News of the Force: Thursday, February 2, 2017 - Page 1

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Thursday, February 2, 2017 - Today is Groundhog Day

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U.S. says civilians were 'likely killed' in Yemen raid

    

    The U.S. military says it believes civilians were among the casualties when U.S. commandos raided an al-Qaida stronghold in Yemen on Sunday.

    Officials including U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, of Delaware, left Washington for Dover Air Force Base yesterday to meet the family of the American commando killed in Yemen.

    President Trump's first covert counter-terrorism operation was doomed from the start by inadequate intelligence, commandos have told The New York Times.

    President Trump paid tribute to Navy Chief Petty Officer William "Ryan" Owens, who was killed in a Jan. 29th raid in Yemen that U.S. officials say yielded valuable intelligence. Trump, who traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware yesterday to receive the remains of Owens in a dignified transfer ceremony, hailed the special warfare operator as a hero. "He died in defense of our nation. He gave his life in defense of our people. Our debt to him and our debt to his family is eternal and everlasting," Trump said at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., today. The ceremony to receive the fallen hero was poignant -- "very, very sad, but very, very beautiful," Trump said.

    Owens, 36, of Peoria, Illinois, was assigned to a special warfare unit based on the U.S. East Coast, Pentagon officials said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters at the Pentagon today. "Chief Owens gave his life in the line of duty while carrying out this important mission." The raid yielded "valuable and actionable intelligence" against a determined enemy that has "callous disrespect for human life," Davis said. "Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula remains the most capable of al-Qaida's elements in exporting terror to the West," he added. Davis pointed out that a statement from the U.S. Central Command said a team designated by the operational task force commander has concluded that civilian noncombatants likely were killed in the midst of a firefight during the raid, and that the casualties may include children. "These appear to have been people caught up in aerial gunfire that was called in to assist U.S. forces who were in contact against a determined enemy that included armed women fighting from prepared fighting positions," he said. "The U.S. special operations members were receiving fire from all sides, to include houses and other buildings, required the supporting fire to be able to extract," Davis told reporters. The raid against the compound resulted in the seizure of "materials and information that will yield valuable intelligence to help partner nations deter and prevent future terror attacks in Yemen and across the world," Davis said.

    White House spokesman Sean Spicer described the raid as a "very, very well thought-out and executed effort." by the U.S. Central Command, he said, which submitted the plan for the raid on Nov. 7th. The Defense Department approved the plan on Dec. 19th and recommended that it be moved ahead, then it was sent to the National Security Council staff, Spicer explained. On Jan. 6th, an interagency deputies meeting took place, with the deputies recommending the raid take place, he said. "The conclusion was at that time to hold it for what they called a 'moonless night,' which by calendar wouldn't occur until then-President-elect Trump was President Trump," Spicer said.

    On Jan 24th, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis read the memo and sent it back up to the White House conveying his support, Spicer said. On Jan. 25th, Trump was briefed by National Security Advisor Michael Flynn, he said. The president then held a dinner meeting with a number of top officials including Mattis, as well as Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and CIA Director Mike Pompeo. "The indication at that time was to go ahead, Spicer said. Though it wasn’t a necessary step, he added, the deputies committee met again on the morning of Jan. 26th and reaffirmed its support for the raid. The president signed the memo authorizing the action that day, Spicer said.

 

Iran refuses to confirm ballistic missile test

    

    Iran's foreign minister has refused to confirm whether his country recently conducted a missile test, saying the Iranian missile program is not part of the 2015 nuclear deal with the world powers.

    Making an appearance at yesterday's White House press briefing, National Security Adviser Michael Flynn delivered a stern warning to Iran for its recent weapon testing and actions by its state-supported militants.

 

Military strikes continue to attack ISIL terrorists in Iraq

     

    U.S. and Coalition military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Iraq yesterday, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.

    Bomber, fighter and remotely-piloted aircraft and rocket artillery conducted five strikes in 19 engagements in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of Iraq’s government: Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL staging area; and near Mosul, four strikes engaged two ISIL tactical units and an ISIL staging area, destroyed three fighting positions, two vehicles, two vehicle bomb factories, a tunnel entrance, a supply cache and a weapons cache, and damaged a supply route.

    And the U.S.-led Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has liberated about 60 percent of ISIL-held territory in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman told Pentagon reporters yesterday. In a teleconferenced briefing from Baghdad, U.S. Air Force Col. John L. Dorrian said that even though ISIL is losing ground, the enemy continues to use barbaric population-control measures on Mosul residents in its attempt to complicate the advance of Iraqi security forces. "ISIL remains on the back foot in Mosul," the colonel said. "Its leaders are accusing citizens of spying, and tragically, they are executing people who don't cooperate with them in some cases." ISIL also has lost trust in some of its fighters and has executed some of them, he added. Although ISIL has fought hard to maintain control of territory in Mosul, their difficulty in maintaining control is no surprise, Dorrian said. "The Coalition has made a concerted effort to degrade the ISIL leadership network in Mosul in preparation for the battle," he said. "Even before the battle ensued between August and October 2016, 18 ISIL leaders in and around Mosul were killed by Coalition airstrikes," he continued. "These ISIL leaders were involved in Mosul's security, law enforcement and the perverted control of local civilians and attack plots away from the city." Since the battle started more than 100 days ago, the U.S.-led Coalition killed an additional 15 ISIL leaders in Mosul, including Abu Abbas, a terrorist fighter leader killed on Jan. 12th, and Abu Taha, who was ISIL's jailer and also responsible for the implementation of population control measures in the city. He was killed on Oct. 31st, Dorrian said. "What this means is that ISIL leaders who are trying to defend their territory in west Mosul are less experienced and less effective than the leaders that they replaced," the colonel explained. "We expect them to continue fighting hard and for the rest of the west side of Mosul to be difficult, but they do not have enough capability remaining to stop the Iraqi forces’ advance." For now, the Iraqi army continues back-clearing areas in the east and north of Mosul and clearing areas in the north to set conditions for operations on the west side, Dorrian said. "Coalition forces are working with the Iraqi forces on planning how we can support them with advice and assistance; strikes; and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. And we continue training hold forces for once Mosul is liberated," he said. "The terrain in west Mosul is challenging to clear," Dorrian noted, and the narrowness of the roads and the density of the buildings sets conditions for close fighting."

 

DOD welcomes decision to allow Iraqis on special visas to enter the U.S.

    

    Defense Department officials have welcomed a decision from the U.S. Government to allow Iraqi translators and interpreters with special documentation to travel to the United States, a Pentagon spokesman said today.

    "We are pleased that the U.S. Government has determined that it's in the national interest to allow Iraqi special immigrant visa holders to continue to travel to the United States," Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told Pentagon reporters. The Defense Department further welcomes that embassies and consulates overseas will continue to process and issue special immigrant visas to qualified applicants, including Iraqis who worked with the U.S. armed forces in Iraq, Davis said.

    The Iraqis, as well as other local partners around the world, provide services that are mission critical to the Defense Department, Davis said. "These partnerships are vital to the success of all our military efforts, and in many cases these are people who've worked and put themselves in great personal risk in doing so," Davis said. "A lot of people who serve, a lot of people in military who currently serve, a lot of our veterans owe their lives to these people, literally, and we want to make sure that is taken into account when they face the U.S. immigration process," he added.

    President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order last week that halts entry of immigrants and non-immigrants from seven countries, including Iraq, into the United States for 90 days, excluding foreign nationals traveling on diplomatic visas, NATO visas, C-2 visas for travel to the United Nations, and G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 visas. Davis said DOD officials are working with State Department and Department of Homeland Security officials to "review potential impacts of the executive order on our partners and our operations" and to "determine if there are additional ways we can provide assistance to our proven partners from the affected countries."

    U.S. service members are able to travel on their assigned military missions without impact, he said. "As for family members," he said, "we're working closely with the State Department and DHS to help them grant case-by-case waivers where necessary for their travel, if a family member happens to be somebody from one of these countries."

    The seven countries in the executive order are Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

 

Ms. Merkel goes to Turkey

    

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Turkey today for the first time since the failed July coup, seeking to keep a key partnership alive after a series of crises.

 

Apparently they weren't very special agents

    А Russian lawyer has confirmed the arrests of two Federal Security Service (FSB) officers and a manager at a Russian cybersecurity company on treason charges, and said that they are suspected of passing classified information to U.S. intelligence.

 

U.S. defense secretary visiting South Korea and Japan

    

    U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis is in South Korea on the first foreign trip by a senior official in the Trump administration. Mattis is expected to use the visit to reassure Seoul of the continuing U.S. commitment to security deals in the face of threats from North Korea.

    Mattis arrived at Osan Air Base in South Korea yesterday. South Korea is the first stop on his trip. He will also visit Japan before returning to Washington.

    Mattis will listen to the concerns of South Korean and Japanese leaders during his first trip overseas in his new position. Mattis said he wants to view the situation from the perspective of America’s strong allies in Northeast Asia, saying the situation in the region is a priority for President Donald J. Trump’s administration. South Korea and Japan are treaty allies of the United States, and "together we confront the North Korean situation," he said. "I want to listen to them, engage with their political leaders, listen to some of their briefs, and get an understanding of their view of the situation," the secretary said. Mattis told reporters he served in Korea as a young Marine Corps officer in 1972. "But I've been not back out here in a long, long time," he added. The secretary said he intends to listen to South Korean and Japanese leaders’ take on the threats posed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s regime. North Korea has exploded nuclear devices and is attempting to build inter-continental ballistic missiles. The North Korean leader has also invested his nation’s limited wealth in cyber capabilities, special operations units and the rest of the military. The North Korean People’s Army has about 1 million personnel on active duty and is one of the few well-fed segments of North Korean society. North Korea has often acted in a provocative way, Mattis said, and Kim has absolute power and is unpredictable. "It’s hard to anticipate what they do," he said. "One of the reasons I want to come out and talk to the leadership out here is that they live in the neighborhood. They watch this as an existential threat to them, and I need to get some data from them. I need to get their appreciation of the situation before I start making statements on where I stand on it." Still, he said, the nuclear missile effort is the immediate threat to the region and the United States, and the United States is committed to fielding the terminal high-altitude area defense system in South Korea. "That THAAD is for defense of our allies’ people and of our troops who are committed to their defense," the secretary said. "And were it not for the provocative behavior of North Korea, we would have no need for THAAD out here. There's no other nation that needs to be concerned about THAAD other than North Korea." Mattis said he wants to go beyond the current strategy in the region. "Strategies are games of give and take, and I have to see their view of it, and ask have we maintained what passes for peace so far?" he said. "To a degree we have, but we're not trying to just look at today. We’re looking at today and we're looking at tomorrow, and I need to see where they view this going right now."

    China is stepping up its efforts to stop South Korea from deploying a U.S. missile defense system on its soil, turning up the pressure on the economic front, while warning of the impact on diplomatic relations if the system is put in place this year.

    And South Korea condemned North Korea today for threatening pre-emptive nuclear strikes in response to a joint military exercise by Seoul and Washington scheduled for next month.

 

Romanians rally against corruption

    More than 250,000 Romanians demonstrated yesterday against a government decree decriminalizing some graft offenses, seen as the biggest retreat on reforms there since the country joined the European Union in 2007.

    Corruption now comes in two forms in Romania. There's the big kind that can still land an official in jail, then there's the acceptable type that will bring nothing more than a knowing shrug.

 

DOD investigation clears Central Command's intelligence leaders

    

    An exhaustive Defense Department Inspector General's investigation into allegations that U.S. Central Command officials falsified or distorted intelligence found nothing to support such allegations, according to a DOD IG report issued yesterday.

    Still, the investigators did find ways to improve the command’s intelligence directorate, and made several recommendations.

    "While the allegations were unsubstantiated, the DOD IG’s report did provide thoughtful and helpful recommendations on ways to make improvements within the command and we are taking those and others’ recommendations to heart and acting on them," said Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, Centcom’s commander.

    The investigation covered the period between May 2014 and September 2015, when now-retired Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin, III, was in command. The allegations centered on charges that intelligence leaders at Centcom were falsifying or skewing intelligence to make the campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant look more successful than it was. "In sum, we did not substantiate the most serious allegation, which was that intelligence was falsified," the report says. "Only a few witnesses described intelligence assessments as false, and they did not provide specific examples that supported the allegation. Specifically, they did not point out, and we did not find, specific intelligence products that contained false - untrue - facts or analysis." The investigators also did not find attempts to skew the intelligence to present a rosier picture, according to the report. "It is important to note that we did find some basis for the analysts’ perception of distortion, and we understand how they arrived at this perception," the report states.

    The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said he will let the record of the investigation stand on its own, and indicated that Centcom leaders will examine and implement the recommendations as warranted. "I want to take the opportunity to thank the men and women of the Centcom for their extraordinary commitment, hard work and competence," Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford said in a statement. "They have led the fight against ISIL and it is due to their efforts that we have the momentum in the fight and the opportunity to move even more aggressively in the months ahead. I particularly want to thank our intelligence professionals at Centcom for their contributions." The chairman said he has complete confidence in the leadership of the crucial command. "General Lloyd Austin is one of the finest leaders I have ever served with," Dunford said. "He is a man of integrity and rock-solid character. On his watch, we began to turn the tide against ISIL. General Joe Votel has picked up where General Austin left off and has taken the campaign to the next level."

    The investigators did identify specific weaknesses and flaws in Centcom’s intelligence management processes for creating intelligence products. They believed these weaknesses contributed to the perception that senior leaders were distorting intelligence. The report lists ineffective communication and guidance, lack of adequate feedback, ambiguity and uncertainty about certain policies and the ambiguous status of Defense Intelligence Agency analysts assigned to Centcom as among the problems the command can fix.

    "Overall, the report confirmed what I have witnessed firsthand since joining the Central Command team," Votel said. "Like my predecessor Centcom commanders, I enjoy tremendous support from our intelligence professionals. Their efforts greatly enhance our effectiveness and are critical to our success. Centcom is a world-class organization, and our greatest asset is our people. We will continue to support and empower them while always striving to further improve our systems and processes for the betterment of the command and our ability to protect our national interests."

    U.S. Central Command Headquarters is located on MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla.

 

Vlad is in Hungary

    

    On his first trip to the European Union since the U.S. presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin today is heading to Hungary, the nation whose leader has cozied up to Moscow despite Russia-West tensions.

 

Afghanistan rejects U.S. watchdog's report

    

    An American watchdog group says Afghan national security forces lost about 7,000 personnel in the first 11 months of 2016 and the U.S.-backed government controls less than 60 percent of the country.

 

Kiev continues to violate cease-fire agreement, Russia says

    

    Ukrainian forces are using heavy artillery to shell Donetsk residential areas in a clear violation of the Minsk agreements, the Russian Foreign Ministry has said, adding that Kiev seems to favor a military resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. Heavy artillery and rockets hit residential areas in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday amid a new outburst of fighting between government troops and Russia-backed separatist rebels, killing at least eight people and injuring dozens.

    Meanwhile, The Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), which is attempting to regulate the conflict in eastern Ukraine, has urged both sides to adhere scrupulously to the agreed cease-fire and to withdraw heavy weaponry away from the contact line as previously agreed.

 

Anti-Semitic hate crime at record high in the U.K.

By Lisa Levine, New of the Force Tel Aviv

    

    Anti-Semitic hate crime in the U.K. increased by more than a third last year, with recorded incidents now at record levels, charity figures suggest.

    Aleppo has been scarred beyond recognition: Weeks after fighting stopped, a pall of dust covers its eastern districts, where streets are lined for blocks with buildings smashed to metal and brick rubble in scenes reminiscent of cities during World War II.

    Reacting to the recent suspension by the United States of its longstanding refugee program, United Nations Secretary General Antio Guterres said resettlement is often "the only possible solution" for people fleeing conflict and persecution, and that the U.S. policy, which bars entry of Syrians into the country, "should be removed sooner rather than later."

    U.S. and Coalition forces attack, bomber and fighter aircraft and rocket artillery conducted 16 strikes in 19 engagements in Syria yesterday: Near Abu Kamal, four strikes destroyed four oil wellheads, two oil storage tanks and an oil pump jack. Near Bab, a strike destroyed four ISIL-held buildings. Near Dayr Az Zawr, four strikes destroyed two oil pump jacks, an oil tanker truck and an oil wellhead. And near Raqqa, seven strikes destroyed an oil storage tank, an oil barrel, an oil inlet manifold, an oil separation tank, a vehicle bomb, a tunnel and a weapons storage facility, and damaged a supply route.

    "In Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces with their affiliated Syrian-Arab Coalition fighters continue to back-clear and strengthen defensive positions 2 to 3 miles west of Tabqa Dam, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman said yesterday. "As local Arab tribes join the ranks, the Coalition will continue to bolster these fighters' abilities with training, weapons and equipment as we have already done for more than 3,000 members of the SAC," said U.S. Air Force Col. John Dorrian yesterday. "And recently," he added, "the Coalition provided several Guardian armored vehicles to give the Syrian-Arab coalition increased survivability from ISIL's small arms and homemade bomb threats. We continue to deconflict strikes, air operations and, more recently, ground operations, and sharing targeting information," Dorrian said of the fight in Syria. "We believe the Coalition is more lethal against ISIL due to these unified efforts."

    For the first time in about 25 years, Israel has announced it will build a new settlement in the West Bank, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said yesterday.

    And President Reuven Rivlin has apologized to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted his apparent support for a wall on the Mexico-U.S. border.

 

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    Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Time may be a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.

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U.S. Air Force

    

    A lieutenant colonel in Kansas' Civil Air Patrol has resigned his command after posting on Facebook a call for the death of a state lawmaker. He had been the commander of the 77th Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol in Emporia, Kansas. Amazingly enough, none of this had anything to do with the CAP - it was the result of a controversy over allowing students and faculty to be allowed to carry concealed weapons on the state's campuses. Still, for the Civil Air Patrol, it's just "another bad review."

     Speaking of bad reviews: The U.S. Air Force has stripped a retired general of two stars for having a sexual relationship with a lower ranking female officer several years ago, before he left the service. Air Force Gen. Arthur Lichte retired in January 2010. But following an investigation into a complaint filed by a former subordinate, the Air Force has demoted him to major general. That will cut his monthly retirement pay by about $5,000, to roughly $13,000 a month. The Air Force said yesterday that Lichte engaged in inappropriate sexual activity with the woman. Because the misconduct occurred more than five years ago, he could not be charged under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Lichte led the Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois from 2007-09. The Air Force, however, was able to take administrative action and issued a letter of reprimand. The female officer initially filed a private, restricted complaint last July, seven years after the most recent incidents, which victims sometimes do to seek help or counseling. She changed it a month later to an unrestricted report, which automatically triggers an investigation. According to the Air Force report on the investigation, which was heavily redacted, Lichte and the woman officer engaged in sexual conduct that the general said he believed was consensual. The woman officer told investigators that she felt she had no choice because of his rank and who he was. The report said there were two incidents of inappropriate sexual behavior in 2007, when Lichte was a lieutenant general and serving as the assistant vice chief of staff in the Pentagon. It happened again with the same woman officer in 2009 when he was serving as commander of the Air Mobility Command. Former Air Force Secretary Deborah James reviewed the investigation and issued Lichte a letter of reprimand. The matter was later referred to a three-member Officer Grade Determination Board, which decides at what rank an officer may retire based on when he or she last served satisfactorily. The board concluded that major general was the last rank he served in satisfactorily, and Acting Air Force Secretary Lisa Disbrow made the final decision this week to demote him by two ranks. Lichte will not be required to pay back any of the additional retirement money he has already received.

    TASER International, in Scottsdale, Ariz., yesterday announced the receipt of a purchase order for 1,345 TASER X23P Smart Weapons from the U.S. Air Force.

    The Harris Corp. has received a $16.1 million Air Force contract and will hire more than 200 new workers in Central Florida. Under the contract, the Harris Corp. will work with the U.S. Air Force to support depot and sustainment engineering, and repairable and disposable items handling.

    The Boeing Co.'s business unit Defense, Space & Security has won a contract from the U.S. Air Force to provide engineering support services. The contract is worth $983 million.

    The U.S. Air Force has announced the completion of two modifications to its T-38C Talon supersonic jet trainer aircraft.

    This weekend's visit by President Donald Trump, the first to Palm Beach, Fla., since he was sworn in, by no means marks the first time Air Force One has been there, but if you live near there and want to see the plane, that's possible this weekend.

    The Pentagon decided last year to change the mission of the 914th Airlift Wing of the Air Force Reserve, at Niagara Air Force Station, N.Y., by reassigning its eight C-130 cargo planes. And now, the first of the unit's KC-135R Stratotankers has arrived at the base.

    The Air Force has changed its policy of automatically limiting or curtailing the orders of pregnant members of the Air Force Reserve serving on active duty.

    To ensure the flying safety of Air Force choppers used to save lives in combat, maintenance crews from the 920th Rescue Wing are swapping out their rescue helicopters for combat operations.

    Two recent graduates - Afghan aircraft maintainers - were trained by Total Force airmen from Youngstown Air Reserve Station, Ohio, and Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga.

    Soldiers from the Massachusetts Army National Guard's Detachment 1, Charlie Company, are scheduled to leave Barnes Air National Guard Base as they depart on their deployment.

    In Houston, Texas, on Sunday, no aircraft (including drones) will be allowed near the area of Super Bowl 50, and Air National Guard jets and helicopters will be nearby to intercept.

    Members of the Air National Guard and Houston local law enforcement remained on high alert yesterday as pilots took to the skies for exercise "Falcon Virgo." The training missions are part of Operation Noble Eagle, launched by the 1st Air Force/Continental U.S. NORAD Region (CONR), which oversees air defenses for the continental United States after the 2001 terror attacks, said Maj. Andrew J. Scott, a Public Affairs Officer in the 601st Air Operations Center. "For special events like the Super Bowl, NORAD works with interagency partners to make sure the skies over the NRG Stadium are safe," he said. The FAA has issued a temporary flight restriction (TFR) for Sunday with air travel restricted in a 30-mile radius around the stadium between 4 p.m., and midnight. The core 10-mile radius around the stadium is a stricter "no-fly" zone, with very few aircraft allowed to enter that area. Drones aren't permitted anywhere within the 30-mile radius. NORAD will have fighter jets and tanker planes available to fuel those jets in case an aircraft needs to be intercepted. Authorities will issue warnings by radio before intercepting any planes. "'Falcon Virgo' is a cost-effective and highly effective exercise conducted throughout the year that helps the Air Force practice critical maneuvers associated with major events," said Major Gen. Joe Vazquez, the Civil Air Patrol's national commander.

    Air Force Brig. Gen. Carol A. Timmons is poised to take over command of the Delaware Army and Air National Guard. She's been the state's Assistant Adjutant General-Air since January 2012.

    Civil Air Patrol Cadet Wesley Phillips, of Wewahitchka, Fla., was recently promoted to cadet staff sergeant. It's the fifth enlisted grade in the CAP Cadet Program's rank structure.

    And Second Lt. Randy Reum has officially accepted command of the Worthington, Minn.-based Civil Air Patrol squadron.

 

Samsung to build factory in the U.S.

    

    Call it "the Trump effect." Samsung announced early today that it will build a factory somewhere in the U.S. The location has not yet been announced.

    President Trump (@realDonaldTrump) tweeted today: "Thank you @samsung. We would love to have you!"

 

U.S. Army

    

    The United States Army has deployed thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry to Poland, the Baltic states and southeastern Europe.

    Another U.S. Army All-American is off the board, and he's a huge pick up for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Willie Gay is a high school four-star linebacker.

    President Donald Trump reportedly threatened in a phone call with his Mexican counterpart to send U.S. troops to stop "bad hombres down there."

    The U.S. defense firm Syracuse Research Corporation (SRC) has won a $65 million contract from U.S. Army for up to 15 unmanned aerial system (UAS) drones.

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said yesterday it had taken initial steps to "expeditiously review requests for approvals to construct and operate" the Dakota Access pipeline.

    Manned gun turrets on some U.S. Army Reserve Humvees are being replaced with common remotely operated weapon stations (CROWS).

    Army Active Guard and Reserve (AGR) officers and warrant officers are now able to apply for a voluntary transfer to the Army's cyber branch.

    In southeastern Texas, a U.S. Army reservist is accusing a demolition contractor of unlawful practices, violating the law by terminating him based, in part, on his service in the U.S. Army Reserve.

    For people interested in serving their country, the Massachusetts Army National Guard will be hosting an informal information session called "Guardex International" where recruiters will be available to talk with them, at the Agawam Armory.

    Valencia County and Los Lunas officials have participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Army National Guard recruitment office in Los Lunas, Calif.

    And two military daughters were surprised on Jan. 5th at Cosby High School in Midlothian, Va., by their mother’s early return from a yearlong deployment to Iraq. The reunion was organized for Caroline Prekker, a sophomore at CHS, and Lindsay Prekker, a junior at Old Dominion University. Army Col. Beth Prekker was due to return from her deployment in late January. She and her husband, Rick Prekker, a retired soldier, wanted to give their children a day to remember. Anne Canipe, a history teacher at the school, helped the Prekkers to develop a ruse - Col. Prekker would take part via video conference in a discussion about veterans and the students’ future plans, and Lindsay was invited to talk to the students about college and the application process. Canipe invited the local media to share the “good things that are happening in Chesterfield.” During the lesson, Canipe tried to skype Prekker, but the class thought there was a technical issue when she did not pick up the call, but Prekker was waiting in the back of the room to surprise her daughters. When she came out, her daughters leaped from their chairs and ran to her. "I have so much adrenaline going right now; I am shaking," Prekker said. "It is so good to be home, to be able to be with them, to have somebody to do things with. I missed them a lot." The daughters had no idea they were going to be surprised. "I kind of thought it might be happening,” Caroline said. "I didn't want to get my hopes up though." Lindsay had not seen her mom since last winter break. "When I stood behind the column, it was so hard not to start crying," Prekker said. "I was just so excited, and thinking let’s just get this over with, I want to see them." It was hard to keep it quiet, Rick said. "The girls have gone through five deployments and every time it is a new experience," he said. "A surprise reunion is a great welcome and always fun." The girls have found the toughest part of the deployments is not having their mom around. "It has gotten easier the past couple of years to stay in touch because of technology," Lindsay said. "In the earlier years, we would be lucky to get a phone call, but now we can video chat, email and make phone calls." After leave, Col. Prekker plans to head back to Fort Riley, Kansas, where she is stationed, but she hopes to have orders cut for Fort Lee soon.The Prekkers agreed it is hard being apart, but the time they are together is quality time.

 

Troops to get training on new Blended Retirement System

     

    The Defense Department has launched mandatory training for eligible service members about their options under the "Blended Retirement System" nearly a year before that new system goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2018, Defense Department officials said.

    The new military retirement system is "one of the most significant changes to military pay and benefits that we've had over the past 70 years," said Anthony Kurta, who is performing the duties of undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. It is important for eligible service members to know their options under the legacy and new systems and choose the retirement plan that works best for them and their families, Kurta told Pentagon reporters yesterday. "We'll now be able to offer to 85 percent of our force a portable government retirement savings while still maintaining a traditional pension for those that serve at least 20 years," he said.

    The new system, he said, is a key step in modernizing the military's ability to recruit, retain and maintain the best talent for the future force, he said, noting the changes bring the military in line with similar private-sector retirement plans and provide more options for service members.

    The changes to the military retirement system are authorized in the fiscal year 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, explained Andrew Corso, the assistant director of military compensation policy and project lead for the implementation of the new system. The new system blends features from the existing system, including a traditional defined-benefit annuity, with new benefits including automatic and matching Thrift Savings Plan contributions, as well as an incentive payment at the mid-career point, Corso said, in an interview with DOD News. The goal of the blended system, Corso said, is to provide benefits to a wider swath of members as compared to the current system. The mandatory opt-in training is available on the common-access-card-enabled Joint Knowledge Online website, and through Military OneSource, he explained. The training through Military OneSource does not require a CAC, so it is convenient for troops and their families to access, he pointed out.

    All currently serving members are grandfathered under their legacy retirement plans. Active component service members with fewer than 12 years of service as of Dec. 31, 2017, and reservists in a pay status with fewer than 4,320 retirement points as of Dec. 31, 2017, are covered under the existing system, but are eligible to opt into the Blended Retirement System if they choose. Eligible service members have until the end of 2018 to make the switch.

    Service members who join the military on or after Jan. 1, 2018, will be automatically enrolled in the new system and will be required to take mandated training about the Blended Retirement System within their first year of service.

    Troops who do not meet the above criteria to opt in will remain covered under the legacy system and will not have the option to switch.

    Service members are encouraged to go over their options carefully before making decisions on their retirement, said Kim Myers, an official with the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Force Education and Training. Military personnel are encouraged to visit with a local personal financial counselor or personal financial manager at their installation or a financial counselor through Military OneSource, Myers said. "It's a very personalized and individual decision," she added.

    About 80 percent of service members leave the service before their 20-year mark, when they would be eligible for retirement benefits under the current system, Corso said. The Blended Retirement System allows members to earn government retirement benefits early in their career, he said, noting members can take those benefits with them even if they don't end up retiring from the military. "The goal of modernizing the retirement system was to go from a system that benefits about 20 percent of all service members to one that benefits about 85 percent of all service members," he said.

    Under the Blended Retirement System, the DOD will automatically contribute 1 percent of a service member's basic pay to that individual's TSP account after 60 days of service, with matching contributions up to 4 percent to begin at the start of three years through the completion of 26 years of service. For opt-in-eligible service members, both the automatic and matching contributions would start the first pay period following election into the BRS. Further, the blended system offers a cash payment to service members once they reach eight to 12 years of service and opt to stay in for a minimum of three more years.

    The third part of the Blended Retirement System is a defined benefit or a monthly annuity, similar to what service members get today. The new system, however, uses a 2-percent, rather than 2.5-percent, multiplier in calculating military retired pay for the defined benefit.

 

Homeland insecurity

    

    The Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Inspector General announced late yesterday that it will conduct a broad review of President Trump's immigration bans.

    Meanwhile, the morale of employees at the DHS and its agencies has "sky-rocketed" under President Trump.

    And Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly is setting his sights on completing President Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall in two years.

 

UFO news

    

    News that UFOs have reportedly been captured on video while flying around Komtar, in Malaysia, already in this new year is currently making the rounds on social media.

    

 

 

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