News of the Force: Monday, January 8, 2017 - Page 2

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NEWS OF THE FORCE
Monday, January 8, 2017 - Page 2


US Navy and Marine Corps
Seal of the United States Department of the Navy.svg Seal of the United States Marine Corps.svg    
    
The US Navy has located a transport aircraft deep on the Pacific Ocean floor where it crashed in November, killing three sailors on board. The C-2A "Greyhound" aircraft, which was traveling to the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan when it crashed the day before Thanksgiving in the Philippine Sea, rests at a depth of about 18,500 feet, the Japan-based US 7th Fleet said in a statement. The plane was located last week by a contracted salvage vessel that deployed a pinger locator that picked up the aircraft's emergency signal. After marking the location, the search team returned to port in Japan. In the coming weeks, the team will return to the site with a side-scan sonar and remote operated vehicle to map the debris field and attach heavy lines for lifting the aircraft to the surface, the statement said. "Despite very challenging conditions, every effort will be made to recover the aircraft and our fallen sailors," the Navy said, adding that the mission was initially delayed by the poor weather. Eight people were rescued and the dead were identified as Lt. Steven Combs, Jr., and Airman Apprentice Bryan Grosso, of Florida, and Airman Matthew Chialastri, of Louisiana. Elizabeth Combs has said that her brother was piloting the aircraft and managed to settle it in the sea, allowing for the rescue of the eight people. The Navy called Combs' actions "heroic." The cause of the crash is under investigation. The US 7th Fleet had two fatal naval accidents in Asian waters last year, leaving 17 sailors dead and prompting the removal of eight top Navy officers from their posts, including the fleet commander.
     USS Wasp is due to arrive in Japan today and will pick-up fighter jets at US Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. F-35s can climb to heights of 50,000 feet and fly at speeds of more than 1,200 mph, with some theories they could even shoot down nukes. The warship will also host a force of 2,200 Marines.
    
US Marines with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, Marine All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 242 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, all based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, have conducted hot-pit refueling and hot-load training on US Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornets.
     And Airborne Systems of North America has won a potential five-year, $26.7 million contract to develop a parachute system and provide related reports to the US Marine Corps. The Marine Corps received two proposals for the the Enhanced Multi-Mission Parachute System procurement contract.

US Air Force
Seal of the US Air Force.svg    
     Oman has requested F-16 items and service support from the US Air Force.
Approved by the US State Department, the sale will enable the US military to support the Royal Air Force of Oman, boost the military-to-military relationship between the two nations, and ensure continued interoperability of forces and opportunities for bilateral training and exercises with Oman's military.
     The US Air Force is seeking public input regarding the preparation of an Interpretive Plan for the World War II historic features of West Field, located on Tinian, north of the Tinian airport. The Interpretive Plan is one of the commitments in a Programmatic Agreement between the US and Tinian.
     The US Air Force has awarded the first full-rate production (FRP) contract to Orbital ATK for the development of the advanced FMU-167/B hard target void sensing fuse (HTVSF).
     SpaceX has launched national security payloads in the past, including a spy satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office, and an X-37B space plane for the US Air Force. The company's live webcast of its latest launch did not show video coverage of the Zuma spacecraft after it separated from the first stage.
     As the US Air Force faces a growing pilot shortage, a small team of airmen is looking to revolutionize pilot training by substituting virtual reality for flying time and supplementing human instructors with artificial intelligence (AI).
     Today's Air Force accomplishes a crucial, global mission - requiring those who serve to deploy worldwide. In that spirit, the Air Force Reserve's 931st Security Forces Squadron Combat Arms Training and Maintenance at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, teaches the proper use of weapons.
    
The new Iowa Air National Guard commander for the 132nd Wing in Des Moines is the first of his kind. Col. Mark Chidley is the first non-rated commander there, and his fellow service-members say he's the perfect one for the job.
     Members of the Michigan Air National Guard's 127th Wing continue their service by re-enlisting and extending their commitment to serve their country. Over the past year, 280 people enlisted in the Michigan Air National Guard at Selfridge ANGB.
    
Searchers on yesterday "unequivocally" identified an object spotted at the bottom of the Great Salt Lake as an aircraft of the general size and description of a Cessna 172, the type of plane that was reported missing on Dec. 29th, according to the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office. Severe equipment issues and fog postponed a dive planned for yesterday to recover the airplane, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The time for a new dive, in the northern arm of the lake, is yet to be determined. "Several factors need to be considered and discussions with personnel need to take place to make that decision," the release says. The missing airplane took off from Ogden Hinckley Airport about 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 29th. Pilot Denny Mansell, 71, and passenger Peter Ellis, 74, planned to fly to the Promontory area to see the trains at the Golden Spike National Historic Site. Authorities were notified that night that the plane was overdue and an air and ground search was launched. The search area was narrowed to a small section of the lake based on tips and an analysis of the radar data from the Cessna before the loss of its signal. An object believed to be an airplane surrounded by debris was spotted on Saturday morning resting on the bottom of the lake in approximately 14 feet of water, the news release says. The weather had deteriorated on Saturday so the dive was scheduled for yesterday, when it was once again postponed.
The release says the agencies that have participated in the search efforts are the Box Elder County Sheriff, BE Search and Rescue, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Civil Air Patrol, the Box Elder Communications Center, the Utah Division of Natural Resources and Weber County Scuba/Search and Rescue.
      And t
he family of a missing couple from Eureka, Utah, is offering a $2,000 reward for information that leads to the recovery of the Jeep two teens were in when they vanished in December. Breezy Otterson, 17, and Riley Powell, 18, have been missing since Dec. 30th when they were driving from Toole to Spanish Fork, with their final destination being home in Eureka. Family said when they last spoke to the couple, they said they were just outside of Spanish Fork. According to a post from Otterson’s aunt, family members are offering a reward of $2,000 for information that leads to the Jeep the couple was in. The reward has grown from $1,000 to $1,200, and is now $2,000. The aunt said yesterday that the Civil Air Patrol is flying over the search area to assist efforts to locate the couple. Yesterday evening, the Juab County Sheriff’s Office issued a Endangered Missing Advisory for the pair. Anyone who sees the couple or their vehicle is asked to call the sheriff’s office at (435) 623-1349. The vehicle is a blue 1999 Jeep Cherokee with Utah license plate: 674-VWV.

The parting shots
      Clothing giant H&M has apologized and removed an advertising image of a black model in a sweatshirt with the words "Coolest monkey in the jungle." The brand removed the image, but kept in place other designs modeled by white children
UK Labor Party lawmaker Kate Osamor tweeted that she was "totally shocked, dismayed to say the very least" by the image and, addressing H&M, asked "Do you think this imagery is an appropriate representation of a young black boy?"
The retailer said Monday that the "image has now been removed from all H&M channels and we sincerely apologize to anyone this may have offended."
    
Fodor's Travel Guide is recommending that people not visit Missouri, ranking the state alongside non-desirable travel destinations such as Cuba and Myanmar in a new list. "Fodor's No List 2018" says Missouri is No. 7 on the list of places to be avoided. Missouri is the only state on the list. The travel guide quotes the head of Missouri's NAACP chapter, saying the state has "a separate standard of laws that are only applicable to some people." Fodor's "no list" includes places overrun by tourists causing damage, and destinations with safety issues. For Missouri, Fodor's starts off by pointing out some of the state's good qualities. It says Missouri is "full of wonders that belong on anyone's travel bucket list." It mentions positives as limestone caves, the Budweiser Clydesdales, Kansas City's BBQ, jazz and Silver Dollar City. But Fodor's then blasts Missouri as "the place where SB 43 was passed making it more difficult to sue employers for discrimination, a state representative argued that homosexuals weren'’t human beings, a tourist who got lost and ran out of gas was later found murdered in his jail cell without ever being put under arrest, and two men were hunted down and shot on suspicion of being Muslim on the outskirts of Kansas City." (The shooting in the Kansas City area actually took place in Kansas.)
     Pope Francis baptized 34 babies yesterday in an annual ceremony in the Sistine Chapel. He repeated advice from previous years: mothers should feel free to breastfeed during the service.
     Two of Toronto, Canada's top private investigators are now looking into the deaths of billionaire couple Barry and Honey Sherman. The couple were found hanging on Dec. 13th in their windowless pool room in their home. They were wearing jackets that bound their arms behind their backs, according to reports.
     A top White House aide yesterday kept up the drumbeat against former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, calling his comments in a new book on President Donald Trump "grotesque. It's tragic and unfortunate that Steve would make these grotesque comments so out of touch with reality."
     And Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, was last night's biggest winner at the Golden Globes. The movie garnered four major awards, including Best Picture.

                                                   

                                    

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