U.S. Army's BIGGEST Leadership Change in Europe and Africa! - YouTube - 10 DEC 2024

General Darryl A. Williams relinquished command of U.S. Army Europe and Africa (USAEURAF) to General Christopher T. Donahue.Also speaking were head of U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Christopher G. Cavoli,U.S. Army,and General Michael E. Langley,USMC,head of U.S. Africa Command.

US Marines, NATO. Tanks and armoured vehicles during military exercises in Sweden - YouTube - MIL 3010 - 10 NOV 2024

Abrams tanks by General Dynamics Land Systems (GD),UH-60 Black Hawks by Sikorsky Aircraft (Lockheed Martin subsidiary) (LMT),M4 carbine by Fabrinet (FN)*Rotational deployment of U.S. Marines to Sweden enhance interoperability and integration with a key Ally,improving deterrence and defence.

Just In:29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, retired Gen. Alfred Gray laid to rest at ANC - YouTube - 29 JUL 2024

Marines from the Marine Corps Band "The President's Own" and Marine Barracks Washington DC rendered military honors with funeral escort for 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps GEN Alfred Gray Jr. USMC ret. in Section 35 of Arlington National Cemetery,Arlington VA.*GEN Gray deployed eight times over his 41-year career,several of them clandestine.In one of his most notable deployments,GEN Gray led Vietnam's first independent Marine ground operations.A pioneer in signals intelligence,he laid the groundwork for the Marine Cryptological Support Battalion (National Security Agency).*Among GEN Gray's Awards and Decorations were the Silver Star Medal,Bronze Star Medal,the Legion of Merit and a Distinguished Service Medal.*At the committal,the Navy Hymn "Eternal Father Strong to Save" was played.*GEN Gray was interred with his wife,Janie Ann Gray.As he and his wife had no surviving family,LTGEN George Flynn USMC ret. received the U.S. Flag from the funeral service.*Text by Arlington National Cemetery and edited by Andrew Taylor

NATO’s Arctic Marines – Journey through the High North - YouTube

US Marines, NATO. Armored vehicles and artillery during military exercises in Norway - YouTube - MIL 3010

US Marines practised in austere cold weather,montane and Arctic conditions with live-fire drills in Norway.Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles are manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems Canada.General Dynamics (GD)

U.S. Marines, NATO. Tanks and armoured vehicles. Military exercises in Sweden - YouTube - MIL 3010

The U.S. Marines and Royal Swedish Amphibious Corps (Marines) during Baltic Operations 24 in Sweden.BALTOPS 24 is the premier annual exercise in the Baltic Sea Region.It provides a unique opportunity to strengthen joint response capabilities critical to maintaining freedom of navigation and security in the Baltic Sea Region.*Text by MIL 3010 and edited by Andrew Taylor Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules and M142 HiMARS (LMT),General Dynamics Land Systems Abrams M1A2V3 tank (GD)

USS Somerset:Last of 9-11 Tribute Ships Christened-memorial warship will transport U.S. Marines

The USS Somerset(LPD 25),the last of three amphibious transport dock ships named after sites affected by the 9-11 terrorist attacks,was christened on Saturday.Mrs.Mary Jo Myers,wife of General Richard B. Myers,U.S. Air Force retired,former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,performed the naval tradition of breaking a bottle of champagne against the new ship's bow at its official naming.Mrs.Myers' participation suggests the closeness of the Navy and Air Force in this era of the Air-Sea Battle Concept and joint basing.
The ceremony was held at  the Avondale shipyard near New Orleans,which is slated to close once the Somerset's final construction is completed.
Somerset County,Pennsylvania was where the passengers of Flight 93 stormed the cockpit in resistance to the terrorists,bringing the plane down in a field there.Twenty-three family members of those who perished in the Somerset County incident attended the christening.The ship includes steel from a crane bucket that was used to recover the Flight 93 wreckage in its bow stem,or leading edge.
The other 9-11 memorial ships are the USS New York(LPD 21) and the USS Arlington(LPD 24).These San Antonio class vessels are for transporting up to 800 U.S. Marines,their equipment and supplies to war zones,unstable regions and humanitarian disaster areas.They have well decks for landing craft and amphibious vehicles,as well as hangars and flight decks for a wide range of helicopters and the Marines' MV-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.The ships are armed with 2 Mk31 Mod1 RAM launchers;2 Mk46 30mm guns;and 10 .50 caliber machine guns.
Huntington Ingalls Industries built the three memorial ships.Please visit the photo link below this post.
Huntington Ingalls Industries(HII)

Barton Biggs:Marine,Mountaineer,Investor

Barton Biggs,a financier whose correct market forecasts far outnumbered his mistakes,has died at the age of 79.Mr.Biggs,the son of a Bank of New York money manager,had been ill from a bacterial infection that spread to his organs.He was one of the earliest strategists to realize the importance of the emerging markets while working at Morgan Stanley from 1973-2003.Among his successful calls were the U.S. bull market of 1982;the Japanese crash of 1984;the implosion of the dot com bubble in 2000;and the bottom of the U.S. market in 2009.Along with everyone else,he had failed to predict the onset of the financial crisis in 2008.
Mr.Biggs was a graduate of Yale University with an English major and had a business degree from New York University.After Yale,he served as a U.S. Marine Corps officer for three years during the Cold War era.In his spare time,he took up mountaineering,becoming proficient enough to climb peaks in the 12,000-15,000 foot range such as Mont Blanc;the Matterhorn;and Mount Rainier.He was the author of several books,including "Hedgehogging" and "Wealth,War and Wisdom,"as well as "A Hedge Fund Tale."
Mr.Biggs,a frequent guest on business television,was one of the pioneers of the hedge fund industry at Fairfield Partners in the 1960s.He would later go on to co-found another hedge fund,Traxis Partners,in 2003 at the age of 70.
The divorced father of three and grandfather of nine dressed casually for his TV appearances.He still enjoyed the market game,he told Yahoo's Matt Nesto last year.He dismissed high frequency trading as a threat to the market,however.
Morgan Stanley(MS)

Fifty Years Later:John Glenn,Marine and Astronaut

Astronaut John Glenn recently concluded his distinguished aviation career when he gave up his pilot's license at the age of 90.It was getting too hard for him to climb into his Beechcraft Baron.Still alert,Senator Glenn,who represented Ohio in the U.S. Senate from 1974-99,attended the fiftieth anniversary commemoration of his first orbital spaceflight by an American on 20 February at the Kennedy Space Center.
Senator Glenn's career in military aviation isn't nearly as well known as his NASA years,yet was outstanding in its own right.He flew 59 combat missions as a U.S. Marine pilot in World War II in an F49 Corsair in the South Pacific.That was followed by 63 combat missions in the Korean War in an F9F Panther jet interceptor,as well as 27 missions in an F-86F Sabre on an exchange program with the U.S. Air Force in that war,downing 3 MiG-15s near the Yalu River just before the truce that obtains to this day.
For his achievements,Senator Glenn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with two Gold Stars and two Oak Leaf Clusters;an Air Medal with three Silver Stars and two Oak Leaf Clusters;and an Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one Bronze Star.He also received two Presidential Unit Citations,one for the United States and the other for Korea.
As well as orbiting the earth three times in a Mercury space capsule in February,1962,Senator Glenn became the oldest astronaut to fly in space when he joined the crew of the space shuttle Discovery in 1998 at age 77.On that flight,he was the subject of a biomedical evaluation of the effect of spaceflight on the elderly,with his 1962 space flight serving as a baseline for the study.Initially opposed to women being astronauts,he changed his mind about that and delivered a stirring tribute to Mission Specialist Judith Resnik,the second American woman in space,who tragically died in the space shuttle Challenger disaster on 28 January,1986.
For his storied accomplishments,Senator Glenn was also honored with the Congressional Gold Medal and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Air-Sea Battle Concept Moves Forward

With the establishment of the Air-Sea Battle Office on 12 August 2011,which was subsequently announced on 9 November,the U.S. Navy,Marine Corps and Air Force have begun an era of unprecedented collaboration and integration.In response to a recent Quadrennial Defense Review,the office has been stood up by the Pentagon to integrate air and naval combat capabilities in support of emerging national security requirements.
The Air-Sea Battle concept is being developed to counter anti-access/area denial challenges posed by global proliferation of a range of advanced military technologies,including conventional ballistic missiles;long-range precision cruise missiles;advanced integrated air and missile defense systems;electronic and cyber warfare capabilities;submarines;surface warships;and advanced combat aircraft.
The Air-Sea Battle Office will do this by facilitating interservice coordination;influencing war games;fostering development and integration of air and naval capabilities;and collaborating with the joint forces.Furthermore,the ASBO will foster the integration of acquisition strategies and the conceptual approach to warfare as warfighters counter these emerging A2/AD threats.ASBO will ensure the defense of U.S. and allied interests and sustain stability and freedom throughout the global commons.
The joint forces concept has been developing for many years,but has recently been accelerated by both economic necessity and strategic reality.

Marines Exercise Near Controversial Islands

Six Asian countries,including China and the Philippines,lay claim to some of the Spratly Islands.Nonetheless,U.S. and Philippine Marines are holding two weeks of military exercises near the disputed islands.Some 3,000 troops are participating.The most sensitive exercise will be a mock raid by the forces to capture a hostile beach head on the South China Sea.
A U.S. Marine Corps spokesman denied the exercises were aimed at a specific country;they are merely intended to improve regional security capability.
The Spratlys are part of a vast archipelago of more than 750 islands,reefs and atolls off the Philppine and Malaysian coasts in the South China Sea,which China considers to be its territorial waters.The international community doesn't agree with China's expansive concept.
The Spratlys consist of only four square kilometers of land,but the archipelago is flung across more than 425 square kilometers of sea.
The Spratlys are considered important as way marks for territorial claims on natural resources believed to be in and under the South China Sea,including fisheries and oil and gas.A number of the islands are patrolled by small military units of China;Vietnam;Taiwan;Malaysia;and the Philippines,as a way to assert these claims.This has resulted in minor armed clashes over the past thirty years.

A NORAD Response to Intrusion

Working in my office one recent July morning,I heard a loud jet aircraft engine.It must be a fighter protecting Camp David,I thought.Indeed,a few moments later I observed the hefty warplane,an F-15E,heading south towards the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.
The F-15E was actually one of two NORAD fighters that were intercepting a civilian plane intruding on restricted air space over and near the weekend White House.The NORAD interceptors escorted the intruder to Carroll County Regional Airport in Maryland.The pilot was interviewed by the U.S. Secret Service there and released,it having been determined he was blundering into the forbidden zone out of ignorance.A lengthy suspension of his pilot's certificate-typically 120 to 180 days-would follow.
There is always a 3 nautical mile/6.5 mile diameter prohibited area over the camp.When the president is at Camp David,the zone is expanded to 10 nautical miles/22 miles.Five of the nautical miles are totally off-limits;the outer 5 nautical miles are limited to specially cleared aircraft in communication with air traffic control,which the intruding Cessna 182 was not.
U.S. Marine guards provide terrestrial security at Camp David,which is administered by the U.S. Navy.
NORAD is the North American Aerospace Defense Command,a joint U.S.-Canadian organization that is charged with monitoring and defending the air,space and,more recently,the maritime,approaches and domains of the continent.It is based at Peterson Air Force Base,Colorado.Admiral James A. Winnefeld,U.S. Navy,is Commander of NORAD and U.S. Northern Command,while Canadian Lieutenant-General J.M. Duval,CMM,CD is Deputy Commander of NORAD.The organization was established in 1958 and was formerly based in the hardened Cheyenne Mountain Air Station.Today,the mountain site is used by NORAD for training and as an alternate HQ,and day to day operations are conducted at Peterson AFB.
NORAD received heightened relevance during the 9-11 crisis,its Cold War urgency having passed from the scene as the Communist Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact disintegrated.

Marine General Supports RQ-4A Global Hawk

General James E.Cartwright,USMC,Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,has expressed full support for the Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial System despite a cost overrun.The Joint Requirements Oversight Council has reaffirmed the 2009 requirements and key performance parameters for the Northrop-Grumman product.
General Cartwright described the Global Hawk as essential to national security.The big reconnaissance drone has exceeded its cost estimate by more than 25%,which triggers a mandatory review and recertification process.The cost overrun is attributed to the Pentagon's halving of its purchase from 44 to 22 aircraft,as well as sourcing and logistics issues.
The Global Hawk is flying missions even now over Iraq and Afghanistan,plus other areas of interest.It is particularly adept at ground surveillance because of its advanced radar technology.The 10 aircraft are operated by the U.S. Air Force's 12th Reconnaissance Squadron.Providing high altitude,long endurance ISR capability,it is slated to replace the manned U-2 spy plane.
The U.S. Navy fields its own version of the RQ-4A,called the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Demonstrator(BAMS-D).The RQ-4A sensor suite has been optimized for maritime surveillance operations by integrating maritime search and movement indicator modes into it.
Northrop Grumman(NOC)

Intellectual Marine To Head CENTCOM

Marine Lieutenant General John Allen has been chosen to replace General David Petraeus as commander,U.S. Central Command.General Petraeus is slated to become director of the Central Intelligence Agency.Lt.Gen.Allen is currently deputy commander of CENTCOM.As commander,he will lead coalition forces in the Afghan War.
Lt.Gen.Allen taught political science at the U.S. Naval Academy.He earned three master's degrees himself.In 2006,the general became a deputy commander in Anbar province,Iraq,and distinguished himself as a skilled political operative there.He persuaded Sunni Muslim leaders in the region to reject al Qaida in Iraq and align themselves with the Iraqi government.
Described as quiet and unassuming,Lt.Gen.Allen cultivated relations with the tribes and sheikhs of Iraq,based on his study of the nation's history.He is regarded as one of the architects of their tribal movement called the Awakening,which transformed Anbar province from tempest to tranquility,and into a template for other Iraqi provinces.
As deputy commander of CENTCOM,the general has become respected in the region,and has been deeply involved in planning and executing Afghan War strategy,according to President Barack Obama,who nominated him for the commander's post recently.Lt.Gen.Allen doesn't believe the war can be won without diplomacy such as he practiced earlier in Iraq.

A Time for Recognition:SecNav Thanks 7th Fleet for Japan Aid

In celebration of a large task well-performed,Navy Secretary Ray Mabus thanked and praised U.S. 7th Fleet sailors and Marines for their multi-faceted work in Operation Tomodachi,which helped the Japan Self-Defense Forces deal with the recent overwhelming earthquake and tsunami.Speaking on 20 April at Commander,Fleet Activities Yokosuka,Mr.Mabus cited the Fleet's flexibility in being able to change missions and respond immediately to the disaster,saying no other country can do that and no other service can do that like the Navy Department people there in Yokosuka.
The 7th Fleet is commanded from the USS Blue Ridge(LCC 19),a ship with a crew of 786 plus the Fleet flag staff,or administrative arm,of 637 service members.Built at the old Philadelphia Naval Shipyard,it can sail at a speed of 23 knots,enabling it to keep up with amphibious warfare ships.The Blue Ridge is homeported in Yokosuka.
In the course of Operation Tomodachi,the Blue Ridge and 21 other ships,as well as 132 aircraft,were used to ensure that harbors were cleared of hazards;more than 260 tons of relief supplies were delivered;Japanese ships and aircraft were fueled and supplied;and more than 2,000 square miles of ocean were searched for victims by over 15,000 sailors and Marines.The partnership between America and Japan was made stronger because of what you did,Secretary Mabus told the all-hands call of more than 1,000 gathered on the waterfront.
Mr.Mabus then took questions from the 7th Fleet personnel and personally greeted several members of the maritime forces.Twenty-two Navy ships and 132 aircraft had served in Operation Tomodachi,which means Friendship in Japanese.

Inside the Fleet:Navy Status Report

As of November 10,2010,the U.S. Navy had a battle force of 288 vessels.They were crewed and supported by 328,059 active duty personnel and 6,650 mobilized Reservists.The Navy Department was staffed by 202,597 civilian personnel.
There were 11 carrier strike groups,each clustered around a nuclear aircraft carrier and its Navy and Marine Corps carrier air wings.The carrier air wings typically include four strike fighter squadrons with Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18-series Hornets and Super Hornets,as well as electronic warfare aircraft and a helicopter squadron.
The carrier strike groups consist of guided-missile cruisers and destroyers,and are served by a fast combat support ship that delivers fuel,ammunition and supplies to the group.The fast combat support ships are crewed by civilian mariners.
Each carrier strike group is escorted by a fast-attack submarine.The submarines protect the group from hostile submarines,and can also carry out cruise missile strikes,as well as intelligence,surveillance and reconnaissance tasks.
For special missions such as theater air and ballistic missile defense,the Navy may constitute Surface Action Groups or other action groups of appropriate vessels.

Helping Japan:Operation Tomodachi

The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been leading members of the effort to assist the Japanese people in their recovery from the recent cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami that afflicted them just over a month ago now.As of 1 April,more than 15,000 sailors had participated in the humanitarian relief project known as Operation Tomodachi.Often dressed in their blue camouflage fatigues,the sailors and Marines have been more than willing to lay out their all for the essential task at hand.
At least 22 ships and 132 aircraft have been delivering more than 250 tons of disaster relief supplies in support of the Japanese Self Defense Forces,as their military is known.Initially,search and rescue had been prominent,with helicopters accessing areas cut off from civilization by the cruel events of recent times.Recovery of bodies has become a greater concern as time passes.
Among those involved have been personnel from the destroyers McCampbell(DDG 85)and Curtis Wilbur(DDG 54);amphibious warfare ships Essex(LHD 2)and Germantown(LSD 42)with the embarked 31st Marine Expeditonary Unit;the command ship Blue Ridge(LCC 19);and Naval Air Facility Atsugi.

9-11 Memorial Ship Christened

The USS Arlington(LPD 24)was christened on Saturday,24 March at Northrop Grumman Ingalls Operations in Pascagula,Mississippi.Sponsored by Mrs.Joyce Rumsfeld,wife of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld,the Arlington is an amphibious transport dock ship,and was built in honor of the 184 people killed when American Airlines Flight 77 was crashed into the side of the Pentagon on 9-11.
Sporting an advanced composite mast that is as tough as steel but much lighter,the ship has the mission of transporting and sustaining U.S. Marines and their equipment.She can carry a mix of helicopters and vertical take-off and landing fixed wing aircraft,as well as various landing craft,in addition to up to 800 Marines and their gear.
The USS New York(LPD 21),another 9-11 memorial vessel,is in the same San Antonio class as the Arlington,and is now in commission,or fully in service.A total of 11 of these ships are planned.They defend themselves with missiles,30mm guns and .50 caliber machine guns.
In the christening ceremony,Mrs.Rumsfeld broke a bottle of champagne on the new ship.At a later date,a commissioning ceremony is held,when the ship begins its life in the fleet.
Northrop Grumman is spinning off its shipbuilding division to form a separate company,which is to be called Huntington Ingalls Industries,with the U.S. Navy's consent.
Northrop Grumman(NOC)

Marines Ready for Search and Rescue

The U.S. Marines have air crew recovery teams in place near Libya.The Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel Teams,or TRAP,are based on amphibious ships such as the USS Kearsarge(LHD 3),which is now on station in the Gulf of Sidra,off the northern coast of Libya in the Mediterranean Sea.
TRAP teams employ both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to pinpoint and rescue downed aviators.One of the teams rescued Captain Scott O'Grady when his F-16 was shot down by a missile over Bosnia in 1995.On Tuesday,a TRAP team from the Kearsarge immediately picked up one crewman of a U.S. Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle which accidentally crashed in eastern Libya.
The other crewman was welcomed as a hero by Libyan rebels before he too was picked up.Both men had minor injuries.
The Kearsarge is an amphibious assault ship manned by Navy personnel,but with the mission of transporting Marines and their equipment,including aircraft.Its motto is "Proud,Trustworthy,Bold."
Also on Tuesday,a U.S. Navy submarine that had fired cruise missiles at regime targets in Libya withdrew from the area,having completed its mission.
Update:The rescue aircraft dispatched from the Kearsarge was reportedly an MV-22 Osprey,which is a fixed wing aircraft that can tilt its propellers up and fly like a helicopter as well.As it approached the downed crewman,it laid down covering fire to discourage anyone from interfering.Six civilians were slightly wounded in the incident.

Fukushima Reactors Reaction:Navy Keeps Residents Indoors

Airborne radiation detected Tuesday at Tokyo-area bases resulted in naval base commanders advising residents to stay indoors.Low level radiation had drifted 200 miles south from the crippled Fukushima reactors-or 321.868 kilometers.
The aircraft carrier USS George Washington(CVN 73)had detected the radiation at 0700 hours at Yokosuka Naval Base.The Atsugi base also detected the radiation,along with civil authorities in Tokyo.
Base residents were advised to shelter in place,stay indoors and close all ventilation sources and windows.Military activities continued during the advisory.
The radiation was 50 times more than the level found in nature.This is not a health hazard,but the commanders decided to be on the conservative side.
Also on Tuesday,the U.S. Marines were negotiating to set up a base at Yamgata in northern Japan.Lieutenant Colonel Michael Coletta said they were ready to fly search and rescue and supply missions.
Yamgata is in a valley which gets about 491 cm of snow a year-or 193.3 inches.
Update:The Navy is now giving potassium iodide pills to helicopter pilots and crews before certain missions over Japan,a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday.Before,the pills,which protect against radiation-induced thyroid cancer,were being given to some crews after their missions.