Venezuelan state assets abroad.
Lawmakers established a committee to protect its claim to Venezuelan state assets and manage the body's expenses.
Elected in 2015, the National Assembly will only continue through 2023 and it will only legislate on issues relating to assets under its legal control.
A Biden administration official told the Post that the vote will not change U.S. policy, which will continue to recognize whatever body the opposition decides on as the "interim government" for the purposes of promoting talks between them and Maduro's government.
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