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U.S. Military Stuff

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U.S. Military Stuff

#1

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politic ... 64865/?amp
‘Grave' Health Risks in Military Housing Found by Senate Panel
Two service members recounted their harrowing experiences with military housing at a hearing Tuesday


One of the largest providers of military housing in the United States continues to respond inadequately to mold and other structural problems, threatening the health and safety of service members and their families, according to a Senate panel's investigation.

The allegations against Balfour Beatty Communities LLC are focused on housing provided to service members stationed at Fort Gordon Army Base in Georgia and Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas. The company oversees about 1,700 homes at the two bases.

Balfour pleaded guilty in December to committing fraud against the United States from 2013 to 2019. The company was ordered to pay $65.4 million in fines and restitution and was placed under an independent compliance monitor for three years. The Senate panel, led by Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., and Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., released a report Tuesday concluding that Balfour's practices since 2019 mirror those that occurred in previous years.

Ossoff said that the eight-month investigation by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations stemmed from the complaints he heard from military families about their maintenance requests being ignored. He said that the investigation revealed “grave risks to the health and safety of servicemembers and their families."

Two service members recounted their harrowing experiences with military housing at a hearing Tuesday.
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#2

Post by RTH10260 »

Navy Recovers Stealthy Jet From Deep in the South China Sea
The warplane was pulled from a depth of approximately 12,400 feet more than a month after it crashed while trying to land on an aircraft carrier.

By John Ismay
March 3, 2022

The Navy has recovered a stealthy F-35 warplane that fell into the South China Sea after it crashed while trying to land on a Navy aircraft carrier, the service announced on Thursday.

The Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet said a remote-operated vehicle attached lines to the plane, which was then lifted 12,400 feet to the surface of the ocean and winched aboard the deck of a civilian vessel called the Picasso that the Navy contracted to assist in the operation.

“This deliberate approach resulted in the correct capabilities conducting recovery operations within 37 days of the incident,” Capt. Gareth Healy, the commander of the salvage task force, said in a statement.

“Given the unique challenges of this problem,” he said, “this was an aggressive and achievable timeline.”



https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/us/n ... vered.html
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#3

Post by RTH10260 »

:doh:
The China-built ship that pulled a US Navy jet wreck from the South China Sea
The crashed stealth plane was brought to the surface using a specialist vessel constructed by a Chinese state firm
The use of the maritime technology shows the need for US-China cooperation, analyst says


Liu Zhen in Beijing
Published: 7:24pm, 7 Mar, 2022

A Chinese-made ship was at the centre of the US Navy’s salvage operation last week to recover the wreck of an F-35C fighter jet from the South China Sea, according to Chinese media.


https://www.scmp.com/news/china/militar ... -china-sea
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#4

Post by raison de arizona »

Army Drops Requirement for High School Diploma Amid Recruiting Crisis

The Army is tossing its mandate for potential recruits to have a high school diploma or GED certificate to enlist in the service, in one of the most dramatic moves yet in the escalating recruiting crisis hitting the entire Defense Department.

On Thursday, the service announced that individuals may enlist without those previously required education certifications if they ship to basic training this fiscal year, which ends Oct. 1.

Recruits must also be at least 18 years old and otherwise qualify for a job in the active-duty Army. They also must score at least a 50 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, or ASVAB, an SAT-style quiz to measure a potential recruit's academic ability.
:snippity:
https://www.military.com/daily-news/202 ... risis.html
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#5

Post by RTH10260 »

I seem to remember the last time they did this, GWB had a war on his hands and needed cannon fodder. But now, after 45 pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is this lack of interest covid related or was it a longer trend? It used to be that the jobs and education offered in the deal for service were much sought after.
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#6

Post by pipistrelle »

RTH10260 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:10 pm I seem to remember the last time they did this, GWB had a war on his hands and needed cannon fodder. But now, after 45 pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is this lack of interest covid related or was it a longer trend? It used to be that the jobs and education offered in the deal for service were much sought after.
I liken it to the after-effects of the medieval plague. Not enough bodies to do the work. And some of those are too busy insurrecting.
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#7

Post by raison de arizona »

RTH10260 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:10 pm I seem to remember the last time they did this, GWB had a war on his hands and needed cannon fodder. But now, after 45 pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is this lack of interest covid related or was it a longer trend? It used to be that the jobs and education offered in the deal for service were much sought after.
I dunno, but my guess is that some of the usual meatheads don't want to take their vitamins.
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#8

Post by RTH10260 »

I get it, the armed forces have a supply chain issue and scotus just assisted them these days
:twisted:
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#9

Post by Maybenaut »

raison de arizona wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 11:18 pm
RTH10260 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:10 pm I seem to remember the last time they did this, GWB had a war on his hands and needed cannon fodder. But now, after 45 pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is this lack of interest covid related or was it a longer trend? It used to be that the jobs and education offered in the deal for service were much sought after.
I dunno, but my guess is that some of the usual meatheads don't want to take their vitamins.
I think it’s because the rate of unemployment in the US is around 3.5 percent. Some branches of the military often lower their standards during periods of low unemployment. When they’re not competing so hard with the private sector for applicants, they’ll raise them again.

Also, according to the article, an applicant with no high school diploma or GED has to score a 50 on the Armed Forces Qualifying Test portion of the Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery exam to get in the Army (the Army already requires GED applicants to score a 50 on the AFQT). That’s compared to a minimum score of 31 for those who have a high school diploma.

The AFQT determines the applicant’s qualification to enter the military at all. Other portions of the ASVAB determine which fields the applicant is qualified for. Each service has it’s own minimum AFQT scores:

Army 31
Navy 35
Marines 32
Air Force 36
Coast Guard 40

But here’s what I’m wondering. How big is this potential applicant pool? High school drop-outs who don’t have a GED but who can score a 50 on the AFQT? And who also don’t have some other disqualifying circumstance such as a history of drug abuse, a criminal history, or too many dependents? I can’t imagine we’re talking about a huge number of people.
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#10

Post by RTH10260 »

Fighter Jet Blown Off Carrier Deck in Unexpected Heavy Weather

Konstantin Toropin
Mon, July 11, 2022 at 8:15 PM

An F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell into the waters of the Mediterranean from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Friday, the Navy announced in a statement released Sunday.

The Super Hornet, which was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1, was blown overboard "due to unexpected heavy weather" as the ship was conducting an at-sea resupply, the statement added. Navy planes have been known to crash into the water during takeoff or landing; losing a plane to rough seas is unusual.

Typically, there is a procedure to tie down aircraft to the deck with chains during heavy weather. And the carrier has a number of aerographer's mates -- sailors trained in analyzing and predicting weather conditions -- stationed aboard the ship.

Read Next: Investigation Finds Pilot Error Cause for 2021 Crash That Killed the Real ‘Maverick’

The Navy said the "details and the cause of the incident are under investigation."

One of the last known incidents of a plane being blown off a flight deck happened in 1995, but it was not due to rough seas. In April of that year, an F-14 Tomcat fighter aboard the USS Independence blew another Tomcat into the water with its jet engine exhaust.

A spokesman for the sea service said that the Navy is weighing whether to salvage the Super Hornet from the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea, though it certainly possesses the capability.




https://www.yahoo.com/news/fighter-jet- ... 58200.html
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#11

Post by Foggy »

My paternal grandfather was an officer in the US Navy, as was my father (my maternal grandfather was a prosecutor in Philadelphia, then moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania).

So grandpa - we called him Dee, his friends named him that because he played piano like the great Paderewski - was captain of several ships between WWI and WWII, including the battleship USS Maryland (BB-46). From 1938 until the end of the war, he was the Navy Hydrographer, part of the Bureau of Navigation.

His name was George Sloan Bryan.



I realize now how terrible it must have been to stay on shore making maps instead of fighting on his ship. Maryland was bombed at Pearl Harbor, torpedoed in the Battle of Saipan, and hit by kamikazes twice, at Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. She was all fixed up and sailing back into the storm across the Pacific when the war ended. He must have hated getting up in the morning, every single day of the war, and driving to Navy Map, the hydrographic office in our nation's capital.

More later ...
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#12

Post by Foggy »

Ol' Wifehorn says, "That (map making) is an important function!"

Yeah, but he joined the Navy (Class of 1906 at the Naval Academy) to sail ships and shoot guns at bad guys, and his ship spent the entire war sailing around the Pacific Ocean shooting at bad guys, and he was stuck on land making maps.

I always wondered why he seemed a little grumpy. That'll make ya grumpy.
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#13

Post by Foggy »

Remember, in his day (before the war), America was a very, very different country, and the military was not revered as it is today.

When WWII began, we had the 19th biggest military in the world, behind Portugal. Being in the military wasn't prestigious, and it separated you from American life in many ways.

On the bright side, it meant you got a paycheck and food and housing during the Great Depression years. They never starved. But it was a rigorous life that was never really popular, until we suddenly sent 8 million men in uniform to fight around the planet.

When I was a boy, my grandma made me a shirt out of silk maps. Aircraft pilots used silk maps in case of ditching in the ocean - paper maps don't look great after being soaked in seawater.

I wore that shirt until it was falling off me in shreds. :biggrin:
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#14

Post by Chilidog »

pipistrelle wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:13 pm
RTH10260 wrote: Wed Jun 29, 2022 10:10 pm I seem to remember the last time they did this, GWB had a war on his hands and needed cannon fodder. But now, after 45 pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Is this lack of interest covid related or was it a longer trend? It used to be that the jobs and education offered in the deal for service were much sought after.
I liken it to the after-effects of the medieval plague. Not enough bodies to do the work. And some of those are too busy insurrecting.
i read somewhere that a couple major reasons:
1) Covid stopped military recruiting on high school campuses.
2) any history of ADHD medication use or any kind on mood stabilizer, is an automatic disqualification (due to the recent ability to get digital copies on any kids medical history, this is a biggie).
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#15

Post by sugar magnolia »

Foggy wrote: Fri Jul 15, 2022 7:11 am Remember, in his day (before the war), America was a very, very different country, and the military was not revered as it is today.

When WWII began, we had the 19th biggest military in the world, behind Portugal. Being in the military wasn't prestigious, and it separated you from American life in many ways.

On the bright side, it meant you got a paycheck and food and housing during the Great Depression years. They never starved. But it was a rigorous life that was never really popular, until we suddenly sent 8 million men in uniform to fight around the planet.

When I was a boy, my grandma made me a shirt out of silk maps. Aircraft pilots used silk maps in case of ditching in the ocean - paper maps don't look great after being soaked in seawater.

I wore that shirt until it was falling off me in shreds. :biggrin:
Silk maps don't make noise like a paper map does, either, and can be folded up very small.
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#16

Post by Foggy »

Yeah, that would be helpful even if your plane crashed on land in enemy territory instead of the ocean.

I wish my grandparents were alive today, I could learn a lot of interesting stuff. But all four of my grandparents were terrible racists, so it wouldn't be a favor to the planet to bring them back even briefly.

They were products of their time, and their lives show me how incredibly much life has improved since their day. It's easy to see the bad things about America and the world, and to be pessimistic about the future.

But I maintain that history only moves in one direction, and that's FORWARD.
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#17

Post by Slim Cognito »

sugar magnolia wrote: Fri Jul 15, 2022 11:17 am ...

Silk maps don't make noise like a paper map does, either, and can be folded up very small.
We visited a local military museum whose displays were donations from all the veterans who'd retired here. One fascinating display was the Monopoly game sent to POWs, which had silk playing boards encrypted to help the soldiers escape. Incredible story.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/ ... ii/266996/

How Monopoly Games Helped Allied POWs Escape During World War II
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#18

Post by qbawl »

Also maps were concealed in cards made by the United States Playing Card Company (Bicycle brand) in my hometown. Since getting the maps involved soaking the cards in water I assume they were silk.
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#19

Post by raison de arizona »

Lawmakers press Pentagon for answers as military recruiting crisis deepens
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have expressed worries as the grim recruiting numbers continue to circulate throughout the DoD and Congress.

Lawmakers from both parties are putting increasing pressure on the Pentagon to fix the recruitment crisis that threatens to leave the military well short of its goals to bring new troops aboard this year, in what is widely considered the worst recruiting environment since the end of the Vietnam War.

While leaders from the different military branches have all acknowledged the problem, they also have been unable to move the needle in a positive direction, as the desire of young Americans to join the military falls off the statistical cliff.

“We are on the cusp of a military recruiting crisis,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) told POLITICO, citing Covid, obesity among would-be recruits, competition from the healthy civilian labor market, and an overall low interest in serving. “When Republicans take control of Congress in a few months,” he added, “averting the recruiting crisis will be a top priority of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.” Gallagher is the top Republican on the House Armed Services’ subpanel.
:snippity:
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/2 ... g-00048286
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#20

Post by RTH10260 »

raison de arizona wrote: Thu Jul 28, 2022 2:38 am
Lawmakers press Pentagon for answers as military recruiting crisis deepens
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have expressed worries as the grim recruiting numbers continue to circulate throughout the DoD and Congress.

Lawmakers from both parties are putting increasing pressure on the Pentagon to fix the recruitment crisis that threatens to leave the military well short of its goals to bring new troops aboard this year, in what is widely considered the worst recruiting environment since the end of the Vietnam War.

While leaders from the different military branches have all acknowledged the problem, they also have been unable to move the needle in a positive direction, as the desire of young Americans to join the military falls off the statistical cliff.

“We are on the cusp of a military recruiting crisis,” Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) told POLITICO, citing Covid, obesity among would-be recruits, competition from the healthy civilian labor market, and an overall low interest in serving. “When Republicans take control of Congress in a few months,” he added, “averting the recruiting crisis will be a top priority of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.” Gallagher is the top Republican on the House Armed Services’ subpanel.
:snippity:
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/2 ... g-00048286
re “When Republicans take control of Congress in a few months,” he added, “averting the recruiting crisis will be a top priority of the Military Personnel Subcommittee.” Gallagher is the top Republican on the House Armed Services’ subpanel.

How does the job market change in these few months? Will the Republicans suddenly divert funds to the payroll?

Or will they go the "Bad Boys" route: felons get the offer to smother for years in the prison system or join the army as cannon fodder?
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#21

Post by RTH10260 »

This is the unit that the Stable Genius request be retrofitted with steam catapults
The Navy just deployed its $13 billion aircraft carrier, which was both commissioned and panned by Trump, who ranted, 'it just doesn't look right'

Lloyd Lee
Wed, October 5, 2022 at 4:22 AM·

The US Navy's first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford deployed Tuesday.

The massive ship cost $13 billion to build and comes with a slew of new technologies.

Donald Trump once ranted about the ship's look, according to a book.

The US Navy's most advanced aircraft carrier – which was commissioned and then later critiqued by former President Donald Trump – deployed Tuesday from Norfolk, Virginia, to head to the Atlantic.

After years of delay and costly setbacks that have amounted to a $13 billion price tag, the USS Gerald Ford set off for its first deployment, entering the competitive arena of naval ships from countries like Russia and China.

The ship comes with a slew of new technologies, including electromagnetic catapults that can launch planes and advanced weapons elevators that will move bombs and missiles up to the flight deck.

Not only is this one of the most advanced aircraft carriers to enter the waters, surpassing the Navy's own Nimitz-class carriers, but it's also the world's largest.

Its sheer size hasn't won over everyone, however. Former president Donald Trump was among one the critics of the ship.

According to "Peril," a book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, Trump was often preoccupied with the carrier, ranting about the ship's high cost as well as the placement of the flight command center on the flight deck.

"It just doesn't look right," Trump said, according to the book.



https://www.yahoo.com/news/navy-just-de ... 18318.html
(original Business Insider)
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#22

Post by Maybenaut »

RTH10260 wrote: Wed Oct 05, 2022 2:03 pm This is the unit that the Stable Genius request be retrofitted with steam catapults
The Navy just deployed its $13 billion aircraft carrier, which was both commissioned and panned by Trump, who ranted, 'it just doesn't look right'
I bet if instead of USS Gerald R. Ford it said USS Donald J. Trump it would’ve looked just fine.
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#23

Post by Chilidog »

The USS Donald J. Trump
527E3EB1-0EBE-44B5-BE97-41D507E7155A.jpeg
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#24

Post by MN-Skeptic »

GM Financial to Pay Over $3.5 Million to Resolve Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Claims
The Justice Department announced that GM Financial has agreed to pay over $3.5 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by illegally repossessing 71 servicemembers’ vehicles and by improperly denying or mishandling over 1,000 vehicle lease termination requests.

“Members of our Armed Forces should not have to suffer financial hardship as a result of their service to our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Civil Rights Division remains steadfast in its commitment to enforcing laws that safeguard the rights of our servicemembers so that they can devote their energy and attention to the defense of our country.”

“The last thing servicemembers should be worried about while deployed is paying off vehicle leases they don’t want and can’t use,” said U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham for the Northern District of Texas. “As members of our armed forces put their lives on the line for our country, we are determined to protect their rights here at home.”

The SCRA is a federal law that provides certain legal and financial protections for servicemembers and their families. The law prevents an auto finance or leasing company from repossessing a servicemember’s vehicle without first obtaining a court order, as long as the servicemember made at least one payment on the vehicle before entering military service. The SCRA also allows servicemembers to terminate a vehicle lease early after entering military service or receiving certain qualifying military orders. If a servicemember terminates a vehicle lease under the SCRA, the leasing company may not impose any early termination charges and must refund, within 30 days, any rent or lease amounts paid in advance.

The Justice Department began investigating GM Financial after receiving a complaint about a potential violation involving U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) Thomas Gorgeny. In September 2017, CW3 Gorgeny received orders to deploy overseas for 10 months and requested that GM Financial allow him to terminate his vehicle lease early pursuant to the SCRA. Although GM Financial told CW3 Gorgeny that his early termination request was approved and he returned his vehicle to the dealer, months later, while he was deployed overseas, CW3 Gorgeny received a letter from GM Financial demanding that he pay over $15,000 to cover the entire remaining period of the lease, as well as costs associated with the sale of the vehicle.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the department alleges that, since 2015, GM Financial has improperly denied servicemembers’ lease termination requests, charged servicemembers improper early termination fees or lease amounts after the date of termination, and failed to provide servicemembers timely refunds of lease amounts they paid in advance. The department alleges that GM Financial’s failure to properly handle servicemembers’ lease termination requests resulted in over 1,000 SCRA violations. The complaint also alleges that, since 2015, GM Financial has unlawfully repossessed 71 vehicles owned by SCRA-protected servicemembers.

Under the consent order, GM Financial has agreed to pay $3,534,171 to the affected servicemembers and a $65,480 civil penalty to the United States. GM Financial will pay at least $10,000 to each of the 71 servicemembers who had their vehicles unlawfully repossessed. For the servicemembers who were charged an improper fee when they terminated their vehicle leases, GM Financial will refund the fee and will pay additional damages of three times the fee or $500, whichever is greater. Servicemembers whose requests to terminate their vehicle leases were improperly denied will receive a refund of certain payments plus up to $5,000 in additional damages. The order also requires GM Financial to repair the servicemembers’ credit, provide SCRA training to its employees, and implement policies and procedures that comply with the SCRA.

GM Financial is a wholly-owned subsidiary of General Motors, and provides financing for vehicle sales and leases. In 2021, GM Financial had revenue exceeding $13 billion.

This case was handled by the Civil Rights Division’s Housing and Civil Enforcement Section, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Since 2011, the Justice Department has obtained over $480 million in monetary relief for over 123,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit www.servicemembers.gov.

Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at http://legalassistance.law.af.mil.
(Entire article quoted since it's a press release by the government.)
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