News of the Force: Monday, May 29, 2017 - Page 1

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May 29, 2017, 12:52:47 PM5/29/17

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Monday, May 29, 2017 - Today is Memorial Day in the USA

and it's the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers

North Korea test-fires another missile

North Korea fired an unidentified object of its eastern coast yesterday evening and local reports are indicating it was yet another ballistic missile test.

North Korean state media claims the country has tested a "a new type of anti-aircraft guided weapon." State-run media KCNA said that Kim Jong Un watched the test and said that defects in the system have been fixed.

Markets in Asia trended flat today after the latest ballistic missile test by North Korea and as major markets are closed for public holidays today.

Merkel says Europe can't rely on 'others'

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday declared a new chapter in U.S.-European relations after contentious meetings with President Trump last week, saying that Europe "really must take our fate into our own hands." Just days after President Trump lectured NATO members about ponying up more money for defense, Merkel said Europe could no longer count on its allies.

Russia's president in France today

On a trip that will likely shape Russia-France ties for years to come, President Vladimir Putin is visiting France for talks today with newly-elected French President Emmanuel Macron after expressing sympathy for his rivals during the campaign.

As the G7 talks came to an end in Taormina, Sicily, President Donald Trump seemed to have forged a bond with President Emmanuel Macron, a French official said.

More arrests in Manchester terror attack

British police made two more arrests and stormed three more locations yesterday as they hunted for suspects in the Manchester bombing, while a government minister said members of attacker Salman Abedi's network may still be at large.

Meanwhile, MI5, Britain's domestic security agency, is to hold an inquiry into the way it dealt with warnings from the public that the Manchester suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, was a potential threat.

Why President Duterte declared martial law in the Philippines

A lakeside city in the southern Philippines has been rocked by violence after ISIS-linked militants took hostages from a Catholic church and defiantly raised the black flags synonymous with the terror group.

A Philippine Air Force attack helicopter fired rockets today as government forces continue to assault the Maute group in Marawi City, in the southern Philippines. Philippine forces control most of a southern city where the militants linked to the Islamic State group launched a bloody siege nearly a week ago, authorities said today, as the army launched airstrikes and went house-to-house to search for militants.

Sen. McCain is visiting Australia

U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) met with Australian leaders today for security talks in the nation's capital city of Sydney, where he received praise for his public support of the decades-long U.S.-Australia alliance.

Downed Indian Air Force plane found, 'black box' recovered

Police in Arunachal say they've found the wreckage and the "black box" for a downed Indian Air Force Sukhoi-30MKI, but there's no word on the pilots, both of whom are missing.

U.S. president 'completely un-enamored' with PA's leader

By Lisa Levine, News of the Force Tel Aviv

The Palestinian Authority's involvement with the incitement of violence against Israel has enraged U.S. President Donald Trump.

Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Listen to your brain - it has lots of information.

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Rep. Martha McSally spoke in Arizona on Saturday at the unveiling of a memorial for an Air Force A-10 "Warthog" pilot. Capt. Amy Svoboda was the Air Force's first female combat pilot killed on a training mission.

As U.S. Air Force officials continue to investigate allegations inspectors were invited to view the remains of astronaut and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn at Dover Air Force Base, Del., the mortuary manager has denied the allegations.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas Trask, the vice commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command, will provide remarks on the future of Iranian power in the Middle East at 5:30 p.m., EDT, tomorrow, at the American Enterprise Institute, 1789 Massachusetts Ave., NW, in Washington, D.C.

The Chattanooga Choo Choo Senior Squadron of the Tennessee Wing of the Civil Air Patrol held its first annual Challenge Air Fly Day on Saturday.

U.S. Air Force EOD members recently completed a nationwide motorcycle tour to honor their fallen comrades.

The Air Force Reserve Command's Military Construction Program FY18 budget estimates includes a plan to allocate $14 million for Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, N.Y.

Plans are moving forward a bit more quickly for a state-of-the-art fitness facility for those serving in the 914th Airlift Wing and the New York Air National Guard.

The Ohio Air National Guard's 180th Fighter Wing has joined forces with the Hungarian Air Force in support of the exercise as part of the National Guard's State Partnership Program.

The Waco Composite Squadron, of the Civil Air Patrol's Texas Wing, will hold an open house event from 6 to 8 p.m., local time, this evening.

And in the FY-18 federal budget, the Civil Air Patrol is requesting $30.8 million for its operations and maintenance account, $10.6 million for aircraft procurement, and $1.7 million for vehicle procurement. The requested funding for the CAP’s operations and maintenance account would amount to a $2.8 million increase over the previous fiscal year, while the requested amount for aircraft procurement represents a $300,000 increase. The $300,000 increase in the CAP’s aircraft procurement will enable the CAP to purchase up to 15 additional Cessna 182s and 206s.

Three-year-old boy missing in Texas

Officials are searching Sam Houston National Forest, near Stubblefield Lake, Texas, for a 3-year-old boy who wandered away from a campsite.

The history of Memorial Day

If you ever wondered why Americans celebrate Memorial Day, take a look at these four facts that dive into the holiday’s long history. It began with the Civil War. Memorial Day was a response to the 620,000 soldiers who died during the Civil War; Gen. John Logan, the commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, issued General Order No. 11 on May 30, 1868, which made Memorial Day official; It was originally called "Decoration Day" for the purpose of decorating the gravestones of American veterans; and it didn't become a federal holiday until 1971, when the United States was deep into the Vietnam War.

And Jameson Horvath stopped before he planted a flag near each of a few dozen headstones yesterday morning at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery near St. Louis, Mo. He paused to read each engraved marker. "I’m kind of overcome with emotion about this," said Jameson, 15, a Boy Scout from Fenton, Mo. "Maybe that’s not how everyone else feels, but that’s definitely me." He felt the same way when he and more than 5,000 Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, parents and volunteers marched through Jefferson Barracks for a ceremony, then as they distributed more than 150,000 flags for the annual Memorial Day event. There’s something powerful about hearing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes and watching the color guard lower the flag to half staff. "It just gives you a moment to feel and remember how much people care about this country, and what they'll give for it," Jameson said. The military isn't a big part of the Horvath family’s background, though they do have a few members who served in Vietnam and Korea. But the value of remembrance isn't lost on them. Patrick Horvath, Jameson’s father, has come out to the annual event with his three sons and their Scout troops for years. They walk at least a half mile from the ceremony site out to the far section of the cemetery overlooking Interstate 255 that their troop is responsible for. Luke Horvath, 12, noted how the pilot, Navy captain and Army sergeants whose graves he marked with flags were also mothers, grandfathers and children. "It reminds you they're not insignificant as people," he said, juggling a bundle of flags as he made his way up a hill of headstones. Patrick Horvath said that this was one of his favorite things about the Boy Scouts, and that "they're teaching these kids about the value of service." Brig. Gen. Randall Reed, the deputy director of strategic plans at Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, spoke at the ceremony, thanking the Scouts for taking part of their weekend to do something that’s so meaningful for the families of those buried there. Reed pointed to a national conversation he said was occurring about whether people understand that Memorial Day isn't just about a day off work by the pool. "You do remember," he told the boys. This was the 68th year of the Boy Scout flag ceremony. Families of the men and women buried at Jefferson Barracks were among the throngs of people at the cemetery yesterday. A few hours before the Scouts descended, Mary Knighten and her son came out to pay her respects to her father, uncle, aunt and a handful of other relatives. The day before Memorial Day is the only Sunday each year that she misses church in Florissant, where she lives. "It touches my heart that they're out here doing that each year," Knighten said. For more than 30 years, she has come out to the cemetery to visit the graves of relatives, often staying for the Boy Scout ceremony and other Memorial Day events. "I have family members that say, 'They don’t know you're there,'" she said. "But I still come. They need to know that I still love them, and not with an -ed on the end - we still love them."