Saturday, June 7, 2008

Apache 'Gunfighters' Execute Missions Above the Battlefield

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An AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopter gunship from the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, prepares for a night mission, May 31, 2008. The 1-1 ARB Gunfighter air and ground crews work around the clock sustaining air operations and are part of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan., flying in support of Task Force Iron, 1st Armored Division, in northern Iraq. Photo by Maj. Enrique Vasquez, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.

Dispatches from the Front:

TIKRIT, June 7, 2008 -- Since the days of early aviation, Army pilots have played a key role in the outcome of ground battles and air missions. For pilots flying the AH-64 Apache Longbows of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment in northern Iraq, the legacy of influencing the fight continues through careful mission preparation and teamwork. These pilots, known as the Gunfighters, are part of the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Infantry Division’s efforts to sustain a constant presence over the skies of northern Iraq in support of Task Force Iron.

However, before the Gunfighters jump into their cockpits and head out into the skies of Multi-National Division-North, they must plan meticulously prior to each mission.

“First thing we do is get our mission data cards for the aircraft ready through our AMPS [Aviation Mission Planning Station computer] via our CP [command post] with all the aircraft specific data. We receive our tail number and we print out the knee-board cards and communications cards,” said Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thaddeus Menold, air mission commander 1-1 ARB.

“From there we head over to the battalion Tactical Operations Center and receive a mission team brief,” said 1st Lt. Deborah Lindeman, Co. C, 1-1 ARB.

Personnel from the operations and intelligence staffs brief the pilots on the details of their mission to ensure they know what to expect.

“Pilots are briefed on the five Ws- who, what, where, when and why- in respect to the operations portion of the brief. The crews receive instructions on what the ground commanders want along with any changes in procedures or radio frequencies,” said 1st Lt. Peter Huang, a battle captain for 1-1 ARB.

“Furthermore, pilots receive any changes in battlespace and any updates as to what friendly forces are in the area of operations,” Huang continued.

Just as the operations officer gives a detailed briefing so does the intelligence officer. Everything the enemy might be doing or trying to do is briefed to include the careful articulation of possible enemy courses of action.

“We find patterns and trends the enemy might be engaged in like IED (improvised explosive devices], small arms fire and emplacements. We give the pilots an assessment so they know what to look for, how the enemy might act and what to expect,” said Staff Sgt. Floyd Perry, 1-1 ARB intelligence analyst.

“The intel guys can give a 72-hour look of what has happened in the area of operations as well as a threat analysis to tell us where the bad guys are, based on previous activity,” said Menold.

Once each Apache crew is briefed and understands their mission set, they receive a team brief by their air mission commander.

“After our intelligence and operations brief we go back to our CP and we do a team brief and we plan our route of ingress, our execution and our route of egress. We also discuss what our greatest threat might be, and what the greatest safety risk is,” said Menold.

“In addition we address what to do if we loose communications or have an emergency. From there we head out to the aircraft for pre-flight checks and we also check the weather one more time before we go on the mission,” said Menold.

Although the Apache is a two-seat helicopter, both pilots in an AH-64 Apache Longbow have a certain job to perform. While both are capable of flying the aircraft, the duties of the command pilot and the co-pilot gunner, called the CPG, are distinctly different in a combat situation.

“The pilot maneuvers the helicopter so that the CPG can fire,” said Lindeman.

“The advantage to being the CPG is that you have laser and you can shoot missiles or the 30mm cannon.”

The pilots must work together to accomplish in-flight tasks and duties.

“We just talk to each other and I let him (the pilot) know if I have something, where I am looking at left or right. From there the pilot can see the video I am looking at through my screen, he then places the aircraft to where I am looking,” said Lindeman.

During a mission, individual Apache crews work with a sister gunship and are part of a weapons attack team made up of two Apaches flying as a pair.

Mission success depends on the gunship crews working well with each other.

“I like crew coordination; not just in the cockpit but in the team. I like to see crew coordination between aircrafts. If someone has a minor problem, no matter how small, I want to know about it,” said Menold.

Each Apache crew has a distinct role during a mission set.

“The lead aircraft is the primary shooter, navigator and serves as the principal communicator with the ground force commander. The trail aircraft covers the lead aircraft should the lead aircraft take fire. The trail Apache also monitors the CTAF [Common Traffic Advisory Frequency] for air-to-air deconfliction,” said Capt. Jason Lynn, 1-1 ARB plans officer.

Supporting the ground units is what each mission is about.

“Mission success is measured by supporting the ground units and helping them get back to their bases safely. So we do our best to help them in any way we can,” said Menold.

“There is nothing better than catching someone emplacing IED. The ground units are always appreciative of us being there.”

There are several types of missions Apache crews often fly. The missions vary between counter IED reconnaissance, to ground support.

Apache pilots say they can see the positive contributions they are making in defeating insurgents.

“The violence has scaled down quite a bit since we got here,” said Menold.

“We used to catch a lot of insurgents emplacing IEDs. However, there are not as many emplacers as there used to be. We are definitely having an impact on IED activity,” said Menold.

(Story by Maj. Enrique T. Vasquez, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.)

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USS George Washington Damage Assessment Nearly Complete Following Fire at Sea

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SAN DIEGO (May 31, 2008) A fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) caused damage to the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration shop. George Washington is in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire on May 22. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Phillip Pavlovich (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 25, 2008) A fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington damaged electrical equipment in a space near the ventilation trunk for the auxiliary boiler. George Washington is in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following the at sea fire on May 22, 2008. U.S. Navy photo (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 25, 2008) A fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) caused cable damage in a shipboard training classroom. George Washington is in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire on May 22. U.S. Navy photo (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 29, 2008) A fire aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) damaged cables near the exhaust and supply ventilation trunk for the auxiliary boiler. George Washington is in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire on May 22. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ted Green (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 29, 2008) Mr. Curtis Wiles assess damage aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington is currently in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire May 22, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Phillip Pavlovich (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 29, 2008) Mr. Bret Haskins assess fire damage aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington is currently in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire May 22, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Phillip Pavlovich (Released)

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SAN DIEGO (May 29, 2008) Mr. Micheal Brown conducts an assessment of the fiber optic cable plan aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). George Washington is currently in San Diego for damage assessment and repairs following an at sea fire May 22, 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Phillip Pavlovich (Released)

News in Balance:

SAN DIEGO, June 7, 2008 -- Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet released the following statement surrounding the damage assessment of the USS George Washington (CVN 73) following a fire at sea on Thursday, May 22:

Navy officials have nearly completed a comprehensive damage assessment following the shipboard fire aboard George Washington that occurred on May 22 while at sea. The source of the fire has not yet been determined, but the fire was located in a ventilation intake/exhaust trunk that led from the lower decks of the ship to a ventilation port on the ship's outer hull several decks above. In addition to providing a ventilation path for non-critical machinery components that are located below the ship's waterline, the trunk has numerous piping and cabling runs located within it.

Damage to USS George Washington is primarily electrical in nature with some associated structural and mechanical repairs required. Fire and heat affected electrical cabling and components running through approximately 80 spaces of the more than 3800 total spaces on the carrier. The heat generated by the fire damaged a small portion of interior structural plating which will require either repair or replacement. Piping and related valves that were exposed to heat from the fire have been inspected and will require a minimal amount of repairs. Electrical cables in the vicinity of the intake/exhaust trunk were damaged and will require repair and in some cases, replacement.

Personnel from Naval Sea Systems Command, Program Executive Officer - Carriers, Commander Naval Air Forces, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Southwest Regional Maintenance Center, Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the local private sector are involved in the assessment.

(From a Pacific Fleet Public Affairs news release.)

Related Articles:
Fire Photo Essay
USS George Washington Continues to San Diego Following Onboard Fire
Training Saves Lives During USS George Washington Fire

USS George Washington Arrives in San Diego Following May 22nd Fire
USS George Washington Fire Investigation Complete, Senior Leadership Relieved

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U.S. Navy Conducts Successful Sea-Based Missile Defense Intercept

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) The U.S. Navy launches two modified Standard Missile-2 Block IV interceptors from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target, June 5, 2008. The missiles intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii, on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) A modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptor is launched Thursday, June 5, 2008 from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target. The missile intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) This image from a video camera shows a modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptor as it is launched Thursday, June 5, 2008 from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target. The missile intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) A modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptor is launched Thursday, June 5, 2008 from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target. The missile intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) A modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptor is launched Thursday, June 5, 2008 from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target. The missile intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) Two modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IV interceptors are launched Thursday, June 5, 2008 from the guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70) during a Missile Defense Agency test to intercept a short-range ballistic missile target. The missiles intercepted the target approximately 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

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PACIFIC OCEAN (June 5, 2008) A short-range, unitary, ballistic missile, Scud-like target lifts off from the decommissioned USS Tripoli in a Missile Defense Agency flight test Thursday, June 5, 2008 at the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. Minutes later the target was intercepted by two modified Standard Missile 2 (SM-2), Block IV missiles about 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean 100 miles west of Kauai, Hawaii on the Pacific Missile Range Facility. This was the second successful intercept in two attempts of the sea-based terminal capability and the fourteenth overall successful test of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program. U.S. Navy photo by the Missile Defense Agency (Released)

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2008 -- Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering III, Missile Defense Agency (MDA) director, announced the successful completion of the latest flight test of the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) element, conducted jointly with the U.S. Navy off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii.

The event, designated as Flight Test Maritime-14 (FTM-14), marked the fourteenth overall successful intercept, in 16 attempts, for the Aegis BMD program and the second successful intercept of a terminal phase (last few seconds of flight) target by a modified Standard Missile - 2 Block IV (SM-2 Blk IV) interceptor.

The mission was completed by the cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG 70), using the tactically-certified Aegis BMD shipboard weapon system, modified for a terminal capability, and the modified SM-2 Blk IV. This is the 35th successful terminal and midcourse defense intercept in 43 tests since 2001.

Aegis BMD is the sea-based mid-course component of the MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and is designed to intercept and destroy short to intermediate-range ballistic missile threats. In 2006, the program's role was expanded to include a sea-based terminal defense effort, using a modified version of the SM-2 Blk IV. Unlike other missile defense technologies now deployed or in development, the SM-2 Blk IV does not use "hit to kill" technology (directly colliding with the target) to destroy the target missile. Rather, it uses a blast fragmentation device that explodes in direct proximity to the target to complete the intercept and destroy the target.

At 8:13 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (2:13 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time) a short range target was launched from a mobile launch platform 300 miles west of the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. Moments later, the USS Lake Erie's Aegis BMD Weapon System detected and tracked the target and developed fire control solutions.

Approximately four minutes later, the USS Lake Erie's crew fired two SM-2 Blk IV missiles, and two minutes later they successfully intercepted the target inside the earth's atmosphere, about 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean and about 100 miles west-northwest of Kauai.

FTM-14 test objectives included evaluation of: the BMDS ability to intercept and kill a short range ballistic missile target with the Aegis BMD, modified with the terminal mission capability; the modified SM-2 Blk IV missile using SPY-1 cue; and system-level integration of the BMDS.

MDA and the U.S. Navy cooperatively manage the Aegis BMD Program. Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems and Sensors of Moorestown, N.J. is the Combat System Engineering Agent and prime contractor for the Aegis BMD Weapon System and Vertical Launch System installed in Aegis equipped cruisers and destroyers. Raytheon Missile Systems of Tucson, Ariz. is the prime contractor for the SM-2 and SM-3 missile and all previous variants of Standard Missile. The SM-2 program is managed by the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C.

(Story from a Missile Defense Agency Public Affairs press release.)

NOTE: This is an image refresh of an earlier article.

COMBAT CAMERA Recent Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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President Bush Warns of Pay Cuts for Troops

News in Balance

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, June 7, 2008 -- Political gamesmanship in Congress could lead to mass layoffs at the Pentagon and an inability to pay the salaries of troops in combat.

President's Radio Address: June 7, 2008

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Congress will soon vote on legislation to fund our troops serving on the front lines of the war on terror. This is an opportunity for Congress to give our men and women in uniform the tools they need to protect us, and Congress should approve these vital funds immediately.

Congress has had this funding request for more than a year, and there is no reason for further delay. This money is urgently needed to support military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. I put forward some reasonable requirements this bill must meet. First, this bill must give our troops the resources they need to defeat the terrorists and extremists. Second, the bill must not tie the hands of our commanders. Third, the bill must not exceed the reasonable and responsible funding levels I have requested

Congress has had 16 months to decide how they will meet these requirements, and now the time has come for them to support our troops in harm's way. If Congress does not act, critical accounts at the Department of Defense will soon run dry. At the beginning of next month, civilian employees may face temporary layoffs. The department will have to close down a vital program that is getting potential insurgents off the streets and into jobs. The Pentagon will run out of money it needs to support critical day-to-day operations that help keep our Nation safe. And after July, the department will no longer be able to pay our troops -- including those serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Our men and women in uniform and their families deserve better than this. Around the world, our troops are taking on dangerous missions with skill and determination. In Afghanistan, they are delivering blows to the Taliban and al Qaeda. In Iraq, they've helped bring violence down to its lowest point since late March of 2004. Civilian deaths are down. Sectarian killings are down. As security has improved, the economy has improved as well, and political reconciliation is taking place at the grassroots and national levels. The Iraqi security forces are becoming more capable, and as they do, our troops are beginning to come home under a policy of return on success.

Each day, the men and women of our Armed Forces risk their lives to make sure their fellow citizens are safer. They serve with courage and honor. They've earned the respect of all Americans. And they deserve the full support of Congress. I often hear members of Congress say they oppose the war, but still support the troops. Now they have a chance to prove it. Congress should pass a responsible funding bill that gives our men and women in uniform the resources they need -- and the support they have earned.

Thank you for listening.
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Friday, June 6, 2008

U.S. Military Looks to Synthetics, Conservation to Cut Fuel Bills

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Feeding the Raptor - An F-22 Raptor receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker during an air-to-air refueling training mission over Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Bryan Franks.)

Focus on Defense:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2008 -- With fuel prices soaring and no apparent end in sight, the Defense Department is feeling the pinch in its pocketbook and is looking for ways to save through conservation and alternative fuels programs.

The Defense Department is “probably the largest single user of petroleum products in the world,” so rising energy costs are a major concern, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told a questioner at the Asia Security Summit in Singapore earlier this week.

“Every time the price of oil goes up by $1 per barrel, it costs us about $130 million, and frankly, my credit card limit is getting narrow on that,” Gates said.

Particularly in light of wartime operations, the impact is significant. Defense Energy Support Center statistics show that the military spent $12.6 billion on jet fuel, diesel and other fuels in 2007, with operations in Iraq and Afghanistan consuming $1.7 billion of that total.

Spiraling fuel costs in 2008 and their effect in fiscal 2009, which begins Oct. 1, have forced department officials to return to Congress for additional funding to cover the shortfall. But the department is increasingly looking to other options, Gates told his Asian counterparts during the three-day security conference, citing efforts ranging from synthetic fuels initiatives to fuel reclaiming aimed at curbing fuel demand as well as costs.

Gates noted that the Air Force recently achieved milestones using synthetic fuels that cost significantly less than their petroleum counterparts. In March, a B-1B Lancer became the first Air Force aircraft to fly at supersonic speed using a 50/50 blend of synthetic and petroleum gases.

The fuel, derived from natural gas, is being tested as part of an ongoing Air Force program to help the environment and to use a fuel produced domestically.

Air Force officials previously have tested the fuel blend in the B-52 Stratofortress, the first aircraft to use the fuel, and the C-17 Globemaster III.

Meanwhile, engineers at Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tennessee wrapped up alternative fuel testing on the first fighter jet engine in May. The test used a synthetic blend in the engine for the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon jets.

“The goal is to have every aircraft using synthetic fuel blends by 2011," Air Force Maj. Don Rhymer, of the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Office, told the Air Force News Agency. “By 2016, we hope at least 50 percent of this fuel will be produced domestically.”

While experimenting with synthetic fuels, the Defense Department is exploring other fuel-saving options. “We are looking at ways to recapture used petroleum products and refine then, and we are looking at various conservation measures,” Gates said at the Asia Security Summit.

Gates described some of the recovery efforts he witnessed during a May 1 visit to Red River Army Depot, Texas, during testimony later that month before the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The depot contracts with a private company that retrieves gasoline, oil and other fluids in the Humvees, Stryker armored vehicles, tanks and other vehicles brought to the depot for maintenance, Gates told the senators. The company then refines and sells the fluids, with Red River Army Depot getting a share of the profits.

“So they make several million dollars back for the taxpayers simply by not throwing away these used fuel and petroleum products,” Gates said.

Gates called this an example of how the Defense Department supports broader conservation efforts. “I think that we do have a contribution to make, but I would say that it is very much in a supporting role,” he said at the Asia Security Summit.

(Story by Air Force Staff Sgt. Matthew Bates, Air Forces New Agency, with contributions by Janaé Daniels, of the Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center.)

Related Post: U.S. Air Force Looks at Hydrogen as Fuel Source

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Cryptology Key at Battle of Midway, Today

Living History

Living History:

PENSACOLA, Fla., June 6, 2008 -- More than 2,000 military staff, students from all the armed services, and guests stood in the morning sun at the Center for Information Dominance (CID) in Pensacola, Fla. June 4 to commemorate a turning point in history.

Each year the command hosts a Battle of Midway commemoration inviting World War II veterans, particularly those who served at the battle, to be honored. CID trains specialist from all the armed services in cryptology and information systems, These graduates are the modern-day version of those Sailors who in 1942 broke the Japanese code that enabled the U.S. Navy to successfully engage the enemy at the island of Midway in the Pacific.

Rear Adm. Gary Jones, commander, Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), guest speaker at the commemoration, addressed the audience filled with Sailors, Marines, soldiers, and airmen attending CID courses.

"The battle would never have happened, without the efforts of your predecessors in Navy Cryptology," said Jones. "They had already broken the Japanese IN-25 code some time before, but, early in 1942, the Japanese had introduced a new variation known as IN-25B.

"America still needs the skills that saved the nation on June 4, 1942 at the Battle of Midway," he added. "We are engaged yet again in a global struggle, in our own war this 4th of June, and we do not have the luxury of thinking that the greats have passed from this earth. Seated on this stage was the greatest generation on 4 June 1942 -I submit that standing out in front of me is the next greatest generation of 4 June 2008."

According to Jones it was the excellence of the Navy code breakers, as well as the honor, courage and commitment of all those involved in the battle that won the day for the US Navy and America.

"The battle was an important strategic victory," said Jones. "Japan's plans for the Pacific included ownership of Hawaii and the Aleutians. Those plans sank in the waters near Midway Island, thanks to good training, thanks to good luck and thanks to the excellence of your forebears in Navy cryptology, an excellence which continues to this day.

"We honor and praise all the patriots who helped our nation emerge victorious from World War II, but many of the places in which you will seek out and battle today's adversary's messaging capabilities did not exist 60 years ago, or even 20 years ago and, in fact, they do not even properly "exist" today," he continued. "Yet still our adversaries are there, and it is up to you to take the tools you learn here at the Center for Information Dominance, and defend our nation."

(From a U.S. Naval Education and Training Command Public Affairs news release.)

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U.S. Air Force Releases B-2 Accident Report

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WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Col. Garrett Harencak, 509th Bomb Wing commander and Lt. Col. Kevin Ward, 509th BW director of staff, perform a “touch and go” in the Spirit of Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Stephen Linch.)

On the Home Front:

LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va., June 6, 2008 -- Distorted data introduced by a B-2 Spirit's air data system skewed information entering the bomber's flight control computers ultimately causing the crash of the aircraft on takeoff at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Feb. 23, according to an Air Combat Command accident investigation report released June 5.

Moisture in the aircraft's Port Transducer Units during air data calibration distorted the information in the bomber's air data system, causing the flight control computers to calculate an inaccurate airspeed and a negative angle of attack upon takeoff. According to the report, this caused an, "uncommanded 30 degree nose-high pitch-up on takeoff, causing the aircraft to stall and its subsequent crash."

Moisture in the PTUs, inaccurate airspeed, a negative AOA calculation and low altitude/low airspeed are substantially contributing factors in this mishap. Another substantially contributing factor was the ineffective communication of critical information regarding a suggested technique of turning on pitot heat in order to remove moisture from the PTUs prior to performing an air data calibration.

The pilot received minor injuries, and the co-pilot received a spinal compression fracture during ejection. He was treated at Tripler Army Medical Center, Hawaii, and released. The aircraft was assigned to the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.

The cost of the lost aircraft is about $1.4 billion.

(Story courtesy ACC News Service.)

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In Wake of Resignations, Defense Secretary to Visit Air Force Bases as Show of Support

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U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announces that he has accepted the resignations of both Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley at a Pentagon press conference, June 5, 2008. Gates accepted the resignation in connection with two incidents, occurring in 2006 and 2007, involving the mishandling of nuclear weapons components. (Defense Dept. photo by R. D. Ward.)

News in Balance:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2008 -- Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will travel next week to Air Force bases in the United States, hoping to show his support for airmen in the wake of the resignations of the service’s two top officials.

Gates accepted the resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley yesterday following an investigation revealing a decline in focus, performance and effective leadership in the Air Force's nuclear program.

Gates will leave June 9 for a two-day trip that will take him to Langley Air Force Base, Va., Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., and possibly a third base, officials said.

During the trip, Gates will “reinforce the messages … about the supreme importance of safeguarding our nuclear arsenal and its associated components, and how there is no room for error in this line of work, [while] at the same also conveying to airmen … his support for their efforts in the global war on terror, and his commitment to work with them to improve the Air Force,” Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said.

“[Airmen] shouldn’t confuse issues he’s had with their leadership with any lack of support for their effort in the war,” Morrell said. “Fundamentally, this is an outreach to airmen. I don’t think he wants them to be left with the impressions that he has any problems with the Air Force other than those identified … with regards to the handling of nuclear components.”

Morrell said the secretary has nominees in mind to replace Wynne and Moseley and hopes to announce his choices soon, most likely before he leaves on his trip. Gates has spoken to President Bush about his picks for the jobs, but it was not in the form of a formal recommendation, Morrell said.

A Pentagon official speaking on background said the secretary is strongly considering recommending Michael B. Donley, the director of administration and management for the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Donley was sworn into his current job in 2005.

Wynne and Moseley will remain in their posts until new leaders are in place. Gates announced Wynne’s and Moseley’s resignations after the release of a report detailing the accidental shipment of four non-nuclear ballistic missile nose-cone assembly components rather than the intended helicopter batteries to Taiwan in August 2006.

After visiting the bases, Gates will travel on to Brussels, Belgium, on June 11 for a NATO defense ministers conference.

(Story by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.)

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Forces in Afghanistan Kill Dozens of Militants, Detain Several

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2008 -- Several suspects were killed and five were detained during June 3 operations in Afghanistan, military officials reported today.

More than a dozen militants were killed when they unsuccessfully attacked a coalition base in Uruzgan province.

Militants used mortars and small-arms fire to attack Afghan national security forces at the base until additional Afghan and coalition forces arrived, officials said. The militants then fled to nearby villages, where the combined forces saw them attempting to use villagers as shields against attacks.

The combined forces killed several militants in Caharsyab and Nowrak villages, and no villagers were harmed, officials said.

Several hours later, the combined forces came under rocket-propelled-grenade, mortar and small-arms fire near the base. The combined forces responded with small-arms fire and precision air strikes, killing more than a dozen insurgents.

No civilian casualties were reported, and no Afghan or coalition forces were injured or killed.

In other operations, several militants were killed and five were detained during an Afghan and coalition operation to disrupt anti-government operations in Helmand province.

The combined forces searched compounds in the province’s Kajaki district, targeting a Taliban leader associated with the murder of Afghan government officials.

The combined forces identified a militant waiting in an ambush position with a rocket-propelled grenade and several other militants consolidating for an attack. Coalition forces responded with air strikes, killing the militants.

The combined forces discovered multiple AK-47 assault rifles, ammunition vests, ammunition, grenades and a large cache of narcotics, all of which were destroyed.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

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Forces in Iraq Kill 4, Detain Dozens

Dispatches from the Front

Dispatches from the Front:

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2008 -- Coalition forces killed four enemy fighters and detained dozens of suspected terrorists in recent operations, military officials said.

The leader of an Iranian-backed “special group” surrendered to coalition forces today in Hayy, about 190 miles southeast of Baghdad.

Acting on intelligence information, coalition forces raided the presumed residence of the special group leader, who’s suspected of directing and ordering attacks against coalition forces in Wasit province, as well as attacks and kidnappings against civil authorities there. The man also is suspected of smuggling Iranian weapons -- specifically, Katyusha rockets -- into Baghdad.

In a separate operation in Hayy today, coalition forces raided the residence of another wanted special groups operative. The suspect attempted to flee, but coalition forces were able to track him, and he eventually surrendered.

In other news from Iraq, coalition forces captured 10 wanted men and 22 other suspects involved in al-Qaida in Iraq’s bombing networks in Mosul, Baghdad and the Tigris River valley yesterday and today.

Coalition forces detained more than 20 suspected terrorists believed to be responsible for car-bomb attacks and weapons smuggling, and killed four others June 4 during an operation targeting a major al-Qaida in Iraq terrorist network along the Tigris River valley in the western portion of the Tamim province.

In separate June 4 operations, Iraqi soldiers uncovered several weapons caches in Baghdad’s Sadr City district. The caches contained rocket-propelled grenades, explosives designed to pierce armor, machine guns, AK-47 rifles, AK-47 magazines, various-sized rounds, mortar fuses, two ski masks and special groups propaganda.

Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers discovered a cache and detained five suspects in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad on June 3-4.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

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Defense, Prosecution Differ on Results as Guantanamo Arraignment Ends

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FILE PHOTO - Commissions building courtroom at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Christopher Mobley.)

News in Balance:

U.S. NAVAL STATION GUANTANAMO BAY, June 6, 2008 -- The chiefs of defense and prosecution offered different views of the day’s results to reporters yesterday after five accused terrorists heard the charges filed against them for their alleged role in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America at an arraignment here.

The judge, Marine Col. Ralph H. Kohlmann, informed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi of the nature of the charges filed against them, which include terrorism, conspiracy, hijacking and murder. Each defendant was served nine referred charges, including two specifications of one of the charges, on May 21.

All five defendants would reject court-appointed defense counsel and elect to represent themselves before the day-long hearing was over.

Kohlmann had tried in vain to convince each of the five defendants that it would be wiser to retain professional counsel, rather than electing to represent themselves during a trial that’s expected to begin in mid-September.

Army Col. Steven David, the chief defense counsel, told reporters at a post-arraignment news conference that four of the defendants may have been influenced by Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

It’s universally understood in the legal community that defendants are not helping their cases when they choose to represent themselves in a court of law, David pointed out to reporters.

Mohammed was the first of the group to be addressed by Kohlmann at the arraignment, and the accused terrorist also was first to opt to reject his court-appointed lawyers and choose to represent himself.

In court, Mohammed was overheard to have exclaimed to fellow defendant Hawsawi: “What! Are you in the American Army now?” said Army Maj. Jon Jackson, one of Hawsawi’s court-appointed military attorneys.

Jackson told reporters it appeared as if Mohammed had intimidated Hawsawi, the last of the defendants to be arraigned.

As the day wore on, it seemed as if the defendants who followed Mohammed marched in lockstep with him, as each chose to be his own attorney at trial. The five men are to be tried jointly, just as they appeared at today’s hearing.

Chief prosecutor Army Col. Lawrence Morris emphasized to reporters that the government has to respect the defendants’ decision to represent themselves in court.

Morris reminded reporters that the five defendants now in U.S. custody are the people “most responsible for the murder of 2,973 individuals.”

Nineteen people in U.S. custody have been charged with crimes under the Military Commissions Act, Morris noted. Today’s arraignment was conducted under the auspices of the act.

The Military Commissions Act established procedures governing the use of military commissions to try alien unlawful enemy combatants engaged in hostilities against the United States for violations of the law of war and other offenses that can be tried by military commission, according to a military commissions fact sheet.

The chief prosecutor expressed his confidence in the fitness of the military commissions system as a means to dispense justice.

“As you continue to see, the military commissions process is an orderly, fair, open legal system, remarkably similar to other trials in United States courts,” Morris said. “The prosecution team will continue to work diligently to bring all cases to trial in a fair and expeditious manner, consistent with the best practices in both civilian and military courts

(Story by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service.)

Related:
Military Commissions
Military Commissions Act

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Combat Camera: D-Day, June 6, 1944; 64th Anniversary

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Supreme Allied Commander U.S. Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks with 101st Airborne Division paratroopers before they board airplanes and gliders to take part in a parachute assault into Normandy as part of the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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A paratrooper boards an airplane that will drop him over the coast of Normandy for the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944. Soldiers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions parachuted behind enemy lines during the night, while fellow Soldiers assaulted Normandy beaches at dawn.

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Ships carry Soldiers and equipment across the English Channel toward the coast of Normandy, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Army Air Corps photographers documented D-Day beach traffic, as photographed from a Ninth Air Force bomber on June 6, 1944. Note vehicle lanes leading away from the landing areas, and landing craft left aground by the tide.

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A convoy of landing craft nears the beach at Normandy, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers and crewmen aboard a Coast Guard landing craft approach Normandy, D-Day, 6 June 1944.

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Soldiers wade through surf and Nazi gunfire to secure a beachhead during the Allied Invasion, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers crowd a landing craft on their way to Normandy during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Barges carrying supplies for Soldiers are challenged by pounding surf along the Normandy coast, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Members of a landing party help injured Soldiers to safety on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers move onto Omaha Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers of the 8th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, move over a seawall on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe.

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Medics attend to wounded soldiers on Utah Beach in France during the Allied Invasion of Europe on D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers of the 16th Infantry Regiment, wounded while storming Omaha Beach, wait by the chalk cliffs for evacuation to a field hospital for treatment, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Gliders fly supplies to Soldiers fighting on Utah Beach during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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German troops surrender to Soldiers during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944.

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Soldiers in cargo vehicles move onto a beach in Normandy during the Allied Invasion of Europe, D-Day, June 6, 1944. After fierce fighting, the Allies established a foothold in northern France

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The spirit of the American Soldier: this beachhead is secure. Fellow Soldiers erected this monument to an American Soldier somewhere on the shell-blasted coast of Normandy.

(Imagery: U.S. Army)

Related:
U.S. Army Official D-Day Web Site
D-Day at The National World War II Museum
National WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
National Parks Site

COMBAT CAMERA More Combat Camera Imagery on THE TENSION

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