Viasat Receives $325M US Special Operations Command Contract Extension - Avionics International

Viasat Receives $325M US Special Operations Command Contract Extension - Avionics International: U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) awarded Viasat a $325 million contract extension for tactical satellite communications and network management. Viasat Inc (VSAT)

Sustaining Combat Power:Army Winter Rotation to Europe

On 9 November 2022,the Department of the Army announced the upcoming winter deployment of 1st Cavalry Division,2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team to Europe.Out of Fort Hood,Texas, the 2nd ABCT is to replace the 3rd ABCT in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve,which was established in 2014 following Russia's first invasion of Ukraine,in which it annexed Crimea.Said Colonel Christopher J. Kilpatrick,commander of 2nd ABCT: We are part of the most modern and lethal armour formation on Earth.We are "all in" to reassure our European Allies and deter any potential adversaries from doing anything they would regret.* Indeed,the 2nd ABCT equipment,stationed at Fort Riley,Kansas,off-loaded at ports in Alexandroupoli and Thessaloniki,Greece,as well as Gdynia,Poland in the 18-30 November time frame.From these ports,the equipment was moved by rail and commercial trucking to follow-on locations in Central and Eastern Europe.The deployment of ready,combat-credible U.S. forces in support of Atlantic Resolve shows the strong and unremitting U.S. commitment to NATO and Europe.It builds readiness,increases interoperability and enhances bonds between Ally and Partner militaries,the Army said.No specific dates or destinations were mentioned.It should be noted,however,that 2nd ABCT was still in Fort Hood as of 2 December,when Command Sergeant Major Steven Campbell relinquished responsiblity of the brigade to CSM Brian Adams at a ceremony on Cooper Field in Fort Hood.* Previous deployments of 2nd ABCT were in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn in Iraq,as well as Atlantic Resolve.Operation New Dawn was a train,advise and assist sequel to Iraqi Freedom,including a counterinsurgency role.It ran from 2010-2011.The official casualty report for New Dawn stated that there had been 66 total deaths,including 38 attributed to enemy action,with 305 wounded.It was commanded by the current Secretary of Defense,then Lieutenant General Lloyd J. Austin III.* An ABCT is the largest brigade combat team formation,having 4743 Soldiers.It consists of 87 Abrams tanks and 152 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs),as well as associated wheeled tankers for a limited refueling capability.* General Dynamics (GD)

U.S. Air Force Kicks Off Launch Control Center Block Upgrades for Minuteman III - Avionics International

U.S. Air Force Kicks Off Launch Control Center Block Upgrades for Minuteman III - Avionics International: The U.S. Air Force 90th Missile Wing at F.E. Warren AFB, Wyo. and Northrop Grumman [NOC] began Launch Control Center Block Upgrades (LCCBU) this month to modernize support equipment for the Boeing [BA] Minuteman III ICBMs, the 90th Missile Wing said. The effort began at the Kilo-01 missile alert facility (MAF) near Dix, Neb. and … Northrop Grumman (NOC),Boeing (BA),BAE Systems PLC (LSE:BA)

Pacific Perspective:1st MARDIV Certifies for Australia Deployment

Marines and Sailors of 1st Marine Division and Expeditionary Strike Group 3 recently concluded Exercise Steel Knight 23.It certified the participants for deployment with the upcoming Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D) in Australia's Northern Territory as I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).Thousands of Marines and Sailors enhanced naval integration,joint planning and expeditionary advanced base operations.The drills took place in two phases:a command post exercise (CPX) and a mission rehearsal exercise (MRX).In the CRX,each subordinate command was tested to collect intelligence on enemy forces;coordinate joint fires;and simulate strikes while sustaining the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) with supplies across dispersed locations.CPX also enabled all-domain operations including cyber,space and information operations to complement kinetic operations in the operational environment.* MRX involved manoeuvring warships,Marine aviation squadrons and staging amphibious landings.Marines and Sailors responded to simulated crises and contingency scenarios in a contested environment.Said USN Rear Admiral James Kirk,commander,Expeditionary Strike Group 3:Simulated combat operations are ongoing to execute sea denial operations so that the joint force can then control and have freedom of movement,and can manoeuvre in a combat scenario to refine operational capabilities and tactics,techniques and procedures (TTPs).* Marines and Sailors also rehearsed the EABO (Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations),meaning employing forces in isolated environments and contested maritime areas.They tested their ability to plan,communicate and operate on small island chains;sea lanes;and aboard ships scattered across vast areas while still synchronised with one another.This took place across multiple locales in Southern and Central California.It's about working together to gain an advantage over a very challenging adversary (such as China,Russia or North Korea) while outpacing an enemy and achieving sea control,according to USMC Major General Benjamin Watson,commanding general of 1st MARDIV,I MEF and Rear Admiral Kirk.* In the course of the exercise,America-class Amphibious Assault Ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) played a significant role,as did Marine Aircraft Group 3,3rd Marine Aircraft Wing,which conducted an air assault on San Clemente island,California.A US Navy landing craft air cushion with Assault Craft Unit 5 carried an AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar.* The Tripoli allows the operation of both the MV-22 Osprey and F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.The warship is armed with 2 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers;2 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile launchers;2x20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts;and 7 x twin .50 BMG machine guns.It also carries electronic warfare devices such as 2 Mk53 Nulka decoy launchers.The Tripoli's complement is 102 officers;1102 enlisted;and 1687 Marines (plus 184 surge).It is the second America-class AAS,commissioned in July 2020.Its homeport is San Diego.*

CDFW News | Mountain Lion P-22 Compassionately Euthanized Following Complete Health Evaluation Results

CDFW News | Mountain Lion P-22 Compassionately Euthanized Following Complete Health Evaluation Results

Airbus Leads Large-Scale Manned-Unmanned Teaming Flight Demo - Avionics International

Airbus Leads Large-Scale Manned-Unmanned Teaming Flight Demo - Avionics International: Two fighter jets, a helicopter, and 5 drones participated in a large-scale, multi-domain flight demo of manned-unmanned teaming, led by experts from Airbus.

Homeland Security:Proposed New Counter-UAS Authorities Will Fall To New Congress, DHS Official Says - Avionics International

Proposed New Counter-UAS Authorities Will Fall To New Congress, DHS Official Says - Avionics International: Legislation to expand existing counter-UAS authorities for the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice will have to await action by the next Congress.

Highlights: Men's Basketball vs. Towson - Navy Athletics - SECU Arena,Towson,Maryland

IS Leader Kills Himself During Raid by US Troops in Syria

On Wednesday 7 December 2022,US Special Operations Forces conducted a night raid in Idlib,Northwest Syria,resulting in the death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi,US President Joseph R. Biden announced Thursday morning.Mr.Biden said: Thanks to the bravery of our troops,this horrible terrorist leader is no more.Knowing that terrorist had chosen to surround himself with families,including children,we made a choice to pursue a Special Forces raid at a much greater risk to our own people rather than targeting him with an airstrike.* Such missions are in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR),which seeks the lasting defeat of IS.Al-Qurayshi took control of IS when US troops neutralised former IS mastermind Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.* In the course of the approximately two-hour combat operation,up to thirteen people were killed,including civilians as well as militants,according to a Syrian Civil Defence group.The Pentagon is conducting an after-action review of the raid.* Al-Qurayshi blew himself and his family up with an explosive device when the US SOFs announced their presence outside the multi-family residence.The suicide blast caused the residence's partial destruction.Al-Qurayhsi's deputy and the deputy's wife were on the first floor and were killed by the SOFs when he engaged them in a firefight.No US troops were harmed during the raid.It is believed a few other militants were killed by attack helicopters as the militants approached the compound and were deemed hostile.* According to the monitoring organisation the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR),since early December,IS has stepped up its activity in areas held by US Ally the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).These activities include the assassination of,and attacks on,SDF members and members of the Autonomous Administration.At least eight IS operations were documented by SOHR activists against SDF members in the Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah areas that killed three SDF members and wounded six others,including a civilian.There were also clashes in the Deir Ezzor countryside between the SDF and IS cells.The IS cells threaten everyone in the area,SOHR said.* There are about 900 US troops in Syria,and 2500 in Iraq,serving in support of OIR.Through August 2022,US troops in Iraq and Syria combined had come under 30 indirect-fire attacks-mainly rocket attacks,according to OIR.Several attacks were launched against US troops by Iran-backed militants.* IS no longer controls territory in Iraq or Syria.It just conducts sporadic attacks with its militant cells.*

B-21 Raider Rollout Livestream - Edwards Air Force Base

Ballistic Missile Submarine Makes History at Diego Garcia

At the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) of Diego Garcia,a militarised atoll in the central part of the Indian Ocean,the US Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine USS West Virginia (SSBN 736) recently made the first-ever port call by an SSBN at the joint US/UK military base,Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia.Carrying up to 20 sea-launched Trident D5 ICBMs with nuclear warheads,the West Virginia was in port from 25-31 October,according to U.S. Strategic Command.The port call had been withheld from the media to protect the secrecy of nuclear submarine operations.It was part of the West Virginia's sustained deterrence operations in the U.S. Central Command and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command areas of responsibility.The extended deterrence patrol provides security and stability to US Allies and a warning to US adversaries such as China,Russia,North Korea and Iran.* Ohio-class submarines such as USS West Virginia serve as an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles,and are thus the most secure leg of the land/air/sea nuclear deterrent triad.Before its port call at Diego Garcia,the West Virginia had surfaced to embark USCENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla,US Army,in the Arabian Sea and participated in a joint USSTRATCOM-led communications drill to validate emerging and innovative tactics in the Indian Ocean,which is third in size among the world's oceans.Noted Vice Admiral Willaim Houston,commander of Naval Submarine Forces:The stealth and response capability of these submarines combined with the crew's training make our SSBNs the most powerful warships in the world.* Indeed,the West Virginia conducted a complete 150-person crew exchange while berthed at Diego Garcia and a replenishment at sea,showcasing the SSBN's readiness and flexibility to remain on long patrols.Such submarine forces can leverage undersea concealment to permit unique operational,deterrent and combat effects.Twenty-four hours a day and year-round from any location,USSTRATCOM forces deter strategic attacks and guarantee the security of the US and its Allies.* So Diego Garcia is located just south of the equator in the Central Indian Ocean.Besides its deep water lagoon,the base has two 12,000 ft/3657 m runways capable of handling strategic nuclear-capable bombers.It isn't known if nuclear weapons are actually stored on the atoll.Under its agreement with the UK,the US is permitted to use the base until at least 2036.It was used in the Gulf War;Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan);and Operation Iraqi Freedom.Three to five thousand US troops serve there for one-year tours.No families are allowed,although civilian contractors do live on the atoll to provide critical services.Diego Garcia was reportedly used as a CIA black site for prisoner interrogation and a NASA alternate Space Shuttle Landing Facility.*

Lockheed Martin and Intel Demonstrate 5G Capabilities For Military Aircraft Use - Avionics International

Lockheed Martin and Intel Demonstrate 5G Capabilities For Military Aircraft Use - Avionics International: As part of its efforts to advance future battlefield connectivity, Lockheed Martin [LMT] in partnership with Intel Corp. [INTC] has successfully conducted a laboratory demonstration of military tactical radios integrated into the company’s fifth-generation wireless military technology, paving the way for flight testing in 2023 of crewed and uncrewed aircraft for distributed teaming. In the recent demonstration, Intel integrated …

Watch: President Biden greets French President Macron - Military honours,welcome address and response