Monday, February 28, 2022
NASA Promotes Howard Hu to Lead Orion Ahead of First Artemis Mission
NASA Promotes Howard Hu to Lead Orion Ahead of First Artemis Mission: NASA has selected Howard Hu as the Orion Program manager, based at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Legion ham operators make contacts in global winter training
Legion ham operators make contacts in global winter training: Montana post club preparing for natural disasters.
Friday, February 25, 2022
Steadying the Eastern Flank:F-35s Posted to Estonia,Romania
On 24 February 2022,six US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters were forward deployed to air bases in the Baltic and Black Sea Regions.The Lockheed Martin warplanes are from the 34th Fighter Squadron out of Spangdahlem Air Base,Germany.They will provide enhanced Air Policing (eAP) capability to this sensitive line so near to Russia.eAP gives NATO a way to adapt to crises and scale up defensive missions as the security situation evolves.Some of the F-35s will be based Amari Air Base,Estonia to integrate with Belgian F-16 Fighting Falcons.The other JSFs will operate out of Fetesti Air Base,Romania to integrate with Romanian F-16s.Said General Jeff Harrigian,chief of NATO Allied Air Command and Commander,U.S. Air Forces Europe and Air Forces Africa:
Our forces bring advanced capabilities to confront a full spectrum of threats to our Alliance.Our ability to move aircraft anywhere at a moment's notice assures our Allies and promotes balanced defense across the Alliance.*
F-35s,with their unique capabilities for communications,command and control,and lethality,provide the combined joint force leaders flexibility for power projection and assertion of warfighting Air Dominance in the highly contested environments of the Regions.Since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and instigated a separatist movement among Russian speakers in the Donbas Region of Eastern Ukraine in 2014,NATO'S eAP has helped secure regional stability and foster Ally assurance to counter destabilising influences.
The F-35's advanced Electronic Warfare capabilities enable pilots to locate and track enemy forces;jam their radars;and disrupt their attacks with unparalleled effect,thus outpacing key adversaries,according to Lockheed Martin.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT)
Thursday, February 24, 2022
American Legion calls urgent meetings on Ukraine
American Legion calls urgent meetings on Ukraine: National Commander Paul E. Dillard has called an emergency meeting with the organization’s National Security Commission to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a recommended U.S. response.
Saturday, February 19, 2022
Friday, February 18, 2022
U.S. Army Europe and Africa:Stryker Troop to Hungary;Commander Visits Romania
On 18 February 2022,US Army Europe announced in a press release that it is deploying a Stryker troop to Hungary.Reportedly 150-200 Soldiers will deploy for drills with the very accomplished Hungarian Defence Forces.The drills are rooted in the Letter of Arrangement concerning combined training with the Hungarian Ministry of Defence signed in 2019 and reaffirmed in 2021.They will help ensure our readiness and interoperabilty as NATO Allies,U.S. Army Europe and Africa said.*
The Stryker troop is part of US Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment,which is a mounted infantry unit based in Germany.It specialises in deployment on short order and quick movement once deployed.The forward presence by 2nd Cav builds interoperability,trust and our shared commitment to NATO with Allied Soldiers.*
On 16 February,the Commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa,General Christopher G. Cavoli,visited US and Romanian Soldiers at Mihail Kogalniceanu Airbase,Romania.About 1,000 US Soldiers from 2nd Cav are deployed there with their Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicles at the invitation of Romania to serve as part of our enhanced vigilance activities to strengthen our readiness and preserve miltary equilibrium from a force posture perspective.The Romanian Soldiers are led by Major General Iulian Berdila,Chief Romania Land Forces,whom General Cavoli greeted at the air base.*
Both deployments come at a time of unprecedented tension in recent times.It is caused by Russia's belligerence toward its neighbour Ukraine by deploying up to 190,000 troops along Ukraine's borders.*
The Stryker Armored Fighting Vehicle comes in several versions.It is built by General Dynamics Land Systems and is based on a design for the Canadian Armed Forces,the LAV III light armoured vehicle.*
General Dynamics (GD)
Thursday, February 17, 2022
F-35 Program Seeks Innovation to Improve RTOS Cyber Event Detection and Response - Aviation Today
F-35 Program Seeks Innovation to Improve RTOS Cyber Event Detection and Response - Aviation Today: The F-35 JPO is looking to industry for ideas to improve the cybersecurity of the Lockheed Martin F-35 fighter and associated ground system.
Wednesday, February 16, 2022
Monday, February 14, 2022
Friday, February 11, 2022
Invasion Alert Elevated,US Forces Burgeoning in Europe
A growing number and variety of US military units are deploying to Europe.This is in the context of a cascading sense of alarm in the Intelligence Community about the increasing likelihood of Russian military action against Ukraine as soon as this weekend.Russia has relentlessly continued to augment its forces daily along Ukraine's borders until approximately 130,000 troops now surround its smaller neighbour on three sides.The outlook is so grave that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made a special plea on 11 February 2022 before journalists in the White House press room that non-diplomat US citizens currently in Ukraine should evacuate the country within 48 hours.There are an estimated 30,000 such persons,but only 7500 of them have formally registered with the US Embassy.In the event of a Russian invasion,they will not be rescued by US troops.They must leave now by air,car,bus or rail.
A major Russian invasion of Ukraine could terrifyingly begin with bombs being dropped and ballistic missiles launched-weapons which won't discriminate among victims,Mr.Sullivan pointed out.*
Today Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin III,US Army retired,signed deployment orders for three thousand more members of the 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina as directed by US President Joseph R. Biden.The troops are being sent to Poland,joining 1700 other members of the Division already there or in process of deploying there.In addition,the headquarters unit of XVIII Airborne Corps has already deployed to Germany and 1,000 members of 2nd Cavalry Armored Brigade Combat Team have been deployed to Romania.
The Soldiers deployed to Poland have been arriving at Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport in Southeast Poland some 60 mi/96.5 km from the Ukraine border.*
At the same time,the US Navy has deployed four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers from the US East Coast to the U.S. 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility (Europe):
USS Donald Cook (DDG 75);USS Mitscher (DDG 57);USS The Sullivans (DDG 68);and USS Gonzalez (DDG 66).These are in addition to the four other US Navy guided-missile destroyers forward deployed to Rota,Spain.All four of the new arrivals in the Europan theatre have ballistic missile defence capability,and the USS Harry Truman Carrier Strike Group with its massive firepower is on patrol in the Mediterranean Sea.
For its part,Russia has deployed six amphibious landing ships to the Black Sea and two guided-missile cruisers to the Mediterranean.*
Among airpower deployments,US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons arrived at Fetesti Airbase,Romania today to enhance NATO'S collective defence posture and support its Air Policing Mission,NATO Allied Air Command said.They are from 52nd Fighter Wing,Spangdahlen Airbase,Germany.These warplanes will work closely with Allies in the Black Sea Region to reinforce regional security during the Ukraine crisis,completing a range of air-to-air manoeuvres with NATO Allies in order to enhance interoperability and communicatons links required to execute mutinational air operations.Said Lieutenant General Pascal Delerce,Deputy Commander Allied Air Command:
Allied Air Forces are standing shoulder to shoulder to provide a robust collective defence and deliver constant vigilance across NATO air space.*
NATO'S enhanced Air Power (eAP) doctrine demonstrates its solidarity,collective resolve and ability to adapt and scale its defensive missions and deterrence posture in response to an evolving security situation.The eAP strengthens the capability of defending Allied territory against a constantly challenging security environment in the Black Sea Region,adds Major General Viorel Pana,Chief of Air Force Staff,Romanian Air Force.*
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Olympics roundup: Top-10 finishes for Team USA in biathlon events
Olympics roundup: Top-10 finishes for Team USA in biathlon events: Here’s how servicemembers on Team USA fared in the first week at the 2022 Winter Games.
Wednesday, February 9, 2022
DARPA Taps Northrop Grumman To Develop AI ‘Assistant’ For Black Hawk Pilots - Aviation Today
DARPA Taps Northrop Grumman To Develop AI ‘Assistant’ For Black Hawk Pilots - Aviation Today: DARPA has tapped Northrop Grumman to develop an artificial intelligence solution that could serve as an “assistant” to UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter pilots, the company said Tuesday. Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the University of Central Florida, will build an AI prototype, called the Operator and Context Adaptive Reasoning Intuitive Assistant (OCARINA), that’s designed to be embedded …
Sunday, February 6, 2022
'It's Excited Nervousness': First Wave of US Troops Heads to Europe as Russia Eyes Ukraine | Military.com
'It's Excited Nervousness': First Wave of US Troops Heads to Europe as Russia Eyes Ukraine | Military.com: The first wave of some 2,000 U.S. troops to beef up NATO's warfighting capacity in eastern Europe deployed from Fort Bragg.
Friday, February 4, 2022
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Message to Russia:US,UK Bulking Up NATO'S Eastern Flank
In a matter of days,US and British forces will be reinforcing key NATO Allies in the Baltic and Black Sea Regions.On 2 February 2022,the Pentagon announced that,as ordered by US President Joseph R. Biden,3,000 US troops would be heading mostly to Poland and Romania;while British Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated earlier that the UK would be bolstering its troop presence in Estonia by about 900,on top of the 900 Soldiers already there leading a NATO enhancedForward Presence Battle Group.As well,the UK intends to send warships and fighter jets to the Eastern Flank.
The US Air Force has already augmented NATO's Air Policing Mission in Estonia with six F-15 Eagle fighters from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base,North Carolina's 336th Fighter Squadron,and the Harry S.Truman Carrier Strike Group has been leading Exercise Neptune Strike 22 in the Mediterranean Sea.
The new US deployment will be separate from the 8500 troops in the US recently placed on high alert for call-up by the NATO Response Force.Two thousand of the newly designated troops will be sent from the US to Poland and Romania,US Army paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division and 18th Airborne Corps.A small headquarters unit will reportedly be sent to Germany.In addition,a 1,000 member US Army 2nd Cavalry Regiment Stryker Brigade Combat Team already in Germany will be deployed to Romania.These deployments have been under discussion with the NATO Allies concerned for some time.
A Stryker BCT is a mechanised infantry brigade centered around the Stryker eight-wheeled variant of the General Dynamics LAV III,which is a light armoured vehicle.*
Spain has detailed a minesweeper and frigate to augment NATO'S Standing Maritime Group 2;while France is sending Soldiers to Romania as well.*
The rationale of the US and British deployments were articulated by UK officials in recent days.On 1 February 2022,British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke at a news conference in Kyiv,Ukraine alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky:
we will always stand up for freedom and democracy and Ukrainian sovereignty in the face of aggression.Somebody said we are exaggerating the threat-were the UK and the US trying to big this up? I've just got to say that is not the intelligence we're seeing.This is a clear and present danger and we see large numbers of troops massing;we see preparations for all kinds of operations that are consistent with an imminent military campaign...it is about the whole European security architecture,because be in no doubt about what I think President Putin is trying to achieve here.I think he is trying,by holding a gun,as it were,to the head of Ukraine,to get us to change the way we look at somerthing that was absolutely fantastic.And it wouldn't just be Ukraine that was drawn back into the Russian sphere of influence;you've got to think about Georgia;you've got to think about Moldova,other countries.I've just got to repeat what I said:our view is that time is urgent and this is something that needs to be addressed now.*
The UK Chief of Defence Staff,Royal Navy Admiral Sir Tony Radakin,told a Cabinet meeting on 1 February that:
a significant proportion of Russia's land combat power was now gathered on the Western border,coupled with deterrence operations such as military exercises on a scale never seen before.*
Prime Minister Johnson informed the Cabinet that this:
fitted into a pattern of coercion and intimidation that sought to undermine the values and principles of the West.*
Boeing Expects to Resolve KC-46 Flight Management, Drain Tube Issues This Year - Aviation Today
Boeing Expects to Resolve KC-46 Flight Management, Drain Tube Issues This Year - Aviation Today: This year, Boeing is redesigning a drain tube for its KC-46A Pegasus tanker for the U.S. Air Force and is working with General Electric to resolve a flight management system instability issue that can occur on the aerial refueler, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report. “In March 2021, the Air Force identified a …
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