To All,
Good Friday morning January 13, 2023.
I hope that your week has been going well.
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The latest on the Navy Cross presentation to Capt Royce Williams on Friday 20 January.
Thanks to Chaser
For all of you helping to spread the word, this is direct from AIRPAC. Note that this invitation is extended to all who desire to attend.
Event: Navy Cross will be presented by Secretary of the Navy, The Honorable Carlos Del Toro
ADM Samuel Paparo, COMPACTFLT, to introduce SECNAV
Recipient: CAPT Royce Williams, USN (Ret), Korean War Veteran
Date: Friday, 20 January 2023
Time: 1200-1300
Location: San Diego Air and Space Museum, 2001 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101
Invitees: All Local Flag / General Officers, Naval Aviation, Korean War Veterans and other community attendees (expecting 300 in attendance)
Attire: Military: Service Dress Blue or Equivalent
Civilian: Business Casual (Business Jacket w/Open Collar)
Additionally, this event is open to all who desire to attend.
I've also received word that Congressman Issa will also be in attendance.
V/R, Chaser
Greg "Chaser" Keithley
Executive Director
The Tailhook Association
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
January. 13
On This Day
1865 With 8,000 Union soldiers, Rear Adm. David Porter provides 59 warships and 2,000 Sailors and Marines to take Confederate Fort Fisher, N.C., after a 2-day assault.
1943 PBY-5A aircraft from (VP-83) sink German submarine U-507 off Brazil, which had sunk 19 and damaged one Allied merchant vessels, including seven that were American.
1945 Destroyer escort Fleming (DE 32) sinks a Japanese submarine 320 miles north-northeast of Truk.
1964 Destroyer Manley (DD-940) evacuates 54 Americans and 36 allied nationals after the Zanzibar government is overthrown.
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Today in History: January 13
1846 President James Polk dispatches General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico looms.
1862 President Lincoln names Edwin M. Stanton Secretary of War.
1900 To combat Czech nationalism, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary decrees German the official language of the Imperial Army.
1919 California votes to ratify the prohibition amendment.
1923 Hitler denounces the Weimar Republic as 5,000 storm troopers demonstrate in Germany.
1927 A woman takes a seat on the NY Stock Exchange breaking the all-male tradition.
1931 The bridge connecting New York and New Jersey is named the George Washington Memorial Bridge.
1937 The United States bars Americans from serving in the Civil War in Spain.
1943 General Leclerc's Free French forces merge with the British under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery in Libya.
1944 Plants are destroyed and 64 U.S. aircraft are lost in an air attack in Germany.
1945 The Red Army opens an offensive in South Poland, crashing 25 miles through the German lines.
1947 British troops replace striking truck drivers.
1955 Chase National and the Bank of Manhattan agree to merge resulting in the second largest U.S. bank.
1965 Two U.S. planes are shot down in Laos while on a combat mission.
1968 U.S. reports shifting most air targets from North Vietnam to Laos.
1976 Argentina ousts a British envoy in dispute over the Falkland Islands.
1980 The United States offers Pakistan a two-year aid plan to counter the Soviet threat in Afghanistan.
1982 Air Florida Flight 90 Boeing 737 jet crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff, then plunges into the Potomac River; 78 people, including 4 motorists, are killed.
1990 In Virginia, Douglas Wilder, the first African American elected governor of a US state, takes office.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Friday, 13 January, 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 13 January 1968… MLK, Jr calls for a February 1968 anti-Vietnam war march in Washington…
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 Carl……This is a great article
Talk to Me, Chuck - "Top Gun: Maverick" - Alumni Association of the University of Michigan
https://alumni.umich.edu/michigan-alum/talk-to-me-chuck/
Talk to Me, Chuck
One aerospace alum shot for the stars … and landed among them.
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An outstanding H-Gram from Admiral Cox and the Naval History and Heritage Command
- On Jan. 9, 1945, 75 years ago, amphibious ships from Task Force 7 landed Sixth Army Soldiers on the shores of Lingayen Gulf.
H-Gram 040: "One Helluva Day"—Lingayen Gulf and the Death of Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler
9 January 2020
This H-gram covers:
The combat death of Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler, 6 January 1945
Actions in the Philippines in late 1944 and early 1945: Leyte, Ormoc, and Mindoro
Amphibious landings in the Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945
.
For more detail on the costly battles around Leyte, the landings at Ormoc Bay, and the landings on Mindoro, please see attachment H-040-2.
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An old one but a good one
Thanks to Jimbo ...and Dr. Rich
… to make your colonoscopy more jovial!
ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.
Colonoscopy Journal:
I called my friend Dr. Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.
A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner.
I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous.
Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor.
Then, in the evening, I took MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons). Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.'
This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but, have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep.
The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full FireHose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point.
Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.
There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.
'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me...
'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood.
Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ. On the subject of Colonoscopies...
Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous. A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominantly male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
Take it easy Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before.
'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'
'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!'
'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
And the best one of all:
'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'
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This is from the archives but I believe that even less people out the have any idea about what the Medal of Honor is or stands for….skip
Thanks to Dick
Subject: The suspicious thing in the old man's pocket
This was back in 2002 but is probably just a relevent today as back then. SAD!!!!
Note:
(This article was originally sent on the internet, March 5, 2002 by Guy Keenum and was submitted by Burt Olson, President USNCSA - USS Quincy CA-71)
'Medal Of Honor'
(Navy-Marine Corps-Coast Guard)
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict with an opposing armed force.
"They just kept passing it around - there were eight or nine or 10 of them who handled it before it was over," He said.
"They had found it in my pocket at the airport, and they thought it was suspicious. It's shaped like a star, and they were looking at the metal edges of it, like it was a weapon. I asked for it back, but they kept handing it to each other and inspecting it. I was told to move to a separate area."
"I told them - just turn it over. The engraving on the back explains everything. But they thought they must have something potentially dangerous here."
"I told them exactly what it was - I said; "That's my Congressional Medal Of Honor."
The man relating that story is retired General Joe Foss, 86. His experience last month in Arizona - at the International Airport in Phoenix - may be the ultimate symbol of the out-of-kilter times we are going through. We are so afraid of terrorists in our midst that what happened to Foss is not only believable, but perhaps even inevitable.
The Congressional Medal of Honor will be taken from its recipient because it looks vaguely ominous.
I spoke with Foss because I wanted to hear it from him directly. He told me that he holds no animosity about the incident. "I'm just as interested in defeating the terrorists as anyone is, I promise you that" and that is mostly sad that no one knew what the Medal of Honor was.
Foss was awarded the medal by Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War 11 after shooting down 26 enemy planes as a Marine Fighter Pilot in solo combat in the Pacific. He grew up in South Dakota - after the war he would become a Governor of that state - and took flying lessons as a young man, then went to war.
He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and when he travels he is patted down in airports instead of going through the metal detectors, because of a heart pacemaker. At the airport in Phoenix, he said he was being searched manually and he put his jacket through the X-ray machine.
A couple of things caught the attention of the screeners - rightly so. Foss has a key chain made out of a dummy bullet, with a hole drilled through it to make it evident it is harmless, he also carries a small knife/file with the Medal of Honor Society's insignia on it. The screeners took both of them from Foss - traveling during these nervous days with items that look like bullets, or with even a small knife, will, and should, invite scrutiny. Even if you're 86. Even if you're a war hero.
That's not what frustrated him. The screeners, he said, allowed him to mail the key chain and the little knife back to his home from the airport. But for 45 minutes, he estimated, he was passed from person to person, made to remove his boots and tie and belt three different times, and prevented from boarding his flight (he was eventually allowed on) because the security personnel, he said, had misgivings about the Medal of Honor.
(America West Airlines in whose terminal in Phoenix the incident allegedly took place, said through a spokeswoman shortly after the misunderstanding that the airline's objective is to ensure safety and security for all passengers and employees.)
"I want you to know," Foss told me," that I don't go around wearing my Medal OF Honor, or carrying it with me. The only reason I had it with me on this flight was that I was supposed to give a speech to a class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I thought the medal was something the cadets might be interested in seeing."
I asked him what he remembered about being presented the Congressional Medal of Honor.
"I was right fresh out of combat when I was called to the White House," he said. "FDR was behind his desk, and he pinned the medal on my uniform. He said it was for actions above and beyond the call of duty."
"I was nervous, being in the presence of the President. I think I may have been more nervous there than I was in combat. My wife and mother were with me - it was quite a day. I think President Roosevelt called me 'young feller'."
After the White House ceremony, Foss had his picture taken with the medal - the nation's highest military honor for valor in action - on his uniform. That photo was the full-page cover on Life magazine, the issue of June 7, 1943,(I was born on that day I need to get a copy of that one Skip) the cover caption was: "Captain Foss, U.S.M.C. America's No. 1 Ace."
And now, almost 60 years later, the Medal of Honor was being handed from one skeptical security screener to another in the Phoenix airport, while Foss, at 86, took his boots and belt off as ordered.
"I wasn't upset for me," he said. "I was upset for the Medal of Honor, that they just didn't know what it was, It represents all of the guys who lost their lives - the guys who never came back. Everyone who put their lives on the line for their country. You're supposed to know what the Medal of Honor is."
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https://geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: Russia's Military Reshuffle, US-Japan Security Cooperation
Moscow replaced its commander in Ukraine for the second time in just three months.
By: GPF Staff
January 12, 2023
Russian shake-up. Russia's Defense Ministry announced another reshuffle of the top brass in
charge of the war in Ukraine following several high-profile setbacks for Moscow. Valery Gerasimov,
chief of the military's General Staff, was named commander of Russia's Ukraine operations, while his
predecessor, Sergei Surovikin, was appointed one of Gerasimov's three deputies, just three months
after being named to the top spot himself. The other two deputy posts were given to Oleg Salyukov,
commander of ground forces, and Alexei Kim, deputy commander-in-chief of ground forces. The
Defense Ministry said the shake-up was due to the expansion of the "special military operation" in
Ukraine.
Indo-Pacific security. The U.S. and Japan signed an agreement to strengthen security
cooperation during a meeting of their top security and foreign affairs officials. The two countries plan
to increase joint military drills and revise their joint defense posture. The United States also plans to
revamp its Marine force on the Okinawa islands, which host most of the 18,000 U.S. Marines
stationed in Japan. U.S. President Joe Biden will meet on Friday in Washington with Japanese Prime
Minister Fumio Kishida, who is currently in Britain. He signed a defense agreement on Thursday
with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Meeting in Paris. Meanwhile, France announced that its president, Emmanuel Macron, has invited
the British prime minister for a bilateral summit in Paris on March 10. It will be the first in-person
leaders' summit between the two countries in five years.
UAE and South Asia. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with UAE President Sheikh
Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi as part of efforts to strengthen energy, trade and
investment ties between the two countries. The UAE agreed to roll over an existing $2 billion loan
and grant an additional $1 billion worth of loans to Pakistan. Meanwhile, the Saudi Fund for
Development signed a deal to finance Pakistan's oil derivatives worth $1 billion.
Integration progress. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said about 70 percent of the
programs launched under the Union State, an integration project between Russia and Belarus, have
been completed. Speaking at a meeting of government officials from both countries, Lukashenko
also said Minsk has not yet seen "noticeable progress" on energy, industry and transport, but
added that the two countries had gone far enough on security matters.
New ambassador. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev appointed an ambassador to Israel, ahead
of the official opening of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tel Aviv set for later this year. Iran has warned
Azerbaijan against strengthening ties with Israel.
Russia and Iran. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a call
to discuss bilateral relations, Syrian peace talks and joint projects on energy, transport and logistics.
The two countries are expanding bilateral cooperation, seeking ways to navigate through the
Western sanctions regime
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This Day in U S Military History January 13
1776 – In the early morning hours of January 13, 1776, British forces raid Prudence Island, Rhode Island, in an effort to steal a large quantity of sheep. But, upon landing on the island's southern beaches, the British were ambushed by fifteen Minutemen from Rhode Island's Second Company led by Captain Joseph Knight, who had been tipped off to the Brits' plans and rowed across Narragansett Bay from Warwick Neck the previous morning. A brief but deadly battle ensued before the British were forced to retreat. Three British marines were killed and seven injured during the ambush. Two Minutemen were wounded; one died and the other was taken prisoner. Afraid of further violence, residents abandoned the island between 1776 and 1777, and the island's homes and windmill were burned.
1846 – President James Polk dispatched General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico loomed. Mexico had severed relations with the United States in March 1845, shortly after the U.S. annexation of Texas. In September President Polk sent John Slidell on a secret mission to Mexico City to negotiate the disputed Texas border, settle U.S. claims against Mexico, and purchase New Mexico and California for up to $30,000,000. Mexican officials, aware in advance of Slidell's intention of dismembering their country, refused to receive him. When Polk learned of the snub, he ordered troops to occupy the disputed area between the Nueces and the Rio Grande rivers.
1929 – Frontiersman Wyatt Earp died in LA, Ca., after an illustrious life in the West. Cowboy stars William S. Hart and Tom Mix served as pallbearers. Born in Illinois in 1848, he served as a lawman in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, as well as Tombstone, Arizona Territory, where Wyatt and his brothers Morgan and Virgil were notorious for violent clashes with outlaws. Western historians have disagreed about the particulars of Wyatt Earp's life, but he is said to have been a freighter-teamster, railroad construction worker, policeman, prisoner, saloon keeper and horse farmer, and he was involved in several gunfights – for reasons that may or may not have been related to law enforcement. When Morgan was killed, Wyatt avenged his death by killing Frank Stilwell, an outlaw he had previously arrested. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was buried in Colma, Ca.
1942 – German U-Boats begin operations of the US East Coast. The move is called operation Paukenschlag (Drum Roll). Admiral Doenitz has faced arguments from his superiors in the German Navy who do not favor the operation, and he has had the difficulty that only the larger 740-ton U-Boats are really suitable for such long range patrols. When Doenitz gives the order for the attack to begin there are 11 U-Boats in position and 10 more en route. Together they sink more than 150,000 tons during the first month. Intelligence sources have given reasonable warning of the attack but the U-Boats find virtually peace-time conditions in operation. Ship sail with lights on at night; lighthouses and bouys are still lit; there is no radio discipline – merchant ships often give their positions in plain text; there are destroyer patrols (not convoys with escorts) but these are regular and predictable and their crews are naturally inexperienced.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BESSEY, CHARLES A.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near Elkhorn Creek, Wyo., 13 January 1877. Entered service at: – – – . Birth: Reading, Mass. Date of issue: 15 May 1890. Citation. While scouting with 4 men and attacked in ambush by 14 hostile Indians, held his ground, 2 of his men being wounded, and kept up the fight until himself wounded in the side, and then went to the assistance of his wounded comrades.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 13, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
13 January
1906: The Aero Club of America opened its first exhibition in New York in connection with an automobile show. (5) (24)
1913: Harry M. Jones flew a Wright B airplane to demonstrate the beginning of air parcel post. He flew a route from Boston, Mass., to New York, N.Y., with a cargo of baked beans. (24)
1942: American and British chiefs of staff adopted an agreement to move American air units to the United Kingdom as soon as possible. (4)
1949: William P. Odom flew a Beechcraft Bonanza to a Federation Aeronautique Internationale distance record for light planes: 2,400 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, Calif. (9)
1950: The Navy's Lark, a guided surface-to-air missile, made its first automatic homing flight. (5)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces flew the first effective Tarzon mission against a bridge at Kanggye, Korea. The six-ton radio-guided bomb destroyed 58 feet of the enemy-held structure. (21)
1962: PROJECT RANCH HAND. The Ranch Hand test project began to determine if aircraft could destroy jungle foliage by spraying chemicals. On 5 December 1961, the Tactical Air Command deployed six C-123s, modified with chemical tanks and spray bars, to Clark Air Base, Philippines. The aircraft began operations in Vietnam on 13 January. (17)
1965: The USAF's XC-142A Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing transport aircraft made a perfect first transition flight, taking off like a helicopter, adjusting its wings for conventional flight, and making a vertical landing. (5)
1969: The National Air and Space Administration announced an end to its joint research program with the Department of Defense on the XB-70. (3)
1970: A Pan American Airline Boeing 747, the world's largest passenger plane at the time, flew 361 people on its first transatlantic trip from John F. Kennedy International Airport, N.Y., to London Airport in England in 6 hours 30 minutes. (5)
1975: Dr. John L. McLucas, Secretary of the Air Force, selected the General Dynamics' YF-16 Fighting Falcon over Northrop's YF-17 as the USAF's lightweight air combat fighter. The U. S. Navy later developed the YF-17 into F/A-18 Hornet. (3) (12)
1993: Operation SOUTHERN WATCH II. To support this operation, the Air Mobility Command airlifted forces to southwest Asia, where they enforced a no-fly zone in southern Iraq near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. (16) (26) President George H. W. Bush ordered air strikes on 32 missile sites and air defense command centers in Iraq after Iraqi troops crossed the border with Kuwait. The strikes also targeted surface-to-air missile sites south of the 32d parallel in Iraq. (16) (21) FIRST US MILITARY WOMAN IN SPACE. Maj Susan Helms became the first US military woman in space during a flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. (16) (26)
1994: The last F-15 Eagles from the 32d Fighter Group left Soesterberg Air Base, Netherlands, ending a 40-year USAF presence there. (16) (26) Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the 56th Rescue Squadron at Keflavik rescued six stranded seamen near Iceland.
2000: Operation NORTHERN WATCH. The 169th Fighter Wing, South Carolina Air National Guard, deployed elements from McEntire Air National Guard Base, S. C., to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. It was the first guard unit to deploy operationally in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role, the first guard unit to employ the High Speed-Anti Radiation Missile (HARM) in a SEAD mission, and the first to deploy a female guard F-16 pilot on an operational combat mission. (32)
2006: The Air Force Flight Test Center's special C-135C Speckled Trout (Tail No. 61-2669) made its final flight and was retired from the USAF inventory for display in the Test Center's museum at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
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World News for 13 January thanks to Military Periscope
General Atomics Successfully Demonstrates AI Pilot Capabilities
Source: General Atomics
January 13 2023
USA
General Atomics (GA-ASI) has demonstrated AI piloting capabilities on an operationally relevant open mission system (OMS) software stack, reports the company.
During three flights on Dec. 14, 2022, from the GA-ASI Desert Horizons flight operations facility in El Mirage, Calif., the company's Avenger uncrewed aircraft system was paired with a digital twin aircraft to autonomously perform live, virtual and constructive (LVC) multi-objective combat missions.
A reinforcement learning (RL) architecture was used during the flights to develop three deep learning RL algorithms. It demonstrated single-, multi- and hierarchical-agent behaviors, the company said in a release on Wednesday.
The single-agent RL model successfully navigated the live plane while avoiding threats to accomplish its mission; multi-agent RL models flew a live and virtual Avenger to collaboratively chase a target while avoiding threats; and the hierarchical RL agent used sensor information to select courses of action based on its understanding of the situation, said the release.
The demonstrations showed the ability of the AI pilot to act on real-time information, independent of a human operator.
Russian Releases U.S. Navy Veteran After Year In Detention
Source: CNN
January 13 2023
Russia
USA
A U.S. Navy veteran has been released from Russian custody after nearly a year, reports CNN.
On Thursday, Taylor Dudley was released by Russian authorities. Negotiations for his release were led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Dudley was detained by Russian border police in April 2022 after crossing from Poland into Kaliningrad. Dudley was in the region attending a music festival and the reason for his detention is unknown.
No exchange was made on the U.S. side for Dudley, and Washington did not deem the detention "wrongful."
Elbit To Supply Mangi-X Micro-UAS To Army
Source: Elbit Systems UK
January 13 2023
United Kingdom
Elbit Systems U.K. announced it has been awarded a contract to provide micro-uncrewed aerial systems (micro-UAS) to the U.K. Ministry of Defense for the British army's human-machine teaming framework.
The Magni-X is a military-grade quadcopter that can be equipped with a variety of payloads. The British contract, the value of which was not disclosed, includes gimbaled electro-optical/infrared sensors for long-range reconnaissance, the company said.
The air vehicle weighs 4.4 pounds (2 kg) and can fly autonomously and be integrated with Elbit's Legion-X system to give it swarming capabilities. It has an endurance of up to 60 minutes.
The systems are slated to be delivered to specialist British army units for service by mid-2023.
Researchers Reveal New Defense For Missiles Against Lasers
Source: South China Morning Post
January 13 2023
China
Chinese military researchers say they have developed a material that can prevent missiles from being blinded by laser defenses while maintaining a clear view of a target, reports the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong).
Professor Lu Yuan at the National University of Defense Technology developed a smart film that is transparent when applied to the lens of an infrared sensor and blocks harmful light.
The material turns into a metallic shield that can reflect most of a hostile laser beam's energy.
The coating uses vanadium, a silver-like metal that changes from transparent into a light-blocking, metallic state when heated.
During lab experiments, the film showed that it was able to divert 90 percent of the laser's energy away from the sensor.
This is the first step in foiling laser defense systems because it reduces the size of glare. There are still issues to overcome before the technology is ready for practical use, said researchers.
Warships In Novorossiysk Head To Sea
Source: Naval News
January 13 2023
Russia
Russia has unexpectedly deployed several warships and submarines based in the Black Sea, reports Naval News.
The Russian vessels left out of their naval base at Novorossiysk in the eastern Black Sea on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear what the intent was.
The ships included the Pyotr Morgunov landing ship and three Novorossiysk-class submarines among other vessels.
The deployment could be a training exercise, intimidation tactic or strategy to avoid anticipated threats, analysts said. The ships might also be preparing to launch missile strikes or threatening an amphibious landing on the Ukrainian coast.
Defenses Strengthened On Border With Belarus
Source: Ukrinform
January 13 2023
Ukraine
The Ukrainian armed forces are stepping up defenses on the border with Belarus, reports the state-run Ukrinform.
The move is precautionary amid recent Belarusian troop deployments to the border and joint exercises with Russia.
Belarus is not formally involved in Russia's unprovoked war on Ukraine, although it provided a launching ground for initial Russian attacks toward Kyiv in the early phases of the war.
1st Joint Air Exercise With India Kicks Off
Source: Zee News
January 13 2023
India
Japan
Japan and India have begun their first ever bilateral air exercise, reports Zee News (India).
The Veer Guardian 2023 exercise at Hyakuri air base in Japan's central Ibaraki prefecture began on Thursday and is scheduled to conclude on Jan. 26.
The drill was originally scheduled for 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The training is focused on combat drills, sharing knowledge and multi-domain operations.
The Indian contingent includes four Su-30 MKI fighters, two C-17 transport planes and one Il-78 refueling aircraft. The Japan Air Self-Defense Force is participating with four F-2 and four F-15 fighters.
Alleged MI6 Spy Sentenced To Death
Source: Bloomberg News
January 13 2023
Iran
United Kingdom
Iran has sentenced a dual British-Iranian citizen and former Iranian deputy defense minister to death on espionage charges, reports Bloomberg News.
Alireza Akbari was arrested between March 2019 and February 2020. The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence accused Akbari as being "one of the most important agents" of Britain's MI6 foreign intelligence service.
British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged Iran to halt the execution and release Akbari, calling the sentence "a politically motivated act by a barbaric regime."
Elbit To Deliver 122-mm Rockets To European Buyer
Source: Elbit Systems
January 13 2023
Israel
Elbit Systems has been awarded a contract to supply rockets to an undisclosed European country, reports the company.
The US$70 million contract covers the delivery of 122-mm extended-range rockets over a three-year period.
The rockets are intended to significantly increase the performance and effectiveness of operations by allowing ground forces to concentrate fire at an increased range of up to 25 miles (40 km), said the release.
The quantity of rockets to be delivered was not made public.
Rheinmetall Launches Initial Production Of Lynx Fighting Vehicle
Source: Rheinmetall
January 13 2023
Hungary
Rheinmetall has begun low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the Lynx infantry fighting vehicle in Hungary, reports the German defense firm.
Hungary ordered 209 Lynx vehicles under a US$1.2 billion contract in September 2020.
The first phase of the deal calls for the delivery of 46 Lynx IFVs, command-and-control vehicles and nine Bergepanzer 3 Buffel (BPZ-3) armored recovery vehicles.
During the second phase, 172 Lynx and combat support vehicles will be produced at a Hungarian factory, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2024.
The Hungarian armed forces received its first Lynx on Oct. 15, 2022.
Full-rate production is expected to begin in July 2023.
Army Shoots At Trespassing Israeli Drone
Source: Reuters
January 13 2023
Israel
Lebanon
The Lebanese army says that it fired on an Israeli drone that entered Lebanese airspace, reports Reuters.
Israeli aircraft and drones regularly enter Lebanese airspace without permission but are rarely targeted by the army.
In a statement on Friday, the service said that its troops had fired on an Israeli drone but had not shot it down.
Israel said it was not aware of the incident.
Congress Extends Sate Of Emergency For Another Month
Source: Al Jazeera
January 13 2023
El Salvador
The Parliament in El Salvador has voted to extend the state of emergency for 30 days in support of the government's crackdown on criminal gangs, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar).
The measure passed on Jan. 11 with 67 votes in favor in the 84-seat unicameral congress. The measure extends the state of emergency from Jan. 17 to Feb. 15.
This is the 10th extension of the emergency measures under President Nayib Bukele.
El Salvador first imposed the measure in March 2022 following a weekend of mass violence.
According to official estimates, over 61,000 people have been detained under the state of emergency.
Government Planes Bomb Indian Territory During Anti-Rebel Op
Source: Guardian
January 13 2023
Burma
India
The Burmese military allegedly bombed Indian territory during airstrikes against an ethnic armed group in northwestern Burma, reports the Guardian (U.K.).
The strikes on Tuesday targeted Camp Victoria, a major training site for the Chin National Army, an ethnic militia fighting the military junta in Burma.
Some of the bombs apparently strayed over the Tiau River, which serves as the border between Burma and India in the region.
Locals in the Farkawan village in India said they witnessed two bombs being dropped. No casualties were immediately reported.
Indian authorities did not immediately confirm that bombs had fallen on its territory but said that they were aware of a disturbance in the area.
NATO AWACS Aircraft Headed To Bucharest
Source: NATO
January 13 2023
NATO
Romania
NATO has decided to deploy an airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft to Romania, reports NATO Allied Air Command.
The E-3 Sentry aircraft are scheduled to arrive in Bucharest on Jan. 17 to support the alliance's increased presence in the region and monitor Russian military activity, the command said in a Thursday release.
The planes will conduct reconnaissance flights and surveillance missions solely over NATO territory for several weeks.
About 180 military personnel will deploy to the Otopeni air base near Bucharest to support the AWACS mission.
Navy Orders Amphibious Vehicles From Iveco
Source: Iveco Defense Vehicles
January 13 2023
Italy
Iveco Defense Vehicles (IDV) has received an Italian navy contract for amphibious armored vehicles (VBA), reports the company.
The deal, the value of which was not made public, covers 36 personnel carrier vehicles based on the SUPERAV 8 x 8 amphibious vehicle.
The VBA has two rear-mounted hydraulic propellers providing a top speed of 6 knots in the water. It is armed with a Leonardo Hitrole Light remotely operated turret with a 12.7-mm machine gun.
The vehicles will enhance the capabilities of the San Marco Marina Brigade, Iveco said in a release.
President Proposes Joint Tank Shipment To Ukraine
Source: Reuters
January 13 2023
Finland
Finland has proposed that European countries jointly ship tanks to Ukraine, reports Reuters.
On Thursday, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto has indicated his country's readiness to send a small number of Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine as part of a larger joint shipment with other European countries.
Finland can only spare a limited number of tanks due to its long border with Russia, the president said.
The Polish government has proposed a similar multinational tank delivery. German authorities say that they have no plans to take part in such a project.
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