Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Strategic Sense:Royal Australian Navy Goes Nuclear

The announcement on 15 September 2021 that tha US,UK and Australia have formed a new trilateral defence cooperation activity known as AUKUS is being seen as a geopolitical milestone as well as a military juggernaut.Central to the pact is the US and UK's promise to enable Australia to build a fleet of nuclear attack submarines.Over the next 18 months,consultations will take place to firm up the new trilateral security partnership,which is a cooperative effort by scientists,industry and defence forces to help achieve the construction of the new submarines in Adelaide,Australia.One of the most complex and technically demanding projects in the world,it is an historic step to alleviate unmet strategic needs in the Indo-Pacific Region caused by the rising ambitions of a Communist China,which appeaers to be on a neo-Maoist course of strident nationalism under the personality cult of General Secretary Mr.Xi Jinping.Besides building military installations in the disputed South China Sea,China has recently been curtailing civil liberties in Hong Kong and threatening Taiwan's independence.* Nuclear submarines have a far greater range and have higher speed than conventionally powered vessels.They can stay submerged for long periods of time,gathering critical intelligence- the unspoken capability of attack submarines.* Over the next 18 months,there will be a consultation period to review the programme,which is aimed at maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific,ensuring that the lines of communication remain accessible to all. Besides the submarine,there will be efforts to maintain and expand the partners' knowledge and capabilities in the fields of cybernetics and artificial intelligence.* Former Director of National Intelligence Lieutenant General James Clapper,US Air Force Retired,told CNN: It's a very bold step for the Australian Government and people to take...given the dependence of Australia on China for its economy.It means better preparation for,God forbid,a hostile situation.More importantly,it means deterrence.* It's possible that the new submarine,using the American nuclear propulsion first shared with the UK for British attack submarines,may be based on the US Navy's Virginia-class attack submarine and/or the new British attack submarine design that is currently in work.BWX Technologies of Lynchburg,Virginia has manufactured US Navy nuclear propulsion components since the 1950s.* The programme signals another milestone in the renewed focus on great power competition.* General Dynamics (GD),Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII),BAE Systems (OTCM:BAESF),BWX Technologies Inc (BWXT)

Friday, September 17, 2021

What is NATO's VJTF?

DHS Briefing Warns of Potential Violence at DC Rally

A Depratment of Homeland Security briefing to state and local law enforcement agencies stressed the possibility of violence at the "Justice for J6" protest rally based on its intelligence assessment.Officers from Montgomery County,Maryland;Arlington County,Virginia;and Fairfax County,Virginia have been deputised to assist the US Capitol Police at the event on 18 September 2021.As well,the Pentagon has put the D.C. National Guard on standby for a quick response,if needed.* Capitol fencing was put up by construction crews overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.They also added temporary surveillance cameras to the setup.The fencing is buttressed by concrete jersey barriers to make it sturdier and deter ramming by motor vehicles.* The DHS briefing noted that online chatter indicated possible violence not only on the eighteenth,but the seventeenth as well.There was talk of storming the Capitol and the kidnapping of a specific member of Congress.Lone wolves and small groups can mobilise quickly and without warning,the briefing cautioned.* The DHS Transportation Security Administration will bulk up security at Washington area airports this weekend by deploying canine teams.In addition,the Capitol Police and the TSA are upgrading protection of members of Congress.* Several state capitals across the country are also possible targets for extremist activity over the weekend.*

Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Homeland Security Update:Emergency Declared by Capitol Police

The U.S. Capitol Police have declared an emergency for 18 September 2021,the date of the right wing Justice For J6 protest rally near the Capitol.The declaration allows USCP to request aid from its partner agencies,if needed.On Monday,Chief Thomas Manger delivered a briefing to the Congressional leadership in Speaker Nacy Pelosi's office.He said he shared the intelligence they'd been receiving,as well as something about their operational planning.The reinstallation of security fencing around the capitol has been approved by the Capitol Police Board.It will be put up a day or two before the rally and taken down very soon afterwards,if all goes well,Chief Manger said.* About midnight on Monday,the Capitol Police arrested a man-Daniel Craighead,44,of Oceanside,California-who was sitting in his Dodge Dakota pickup truck parked near the Democratic National Committee Headquarters.He said he was "on patrol" and was arrested for possessing illegal weapons including knives,a machete and bayonet,which police found in his truck.He also spouted white supremacist rhetoric,and his truck was covered inside and out with neo-Nazi graffiti such as swastikas.* The USCP is preparing for the possibility of violent clashes at the rally,which is registered for 700 people,and may also be attended by counterprotesters.

Pacific Perspective:North Korea Tests New Threat to Allied Forces

On 11-12 September 2021,North Korea sucessfully tested a new long-range cruise missile.The missiles flew a figure 8 pattern and crashed into the sea after about a two-hour flight.The state news agency article appered on page 2 and included photos.Pyongyang claims the missiles can hit targets more than 930 miles away,putting US and South Korean troops well within range of the new weapon.North Korea is allowed to develop such jet-powered missiles by the UN,which only forbids the hostile regime of Kim Jong Un to conduct ballistic missile development. The missile has been in development for two years,and South Korea believes the story about it was credible.As for South Korea,it recently tested a Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM). The North Korean cruise missile,which is possibly nuclear capable,was depicted launching from a truck.It could pose a complex threat to Allied Forces,enabling the North to conduct an attack on them from all directions with a mix of ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as substantial artillery assets. The US has about 28,000 troops in South Korea and conducts periodic wargames with South Korean forces.

Friday, September 10, 2021

Priming NASA's Artemis I for Launch to the Moon

Homeland Security Alert:Capitol Fencing Likely To Be Reinstalled

In light of a protest rally scheduled for 18 September 2021 in front of the U.S. Capitol,and the intelligence reports concerning it,security fencing around the Capitol is likely to be reinstalled soon,according to an official source.The rally is set to protest the holding of "poitical prisoners" who participated in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol,which aimed to halt the Constitutional legislative process of certifying the election of President Joseph R. Biden.More than 600 insurrectionists have been charged,with more than 165 facing serious charges for assaulting police.The charges were at least partly based on video evidence drawn from more than 15,000 hours of footage.This time around,the fencing may have a smaller footprint and not block traffic.It was originally erected in the tense days leading up to President Biden's inauguration on 20 January. The US Capitol Police under Chief Thomas Manger have reportedly been conducting exercises in preparation for the event.In recent days,rhetoric surrounding the rally has become noticeably violent,an internal Capitol Police memo examined by CNN indicated.There is particular agitation over the fatal shooting on January 6 of rioter Ashli Babbitt by Lieutenant Michael Byrd of the Capitol Police,who has been officially cleared of wrongdoing in the incident.Lt.Byrd said he shot Babbitt,who had launched herself through a window of the House chamber,because: She was posing a threat to the House of Representatives.* The Capitol Police Board has the final say about the fencing,but is expected to approve the measure.The D.C. Metropolitan Police Department under Chief Robert Contee has also been put on heightened alert for the protest,with all leave being canceled,and other area law enforcement partners have reportedly been recruited to assist,if needed.* Representative Pete Aguilar (D-California) explained that: We're fearful for the Capitol community,everyone around Capitol Hill.* As for Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-California,she thinks that: Clearly there is a better plan,more organisation for this event than the last one...We hope to be very prepared.* Indeed,House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited the congressional leaders to her office for a 13 September full leadership briefing on the protest by Chief Manger. The organiser,former Trump campaign operative Matt Braynard,expects about 500 people to participate in the "Justice for J6 " rally.

American Legion honors victims from 9/11 Pentagon attack

American Legion honors victims from 9/11 Pentagon attack: 184 souls were lost when American Airlines Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m.

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

What's Trending in Aerospace - September 5, 2021 - Aviation Today

What's Trending in Aerospace - September 5, 2021 - Aviation Today: Check out the Sept. 5 edition of What's Trending in Aerospace, covering the latest headlines occurring across the global aerospace industry.

Friday, September 3, 2021

B-2 Stealth Bomber In-flight Refueling

B-2 Stealth Bomber Arrives at RAF Fairford accompanied by Bomber Task Force B-Roll in Iceland

Upholding bomber agile combat deployments: 110th EBS total force unit de...

B-2 Spirit Arrives at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, 08/23/2021

B-2 Spirits Deployed to Iceland

B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from the US Air Force's 131st and 509th Bomb Wings have deployed to Keflavik Air Base,Iceland from Whiteman AFB,Missouri in support of Bomber Task Force Europe.During their mission,they are building strategic relationships critical for timely and coordinated responses when needed,Whiteman AFB said.The Northrop Grumman aircraft are being crewed by Airmen with the Missouri Air National Guard. In the course of their mission,the B-2s have performed their first integration with Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft,strengthening our shared commitment to global security and stability.They also integrated with US Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa F-15C Eagle fighters out of RAF Lakenheath,England,who provided escort to the bombers. Indeed,the F-15s,Typhoons and B-2s flew a training sortie over the North Sea,enhancing enduring skills and relationships with NATO Allies and regional Partners.They thus are reinforcing goals of remaining flexible and agile for rapid response capabilities towards any potential crisis or challenge across the globe.* While long responsive to Russian aggression and Islamist extremism,NATO is currently developing its approach to Chinese challenges as well.* Northrop Grumman (NOC)