News of the Force: Wednesday, April 19, 2017 - Page 1

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Wednesday, April 19, 2017 - Today is Dutch-American Friendship Day

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France thwarts terror attack

    

    Extremism concerns shook France's presidential campaign yesterday as authorities announced arrests in what they said was a thwarted attack and candidates urged tougher counter-terrorism efforts for a country already under a state of emergency. The men plotting the attack were arrested in the southern city of Marseille by agents from France's domestic intelligence agency.

 

British prime minister calls for new elections

    

    Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain announced yesterday that she would call an early election, seeking to strengthen her government's mandate while it negotiates the country's withdrawal from the European Union.

 

North Korea takes President Trump's attention

    

    North Korea was unable to successfully test a missile over the weekend, but the country has been able to force President Trump off his campaign promises.

    U.S. Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea on Monday not to test U.S.' military might by pursuing its nuclear weapons program, citing recent strikes in Syria and Afghanistan as proof of American "strength and resolve."

    U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis said yesterday that North Korea is hoping to "provoke" the global community with its recent ballistic missile tests.

    And the costs of a 21st-century conflict on the Korean Peninsula would be devastatingly high. The first and only time your editor has been jolted awake by air-raid sirens came in Taegu, South Korea, in 1983.

 

Inherent Resolve strikes target ISIS in Iraq

     

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

    In Iraq, coalition military forces conducted 12 strikes consisting of 96 engagements against ISIS targets: Near Mosul, eight strikes engaged six ISIS tactical units, destroyed 11 fighting positions, six rocket-propelled grenade systems, five anti-air artillery systems, four medium machine guns, four vehicle-borne bombs, a weapons cache, a front-end loader, an ISIS vehicle and a command-and-control node, and suppressed four fighting positions, four ISIS supply routes and four ISIS tactical units; Near Qaim, a strike engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed a dump truck; Near Rawah, a strike destroyed an anti-air artillery system; Near Rutbah, a strike destroyed an ISIS bunker; and near Tal Afar, a strike destroyed a weapons cache.

 

'Climate change' has rerouted a river in Canada's Yukon

    The rare case of "river piracy" that usually takes thousands of years happened in mere months, according to a new report.

 

Houthis firing Iranian-supplied missiles into Saudi Arabia, U.S. secretary of Defense says

     

    The United States and its allies and partners hope a U.N. team will negotiate an end to the conflict in Yemen, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said yesterday.

    "We see Iranian-supplied missiles being fired by the Houthis into Saudi Arabia - and this is something, with the number of innocent people dying inside Yemen, that has simply got to be brought to an end," Mattis told reporters on his plane while en route to Saudi Arabia. The goal is for a U.N. team to try to resolve the conflict "politically, as soon as possible," Mattis said.

    Last month, the commander of the U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel, described Yemen as a "critically unstable state engrossed in a civil war." The situation, as Votel explained in a written statement to the House Armed Services Committee, has produced a "significant humanitarian crisis and growing instability ripe for exploitation" by violent extremist organizations, most notably al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula and IS-Yemen, an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. "The lack of a comprehensive peace agreement that leads to a durable resolution of the conflict under a unified Yemeni government further contributes to continued uncertainty in the country," Votel said.

 

The mummies return!

    Egyptian officials unearthed eight mummies, 10 colorful sarcophagi and numerous figurines in 3,500-year-old tombs, the Ministry of Antiquities announced yesterday.

 

Trump administration says Iran in compliance, but nuclear deal is under review

    

    The U.S. State Department informed Congress yesterday that Iran is in compliance with the nuclear deal and that it will continue relief from sanctions under the agreement.

    Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said late yesterday that the Trump administration is weighing whether to effectively break the terms of the Iran nuclear deal, while certifying that the Islamic nation is upholding the terms of the landmark 2015 agreement.

 

ISIS claims attack on Egyptian checkpoint

By Lisa Levine, News of the Force Tel Aviv

    

    The Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group has claimed responsibility for an attack on an Egyptian police checkpoint near the famed Saint Catherine's Monastery in Sinai late yesterday which authorities said killed one policeman and wounded four others.

    When the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun was hit this month with an attack of poison gas, the incident drew international condemnation and prompted the Trump administration to launch a retaliatory missile strike.

    Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has met with the head of Russia's upper house of Parliament in a meeting that emphasized the two sides' differences over the role of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a resolution to the Syrian civil war.

    In Syria yesterday, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 28 engagements against ISIS targets: Near Abu Kamal, five strikes engaged an ISIS tactical unit and destroyed three ISIS oil equipment materials, an ISIS vehicle and an ISIS wellhead. Near Dayr Az Zawr, five strikes destroyed five ISIS barges and five ISIS wellheads. Near Raqqa, eight strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed three vehicle-borne bombs, two fighting positions, two command-and-control nodes, an ISIS bridge, an anti-air artillery system and a weapons cache, and suppressed a mortar team and an ISIS tactical unit. Adn near Tabqah, three strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units, destroyed two fighting positions and suppressed an ISIS tactical unit.

    A Christian tourist has been arrested by the police for attacking an Israeli guard - and says he "was sent by Jesus," but did his divine instructions include attacking Israelis?

    And a Palestinian university lecturer says the Bible is wrong in that Moses led the Muslims in the exodus from Egypt.

 

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    Couzin Gym's Thought for the Day: Being male is a matter of birth. Being a man is a matter of age. But being a gentleman is a matter of choice.

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Homeland insecurity

    

    President Trump signed an executive order yesterday that directs federal agencies to review employment immigration laws to promote his "Hire American" policy.

    For the first time in years, the number of H-1B visa applications has de-creased - a signal that President Trump's “America First” rhetoric is deterring employers from hiring foreign workers, experts say.

    A 23-year-old man who was at one time a protected undocumented immigrant under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy has been deported from the U.S.

    Within the space of two days, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly has seemingly toughened his stance on marijuana. He now says it's "a potentially dangerous gateway drug."

    Investigators are continuing their search today for two missing hikers who were swept away in a Grand Canyon creek.

    Secretary Kelly says the terror risk for the U.S. is currently as high as it was on Sept. 11, 2001.

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested a "Most wanted" sex offender in Colorado.

    The secretary of Homeland Security visited the state of New Mexico yesterday to talk about the fire danger there.

    President Trump has blamed former President Barack Obama for the spread of the MS-13 gang. "It is a serious problem and we never did anything about it, and now we're doing something about it," the president said.

    And Northeastern Missouri counties can now submit applications to receive funding through the State Homeland Security Program.

 

The Democrats get another bad review

    All eyes were on suburban Atlanta Tuesday as Georgia's sixth congressional held a special House election Democrats hoped would send a message to President Trump while Republicans worked to keep their grip on a seat that has been theirs for 38 years. But the Republicans avoided an embarrassing defeat in the U.S. House race by forcing a runoff against Democrat Jon Ossoff, who captured the most votes with a groundswell of grass-roots activism and millions in donations.

    President Trump on Monday attacked his political enemies seeking an upset in Georgia's special congressional election, blasting the leading Democratic candidate as a "super liberal" who "wants to protect criminals."

    Meanwhile, some voting machines were reportedly stolen in Cobb County, Ga., ahead of the high-profile special election. The machines were allegedly stolen from a precinct manager's car on Saturday.

 

U.S. Air Force

    

    The U.S. Air Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept two Russian long-range bombers as they flew about 100 miles off the Alaskan coast on Monday night, the first time since President Trump took office that Moscow has sent warplanes so close to the United States, the military said yesterday. The two Russian TU-95 "Bear" bombers were intercepted in international airspace off the coast of Alaska by two U.S. F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, the Pentagon has confirmed.

    The creation of a monument in California honoring U.S. Air Force veterans has begun, but the project is still $50,000 short of the $90,000 price tag.

    The U.S. Forest Service and Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., are getting ready for nearly one week of training with the C-130 Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System (MAFFS).

    One of the many requirements to serve in the United States military is to meet physical fitness standards. One Alaska Air National Guardsman is exceeding not only his fitness standards, but is an award-winning fitness competitor and coach who’s leading others to success. Air Force Staff Sgt. Jean-Paul Williams, a 168th Force Support Flight Services craftsman, balances his Guard duties with his job as a personal trainer at a gym in Olympia, Wash. As he trains others, he also focuses on his goals as a fitness competitor. "Fitness has always been important to me, but there came a time where I needed more than just the satisfaction of passing my physical training test," Williams said. Faced with disciplinary action and the possibility of getting kicked out of the National Guard, Williams made the decision to take his fitness to the next level. "That’s what kick-started my motivation to compete," he said. Williams has participated in nine fitness competitions, qualifying for nationals eight times. In order to qualify for nationals, competitors must place top five in their class. Williams most recently competed in the Washington Iron Man competition in October 2016, placing first in Class D men’s physique. "My personal goals encompass power-lifting principles, athletic training, body-building and a little bit of cross fit," he said. "Being a self-coached competitor, I also have to be very meticulous with what I put into my body. Working through the fatigue has helped me learn how to be resilient." One of the most important aspects of training for a fitness competition is focusing on nutrition, Williams said. Eating healthy is about 85 to 95 percent of what leads to the best results. Being able to focus on multiple aspects to reach a goal can help reduce stress and the ability to multi-task. Williams is now training for a competition later this year. If he places first or second at nationals, he will be awarded the title of pro competitor. "I’ve witnessed him evolve tremendously," said Air Force Master Sgt. Claudia Cen, the 168th FSF's services non-commissioned officer in charge, who has been a mentor for Williams throughout his career. "He has grown and matured. I see that as he learns to apply discipline in his routine, he has also applied it in his job." Discipline is just as important as working hard, Cen said. The more that he used fitness as an outlet and continued to educate himself, the easier it was to overcome the challenges he faced, she said. One of Williams’ duties in the Guard is tracking and facilitating fitness testing. He works with a team that communicates with each unit fitness program manager to ensure airmen are current with their physical training tests, and often works full-time to support the active duty services team during busier training months. As a noncommissioned officer, he is also responsible for mentoring airmen and acts as an advocate for anyone seeking fitness advice. "I understand that I can't hold everyone to the same standard I hold myself to," Williams said. "As long as everyone is living a healthy lifestyle and passing their fitness assessments, that benefits the wing as a whole. When people pass their physical training tests, they tend to be happier and can focus on the mission." Williams said he has trained 20 to 30 people during the six years he has served in the Guard and is currently training 10 individuals in his civilian job. His clients range from high school students involved in sports to those going through rehabilitation training, service members and people interested in losing weight. "Being a part of the 168th has been a great experience and I’ve definitely learned a lot along the way," he said. "Even though I use my personal passion for fitness as an outlet, all of the hard work I’ve put into myself shows in my work ethic. It has made me a better airman. Whatever you set your mind to, if you do it whole-heartedly, you're going to get an end result that will make you happy."

    The 2017 Air Force Photo Contest is opening soon. The photo contest is part of the Air Force's arts and crafts program that develops the skills and creative abilities of airmen by getting them involved. It will accept applications from May 1st to May 31st.

    The U.S. Air Force Academy's Falconaires big band will perform a free concert on Thursday, April 27th, 7:30 p.m., local time, in the Kirkham Auditorium at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

    Another alum of the Air Force Academy is bound for the International Space Station (ISS). NASA Astronaut Col. Jack Fischer will blast off to the ISS soon.

    The U.S. Air Force's nuclear programs, including those for its new bomber and next-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles, will be "put at risk" by another continuing resolution, the service says.

    A Teen Aviation Camp is set for June 24th-30th at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.

    The U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing has supported NASA's successful launch of an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

    An Air Force Reserve wing at Dover AFB, Del., now has its second new commander within three years.

    The chief of the Air Force Reserve Command, Lt. Gen. Maryanne Miller, has given opening remarks at the Outstanding Airman of the Year banquet for the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC).

    Reserve and Air National Guard airmen from select Air Force officer and enlisted specialties may now serve on active duty in vacant positions for three years.

    The Air Force MiCare system now lets patients at Air Force hospitals and clinics communicate securely with their health providers.

    Today’s fight against terrorism doesn't rest on the shoulders of one country. It’s a team fight, meaning countries must work together to effectively defeat the threat. To better support that team, members of the German air force’s Air Ground Operations Squadron partnered with the U.S. Air Force’s 19th Air Support Operations Squadron to conduct a close air support exercise, April 10th-14th at Camp Grayling, Mich. "With everything happening in the Middle East and across the globe, like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria trying to fight their way into the European area, it provides a legitimate reason as to why we should all get together and become as strong as we can through joint training," said Air Force Master Sgt. Thomas Jenn, the 19th Air Support Operations Squadron's division flight chief. This training is relevant because nearly every operation the U.S. engages in, such as Operation Inherent Resolve, is a joint effort. "NATO is fighting together as a coalition," said German Air Force Major Nader Samadi, the AGOS' commander. "We do everything together, whether it’s U.S. or other NATO partners, the standards are the same. We try to work the same ways so we're interoperable, and that’s the best thing."

    A South Dakota Air National Guard member has won a claim where she argued her former employer failed to hire her back after she returned from active duty service.

    Members of the Wisconsin Air National Guard's 128th Air Refueling Wing have returned home from their deployment to Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    Members of the Civil Air Patrol's California Wing are assisting the Sierra County Sheriff's Office in the search for a plane that took off from Truckee, Calif., and went missing.

    And Civil Air Patrol Capt. Dean Srygley, of Dover, Del., addressed the Dover-Capital City Rotary Club at its April 13th luncheon meeting at the Maple Dale Country Club.

 

NOAA news

    

    NOAA's FAA-approved Graphical Forecasts for Aviation product provides observational data, forecasts and warnings that can be viewed up to 14 hours after a weather event.

    And President Trump has renewed funding for NOAA's tsunami detection programs.

 

U.S. Coast Guard

    

             USCGC Morganthau (WHEC-722)

    The U.S. Coast Guard had to rescue multiple people across the Great Lakes over the Easter weekend.

    The Coast Guard is issuing warning about the still-cold waters of the Great Lakes. "Hypothermia can set in very quickly," advised Cmdr. Leanne Lusk, the search and rescue coordinator for the Coast Guard's Lake Michigan area.

    Bahrain is praising its cooperation with the United states Coast Guard.

    The new USCGC Munro (WMSL-755) uses a combined diesel and gas (CODAG) propulsion system.

    The U.S. Coast Guard says a tow boat has sunk in the Mississippi River, and it's watching for any fuel spills.

    Erma First says it has submitted an application to the U.S. Coast Guard to approve its ballast water treatment system (BWTS), making it the sixth firm to do so.

    The U.S. Coast Guard rescued three overdue boaters from the Gulf of Mexico, 15 miles off the coast of Crystal River, Fla., yesterday.

    After 48 years of service, the Coast Guard will decommission its high-endurance cutter, USCGC Morganthau (WHEC-722).

    And Coast Guard officials in New Orleans, La., have rescued a crewman aboard a barge, the Pacific Shore, who was having what appeared to be a medical emergency.

 

The FBI

    

    Bhadreshkumar Chetanbhai Patel, a 26-year-old wanted for the April 2015 murder of his wife in an Anne Arundel County, Md., donut shop, has been named to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted fugitives list. He's charged with inter-state flight to avoid prosecution and a $20,000 reward is being offered.

 

American Red Cross

    

    The American Red Cross' BASH returned to Sacramento, Calif., on Saturday, March 18th, at the McClellan Conference Center to salute 100 years of serving the area.

    The American Red Cross will host a blood drive in St. Ignace, Mich., on Tuesday, April 25th, from noon to 5:45 p.m., at the St. Ignace United Methodist Church.

    The Southeast Minnesota Chapter of the American Red Cross is seeking volunteers to serve on its Board of Directors.

    The American Red Cross of Maine and local partners went to work last Saturday installing free smoke alarms in Machias and East Machias.

    The Ohio River Valley American Red Cross' 5th annual "Dancing With Our Stars" fundraising event was held at the SOMC Friend's Center in late March.

    And fire victims who were forced out of their home early last Friday morning are being aided by the Northeastern New York Chapter of the American Red Cross.

 

Former U.S. president hospitalized again

By Jim Corvey, News of the Force St. Louis

    

    Former President George H.W. Bush has been hospitalized in Houston, Texas, for four days with a recurrence of a case of pneumonia he had earlier in the year, a family spokesman said yesterday.

    The 92-year-old former president and father of former president George W. Bush has been in Methodist Hospital in Houston since Friday for observation because of a persistent cough, Bush spokesman Jim McGrath said in a brief statement. He said doctors diagnosed a mild case of pneumonia that has been treated and resolved. The former president "is in very good spirits and is being held for further observation while he regains his strength," McGrath said.

    Bush, who served as president from 1989 to 1993, had spent 16 days in the hospital for treatment of pneumonia in January. He was hospitalized in 2015 in Maine after falling at his summer home and breaking a bone in his neck. He was also hospitalized in Houston the previous December for about a week for shortness of breath. He spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.

    Bush has a form of Parkinson's disease and uses a motorized scooter or a wheelchair for mobility. Despite his loss of mobility, Bush celebrated his 90th birthday by making a tandem parachute jump in Kennebunkport, Maine. Last summer, Bush led a group of 40 wounded warriors on a fishing trip at the helm of his speedboat, three days after his 92nd birthday celebration.

    George Herbert Walker Bush, born June 12, 1924, in Milton, Mass., also served as a congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagan's vice president.

 

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