This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: AW1Ed

  • AAR- How the U.S. and Allies Attacked Syria

    syria rubble

    Bloomberg

    President Trump’s outrage over another WMD attack by Syria’s President al-Assad was clear. For the second time in his presidency, the U.S. commander-in-chief commanded a reprisal.

    While images of sick and dying civilians inundated global media all week, USS Winston Churchill sped toward the Mediterranean to join a flotilla of allied warships, including another U.S. warship, USS Donald Cook; both very capable Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers.

    It was all a con.

    Both vessels carry as many as 90 BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAM)– the majority of weapons used in the Friday evening strike on Syria — neither ship actually fired a shot. Instead, they were stalking horses, a distraction from an assault Assad’s government could do little to defend itself against.

    It worked. Pentagon officials on Saturday said they faced little resistance to their targeted attack on what they said were three Syrian chemical weapons facilities. Most of the Syrian countermeasures, including defensive ballistic missiles, were fired after U.S. and allied weapons hit their targets, Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters on Saturday.

    “No Syrian weapon had any effect on anything we did,” McKenzie said. He described the joint U.S., French and U.K. strike as “precise, overwhelming and effective.”

    As the strategy of how to respond developed, Trump appeared to telegraph his intentions with a tweet on April 11: “Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart!”’ The Russians reacted by sortieing 11 warships from the Syrian port of Tartus.

    Russian Ships Depart Tartus

    In the White House, Trump met with military officials and made several calls to his French and British counterparts, President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Theresa May. Trump was presented with five large target options for potential strikes. The president listened as Pentagon chief Jim Mattis, Joint Chiefs Chairman Marine Corps General Joe Dunford and other military leaders outlined the options.

    Each potential target was discussed, and was determination was focused on limiting the risk of escalation by Russia. There was agreement among Trump’s top national security staff about conducting strikes, but debate about how hard to hit the Syrians. UN Ambassador Nikki Haley was reportedly especially blunt in her assessment of the Syrian regime. In a private meeting with Trump and national security officials earlier in the week, Haley was a leading voice pushing for a robust military response to the chemical weapons attack on humanitarian grounds.

    Chairman JCS General Dunford told reporters Friday that the U.S. sought targets that would limit any involvement with Russian military forces in Syria, and reduce the risk of civilian casualties.

    With the allies on board and USS Winston Churchill arriving in the Mediterranean region, the attack was nearly under way. As the president addressed the nation at 9 p.m. Washington time on Friday, a barrage of 105 U.S., U.K. and French missiles converged on Syria. They came from the Red Sea, the Arabian Gulf and the Mediterranean, homing in from three directions to overwhelm whatever missile defenses Assad’s regime might deploy. Russia’s advanced air defense system didn’t engage the allied weapons.

    “A perfectly executed strike last night,” Trump tweeted early Saturday. “Could not have had a better result. Mission Accomplished!”

    The targets included a scientific research facility near Damascus, and two chemical weapons facilities outside the city of Homs, the US military said, though reports said the buildings had been evacuated in recent days.

    Until next time…

  • Trump announces US military strikes in Syria

    Syria

    Fox News reports President Donald Trump on Friday night announced that he authorized military strikes against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The decision follows a chemical attack from the Assad military on a town near the Syrian capital last weekend.

    The United States launched the response, along with assistance from France and the United Kingdom, Trump stated from the White House about 9 p.m. EDT.

    “A short time ago, I ordered the United States armed forces to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad,” Trump said from the White House. “A combined operation with the armed forces of France and the United Kingdom is now under way. We thank them both.”

    French President Emmanuel Macron said the operation was targeting the “clandestine chemical arsenal” in Syria.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May also issued a statement. “This evening I have authorized British armed forces to conduct coordinated and targeted strikes to degrade the Syrian Regime’s chemical weapons capability and deter their use,” May said.

    Trump’s announcement was closely preceded by reports of explosions in Damascus, the Syrian capital. There have been multiple strikes against at least two sites, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, said.

    “Important infrastructure was destroyed,” Dunford said, noting that sites associated with the Syrian chemical weapons program were both “targeted and destroyed.”

    Trump said the U.S. is prepared to “sustain” pressure on Assad until he ends what the president called a criminal pattern of killing his own people with internationally banned chemical weapons.

    But Defense Secretary Jim Mattis labeled the strikes “right now” as being “a one-time shot,” adding that no additional attacks are currently planned.

    President Trump made it very clear this is not an escalation, but a harsh warning that the use of WMDs will never be accepted, and shamed the Russians and Iranians for being party their use. The talking heads will natter on, but the fact is Assad used chemical warfare against civilians again, and this time with US troops in the AO. That can not and will not be tolerated.

  • Direct talks underway between US and North Korea

    trump_kim

    CNN reports that The United States and North Korea have been holding secret, direct talks to prepare for a summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un, a sign that planning for the highly anticipated meeting is progressing, several administration officials familiar with the discussions tell CNN.

    “Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo and a team at the CIA have been working through intelligence back-channels to prepare for the summit, the officials said. American and North Korean intelligence officials have spoken several times and have even met in a third country, with a focus on nailing down a location for the talks.

    Although the North Korean regime has not publicly declared its invitation by Kim Jong Un to meet with Trump, which was conveyed last month by a South Korean envoy, several officials say North Korea has since acknowledged Trump’s acceptance, and Pyongyang has reaffirmed Kim is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

    The North Koreans are pushing to have the meeting in their capital, Pyongyang, the sources said, although it is unclear whether the White House would be willing to hold the talks there. The Mongolian capital Ulaanbaatar has also been raised as a possible location, the sources said.”

    Pompeo is one of Trump’s most trusted national security advisers and has led efforts to prepare for the summit. If confirmed, he will assume oversight of the diplomatic preparations. As recently as this weekend, Trump told associates he was looking forward to the summit, which he agreed to on the spot when presented the invitation from Kim. The timeline, however, remains unidentified. Officials said the current target date is late May or June.

    “Officials said the participation of the North Koreans in the preparatory talks give them more confidence that Kim is serious about meeting. Until the talks between US and North Korean intelligence officials began in earnest, Trump and his aides have relied partly on the characterizations of the South Koreans, which have experienced a rapprochement since the Olympic games held in Pyongchang in February that led to Kim’s historic invite to Trump.

    The Chinese have also provided a briefing to the White House after Kim and President Xi Jinping met in Beijing late last month.”

    State Department officials continue to communicate with the North Koreans though their mission to the United Nations, discussions which are referred to as the “New York channel.”

    The talks with North Korea are informing coordination among government agencies which are preparing for the summit, an effort led by Matthew Pottinger, the top Asia official at the National Security Council. Incoming national security adviser John Bolton, who starts work at the White House on Monday, is expected to assume a large role in the planning for the talks, along with Pompeo.

    I’m guardedly optimistic for a successful outcome- the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and improved relations among the countries involved; something prior administrations patently failed to achieve. The fact is, without Trump’s hard ball sanctions, these talks would be a fantasy.

  • French forces confirm joint operation against Islamic State-loyal militants

    French SPECOPS

    Caleb Weiss over at The Long War Journal reports the French military confirmed its forces took part in a large-scale joint operation in early April against Islamic State-loyal militants in northern Mali, close to the border with Niger.

    A French military spokesman said that “French commandos and Malian forces began a ‘reconnaissance and control operation’ in the Akabar region” on March 28, “working in liaison with the Nigerien army and a local self-defense group.” The combined forces came into contact with militants from the so-called Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) on April 1. The following gunfight left at least 30 jihadists dead, according to the French spokesman.

    This is not the first time French special forces have conducted joint operations with the Tuareg groups against ISGS militants. In February, they first clashed with the jihadists in a renewed offensive. It was later reported that French special operations troops coordinated with the Tuaregs in the battle.

    The Islamic State-loyal forces, led by Abu Walid al Sahrawi, are referred to as “Islamic State in the Greater Sahara” (ISGS), and have been linked to several attacks in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali. Say what you will about the French political leadership; their SPECOPS teams are first rate, and 30 dead jihadists is a good day’s work.

  • Navy Divers Thomas Parhiala and John McLeod, Saving the World

    Navy Divers

    Navy Times is reporting a pair of Navy divers were in the right place at the right time on March 23 when they witnessed a Jeep Cherokee careen off the road near Rockport, Maine, and into Chickawaukie Lake.

    Navy Diver Third Class Thomas Parhiala, of Salem, New Hampshire, and Navy Diver Third Class John McLeod, of Wiscasset, Maine, were on a quick trip to McLeod’s hometown to pick up his motorcycle when they saw the Jeep suddenly swerve off the highway.

    “It was getting dark and it was one of those surreal experiences as we both saw the Cherokee go into the water about 400 yards in front of us,” Parhiala, who was driving, told Navy Times. “We both kind of looked at each other and said ‘did you see that?’”

    Nothing more needed to be said. The men stopped the vehicle, ran down the sharp 20-foot embankment and went headfirst into the water, swimming out to the vehicle.

    “The vehicle was in the water and sinking, but the passenger window was either open or gone and the driver was just floating between the front seat and back seat,” Parhiala said

    While pulling the man from the vehicle, the sailors looked around to make sure there weren’t others who needed help.

    “He started to come to, so I started screaming at him asking if anyone else was in there,” McLeod said. Both recalled the driver, Jonathan Marr, 35, of Thomaston, Maine, saying “no.”

    But to be sure, Parhiala stayed to look around. McLeod, meanwhile, swam Marr to shore.

    The rescue only took a few minutes from start to finish, but by the time they were back on shore, additional motorists had stopped, and some had called for help.

    Neither have met or talked to Mann since the incident, and the divers say they don’t believe they did anything special. Their first priority was taking care of the driver, they said, then getting themselves warm.

    “We just did what had to be done,” Parhiala said. “It wasn’t anything special, we just happened to be the first ones on the scene.”

    Well done, gentlemen, damn well done! This old helo rescue swimmer is proud of you both.

  • Israeli stealth fighters fly over Iran

    F-35

    The Jerusalem Post reports two Israeli Air Force (IAF) F-35 Adir fighter jets entered Iranian airspace undetected, according to the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida.

    “Two Israeli F-35 fighter jets entered Iranian airspace over the past month, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Jarida reported on Thursday. The act is a signal of heightened regional tensions, especially in light of recent Israeli military attacks in Syria, including against Iranian bases in the country. Sources quoted in Al-Jarida stated that two stealth fighters flew over Syrian and Iraqi airspace to reach Iran, and even targeted locations in the Iranian cities Bandar Abbas, Esfahan and Shiraz.”

    The report further states that the two fighter jets, among the most advanced in the world, circled at high altitude above Persian Gulf sites suspected of being linked with the Iranian nuclear program. It also states that the two jets were undetected by radar, including by the advanced Russian radar system located in Syria.

    A not-so-subtle warning to the Mad Mullahs and their vision of an Iran led Middle East. I believe the message was received, and opened a few (Russian) eyes too.

  • Chinese Space Station Expected to Crash to Earth on April 1st

    tiangong bus

    Can’t make this stuff up. Aerospace,org and Breitbart report the Tiangong-1 (“Celestial Palace”) is currently predicted to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere around April 1st, 2018 14:00 UTC ± 16 hours, somewhere. The estimated “target area” where debris could fall includes everywhere 43 degrees north and south of the equator, which narrows it down to anywhere in the United States, or southern Europe, Asia, Australia, or South America.

    If that sounds exceptionally vague, it is. Still, it is not the first time humanity has been rained on by its own space junk. At least one satellite a year makes the same fiery descent to Earth. While Tiangong-1 may be the size of a bus, NASA’s Skylab was more than seven times as large when it scattered its remnants across the ocean and Australia in 1979.

    Fear not; your chances of being struck by a part of the space station are roughly one in 300 trillion. That estimate comes courtesy of the European Space Agency, so it is almost certainly credible. Whatever could go wrong- anyone for Lottery tickets on Sunday?

  • Great Mills High School Heartbreak

    sad
    The 16-year-old girl who was critically wounded this week when she was shot by a fellow student at her high school in Maryland has been taken off life support on Thursday evening, her mother said.

    Melissa Willey told a news briefing at Prince George’s Hospital Center in Cheverly, Maryland, that her daughter, Jaelynn Willey, was taken off life support due to brain death.

    “She will not make it. We will be taking her off life support this evening. She is brain dead and has nothing, no life left in her.” Melissa Willey told reporters.

    The teen recently ended a relationship with 17-year-old REDACTED, who opened fire at Great Mills High School in St. Mary’s County on Tuesday morning, authorities confirmed.

    jaelynnJaelynn

    NY Daily News

    Not one to let a tragic event pass, Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer arrived shortly after the shooting.

    “Every time something like this occurs, we pray it will be the last. But that is unlikely to be the case until Congress takes meaningful action. When I met with students from Maryland last week who participated in the National School Walkout, I heard in their voices a yearning for action and positive change. They deserve an America where, in the words of one of those students, the ‘right to own an assault rifle does not outweigh our right to live.’

    “Today, I will be with the students, teachers, parents, and first responders in Great Mills. When I return to Washington, I will continue doing everything in my power to pressure Congress to remove this danger that now sows fear in every community in our country. Thoughts and prayers and moments of silence are not enough. The halls of Congress are a place for action, a place where silence must no longer prevail.”

    SoMD News Net

    The only saving grace is Desmond Barnes, the other shooting victim, has been released from the local hospital and is doing well now. And of course, that School Resource Officer Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill was present and able to halt the shooter before any more damage could be done.

    desmondDesmond

    Requiesce in pace, Jaelynn.