To All
Good Saturday Morning January 13, 2024 .I hope that your weekend is off to a good start this morning. Yesterday I must have given the impression that I was the one that was going to stop the List and tour the USA. What I had done was to repeat Dutch's note of last year. What I wanted was to request that folks who knew Dutch to send him your info as his computer crashed and he lost everything and wanted folks to send him their phone and email address so that he could contact you again
His email is dutchbonanza@gmail.com
Up early as the leaves await me
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History (thanks to NHHC)
Here is a link to the NHHC website: https://www.history.navy.mil/
This day in Naval and Marine Corps History
January. 13
1865 With 8,000 Union soldiers, Rear Adm. David Porter provides 59 warships and 2,000 Sailors and Marines to take Confederate Fort Fisher, N.C., after a 2-day assault.
1943 PBY-5A aircraft from (VP-83) sink German submarine U-507 off Brazil, which had sunk 19 and damaged one Allied merchant vessels, including seven that were American.
1945 Destroyer escort Fleming (DE 32) sinks a Japanese submarine 320 miles north-northeast of Truk.
1964 Destroyer Manley (DD-940) evacuates 54 Americans and 36 allied nationals after the Zanzibar government is overthrown.
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Today in World History: January 13
1846 President James Polk dispatches General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico looms.
1862 President Lincoln names Edwin M. Stanton Secretary of War.
1900 To combat Czech nationalism, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary decrees German the official language of the Imperial Army.
1919 California votes to ratify the prohibition amendment.
1923 Hitler denounces the Weimar Republic as 5,000 storm troopers demonstrate in Germany.
1927 A woman takes a seat on the NY Stock Exchange breaking the all-male tradition.
1931 The bridge connecting New York and New Jersey is named the George Washington Memorial Bridge.
1937 The United States bars Americans from serving in the Civil War in Spain.
1943 General Leclerc's Free French forces merge with the British under Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery in Libya.
1944 Plants are destroyed and 64 U.S. aircraft are lost in an air attack in Germany.
1945 The Red Army opens an offensive in South Poland, crashing 25 miles through the German lines.
1947 British troops replace striking truck drivers.
1955 Chase National and the Bank of Manhattan agree to merge resulting in the second largest U.S. bank.
1965 Two U.S. planes are shot down in Laos while on a combat mission.
1968 U.S. reports shifting most air targets from North Vietnam to Laos.
1976 Argentina ousts a British envoy in dispute over the Falkland Islands.
1980 The United States offers Pakistan a two-year aid plan to counter the Soviet threat in Afghanistan.
1982 Air Florida Flight 90 Boeing 737 jet crashes into Washington, D.C.'s 14th Street Bridge shortly after takeoff, then plunges into the Potomac River; 78 people, including 4 motorists, are killed.
1990 In Virginia, Douglas Wilder, the first African American elected governor of a US state, takes office.
On January 13, 1128, Pope Honorius II grants a papal sanction to the military order known as the Knights Templar, declaring it to be an army of God. Led by the Frenchman Hughes de Payens, the Knights Templar organization was founded in 1118. Its self-imposed mission was to protect Christian pilgrims... read more
Led by the Frenchman Hughes de Payens, the Knights Templar organization was founded in 1118. Its self-imposed mission was to protect Christian pilgrims on their way to and from the Holy Land during the Crusades, the series of military expeditions aimed at defeating Muslims in Palestine. For a while, the Templars had only nine members, mostly due to their rigid rules. In addition to having noble birth, the knights were required to take strict vows of poverty, obedience and chastity. In 1127, new promotional efforts convinced many more noblemen to join the order, gradually increasing its size and influence.
By the time the Crusades ended unsuccessfully in the early 14th century, the order had grown extremely wealthy, provoking the jealousy of both religious and secular powers. In 1307, King Philip IV of France and Pope Clement V combined to take down the Knights Templar, arresting the grand master, Jacques de Molay, on charges of heresy, sacrilege and Satanism. Under torture, Molay and other leading Templars confessed and were eventually burned at the stake. Clement dissolved the Templars in 1312.
The modern-day Catholic Church has admitted that the persecution of the Knights Templar was unjustified and claimed that Pope Clement was pressured by secular rulers to dissolve the order. Over the centuries, myths and legends about the Templars have grown, including the belief that they may have discovered holy relics at Temple Mount, including the Holy Grail, the Ark of the Covenant or parts of the cross from Christ's crucifixion. The imagined secrets of the Templars have inspired various books and movies, including the blockbuster novel and film The Da Vinci Code.
10 Reasons the Knights Templar Were History's Fiercest Fighters
Here are the most astonishing facts about Christianity's holy warriors.
Read more
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OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT Thanks to the Bear
Skip… For The List for Monday, 8 January 2024… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION COMMANDO HUNT (1968-1972)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 6 January 1969… NVN defenses late 1968 and the Nixon-Kissinger era begins…
Thanks to Micro
To remind folks that these are from the Vietnam Air Losses site that Micro put together. You click on the url below and get what happened each day to the aircraft and its crew. ……Skip
Fate was really after these 2 men
From Vietnam Air Losses site for "Saturday 13 January
13: https://www.vietnamairlosses.com/loss.php?id=82
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.
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
MOAA - Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Servicemembers Killed in the Vietnam War
(This site was sent by a friend . The site works, find anyone you knew in "search" feature. https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/ )
Wall of Faces Now Includes Photos of All Service members Killed in the Vietnam War
By: Kipp Hanley
AUGUST 15, 2022
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An outstanding H-Gram from Admiral Cox and the Naval History and Heritage Command
- On Jan. 9, 1945, 75 years ago, amphibious ships from Task Force 7 landed Sixth Army Soldiers on the shores of Lingayen Gulf.
H-Gram 040: "One Helluva Day"—Lingayen Gulf and the Death of Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler
9 January 2020
This H-gram covers:
The combat death of Rear Admiral Theodore E. Chandler, 6 January 1945
Actions in the Philippines in late 1944 and early 1945: Leyte, Ormoc, and Mindoro
Amphibious landings in the Lingayen Gulf, 9 January 1945
For more detail on the costly battles around Leyte, the landings at Ormoc Bay, and the landings on Mindoro, please see attachment H-040-2.
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Thanks to Shadow
Tired of all the political shit... a true story I shared with Puresome many years ago.
The Fastest White boy
See the attachment
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Thanks to Interesting Facts
A college football game helped launch the 24-hour convenience store.
The company now known as 7-Eleven has a history of being ahead of the curve. Back in 1927, when its founders were running the Southland Ice Company in Texas, an executive recognized the potential of selling basic provisions like milk and bread alongside the ice blocks that were so essential to households in the days before refrigerators were common. With a little company restructuring, the first convenience store chain was up and running. (The name was changed to 7-Eleven, a reference to the hours of operation, in 1946.)
In 1963, 7-Eleven opened its 1,000th store, but a more significant milestone in the convenience store realm was also about to happen. Around this time, according to Oh Thank Heaven!: The Story of the Southland Corporation, one store located near the University of Texas campus in Austin found itself unusually busy in the hours after a school football game, to the point where employees never had the chance to shut the doors for the night. When this situation unfolded again following the next football game, the company's brain trust sniffed a potentially transformative moment for the business, and established 24-hour shops near Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Meanwhile, another 24-hour experiment was unfurling at a 7-Eleven near the Strip in Las Vegas, a move that yielded an increase in profits and the surprise side effect of deterring burglaries. Eventually, both 7-Eleven and their competitors realized that it wasn't just the amped-up college students and gamblers who sometimes needed a 24-hour pit stop, paving the way for the proliferation of these ever-open outposts to provide beer, chips, and a range of other goodies to help folks everywhere make their way through the night.
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Thanks to YP
If you dinna get this from Doc Sugden (part of another msg):
YP
On Jan 12, 2024, at 12:03 PM, Richard Sugden, MD wrote:
Years ago at a Red Flag air combat exercise at Nellis AFB, an RAF commander was briefing the crowd on the characteristics of his airplane. He said it was so underpowered that the only way it could get airborne was due to the curvature of earth. The Jaguar would build up a head of steam on a really long runway and it would eventually "unstick" to get airborne only as the Earth gave way!
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Thanks to History Facts
Bathrooms didn't exist until the 19th century.
A s difficult as it is to imagine, access to a full bathroom wasn't a household norm until well into the 19th century. Though the flush toilet was invented in England in 1596, the general public still used chamber pots and outhouses for centuries after, as most houses didn't have indoor plumbing. It wasn't until the end of the 1800s — after inventor Alexander Cumming improved toilet design with the S-bend, which trapped smells — that toilets became common in homes, especially in upper-class households, and even then they were initially kept separate from the bathtub and sink, in a room referred to as the "water closet." Noting the lack of sanitation caused by pipes and traps running from room to room, health care professionals began urging architects to streamline their plumbing into a single location. Architects relented, and the "bathroom" was born.
By the late 1800s, most upper-class homes in the United States and the U.K. were outfitted with a tub, toilet, and sink, and middle-class homes followed soon after. In the wake of the First World War, bathrooms became increasingly common in working-class households, but still weren't universal in the United States until the middle of the 20th century. Advances in plumbing led to the mass-production of the affordable, two-piece toilets still used today, and made the bathroom a household staple.
By the Numbers
Standard size (in inches) of a shower curtain
72
First year that questions about bathrooms were included in the U.S. Census
1940
Standard dimension (in inches) of today's average toilet
12
Percentage of American families who had their own bathrooms in 1940
55%
DID YOU KNOW?
Queen Victoria brought bathrooms to Buckingham Palace.
Since indoor plumbing was still in its infancy at the time, London's Buckingham Palace lacked a three-piece bathroom when Queen Victoria arrived in 1837. In the late 19th century, a sanitary engineer named Thomas Crapper developed the refillable tank and opened the bathroom fittings showroom — a venue in which bathroom fittings were displayed and available for purchase. This boosted the market for indoor plumbing and helped make toilets acceptable to the upper class. Concealed plumbing also made flushing toilets more aesthetically pleasing, and as bathrooms grew in popularity, so did their number at Buckingham Palace. After adopting the Optimus — a toilet created in 1870 whose pipes were concealed by a large chair — Queen Victoria arranged for full bathrooms to be installed at the royal residence in the late 1880s. Today, the palace boasts 78 working bathrooms.
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Thanks to Micro
It was great to read YP's dissertation on Red Flash's spoof of F-8's when flying under the Coronado Bridge. Red Flash, Dave Walker, USNA '66 (my Classmate) and astronaut extraordinaire, was one of the really good guys. Unfortunately, not too long after he retired from NASA to Idaho, he was hit with a virulent cancer that took him in a matter of just a handful of weeks. His funeral at Arlington was something special, including the evening before. It was an intersection of the fighter community, the test pilot community, the NASA community, and the Naval Academy. He was special. And his wife was one of the most beautiful women I have ever had the privilege of laying eyes on.
I worked with Dave a couple of times at Pax on some small projects, and then I had made it to the finals of shuttle pilot competition before missing out (Mike Smith was selected that year as the only Navy pilot; I was CAG and airborne in Florida five years later when the shuttle blew up with him on his first flight). Dave had been selected in the previous group.
But Dave told me an interesting story that occurred before his first space flight. Each astronaut was assigned "collateral duties." As I recall, his had to do with emergency procedures (putting together a flip pad for the shuttle), but he was also a chase pilot for the first shuttle landing at Edwards. He took off from Edwards and flew west to the Pacific Coast in a NASA T-38. He timed it like we used to time our push from marshal so he was headed east at the right time at 40,000 feet. When the shuttle hit Hawaii, Dave lit afterburner. He rendezvoused on the shuttle as it came down through 40,000 still supersonic. That picture always reminds me of what speed really is.
Cool stuff; cool guy.
By the way, I think we've covered the origin of his call sign before, but I'll briefly tell it again. It seems he was at the Cubi BOQ pool, drinking Cubi Specials, of course, all afternoon and got significantly sunburned. Now, Dave was a redhead with very fair skin, so he never did tan, just burned. He went to sleep (or passed out) in his BOQ room wearing nothing because the clothes were uncomfortable on his skin. His good friends from the squadron took all his clothes and all of his belongings back to the ship and left him asleep. He woke up with just enough time to get to the ship and avoid "missing movement." He arrived in a taxi, wrapped in a sheet. He had to wait on the quarterdeck for someone from the ready room to come down, pay the taxi driver, and identify him as being authorized to come aboard. With the sheet flapping in the breeze, flashing his bright red skin for all to see, his call sign/nickname became a natural.
Micro
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This is from the archives but I believe that even less people out the have any idea about what the Medal of Honor is or stands for….skip
Thanks to Dick
Subject: The suspicious thing in the old man's pocket
This was back in 2002 but is probably just a relevent today as back then. SAD!!!!
Note:
(This article was originally sent on the internet, March 5, 2002 by Guy Keenum and was submitted by Burt Olson, President USNCSA - USS Quincy CA-71)
'Medal Of Honor'
(Navy-Marine Corps-Coast Guard)
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in action involving actual conflict with an opposing armed force.
"They just kept passing it around - there were eight or nine or 10 of them who handled it before it was over," He said.
"They had found it in my pocket at the airport, and they thought it was suspicious. It's shaped like a star, and they were looking at the metal edges of it, like it was a weapon. I asked for it back, but they kept handing it to each other and inspecting it. I was told to move to a separate area."
"I told them - just turn it over. The engraving on the back explains everything. But they thought they must have something potentially dangerous here."
"I told them exactly what it was - I said; "That's my Congressional Medal Of Honor."
The man relating that story is retired General Joe Foss, 86. His experience last month in Arizona - at the International Airport in Phoenix - may be the ultimate symbol of the out-of-kilter times we are going through. We are so afraid of terrorists in our midst that what happened to Foss is not only believable, but perhaps even inevitable.
The Congressional Medal of Honor will be taken from its recipient because it looks vaguely ominous.
I spoke with Foss because I wanted to hear it from him directly. He told me that he holds no animosity about the incident. "I'm just as interested in defeating the terrorists as anyone is, I promise you that" and that is mostly sad that no one knew what the Medal of Honor was.
Foss was awarded the medal by Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War 11 after shooting down 26 enemy planes as a Marine Fighter Pilot in solo combat in the Pacific. He grew up in South Dakota - after the war he would become a Governor of that state - and took flying lessons as a young man, then went to war.
He lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, and when he travels he is patted down in airports instead of going through the metal detectors, because of a heart pacemaker. At the airport in Phoenix, he said he was being searched manually and he put his jacket through the X-ray machine.
A couple of things caught the attention of the screeners - rightly so. Foss has a key chain made out of a dummy bullet, with a hole drilled through it to make it evident it is harmless, he also carries a small knife/file with the Medal of Honor Society's insignia on it. The screeners took both of them from Foss - traveling during these nervous days with items that look like bullets, or with even a small knife, will, and should, invite scrutiny. Even if you're 86. Even if you're a war hero.
That's not what frustrated him. The screeners, he said, allowed him to mail the key chain and the little knife back to his home from the airport. But for 45 minutes, he estimated, he was passed from person to person, made to remove his boots and tie and belt three different times, and prevented from boarding his flight (he was eventually allowed on) because the security personnel, he said, had misgivings about the Medal of Honor.
(America West Airlines in whose terminal in Phoenix the incident allegedly took place, said through a spokeswoman shortly after the misunderstanding that the airline's objective is to ensure safety and security for all passengers and employees.)
"I want you to know," Foss told me," that I don't go around wearing my Medal OF Honor, or carrying it with me. The only reason I had it with me on this flight was that I was supposed to give a speech to a class at the United States Military Academy at West Point, and I thought the medal was something the cadets might be interested in seeing."
I asked him what he remembered about being presented the Congressional Medal of Honor.
"I was right fresh out of combat when I was called to the White House," he said. "FDR was behind his desk, and he pinned the medal on my uniform. He said it was for actions above and beyond the call of duty."
"I was nervous, being in the presence of the President. I think I may have been more nervous there than I was in combat. My wife and mother were with me - it was quite a day. I think President Roosevelt called me 'young feller'."
After the White House ceremony, Foss had his picture taken with the medal - the nation's highest military honor for valor in action - on his uniform. That photo was the full-page cover on Life magazine, the issue of June 7, 1943,(I was born on that day I need to get a copy of that one Skip) the cover caption was: "Captain Foss, U.S.M.C. America's No. 1 Ace."
And now, almost 60 years later, the Medal of Honor was being handed from one skeptical security screener to another in the Phoenix airport, while Foss, at 86, took his boots and belt off as ordered.
"I wasn't upset for me," he said. "I was upset for the Medal of Honor, that they just didn't know what it was, It represents all of the guys who lost their lives - the guys who never came back. Everyone who put their lives on the line for their country. You're supposed to know what the Medal of Honor is."
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Thanks to Mugs
I was at the VA hospital today, just taking care of some admin stuff. Here is a photo (see attachment) of the top of the parking structure, with all those "green new-deal" solar panels, covered with about 4" of snow. How much solar energy do you think is being harvested by this array today? Well, it's ZERO. And this snow fell two days ago, plus yesterday we had brilliant sunshine all day, and none of this snow had melted. Today the winds are calm, so the windmills are just be expensive, useless towers. But our moronic government is saying that this is our future. I believe they all failed basic science class in grade school.
You want to supplement our energy grid with some solar and wind? Fine. That will constitute a small percentage of our total energy production capability, but it will never replace fossil or nuclear fuelled power generation. (BTW, I received passing grades in science at school so that makes me an "expert consultant" compared to our moronic politicians and environmental extremists)
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This Day in U S Military History January 13
1776 – In the early morning hours of January 13, 1776, British forces raid Prudence Island, Rhode Island, in an effort to steal a large quantity of sheep. But, upon landing on the island's southern beaches, the British were ambushed by fifteen Minutemen from Rhode Island's Second Company led by Captain Joseph Knight, who had been tipped off to the Brits' plans and rowed across Narragansett Bay from Warwick Neck the previous morning. A brief but deadly battle ensued before the British were forced to retreat. Three British marines were killed and seven injured during the ambush. Two Minutemen were wounded; one died and the other was taken prisoner. Afraid of further violence, residents abandoned the island between 1776 and 1777, and the island's homes and windmill were burned.
1846 – President James Polk dispatched General Zachary Taylor and 4,000 troops to the Texas Border as war with Mexico loomed. Mexico had severed relations with the United States in March 1845, shortly after the U.S. annexation of Texas. In September President Polk sent John Slidell on a secret mission to Mexico City to negotiate the disputed Texas border, settle U.S. claims against Mexico, and purchase New Mexico and California for up to $30,000,000. Mexican officials, aware in advance of Slidell's intention of dismembering their country, refused to receive him. When Polk learned of the snub, he ordered troops to occupy the disputed area between the Nueces and the Rio Grande rivers.
1929 – Frontiersman Wyatt Earp died in LA, Ca., after an illustrious life in the West. Cowboy stars William S. Hart and Tom Mix served as pallbearers. Born in Illinois in 1848, he served as a lawman in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, as well as Tombstone, Arizona Territory, where Wyatt and his brothers Morgan and Virgil were notorious for violent clashes with outlaws. Western historians have disagreed about the particulars of Wyatt Earp's life, but he is said to have been a freighter-teamster, railroad construction worker, policeman, prisoner, saloon keeper and horse farmer, and he was involved in several gunfights – for reasons that may or may not have been related to law enforcement. When Morgan was killed, Wyatt avenged his death by killing Frank Stilwell, an outlaw he had previously arrested. Wyatt Berry Stapp Earp was buried in Colma, Ca.
1942 – German U-Boats begin operations of the US East Coast. The move is called operation Paukenschlag (Drum Roll). Admiral Doenitz has faced arguments from his superiors in the German Navy who do not favor the operation, and he has had the difficulty that only the larger 740-ton U-Boats are really suitable for such long range patrols. When Doenitz gives the order for the attack to begin there are 11 U-Boats in position and 10 more en route. Together they sink more than 150,000 tons during the first month. Intelligence sources have given reasonable warning of the attack but the U-Boats find virtually peace-time conditions in operation. Ship sail with lights on at night; lighthouses and bouys are still lit; there is no radio discipline – merchant ships often give their positions in plain text; there are destroyer patrols (not convoys with escorts) but these are regular and predictable and their crews are naturally inexperienced.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
BESSEY, CHARLES A.
Rank and organization: Corporal, Company A, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: Near Elkhorn Creek, Wyo., 13 January 1877. Entered service at: – – – . Birth: Reading, Mass. Date of issue: 15 May 1890. Citation. While scouting with 4 men and attacked in ambush by 14 hostile Indians, held his ground, 2 of his men being wounded, and kept up the fight until himself wounded in the side, and then went to the assistance of his wounded comrades.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 13, FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
13 January
1906: The Aero Club of America opened its first exhibition in New York in connection with an automobile show. (5) (24)
1913: Harry M. Jones flew a Wright B airplane to demonstrate the beginning of air parcel post. He flew a route from Boston, Mass., to New York, N.Y., with a cargo of baked beans. (24)
1942: American and British chiefs of staff adopted an agreement to move American air units to the United Kingdom as soon as possible. (4)
1949: William P. Odom flew a Beechcraft Bonanza to a Federation Aeronautique Internationale distance record for light planes: 2,400 miles from Honolulu, Hawaii, to Oakland, Calif. (9)
1950: The Navy's Lark, a guided surface-to-air missile, made its first automatic homing flight. (5)
1951: KOREAN WAR. Far East Air Forces flew the first effective Tarzon mission against a bridge at Kanggye, Korea. The six-ton radio-guided bomb destroyed 58 feet of the enemy-held structure. (21)
1962: PROJECT RANCH HAND. The Ranch Hand test project began to determine if aircraft could destroy jungle foliage by spraying chemicals. On 5 December 1961, the Tactical Air Command deployed six C-123s, modified with chemical tanks and spray bars, to Clark Air Base, Philippines. The aircraft began operations in Vietnam on 13 January. (17)
1965: The USAF's XC-142A Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing transport aircraft made a perfect first transition flight, taking off like a helicopter, adjusting its wings for conventional flight, and making a vertical landing. (5)
1969: The National Air and Space Administration announced an end to its joint research program with the Department of Defense on the XB-70. (3)
1970: A Pan American Airline Boeing 747, the world's largest passenger plane at the time, flew 361 people on its first transatlantic trip from John F. Kennedy International Airport, N.Y., to London Airport in England in 6 hours 30 minutes. (5)
1975: Dr. John L. McLucas, Secretary of the Air Force, selected the General Dynamics' YF-16 Fighting Falcon over Northrop's YF-17 as the USAF's lightweight air combat fighter. The U. S. Navy later developed the YF-17 into F/A-18 Hornet. (3) (12)
1993: Operation SOUTHERN WATCH II. To support this operation, the Air Mobility Command airlifted forces to southwest Asia, where they enforced a no-fly zone in southern Iraq near the borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. (16) (26) President George H. W. Bush ordered air strikes on 32 missile sites and air defense command centers in Iraq after Iraqi troops crossed the border with Kuwait. The strikes also targeted surface-to-air missile sites south of the 32d parallel in Iraq. (16) (21) FIRST US MILITARY WOMAN IN SPACE. Maj Susan Helms became the first US military woman in space during a flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. (16) (26)
1994: The last F-15 Eagles from the 32d Fighter Group left Soesterberg Air Base, Netherlands, ending a 40-year USAF presence there. (16) (26) Two HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters from the 56th Rescue Squadron at Keflavik rescued six stranded seamen near Iceland.
2000: Operation NORTHERN WATCH. The 169th Fighter Wing, South Carolina Air National Guard, deployed elements from McEntire Air National Guard Base, S. C., to Incirlik Air Base, Turkey. It was the first guard unit to deploy operationally in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role, the first guard unit to employ the High Speed-Anti Radiation Missile (HARM) in a SEAD mission, and the first to deploy a female guard F-16 pilot on an operational combat mission. (32)
2006: The Air Force Flight Test Center's special C-135C Speckled Trout (Tail No. 61-2669) made its final flight and was retired from the USAF inventory for display in the Test Center's museum at Edwards AFB, Calif. (3)
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Thanks to Brett
Stratfor snippets - Maldives, U.S., Argentina, Yemen, Poland, Vietnam, Israel/South Africa, France, Ukraine/UK, Pakistan, Ghana
Maldives: New President Meets With Xi, Agrees to Bolster Ties With China
What Happened: The Maldives' new president, Mohamed Muizzu, met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing on Jan. 10, where they agreed to elevate their countries' ties to what Xi characterized as a ''comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership'' and signed ''20 key agreements'' related to climate, agriculture and infrastructure, Aljazeera reported Jan. 11. Muizzu, who took office in November, also conveyed appreciation for China's substantial contribution to the Maldives' economic prosperity and infrastructure development.
Why It Matters: Prior to his election, Muizzu promised to reduce India's historic influence in the Maldives and prioritize relations with China. This contrasts with his predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who prioritized maintaining the Maldives' historically close ties with New Delhi and took a more hesitant approach to Chinese investment for fear of falling into Beijing's debt trap. The new agreements signed during Muizzu's trip to Beijing will likely boost Chinese investment and tourism in the Maldives, and indicate that China's influence over the island nation will increase under the Muizzu administration at the cost of India's influence.
Background: Muizzu is currently on a four-day state trip to China. The trip comes amid a recent diplomatic spat between the Maldives and India after Maldivian officials posted online that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was a ''clown,'' ''terrorist'' and ''puppet of Israel.'' According to the World Bank, China constitutes approximately 20% of the Maldives' public debt, with the country owing about $1.37 billion to China. This positions Beijing as the Maldives' primary bilateral creditor, exceeding the amounts the country owes to Saudi Arabia ($124 million) and India ($123 million).
US: SEC Approves First Bitcoin-Spot ETFs
What Happened: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Jan. 10 approved the applications of 11 exchange-traded funds invested directly in bitcoin to be traded beginning Jan. 11 after years of denying bitcoin ETF approvals. Ahead of the opening of U.S. markets on Jan. 11, total bitcoin trading volume spiked to its highest level in nearly a year.
Why It Matters: The approval marks a significant step in the formalization, legitimization and growth of the cryptocurrency market. This is because the ETFs will make it easier, cheaper and safer for people to include bitcoin-linked assets in their portfolios in a more regulated fashion than going to a cryptocurrency exchange to acquire them and then directly holding them. The approval of regulated ETFs will also attract the interest of retail and/or institutional investors wanting to increase their portfolio's exposure to crypto. Overall, the approval will likely push up demand and trading volume for bitcoin, which in time may help stabilize the cryptocurrency's notorious volatility.
Background: Ahead of the opening of U.S. markets on Jan. 11, total bitcoin trading volume spiked to its highest level in nearly a year.
Argentina: Country Reaches Deal With IMF, Unlocking $4.7 Billion in Funds
What Happened: After weeks of negotiations, a team from the International Monetary Fund and Argentine officials reached a staff-level agreement on Jan. 10 for the seventh review of a $44 billion IMF program, unlocking $4.7 billion in funds, Bloomberg reported Jan. 10. The deal still needs IMF executive board approval, which is expected in coming weeks.
Why It Matters: The agreement comes as Argentina's Congress debates a contentious 664-article omnibus reform package submitted by President Javier Milei's government that includes beginning the privatization process for state-run firms and relaxing labor laws in the country, along with an array of other economic policies designed to stabilize the economy. While the IMF disbursement will help Argentina repay creditors in the short term, securing economic stability will still be an uphill battle for Milei, whose Libertad Avanza party only holds 38 deputies in the lower house of Congress, meaning it will need to find support from other coalitions to pass the omnibus bill. As fuel and transportation subsidies are reduced in the coming months, Milei's popularity will also likely decrease, and his policies will be met with intense street protests.
Background: Argentina's Congress is expected to vote on the omnibus bill on Jan. 25. There's also a pending Supreme Court Ruling on the same law and heavy protests called for by labor unions to take place on Jan. 24. With annual inflation estimates for 2023 expected to top 200%, Milei's economic reforms target a primary surplus of 2% of GDP and seek to restore international reserves to $10 billion by the end of 2024.
Yemen: US, UK Strike Over a Dozen Houthi Targets in Response to Attacks on Shipping
What Happened: The U.K. and U.S. militaries struck more than a dozen different sites in Yemen overnight on Jan. 11-12 in response to Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, CNN reported. According to a Department of Defense official, the strikes were carried out in coordination with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands. The military action reportedly involved U.S. aircraft, naval vessels and attack submarines, and targeted radar sites and storage and launch sites for UAVs, ballistic and cruise missiles. Social media accounts suggest that explosions occurred in Dhamar, Hodeidah, Saada, Sanaa, Taiz and Zabid, but U.S. or U.K. officials have not confirmed the locations of the strikes.
Why It Matters: The strikes are unlikely to immediately deter the Houthis from carrying out more attacks on shipping in the region, and will raise the risk of more significant escalation as the Yemeni militant group retaliates. The Houthi movement has so far refrained from targeting the U.S. Navy and other navies operating in the Red Sea as a part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian mission to protect ships. But the likelihood of such attacks — which may prompt further Western military retaliation — is now higher. Moreover, the Houthis could respond by targeting U.S. partners in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as a part of a broader Iranian-backed escalation strategy against the United States and Israel. Finally, the U.S. strikes will jeopardize peace talks between the Houthis, Saudi Arabia and the internationally-recognized Yemeni government that have neared a cease-fire in recent weeks.
Background: The Houthis have carried out 27 attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since mid-November, prompting many container shipping companies to reroute their vessels to avoid the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. On Jan. 3, the United States and other countries in Operation Prosperity Guardian warned the Houthis of ''consequences'' if they did not stop their attacks. On Jan. 9, the Houthis launched their largest salvo of drones and missiles into the Red Sea, resulting in U.S. and U.K. military forces shooting down 18 UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles and one anti-ship ballistic missile. The United States has not directly attacked the Houthis since 2016, when the U.S. military struck the Yemeni militants in response to their attempted attacks on the USS Mason.
Poland: Tensions Rise as New Government Tries to Dismantle Predecessor's Legacy
What Happened: Tens of thousands of Law and Justice party, or PiS, supporters took to the streets of Poland's capital Warsaw in an anti-government march organized by the now opposition party to protest recent government attempts to reform the country's state media and the arrest of two opposition lawmakers convicted of abuse of power, Reuters reported on Jan. 11. On the same day, PiS ally President Andrzej Duda announced that he would use his presidential powers to pardon the two lawmakers.
Why It Matters: The disputes highlight mounting tensions in the country as the new centrist, pro-EU coalition government tries to dismantle its predecessor's hold on the country's economy, media and courts following eight years of PiS rule. To do so, the government is trying to remove PiS loyalists from key institutions and state-owned organizations and implement reforms to restore the independence of the judiciary to unlock billions of euros in frozen EU funds. However, the new government is facing significant institutional constraints in the form of a presidential veto, insufficient seats in the National Assembly to overcome such a veto, and legal challenges posed by influential courts dominated by PiS-appointed judges. To overcome these constraints, the new government is bending Poland's rule of law, which will maintain high political tensions in the country and may eventually even derail efforts to convince Brussels to disburse frozen EU funds.
Background: The former PiS-led government implemented reforms that critics argue undermined the independence of the country's judicial system and state-run media. This led to a dispute between Warsaw and Brussels over violations of the rule of law, which prompted the European Commission to freeze billions of euros in EU funds earmarked for Poland. The new government has promised to reduce the previous administration's deeply embedded influence in Polish institutions and media and reinstate the rule of law in the country.
Vietnam: VCP Chief Revealed To Be Hospitalized Following Weeks-Long Absence
What Happened: Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, aged 79, has been hospitalized with an unspecified illness, The Straits Times reported on Jan. 12. Trong has not been seen in public since Dec. 23, 2023, and he missed engagements with Laotian Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone on Jan. 5 and Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Jan. 12.
Why It Matters: Trong is Vietnam's most powerful leader, but his incapacitation is unlikely to produce a political crisis because Trong's maneuvers in his third term, which began in 2021, have consolidated his influence over the government and future appointments, thus lowering the risk of factionalism-driven instability. If Trong succumbs to his illness or retires, he will likely be replaced by a hand-picked successor from the Party apparatus or national security establishment. Possibilities include National Assembly Chair Vuong Dinh Hue, Minister of Public Security To Lam and VCP Executive Secretary Truong Thi Mai.
Background: Trong heads a four-pillar leadership structure that includes the prime minister, the president and the National Assembly chair. As general secretary, Trong oversees the country's "blazing furnace" anti-corruption campaign and primarily determines future leadership, set to turn over in 2026. Trong is in his third term, previously unprecedented for his position, and has been at the helm since 2011. His health has been among Vietnam's top political risks since he suffered a stroke in 2019.
Israel, South Africa: Countries Make Opening Remarks as ICJ Genocide Case Begins
What Happened: On Jan. 11-12, South Africa and Israel outlined their initial cases at the International Court of Justice after South Africa called for an immediate cessation of Israeli military actions in Gaza and accused Israel of committing genocide in its response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that started the Israel-Hamas war, Reuters reported on Jan. 12. On Jan. 11, South Africa alleged that Israel violated the Genocide Convention by committing mass killings of and inflicting serious bodily harm on Palestinians, while on Jan. 12 Israel outlined its case that it had a right to defend itself and that civilian casualties during war did not constitute violations of the Genocide Convention.
Why It Matters: Any provisional decisions that the court makes are very unlikely to change the trajectory of Israel's military operations, especially since the court cannot enforce its rulings. However, a decision against Israel would cause some reputational harm, and the United States could use such a ruling to push Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to distance himself from far-right elements of his government. In response to this pressure, Netanyahu could reach a deal with more moderate individuals to maintain power. However, this scenario remains unlikely since Netanyahu will be reluctant to alienate his far-right supporters amid his sinking popularity in Israel. Regardless, the court case will likely further polarize pro-Palestinian supporters and pro-Israeli supporters around the world.
Background: South Africa filed the case against Israel on Dec. 29, 2023, and has gained the support of countries including Brazil and Malaysia. Although the International Court of Justice can issue provisional rulings within weeks, a final, unappealable verdict can take up to several years. Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Israel has faced allegations of war crimes and international criticism for the high civilian death toll.
France: Attal Unveils Reshuffled Government, Signals Tilt to the Right
What Happened: France's newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal unveiled his new Cabinet, Reuters reported on Jan. 11. Attal appointed the right-of-center politicians Catherine Vautrin and Rachida Dati as labor and culture ministers, respectively, while simultaneously removing several center-left individuals from the government.
Why It Matters: The removal of center-left ministers from the government follows their criticism of a controversial immigration reform and increases the risk of rebellion from center-left lawmakers who are part of French President Emmanuel Macron's coalition in the medium term. The appointment of more right-of-center personalities to the government suggests that Attal's legislative agenda could tilt to the right when compared with his predecessor's, but a formal agreement with the conservative Les Republicains party, or LR, still appears unlikely given that Dati was expelled from the party following her appointment. These nominations could nonetheless shore up support from conservative voters to Macron's Ensemble coalition in the June 2024 European Parliament elections, especially if the government's policy tilt to the right materializes in the coming months.
Background: Macron appointed Attal as prime minister on Jan. 9, replacing former Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. Dati was LR's candidate for Paris' 2020 mayoral elections.
Ukraine, UK: Kyiv and London Sign Agreement Establishing Bilateral Security Guarantees
What Happened: On a surprise visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed documents establishing bilateral security guarantees between London and Kyiv, The Washington Post reported on Jan. 12. The British government said the agreement commits the United Kingdom to providing "swift and sustained" assistance for Ukraine's defense, including in the event Russia attacks it again.
Why It Matters: The agreement makes the United Kingdom the first country to deliver a final agreement in line with Group of Seven leaders' pledge at the July 2023 NATO summit to formalize enduring bilateral security commitments to Ukraine. The United Kingdom intends the agreement to indicate its long-term support for Ukraine and thereby disincentivize Russia from continuing the war. However, because the United Kingdom's security commitments are framed in terms of a potentially higher level of support for Ukraine in a future conflict, Russia remains incentivized to continue the current war. The agreement and possible similar ones from other G7 states do not preclude the possibility of a steady decline in Western support for Ukraine over time.
Background: The United Kingdom also agreed to provide Ukraine with more than $3 billion in additional military aid in 2024, including at least 200 million pounds ($255 million) for the production of drones for Ukraine, which the British government said would be the largest delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles to Ukraine from any nation. At NATO's annual summit in July 2023, G7 leaders pledged to formalize through bilateral security commitments and arrangements enduring support for Ukraine's defense.
Pakistan: IMF Board Approves $700M Loan as Part of Pakistan's Bailout Fund
What Happened: The International Monetary Fund's executive board approved a loan of approximately $700 million to Pakistan as part of a $3 billion bailout, bringing the total disbursements under the Stand-By Arrangement to around $1.9 billion, Reuters reported on Jan. 11. This comes as Pakistan's gross foreign exchange reserves rose to $8.2 billion in December 2023 from $4.5 billion in June, and the exchange rate has remained relatively stable.
Why It Matters: Amid modest improvements to Pakistan's economic conditions, the IMF board's approval of the loan may increase confidence among lenders and investors. However, the sustainability of Pakistan's economic progress hinges on the effective implementation of policies recommended by the IMF. These include the government's efforts to increase revenues, maintain discipline in non-priority spending, tighten monetary policy to quell inflation, and boost foreign exchange reserves. Although these austerity measures have increased economic grievances, improvements to Pakistan's economy will likely incentivize the government to continue implementing them. However, Pakistan will hold general elections on Feb. 8, and the new government may be more sensitive to popular backlash and risks of protest, sustaining the potential for some reform backsliding.
Background: Additionally, the IMF forecasts that Pakistan will grow its gross domestic product by 2% in 2024, accompanied by a decrease in inflation from 29.2% in 2023 to 23.6% in 2024.
Ghana: Government Reaches Debt Renegotiation Deal With External Creditors
What Happened: The Ghanaian government reached a deal with external creditors to restructure $5.4 billion of bilateral debt, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 12.
Why It Matters: Ghana's drawn-out debt negotiations have prolonged the country's economic recovery following the worst economic crisis in a decade. The deal will enable Ghana to remain compliant with its ongoing International Monetary Fund relief program (thereby enabling a second $600 million disbursement) and, eventually, rebuild investor confidence.
Background: The terms of the agreement will be formalized in a memorandum of understanding between Ghana and its creditors and will be implemented through bilateral accords with each country. Ghana requested a $1.5 billion aid package from the IMF in July 2022 when debt servicing costs became too high for the government to maintain.
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