Good Saturday Morning August 19 2023.
Been out getting ready for the big storm out here. The weather report is one of the longest I have ever read for our neck of the woods. Everything from high winds to rain and flooding. However I take most of that with a grain of salt since it is already been degraded to a Tropical storm. We did tighten down the chicken cage and water proof it a bit
Regards,
Skip
This Day in Navy and Marine Corps History:
Aug. 19
1812 The frigate USS Constitution captures the frigate HMS Guerriere, off Halifax, Nova Scotia after an intense battle.
1818 Capt. James Biddle, as commanding officer of USS Ontario, takes possession of Oregon Territory for United States.
1936 Lt. B. L. Braun, pilot, completes test bombing against the submarine USS R-8 (SS 85) off the Virginia capes, sinking the old submarine and proving the value of properly armed aircraft in antisubmarine warfare.
1943 USS Finback (SS 230) sinks the Japanese auxiliary submarine chaser (No.109) off the eastern Celebes.
1981 Two F-14 Tomcats of VF-41 shoot down two Libyan (Su 22) Sukhoi aircraft over international waters. Flying off USS Nimitz (CVA(N) 68), the Tomcats are on a reconnaissance mission for a missile-firing exercise being conducted by U.S. ships from two carrier battle groups when they are fired on by the Libyan planes.
2000 USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) is commissioned at Naval Station Norfolk. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is the first ship named for Marine Private First Class Oscar P. Austin, who earned the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his "indomitable courage, inspiring initiative and selfless devotion to duty" after he twice threw himself between a North Vietnamese weapon and a wounded comrade on Feb. 23, 1969.
2017 A team of civilian researchers led by entrepreneur and philanthropist Paul G. Allen announces they found the wreck of World War II cruiser USS Indianapolis (CA 35), which was lost July 30, 1945, in 18,000 feet of water. About 800 of the ship's 1,196 Sailors and Marines survived the sinking, but after four to five days in the water - suffering exposure, dehydration, drowning, and shark attacks - only 316 survived.
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Today in World History August 19
1493 Maximilian succeeds his father Frederick III as Holy Roman Emperor.
1587 Sigismund III is chosen to be the king of Poland.
1692 Five women are hanged in Salem, Massachusetts after being convicted of the crime of witchcraft. Fourteen more people are executed that year and 150 others are imprisoned.
1772 Gustavus III of Sweden eliminates the rule of parties and establishes an absolute monarchy.
1779 Americans under Major Henry Lee take the British garrison at Paulus Hook, New Jersey.
1812 The USS Constitution earns the nickname "Old Ironsides" during the battle off Nova Scotia that saw her defeat the HMS Guerriere.
1914 The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) lands in France.
1934 38 million Germans vote to make Adolf Hitler the official successor to President von Hindenburg.
1936 Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca is shot by Franco's troops after being forced to dig his own grave.
1942 A raid on Dieppe, France by British and Canadian commandos is repulsed by the German Army.
1944 In an effort to prevent a communist uprising in Paris, Charles De Gaulle begins attacking German forces all around the city.
1950 Edith Sampson becomes the first African-American representative to the United Nations.
1957 The first balloon flight to exceed 100,000 feet takes off from Crosby, Minnesota.
1965 US forces destroy a Viet Cong stronghold near Van Tuong, in South Vietnam.
1974 US Ambassador to Cyrus Rodger P. Davies assassinated by a sniper of Greek Cypriot paramilitary group EOKA-B during a demonstration outside the embassy in Nicosia.
1976 Gerald R Ford, who had become President of the United States after Richard Nixon resigned, wins Republican Party's presidential nomination at Kansas City convention.
1987 Hungerford Massacre in the UK; armed with semi-automatic rifles and a handgun Michael Ryan kills 16 people before committing suicide. In response, Parliament passed the Firearms (Amendment) Act of 1988 banning ownership of certain classes of firearms.
1988 Cease fire begins in 8-year war between Iran and Iraq.
1991 Communist hard-liners place President Mikhail Gorbachev under house arrest in an attempted coup that failed two days later.
2002 A Russian Mi-26 helicopter carrying troops is hit by a Chechen missile outside of Grozny, killing 118 soldiers.
2003 Shmuel Hanavi bus bombing: suicide attack on a bus in Jerusalem kills 23 Israelis, some of them children, and wounds 130. Islamist militant group Hamas claims responsibility for the attack.
2004 Google Inc. stock begins selling on the Nasdaq Stock Market, with an initial price of $85; the stock ended the day at $100.34 with more than 22 million shares traded.
2005 Toronto Supercell: A series of thunderstorms spawn several tornadoes and cause flash floods in Southern Ontario. Losses exceed $500 million Canadian dollars, the highest ever in the province.
2010 Operation Iraqi Freedom ends; the last US combat brigade, 4th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, leaves the country. Six brigades remain to train Iraqi troops.
1909
First race is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
Skip… For The List for Saturday, 19 August 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 19 August 1968… At a time when more than 500,000 Americans were fighting in SEA, LBJ spoke…
Thanks to Micro
From Vietnam Air Losses site for Saturday, August 19
Saturday, August 19th: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=2320
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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Skip, a short tribute to Limerick Laureate Jack Woodul for THE LIST.
Newell
ODE TO LIST 6557
A toast to Jack's limerick slickery,
And his hose-clamp medical gimmickery.
A cervical save,
Upon which to rave.
'Twas a word salad of clever trickery!
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This is a terrible note that affects all military retirees.
Thanks to Hawk and Tod
I just received this incredible Email and I was taken aback by the explanation therein where Congressional staffing has a Bill to pass all Tricare for Life costs to Retirees who served honorably for 20 or more years which was part-and-parcel of our Enlistment and Service Program.
My sense is that we all should contact our Senators right away before this proposal gets included and perhaps hidden in some lengthy Bill and passed which would be a financial disaster for so very many Retirees.
We'll need to double-check with the Fleet Reserve to verify the source of this incredulous plan.
Best as always;
Hawk
Tricare-for-Life
Stand by for a ram! Some snide working for the Congressional Budget Office wants to screw with the Tricare-for-Life program. We who served in the '50s, 60s, 70s, and 80's, were promised FREE medical care for life if we served honorably on active duty for 20 or more years. A few years back, when the military health care system went pretty much belly-up, the Tricare-for-Life program was established to keep that government promise. Read the below, which I just today received from the Fleet Reserve Assn.
Take action.
CBO Asks Congress to Enact New TRICARE Fees!
David Mosher, Director of National Security Analysis for the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently testified before the Senate Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee (SASC-P) on reducing the Department of Defense compensation costs. In his written testimony he urged Congress to enact a new TRICARE for Life (TFL) annual enrollment fee of $575 for individual coverage or $1,150 for family coverage. TFL beneficiaries would also be required to pay the first $850 and 50 percent of the next $7,650 in cost annually. Currently, TFL beneficiaries do not pay an annual enrollment fee.
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Thanks to Hugh
Subject:Your Duck is Dead
A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary
surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet
pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's
chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and
sadly said, "I'm sorry, your duck, Cuddles, has
passed away."
The distressed woman wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. Your duck is dead," replied the
vet..
"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean
you haven't done any testing on him or anything.
He might just be in a coma or something"
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the
room. He returned a few minutes later with a black
Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on
in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his
front paws on the examination table and sniffed the
duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the
vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out
of the room. A few minutes later he returned with
a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately
sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back
on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and
strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry,
but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably,
a dead duck."
The vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys
and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman..
The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill. "$150!"
she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!"
The vet shrugged, "I'm sorry. If you had just taken my
word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the
Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150."
(Nowadays, I think the bill would be much more.)
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
8 Notable Secret Service Code Names From History
Though many details of the United States Secret Service are, well, secret, some things have been made public information. The most enjoyable of these is probably the code names assigned to the Secret Service's protection detail, which extends beyond the President and their family to include Vice Presidents, cabinet members, presidential candidates, and high-profile visitors such as the Pope and Queen Elizabeth II (Halo and Kittyhawk, respectively).
Though these code names don't date as far back as the Secret Service itself, which was founded in 1863 as part of the Department of the Treasury's attempt to combat counterfeiting, the last half-century has produced no shortage of compelling call signals. Here are eight of the most memorable.
1 of 8
Lancer (John F. Kennedy)
Following her husband's assassination, First Lady Jackie Kennedy quoted his favorite musical to memorialize him: "Don't let it be forgot, that for one brief, shining moment there was Camelot." JFK's code name was in line with this King Arthur fixation, not least because it can be thought of as a play on Lancelot — the famous Knight of the Round Table who was also known for his dalliances.
2 of 8
Passkey (Gerald Ford)
The 38th President of the United States was known to be highly appreciative of the Secret Service even before one of his agents, Larry Buendord, saved him from an assassination attempt in Sacramento on September 5, 1975. Just 17 days later, another attempt on Gerald Ford's life was foiled when a retired Marine named Oliver Sipple grabbed the gun of would-be assassin Sara Jane Moore as she fired a second round at Ford after her first bullet missed. Passkey was uninjured in both cases.
3 of 8
Sunburn (Ted Kennedy)
During his unsuccessful White House run in 1980, Senator Ted Kennedy spent a lot of time in the sun. This didn't exactly bode well for the Irish American's fair complexion, and so he received the less-than-flattering code name Sunburn.
4 of 8
Timberwolf (George H.W. Bush)
Though few would mistake the elder George Bush for a basketball player, his call signal was the same as the NBA team from Minnesota. Bush had a close relationship with his security detail in his later years, even shaving his head in support of an agent's 2-year-old child who was diagnosed with leukemia. Following his death in 2018, the Secret Service released a touching message: "Timberwolf's Detail concluded at 0600 hours on December 7, 2018 with no incidents to report at the George Bush Presidential Library — College Station, Texas. God speed Former President George H.W. Bush — you will be missed by all of us."
5 of 8
Renegade (Barack Obama)
After being presented with a list of names that began with the letter R, Barack Obama went with Renegade. Given how historic his candidacy and then presidency were, it's easy to make the connection. He would later go on to name the podcast he started with Bruce Springsteen Renegades: Born in the USA.
6 of 8
Javelin (Mitt Romney)
The meaning behind Mitt Romney's call signal is twofold: Javelin is both a car formerly manufactured by American Motors, which was led by Romney's father in the 1950s, as well as an Olympic event. Romney was president and CEO of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Winter Olympics prior to his tenure as Governor of Massachusetts, receiving widespread praise for his shepherding of the event.
7 of 8
Pioneer (Kamala Harris)
Shortly after being chosen as Joe Biden's running mate last summer, Vice President Kamala Harris opted for a call signal that alluded to the historic nature of her candidacy: Pioneer. After being elected, Harris became the first female Vice President, first Black Vice President, and first Vice President of Asian descent — as well as the highest-ranking female official in American history.
8 of 8
Celtic (Joe Biden)
Anyone familiar with President Biden's affinity for Irish poetry will be unsurprised that his code name alludes to his heritage (note that it's pronounced with a hard C, basketball fans). When news of this first broke across the pond, many publications wrote about it. He first chose Celtic as Vice President and maintains it now that he's in the Oval Office.
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'Thanks to Carl
Subject: Car Runs On Air
This five-seater car runs on compressed air, has zero pollution, very low running costs and will cost about $15,000.
http://www.flixxy.com/zero-pollution-automobile.htm#.UYqDyMu9KK0
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This Day in U S Military History…….19 August
1919 – "The Marines' Hymn" was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.
1940 – First flight of the B-25 Mitchell medium bomber.
1942 – A major raid by mainly Canadian Forces (2nd Canadian Division, under General Roberts), with a British commando component (Nos. 3 & 4 commandos under Lord Lovat) and 50 American Rangers, is staged on the French coast, at Dieppe. Its function is to test German coastal defenses and gather intelligence. The raid goes badly and there is much controversy about it, including the cancellation and remounting of the raid, the inaccurate intelligence concerning German defensive positions and the lack of bomber support for the raid. In all there are 3600 casualties on the Allied side. 106 aircraft, one destroyer, 30 tanks and 33 landing craft are also lost. German casualties are light, 600 men and 50 tanks.
1942 – 19 US Marines died during a commando raid on Makin atoll in the Gilbert Islands. The raid was 2,000 miles behind enemy lines and 9 Marines were left behind. The 1943 movie, "Gung Ho," was based on the raid and starred Randolph Scott as Lt. Col. Evans Carlson, leader of the raid. In 2001 the bodies of 13 Marines, who died on Makin, were reburied at Arlington National Cemetery.
1943 – Italians have approached the Allies about negotiating a surrender. General Bedell Smith, General Eisenhower's Chief of Staff, and General Strong, his chief of intelligence areeive to continue talks with approaches to the British ambassador, Sir Samuel Hoare. The leading Italian representative is General Castellano.
1944 – Elements of the US 3rd Army reach the Seine River at Mantes Grassicourt. There is heavy fighting between Falaise and Argentan.
1944 – Liberation of Paris – Paris, France rises against German occupation with the help of Allied troops.
1945 – Japanese representatives of the government arrive in Manila to conclude the surrender of the remaining Japanese troops and receive instructions on the plans for the occupation of Japan and the signing of the surrender documents. Meanwhile, General MacArthur ordered a halt to all amphibious landing operations.
1981 – 2 US Navy F-14 jet fighters shot down 2 Soviet-built Libyan SU-22 over the Gulf of Sidra.
2010 – The last US combat brigades departed Iraq in the early morning. Convoys of US troops had been moving out of Iraq to Kuwait for several days, and NBC News broadcast live from Iraq as the last convoy crossed the border. While all combat brigades left the country, an additional 50,000 personnel (including Advise and Assist Brigades) remained in the country to provide support for the Iraqi military.
2014 – In what may be considered the first attack of the Islamic State on the United States, IS releases a video that show the apparent beheading of American journalist James Foley, and threatens the life of another American journalist if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq. Foley had disappeared form northwest Syria on 22 November 2012 while working for the US-based online news outlet GlobalPost. The other journalist, still in captivity, is Steven Sotloff, kidnapped form the Syria-Turkey border region in 2013. Sotloff is a contributor to Time and Foreign Policy magazines.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BROWN, CHARLES
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company C, 50th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Schuylkill County, Pa. Date of issue: 1 December 1864. Citation: Capture of flag of 47th Virginia Infantry (C.S.A.).
CAYER, OVILA
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company A, 14th U.S. Volunteers. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Canada. Date of issue: 15 February 1867. Citation: Commanded the regiment, all the officers being disabled.
HOTTENSTINE, SOLOMON J.
Rank and organization: Private, Company C, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at: Philadelphia, Pa. Birth: Lehigh County, Pa. Date of issue: 2 February 1865. Citation: Captured flag belonging to a North Carolina regiment, and through a ruse led them into the arms of Federal troops.
MARTIN, SYLVESTER H.
Rank and organization. Lieutenant, Company K, 88th Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at:——. Birth: Chester County, Pa. Date of issue: 5 April 1894. Citation: Gallantly made a most dangerous reconnaissance, discovering the position of the enemy and enabling the division to repulse an attack made in strong force.
TAYLOR, WILLIAM
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Co. H, and 2d Lt. Co. M, 1st Maryland Inf. Place and date: At Front Royal, Va., 23 May 1862. At Weldon Railroad, Va., 19 August 1864. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Washington, D.C. Date of issue: 2 August 1897. Citation: When a sergeant, at Front Royal, Va., he was painfully wounded while obeying an order to burn a bridge, but, persevering in the attempt, he burned the bridge and prevented its use by the enemy. Later, at Weldon Railroad, Va., then a lieutenant, he voluntarily took the place of a disabled officer and undertook a hazardous reconnaissance beyond the lines of the army; was taken prisoner in the attempt.
WOODS, BRENT
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company B, 9th U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: New Mexico, 19 August 1881. Entered service at: Louisville, Ky. Birth: Pulaski County, Ky. Date of issue: 12 July 1894. Citation: Saved the lives of his comrades and citizens of the detachment.
*NAKAE, MASATO Another Nise from the 442 Private Masato Nakae distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19 August 1944, near Pisa, Italy. When his submachine gun was damaged by a shell fragment during a fierce attack by a superior enemy force, Private Nakae quickly picked up his wounded comrade's M-1 rifle and fired rifle grenades at the steadily advancing enemy. As the hostile force continued to close in on his position, Private Nakae threw six grenades and forced them to withdraw. During a concentrated enemy mortar barrage that preceded the next assault by the enemy force, a mortar shell fragment seriously wounded Private Nakae. Despite his injury, he refused to surrender his position and continued firing at the advancing enemy. By inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy force, he finally succeeded in breaking up the attack and caused the enemy to withdraw. Private Nakae's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.
*FRATELLENICO, FRANK R.
Rank and organization Corporal, U.S. Army, Company B, 2d Battalion, 502d Infantry, 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. Place and date: Quang Tri Province, Republic of Vietnam, 19 August 1970. Entered service at: Albany, N.Y. Born: 14 July 1951, Sharon, Conn. Citation: Cpl. Fratellenico distinguished himself while serving as a rifleman with Company B. Cpl. Fratellenico's squad was pinned down by intensive fire from 2 well-fortified enemy bunkers. At great personal risk Cpl. Fratellenico maneuvered forward and, using hand grenades, neutralized the first bunker which was occupied by a number of enemy soldiers. While attacking the second bunker, enemy fire struck Cpl. Fratellenico, causing him to fall to the ground and drop a grenade which he was preparing to throw. Alert to the imminent danger to his comrades, Cpl. Fratellenico retrieved the grenade and fell upon it an instant before it exploded. His heroic actions prevented death or serious injury to 4 of his comrades nearby and inspired his unit which subsequently overran the enemy position. Cpl. Fratellenico's conspicuous gallantry, extraordinary heroism, and intrepidity at the cost of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, are in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit on him, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
PLESS, STEPHEN W.
Rank and organization: Major (then Capt.), U.S. Marine Corps, VMD-6, Mag-36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Place and date: Near Quang Nai, Republic of Vietnam, 19 August 1967. Entered service at: Atlanta, Ga. Born: 6 September 1939, Newman, Ga. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a helicopter gunship pilot attached to Marine Observation Squadron 6 in action against enemy forces. During an escort mission Maj. Pless monitored an emergency call that 4 American soldiers stranded on a nearby beach were being overwhelmed by a large Viet Cong force. Maj. Pless flew to the scene and found 30 to 50 enemy soldiers in the open. Some of the enemy were bayoneting and beating the downed Americans. Maj. Pless displayed exceptional airmanship as he launched a devastating attack against the enemy force, killing or wounding many of the enemy and driving the remainder back into a treeline. His rocket and machinegun attacks were made at such low levels that the aircraft flew through debris created by explosions from its rockets. Seeing 1 of the wounded soldiers gesture for assistance, he maneuvered his helicopter into a position between the wounded men and the enemy, providing a shield which permitted his crew to retrieve the wounded. During the rescue the enemy directed intense fire at the helicopter and rushed the aircraft again and again, closing to within a few feet before being beaten back. When the wounded men were aboard, Maj. Pless maneuvered the helicopter out to sea. Before it became safely airborne, the overloaded aircraft settled 4 times into the water. Displaying superb airmanship, he finally got the helicopter aloft. Major Pless' extraordinary heroism coupled with his outstanding flying skill prevented the annihilation of the tiny force. His courageous actions reflect great credit upon himself and uphold the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for 19 August, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
19 August
1910: Through 28 August, Glenn H. Curtiss gave the first real flying exhibition at Sheepshead Bay Track, Brooklyn. (24)
1928: Arthur Goebel and Harry Tucker used a Lockheed Vega monoplane to fly Los Angeles to Curtiss Field, Long Island. They set a new cross-country record of 18 hours 58 minutes. (9) (24)
1938: The first transcontinental nonstop flight by a B-18 bomber traveled from Hamilton Field to Mitchel Field in 15 hours 18 minutes. (24)
1940: North American B-25 Mitchell bomber first flew. (12)
1942: 2Lt Sam F. Junkin became the first active duty American pilot to shoot down a German fighter over Europe while giving air support to a commando raid on Dieppe, France. (4)
1950: KOREAN WAR. Aided by air strikes, U.S. troops drove N. Korean forces near the Yongsan bridgehead back across the Naktong River to end the Battle of the Naktong Bulge. Sixty-three B-29s attacked the industrial and port area of Chongjin in NE Korea, while nine B-29s from the 19 BG dropped 54 tons of 1,000-pound bombs on the west railway bridge at Seoul. Moreover, 37 USN dive bombers from two carriers followed up the USAF attack. Afterwards, aerial reconnaissance revealed the collapse of two spans. (28)
1952: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces aircraft dropped general warning leaflets over Pyongyang concerning the next night's attacks. (28)
1957: Project MAN HIGH II. Through 20 August Maj David G. Simons set a FAI altitude record of
101,516 feet for manned balloon flight. He ascended at Crosby, Minn., and landed at Elm Lake, S.Dak., after being airborne for 32 hours. (9)
1959: Discoverer VI, a USAF satellite, launched into a polar orbit from the Pacific Missile Range. Its instrument capsule was not recovered. (24)
1960: MACKAY TROPHY. Capt Harold E. Mitchell piloted a Fairchild C-119 to make the first aerial retrieval of an orbited capsule. Discoverer XIV, which launched on 18 August, ejected the capsule. For this aerial recovery, the 6593d Test Squadron (Special) received the Mackay Trophy. (See 11 August 1960) (16) (24) (26)
1964: A Thor-Delta rocket carried the Hughes SYNCOM III communications satellite into space. After several weeks of minor maneuvering, the satellite achieved a near-perfect stationary position above the equator and International Date Line. That achievement made SYNCOM III the world's first geostationary satellite. (16) (26)
1970: At Minot AFB, the first Minuteman III ICBMs went on alert with the 741 SMS. (6) 1972: Through 20 August, MAC HH-3 Jolly Green Giant and HH-43 Huskie helicopters rescued 748 Koreans from flood waters in the Osan area after 18 inches of rain fell in less than 30 hours. (16) (26)
1974: Through 20 August, 3 C–141s carried 600 tents and 15,000 blankets into Bangladesh after severe floods. (18)
1976: Operation PAUL BUNYAN. Through 21 August, following the murder of 2 American Army officers in the Demilitarized Zone by North Koreans, MAC used 11 C-141 missions to airlift 212 F-4 air and ground crewmembers and 132 tons of their equipment from Kadena AB to Kunsan AB. Later, 3 C-5 and 13 C-141 missions airlifted an F-111 force of 348 people and 299 tons of cargo from Idaho to Taegu AB. With KC-135 refuelings, the C-5s flew their missions nonstop. Two more C-141 missions moved 38 passengers and 26 tons of ammunition from Eglin AFB to Osan AB. (18)
1984: TYPHOON KELL. Through 20 August, two C-141s from Twenty-Second Air Force evacuated 382 US military and civilian personnel from Johnson Island to avoid the typhoon. (16) (26)
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Thanks to Brett for keeping the world in focus
Stratfor - GEOPOLITICAL DIGEST
Curated by RANE -
GEOPOLITICAL DIGEST
South Africa Hosts the BRICS Summit. South Africa will host the 15th BRICS Summit 22-24 August where expanding the group's membership will be near the top of the agenda. China has been pushing to add new members, which would increase BRICS' economic and political clout, and more than 40 countries have reportedly expressed an interest in joining the bloc. However, BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) disagree over steps forward with enlargement. India and Brazil have expressed skepticism of the China-backed expansion plans, with New Delhi arguing that democratic countries like Nigeria and Argentina should be on the short-list, while Brazil would prefer to only begin the process of selecting partner countries that could then ascend to membership in the future. Other key items that will be discussed during the summit include the creation of a new global payments system, as well as investment into Africa.
Guatemala and Ecuador Hold Elections. On 20 August, Guatemala will hold a presidential runoff and Ecuador will hold general elections. In Guatemala, former first lady Sandra Torres will face off against leftist lawmaker Bernardo Arevalo. Should Arevalo win, the country's political and economic elites may seek to prevent the new president from entering into office, which could lead to social unrest and US sanctions. Ecuador, meanwhile, will vote for the president and all 137 members of the county's unicameral Congress, as well as on two environmentally-focused referendums. Ecuador's scattered political arena may lead to the emergence of an anti-establishment or extremist presidential candidate, while the simultaneous referendums could threaten the country's natural resource extraction industries.
India and Russia Race to the Lunar South Pole. Russia and India are attempting soft landings at the lunar south pole, an area thought to be rich with water resources, with Russia's attempt coming as early as 21 August and India's scheduled for 23 August. Thus far, no country has successfully landed near the moon's south pole and the mission is Russia's first lunar mission in almost 50 years. Should India succeed, it will become only the fourth nation to successfully perform a soft landing on the lunar surface. The two missions come as global powers eye lunar landings and lunar exploration as critical space exploration priorities as the concept of lunar and asteroid mining becomes more realistic, with both the United States and China aiming to send humans to the moon by the end of 2030. The United States' Artemis Accords signed with other countries also include the concepts of safety zones that many critics claim are just an excuse to divvy up lunar resources and claim control near landing sites. India and Russia are clearly behind the United States and China when it comes to the latest space race to explore the moon, but a successful landing near the lunar south pole will be a boon for their endeavors and a demonstration of their soft-landing capabilities.
Please read on for our coverage of the week that was…
TABLE OF CONTENTS
• Key Developments - Analysis • Other Stories We're Tracking - Curated Content
KEY DEVELOPMENTS - ANALYSIS
Germany Walks Back Commitment to NATO's 2% Military Spending Target
What Happened: The German government deleted a clause in a draft of the new budget financing law that would have legally committed the country to NATO's 2% military spending target, Reuters reported on 16 August. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised the country will hit the 2% target in 2024, but calculations from Germany's Ifo Institute show Germany will likely meet the target on average over a five-year period.
Why It Matters: While Germany has increased defense spending, the country will struggle to meet its 2% target even over the course of several years due to the short-term constraints of inflation and slow economic growth, as well as the longer-term constraint of competing spending priorities. To meet the 2% spending target, Germany would have to cut spending in other areas such as green and social policies, remove a constitutionally enshrined debt brake, or impose higher taxes. None of these options would be politically acceptable to all three government coalition partners.
Source: RANE Worldview
Lithuania and Latvia Tighten Security at Border With Belarus
What Happened: Lithuania will close two out of six border crossing points with Belarus due to "geopolitical circumstances," Reuters reported on 16 August. The previous day, the Latvian government bolstered security at the border with Belarus, accusing Minsk of facilitating illegal migrant crossings. The two countries are set to discuss together with Poland whether to coordinate a complete closure of their borders with Belarus on 28 August.
Why It Matters: This regional increase in security is due to concerns regarding the presence of Russian Wagner mercenaries in Belarus and a rising number of illegal border crossings. As Wagner troops continue efforts to destabilize Belarus' neighbors, for instance by organizing migrant crossings or through direct temporary incursions into their territories, escalatory risks between Russia and NATO will increase. However, the closure of Lithuania's two border crossings, which are not used by commercial vehicles, should not have economic implications.
Source: RANE Worldview
Kenya Reinstates Small Fuel Subsidy
What Happened: The Kenyan government announced a small fuel subsidy to stabilize pump prices for the next 30 days, Reuters reported on 15 August. The Kenyan energy regulator said it would use funds from a fuel levy collected over the past months to finance the stabilization fund.
Why It Matters: The temporary subsidy could be part of a negotiated settlement with the opposition to alleviate the threat of protests over the cost-of-living crisis. It is unclear whether the William Ruto administration would be willing to extend subsidies beyond 30 days if the threat of unrest persists, and in the absence of subsidies, protest-related business disruptions would continue. If the fuel subsidies remain small and finite, they are unlikely to harm Ruto's ongoing relief package with the IMF, which is likely a key constraint on more robust economic handouts.
Source: RANE Worldview
OTHER STORIES WE'RE TRACKING - CURATED CONTENT
ASIA
China's Grip on Southeast Asia Tightens as US Influence Wanes
Each of the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations has its own bilateral dynamic — and set of problems — with China. China is the biggest trading partner of all 10 and the largest single provider of development aid to the region, dispersing an annual US$5.5 billion or so in real terms since 2015. China's economic strength, and its high-profile investments in the region under the banner of the Belt and Road Initiative, inevitably raise the question: is a post-American world in Southeast Asia inevitably a Sinocentric one? On top of deepening economic links, Beijing is attempting to embed an immutable cultural narrative into regional relationships, based on the idea that China and fellow Asian nations should naturally work together. That means excluding outsiders, like the US.
Source: Nikkei Asia
India Is Pushing Back Against China in South Asia
As the intensifying strategic confrontation between the United States and China dominates many foreign-policy debates, another important competition is quietly playing out. The jostling between India and China for influence in South Asia will likely prove crucial to the fate of Washington's strategy to keep the region "free and open" from Chinese coercion. And the good news, at least for now, is that New Delhi has been mostly successful in pushing back against Beijing's rising influence across the region.
Source: Foreign Policy
Taliban's Ties With Pakistan Fraying Amid Mounting Security Concerns
As the Afghan Taliban celebrated two years of their control over Afghanistan on 15 August, their relationship with Pakistan, their longtime ally and neighbor, looks increasingly fraught. Islamabad is blaming Kabul for a string of deadly attacks in Pakistan's tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The latest attack, a suicide bombing in Bajaur district in late July, which killed more than 54 people, was claimed by an ISIL (ISIS) affiliate — the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP or ISIS-K). Top Pakistani officials have accused the ruling Taliban administration of not doing enough to control the movement of armed groups from crossing the porous border.
Source: Al Jazeera
EUROPE
Germany Is Becoming Expert at Defeating Itself
mplacency and an obsession with fiscal prudence led to too little public investment, and not just in Deutsche Bahn and the Bundeswehr. Overall, the country's investment in information technology as a share of GDP is less than half that in America and France. Bureaucratic conservatism also gets in the way. Obtaining a license to operate a business takes 120 days — twice as long as the OECD average. Added to this are worsening geopolitics, the difficulty of eliminating carbon emissions and the travails of an ageing population. The geopolitics mean that manufacturing may no longer be the cash cow it used to be. Of all the large Western economies, Germany is the most exposed to China.
Source: The Economist
Russia's War-Torn Economy Hits Its Speed Limit
The Russian central bank's jumbo interest-rate increase to halt a tumbling ruble this week points to a new reality for the Kremlin: Russia's economy has reached its speed limit. The government has flooded the Russian economy with money to keep its troops in Ukraine supplied and insulate its businesses and citizens from the war. Thanks to the state's largess, demand in the economy is rising, helping it recover from 2022's sanctions-induced recession. Supply — increasingly constrained by Russia's isolation and widespread labor shortages — isn't. That growing imbalance of Russia's wartime economy was thrust into focus this week as the ruble fell to its lowest level since the early days of the war.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA
Egypt Eyeing Rapprochement With Iran Amid Tehran's Warming Ties With UAE, Saudi Arabia
Egypt is not quite there yet, say researchers and analysts, but there are some signs that it could soon follow in the footsteps of the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Normalization between Egypt and Iran hinged on two key factors: the success of the Saudi-Iranian efforts toward normalization, and the position of the US, a key ally for Egypt.
Source: Jewish Insider
Ethiopia Risks Sliding Into Another Civil War
As calm has been mostly restored to Tigray, the northern region at the centre of Ethiopia's two-year war, heavy fighting has spread across Amhara, a neighboring region that is home to the country's second-largest ethnic group. In early August, Amhara militias known as Fano swept into towns and cities, briefly taking over several of them. Even if the Amhara rebellion is in retreat, the escalation in violence is a reminder of how precarious the federal government's hold is over a bitterly divided country. It also highlights the flaws of the narrow peace deal that ended the fighting in Tigray, but failed to address Ethiopia's many other conflicts.
Source: The Economist
AMERICAS
How Ecuador's Neighbors Unleashed Drug Violence on Its Soil
Ecuador has struggled for years with drug trafficking because of its geographic location, fairly porous borders, and major Pacific Ocean ports. But in recent years, the situation has gotten much worse. An overcrowded, corrupt, and poorly financed penal system has become a breeding ground for prison gangs that have formed alliances with powerful drug cartels from abroad.
Source: The New York Times
In Argentina, a New Trump Rises
There are the more overt links between Argentine presidential candidate Javier Milei and former US president Donald Trump. In a direct nod to the right-wing nationalists to the north, some of Milei's backers wear "Make Argentina Great Again" hats. Others fly the yellow Gadsden flag — that is, the banner of a rattlesnake with the slogan "don't tread on me" popular among the far right in the US. Jair Bolsonaro released a video trumpeting his support for Milei ahead of last weekend's presidential primary polls in Argentina. The former Brazilian president may now be a political loser at home, but his chosen candidate in Argentina is on the rise.
Source: The Washington Post
GLOBAL
Is Niger's Coup a Sign That France's Influence in the Sahel Is Over?
France still has 1,500 soldiers in Niger and around 1,000 troops in neighboring Chad, but the coup in Niger has raised further questions about France's military presence in the Sahel and across Africa. Since the 1990s, 78% of the 27 coups in sub-Saharan Africa have taken place in Francophone countries.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Israeli Tech Startups Flock to US Amid Uncertainty at Home
A growing number of Israel's tech startups are incorporating in the United States, attracted by deep pocketed US funds and pro-business policies, and with an extra push from a planned judicial overhaul at home that has rattled investors. That marks a reversal, as Israel had managed in the past decade to persuade more of its startups to set up their legal identity domestically. It may not mean jobs shifting overseas en masse, but registering companies or intellectual property (IP) abroad can affect where taxes are paid and so impact government revenue. Entrepreneurs and investors told Reuters there were good business reasons for incorporating in the United States
Source: Reuters
Iran's Grand Strategy Has Fundamentally Shifted
It's not all wine and roses between the Iranians and the Arabs. Tehran being Tehran, it can't entirely avoid spats with Kuwait over a shared gas field, with the UAE over a trio of islands that the Shah seized before he fell, and with the Saudis over their continued supply of weapons to the Houthis in Yemen. But overall, it has been a veritable charm offensive by Iranian standards. Yet all this peace, love, and friendship to their neighbors has not extended to the United States and Israel. There, the Iranians continue to wield their cudgels as best they can. Against the United States, Iran's navies continue to harass US vessels in the Gulf.
Source: Foreign Policy
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