NATO Secretary General doorstep at the G7 Foreign Ministers, 18 APR 2024 - YouTube

House Speaker Mike Johnson's 61 billion dollar aid package for Ukraine is scheduled for a vote on 20 April 2024.It has strong bipartisan support.

Demanding Scenario:Air Shielding NATO'S Eastern Flank

On 22 August 2022,NATO'S Allied Air Command (AAC) directed a large-scale,multinational drill over Slovakia.Participating were military personnel from France,Slovakia,the UK and the US.The complex,long-range operation had many of the Allies fly from their home bases,supported by air refueling tankers.Among the aircraft were fourth and fifth generation fighter jets such as the F-22 Raptor,Rafale,MiG-29,and Eurofighter Typhoons,as well as B-52H Stratofortress bombers from Minot Air Force Base,North Dakota.The strategic bombers had flown from RAF Fairford,England on a Bomber Task Force mission. During the exercise,the formation flew against joint German/Netherlands Surface Based Air and Missile Defence Patriot Missile batteries that had been deployed to Slovakia to shield NATO'S Eastern Flank.The essential joint training involved executing precision strikes while enhancing Alliance interoperability and heightening readiness.It was the B-52s' first mission since arriving in England on 18 August.* According to Air Marshal Johnny Stringer,Deputy Commander AAC,the participation of such a diverse and capable array of Allied aircraft demonstrates the Alliance's ability to react to any threat across the Euro-Atlantic area,while also demonstrating the reach,interoperability and agility of the Allied forces as they ensure freedom of access and maintain collective security.The USAF bombers will continue to execute similar missions over the next few months in the European theatre of operations.* The Air Shielding drill prepared NATO forces to operate in a contested and sophisticated threat environment,thus ensuring a capable and credible response to any aggression such as that displayed by Russia in its senseless invasion of Ukraine's sovereign territory.After the Slovakia exercise,the B-52s were escorted by Turkiye F-16 Fighting Falcons through Turkish airspace.As for the fifth generation F-22s,they had arrived in Europe at RAF Lakenheath,England on 26 July en route to Poland's 32nd Tactical Air Base,Lask.The Raptors are out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson,Alaska.They are deployed for four-five months in support of the Air Shielding mission,the purpose of which is to safeguard NATO Allies from air and missile attacks by leveraging both air and ground-based assets.Air Shielding provides a near seamless shield from the Baltic to the Black Seas.The F-22s are ideally suited to the mission,being a highly strategic warfighting platform.Over the next year,the Air Force will have various types of aircraft rotating into Europe for approximately four month deployments to supplement its permanent deployments.After a year,the Air Force will reassess and adjust as necessary,said U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Force Africa and Allied Air Command's new commander,General James B. Hecker.A U.S. Air Force Academy graduate and veteran of the Afghan War,General Hecker was awarded the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal with one bronze oak leaf cluster;the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters;the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters;the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one service star;and the NATO Kosovo Medal,among many others.*

Brink of War:Constellation of US Forces Gathers in the Middle East

A number of US troops,ships and aircraft have been deployed to the Middle East in the past month to ensure the protection of US forces already in the region,at the request of US combatant commanders.This is in light of Iran's threats and/or aggression against maritime traffic and US troops in the US Central Command AOR.*
On 24 May 2019,former US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan said an initial bolstering force:
will include approximately 1500 military personnel and consist of
-a Patriot battalion to defend against missile threats,
-additional intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft,
-an engineer element to provide force protection improvements throughout the region
-and a fighter aircraft squadron to provide additional deterrence and depth to our aviation response options.*
On 17 June 2014,Mr.Shanhan said:
I have authorized approximately 1,000 additional troops for defensive purposes to address air,naval,and ground-based threats in the Middle East.The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable,credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten US personnel and interests across the region.*
Besides these assets deployed to undisclosed bases,it is known that the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 13,led by aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72),is underway in the Middle East to deal with the Iran crisis.Carrier Air Wing 7,with its 9 squadrons and detachments,is aboard the Lincoln.
The Carrier Strike Group includes Destroyer Squadron 2:
-USS Bainbridge (DDG 96),
-USS Mason (DDG 87),
-USS Nitze (DDG 94);
as well as guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).A submarine may also be assigned to a CSG,but would not be disclosed.*
Mr.Shanahan has resigned from his position for personal reasons.President Donald Trump has appointed Secretary of the Army Mark T. Esper as Acting Secretary of Defense.Mr.Esper is a graduate of the US Military Academy (West Point) and a combat veteran of the Gulf War 1990-91,having served with distinction as a US Army Infantry officer with the 101st Airborne Division.

NATO Exercise Patriot Shock V:Air Defence Artillery Test at Short Notice

NATO Exercise Patriot Shock V is underway in both Romania and Poland,involving 200 troops from the US,Romania,Poland and Sweden.The drills,running from 5-10 November 2016,are a Deployment Readiness Exercise in conjunction with a multinational air defence exercise,said the 10th Army Artillery and Missile Defense Command.
As part of the exercise,the Soldiers of Delta Battery,5th Battalion,7th Air Defense Artillery Regiment,were in Romania in less than 72 hours of the notice of their deployment to a location near Camp Midia,Romania.Speed of assembly and speed of achieving interoperability with their Romanian Allies were key to the challenge they were presented with.Indeed,a Patriot missile battery had never been deployed to Romania before.The drills will validate the unit's readiness and demonstrate US Army Europe's rapid deployment capability.They will showcase the unit's leaders' and Soldiers' resilience and build their confidence in the capabilities of their mobility platforms and mission command systems while demonstrating US commitment to Allies and partners in the Black Sea region.*
Patriot Shock is also taking place in Skwierzyna,Poland,where the W 125 launcher SC Anti-missile syetem and Newa missile were deployed by the Polish army's 35th Air Defence Squadron.Participants obtained the ability to plan,prepare and execute joint and combined training in a real time,realistic setting.The exercise increases the proficiency in defending against aerial threats,while improving the integration and interoperability between US and Polish personnel and systems.It demonstrates NATO's ability to move forces quickly and freely across allied borders and maintain freedom of movement across the region.*
Also deployed by Poland was the 23mm anti-aircraft weapon system.This built fires interoperability between the US and Poland Air Defense Artillery community,making a stronger Alliance while demonstrating the participating nations' ability to deploy troops rapidly.Troops from Poland and Sweden are synchronising and integrating their air defence systems with US Soldiers,which would be critical in any multinational contingency operations,the US Army points out.