News of the Force: Saturday, November 19, 2016 - Page 1

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Saturday, November 19, 2016 - Today is International Man's Day

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Mass grave discovered in Iraq

    

    ISIL fighters might be responsible for killing more than 300 Iraqi former police officers three weeks ago and burying them in a mass grave near the town of Hammam al-Alil, south of Mosul, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

    And 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. Attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely-piloted aircraft conducted eight strikes in Iraq, coordinated with and in support of the Iraqi government: Near Bashir, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit; Near Kisik, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed an ISIL-held building and a mortar system; Near Mosul, five strikes engaged an ISIL tactical unit, suppressed a mortar system, and destroyed an ISIL headquarters building, a weapons cache, five ISIL-held buildings, three mortar systems, two vehicles, and a watercraft; And near Rawah, a strike destroyed a bunker.

 

Protests erupt in Peru

    

    President Barack Obama boarded Air Force One to leave Tegel International Airport in Berlin, yesterday. Obama is heading to South America to attend the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru.

    The police in Lima, the Peruvian capital, stood guard during a protest against President Obama yesterday.

    There are winners and losers in Donald Trump's foreign policy. Russia and Israel look like winners. International trade and security alliances are likely to take some hits.

    The summit of top world leaders was urged yesterday to fight rising protectionism after Donald Trump's election victory stoked fears that free trade and the global economy are under threat.

 

Fuel tanker explodes in Mozambique

    At least 73 people were killed and scores injured in Mozambique when a fuel tanker exploded there on Thursday.

 

Turkish asylum requests in Germany more than double

    More than 4,400 Turkish citizens have applied for asylum in Germany this year, the government said yesterday, with numbers soaring since a failed coup attempt against Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

 

Aleppo's hospital complex bombed

    

    Doctors and nurses at a pediatric hospital in eastern Aleppo scrambled yesterday to evacuate babies in incubators to safety from underground shelters after the facility in the besieged Syrian city was bombed for the second time this week.

    Meanwhile, U.S. and Coalition forces attack, bomber, fighter, and remotely piloted aircraft conducted 19 strikes in Syria yesterday: Near Abu Kamal, a strike destroyed an oil well head. Near Ayn Isa, 13 strikes engaged 10 ISIL tactical units, damaged a supply route, and destroyed five fighting positions, a roadside bomb, a bomb-making facility, and an artillery system. Near Dayr Az Zawr, two strikes destroyed four oil well heads. Near Raqqa, two strikes engaged an ISIL storage facility and destroyed seven oil storage tanks and four oil transfer compressors. And near Tamakh, a strike engaged an ISIL tactical unit and destroyed a vehicle.

 

Trump's potential new Pentagon chief reveals strong support for NATO

    

    A contender for the post of defense secretary in the incoming Donald Trump administration offered a robust endorsement of NATO this week.

    The best way to deter conflict "is to be ironclad in our support for our NATO allies," Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton (R) said at the Defense One summit in Washington. Cotton, a former Army infantry officer and veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, was submitted as a potential pick by Vice Presidential-elect Mike Pence who is now leading transition efforts, a source told CNN Tuesday. "NATO is not a charity," he said. "We are in NATO because it's a security alliance that protects our interests."

    Trump has not publicly commented on NATO since winning the election, but during the campaign, the President-elect questioned whether the U.S. would come to the defense of an alliance member if that country was not meeting its commitment to defense spending. Only five of the 28 NATO members currently meet the recommended defense spending levels, which is 2% of GDP, though additional countries plan to meet that target in the coming years.

    Cotton, though, drew a distinction between these financial commitments and the need to come to the defense of any NATO member that comes under attack. "Article V is a treaty commitment. The 2% defense spend is a political commitment. There is a difference," Cotton said, referring to the mutual defense clause in the NATO founding treaty.

    His strong endorsement of the defense alliance followed comments made by President Barack Obama on Tuesday, where the President said that Trump had expressed support for NATO. "I am encouraged by the President-elect's insistence that NATO is a commitment that does not change," Obama said Thursday while appearing alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

    Cotton echoed this point in his comments. "Donald Trump has spoken about, about upholding our obligations and our alliances as part of our core interests," he said. Cotton also sounded a tough line on Russian and its leader Vladimir Putin. "To improve our relations with Russia, what needs to happen foremost is that Vladimir Putin has to have a new sense of boundaries," he said.

    Asked about whether he might be a candidate to head the Pentagon, Cotton demurred. "President-elect Trump will make these decisions in his own due time," he said.

 

U.S. Air Force

    

    When F-35 Joint Strike Fighter pilots take to the air in coming years, not only will their plane not be suitable for combat, it won't even be fully developed. Indeed, performance in multiple essential mission areas will be “unacceptable,” according to the Pentagon’s top weapons testing official.

    Air Force Reserve Line Recruiter Master Sgt. Joseph Poltor has been named the top Air Force Reserve recruiter.

    The commander of Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., has been nominated for promotion to brigadier general.

    The Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve conduct 88 percent of the air evacuation mission, primarily using C-130s, C-17s and KC-135s.

    Wyoming Air National Guard members have trained to be peace officers. The training was conducted by members of the 153rd Security Forces Squadron of the Wyoming Air National Guard, and the Wyoming Law Enforcement Academy.

    The Oklahoma Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is celebrating the CAP's 75th birthday this weekend. The wing is commanded by CAP Col. Dale Newell.

    And the Rest Haven Memorial Park, in Rockwall, Texas, will again join with the Lakeshore Civil Air Patrol squadron to host the annual "Wreaths Across America" observance.

 

Trump selects Sen. Jeff Sessions to be the new U.S. attorney general

    

    U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) has shown particular interest in national security, arguing as recently as June that the federal government is unable to fully vet refugees.

 

Homeland insecurity

    

    Top government officials such as Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson are urging device makers to secure everyday objects that connect to the Internet.

    The Northern Border Security Review Act, sponsored by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, has passed in the U.S. Senate and requires Homeland Security to examine the northern border.

    President-elect Donald Trump's reported desire to reinstate a registry for immigrants from Muslim countries would be logistically “really easy” but also ineffective, officials say.

    The Obama administration is blocking new oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Ocean, handing a victory to environmentalists.

 

U.S. Coast Guard

    

    USCGC Rollin Fritch, a new 153-foot Fast Response Cutter, was christened into service at Cape May, N.J., today. The Coast Guard hosted a public tour yesterday to allow local residents to see Cape May's new cutter.

    This time of year continues to be busy for Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City, Mich. Yesterday, members of the Aids to Navigation (ATON) team there were out working on Great Lakes lighthouses.

    The Pilgrim Monument and Provincetown Museum, in Massachusetts,  will honor U.S. Coast Guard Station Provincetown and Chief Petty Officer James Zerinskas.

    The U.S. Coast Guard in Key West, Fla., has repatriated 90 more Cuban migrants back to Cuba.

    And the Coast Guard Foundation has announced that Regional Director of Philanthropy Susan Ludwig will replace Anne B. Brengle as its president.

 

NOAA news

    

    The GOES-R geostationary satellite, set to launch today, is being billed as NOAA's most advanced satellite of its kind.

    And last month was only tied for the third warmest on record, but it's still highly likely that 2016 will end up being the hottest year in modern times, NOAA says.

 

 

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