Good Thursday morning March 16 2023.
I hope that your seek is going well.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
March 16
1944
PBY-5A (VP 63) seaplanes, employing magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) gear, detect German submarine U 392 while attempting to transit the Straits of Gibraltar. The sub is attacked and sunk by nearby allied ships.
1945
During the Iwo Jima Campaign, Pharmacists Mate 1st Class Francis J. Pierce provides aid to a wounded Marine while disregarding his own injuries and directs treatment of the injured man and fires on the enemy to provide cover for his fellow troops. For his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life," he was awarded the Medal of Honor.
1945 - "Fighting on Iwo Jima Ends" The west Pacific volcanic island of Iwo Jima was declared secured by the U.S. military after weeks of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders.
1952
During the Korean War, USS Wisconsin (BB 64) and USS Duncan (DDR 874) engage in counter-battery fire at Dojo-ri, Korea, making two direct hits on enemy guns.
1963
The Iwo Jima-class amphibious assault ship USS Guadalcanal (LPH 7) is launched at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.
1966
Gemini 8 launches. Former naval aviator Neil Armstrong and Air Force Maj. David R. Scott are on this mission that completes seven orbits in 10 hours and 41 minutes at an altitude of 161.3 nautical miles.
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Today in World History: March 16
0037 On a trip to the Italian mainland from his home on Capreae, the emperor Tiberius dies on the Bay of Naples.
1190 The Crusades begin the massacre of Jews in York, England.
1527 The Emperor Babur defeats the Rajputs at the Battle of Khanwa, removing the main Hindu rivals in Northern India.
1621 The first Indian appears to colonists in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
1833 Susan Hayhurst becomes the first woman to graduate from a pharmacy college.
1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is published.
1865 Union troops push past Confederate blockers at the Battle of Averasborough, N.C.
1907 The British cruiser Invincible, the world's largest, is completed at Glasgow shipyards.
1913 The 15,000-ton battleship Pennsylvania is launched at Newport News, Va.
1917 Russian Czar Nicholas II abdicates his throne.
1926 Physicist Robert H. Goddard launches the first liquid-fuel rocket.
1928 The United States plans to send 1,000 more Marines to Nicaragua.
1935 Adolf Hitler orders a German rearmament and violates the Versailles Treaty.
1939 Germany occupies the rest of Czechoslovakia.
1945 Iwo Jima is declared secure by U.S. forces although small pockets of Japanese resistance still exist.
Not so fast……From Skip See more on this below
1954 CBS introduces The Morning Show hosted by Walter Cronkite to compete with NBC's Today Show.
1964 President Lyndon B. Johnson submits a $1 billion war on poverty program to Congress.
1968 U.S. troops in Vietnam destroy a village consisting mostly of women and children, the action is remembered as the My-Lai massacre.
1984 Mozambique and South Africa sign a pact banning support for one another's internal foes.
1985 Associated Press newsman, Terry Anderson is taken hostage in Beirut.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Thursday, 16 March 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 16 March 1968… A Major Course Change…
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 Dale
Some really impressive sticking
https://www.thedrive.com/news/watch-a-plane-land-on-a-skyscraper-helipad
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Thanks to Carl
(Reprehensible/despicable are not strong enough, a real deplorable low life to cheat deserving combat wounded veterans out of their benefits!)
Fake Marine gets 70 months in prison for defrauding veterans charities
Sarah Jane Cavanaugh deceived veterans charities for years.
BY JEFF SCHOGOL | PUBLISHED MAR 15, 2023 2:04 PM EDT
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
Daily Memo: Diplomacy and Drills in the Middle East
Delegations from Syria, Turkey and Iran are set to meet in the Russian capital.
By: GPF Staff
Russia and the Middle East. Syrian President Bashar Assad is on the second day of a visit to Moscow, where he is meeting with President Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperation and prospects for resolving Syria's crisis. On Thursday, delegations from Syria, Turkey, Iran and Russia will meet in the Russian capital. The Kremlin needs friends, and the Middle East is changing rapidly amid the United States' gradual disengagement and China's moves to fill the vacuum.
Naval exercises. China's Defense Ministry announced that its navy will conduct exercises with Russia, Iran and others in the Gulf of Oman from March 15-19. The exercises, dubbed Marine Security Belt 2023, have been held twice before – in December 2019 and January 2022. The drills are largely symbolic: Iran and Russia get to counter Western claims that they are isolated, while China demonstrates its growing reach. Relatedly, Iran is continuing to make up with its neighbors. Iranian lawmakers met with Bahrain's parliament speaker, and on Thursday, Iranian security chief Ali Shamkhani will visit the United Arab Emirates.
Moldova's security. U.S. officials discussed the rule of law, anti-corruption, national security, trade and energy sustainability with Moldovan officials in Chisinau. The U.S. delegation included the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russian, Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs as well as the general in charge of strategy, plans and policy for U.S. European Command. Ahead of the meeting, Moldova's defense minister said Russia is not a direct military threat to his country but is engaged in a disinformation campaign that is creating instability. On Tuesday, Yahoo News detailed what it said was an internal Russian strategy document for destabilizing Moldova.
Indian charm offensive. At India's invitation, Afghan government officials will attend courses from the India Technical and Economic Cooperation Program, a bilateral assistance initiative focused on India's economy, regulations and history, among other things. This is despite the fact that New Delhi does not recognize the Taliban-led government in Kabul. Separately, India invited Pakistan's defense minister and foreign minister to attend next month's Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting in Delhi. If Pakistan accepts, it would be the first time in 12 years that a Pakistani delegation has visited India.
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This Day in U S Military History
16 March
1802 – The United States Military Academy–the first military school in the United States–is founded by Congress for the purpose of educating and training young men in the theory and practice of military science. Located at West Point, New York, the U.S. Military Academy is often simply known as West Point. Located on the high west bank of New York's Hudson River, West Point was the site of a Revolutionary-era fort built to protect the Hudson River Valley from British attack. In 1780, Patriot General Benedict Arnold, the commander of the fort, agreed to surrender West Point to the British in exchange for 6,000 pounds. However, the plot was uncovered before it fell into British hands, and Arnold fled to the British for protection. Ten years after the establishment of the U.S. Military Academy in 1802, the growing threat of another war with Great Britain resulted in congressional action to expand the academy's facilities and increase the West Point corps. Beginning in 1817, the U.S. Military Academy was reorganized by superintendent Sylvanus Thayer–later known as the "father of West Point"–and the school became one of the nation's finest sources of civil engineers. During the Mexican-American War, West Point graduates filled the leading ranks of the victorious U.S. forces, and with the outbreak of the Civil War former West Point classmates regretfully lined up against one another in the defense of their native states. In 1870, the first African-American cadet was admitted into the U.S. Military Academy, and in 1976, the first female cadets. The academy is now under the general direction and supervision of the department of the U.S. Army and has an enrollment of more than 4,000 students.
1926 – The first man to give hope to dreams of space travel is American Robert H. Goddard, who successfully launches the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Massachusetts. The rocket traveled for 2.5 seconds at a speed of about 60 mph, reaching an altitude of 41 feet and landing 184 feet away. The rocket was 10 feet tall, constructed out of thin pipes, and was fueled by liquid oxygen and gasoline. The Chinese developed the first military rockets in the early 13th century using gunpowder and probably built firework rockets at an earlier date. Gunpowder-propelled military rockets appeared in Europe sometime in the 13th century, and in the 19th century British engineers made several important advances in early rocket science. In 1903, an obscure Russian inventor named Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky published a treatise on the theoretical problems of using rocket engines in space, but it was not until Robert Goddard's work in the 1920s that anyone began to build the modern, liquid-fueled type of rocket that by the early 1960s would be launching humans into space. Goddard, born in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1882, became fascinated with the idea of space travel after reading the H.G. Wells' science fiction novel War of the Worlds in 1898. He began building gunpowder rockets in 1907 while a student at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and continued his rocket experiments as a physics doctoral student and then physics professor at Clark University. He was the first to prove that rockets can propel in an airless vacuum like space and was also the first to explore mathematically the energy and thrust potential of various fuels, including liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. He received U.S. patents for his concepts of a multistage rocket and a liquid-fueled rocket, and secured grants from the Smithsonian Institute to continue his research. In 1919, his classic treatise A Method of Reaching Extreme Altitudes was published by the Smithsonian. The work outlined his mathematical theories of rocket propulsion and proposed the future launching of an unmanned rocket to the moon. The press picked up on Goddard's moon-rocket proposal and for the most part ridiculed the scientist's innovative ideas. In January 1920, The New York Times printed an editorial declaring that Dr. Goddard "seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools" because he thought that rocket thrust would be effective beyond the earth's atmosphere. (Three days before the first Apollo lunar-landing mission in July 1969, the Times printed a correction to this editorial.) In December 1925, Goddard tested a liquid-fueled rocket in the physics building at Clark University. He wrote that the rocket, which was secured in a static rack, "operated satisfactorily and lifted its own weight." On March 16, 1926, Goddard accomplished the world's first launching of a liquid-fueled rocket from his Aunt Effie's farm in Auburn. Goddard continued his innovative rocket work until his death in 1945. His work was recognized by the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, who helped secure him a grant from the Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics. Using these funds, Goddard set up a testing ground in Roswell, New Mexico, which operated from 1930 until 1942. During his tenure there, he made 31 successful flights, including one of a rocket that reached 1.7 miles off the ground in 22.3 seconds. Meanwhile, while Goddard conducted his limited tests without official U.S. support, Germany took the initiative in rocket development and by September 1944 was launching its V-2 guided missiles against Britain to devastating effect. During the war, Goddard worked in developing a jet-thrust booster for a U.S. Navy seaplane. He would not live to see the major advances in rocketry in the 1950s and '60s that would make his dreams of space travel a reality. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is named in his honor.
1945 – Iwo Jima is declared secured by the U.S. military after months of fiercely fighting its Japanese defenders. The Americans began applying pressure to the Japanese defense of Iwo Jima in February 1944, when B-24 and B-25 bombers raided the island for 74 days straight. It was the longest pre-invasion bombardment of the war, necessary because of the extent to which the Japanese–21,000 strong–fortified the island, above and below ground, including a network of caves. Underwater demolition teams ("frogmen") were dispatched by the Americans just before the actual invasion to clear the shores of mines and any other obstacles that could obstruct an invading force. In fact, the Japanese mistook the frogmen for an invasion force and killed 170 of them. The amphibious landings of Marines began the morning of February 19, 1945, as the secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, accompanied by journalists, surveyed the scene from a command ship offshore. The Marines made their way onto the island–and seven Japanese battalions opened fire, obliterating them. By that evening, more than 550 Marines were dead and more than 1,800 were wounded. In the face of such fierce counterattack, the Americans reconciled themselves to the fact that Iwo Jima could be taken only one yard at a time. A key position on the island was Mt. Suribachi, the center of the Japanese defense. The 28th Marine Regiment closed in and around the base of the volcanic mountain at the rate of 400 yards per day, employing flamethrowers, grenades, and demolition charges against the Japanese that were hidden in caves and pillboxes (low concrete emplacements for machine-gun nests). Approximately 40 Marines finally began a climb up the volcanic ash mountain, which was smoking from the constant bombardment, and at 10 a.m. on February 23, a half-dozen Marines raised an American flag at its peak, using a pipe as a flag post. Two photographers caught a restaging of the flag raising for posterity, creating one of the most reproduced images of the war. With Mt. Suribachi claimed, one-third of Iwo Jima was under American control. On March 16, with a U.S. Navy military government established, Iwo Jima was declared secured and the fighting over. When all was done, more than 6,000 Marines died fighting for the island, along with almost all the 21,000 Japanese soldiers trying to defend it.
--------Not so fast note from Skip
General Schmidt received the good news that the 5th Marine Division had snuffed out the final enemy cave in The Gorge on the evening of D+34. But even as the corps commander prepared his announcement declaring the end of organized resistance on Iwo Jima, a very well organized enemy force emerged from northern caves and infiltrated down the length of the island. This final spasm of Japanese opposition still reflected the influence of Kuribayashi's tactical discipline. The300-man force took all night to move into position around the island's now vulnerable rear base area, the tents occupied by freshly arrived Army pilots of VII Fighter Command, adjacent to Airfield No. 1. The counterattacking force achieved total surprise, falling on the sleeping pilots out of the darkness with swords,
grenades, and automatic weapons. The fighting was as vicious and bloody as any that occurred in Iwo Jima's many arenas.
The surviving pilots and members of the 5th Pioneer Battalion improvised a skirmish line and launcheda counterattack of their own. Seabees and elements of the redeploying 28th Marines joined the fray. There were few suicides among the Japanese; most died in place, grateful to strike one final blow for the Emperor. Sunrise revealed the awful carnage: 300 dead Japanese; more than 100 slain pilots, Seabees, and pioneers; and another 200 American wounded. It was a grotesque closing chapter to five continuous weeks of savagery.
1975 – The withdrawal from Pleiku and Kontum begins, as thousands of civilians join the soldiers streaming down Route 7B toward the sea. In late January 1975, just two years after the cease-fire established by the Paris Peace Accords, the North Vietnamese launched Campaign 275. The objective of this campaign was to capture the city of Ban Me Thuot in the Central Highlands. The battle began on March 4 and the North Vietnamese quickly encircled the city with five main force divisions, cutting it off from outside support. The South Vietnamese 23rd Division, which had been sent to defend the city, was vastly outnumbered and quickly succumbed to the communists. As it became clear that the city–and probably the entire Darlac province-would fall to the communists, South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu decided to withdraw his forces in order to protect the more critical populous areas to the south. Accordingly, he ordered his forces in the Central Highlands to pull back from their positions. Abandoning Pleiku and Kontum, the South Vietnamese forces began to move toward the sea. By March 17, civilians and soldiers came under heavy communist attack; the withdrawal, scheduled to take three days, was still underway on April 1. Only 20,000 of 60,000 soldiers ever reached the coast; of 400,000 refugees, only 100,000 arrived. The survivors of what one South Vietnamese general described as the "greatest disaster in the history of the ARVN [Army of the Republic of Vietnam]" escaped down the coastal highway toward Saigon. The North Vietnamese overran the South Vietnamese forces in both the Central Highlands and further north at Quang Tri, Hue, and Da Nang. The South Vietnamese collapsed as a cogent fighting force and the North Vietnamese continued the attack all the way to Saigon. South Vietnam surrendered unconditionally to North Vietnam on April 30 and the war was over.
2000 – Thomas Wilson Ferebee, the Enola Gay bombardier who dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, died in Windermere, Fla., at age 81.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
March 16
TRAYNOR, ANDREW
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company D, 1st Michigan Cavalry. Place and date: At Mason's Hill, Va., 16 March 1864. Entered service at: Rome, N.Y. Birth: Newark, N.J. Date of issue: 28 September 1897. Citation: Having been surprised and captured by a detachment of guerrillas, this soldier, with other prisoners, seized the arms of the guard over them, killed 2 of the guerrillas, and enabled all the prisoners to escape.
TAYLOR, RICHARD H.
Rank and organization: Quartermaster, U.S. Navy. Born: 1871, Virginia. Accredited to: Virginia. G.O. No.: 157, 20 April 1904. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Nipsic, Taylor displayed gallantry during the hurricane at Apia, Samoa, 16 March 1889.
WILLIAMS, LOUIS (First Award)
Rank and organization: Captain of the Hold, U.S. Navy. Born: 1845 Norway. Accredited to: California. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884 Second award. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S.S Lackawanna, 16 March 1883, at Honolulu, T.H., and rescuing from drowning Thomas Moran, landsman.
PIERCE, FRANCIS JUNIOR
Rank and organization: Pharmacist's Mate First Class, U.S. Navy serving with 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division. Place and date: Iwo Jima, 15 and 16 March 1945. Entered service at lowa Born: 7 December 1924, Earlville, lowa. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while attached to the 2d Battalion, 24th Marines, 4th Marine Division, during the Iwo Jima campaign, 15 and 16 March 1945. Almost continuously under fire while carrying out the most dangerous volunteer assignments, Pierce gained valuable knowledge of the terrain and disposition of troops. Caught in heavy enemy rifle and machinegun fire which wounded a corpsman and 2 of the 8 stretcher bearers who were carrying 2 wounded marines to a forward aid station on 15 March, Pierce quickly took charge of the party, carried the newly wounded men to a sheltered position, and rendered first aid. After directing the evacuation of 3 of the casualties, he stood in the open to draw the enemy's fire and, with his weapon blasting, enabled the litter bearers to reach cover. Turning his attention to the other 2 casualties he was attempting to stop the profuse bleeding of 1 man when a Japanese fired from a cave less than 20 yards away and wounded his patient again. Risking his own life to save his patient, Pierce deliberately exposed himself to draw the attacker from the cave and destroyed him with the last of his ammunition Then lifting the wounded man to his back, he advanced unarmed through deadly rifle fire across 200 feet of open terrain. Despite exhaustion and in the face of warnings against such a suicidal mission, he again traversed the same fire-swept path to rescue the remaining marine. On the following morning, he led a combat patrol to the sniper nest and, while aiding a stricken marine, was seriously wounded. Refusing aid for himself, he directed treatment for the casualty, at the same time maintaining protective fire for his comrades. Completely fearless, completely devoted to the care of his patients, Pierce inspired the entire battalion. His valor in the face of extreme peril sustains and enhances the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
RASCON, ALFRED V.
Rank and organization: Specialist Fourth Class, U.S. Army, Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry,173d Airborne Brigade (Separate) Place and date: Republic of Vietnam, 16 March 1966 Born: 1945, Chihuahua, Mexico Citation: Specialist Four Alfred Rascon, distinguished himself by a series of extraordinarily courageous acts on 16 March 1966, while assigned as a medic to the Reconnaissance Platoon, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173d Airborne Brigade (Separate). While moving to reinforce its sister battalion under intense enemy attack, the Reconnaissance Platoon came under heavy fire from a numerically superior enemy force. The intense enemy fire from crew-served weapons and grenades severely wounded several point squad soldiers. Specialist Rascon, ignoring directions to stay behind shelter until covering fire could be provided, made his way forward. He repeatedly tried to reach the severely wounded point machine-gunner laying on an open enemy trail, but was driven back each time by the withering fire. Disregarding his personal safety, he jumped to his feet, ignoring flying bullets and exploding grenades to reach his comrade. To protect him from further wounds, he intentionally placed his body between the soldier and enemy machine guns, sustaining numerous shrapnel injuries and a serious wound to the hip. Disregarding his serious wounds he dragged the larger soldier from the fire-raked trail. Hearing the second machine-gunner yell that he was running out of ammunition, Specialist Rascon, under heavy enemy fire crawled back to the wounded machine-gunner stripping him of his bandoleers of ammunition, giving them to the machine-gunner who continued his suppressive fire. Specialist Rascon fearing the abandoned machine gun, its ammunition and spare barrel could fall into enemy hands made his way to retrieve them. On the way, he was wounded in the face and torso by grenade fragments, but disregarded these wounds to recover the abandoned machine gun, ammunition and spare barrel items, enabling another soldier to provide added suppressive fire to the pinned-down squad. In searching for the wounded, he saw the point grenadier being wounded by small arms fire and grenades being thrown at him. Disregarding his own life and his numerous wounds, Specialist Rascon reached and covered him with his body absorbing the blasts from the exploding grenades, and saving the soldier's life, but sustaining additional wounds to his body. While making his way to the wounded point squad leader, grenades were hurled at the sergeant. Again, in complete disregard for his own life, he reached and covered the sergeant with his body, absorbing the full force of the grenade explosions. Once more Specialist Rascon was critically wounded by shrapnel, but disregarded his own wounds to continue to search and aid the wounded. Severely wounded, he remained on the battlefield, inspiring his fellow soldiers to continue the battle. After the enemy broke contact, he disregarded aid for himself, instead treating the wounded and directing their evacuation. Only after being placed on the evacuation helicopter did he allow aid to be given to him. Specialist Rascon's extraordinary valor in the face of deadly enemy fire, his heroism in rescuing the wounded, and his gallantry by repeatedly risking his own life for his fellow soldiers are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for March 16, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
16 March
1907: Cortlandt F. Bishop, Aero Club of America President, contacted President Theodore Roosevelt about the Wright Brothers project for an Army airplane. His effort led to a contract between the Army and the Wright Brothers. (12)
1916: Capt Townsend F. Dodd, pilot, and Capt Benjamin D. Foulois, observer, flew a Curtiss plane made the first American military reconnaissance flight over foreign territory. They flew from Columbus, N. Mex., over Mexican territory for Pershing's Punitive Expedition. (24)
1926: Dr. Robert H. Goddard test flew the world's first liquid-fueled rocket at Auburn, Mass. It flew 184 feet in 2.5 seconds at about 70 MPH. (4) (24)
1944: Seventh Air Force sent 11 B-24s from Kwajalein to make the first land-based attack on Truk, Caroline Islands. (24) The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) recommended the development of a jet-propelled transonic research aircraft. This suggestion led to the Bell X-1. (8)
1949: Fairchild Aviation Corporation delivered the first track-type landing gear to the USAF and the 314 TCW for installation on the C-82 aircraft. (24)
1953: Republic delivered its 4,000th F-84 Thunderjet to the USAF. (8)
1954: Representative W. Sterling Cole, Joint Atomic Energy Committee Chairman, reported America's capability to deliver a hydrogen weapon to any target in the world by airplane. (16) (26)
1961: Construction on the first Minuteman I (Model A) operational facilities began at Malmstrom AFB. (6)
1962: From Cape Canaveral the USAF launched its first Titan II down the Atlantic Missile Range to a target 5,000 miles away. (6)
1965: The nation observed the first "Robert H. Goddard Day," to honor the late Dr. Goddard's first liquid-fueled sounding rocket flight in 1926 at Auburn, Mass. (5)
1966: The National Space Club presented the 1966 Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy to President Lyndon B. Johnson for his legislative and executive leadership in the space program. (5) GEMINI VIII. An USAF Gemini launch vehicle (Titan II) took Neil Armstrong and David Scott into orbit for this mission. The astronauts accomplished the first docking maneuver in space by meeting up with an Agena Target Vehicle, developed by Space Systems Division, and launched on an Atlas booster. Air Force pararescuemen attached flotation gear to the Gemini VIII space capsule within 20 minutes of splash down 500 miles east of Okinawa. This was the first time pararescue forces participated in the recovery of a Gemini capsule. (16) (21)
1971: The Holloman High Speed Test Track recorded the fastest run on record (8,215 feet per second) made during a fuzing test for the AF Weapons Laboratory. (5)
1974: Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) satellite F-31 launched from Vandenberg AFB aboard an Atlas F with Burner IIA upper stage. (5)
1979: The Arnold Engineering Development Center test fired the large rocket motor for the space shuttle's Inertial Upper Stage for the first time. In the successful 145-second test, the motor generated more than 50,000 pounds of thrust. (5)
1983: After 25 years, the USAF ended the German Air Force pilot training program at Luke AFB. (16)
1988: At Long Beach, McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace unveiled the T-45A Goshawk, the Navy's new training aircraft. (8)
1995: An HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter from the 56 RS at Keflavik AB saved three Icelandic skiers caught in a blizzard. (26)
2006: While deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW), a C-17 Globemaster III from McChord AFB dropped 32,400 pounds of humanitarian goods (food, blankets, winter survival gear, and school supplies) within 40 minutes to four places in central and eastern Afghanistan. The mission set a record by airdropping the most cargo to multiple drop zones in the shortest amount of time in the history of US airdrop operations. (22)
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STRATFOPR SNIPPETS thanks to Brett
What Happened: North Korea on March 12 test-launched two "strategic cruise missiles" from the 8.24 Yongung submarine in Kyongpho Bay toward the East Sea, Yonhap News Agency reported the next day. The launch was likely part of North Korea's promised "unprecedented response" to the expected start of the joint Freedom Shield military exercise between the United States and South Korea, which began on March 13.
Why It Matters: This submarine launch bolsters Pyongyang's nuclear deterrence and conventional strike capabilities, and it will strengthen South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's conviction that Seoul needs to deter Pyongyang by all means necessary. It will also increase the United States' threat perception of North Korea, though other global issues (namely, China and Ukraine) continue to compete for Washington's attention. It is still possible that Pyongyang will extend its unprecedented response campaign with a planned nuclear missile test, but there remains little information about the potential timing of this test.
Background: Pyongyang pledged "unprecedentedly constant, strong responses" to the Freedom Shield exercises in mid-February. The March 12 launch follows North Korea's March 9 launch of a short-range ballistic missile and the Feb. 23 launch of four strategic cruise missiles.
China: As 'Two Sessions' Close, Beijing Balances National Security and Economics
What Happened: Beijing closed its annual "Two Sessions" legislative meetings with a speech from President Xi Jinping, who emphasized creating a favorable international environment for China's growth and upheld security as "the foundation of development," Ginger River Review reported on March 13. The State Council also released a new list of leaders, with central bank governor Yi Gang and Finance Minister Liu Kun both keeping their positions, despite being past retirement age.
Why It Matters: Beijing's dual focus on national security and economic growth will continue to characterize China's governance in 2023. Xi and his associates are intent on fighting off foreign trade restrictions, protecting China's innovation capacity and asserting greater Communist Party oversight over economic and financial affairs, even as they aim to revive the post-COVID-19 economy by spurring consumption and foreign investment in China.
Background: The legislature also passed its latest revisions to the Legislation Law, which includes a clause for expediting the legislative review process under undisclosed "emergency" circumstances. Beijing used such an expedited review process to institute a National Security Law in Hong Kong in June 2020.
Iraq: Government Passes New Budget Bill, Transfers Money to KRG
What Happened: Iraq's Cabinet passed the federal budget bill for 2023, 2024 and 2025, Rudaw Media Network reported on March 13. On the same day, the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government's finance and economy minister confirmed that the federal government had transferred $250 million to the KRG Finance Ministry's bank account.
Why It Matters: The bill will next go to the National Assembly, and although the body is full of feuding political parties, the fact that the Cabinet (which represents these feuding parties) managed to pass the bill bodes well for a compromise. If the National Assembly passes the budget bill, it would signal that the Iraqi government is increasingly stable. Additionally, the transfer of money to the Kurdish government indicates that Baghdad wants to maintain political harmony, and the money will help the KRG's financial stability.
Background: The 2023 draft budget is 197.82 trillion Iraqi dinars ($152.17 billion), with an anticipated deficit of 63.27 trillion dinars ($48.67 billion). Iraq did not pass a budget in 2022, largely due to feuding between government groups and parties.
Uzbekistan: Constitutional Referendum Date Set for April 30
What Happened: Lawmakers in Uzbekistan provisionally set an April 30 date for a long-delayed referendum on a new constitution, Eurasianet reported on March 10. Details of the new constitution are still unclear, but it will reportedly entail changing 65% of the country's constitution and extending the duration of the presidential term from five to seven years.
Why It Matters: The changes are likely intended to "nullify" President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's previous and current terms, which would enable him to run for another two consecutive terms, and thereby (in theory) remain president until 2040. This would strengthen Mirziyoyev's grip on the country and undermine his efforts to portray himself as a reformer.
Background: On March 1, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made his first official visit to Uzbekistan and met with President Mirziyoyev, lauding his reform agenda but avoiding substantive answers about the country's proposed constitutional changes. In July 2022, mass unrest in the country's Karakalpakstan region upended discussion about the changes, and the government subsequently postponed the referendum, which was initially scheduled for December 2022.
EU: European Parliament Divided Over Limiting Joint Defense Spending to EU Companies
What Happened: Key committees of the European Parliament are divided over a joint procurement fund intended to ramp up production of arms in Europe, with the French-dominated Renew Europe parliamentary group allegedly pushing the bloc to purchase weapons only from European defense firms, Politico reported on March 13.
Why It Matters: While the funds related to the deal are almost negligible when it comes to spending on military hardware, any decision to limit common defense spending to EU-made weapons could mark a precedent for future, larger joint defense procurement programs, which would benefit large European defense companies. Eventually, the divided parliamentary groups will likely reach a compromise to move the proposal through the approval process, with joint procurement focusing on the EU defense industry but allowing some flexibility for foreign components.
Background: The bloc originally earmarked 500 million euros ($537 million) for the fund, but the internal market and defense committees of the European Parliament increased the amount in a draft proposal to 1.5 billion euros ($1.61 billion). In its current form, the proposal leaves the door open to spending outside the European Union, with parliamentarians from Poland, Estonia, Portugal, Germany and Luxembourg pushing to include non-EU companies from countries like South Korea or the United States to help fill gaps in domestic production.
U.K.: New Integrated Review for Defense and Security Does Not Label China a 'Threat'
What Happened: British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly presented to Parliament an updated review of defense and security policy titled "Integrated Review Refresh 2023" (IR23), The Guardian reported on March 13. While acknowledging the "epoch-defining challenge" presented by China's "increasingly concerning military, financial and diplomatic activity," the IR23 did not formally designate Beijing as a "threat."
Why It Matters: London's labeling of China as a challenge aligns with its desire to reduce China's presence in strategic sectors of the British economy, technological infrastructure and supply chains as the United Kingdom simultaneously increases its presence in the Pacific region. However, London is resisting labeling China a threat since Chinese companies create components essential for the British economy and the Chinese market is important for British exports. Despite criticism from hawkish members of the ruling Conservative Party, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's more dovish stance toward China is unlikely to trigger an internal rebellion against the prime minister.
Background: The document allocates an additional 5 billion pounds ($6 billion) to the country's defense spending through 2025 to help replenish the country's ammunition stocks, modernize its nuclear deterrent and fund the next phase of the AUKUS nuclear submarine program (an anti-China security partnership with the United States and Australia). The IR23 updates a previous 2021 version of the review that was published in response to increased global volatility amid the Russia-Ukraine war and China's growing economic coercion.
Ukraine, China: Xi Plans to Speak With Zelensky for First Time Since Start of Russia-Ukraine War
What Happened: Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 13. The call will likely take place soon after Xi reportedly visits Moscow, Russia, during the week of March 20 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Why It Matters: Xi's upcoming communication with Zelensky will constitute an adjustment of Beijing's previous approach to the conflict, and the call's likely timing after Xi's visit to Moscow reflects Beijing's effort to play a more active role in mediating an end to the war in Ukraine (or at least appear willing to do so). Zelensky will likely use the call to attempt to establish more regular contact with Chinese officials and ensure that Kyiv's views on the war are accessible and understood in China, though progress toward these goals is doubtful.
Background: On Feb. 24, China's Foreign Ministry released a 12-point "peace plan" for the Russia-Ukraine war, which, among other points, urged an immediate cease-fire and peace talks, respect for sovereignty, no expansion of defense blocs, no use or threat of use of nukes or chemical or biological weapons, and reliable global supply chains for energy and grains.
Ethiopia: Cash Shortages, Banking Disruptions Persist in Tigray
What Happened: Tigrayans are facing renewed cash shortages as banks restrict the amount of money depositors can withdraw due to widespread cash hoarding, Addis Standard reported March 14.
Why It Matters: Continued disruptions to banking services are an impediment to the resumption of "life as usual" in Tigray, which was one of the aims of the cessation of hostilities announced in November 2022. Additionally, the cash shortage is keeping more people dependent on humanitarian aid, which remains scarce as humanitarian groups are still reporting difficulties accessing the region.
Background: The Ethiopian central bank's February transfer of 5 billion birr (about $93 million) to banks in Tigray enabled the resumption of banking services in the region. Banks are only allowing 5,000 birr (about $93) to be withdrawn per person each week, and brokers are taking advantage of the system to tack on additional charges for cash withdrawals and transfers.
Colombia: Government Announces Second Peace Talks With FARC Dissidents
What Happened: Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced the beginning of a second peace negotiation process with Estado Mayor Central, an armed group composed of former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that have since rejected the 2016 peace deal, DW News reported March 13. Colombia's Attorney General suspended 19 arrest warrants for members of the Estado Mayor Central in a final gesture of goodwill toward the group.
Why It Matters: Estado Mayor Central's efforts to enter into peace talks with the Colombian government is a positive step for Petro's efforts toward "total peace" in the country. Additionally, the government's concessions to the group could incentivize other FARC dissident groups, such as the Estado Mayor and Segunda Marquetalia, to join talks as well. Negotiations between armed groups/cartels and the government toward peace will likely lead to a temporarily improved security climate due to cease-fires, specifically in rural areas of the country where illicit groups have a greater degree of control. However, Colombia may see incidents of violence should the fragile negotiations fall apart.
Background: After the government's implementation of the 2016 peace deal with FARC began to stall, several FARC commanders created new guerrilla groups.
U.K., U.S.: Biden to Visit Ireland and Northern Ireland on Anniversary of Good Friday Agreement
What Happened: U.S. President Joe Biden said he intends to travel to Ireland and Northern Ireland to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (which ended decades of sectarian violence in Northern Ireland) after receiving a formal invitation from British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Bloomberg reported on March 13.
Why It Matters: Biden's upcoming visit confirms U.S. approval of the U.K.-EU "Windsor Framework," which resolved outstanding Brexit issues concerning the Northern Ireland protocol bill. Biden's decision to attend celebrations in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which is the seat of power for the region's currently unformed government, may also increase pressure on Northern Ireland's ruling parties to finally form a power-sharing government. While Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which has refused to form a government until the Northern Ireland protocol issues were addressed, has not yet backed the Windsor Framework, the party may form a government even if it formally rejects the deal, a scenario supported by a majority of unionist voters in recent polls.
Background: Signed on April 10, 1998, the Good Friday Agreement is a peace deal brokered by U.S. special envoy George Mitchell that largely ended three decades of violent conflict in Northern Ireland known as The Troubles. The agreement set up a power-sharing government for Northern Ireland, representing both nationalists and unionists.
EU: Brussels Unveils EU Electricity Market Reform
What Happened: The European Commission presented its proposal for a reform to the EU electricity market that aims to reduce consumers' exposure to volatile natural gas prices and ensure that increased low-cost renewable electricity generation translates into lower energy bills, Reuters reported on March 14.
Why It Matters: The proposal aims to boost the share of renewable energy in the European Union's electricity mix and protect consumers from short-term price volatility, but it offers no plan to overhaul the current market structure. In particular, it falls short of delivering the promised "decoupling" of gas and power prices promised by the European Commission in 2022, avoiding deeper reforms to the bloc's electricity market design that were requested by countries such as Spain and France. Instead, the plan opts for lighter adjustments to limit price volatility, as requested by countries such as Germany and the Netherlands, which have warned that major changes could disrupt markets and scare off investors. Renewable energy industry associations and environmental groups have welcomed the proposed measures, but they are set to be divisive among member states. The proposal will need approval by EU countries and the European Parliament, with negotiations likely to last several months.
Background: Brussels pledged to revamp the bloc's power market after Russian gas supply disruptions in 2022 sent European power prices soaring to record highs, translating into falling industrial production due to unsustainably high operating costs and higher energy bills for households. Currently, power prices in Europe are set by the final generator needed to meet overall demand, which is most often a gas-powered plant, meaning that natural gas price spikes end up translating into higher electricity prices.
Russia, Ukraine: Moscow Pushes 60-Day Renewal as Grain Deal Talks Continue
What Happened: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko claimed his country had agreed to a 60-day renewal of the Black Sea grain deal with Ukraine, an idea Kyiv swiftly rejected, arguing the deal stipulates that any extension must last 120 days, Reuters reported on March 14. The United Nations and Turkey said negotiations on the deal, which will renew automatically on March 18 unless either side lodges a formal objection, were ongoing.
Why It Matters: It is unclear how the deal could be extended by 60 days rather than the 120 days as stipulated in the agreement, so the deal is most likely to remain in effect for another 120 days. However, Russia's attempts to complicate negotiations demonstrate its dissatisfaction with the grain deal, as Western sanctions on its payments, logistics and insurance industries are creating barriers to Russian agricultural exports (even though the West has abided by the deal by not explicitly targeting Russian agricultural products with sanctions). Because Western states are unlikely to resolve these issues, Moscow will likely continue to express its discontent with the status quo by throwing wrenches in the deal, thereby maintaining leverage over Ukraine and the West, as well as applying upward pressure on global grain prices. Even so, Russia is unlikely to formally withdraw from the deal, as that would risk further complicating its agricultural exports and require Moscow to attempt to reimpose a naval blockade in the Black Sea.
Background: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on March 2 that the West is "shamelessly burying" the grain deal initiative, echoing a Russian Foreign Ministry statement that claimed the deal "isn't working." On Oct. 31, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia could still leave the deal and supply "the poorest countries" with the same amount of grain previously supplied by Ukraine for free, but Putin added that Russia would not obstruct Ukraine's grain deliveries to Turkey "in any case."
U.S., Australia: Washington Details Plan to Send Nuclear-Powered Submarines to Australia
What Happened: The White House announced that the United States would sell Australia three to five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs) in the early 2030s under the auspices of the AUKUS trilateral security pact, which also includes the United Kingdom, Politico reported on March 13. Washington claims the goal of the plan is to procure SSNs for Australia "at the earliest possible date," as well as to provide Australia with the ability to produce, operate and maintain its own SSN fleet in order to "promote a free and open Indo-Pacific."
Why It Matters: These SSNs will enable Washington to distribute among its alliance partners the burden of maintaining a "collective undersea presence" in the Indo-Pacific, which is particularly intended to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. China will chafe at this agreement, seeing it as further Western efforts to militarily contain China's development, which may push Beijing to accelerate its own anti-submarine warfare capabilities and submarine fleet.
Background: The AUKUS pact was signed in September 2021, and it also involves broader technology cooperation — including cyber capabilities and hypersonic missiles — as well as intelligence sharing. China already has the world's largest military submarine fleet, although the majority of these are less advanced diesel-electric attack subs.
U.S., Russia: Russian Jet Downs U.S. Reaper Drone Over Black Sea
What Happened: The U.S. European Command said two Russian Su-27 aircraft "conducted an unsafe and unprofessional" interception of an American MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea during which one of the Russian aircraft "struck" the drone's propeller, resulting in its crash and complete loss in international waters, Reuters reported on March 14. Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed the U.S. drone was flying with its transponders off and "violating the boundaries of the temporary airspace regime established for the special military operation."
Why It Matters: The Russian pilots were likely following instructions from ground control, which means Moscow likely intended the interception to signal to the United States and NATO that they should designate additional buffer space when deploying their air assets in the international airspace south of Crimea. Moscow may also use the incident in its efforts to fuel war fatigue and escalation concerns in the West and push for a broader strategic security and stability dialogue with the United States.
Background: U.S. Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces-Europe, said that "U.S. and Allied aircraft will continue to operate in international airspace." U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley plans to call his Russian counterpart, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, about the incident.
Iran, UAE: Iranian National Security Advisor to Meet With UAE Officials in Abu Dhabi
What Happened: Iranian national security advisor Ali Shamkhani will visit the United Arab Emirates with a banking and security delegation on March 16, Bloomberg reported March 15. During his visit, Shamkhani will meet with Emirati national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi.
Why It Matters: A public meeting between Iranian and Emirati officials signals that both countries are increasingly willing to mend ties. This is especially significant for the United Arab Emirates, which has resisted such moves more than Iran. This shift illustrates that regional security threats are changing, particularly in Yemen, where a settlement that would ease the country's civil war may be brewing. Such a settlement would enable Iran and the United Arab Emirates to mend ties even further, as it would mean that Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels would pose less of a threat to the United Arab Emirates, which supports Yemen's federal government.
Background: The United Arab Emirates and Iran have a complicated relationship that varies across different emirates; Dubai and the northern emirates have historically had a friendlier relationship with Iran, while Abu Dhabi and its royal family have typically been rather hawkish. Officials from Gulf Cooperation Council countries have been quietly probing the possibility of eased Iran ties throughout the years, but the possibility that U.S.-Iran nuclear talks could fall apart has made Arab Gulf officials especially wary.
Global: ChatBot AI Wars Heat Up With Release of GPT-4, Google Announcement
What Happened: U.S. artificial intelligence (AI) research and deployment company OpenAI released its latest large language model (LLM), GPT-4, which is more advanced than the GPT-3.5 LLM on which the company's popular AI chatbot ChatGPT is based, Reuters reported on March 14. On the same day, Google announced that it would soon integrate AI features into its Workspace apps, including Google Docs, Gmail and Google Sheets.
Why It Matters: Although GPT-4 suffers from many of the same limitations as its predecessor, it is far more sophisticated in the types of responses it can generate, ranging from writing code to essays. GPT-4's more advanced reasoning and the seamless integration of AI that Google is attempting with its Workspace suite demonstrate that in the future, virtually all jobs and apps that are text-heavy will eventually incorporate AI into their text-generation processes. These developments also demonstrate how the arms race between technology companies to develop their own models and release them is accelerating, particularly as Google is now being threatened by Microsoft, which has incorporated ChatGPT into its Bing search engine.
Background: OpenAI says GPT-4 demonstrates a higher degree of accuracy in its responses and a much better ability to reason and consider mathematics and arithmetic than ChatGPT. Legal services chatbot DoNotPay has already used GPT-4 to try to create a one-click generator for lawsuits against robocallers, others have used the tool to generate a web page layout based on a basic hand-drawn sketch, and still others have used it to find vulnerabilities in an ethereum smart contract.
Turkey: HDP Plans to Support Opposition Presidential Candidate Kilicdaroglu
What Happened: Turkey's Kurdish-majority opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP) plans to back the opposition Nation Alliance coalition's presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Bloomberg reported on March 15. Opposition news site Cumhuriyet reported the same day that HDP and Nation Alliance leaders would meet at 1 p.m. local time on March 18.
Why It Matters: With HDP support, Kilicdaroglu will have a greater chance of beating incumbent candidate Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential election. If Kilicdaroglu wins, the relationship between the Turkish government and Turkish Kurds could fundamentally shift, as Kilicdaroglu has criticized the government's crackdowns on Kurds in the past. Beyond the presidential election, the HDP is likely to back parliamentary candidates on the Green Left Party's ticket, as the HDP currently faces legal barriers (mostly related to charges of promoting separatism) to running its own candidates.
Background: The HDP supported the Nation Alliance's candidates in Turkey's 2019 local elections, which likely contributed to the Nation Alliance's candidates winning in several key polls, including the Istanbul and Ankara mayorships. Turkey's Kurdish minority has faced harassment and political repression throughout the decades, and the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has alternated between wooing and attacking the HDP, which the AKP has claimed has links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group in Syria, Iraq and southeastern Turkey.
Honduras: Government Announces Intent to Switch Diplomatic Alliance to China
What Happened: Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that the government will seek to establish diplomatic relations with China, implying that the Central American country would drop its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan, El Mundo reported on March 14.
Why It Matters: The announcement is a clear indicator that Honduras will almost certainly switch its diplomatic alliance from Taiwan to China, following meetings between the two countries in which Tegucigalpa will likely push Beijing for potential investment deals, loan opportunities or infrastructure development. Should Honduras' diplomatic switch appear economically beneficial, it may prompt other regional countries to consider doing the same in an effort to boost domestic economic development. This may particularly affect Guatemala and Paraguay, which both have pro-China presidential candidates running in their upcoming June and April elections, respectively.
Background: In addition to Honduras, eight countries in Latin America have yet to switch diplomatic alliances, including Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
U.K.: Treasury Chief Unveils 2023 Spring Budget, Economic Forecasts
What Happened: British Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt presented the government's spring budget 2023 to Parliament, BBC reported on March 15. In parallel, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) published its economic and fiscal outlook alongside the fiscal statement.
Why It Matters: The recent improvement in the country's fiscal position and falling natural gas prices gave the government more leeway to deploy modest fiscal support measures aimed at tackling the country's cost-of-living crisis and increasing support to struggling public services. Even so, Hunt resisted calls from within the ruling Conservative Party for radical action to reduce the country's tax burden, as his main priority remains the consolidation of public finances. Among the measures announced, a new 9 billion pound ($10.8 billion) annual investment allowance will help offset a sharp increase in corporation taxes starting in April, as they are set to rise from 19% to 25%. Hunt also announced an 11 billion pound ($13.2 billion) annual increase in defense spending for the next five years, a 2.5 billion pound ($3 billion) government investment in quantum computing, and a series of initiatives on nuclear and carbon capture and storage. The OBR now forecasts that the United Kingdom will avoid a technical recession in 2023, with gross domestic product contracting by only 0.2% in 2023, before growing by 1.8% in 2024. Government debt is now forecast to total 92.4% of GDP for 2024 before peaking at 97.3% in 2025 and declining over the following years.
Background: In his November 2022 fiscal statement, Hunt set a target for public sector net borrowing to fall below 3% of GDP by 2027-2028, and he delivered a 55 billion pound ($66 billion) package of tax increases and spending cuts to further this goal, as well as to restore investor confidence following the financial markets turmoil triggered by the short-lived government of former Prime Minister Liz Truss. The surprise government budget surplus revealed in February 2022, however, has increased the government's headroom for eventual fiscal adjustments.
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