HG S2 (Intel Bot)

If you look around in certain corners of the world, you can find little things that make you give a double-take. For instance, why is there a statue of an American General in a WWI uniform in the same park as a monument to the Soviet Red Army? Have you ever heard of Major General Harry Hill Bandholtz, USA? Probably not. What did he do that would warrant such a statue in such a location? On August 11, 1919, General Bandholtz arrived in Budapest as one of four generals (English, French, Italian, American) to become the Inter-Allied Control Commission for Hungary, primarily to supervise the disengagement of Romanian troops from Hungary. He became famous when, on the night of October 5, 1919, as President of the Day of the Commission, mainly through bluff, armed only with a riding crop, he prevented a group of Romanian soldiers from removing Transylvanian treasures from the National Museum. The statue was erected in 1936, and stood throughout World War II with the inscription, in English, “I simply carried out the instructions of my Government, as I understood them, as an officer and a gentleman of the United States Army. In the late 1940s the statue was removed “for repair.” It lay in a statue boneyard until the 1980s, at which time it was placed in the garden of the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, at the request of then-Ambassador Salgo. It was re-placed in Szabadság tér at its original location in July 1989, just a few days before the visit of President Bush. Is there any better quote for an officer to be remembered by? For you history buffs of the labor troubles of the 1920s or pre-WWI counterinsurgency efforts in The Philippines, he had a noteworthy record with interesting peers...but for the Hungarians ... fullbore. View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $32 million for Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Contractor will provide support for JASSM, Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, JASSM?ER, and any JASSM variant in the areas of M-Code test and integration. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion date is July 21, 2025. Schutt Industries won a $49.8 million deal to procure M870A4 semitrailers, spare parts, and a government-formatted technical data package. Bids were solicited via the internet with one received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order. Estimated completion date is July 19, 2025. Middle East & Africa Embraer of Brazil has revealed plans to partner with BAE Systems to offer the C-390 transport aircraft to Saudi Arabia. Two memorandums of understanding were signed at the Farnborough Airshow on July 19. One for the C-390 partnership while the other confirms an intent to create a joint venture to develop a defense variant of Eve’s electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle. Europe The Czech government has decided to launch negotiations with the United States to buy 24 F-35 Lightning II fighter jets for the country’s Air Force. The aircraft are to replace the 14 Saab JAS 39 Gripens currently operated by the Czech military, making the country the second Eastern European ally after Poland to order Lockheed Martin’s fighters. The US and Dutch militaries signed an agreement Wednesday in the Netherlands to work together on future vertical lift programs, according to a statement from the US Army. FVL is a plan to design and manufacture a generation of helicopters ? and other low-tier aviation ? with the latest in technology and capabilities. Douglas Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said this agreement keeps the U.S. and its allies ahead of its adversaries. Asia-Pacific South Korea’s Black Eagles aerobatic team has won the King Hussein Memorial Sword as well as The As The Crow Flies Trophy for bestoverall flying demonstration for this year’s Royal International Air Tattoo. Today’s Video WATCH: AGM-158 JASSM – The deadliest stealth missile worth $1.359 million / unit View the full article

We've been doing "Diversity Thursday" on a regular basis since 2008 or so. Not my favorite topic, not a popular topic among some segments ... but we persist. We covered the military's drift towards racial essentialism earlier, but the "Diversity Thursday" segment really only became a regular thing about 15-yrs ago. We tried to warn everyone ... and here we find ourselves in the thick of it ... but now we are getting real and substantial advocates kicking back against the diversity cadre including out in the open in the Senate and House of Representatives and in the larger culture. You love to see it. One thing the left has always been better at than most is organizing. The next thing they have been good at is providing supporting fires to like minded entities who, if not in full alignment, are at least 80%. In the battle to push against racial essentialism in our military, it appears the right people decided to organize; the Biden administration is distracting military leaders with a new, woke policy agenda that they appear far too eager to embrace. Today military officials talk so much about climate change, domestic extremism and systemic racism that you’d think our enemies are at home, not abroad. Green Berets are forced to sit through trainings about transgenderism. Official military reading lists include the anti-American ravings of Ibram X. Kendi. Army recruitment ads seem aimed more at attracting social-justice warriors than actual warriors. The Navy is producing instructional videos on gender pronouns while its poorly maintained ships crash at sea. Officers are led astray by our service academies, whose curricula are growing indistinguishable from that of woke Ivy League schools. Physical fitness standards have been lowered significantly for the sake of “inclusivity.” The chairman of the Joint Chiefs says he seeks to understand “white rage.” The Secretary of Defense released an official statement about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling. ... It’s time to confront this problem. Veterans have given too much to allow the service to become another victim of the left’s culture war. We have lost limbs and carried unseen scars. We have buried friends and family members. That’s why I joined with like-minded vets to launch Veterans on Duty, a new national membership organization. Our goal: To compel the military to get back to basics by exposing how the woke revolution in the services works and how policymakers can defeat it. And we’ll support candidates and elected officials who’ll take on those corroding our military. Great to have more people in the fight. We need it. View the full article

Americas The US Marine Corps will acquire eight MQ-9A Extended Range (ER) unmanned air vehicles (UAV) for VMU-3 as part of the ARES Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (ID/IQ) contract. The fleet is expected to standup in late summer 2023 at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. VMU-3 will operate these MQ-9A ERs to support training for the Marine Littoral Regiment. Insitu won a $160 million deal, which provides training, test and engineering, development of engineering change proposals, operations support, organizational level maintenance, field service representatives, land and ship surveys, hardware site activations, hardware installs, repairs, and development of noncommercial software and data in support of RQ-21A Blackjack and ScanEagle unmanned aircraft platforms. Estimated completion will be in June 2026 Work will take place in Washington. Middle East & Africa Morocco has ordered an unspecific number of H135 helicopters from Airbus for primary flight training. Airbus says the contract comes with an extensive support package including the delivery of Flight Training Devices and the training of instructor pilots and maintenance pilots. The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of the United Arab Emirates of C-17 Aircraft Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $980.4 million. The Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has requested to buy follow-on sustainment and support of C-17 fleet to include aircraft hardware and software modifications and support; Joint Mission Planning System (JMPS) software; classified software support for Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection; aircraft and engine support equipment, components, consumables, spare parts and repair/return; publications and technical documentation; heavy maintenance support; participation in the C-17 Virtual Fleet for Total System Sustainment (TSS) contractor logistics support and Material Improvement Program (MIP); other U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support services; and other related elements of program support. Europe The US State Department okayed a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Belgium of F-16 Sustainment and related equipment for an estimated cost of $127 million. The Government of Belgium has requested to buy additional F-16 sustainment support that will be added to a previously implemented case. The original FMS case, valued at $98.4 million, included F-16 sustainment, consisting of AN/ARC-210 radios; classified software, Computer Program Identification Numbers (CPINs), and software integration support; Electronic Warfare (EW) database support; test support and equipment; aircraft and munitions support and support equipment; flight simulator support; additional hardware and software delivery and support; spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories; maintenance and maintenance support; mission planning system sustainment; facilities, utilities, and information technology support at US Air Force bases; classified and unclassified publications and technical documentation; and US Government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support services, studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistical and program support. Asia-Pacific Crane Electronics won a $9 million deal for the upgrade of ALQ-218 Weapons Replaceable Assembly 9 power supply Navy assets. This contract covers purchases for the Navy (96%) and the government of Australia (4%) under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Florida. Estimated completion will be by July 2027. Today’s Video WATCH:Why The $340 Million C-17 Globemaster III Became The Center Of Evacuation Efforts | Boot Camp View the full article

Americas KC-46A, #17-46034, was recently painted with a tail flash to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the city of Portsmouth and the 75th anniversary of the United States Air Force. It was flown to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to be painted at the 36,000-square-foot paint facility there in June. An AIM-120D3 air-to-air missile with production hardware was test-fired for the first time on June 30 from a F-15E. It was the first of five combined Air Force and Navy live-fires scheduled for the AMRAAM F3R program, which replaces 15 Circuit Card Assemblies on the missile. Raytheon says in a press release that an additional live fire for the Foreign Military Sales AIM-120C8 variant will occur in the near future. Middle East & Africa Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has received the European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA) Supplemental Type Certificate for its B737-800SF passenger-to-freighter conversions. With the EASA STC approval, IAI will open its B737-800BDSF cargo conversions to European companies and operators, providing a solution to the rising demand for aircraft conversions worldwide. The first two converted aircraft for which this approval will apply have already been delivered to a customer in Spain, with an additional aircraft undergoing conversion and joining the European fleet shortly. Europe Lockheed Martin won a $224.9 million contract modification, which increases the ceiling to procure long lead-time materials, parts, components, and effort for the production of three Lot 15 F-35A aircraft and nine Lot 16 F-35 aircraft for the government of the Netherlands. Work will take place in Texas, California, the UK, Italy, Florida, New Hampshire, Maryland and Japan. Estimated completion will be by May 2026. MBDA announced that the Dragonfire laser weapon has started trials at low power to confirm the system’s accuracy in tracking air and sea targets.That phase of testing was successful and the next set of trials will be static testing of the high-power laser while maintaining the same accuracy achieved during low-power tests. Once those two steps are cleared, the system will then begin engaging targets in operationally representative scenarios. European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday another $504 million of EU funding to supply arms to Ukraine, taking the bloc’s security support to 2.5 billion euros since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. The money should help the EU continue to jointly buy equipment and supplies for the Ukrainian military, including lethal weaponry, which the bloc has said should be used for defensive purposes. Asia-Pacific Airbus is seeking to renegotiate with Indonesia for the two A400Ms that the latter has ordered due to tight supply of Titanium. Airbus imports fifty percent of its titanium from Russia but the war in Ukraine has disrupted prices and supply. The aerospace company finds it difficult to execute the contract with the price of $685 million. Today’s Video WATCH: E-2 Hawkeye: The Hummer You Don’t Mess With View the full article

Well before Trump was even a Republican, here and other places in the natsec arena warned Germany ... hell ... begged Germany to step up. She needed to take her place on the stage as a responsible partner in the security of Europe - a full partner in the West. We tried to tell her she needed to spend her fair share, to make the alliance stronger ... but she always seemed to want to do just the bare minimum ... and then less. We were concerned about her weakness, but more we were concerned that she was allowing herself to get too close to Russia, too dependent on Russia ... but her Smartest People in the Room™ convinced their people they knew what was best. They sneered at the unsophisticated Americans and their complaints. Then Trump came along and then they laughed at the very idea that they had anything to worry about. Say what you want about him and his exceptional national security team, but they were right. That critique was long standing, but other previous administrations of both parties refused to call Germany on their shortfalls. Here we are 4-yrs after the laughing German UN delegation ... and with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now Chancellor Olaf Scholz seems to be going Salamander; ...the condition of our Bundeswehr and civilian defense structures, but also our excessive dependence on Russian energy suggest that we felt a false sense of security after the end of the Cold War. Politics, business and large parts of our society were only too happy to draw far-reaching consequences from the dictum of a former German defense minister, according to which Germany was only surrounded by friends. That was a mistake. Good. A nice step ... now follow it up. More help to Ukraine, Poland, the frontline states of NATO who - though smaller and poorer than Germany - are punching way above their weight compared to Germany. If you really want to keep the Russians at bay, then they have to be defeated in Ukraine. Germany and the West did not pick this moment, but the moment is here. Good step by Germany. While I have understandable concerns about Germany and France's desire to co-opt the EU towards something it should not be, that is a struggle for another day. In any event, I think especially the Central Europeans and Baltic republics will thwart any effort there down the road. Anyway. More. View the full article

Americas DARPA’s Operational Fires (OpFires) ground-launched hypersonic missile system has successfully executed its first flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. Lockheed Martin built the system, which includes a Northrop Grumman rocket motor, and conducted the test. Lockheed Martin won a $23.4 million contract modification to exercise options for the engineering, design, and technical services in support of the MK 41 Vertical Launching System electronic systems and computer programs. The deal combines purchases by the US and the governments of Japan, Spain, Canada, and Chile under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will take place in Maryland, New Jersey, Washington and California. Estimated completion will be by July 2023. Middle East & Africa US President Joe Biden wants a Middle East Air Defense. This has been discussed in the recent weeks, leading up to US President Joe Biden’s visit to Israel and Saudi Arabia. The Biden administration is urging Arab nations to team up with Israel to counter Iranian missiles. The “MEAD,” as Israels Defense Minister Benny Gantz calls it, has already been operational and has successfully intercepted aerial threats. The alliance has reportedly brought together Israel and Arab states in the Middle East around a shared table in order to defend their countries from Iran and its proxies, which have increased their attacks, some of them deadly, in recent years. Europe The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAMs) to Norway. The estimated $950m FMS has been approved by the US State Department and includes associated equipment and support. As part of this deal, the Norwegian Government has requested up to 205 AIM-120 D-series AMRAAMs, 60 AIM-120C-8 or D-series AMRAAMs, and four AIM-120D AMRAAM guidance sections. Asia-Pacific The US State Department approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) of Blanket Order Contractor Technical Assistance Support and related equipment for an estimated cost of $108 million. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States (TECRO) has requested to buy Blanket Order Contractor Technical Assistance support consisting of unclassified spare and repair parts and assembly for tanks and combat vehicles; logistical technical assistance; US Government and contractor representative technical and logistical support; and other related elements of logistical and program support. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) has notified Congress of a potential foreign military sale (FMS) of MK 54 lightweight torpedoes to South Korea. The FMS has an estimated value of $130m, which includes delivery of related equipment. Approved by the US State Department, the proposed sale includes 31 MK 54 all up round lightweight torpedoes along with recoverable exercise torpedo, storage and issue facility, torpedo containers, air launch accessories for rotary wing along with classified and unclassified torpedo spare parts. Today’s Video WATCH: AIM-120 AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Live Launch View the full article

Reviewed by Lt Col Geoffrey R. Brasse, U.S. Air Force Authors frequently engage in military history storytelling through eloquent discussions about battles, outcomes, victories, and defeats. These stories often focus on the personalities of the military leaders, with few details about those participating in the conflict. Former foreign correspondent and corporate writer Robin Knight, in his book Leaders: Profiles in Courage and Bravery in War and Peace 1917-2020, focuses on individual contributions to war history from a single educational source, The Nautical College, Pangbourne in Berkshire County, England. Founded in 1917 to improve cadet training for service in the Merchant Marines, many graduates found themselves as commanders and captains at the outbreak of World War II. Knight asks what motivated this group of students to exhibit significant personal courage and leadership in the face of great risk and why future generations continued to have distinguished careers. Knight begins by defining courage as choosing to overcome one’s fear. He then highlights the courage exhibited by four Pangbourne graduates and recounts the events of their lives following Pangbourne that led to their recognition and receipt of national honors. In an era of war, with most young men participating in the war effort, these individuals stood apart with honor, humility, a sense of duty, and compassion for their fellow man. Surviving a failed bomb disarming and directing the treatment of the wounded before oneself serve as gritty examples of the successes and failures that highlight each person’s humanity. Following the opening dialogue, Knight uses skillful writing to coalesce meticulous research from oral history, published and unpublished memoirs, and historical documents into a detailed account of the lives of decorated Pangbourne graduates by service and conflict period, including their accomplishments in sports. The book is organized as groups of standalone stories connected by wars and is not a traditional history novel. The value of Knight’s work is as a reference to the men and women who served behind various military commands or actions, supported by vignettes describing their character and accomplishments. The book is easily searchable to use as a reference with connections to further research opportunities in the bibliography. Compiling the stories, Knight makes the case that these imperfect men forged their values in school, and each faced their fears or challenges head-on. Researchers on British leadership, British private schools, and Allied military war decisions will find this book limited but valuable. Considering Knight is a Pangbourne alumnus, the book does carry the feel of an alumni written book to promote their alma mater. The book’s organization is closer to an obituary page, highlighting each person’s life without strongly connecting the stories. Organizing the stories by battle, ship, or year may have allowed the reader to appreciate the history and human connections together instead of as stand-alone events. One example is the siege of Malta, referenced several times in different stories without any connection to other school graduates. As his third literary work related to Pangbourne, Knight has substantial documentation and details covering a century of alumni. His love for the school and its history helps the reader feel the character and struggles of many graduates, making it an enjoyable leisure read. Lt Col Geoffrey R. Brasse, U.S. Air Force, is part of the Military Faculty at Joint Forces Staff College. Leaders: Profiles in Courage and Bravery in War and Peace 1917-2020. By Robin Knight (UK: Uniform Press, 2021). The post Leaders: Profiles in Courage and Bravery in War and Peace 1917-2020 first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article

With the expected losses due to enemy action and mechanical failure, how do we plan to rescue aviators out of the water in the western Pacific? What few subs we have will be fully employed elsewhere and really shouldn’t show themselves in a lot of those waters. We don’t have a lot of surface ships with helos either to spare. As the USMC desires to make every island possible a fighting position, how do you supply them when their airfields – such that the are – are cratered by the PLARF conventional S//M/IRBM at D+1? If your major airfields are unusable due to enemy military action or host nation political uncertainty ... how do you conduct long range ASW and reconnaissance as the Chinese fleet goes to sea and our satellites are blinded? What about tankers who use the same fields that our CVW are reliant on now that the same green-eyeshade pod-people got rid of organic tanking too (again, no - buddy tanking does not count). How limited is your ability to fully use your special forces if you cannot deliver and extract them in a theater dominated by shallow seas and countless islands, bays, coves, and rivers? Why is your tool box limited to a flathead screwdriver and a hammer? My entire adult life I have lamented the lack of seaplanes/flying boats in the toolkit of the US military. We had that capability in the past, but politics, green eye shade efficiency-cultists, and leaders of limited imagination but unlimited ambition stripped it away decades ago for the worst reasons possible. Some of our friends, like Japan, never did. Some opponents, like China, are rediscovering the logic of having such a versatile asset. It is time again to discuss a huge gap in the US Navy’s toolbox; the seaplane. Peter Ong at Naval News has a good update at a good – though not optimal – hope; “In terms of amphibious MC-130 demonstration, USSOCOM is actually going through some market research, currently, to see if we can identify any potential amphibious capacities to meet some of the SOF Requirements that are existing. And currently AFSOC is also doing an experimental demonstration where they are planning on putting some float assemblies on a C-130 platform. They use digital engineering as a major factor of reducing some of that risk and making some of those changes, and they have gone through some hydrotesting and some aero testing on a subscale factor.” Good. Better. Best. Yes, we should give a nod to the C-130 option, but should just buy what works NOW and works exceptionally well, the Japanese ShinMaywa US-2. If Japan can buy US built F-35s whole and in part, we can buy a few dozen US-2. …and give them a great livery while we are at it. View the full article

This week's Midrats is going to be the ever-popular everything goes melee format. You never know where in the natsec world the conversation will take us, but from Snake Island to the San Diego waterfront, from DC to the Baltic Sea - if there's a maritime issue worth considering, we'll try to pack it in for the hour this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern. As with the normal melee format, we have open topic, open chat, and open phones - so if there is an issue you'd like covered, now's your time. Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. You can find us on almost all your most popular podcast aggregators as well.View the full article

Americas Boeing won an $18.6 million delivery order to procure the long lead components and parts in support of MH-47G rotary wing aircraft. The MH-47G aircraft provides US Special Operations Forces (SOF) heavy assault, rotary wing aircraft support. This contract action supports a requirement for replacement of the aging fleet of remanufactured MH-47G aircraft that has airframe components dating back more than 45 years and maximize commonality with the US Army’s CH-47F Block II aircraft. The Boeing MH-47G is a special operations variant of the CH-47 Chinook multi-role, heavy-lift helicopter. It is in service with the US Army Special Operations Aviation Command. The majority of the work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania. US Special Operations Command headquarters, Tampa, Florida, is the contracting activity. Canada has awarded a contract to International AirFinance Corporation for the conversion of two A330-200 airliners into Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft. The value of the deal is $102 million and the planes will be delivered in winter of 2023. “The Government of Canada is committed to providing the Canadian Armed Forces with the equipment they need at the best value for money. We look forward to accepting these two aircraft as they represent an important first step in eventually replacing the capability currently provided by the CC150 Polaris fleet,” Defense Minister Anita Anand said. Middle East & Africa General Dynamics Information Technology won a $908 million deal for the US Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa information technology and enterprise network services. Work will take place at various locations in Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and other locations throughout Europe, and is expected to be completed by July 13, 2027, with an optional three-year ordering period ending July 13, 2030, and the ability for performance at the order level through July 13, 2032. Europe Airbus is proposing the H175M helicopter for Britain’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement and has announced the first UK-based members of H175M Task Force. The team members are: Babcock International, Martin-Baker, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) and Spirit AeroSystems. The State Department of the United States has approved to sell Estonia the M142 high mobility artillery rocket system – known as HIMARS – and related equipment for an estimated cost of up to $500 million. According to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, the Estonian government had requested to purchase up to six M142 HIMARS launchers and equipment related to them. The total estimated cost is USD500 million. The M142 HIMARS is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army. Asia-Pacific North Star Scientific Corp. won a $14.4 million order, which provides for the production and delivery of 41 high power amplifier (HPA) units: six HPA units for System Configuration Set-11 E-2C aircraft; nine HPA units for E-2D crypto modernization and frequency remapping aircraft retrofits; 11 spare HPA units; and 15 HPA units for the government of Australia. Additionally, this order provides for the production and delivery of 19 HPA units and vibration isolating tray assemblies with integral air plenums: 14 that are Multi-functional Information Distribution System – Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS-JTRS) compatible, and five that are MIDS-JTRS Link-16 compatible. As well, as provides engineering and engineering data support for HPA units kitting, installation, and testing. Work will take place in Hawaii and California. Expected completion will be in July 2024. The United States is set to deploy eight MQ-9 unmanned air vehicles to Kanoya Air Base, Japan this month after the mayor of Kanoya reluctantly accept the deployment. Mayor Nakanishi Shigeru told the city assembly that he had little choice after the Japanese Defense Ministry presented measures to deal with possible accidents that may arise. Today’s Video WATCH: H175M in action View the full article

So, how was your war? A little more than 15-years ago after 93-years on our little planet, one of the greatest US Navy tactical leaders passed away. He and his crew had an incredible record during WWII that I would encourage you to review in full here ... but after the Navy decided that they were running out of Navy Crosses to reward the man then all of 31-yrs old, he earned the Medal of Honor for events in his 11th Patrol. Attention to citation: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of USS BARB during her Eleventh War Patrol” along the east coast of China from 19 December 1945, to 15 February 1945. After sinking a large ammunition ship and damaging additional tonnage during a 2-hour night battle on 8 January, Commander Fluckey, in an exceptional feat of brilliant deduction and bold tracking on 23 January, located a concentration of more than 30 enemy ships in the lower reaches of Nankuan Chiang (Mamkwan Harbor ). Fully aware that a safe retirement would necessitate an hours’ run at full speed through the uncharted, mined and rock-obstructed waters, he bravely ordered, ‘Battle Station—Torpedoes!” In a daring penetration of the heavy enemy screen, and riding in 5 fathoms of water, he launched the BARB’s last forward torpedoes at 3,000 yards range. Quickly bringing the ship’s stern tubes to bear, he turned loose four more torpedoes into the enemy, obtaining eight direct hits on six of the main targets to explode a large ammunition ship and causing inestimable damage by the result of flying shells and other pyrotechnics. Clearing the treacherous area at high speed, he brought the BARB through to safety and 4 days later sank a large Japanese freighter to complete a record of heroic combat achievement, reflecting the highest credit upon Commander Fluckey, his gallant officers and men, and the United States Naval Service.” After receiving his Medal of Honor, Fluckey gave a signed card to each member of the crew that read as follows: As Captain it has been an outstanding honor to be your representative in accepting the Congressional Medal of Honor for the extraordinary heroism above and beyond the call of duty which you and every officer and man in the BARB displayed. How fortunate I am, how proud I am, that the President of the United States should permit me to be the caretaker of this most distinguished honor which the Nation has seen fit to bestow upon a gallant crew and a fighting ship…the “BARB.” Sincerely, Eugene Fluckey He was 32 at war's end and served until 1972 as a Rear Admiral. What a life. View the full article

Americas Lockheed Martin won a $70.9 million contract modification, which increases scope to provide Reliability and Maintainability Improvement Program implementation and the Anomaly Failure Resolution System backlog in support of establishing improvements to the reliability, availability, and maintainability to the F-35 and continued improvements to the F-35 total ownership costs for the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Foreign Cooperative Program partners, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers. Work will take place in Texas. Estimated completion will be in July 2025. General Dynamics-OTS won a $7.8 million contract action for the 40mm MK47 MOD0 Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher (ALGL) Weapon System sustainment parts, spares, and associated sub-assemblies for US Special Operations Command, Special Operations Forces, and other warfighting commands. The MK47 is a portable 40mm grenade launcher suited for light infantry vehicles and tripod applications. Work will take place in Saco, Maine. Expected completion will be by December 2023. Middle East & Africa Nigerian automotive manufacturer Proforce Limited has unveiled a lightweight combat vehicle for Nigeria’s infantry and special operations forces. Named the PF Fury, the new vehicle was introduced to the public during the Nigerian Army Research and Development exhibition earlier this month. Europe A former UK Royal Navy Hunt-class mine-countermeasures vessel is to undergo a regeneration and upgrade at the Harland & Wolff-owned Appledore shipyard in southwest England ahead of a new career with the Lithuanian Navy. The UK Ministry of Defense revealed on July t13 hat Harland & Wolff (Appledore) had been awarded a $65.4 million contract to return ex-HMS Quorn to service under the M55 Regeneration Project. Britain’s Royal Air Force Typhoons have been conducting combat air training with Rafale fighter jets from the French Air and Space Force, flying from their base locations around the Eastern Mediterranean. Carrying out bilateral air-to-air combat training over the Eastern Mediterranean, the fighters were supported by air-to-air refuelling from an RAF Voyager. Asia-Pacific Local media has reported that the country’s H-20 long-range stealth bomber will soon conduct its first test flight. The test flight has been linked to comments by a senior official about the maiden flight of an aircraft of “historic and strategic significance”. Today’s Video WATCH: JThe Xian H-20 Bomber | Approaching the first test flight View the full article

In an age of long range sensors and precision guided weapons, do we have the option to, with the exception of the most important, "bypass and haulass" through the Pacific's constellation of small islands between Hawaii and the Western Pacific and Australia like our ancestors did? Generations of American planners have just assumed that the Pacific WWII granted the USA was a birthright. We fought wars and guaranteed peace with certain assumptions that, in real time, are fading away in the presence of a rising power who is serious, focused, and knows what it wants. It wants the Pacific and it seems we are helping them take it without a shot being fired; Kiribati President Taneti Maamau's "surprise" announcement to abandon its membership from the region's premier policy and political body at the 51st Forum Leaders' meeting this week has heightened concerns the Micronesian nation is moving closer to China. "I know they are cooking something with China," Tong, who led the atoll islands from 2003 to 2016, said. "I think it would have started with the reopening of the Phoenix Island Protected Area." The Phoenix Islands Protected Area is the largest designated marine protected area in the world, spanning almost 400,000 sq km in the South Pacific Ocean, midway between Australia and Hawaii. Sources have told RNZ Pacific that a possible deal may include exclusive access to Chinese vessels to the Protected Area. Tong believed the move by the Maamau government suggested that it hoped to "gain from being isolated from the region" by striking a deal directly with China. "It's totally unexpected. I did not think it was in our nature, in our character, to do something quite so radical like that," he said. The Kiribati Government is under financial pressure due to the economic impacts of Covid-19 and the current drought. They will take in peace with greed and corruption what in war they will use for obstruction and denial. They know that we cannot respond quickly at the far reaches of the western Pacific if we have to "clean up" the central Pacific first. Remember what we discussed 14-months ago? Here's the terminal end of the great circle route from San Diego to Australia. Where does that great circle routs go by Kanton? Yep. 28 nautical miles. 28. You cannot classify geography or math. That is why the Chinese are interested in it. I can't blame them. If I were Chinese, I'd do the same exact thing. They know the USA can't rush to the aid of anyone from Taiwan to the South China Sea if they have to clean up what used to be their backyard first. Time and distraction. Defense in depth. None of this can be classified. They are open to all. The fun follow on question: what would they do with it? We warned you. h/t Zach. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=VChjQB_QQfM:xJf2IFvMeuE:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=VChjQB_QQfM:xJf2IFvMeuE:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=VChjQB_QQfM:xJf2IFvMeuE:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=VChjQB_QQfM:xJf2IFvMeuE:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

Funny, but I don't quite remember this twist from the shower scene in Starship Troopers; Via the irreplaceable Kristina Wong; The training slide offers a “vignette” instructing soldiers on what to do if they encounter a female soldier who identifies as male according to the Department of Defense’s personnel tracking system known as Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS), but has not surgically transitioned and still has “female genitalia.” The slide, titled “Soldier/Unit Training Barracks, Bathrooms, and Showers,” reads: Vignette: Following his transition from female to male (which did not include sex reassignment surgery) and gender marker change in DEERS, a transgender Soldier begins using male barracks, bathroom, and shower facilities. Because he did not undergo a surgical change, the Soldier still has female genitalia. The slide instructs soldiers: “Soldiers must accept living and working conditions that are often austere, primitive, and characterized by little or no privacy. … Understand anyone may encounter individuals in barracks, bathrooms, or shower facilities with physical characteristics of the opposite sex despite having the same gender marker in DEERS.” We live in a strange place where politics trumps biology and cowards lead the brave ... but this is what we voted for - so lie back and think of England. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=WBOd0fx7xY0:ld-plYQoPII:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=WBOd0fx7xY0:ld-plYQoPII:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=WBOd0fx7xY0:ld-plYQoPII:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=WBOd0fx7xY0:ld-plYQoPII:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

Americas The US Navy and Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are wrapping up a five-year joint effort to develop high-power microwave technology capable of knocking out adversary electronics. The High-Powered Joint Electromagnetic Non-Kinetic Strike (HiJENKS) weapon is undergoing a two-month test at Naval Air Station China Lake, California. The Royal Canadian Navy will have to continue relying on allies and a private firm to refuel its ships at seas after a project to build a new fleet of supply vessels was hit with more delays. The service was supposed to receive its first joint support ship next year, but that delivery is delayed because of pandemic-related work issues and technical challenges. Middle East & Africa KBR Wyle Services LLC won a $9.6 million contract modification, which exercises an option to provide F/A-18 program management, engineering, financial and logistics support for the governments of Finland and Kuwait. Work will take place in Kuwait and Maryland. Expected completion will be in August 2023. Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has announced plans to unveil this month a new air-launched missile that can operate at a standoff range of up to 186 miles. The Ice Breaker, which the Israeli company said will make its public debut at the July 18-22 farnborough Airshow, is part of a missile family that includes the Sea Breaker. Europe Germany has received its first batch of anti-spoofing, anti-jamming military-code GPS equipment, in the first non-US sale of this equipment, manufacturer BAE Systems announced. The advanced M-code GPS receivers will be used for ground-based missions, BAE said in a statement Asia-Pacific BAE Systems won a $40.5 million deal for M88 recovery vehicles. The M88A2 Hercules (heavy equipment recovery combat utility lift and evacuation system) is a self-supportive armoured recovery vehicle used in battlefield rescue and recovery missions. Work will take place in Pennsylvania. Estimated completion date is April 30, 2024. Fiscal 2020 Foreign Military Sales to Taiwan funds in the full amount were obligated at the time of the award. Today’s Video WATCH: Just Unveiled: RAFAEL’s ICE BREAKER – 5th Generation, Air-Launched Long-Range Attack Weapon System View the full article

The Commodore Dudley Knox Medal Presentation Luncheon at the Army Navy Country Club (Arlington, VA) on Thursday, 25 August 2022. We will be honoring historians Donald Bittner and Norman Friedman! Details to follow! The post 2022 Knox Medal Presentation — Save the Date first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article

Reviewed by Jeff Schultz John J. Domagalski’s Escape from Java: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the USS Marblehead delves into the gut-wrenching experiences of an aging light cruiser caught up in the early Pacific War as part of the US Asiatic Fleet. Almost lost to enemy air attack and badly damaged during the Battle of the Flores Sea, the Marblehead’s crew fought desperately to keep their ship afloat which ultimately saved the day. Domagalski is a historian with multiple books and articles to his credit, often focusing on the Pacific War. The book consists of thirty-three chapters broken into several larger sections such as “War Clouds”, “Pacific in Flames,” “Fire from the Sky,” “Escape,” and “The Long Journey Home,” along with an epilogue, bibliography, endnotes and index. The text uses a large amount of eyewitness account excerpts woven into the narrative, supported with a photo section and a few helpful maps. This is one of the more seamless ship-based biography with the right amount of balance between the narrative and the many primary source pieces which flesh out the arcane elements coherently. Domagalski argues in this ship’s memoir that Captain Arthur Robinson’s resourceful crew made the difference, from the commanding officer down to the mess stewards, all of whom took part in the “herculean task” to save their ship. Everyone contributed in this all-encompassing team effort which permitted the ship to recover from the terrible beating it took from Imperial Japanese Navy “Betty” bombers on Wednesday, 4 February 1942, which nearly sank the vessel with two direct hits and a near miss which badly damaged the hull underwater. Several other ABDA cruisers were lost to enemy action in the East Indies campaign, including the USS Houston, HNLMS De Ruyter and HMS Exeter due to the Japanese control of the skies which makes this story all the more remarkable. Marblehead was part of the Omaha-class of postwar light (“scout”) cruisers launched in the 1920s with four smokestacks which gave them a distinctive appearance reminiscent of the smaller “four piper” destroyers of the Wickes and Clemson classes. Top-heavy, with a suboptimal armament layout, the Omaha’s did not prove successful against more modern Japanese designs they encountered. Poorly equipped to deal with modern air threats, the ship lacked a suitable anti-air capability which was only remedied in later refits which allowed the ship to take part as support vessel for August 1944’s Operation Dragoon. Domagaski follows the light cruiser from prewar to war’s end, along the way providing a brief glimpse of the US Asiatic Fleet which served mostly in China until forced to withdraw to the Philippines as war loomed. In this way the book is not only the Marblehead’s story but also that of the larger Asiatic Fleet which makes it more than merely a narrow look at one ship. Admiral Thomas Hart, the commander of the Asiatic Fleet at war’s beginning, plays an important part in the story, which Domagalski wisely interweaves with the Marblehead’s exploits, is a critical figure that like the light cruiser, was a product of the prewar Navy who had one last war to fight. Hart’s combat career ends after the East Indies debacle but he continued on in administrative roles much as the repaired light cruiser did in the South Atlantic, serving the larger Allied cause in a secondary theater. Domagalski spends considerable time discussing the damage control efforts. This part of the book in particular is a tribute to the brave crew, a number of whom were killed or wounded in the air attacks. While the two direct hits caused considerable damage, the underwater near miss caused a disproportionate amount of trouble for the crew much as the heavy rudder damage which initially prevented anything other than circles. It was not until much later that the rudder could be properly repaired, so local ingenuity reduced the problem along with using engines to help steer the ship in the correct direction as an expedient solution. Aside from considerable suffering, there were some bright spots in the journey, such as when Marblehead escaped potential destruction in the cramped port of Tjilatjap on Java’s south coast, then later escaped again from British-held Sri Lanka, leaving for South Africa before Admiral Nagumo’s carriers raided the area for considerable loss and finally the sheer fact that the ship held together as it sailed alone limping over a great distance on its way to Brooklyn Navy Yard. Among the vignettes featured is that of Dr. Corydon Wassel, USN who performed incredible feats which would be recounted by President Roosevelt in a “fireside chat” of 28 April 1942 later to the delight of a mass radio audience begging for heroes in the dark early days of the war. He took charge of ten US Navy wounded from USS Houston and Marblehead who had been offloaded as too badly wounded to continue a sea journey, but refused to abandon them; shepherding them using sheer force of will and luck via Dutch trains and ambulances plus a fortuitous British motorized column. Eventually they had a timely escape aboard the Dutch merchant ship Janssens from the endangered port of Tjilatjap and on to Australia after a harrowing encounter with strafing Japanese Zeroes, earning the Navy Cross for his brave actions. The Marblehead’s intrepid skipper Captain Robinson and several other sailors also earned the same prestigious decoration. Domagalski’s Escape from Java: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the USS Marblehead paints an engrossing tale of an obsolescent ship’s survival amid great odds set against the brutal early fighting of the Pacific War. This book will appeal to a wide audience not only as high wartime adventure but simply as a story of gritty perseverance when the odds are heavily against. A past contributor, Schultz teaches history at a community college in Pennsylvania. Escape from Java: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the USS Marblehead. By John J. Domagalski (Barnsley, UK: Pen and Sword Military, 2022). The post Escape from Java: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the USS Marblehead first appeared on Naval Historical Foundation. View the full article

We opened Midrats last Sunday with a question to our guest Jimmy Drennan about what lessons he's taken so from from a maritime perspective during the Russo-Ukrainian War. This is a question I would like all of our navalists to think hard about. One constant we see throughout history is that small to medium wars will signal to you what you need to be ready for when the big war comes - and come it will. They always do. Well, yesterday another Midrats alumnus, Dr. James Kraska has a tightly written overview of some takeaways for him, and as always with Kraska's work ... his observations deserve close consideration. The setback for Russia was apparently tied to the oldest of military challenges—force sustainment during combat. The capture of Snake Island may help Ukraine to position anti-ship cruise missiles south of Odessa to weaken the Russian stranglehold on the port city. The Attack The resupply ship that never reached Russian forces on the island is believed to be the Russian naval tugboat Spasatel Vasily Bekh. The ship had a loaded displacement of 1670 tons. Part of the Black Sea Fleet, the Vasily Bekh was launched in 2016 and commissioned in 2017. The tugboat is designed to provide towing services for ships in distress, firefighting at sea and ashore, freshwater and electrical supply to other vessels, and to evacuate injured personnel. It carried a complement of 20 crewmembers with capacity for 36 more people and could carry tons of supplies. Coming after the sinking of the Black Sea flagship Moskva on April 14, the strike on the Vasily Bekh underscores the Russian Navy’s inability to establish sea control in the western area of the Black Sea. The Moskva was the largest Russian warship damaged by enemy fire since 1941, when the Luftwaffe damaged a Soviet battleship in Kronshtadt. The Russian withdrawal from Snake Island also demonstrates the importance of combat logistics. While Russia maintains internal lines of communication that can feed the Russian war machine inside Ukraine, the Russian element that occupied Snake Island had to be supplied from the sea, raising questions about the rules for targeting ships supporting the armed forces in war. If you want to know the sobering reality of war at sea - especially how we have done it in our entitled mindset of decades of dominance at sea, read close his legal outline of "Targeting Combat Logistics" next. I don't know about you, but it immediately makes me want to ask some very hard questions to people who I don't think are ready for them. Then I want you to play that out for the USA vs. China west of Wake. Heck, make it globe-wide. Later in his article, a few conversations I've had with Claude Berube and my co-host from Midrats came to mind - about Letters of Marque. Where does Ukraine's government stand on Letters of Marque ... because as this war drags on ... there are some interesting options for them ... and depending on how that plays out, for any - ahem - nation that may find itself at war at some time in the future with the People's Republic of China; Russia’s plans to leverage greater support from merchant ships also implicates the law of naval warfare. Russian-flagged merchant ships are liable to capture by Ukrainian naval forces, and they may be converted to use after adjudication of prize in a court of admiralty jurisdiction. The Russian merchant fleet has 1,155 ships and 7.7 million deadweight tons and could serve as an effective force multiplier for the Russian military services. China’s merchant fleet is among the top ten largest in the world, with 87 million deadweight tons and 4,881 ships. Decimated by uncompetitive costs of operation resulting from the Jones Act, the U.S. fleet is shockingly small and shrinking. The number of U.S. oceangoing commercial ships in the U.S. merchant fleet fell from 282 vessels to 182 ships since 2000. This means that while Russia and China can supplement their auxiliary naval forces with national-flagged merchant ships, the United States would find that option more challenging. This situation is ironic because unlike Russia and China, which enjoy internal lines of communication, U.S. requirements for force replenishment depend on a massive logistical flow to Asia and Europe. American forces operate forward, along the first island chain running from Japan to the Philippines, and on NATO’s eastern border in Europe. Sustainment of these forces likely would require merchant shipping. Like Russia, the United States may also resort to contracts with merchant carriers to provide force sustainment. These merchant ships would also be liable to capture by the enemy during armed conflict, and they may be attacked and destroyed if they resist capture. Yes, there are a lot of maritime lessons in this mostly land-centric war. The longer this goes - if you are willing to open your mind a bit - the more interesting the implications that may evolve for the US national strategy - or at least in the classified annexes. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=sWyHSR2ObAw:wRBrq_LFjxM:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=sWyHSR2ObAw:wRBrq_LFjxM:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=sWyHSR2ObAw:wRBrq_LFjxM:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=sWyHSR2ObAw:wRBrq_LFjxM:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

Americas L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace won a $23.5 million modification, which extends services and adds hours for continued depot level maintenance, logistics, and sustaining engineering services in support of the C-12 Navy aircraft and the C-12 Marine Corps Reserve aircraft. The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is based on the Super King and 1900 series platforms and serves with the United States military as a utility transport among other roles. Work will take place in Louisiana, Japan, Bahrain, Cuba, North Carolina and Maryland. Estimated completion will be in January 2023. Boeing won an $18.7 million modification, which exercises options to procure the following aircraft armament equipment for F/A-18E/F production aircraft: SUU-79C/A wing pylons for 10 aircraft, SUU-80A/A low drag pylons for 4 aircraft, and ADU-773A/A adapters for 22 aircraft, as well as provide sustaining engineering. Work will take place in Arizona and Missouri. Estimated completion will be in August 2028. Middle East & Africa The Biden administration is reportedly discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen, according to four people familiar with the matter. BIRD Aerosystems has announced that the company has completed an installation of its AMPS-MV Airborne Missile Protection System, which includes the MACS sensor, on UN Air Operations Mi-17 helicopters. The AMPS-MV systems is to protect the UN Air Operations VIPs when flying in Africa. This follow-on order comes after several previous installations of Bird’s products on UN Air Operations aircraft in recent years. Europe F-15Es and F-35As from Royal Air Force Lakenheath are now in Souda Air Base, Greece for Exercise Poseidon’s Rage. The exercise will take place from July 11-22 and Hellenic Air Force’s 115 Combat Wing will be the exercise’s host. This exercise is the first concurrent deployment of F-15Es and F-35As from USAFE to the same forward operating location. It is also the first time the F-35A from Lakenheath is deployed to Souda. Asia-Pacific The Taiwanese Air Force has demonstrated its new T-5 Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer at Chihhang air base in Taitung. The aircraft is a product of the country’s push to prioritize indigenous development of advanced military equipment amid increasing pressure from China. Developed by the state-owned Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation, the T-5 Brave Eagle is suitable for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat training missions. Today’s Video WATCH: Taiwan bolsters defense as China increases military presence | DW News View the full article

Some warning will only be given so many times. We were warned a few months in to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. We were warned again five years later when we were trying to source what was needed to support the uplift in forces in Afghanistan while Iraq still had high demands. Our allies pretty much went Winchester in the 2011 operations against Libya. We can barely partially source small and medium sized conflicts ... we are not ready for a larger one. That is a simple fact that seems too painful for people to clearly look at. Like the US Navy excels in damage control by design and training, in theory the US military writ large excels in logistics. What good is the culture and practice if you lack the inventory to move, the production to create ... and even if you did, the strategic sealift and airlift to bring the weapons to the fight? In peace and in bushwars you can get by with shortages as you can always scrounge around to fill gaps (I have fun stories from AFG, but maybe later), but in a great conflict - there is no untapped resource. You either have it or you don't. At peace, "experts" will sell you comfortable theories about "short, decisive wars" and "72-hr war-winning CONOPS" that never pan out once the first ITL button is pressed. Over at FT, John Paul Rathbone and Steff Chavaz join the chorus trying to wake everyone up; In May, when Washington ordered 1,300 Stinger anti-air missiles to replace those sent to Ukraine, the chief executive of Raytheon, the defence company that makes them, replied: “It’s going to take us a little bit of time.” Paris, meanwhile, has sent 18 Caesar howitzers to Kyiv — a quarter of its total stock of the high-tech artillery — but it will take French company Nexter around 18 months to make new ones. The Ukraine war has exposed the skimpiness of western defence stockpiles — especially of unglamorous but crucial supplies such as artillery shells that have been the mainstay of fighting. Lack of production capacity, labour shortages and supply chain snafus — especially computer chips — mean long lead times to replenish them. The shortages, defence officials and analysts say, reveal the west’s complacency about potential threats since the end of the cold war, now shown up by the desire to shore up Ukraine with military support. Fetishes for high-tech weaponry and lean manufacturing have obscured the importance of maintaining stockpiles of basic kit, they add. ... “It’s like the first world war’s great shell crisis,” said Shea, recalling a 1915 scandal when massive artillery use in trench warfare depleted British stocks, a shortage that led to high troop casualties and the resignation of prime minister HH Asquith.Ponder this as well. The maritime domain has not been as tested as the land component the last few decades. As such, we can assume that our magazine inventory is even more "exquisitely" designed. In closed door sessions, I hope that Congress is demanding answers and hard numbers in this area ... and then will fund to fix them. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=51w8yi6JOiI:vHDPxSQthK8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=51w8yi6JOiI:vHDPxSQthK8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=51w8yi6JOiI:vHDPxSQthK8:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=51w8yi6JOiI:vHDPxSQthK8:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

Americas Sikorsky Aircraft won a $32.6 million order, which procures one CH-53K containerized flight training device based on low-rate initial production Lot 4 configuration in support of CH-53K phase II training system efforts. The CH-53K King Stallion is a new-build helicopter that will expand the fleet’s ability to move more material, more rapidly throughout the area of responsibility using proven and mature technologies. There are four System Development Test Article CH-53K with Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron One (VMX-1). The squadron completed Initial Operational Test and Evaluation of the aircraft in 2022. There are 46 aircraft on contract, including four heavy lift helicopters for the government of Israel. Designed to lift nearly 14 tons (27,000 lbs/12,247 kg) at a mission radius of 110 nautical miles (203 km), in Navy high/hot environments, the CH-53K is capable of lifting almost triple the baseline CH-53E lift capability. Work will take place in Virginia, Connecticut and Florida. Estimated completion will be in December 2024. A B-2 stealth bomber recently tested dropping a production unit of the B61-12 Joint Test Assembly using the Radar Aided Targeting System (RATS). The capstone test was carried out at the Tonopah Test Range on June 14. The 72d Test and Evaluation Squadron also took the opportunity to test the RATS Application Tool. The software allows pilots in the cockpit to verify that the RATS is operating correctly prior to weapon release. Middle East & Africa Elbit Systems announced the launch of a new range of vision systems for military helicopters, integrating sensor array, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered mission computer, and a Helmet Mounted Display (HMD) system. The technology is designed to enable helicopter pilots to see through the body of the aircraft, offering real-time, clear, coloured wide field of view during day and night operations. According to Defense News, the Turkish government has officially launched a competition for the local development of a turbofan engine that will power the country’s national fighter jet in the making, the TF-X. Reportedly, two Turkish engine makers, Tusas Engine Industries and TRMotor, have replied to the RFP. Europe The Norwegian Defense Material Agency has awarded a $15.2 million contract to German firm Hensoldt for upgraded Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) technology. Under the contract, the company will deliver Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radars and LTR400 DNG transponders to the Norwegian military. Asia-Pacific France and India have agreed to co-develop a new engine for the Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) project. The 13–16 tonne IMRH is being conceived as a replacement for Mil Mi-17 utility helicopters, which form the mainstay of the Indian military’s heavy-utility rotorcraft fleet. IMRH will be capable of carrying out a wide variety of missions, including transporting troops, conducting assault operations, air maintenance and anti-submarine warfare. South Korea will establish a strategic command by 2024 to oversee the country’s preemptive strike strategy and the assets to execute it, the Defense Ministry said. During a July 6 seminar led by President Yoon Suk Yeol, the ministry discussed key defense policies meant to counter the threat of North Korean nuclear missiles, including the Kill Chain strategy and well as more efficient efforts to develop defense capabilities. Today’s Video WATCH: Indian AMCA VS Turkish TF-X Fifth Generation Stealth Fighter View the full article

Americas The US Navy’s MQ-8C has tested the Single System Multi-Mission Airborne Mine Detection (SMAMD) system for the first time. Testing took place at Eglin Air Force Base in May, according to Naval Air System Command. “The team successfully demonstrated that the prototype SMAMD System effectively operates as designed aboard the MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned helicopter in relevant real world environments,” said Capt. Thomas Lansley, Fire Scout program director. “This cutting-edge technology could really enhance Fire Scout’s capability going forward.” Carrying out the tests in day and night, the team gathered data on drifting, tethered, and moored mines throughout beach zone to deep waters. The F-16 Block 30 employed by 7 US Air Force guard units and 2 reserve units are now capable of firing the AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). This was made possible by a team from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command Test Center (AATC). Middle East & Africa The Qatar Emiri Naval Forces (QENF) received a landing ship and three landing craft in a ceremony held at Anadolu Shipyard’s Tuzla facility, the Qatari Ministry of Defense and the Turkish company announced. The vessels were identified as the 80 m landing ship tank (LST) Fuwairit (QL 80), the two 40 m landing craft mechanised (LCMs) Ishat (QL 40) and Broog (QL 41), and the 15.7 m landing craft vehicle and personnel (LCVP) Al-Aaliya (QL 15). Europe The United States is sending to Ukraine up to $400 million in additional military equipment and supplies, including four more medium-range rocket systems and ammunition, as the embattled nation tries to repel Russia’s advances in the Donbas region. Speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity on Friday, the official said the new US arms package would include four additional HIMARS and more ammunition, bringing the total number of these systems to 12. Ukraine purchased 2,900 RGW 90 Matador portable anti-tank weapons manufactured by the German company DND, a subsidiary of Israeli Rafael Systems, according to German media). The RGW 90 Matador (also called Panzerfaust 3 in the German army) is a man-portable anti-tank rocket launcher weapon developed between 1978 and 1985 and first entered into service with the German army in 1987. Asia-Pacific Israel’s Elbit Systems announced on July 5 that it has been awarded a contract to provide direct infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) and airborne electronic warfare (EW) systems worth up to US$80 million for a country in Asia-Pacific. It will supply its C-Music DIRCM systems, as well as Infrared-based Passive Airborne Warning Systems (IR-PAWS) for different types of aircraft. Today’s Video WATCH: U.S. Navy MQ-8C Fire Scout Takes Off and Flight View the full article

Few navalists can look around them and feel content that their peers, government, and the American people understand - or for that matter seem to care - that our nation's wealth, health, and security is all based on the fact that we are a maritime and aerospace republic. Without excellence, mastery, and control of these two areas in the face of the challenge from China, all else is in danger. Inside and outside government, what needs to be done to create the conditions so we can provide for those generations who follow us the place and the world previous generations earned for us? Making a return to visit, our guest for the full hour this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss this broad ranging topic will be Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Drennan, U.S. Navy, former president of the Center for International Maritime Security. Join us live if you can, but it not, you can get the show later by subscribing to the podcast. If you use iTunes, you can add Midrats to your podcast list simply by clicking the iTunes button at the main showpage - or you can just click here. You can find us on almost all your most popular podcast aggregators as well. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=peeszDoLogc:LSk3uawXG-E:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=peeszDoLogc:LSk3uawXG-E:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=peeszDoLogc:LSk3uawXG-E:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=peeszDoLogc:LSk3uawXG-E:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article

It is a beautiful place today when you drive by it, but then you notice a curious red dragon facing a wood. The Welsh soldiers were just seven months out of training when they entered into combat at Mametz Wood. Many had never fired a round in combat, and used broomsticks rather than rifles at drill practice. In sharp contrast they faced the elite Lehr Regiment of Prussian Guards - highly-trained professional soldiers who were deeply entrenched in the dense woods. Their trenches were dug into chalk and thick wire stretched through the battleground, while the wood was heavily fortified with machine guns.As part of the Battle of the Somme was the Battle of Mametz Wood; Mametz Wood was the objective of the 38th (Welsh) Division during the First Battle of the Somme. The attack was made in a northerly direction over a ridge, focussing on the German positions in the wood, between 7 July and 12 July 1916 . On 7 July the men formed the first wave, intended to take the wood in a matter of hours.The British system was exceptionally hard on the homefront. Like the regiment my ancestors fought in during the American Civil War, the guy to the left and right of you was your neighbor, your brother, your cousin, your co-worker, your classmate, your friend. Lord Thomas of Gresford recently highlighted the role of the Division in the House of Lords, describing the loss of men in the battle as a "huge tragedy for the whole of Wales". He said 1,000 men from the Rhondda Regiment went in to battle that day, but only 135 men answered the roll call the following day. ... 3,993 killed or injured there.In the first day, over 400 men were killed just trying to get from that red dragon to the treeline. The poet Robert Graves fought in the battle and, having gone back into the wood once the battle was finally over, wrote: "It was full of dead Prussian Guards, big men, and dead Royal Welch Fusiliers and South Wales Borderers, little men. Not a single tree in the wood remained unbroken." Take some time to follow the links above and read up on this little snapshot of the sacrifice from WWI years before the USA threw its hat in the ring - especially this one about what a walk in the woods is like today. First posted July 2016. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=qLRwkSgXElk:V6gB0KcJsVw:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=qLRwkSgXElk:V6gB0KcJsVw:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=qLRwkSgXElk:V6gB0KcJsVw:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=qLRwkSgXElk:V6gB0KcJsVw:F7zBnMyn0Lo View the full article