US Air Force and NATO Upgrade Nuclear Readiness

Raytheon Intelligence and Space (RIS),a division of Raytheon Technologies,has installed the first Global Aircrew Strategic Network Terminal (ASNT) system for the US Air Force at Barksdale Air Force Base,Louisiana.Barksdale is home of 2nd Bomb Wing (2BW) and its approximately 44 B-52H Stratofortress strategic bombers,as well as Air Force Global Strike Command.The project modernises existing protected communications systems,while adding new capabilities for both nuclear and non-nuclear Command and Control,the company explained in a news release on 11 April 2022: Global ASNT ensures robust communications to provide protected communications to nuclear bomber,missile and support aircraft crews in austere environments.* The Global ASNT system uses satellite communications to provide Command and Control,linking nuclear forces to national command authorities,operating on both MILSTAR and Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites.They provide critical data at the tactical edge for smart decision-making in near real-time.The nearly 600 million dollar contract supports the Air Force Global Strike Command (GSC).* RIS will complete three additional base installs to bring GSC up to Initital Operating Capability (IOC).A total of 90 terminals will be fielded in both fixed and transportable configurations by the end of 2023,according to RIS.RIS delivers disruptive technologies for success in any domain,against any challenge.It develops advanced sensors,cyber services and software solutions for a decisive advantage to its military customers,according to RIS.* A communications dish on the command post roof maintains the connection between the Global ASNT and nuclear Command,Control and Communications (C3).The system delIvers assured communications between national command authorities and strategic deterrence forces in a range of environments and circumstances,better connecting warfighters through improved information sharing.Using multiple satellite constellations provides resilience and redundancy in challenging circumstances,such as jamming or while coming under attack.* Along the same lines,NATO,as authorised by the NATO Nuclear Committee,has been upgrading its nuclear deterrence assets from Cold War standards since at least 2015,in the wake of Russia's first invasion of Ukraine.These assets are located on air bases in Belgium,Germany,Italy,the Netherlands,Turkey and,more recently,the UK.For exampe,new nuclear security perimeters for the Protective Aircraft Shelters (PAS) and the underground vaults that contain tactical nuclear weapons (US B61 bombs) that are sited beneath each PAS have been installed at Aviano Air Base,Italy and Incerlik Air Base,Turkey.The upgraded nuclear security perimeters include double fencing;lighting;cameras;intrusion detection;and a vehicle patrol road between the two fences,in accordance with US standards.As well,the B61 bombs are to be serviced in the PAS by the new Secure Transportable Maintenance System (STMS) trailers,and communications are being,or have been,modernised.* The US has recently begun the forward deployment of 24 USAF nuclear-capable Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters to RAF Lakenheath,England.There the extensive underground vaults are to be upgraded after having been removed from service in 2008 during an era of rising hopes for arms control.Now,however,Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the improved accuracy of its cruise missile guidance systems have made NATO rethink its requirements.So the Lakenheath bunkers are once again considered desirable,adding flexibility for tactical nuclear weapons storage in light of the heightened Russian capabilty and aggression near NATO'S Eastern Flank.In the event of a crisis,some of the weapons could be shifted around from the other nuclear air bases to RAF Lakenheath as needed,and the aircraft to deliver them would be readily available at RAF Lakenheath.Although Russian resort to nuclear weapons cannot be dismissed,the Intelligence Community does not assess that there is an acute threat of Russian use of tactical nuclear weapons at this time.* The new B61-12 tactical nucear weapons are considered superior because of lower yield;greater accuracy;and reliability for such missions as nuclear attack;earth-penetrating strikes;above surface detonation;and bunker-buster explosions.* Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon Technologies (RTX)

Pacific Perspective:MRF-D and the Australian 1st Brigade Welcomes the Commandant of the Marine Corps

MRF-D and the Australian 1st Brigade Welcomes the Commandant of the Marine Corps: Gen. David Berger, Commandant of the Marine Corps, visited with Marines and Sailors of the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, and Soldiers of the Australian Defence Force on April 14. During the visit,

Secretaries Blinken And Austin Hold Joint Press Conference In Poland Following Quiet Visit To Ukraine

UH-60V Black Hawk With Northrop Grumman’s OpenLift Cockpit Gets Airworthiness Certification - Aviation Today

UH-60V Black Hawk With Northrop Grumman’s OpenLift Cockpit Gets Airworthiness Certification - Aviation Today: Northrop Grumman said Monday the UH-60V Black Hawk, which is a retrofit of the UH-60L upgraded with the company’s ‘digital cockpit’ suite and OpenLift architecture, has received official certification to fly in all conditions. The Army Systems Readiness Directorate granted an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) Airworthiness Release for the UH-60V as the program heads into …

Orion Program Update:Gateway Launch Date Scheduled

On 9 July 2021,NASA announced that it had finalised a contract with Northrop Grumman for the development of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) for the Gateway,a small yet critical space station in lunar orbit that will serve as a waypoint and research platform for deep space exploration,including the Artemis Moon missions and missions to Mars.Under the 935 million dollar fixed price contract,Northrop Grumman will attach and test the integrated HALO with the Power and Propulsion Element by Maxar Technologies.Northrop will also lead the HALO/PPE turnover and launch preparations with SpaceX,which is slated to launch them in November 2024 on its Falcon Heavy rocket.Northrop will also support activation and checkout of HALO during the flight to its near-rectilinear lunar orbit,which will take it to tens of thousands of miles beyond the Moon at its farthest point,yet within easy reach of the lunar surface for sustained lunar exploration missions.Thus the core modules will be deployed and ready for the first crewed mission to Gateway.* According to NASA,the Gateway will facilitate inspirational scientific discoveries at and around the Moon,and provide the chance to further develop and test technology and science needed for crewed missions to Mars.Gateway will have pressurised living quarters with command and control systems,and three docking ports for the Orion spacecraft;lunar landers;and logistics resupply spacecraft.With its internal and external payload accomodations,Gateway will host science investigations and communications with lunar surface expeditions.Indeed,HALO will enable the aggregation of further habitable elements,such as the international module by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) and ESA.ESA will also provide a refueling module and high-data-rate communications.Immediately after launch,HALO will host the Heliophysics and Radiation Measurement Experiment Suite (HERMES) built by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt,Maryland.HERMES will conduct research outside HALO.* Gateway's unique orbit will allow NASA and its international and commercial partners to conduct unprecedented deep space science and technology investigations,while also enabling sustained lunar exploration missions.* Canada will provide the Canadarm3 robotic arm for Gateway,and Canadian astronauts will be on the crew of the first crewed mission of the Orion spacecraft in lunar orbit,Artemis 2, and a later mission to Gateway,per an agreement signed by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and NASA.* HALO is based on the design of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus spacecraft,which provides logistical support to the International Space Station.* Northrop Grumman (NOC),Maxar Technologies (MAXR)

Legion, Ganassi leading effort to reduce veteran suicides through ‘Be the One’

Legion, Ganassi leading effort to reduce veteran suicides through ‘Be the One’: New suicide prevention campaign announced during Tony Kanaan Indy 500 livery reveal.

NROL-85 Mission - classified payload launch for the National Reconnaissance Office - Vandenberg Space Force Base,California

Operation Atlantic Resolve:Substantial Land Forces Augmenting European Defence

A hefty amount of land warfare capability is currently being rotated into Europe,according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.It is the Ninth Atlantic Resolve rotation of Soldiers and equipment,this time from the US Army 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team,4th Infantry Division,out of Fort Carson,Colorado.The equipment began arriving in March 2022 at ports in Denmark,Greece and the Netherlands.Soldiers began arriving this month.The deployment consists of about 4,000 Soldiers;90 M-1 Abrams tanks;15 Paladin 155mm self-propelled howitzers;150 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;500 tracked vehicles and 600 wheeled vehicles;plus other equipment.* Atlantic Resolve began in April 2014 in response to Russia's first invasion of Ukraine,in which it annexed Crimea and instigated conflict in the Donbas Region of Eastern Ukraine.The four types of Atlantic Resolve rotations are:armored;aviation;sustainment task force;and division headquarters,currently staffed by 3rd Infantry Division in Poznan,Poland.These units,which maintain a constant presence on the European continent,conduct bilateral,joint and multinational training and security cooperation activities across more than 12 nations,our Allies and Partners in Europe.* The purpose of Atlantic Resolve is to deploy combat-ready forces into Europe as evidence of the United States' strong and unremitting commitment to NATO and Europe by building readiness,increasing interoperabilty and enhancing the bonds between Ally and Partner militaries.It is funded by the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI).At any given time,around 7,000 Soldiers are regionally allocated to Atlantic Resolve.

China and Russia Increased Satellites 70 Percent in 2 Years, New DIA Report Finds

China and Russia Increased Satellites 70 Percent in 2 Years, New DIA Report Finds: Between 2019 and 2021, China doubled its number of satellites in orbit from some 250 to 499, while Russia increased its number of orbiting satellites from

Northern Viking 22:Protecting Sea Routes and Infrastructure

Underway in the high north is NATO Exercise Northen Viking 22,a high intensity and multi-domain series of maritime drills focused on critical sea lanes and infrastructure of the North Atlantic Ocean.Of special concern is the threat Russia poses to undersea telecommunications cables and its utilisation of the GIUK (Greenland/Iceland/UK) Gap,a naval chokepoint between the three land masses of the North Atlantic. In 2019,ten Russian submarines of the Northern Fleet,including two diesel and eight nuclear-powered submarines,left their homeport in the Kola Peninsula and attempted to breach the GIUK Gap undetected and enter the Atlantic Ocean. The Royal Navy's First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff,Admiral Sir Tony Radakin,is concerned about a phenomenal increase in Russian submarine underwater activity,as Russia's underwater programme intends to put at risk and potentially exploit undersea cables critical to the world's real information system.According to Admiral Radakin: That is where predominantly all the world's information and traffic travels.Russia has grown the capability to put at threat those undersea cables and potentially exploit those undersea cables.* The deep sea cables enclose thousands of miles of fibre optic cables for carrying digital information such as the Internet.Russia is believed to be mapping the undersea cables.* As well,heavily armed Russian warships had tested up to ten of the new Tsirkov hypersonic cruise missiles from a frigate and a submarine in December 2021.Indeed,in September 2021,a Russian spy ship,the Yankar,that can reportedly cut undersea cables,was detected in the English Channel and headed north.And Russia is believed to have submarines with robotic arms that can tamper with or cut vital cables critical to data traffic.Thus Russian sabotage could devastate the world's information-dependent economy,and the GIUK Gap woud be strategically important for Russia's Northern Fleet in any conflict with NATO.* Participating in NV 22 are Royal Navy warships the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (R09) and frigate Richmond (F239);plus the Royal Norwegian Navy's frigate HNoMS Thor Heyerdahl (F314).Additionally,US Marines will stage an amphibious landing at Midsandur in Hvalfjordur,Iceland on 11 APR 22.Besides the US Marines,other participants include naval forces from France,Germany,Norway and the UK.The Icelandic Coast Guard and police will take part in search and rescue activities.The naval warfighters will practise defending sea routes to the south of Iceland and searching for enemy submarines off the Icelandic coast with anti-submarine warfare airplanes and helicopters.* At the top of the GIUK Gap is Thule Air Base,Greenland,a highly strategic asset and the northernmost outpost of the US military (US Space Force and US Air Force).Greenland is a Danish territory and the air base was even visited by Queen of Denmark Margrethe II recently.The base contains several missile warning sensors of Space Delta 4,as well as space surveillance and control sensors of Space Delta 2,which provide space awareness and advanced missile detection to NORAD,USSF and joint partners.Thule also contains the 12th Space Warning Squadron,which operates the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) for tracking ICBMs targeting North America;while the 23rd Space Operations Squadron of Space Delta 6 controls satellites.Thule Air Base is operated by the US Space Force and controlled by the US Air Force Peterson-Schriever Garrison,821st Air Base Group.A joint force team of 150 Space Force and Air Force personnel endure the hardship post (no families) with its absolutely brutal winter weather (temperatures down to -35F/-37.2 C) for one-year stints.*

NATO Secretary General with US Secretary of State 🇺🇸 Antony Blinken, 06 APR 2022

NATO Secretary General, Press Conference at Foreign Ministers Meeting, 07 APR 2022

To the Front Line:Navy and Marine Corps Aviation Units Deployed for Eastern Flank Missions

A number of US Navy and US Marine Corps aviation units have been deployed this week for defence and deterrence missions along NATO'S Eastern Flank,which are deemed critical in light of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.These include 200 Marines from Air Control Group 28 out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point,North Carolina who had recently participated in NATO Exercise Cold Response 22,which emphasised the defence of Norway.Another 200 Marines and their 10 legacy F/A-18 C/D Hornets and two KC-130J Hercules tankers out of Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort,South Carolina will also soon deploy to an unspecified location in Eastern Europe. The Marine aviators are from 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2 MAW),II Marine Expeditionary Force.MAC 28 provides multi-domain Command and Control;air defence;air traffic control;and communications support.The Lockheed Martin C-130 J tankers are from Aerial Refueling Training Squadron 252.* For its part,the US Navy deployed six EA-18G Growler Electronic Warfare jets to Spangdahlem Air Base,Germany,along with about 240 personnel,including pilots and maintainers.These will enhance NATO'S collective defence posture,the Pentagon said.They will fly missions in support of Eastern Flank deterrence and defence,but not engage with Russian forces in Ukraine.Rather,they will further increase our air integration capabilties with our Allied and Partner nations,according to spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired.The Growlers are part of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 134 out of Naval Air Station Whidbey Island,Washington State.Growlers use a suite of jamming sensors to confuse enemy radars,greatly aiding in the ability to conduct supression of enemy air defence operations.The Boeing aircraft feature tactical jamming pods and communications countermeasures. Describing the deployments,Mr.Kirby said: It's about options.It's about capabilities and making sure we've got the right capabilities.* The Growlers are armed with two Raytheon AIM-9X Sidewinder Missiles or two Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) for self-defence.* Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT),Raytheon Technologies Corp (RTN)