A News Aggregator That Covers The World's Major Wars And Conflicts. Military, Political, And Intelligence News Are Also Covered. Occasionally We Will Have Our Own Opinions Or Observations To Make.
TAMPA, Florida — Four men sat inside at a back corner table, monitoring the pub's main entrance for unspecified perils. They did not expect trouble, but this is what special operators do: They stay vigilant, even when far from war zones.
Here at a favorite hangout near Florida's MacDill Air Force Base, home to U.S. Special Operations Command, the men convened in civilian attire Wednesday night while off-duty. The operators met with the Washington Examiner to talk about a simmering issue within their ranks: a "culture and ethics" letter issued this week to all members of U.S. Special Operations Command.
The letter from commanders was released along with the results of a study into why elite war fighters sometimes get into trouble over matters, including war crimes or murder. The letter lamented the threat to public trust and cited shortcomings in leadership, discipline, and accountability. It conveyed a mix of gratitude, encouragement, and somber admission but cited no direct plan to set things aright.
Prior to its most recent set of maneuvers, it was still in the same plane as USA 245, but its period was offset such that there were only relatively close passes every 11-12 days.
* Cosmos 2542 is a Russian 'space apparatus inspector' designed to monitor other satellites in space
* After it launched in November 2019, it was bypassing a US spy satellite, USA 245, every 11 or 12 days
* However, between January 20-23, Cosmos 2542 made several maneuvers to end up in the same orbit as the US satellite
* It is now closely following USA 245, which experts say could mean it is taking photos or preparing to attack
A Russian 'inspector' spacecraft has changed its orbit to closely follow a secret American spy satellite.
On January 20, Cosmos 2542 maneuvered so it was behind USA 245, a satellite that gathers images for military and intelligence purposes for the $4billion KH-11 photo reconnaissance project.
The Russian craft is a 'space apparatus inspector,' meaning it's designed to monitor other satellites in space - and the US government has warned that it can use cameras and sensors to gather information about other satellites or even use high-power microwaves, lasers or radio frequency jammers to launch an attack.
The leader of al-Qaida’s Yemen branch is believed to have been killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this year.
The New York Times said three current or former U.S. officials “expressed confidence” that Qasim al-Raymi, the emir of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), was killed in Yemen, although there was no official confirmation.
U.S. forces had been tracking al-Raymi for months, and there was a $10 million price on his head.
It is unclear whether the strike was carried out by the U.S. military or the CIA. Spokespersons for U.S. Central Command, the National Security Council and the CIA declined to comment.
From Wikipedia: Von Richthofen and Brown, alternatively titled The Red Baron, is a 1971 war film directed by Roger Corman and starring John Phillip Law and Don Stroud as Manfred von Richthofen and Roy Brown. Although names of real people are used, the story by Joyce Hooper Corrington and John William Corrington makes no claim to be historically accurate, and in fact is largely fictional.
A few hours from now, at 6 p.m. EST, Britain will no longer be a member of the European Union. It's a big victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, but one he won't be able to savor for long. A major battle for the economic future of Britain and the EU is now set to begin.
It's a battle in which the EU holds a distinctly political objective. The key here is that President Emmanuel Macron of France and the EU executive leadership are determined to show that it is better to be inside the EU club than outside of it. Macron's fear is that Britain will now ease the burden of its regulatory and tax regimes, thus incentivizing foreign investment and expanded trade. And that this success will harm less efficient EU economies.
Jubilant Brexiteers heralded the moment with celebrations across the country, including a flagship bash in London's Parliament Square (pictured) where Nigel Farage led a chorus of God Save The Queen
* On the stroke of 11pm, the UK officially divorced from the bloc after three years of bitter political struggle
* Brexiteers heralded the moment with celebrations, including a flagship bash in London's Parliament Square
* The last moments were ticked off in a light show projected on to the famous black door of Downing Street
* The Prime Minister hailed the 'moment of hope, a moment many people thought would never come'
Britain has ushered in a new chapter outside the European Union as Brexit was at last delivered, drawing a line under 47 years of membership.
On the stroke of 11pm, the UK officially divorced from the bloc after three years of bitter political struggle that split families and paralysed Westminster.
Jubilant Brexiteers heralded the moment with celebrations across the country, including a flagship bash in London's Parliament Square attended by Nigel Farage and other figureheads of the Leave divide.
Britain's last moments inside the EU were ticked off in a light show projected on to the famous black door of Downing Street, where Boris Johnson held a muted party for his staff after releasing a pre-recorded address to the nation.
* A man in Santa Claram California was confirmed to have coronavirus on Friday, bringing the US total case count to seven
* US health officials on Friday declared the outbreak of coronavirus a public health emergency in the US
* Foreign nationals - except the immediate family of Americans - will be blocked from entering the US if they've visited China in the last two weeks beginning 5pm ET on Sunday
* All flights from China will be funneled through seven airports: JFK, Chicago O'Hare, Seattle, San Francisco, Atlanta, Honolulu and LAX
* People who have been in Hubei province - where Wuhan is located - within two weeks of returning to the US will be under mandatory quarantine for up to 14 days
* People coming back from any part of China will be asked to self-quarantine at home for up to 14 days
* CDC officials have issued a 14-day federal quarantine for all 195 passengers who were evacuated from Wuhan
* It's the first time in 50 years that the agency has had to issue a federal quarantine
* Since Thursday, cases of the new coronavirus have increased by 26%, sickening nearly 10,000 people worldwide
* The CDC said it is possible that someone could test negative for the coronavirus before developing symptoms, but become ill later
* The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus outbreak to be a global health emergency on Thursday
* The 'public health emergency of international concern' is the highest warning the UN health agency can give
* Just one week ago, WHO officials said it was too early to declare the outbreak an emergency
* It comes the same week that the sixth US case of coronavirus was confirmed in a Chicago man in his 60s
* This marks the first case of human-to-human transmission of the virus in America, and it's now suspected that people can infect others even if they don't have symptoms
* Currently, there are 168 possible cases are under investigation in the US, 21 of which are in Illinois
* Worldwide, well over 11,000 people have been infected and 258 people - all in China - have died
A man in Santa Clara, California, has become the seventh American diagnosed with the deadly coronavirus sweeping the globe, local authorities announced Friday, nearly simultaneous with the White House's declaration that the outbreak that's sickened more than 11,000 and killed 258 people worldwide is a public health emergency in the US.
While the outbreak is ongoing, President Trump has issued an order that will block all foreign nationals who have visited China in the prior two weeks - except for the immediate family citizens or permanent residents - from entering the US, beginning at 5pm ET on Sunday.
At seven, the American case count remains low, but the virus has quickly spread in China and around the globe the Department of Health and Human Services and President Donald Trump are stepping up measures to contain the deadly new disease.
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) addresses a news conference with Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) prior to the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
White House officials wanted more time to prepare their closing arguments in the case, said several sources.
The Senate impeachment trial for President Donald Trump could drag into next week, even as GOP leaders appear to have the votes needed to prevent additional witnesses and testimony from being offered, according to Republican senators and aides.
Republicans suggest the trial could extend into next week due to scheduling concerns over the Iowa caucuses on Monday and Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday. But nothing is decided, and the party spent about an hour hashing out the next steps on Friday afternoon.
White House officials also wanted more time to prepare their closing arguments in the case, said several sources close to the issue.
There was a "major discussion" among GOP senators at lunch on the trial endgame, Republican sources said. Republicans remained divided over how to wind down the trial, with several expressing dissatisfaction about dragging things out over the weekend, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: I guess we will know by tonight on when this will end.
WASHINGTON — More than two months before he asked Ukraine’s president to investigate his political opponents, President Trump directed John R. Bolton, then his national security adviser, to help with his pressure campaign to extract damaging information on Democrats from Ukrainian officials, according to an unpublished manuscript by Mr. Bolton.
Mr. Trump gave the instruction, Mr. Bolton wrote, during an Oval Office conversation in early May that included the acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, the president’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani and the White House counsel, Pat A. Cipollone, who is now leading the president’s impeachment defense.
Mr. Trump told Mr. Bolton to call Volodymyr Zelensky, who had recently won election as president of Ukraine, to ensure Mr. Zelensky would meet with Mr. Giuliani, who was planning a trip to Ukraine to discuss the investigations that the president sought, in Mr. Bolton’s account. Mr. Bolton never made the call, he wrote.
WNU Editor: Since President Trump was inaugurated, I have lost count on the number of times the New York Times says it has a bombshell report on President Trump, and after a few days everything fizzles. And here is another "bombshell report. The problem with this claim is that Ukraine did get military aid. The Biden family was not investigated by the Ukrainians. And Ukraine President Zelenskiy has been persistent in denying these that he was ever pressured by President Trump.
* Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for country to move on from Brexit this evening as the UK leaves the EU
* The Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning' in an address shortly before 11pm
* He will stress his belief that the referendum was a vote for lasting change in neglected areas of the country
* The Cabinet met in Sunderland this afternoon - the first city to declare for Leave at 2016 referendum
* Mr Johnson will host a reception in No10 for ministers and officials to make the historic Brexit moment
Boris Johnson insisted it will be 'full steam ahead' after Brexit today as he gathered his Cabinet in Leave-backing Sunderland hours before the historic moment.
After three-and-a-half years of turmoil, the UK's legal membership of the EU will come to an end on the stroke of 11pm - opening a new era for the country.
Mr Johnson took his senior team to the city in the north east this afternoon in a symbol of his desire to 'level up' every part of the country.
He told the meeting the UK is starting a 'new chapter' and he would be 'going full steam ahead to bring the nation together', according to Downing Street.
An F/A-18F Super Hornet, left, and an E/A-18G Growler on one of the Ford's aircraft elevators before being lifted from the hangar bay to the flight deck, January 21, 2020. US Navy/Mass Comm Specialist Seaman Jesus O. Aguia
* The US Navy's newest carrier has been in the Atlantic conducting Aircraft Compatibility Testing since January 16.
* At sea, the crew has been getting more practice with some of the carrier's most important equipment: the aircraft launching and landing systems.
* Another major piece of that gear, the carrier's weapons elevators, has been "a disaster up until now," the Navy's acting secretary says, but things are now "on track."
The Navy's new, first-in-class aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, went to sea again on January 16 for more testing, including of the carrier's Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System and Advanced Arresting Gear.
EMALS and the AAG, as they're known, have had problems, but the Ford has done more than 70 successful launches and landings with them on this cruise, which follows improvements made during the carrier's protracted post-shakedown availability.
But one of the Ford's most important components, its advanced weapons elevators, still isn't where it needs to be.
These developments point to a major escalation in Turkey's involvement in the conflict following abortive attempts to broker a ceasefire.
Weeks after the Turkish government announced plans to send various forces to Libya to support that country's internationally recognized government, there are now indications that those deployments are well underway. Two Turkish Navy Gabya class frigates have appeared off the coast of Tripoli, the official Libyan capital, and there are reports emerging now that Turkish troops and heavy armor are arriving in that city, too.
Pictures showing the two warships sailing together near Tripoli first emerged online on Jan. 28, 2020. Unconfirmed reports about the arrival of Turkish forces began to appear on social media hours later. On Jan. 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said in a televised interview that an unspecified number of Turkish troops would be heading to Libya soon and, the day after, revealed that members of the country's National Intelligence Organization, also referred to by the Turkish acronym MIT, were already in the country.
Turkey blames France for instability after Macron accused Erdogan of violating promise to stay out of Libya conflict.
Turkey has blamed France for instability in Libya after French President Emmanuel Macron accused his Turkish counterpart of failing "to keep his word" to put an end to meddling in the North African country.
"The main [actor] responsible for the problems in Libya since the crisis started in 2011 is France," Turkish foreign ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mitch McConnell and the GOP Senate could get Trump acquitted by Friday.
Sen. Lamar Alexander announced he will vote against a motion to call witnesses in President Donald Trump's impeachment trial, almost certainly ensuring the vote fails and paving the way for a speedy end to the trial.
"I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to ask for more documents and witnesses, but there is no need for more evidence to prove something that has already been proven and that does not meet the United States Constitution's high bar for an impeachable offense," Alexander said in a statement.
Senate Democrats need four Republicans to join them to win the witness vote, and the retiring Tennessee Republican was considered a key swing vote they might be able to win over.
The Senate will hold the vote on witnesses Friday afternoon and could move to acquit Trump from the impeachment charges later that night.
WNU Editor: Republican Senator Collins has said that she will vote for witnesses. I can only assume that Senator Romney will also vote for witnesses. But Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander's announcement that he will not vote for witnesses means that this impeachment trial will now probably end, and President Trump will be acquitted in a Senate vote later tonight.
Secretary of Defense Mark Esper told reporters at the Pentagon Thursday that the U.S. military would not conduct a full troop withdrawal from Africa, though an ongoing review that could result in troop reductions.
Lawmakers and national security experts have expressed concern over the potential reduction of U.S. troops from the region following an al-Shabab attack on the Manda Bay, Kenya, base that killed three Americans, among them a U.S. soldier.
The Pentagon is amidst a review of the U.S. troop posture across the globe as military planners look for avenues to shore up resources and forces to address rising near-peer threats like Russia and China, and to better align policy with the National Defense Strategy.
Iraqi gov't is blocking deployment of Patriot missiles to protect US troops. Me: "Why have you not moved the Patriot missile batteries into Iraq?" Esper: "We need to make sure we have permission from the host government."
Me: You do feel you need them? Gen Milley : "Yes." https://t.co/G7WoF8yJa8
Iraq is holding up the plan, but it's also hard to understand how the US military didn't fix this defensive gap earlier given the known threats.
The U.S. military wants to send Patriot surface-to-air missile units to Iraq in the wake of unprecedented Iranian ballistic missile strikes aimed at American forces in the country earlier this month, which the Pentagon now says caused dozens of injuries in addition to significant damage to facilities at Al Asad Air Base. However, the U.S. government still needs permission from authorities in Iraq to do so, approval that has so far not been forthcoming, something The War Zone's Tyler Rogoway had raised as a likely issue immediately following Iran's strikes. Discussions regarding the potential deployment of the air defense are ongoing, but come amid attempts by certain Iraqi factions to secure the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from the country.
In the days following an Iranian rocket attack on U.S. troops in Iraq, as reported injuries ballooned from zero casualties to 64 diagnosed traumatic brain injuries at last count, questions have arisen as to whether the military’s most senior leadership recognizes the concerns over TBI.
Though President Donald Trump last week dismissed the injuries as “headaches" and “not serious,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper told reporters Thursday that he had personally explained to the president the implications of the diagnosis.
“I’ve had the chance to speak with the president. He is very concerned about the health and welfare of all of our service members — particularly those who were involved in the operations in Iraq,” Esper said, though he did not elaborate on whether the talk came before or after Trump’s statements. “And he understands the nature of these injuries."
* Report due this week lists flaws that need to be resolved with F-35 Lightning
* More than 800 software bugs were found in the Lockheed Martin jet
* Air Force model's 25mm gun doesn't shoot straight and mounts are cracking
* The $428 billion program has produced 491 jets so far that must be fixed
* Top customers for the Joint Strike Fighter include US, UK, Italy and Australia
The F-35 Lightning II's problems include hundreds of software vulnerabilities and guns that don't shoot straight, according to a new Pentagon report on issues with Lockheed Martin's $428 billion program.
Air Force models of the F-35 use an internally mounted 25mm Gatling gun that has 'unacceptable' accuracy due to 'misalignments,' according to an upcoming report from the Pentagon's test office obtained by Bloomberg.
The mounts on the guns are also cracking, forcing the Air Force to restrict use of the gun, the report says.
The Marine and Navy versions of the Joint Strike Fighter use an externally mounted version of the gun that does not have the same issues, according to the report.
Passengers and staff wear masks at a Sri Lanka airport. Ambulances line up to meet a Wuhan evacuation flight in South Korea. Journalists cover a cruise ship in Italy as passengers are tested for the virus. Medical staff screen passengers at an Ethiopian airport pic.twitter.com/iPjWADzG4b
🇺🇸 US life expectancy is up for the first time in four years, driven by factors including a fall in the rate of fatal drug overdoses and cancer deaths, official statistics showed https://t.co/JPjT4TPLX3pic.twitter.com/W1TPHVBYOC
Videos circulating on WeChat and Weibo of people in #Wuhan shouting "Wuhan, add oil" out their windows and singing the Chinese national anthem together. A message going around asking ppl to do it together starting at 8pm. pic.twitter.com/U0xSINd5nW
Beautiful moments. Wohan residents sang together out their windows, songs of unity to raise spirits. People singing the national anthem and chanting "Wuhan, you can do it!" from their apartment balconies. pic.twitter.com/glqAE691pd
* Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for country to move on from Brexit on Friday night as the UK leaves the EU
* The Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning' in an address shortly before 11pm
* He will stress his belief that the referendum was a vote for lasting change in neglected areas of the country
Boris Johnson will deliver a plea for the country to move on from Brexit on Friday night as the UK finally leaves the EU tonight.
In an address to be broadcast shortly before Britain's departure at 11pm, the Prime Minister will insist that Brexit marks 'not an end but a beginning'.
And in a sign of the new Government's changed approach, he will convene a symbolic Cabinet meeting this afternoon in Sunderland, the first city to declare for Brexit when the 2016 referendum results came out.
