President Biden Calls Up Reserves for Eastern Flank Rotations

On 13 July 2023,President Joseph R. Biden called up Selected Reserves and certain Individual Ready Reserves in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.Said Director of Strategic Communications for the National Security Council Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,in a briefing for reporters at The White House:This basically is a realization of the fact that the President knows that the security environment in Europe has changed.We've got to make sure that we've got the proper force posture to support an Eastern Flank presence for the long-haul.*Since Putin's full scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022,the US has added 20,000 additional troops to Europe,bringing the total to over 100,000.So the President's move is aimed at sustaining that momentum over time.Said President Biden in a Breifing Room notice of Presidential Actions:By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,including sections 121 and 12304 of title 10,United States Code,I hereby determine that it is necessary to augment the Active Armed Forces of the United States for the effective conduct of Operation Atlantic Resolve in and around the United States European Command's araea of responsibility.*The President went on to stipulate that his execuitve order for the deployment of Reserves may not exceed 3,000 total members at any time,of whom not more than 450 may be members of the Individual Ready Reserves.The President signed his order Joseph R. Biden Jr.,The White House,July 13,2023.*It will be recalled that Operation Atlantic Resolve resulted from Russia's hybrid invasion of Ukraine in 2014,including the illegal annexation of Crimea,Ukraine and the establishment of renegade provinces in the Donbas Region of Ukraine.Operation Atlantic Resolve was intended to reassure our NATO Allies of our intent to help them defend Europe and deter Russian aggression against NATO.According to Lt.Gen. Douglas A. Sims II,US Army,Joint Staff director of operations,Operation Atlantic Resolve has been upgraded to a contingency operation.This new designation benefits troops amd families with increase in authorities,entitlements and access to the reserve component forces and personnel.So the reservists will receive the pay and support of Active Duty personnel.Added Lt.Gen. Sims:This reaffirms the unwavering support and commitment to defend NATO's Eastern Flank in the wake of Russia's illegal and unprovoked war on Ukraine.*Part of the reasoning behind the call-up is the shortfalls in military recruitment across all six Active Duty Armed Services,especially the US Army,that has been experienced recently.The Army is offering a 50,000 dollar bonus for a six-year commitment.

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)

US,Netherlands Forces Put On Alert for NATO Call-Up

Some 8500 US troops have been notified today that they are on alert for call-up by NATO for the NATO Response Force (NRF) over the Ukraine crisis.NRF is a tripwire force of 40,000 multinational sea,air and land personnel,including Special Operations Forces.The Netherlands has also put its land forces and a Royal Netherlands Navy frigate on standby for this crisis response unit,which includes the 20,000 member Very High-Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).The exact criteria for NRF activation have not been disclosed,yet Russia is being put on notice that this activation will happen if it reaches certain milestones.The decision to heighten the alert by Secretary of Defense General Lloyd Austin III,US Army retired is about getting the units,all of them based in the US,on heightened alert for short notice deployment to Europe.Some of the units must be able to deploy in as little as five days.No final decision to deploy has been reached yet,according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired.It is entirely up to NATO,which is commanded by General Tod Wolters,US Air Force,the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR).The bulk of the troops are for the NRF,but some are for the VJTF.They include the combat credible units,the Brigade Combat Teams;aviation units;Intelligence,Surveillance and Reconnaisance;logistics,transportation,medical and engineering personnel. The US troops,a comprehensive package,are also available if other contingencies develop or the European security situation deteriorates.We have about 60,000 troops already in Europe.The call-up would primarily be to reinforce NATO'S Eastern Flank.Policy makers are working their way through the NRF activation criteria.Said Mr.Kirby: I can't rule out that there may be some deployment before an invasion.We've seen Vladimir Putin add to his military capability.We don't believe he's made that decision.He is increasing the military options available to him.* At the same time,Denmark has sent a frigate to the Baltic Sea Region and is also bulking up the NATO Air Policing Mission in Lithuania by providing four of its F-16 Fighting Falcons.* House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has requested a bi-partisan briefing on the alert for Congressional leaders.*

Operation Allies Refuge:Airport Firefight Erupts With Unknown Assailants

On 23 August 2021,a firefight with unknown assailants broke out at the German gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.One Afghan guard was killed and three others wounded.There are about 600 former members of the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces now serving as guards at the airport.German and US troops also took part in the hostilities,but sustained no casualties.It is possible the assailants were members of ISIL-K,the Afghanistan branch of Islamic State,as the US has warned of an IS threat to the airport over recent days. On 22 August,US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that: the threat is real,accute and persistent...We are working hard with our Intelligence Community to isolate,to determine where such an attack might come from.* Indeed,US President Joseph R. Biden said from the Roosevelt Room at the White House yesterday: I'm not going to talk about the tactical changes that we're making to keep the airport as secure as we can.I don't want to get into the details.We've changed the gate operations and a whole range of things.* The Taliban have agreed to having a larger safety zone around HKIA.* On 20 August,Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,noted that: Al-Qaida is a presence as well as ISIS (another name for Islamic Stae).We believe there isn't a presence of al-Qaida significant enough to pose a threat to the homeland.Obviously,we're going to maitain an overwatch capability.We do believe we'll be able to maintain a warning sufficient for counterterrorism. The secretary's not going to rule anything in out in order to get done what we have to do there.Now we've built up extra capacity in the past few days,the secretary feels we can accomplish the mission...We have flown in additiobal forces,so if there would be a need,we would examine those options and offer up options to the secretary.Every decision that has to be made has to weigh the risks and the benefits.If the secretary were to make a major muscle movement,he would want to ask the White House.* There have been reports of US helicopters flying out of the airport to pick up people from multiple locations,but Mr.Kirby said: I cannot confirm those reports.* According to CNN Senior International Correspondent Sam Kiley,the US is using secret methods to bring people into the airport.Reportedly,sensitive operations may be underway to rescue key individuals.President Biden had revealed yesterday that we have evacuated nearly 28,000 people since 14 August.*

Fortress Kabul:Thousands of Marines and Soldiers Going In

Since last Friday,the Taliban Islamist extremisits have taken over at least 16 provincial capitals in Afghanistan,including Herat,the country's third largest city,and Mazar-i-Sharif,the capital of Northern Afghanistan.The status of Kandahar,the second largest city,was unclear at this writing,but at the very least,Taliban militants had breached the perimeter yeaterday,causing chaos as small groups of them fired weapons near the Governor's palace.This blitzkrieg so alarmed US officials,including Secretary of State Antony Blinken,Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley,US Army,they devised a military plan to evacuate US diplomats and as many as possible of the Afghan friends of the US who served as interpreters,contractors and in other roles to assist the US Forces-Afghanistan.These friends number in the tens of thousands,by some estimates.The plan was presented to US President Joseph R. Biden yesterday,who authorised the operation,which has no name as of yet.The fresh troops will arrive in 24-48 hours and consist of: Two US Marine Corps battalions and a US Army battalion,totaling 3,000 troops,who will be based at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul; an Army and Air Force support element numbering 1,000 troops to be stationed in Qatar,but who can be relocated as needed;they are to process our Afghan friends for eventual resettlement in the US; an Infantry Brigade Combat Team numbering 3500 troops of the Army's 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg,North Carolina,who are to fly to Kuwait and wait there to assist in the evacuation from Kabul if needed.* The three battalions of Marines and Soldiers were already in the US CENTCOM Area of Responsibility.They will be armed with mortars,machine guns and personal weapons for self-defence,according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired.* The ANDSF were plagued by poor lines of communication,including inadequate logistics;a loss of confidence following the announcement of the US withdrawal;and the tribal culture of the country,coupled with a weak,corrupt and incompetent central government under President Ashraf Ghani.* Mr.Kirby declined to specify when the evacuation operation would conclude.About 1400 US diplomats reportedly remain in country,down from the original 4,000.They will be reduced further to a core group capable of carrying out a range of diplomatic functions,and,indeed,the US Embassy may even be relocated to the international airport to facilitate swifter evacuation if necessary.* An anonymous official said that Kabul could fall to the militants in as little as thirty days,but other observers believe it could fall even sooner.In the event of militant attacks on the evacuation,the operation could be designated a Non-Combatant Evacuation Operation (NEO).* Mr.Kirby also said that we will be ready to help our NATO Allies if they desire it and they decide they need to further reduce their footprints in Afghanistan.Both military and civilian aircraft may be used in the evacuation process.*

The Hagel Resignation-Will It Affect Military Operations?

President Barack Obama and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel,the first man to rise from the enlisted ranks of the US Army to the top job at the Pentagon,held several private meetings over the past month,but still couldn't see eye to eye.So the President and Hagel agreed to part ways,and the President started searching for his fourth Pentagon chief in six years.Hagel had been preceded by Bob Gates and Leon Panetta.*
Some observers described Hagel as seeming disengaged at national security meetings.
Perhaps the President needed a fall guy after the Democrats' dismal mid-term election results,losing control of the US Senate,others speculated,and the soft spoken Hagel fit the bill.Believe me,he was up to the job,Hagel's former Senate colleague and fellow Vietnam veteran Senator John McCain,R-Arizona,remarked upon hearing the news.It was the job he was given,where he was never brought into that tight circle inside the White House that makes all the decisions,which has put us into the incredible debacle that we're in today throughout the world,McCain continued.*
For instance,Hagel wrote a letter to National Security Adviser Susan Rice in which he was critical of the administration's Syria policy,according to The New York Times.Hagel was also said to differ with the President over Mr.Obama's plan to close the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba.And the White House was consternated when Hagel contradicted the President's view that the ISIL militants were a junior varsity squad,when Hagel described ISIL as an imminent threat to everything America stands for.We must prepare for everything,Hagel said.The only way is to take a steely-eyed look at it.*
The resignation really doesn't affect the way the Pentagon views the world,said Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy,spokesman for the Department of Defense.We're going to keep going after ISIL.We're going to move to a train,advise and assist mission in Afghanistan,and will continue to reassure our European allies in the face of Russian agression.Winning is a daily thing that we look at.We are definitely succeeding.We are taking back ground.We constantly assess that,every single day.We're not making any big muscle moves.We think we've got it about right here,RADM Kirby insisted.*
Several service members expressed surprise about the resignation,however,and felt Mr.Hagel wasn't to blame for troop cutbacks and efforts to trim military benefits.That problem rested squarely with Congress.