Yeah, it would have been the biggest, bestest, most beautiful ship ever, like nobody's ever seen before!
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- Volkonski
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“If everyone fought for their own convictions there would be no war.” ― Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
- RTH10260
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Air Force unveils newest stealth bomber aircraft
By Haley Britzky and Ellie Kaufman
Updated 9:54 PM EST, Fri December 2, 2022
The Air Force on Friday unveiled its newest stealth bomber aircraft, the B-21 Raider, in Palmdale, California. Built by Northrop Grumman, the bomber was named in honor of the “courageous spirit” of airmen who carried out the surprise World War II Doolittle Raid.
The sixth-generation aircraft is expected to help the Air Force “penetrate the toughest defenses for precision strikes anywhere in the world,” Northrop Grumman’s press release said. Six bombers are currently in “various stages of final assembly” in California, according to the release.
The event on Friday was even more significant given that it marked the first time in more than 30 years a new US bomber has been publicly unveiled since the B-2 Spirit was presented in 1988. While the US originally planned to have a fleet of 132 B-2s, just 21 were ultimately purchased.
The release of the new bomber comes amid heightened tensions between the US and both China and Russia. Just days ago, the Pentagon released its annual report on China, which said the country has doubled its number of nuclear warheads in a fraction of the time the US expected it to.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/02/poli ... index.html
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Pentagon splits $9 billion cloud contract among Google, Amazon, Oracle and Microsoft
Dec 7 (Reuters) - The Pentagon awarded $9 billion worth of cloud computing contracts to Alphabet Inc's Google (GOOGL.O), Amazon Web Services Inc (AMZN.O), Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Oracle Corp <ORCL.N> on Wednesday.
The Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability (JWCC) is the multi-cloud successor to the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure (JEDI), which was an IT modernization project to build a large, common commercial cloud for the Department of Defense.
The separate contracts, which carry a notional top line of $9 billion, run until 2028 and will provide the Department of Defense with enterprise-wide, globally available cloud services across all security domains and classification levels, the contract announcement said.
U.S. Navy Commander Jessica McNulty, a Department of Defense spokesperson, said in a statement the JWCC was a multiple-award procurement composed of four contracts with a shared ceiling of $9 billion.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/pent ... 022-12-07/
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oh lord, that sounds like a massive clusterf*ck..
My money is on it never delivering one-tenth of what it is supposed to deliver.
My money is on it never delivering one-tenth of what it is supposed to deliver.
- RTH10260
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At least the DOD got itself out of all the law suits that claimed company B got sidelined when the whole thing was given to company A etc
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... at twice the sticker price.
"Hey! We left this England place because it was bogus, and if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too!" -- Thomas Jefferson
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USNS Comfort Involved in 19-Person Man Overboard Incident Off Haiti
Mike Schuler
December 14, 2022
The U.S. Navy is reporting that two sailors sustained minor injuries during a man overboard incident involving the hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) off the coast of Haiti this week.
In total, nineteen personnel fell overboard during the transfer from a small boat to the Comfort, the Navy said.
The incident took place Monday at approximately 7:17 p.m. off Jeremie, Haiti. The personnel involved were returning to Comfort from Wharf de Jeremie where they were providing medical care during a Continuing Promise 2022 mission stop.
All personnel were safely recovered and returned to Comfort with assistance from the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Harold Miller (WPC 1138). The two injured Sailors were treated aboard Comfort and are expected to make a full recovery.
Comfort paused ship-to-shore operations in Haiti, until a safe alternative for personnel transfer has been identified.
https://gcaptain.com/usns-comfort-invol ... off-haiti/
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Comment: seems that people started to move around instead of remaining seated.
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Senior ISIS Leader in Somalia Killed in U.S. Special Operations Raid
Officials said the man helped facilitate a network of ISIS affiliates around the world.
By Eric Schmitt and Helene Cooper
Jan. 26, 2023
WASHINGTON — U.S. Special Operations commandos killed a senior Islamic State leader in an early-morning helicopter raid in a remote area of northern Somalia on Thursday, U.S. officials said.
The Pentagon identified the leader as Bilal al-Sudani. American officials said he was operating in Somalia but that his influence as one of the terrorist group’s top financial operatives extended across Africa, into Europe and even to the ISIS branch in Afghanistan that carried out the August 2021 bombing at Kabul’s international airport that killed 13 American service members.
In a statement on Thursday, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said Mr. al-Sudani “was responsible for fostering the growing presence of ISIS in Africa and for funding the group’s operations worldwide, including in Afghanistan.”
Biden administration officials said no civilians were injured or killed in the raid. They also said none of the American troops involved were hurt, although one was bitten by a dog they had brought with them.
During a call with reporters Thursday afternoon, a senior administration official described Mr. al-Sudani as “a key operative and facilitator for ISIS’ global network.” The official said the operative was killed along with 10 other Sudanese Islamic State associates.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/26/us/p ... -raid.html
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no more breakfast or coffee break for you!
Military warns troops to avoid poppy seeds
By CNN Newsource
Published: Feb. 22, 2023 at 6:37 PM GMT+1|Updated: 39 minutes ago
(CNN) - The U.S. military is telling active-duty soldiers to stop eating poppy seed bagels, pastries and other foods with poppy seeds.
The top Pentagon official for personnel sent a memo warning service members that eating poppy seeds could cause them to fail drug tests.
The memo said poppy seed crops are cultivated by pharmaceutical and food industries, and during harvest the seeds could be contaminated with morphine and codeine.
It was not mentioned how many troops may have had positive drug tests as a result of poppy seeds.
Pentagon researchers are now looking at positive drug tests dating back to 2019.
Military leaders said they will update the guidance depending on what the review finds and what is appropriate.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has also urged athletes to avoid poppy seeds a few days before and during competition to avoid positive drug tests.
https://www.wsmv.com/2023/02/22/militar ... oppy-seeds
- raison de arizona
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This is hardly new information, I recall a pregnant friend failing a drug test after eating poppy seed bagels in the early 90s. ![Shrug :shrug:](./images/smilies/shrug.gif)
![Shrug :shrug:](./images/smilies/shrug.gif)
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
- poplove
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Yes, this goes back to my active duty days in the late 70s when I was stationed at McChord AFB in the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron. The pilots in particular avoided poppy seeds at all costs. I found this out when I made a poppy seed sherry cake for a pot luck.raison de arizona wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 2:25 pm This is hardly new information, I recall a pregnant friend failing a drug test after eating poppy seed bagels in the early 90s.![]()
![Nope :nope:](./images/smilies/eusa_snooty.gif)
Seems to me the drug tests would be a little more refined at this point.
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I think a lot of drug and alcohol testing is done by companies who were the lowest bidder (primarily to government bodies). There is little incentive to create more expensive tests that fewer people will fail. The government or the employer just wants to be able to point to a testing protocol and say "we have done our due diligence," while paying the lowest amount of money.
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Reminds me of the time a maintainer found a small bag of weed in the cockpit of an F-106. Everyone who had accessed the aircraft was tested, including several pilots. The pilots also paid out of pocket for a second test at a civilian facility because they didn't trust the accuracy of the military administered test. No one tested positive and whoever dropped the baggie remained a mystery.jcolvin2 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 22, 2023 8:31 pmI think a lot of drug and alcohol testing is done by companies who were the lowest bidder (primarily to government bodies). There is little incentive to create more expensive tests that fewer people will fail. The government or the employer just wants to be able to point to a testing protocol and say "we have done our due diligence," while paying the lowest amount of money.
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Wreck Site Identified as World War II Submarine USS Albacore (SS 218)
16 February 2023
From Petty Officer 1st Class Abigayle Lutz, Naval History and Heritage Command
WASHINGTON - Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) confirmed the identity of a wreck site off the coast of Hokkaido, Japan, as USS Albacore (SS 218) Feb. 16.
NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch (UAB) used information and imagery provided by Dr. Tamaki Ura, from the University of Tokyo, to confirm the identity of Albacore, which was lost at sea Nov. 7, 1944.
“As the final resting place for Sailors who gave their life in defense of our nation, we sincerely thank and congratulate Dr. Ura and his team for their efforts in locating the wreck of Albacore,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “It is through their hard work and continued collaboration that we could confirm Albacore’s identity after being lost at sea for over 70 years.”
Japanese records originating from the Japan Center for Asian Historical Records (JACAR) covering the loss of an American submarine on Nov. 7, 1944, guided Dr. Ura’s missions. The location mentioned in the records matched a separate ongoing effort by UAB volunteers to establish the location of the shipwreck.
Dr. Ura’s team collected data using a Remotely Operated Vehicle to confirm the historical data. Strong currents, marine growth, and poor visibility on site made it challenging to fully document the wreck or obtain comprehensive images. However, several key features of a late 1944 Gato-class submarine were identified in the video.
Indications of documented modifications made to Albacore prior to her final patrol such as the presence of an SJ Radar dish and mast, a row of vent holes along the top of the superstructure, and the absence of steel plates along the upper edge of the fairwater allowed UAB to confirm the wreck site finding as Albacore.
https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News- ... re-ss-218/
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crosspost
(original: USA TODAY)Biden awarded Medal of Honor to one of nation’s first Black Special Forces officers
Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY
Fri, March 3, 2023 at 10:36 PM GMT+1
WASHINGTON – One of the first Black commanders to lead an elite unit in combat received Friday the nation's highest award for valor, fixing what advocates viewed as a decadeslong injustice.
President Joe Biden hung the blue ribboned Medal of Honor around the neck of retired U.S. Army Col. Paris D. Davis at a White House ceremony.
“He never lost faith, which I find astounding," Biden said. He said the day may be "the most consequential" since he became president.
“Paris, you are everything this medal means – I mean everything this medal means," Biden told Davis, who stood at attention in his military uniform. “You are everything our nation is at our best.”
In brief remarks after the ceremony, Davis deflected the attention to his own bravery, saying the medal "reflects what teamwork, service, and dedication can achieve.”
“God bless you, God bless all, God bless America,” he added.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/biden-awardi ... 10492.html
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In rare Syria visit, top U.S. commander affirms mission
Mon, March 6, 2023 at 12:09 AM GMT+1
Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, flew into the dusty, embattled region where the U.S. has a force of about 900 service-members deployed to monitor and counter remaining Islamic State militants. The little-known American mission in Syria meant to keep a lid on any potential resurgence of ISIS as the U.S. tries to grapple with threats from Russia and China.
These pictures were snapped by Reuters Pentagon correspondent Phil Stewart, who accompanied General Milley into Syria.
"General Milley is of the mindset that U.S. troops in Syria are helping ensure that Islamic State won't come back.
He is convinced that there are still a very large number of Islamic State militants who are in hiding right now, aren't able to organize or mobilize. A lot of them are being detained in detention camps inside Syria. They're being held in those camps under lock and key by U.S. partner, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The idea behind the mission, really, is that it's an insurance policy. To make sure that America doesn't face another Islamic State threat that would require a major mobilization. That in the minds of Milley, and President Joe Biden and others, would be a major distraction from our priorities, which are, addressing the imminent threat from Russia, which is manifesting right now in Ukraine with its invasion. And then the pacing threat, which is what the Pentagon describes it as, of China, which is the near-peer competitor, whose military is growing in capability and and becoming increasingly muscular and capable."
U.S. troops have operated in Syria without permission from Damascus since 2015. It is today a remnant of the global war on against terrorism that saw massive U.S. invasions and occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/rare-syria-v ... 22288.html
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(original: Army Times)How the Army quietly discharges soldiers charged with violent crimes
Vianna Davila, Lexi Churchill and Ren Larson, Davis Winkie
Mon, April 10, 2023 at 12:01 PM GMT+2·
Stationed at Army posts thousands of miles apart, two soldiers faced a flurry of criminal charges after they allegedly assaulted women within days of each other in early 2017.
One soldier was accused of physically assaulting his wife and firing a gun as she tried to flee their home near Fort Hood in Texas. Police later found a bullet hole in a window screen.
The other told investigators in Alaska that he’d had sex with a fellow soldier who he knew was drunk and incapable of providing consent. They later found DNA evidence of his semen on her shorts.
Military prosecutors deemed the cases strong enough to pursue them in court. But the Army instead kicked the soldiers out, allowing them to return to civilian life with scant public record of the accusations against them.
The two cases are among hundreds that lay bare a long-standing but little-known practice that permits service members facing criminal charges to circumvent trial by being discharged from the military. The service members often receive negative marks on their personnel records but avoid the possibility of a federal conviction.
A federal watchdog agency in 1978 called for abolishing the practice, known as administrative separations in lieu of court-martial, arguing that it should be used only to remove service members who were unfit for the military, not to dispose of cases involving alleged criminal offenses.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/army-quietly ... 00113.html
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US army grounds all aviation units for training after fatal helicopter crashes
Suspension comes after 12 soldiers die within a month in two crashes in Alaska and Kentucky
Associated Press in Juneau
Sat 29 Apr 2023 09.49 BST
The US army has grounded aviation units for training after 12 soldiers died in helicopter crashes in Alaska and Kentucky in the last month.
The suspension was effective immediately, with units being grounded until they complete the training, the army spokesperson Lt Col Terence Kelley said.
Training for active-duty units is to take place between 1 and 5 May. National guard and reserve units will have until 31 May to complete theirs.
“The move grounds all army aviators except those participating in critical missions until they complete the required training,” the army said.
Two army helicopters collided near Healy, in Alaska, on Thursday, killing three soldiers and injuring a fourth. The aircraft from the 1st Attack Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment, at Fort Wainwright were returning from training at the time of the crash, according to the army. The unit is part of the 11th Airborne Division, which is nicknamed the Arctic Angels.
Military investigators from Fort Novosel, in Alabama, were expected to arrive at the scene of the crash by Saturday, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the US army in Alaska.
The army said on Thursday that two of the soldiers had died at the site and the third on the way to a hospital in Fairbanks. The injured soldier was taken to hospital and was in stable condition on Friday, Pennell said. The names of those killed were not immediately released.
“The safety of our aviators is our top priority, and this stand-down is an important step to make certain we are doing everything possible to prevent accidents and protect our personnel,” the army’s chief of staff, Gen James McConville said.
The crash is the second involving military helicopters in Alaska this year. Two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter rolled after take-off from Talkeetna in February. The aircraft was one of four traveling from Fort Wainwright to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, in Anchorage.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... er-crashes
- raison de arizona
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Here's the latest fuel for the right wing outrage machine.
harpy_daniels wrote:I am Joshua Kelley, currently 2nd class petty officer in the US Navy.I identify as Non- Binary and this has been an unbelievable experience since I've joined the Navy.
From joining to 2016 and being able to share my drag experience on my off time with my fellow sailors has been a blessing.This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors!
Come follow me on this journey and see where we go next.Thank you to the Navy for giving me this opportunity! I don't speak for the Navy but simply sharing my experience in the Navy! Hooyah, and let's go Slay!
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
- raison de arizona
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Tuberville is single handedly detrimentally impacting the US Military. Because he wants to score political points.
https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1 ... 09348?s=20
https://twitter.com/SenSchumer/status/1 ... 09348?s=20
Chuck Schumer @SenSchumer wrote: 7 former Secretaries of Defense from Republican and Democratic administrations are not mincing words:
They’re saying GOP Senator Tuberville’s blanket holds on the nominations of senior military leaders are “harming military readiness and risks damaging US national security”
► Show Spoiler
“Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” —John Adams
- Phoenix520
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I’d like to propose to the minority that they go ahead and confirm those on hold right after they censure Tuberville for aiding and abetting our enemies, of which we have about 5 big ones.
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We live in the New Market Gap, in the Ridge and Valley section of the Appalachians, west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If the bottom of the “V” in the gap is the center of a clock, our house is in the 7 o’clock position.
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Luray_and_New_Market_Gap_060312.jpg/800px-Luray_and_New_Market_Gap_060312.jpg)
In the past, we’d get a couple of fighter jets shooting the gap maybe about once a month. Always in pairs. I don’t know from fighter jets, so I don’t know what kind. The flights are not public, so I can’t look them up on Flight Aware. I don’t know where they come from, but Andrews AFB is a little over 100 miles away, and Patuxent River Naval Air Station is about 150 miles from here.
Anyhoo, the flights have been increasing in frequency in the last month or so, and now there are flights every day. They’re flying in fours now. Today, two sets of four flew over the house, about 30 minutes apart. Might have been the same four, but I don’t know. Yesterday there were four sets of four.
They fly very close to the house - maybe 500 feet off the ground. It is loud af. I was out mowing the lawn yesterday when the first set flew over. They shot the gap in a straight line, about 20-30 seconds apart, and went inverted as they did so. I couldn’t tell if the rolled all the way over or flipped back - but they were upside down as they passed over the ridge and out of sight.
Kinda cool. And makes me wonder wtf is going on that requires all this training.![I'm Thinking :think:](./images/smilies/think.gif)
![Image](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7c/Luray_and_New_Market_Gap_060312.jpg/800px-Luray_and_New_Market_Gap_060312.jpg)
In the past, we’d get a couple of fighter jets shooting the gap maybe about once a month. Always in pairs. I don’t know from fighter jets, so I don’t know what kind. The flights are not public, so I can’t look them up on Flight Aware. I don’t know where they come from, but Andrews AFB is a little over 100 miles away, and Patuxent River Naval Air Station is about 150 miles from here.
Anyhoo, the flights have been increasing in frequency in the last month or so, and now there are flights every day. They’re flying in fours now. Today, two sets of four flew over the house, about 30 minutes apart. Might have been the same four, but I don’t know. Yesterday there were four sets of four.
They fly very close to the house - maybe 500 feet off the ground. It is loud af. I was out mowing the lawn yesterday when the first set flew over. They shot the gap in a straight line, about 20-30 seconds apart, and went inverted as they did so. I couldn’t tell if the rolled all the way over or flipped back - but they were upside down as they passed over the ridge and out of sight.
Kinda cool. And makes me wonder wtf is going on that requires all this training.
![I'm Thinking :think:](./images/smilies/think.gif)
"Hey! We left this England place because it was bogus, and if we don't get some cool rules ourselves, pronto, we'll just be bogus too!" -- Thomas Jefferson
- MN-Skeptic
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