F-22 Raptor Brings Down China's Spy Balloon

Four Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor fifth generation fighters were scrambled at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia Saturday.They were needed to bring down the Chinese military balloon that attempted to gather intelligence over US territory in a blatant violation of US sovereignty and international law.The balloon was loaded with tons of surveillance equipment directed at sensitive military bases with an apparent emphasis on strategic systems such as the Minuteman III ICBM and B-2 Spirit bombers.* The Raptors arrived on scene off the South Carolina coast and loitered while they awaited the balloon's arrival.The balloon had first violated Canada's sovereignty before heading south into Montana and surveilling Malmstrom Air Force Base and its missile fields.It had traveled from China to the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska before violating Canadian air space,all the while tracked by NORAD.Eventually it wandered east over to Whiteman Air Force Base,Missouri,home of the B-2 Spirit strategic bomber.NORTHCOM,out of Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado,provides protection for the US mainland and took charge of the hostile incident.Two air refueling tankers flew a pattern off South Carolina,standing by to refuel aircraft as needed.* On Wednesday,US President Joseph R. Biden ordered the Pentagon to shoot down the balloon in the safest way as soon as possible.The Pentagon chose the sea option.* Climbing to an altitude of 58,000 ft.,one of the F-22s fired a Raytheon AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missile at the balloon at short range.It punctured the balloon with a thud,rendering it limp as it plunged for about five minutes to the coastal waters below within the 12-mile territorial zone of the United States.Whatever lands within the zone is legally under US Government control.The balloon ended up at a depth of merely 47 feet,easily retrievable by even novice divers.The US Navy and Coast Guard secured the scene by establishing a perimeter.A salvage vessel made its way to the wreckage of the ill-fated Chinese contraption.Electronic warfare measures had been applied to its technology by US Forces as it was blown along,ensuring that it couldn't achieve its unlawful mission unhindered.The debris field had been ascertained by NORTHCOM and NASA in advance.* Analysis:So China ended up with its surveillance technology in the hands of the US Intelligence Community,embarrassed by this bizarre mission of the People's Liberation Army.For its part,Canada expressed its appreciation for the US downing of the balloon.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Pacific Perspective:US and Indian Armies Train in the Himalayas

The 18th annual Exercise Yudh Abhyas 2022 provides high altitude training in India's Himalayan Mountains for the US Army and Indian Army.They are taking place in the Auli area of Utterakhand State in North India.Participating are the US Army's 11th Airborne Division (Arctic Airborne),which was recently reactivated to provide forces adept at cold and rugged Arctic terrain,having previously been known as U.S. Army Alaska.Indian Soldiers of the Assam Regiment will drill with their American counterparts.The aim is to exchange best practices,Tactics,Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) between the two armies,the Indian Ministry of Defence said.They will employ an integrated battlegroup under Chapter VII of the UN Mandate on peacekeeping and peace enforcement.They will also practise Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The Field Training Exercise includes validation of individual battlegroups;force multipliers;establishment and functioning of surveillance grids;validation of operational logistics;mountain warfare skills;casualty evacuation and combat medical aid in adverse terrain and climate conditions.There will also be a focus on combat skills such as combat engineering;employment of UAS/counter UAS techniques;and information operations.Thus both armies will share their broad range of experiences and skills,while enhancing techniques through information exchange,IMOD noted on 15 November 2022.The drills will take place near the Line of Actual Control (LAC),where conflict has occurred between the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and the Indian Army,resulting in casualties including deaths on both sides.So Yudh Abhyas is a signal to China that these two powerful democracies are intent on improving their crisis coordination.* The Indian Army numbers 1,237,000 active duty and 960,000 reserves,plus 136 aircraft.There are also an Indian Navy and Indian Air Force,the third largest air force in the world.Indeed,next year the population of India will surpass that of China.* On 6 June 2022,the 11th Airborne Division's 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team was reactivated at Fort Wainwright,Alaska;and the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team was reactivated at Fort Richardson,Alaska (Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson) in separate ceremonies.The 11th Airborne also includes headquarters,logistics and other support forces.* From 15-16 June 2020,Indian and PLA forces clashed in hand-to-hand combat incidents involving rocks in the Galwan River valley on the Indian side of the LAC,resulting in several deaths.India says it lost 20 troops in the Galwan skirmish (Operation Snow Leopard).According to a member of the US Intelligence Community,20-35 Chinese PLA members were killed in the clashes.This blog examined a handful of photos of the incident.These include a PLA photo of Chinese regimental commander Qi Fabao being carried with a bloodied face and a head bandage.A few other photos show up to several dozen Indian forces crossing the Galwan River with riot shields and walking sticks.An Indian trooper appeared to have a rifle slung over his back in a rather blurry image.On 7 September 2020,gunfire erupted along the LAC,apparently without further casualties.*

OUR KOREAN WAR STORY: Brother survived Chosin Reservoir

OUR KOREAN WAR STORY: Brother survived Chosin Reservoir: Sgt. Nevada ‘Jim’ Williams landed at Inchon, South Korea, with 2,500 soldiers of the U.S. Army's 7th Infantry Division, 31st Regiment Combat Team on Sept. 15, 1950.

Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 Gains Significance From China's Posturing

The biennial US-Australian military exercise Talisman Sabre 2015,being held in mid-July this year,is always a notable event in the Asia Pacific region because of its scale alone,but this time it takes on added significance because of China's widely perceived belligerence over its expansive South China Sea territorial claims,particularly in light of its militarisation of the Spratly Islands,where it has swiftly been building reefs up into islands and constructing military airstrips on them-and a PLA Navy port on Hainan Island as well,where three ballistic missile submarines and two guided missile corvettes have been observed.Exercise Talisman Sabre 2015 is even getting an extra participant this year in that Japan will be take part for the first time,although in a small way,sending just 40 troops to exercise only with the US Marines,and not with Australia's defence forces.*
Talisman Sabre 2015 is the largest combined military exercise undertaken by the Australian Defence Force,the Australian Department of Defence said in a Media Release.It is the principal Australian and United States bilateral training activity focused on the planning and conduct of mid-intensity 'high-end' warfighting.New Zealand and Japan will also participate with their defence forces.A New Zealand contingent of over 500 personnel,including ships and aircraft,will operate as part of the Australian forces.
Australia's Chief of Joint Operations,Vice Admiral David Johnston,said the inclusion of the New Zealand and Japanese forces would enable the ADF to deepen its engagement with close defence partners in the region but did not change the bilateral nature of the exercises between Australia and the US.The primary aim of the exercise remains improving Australia-US readiness and the way we operate together through combined training,VADM Johnston explained.*
More than 28,000 US and Australian personnel will participate in drills held across Australia,US Pacific Command noted,in an effort to increase their ability to defend Australia's national interests.*
On 27 May,US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter laid out the US point of view on China's recent island-building campaign on reefs in the Spratly Islands chain of the South China Sea.Speaking at a change of command ceremony for US Pacific Command in Hawaii,Mr.Carter minced no words:
First,we want a peaceful resolution of all disputes and an immediate and lasting halt to land reclamation by any claimant.We also oppose any further militarisation of disputed features.Second,and there should be no mistake.The US will fly,sail,and operate wherever international law allows,as we do all around the world.
With its actions in the South China Sea,China is out of step with both international norms that underscore the Asia Pacific's security architecture,and the regional consensus in favour of noncoercive approaches to this and other long-standing disputes.China's actions are bringing countries in the region together in new ways.And they're increasing the demand for American engagement in the Asia Pacific.We're going to meet it.We will remain the principal security power in the Asia Pacific for decdes to come,Mr.Carter promised.

China's Aircraft Carrier Milestone

At a naval base in Dalian,Liaoning Province in Northeast China,the aircraft carrier Liaoning,China's first,was delivered and commissioned Tuesday.Navy contractor China Shipbuilding Industry Commission endorsed a People's Liberation Army flag for the ship and a naming certificate to Senior Captain Zhang Zheng,commander of the new carrier.Zhang had previously commanded a frigate and destroyer.
The Liaoning is a retrofit of a an old Soviet era vessel,the Varyag.New engines and weapons were installed,and a year of sea trials were carried out.The ship's crew includes more than 50 officers with advanced degrees,as well as female sailors.China is the tenth country in the world to have an aircraft carrier in its navy.
China is currently contesting the ownership of what it calls the Diayou Islands with Japan,but Fang Bing,a professor at the PLA's National Defense University,said the commissioning was unrelated to the territorial issue.Chinese President Hu Jintao and outgoing Premier Wen Jiabao attended the ceremony.
The number and types of aircraft on the Liaoning were not disclosed,although foreign military intelligence will ascertain those facts from satellite photos and other sources.