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Source: United States Coast Guard
| News Release |
U.S. Coast Guard 8th District Public Affairs Detachment Texas |
10/29/2023 07:06 PM EDT
HOUSTON — The Coast Guard rescued two boaters aboard a disabled, aground vessel near Galveston, Texas, Saturday.
Source: United States Air Force
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (AFNS) —
Shaw Air Force Base held a multi-capable Airman training course Oct. 16-20, aimed at preparing Airmen with the skills necessary to conduct tasks outside of their primary duties.
The MCA course provided 20th Fighter Wing Airmen of various ranks from career fields such as maintenance, civil engineering and administrative services, a thorough training in support of the Agile Combat Employment model. This training is necessary as the Air Force moves toward employing smaller teams that are able to perform a wider range of duties with limited resources in contested locations worldwide.
“The wing saw a need for us to get after the multi-capable Airman program, so we started compiling the necessary knowledge, skill sets and tools and developed a course from it,” said Tech. Sgt. Cody Johnson, 20th Security Forces Squadron trainer and MCA cadre. “As students came through, we saw a need for a longer course that incorporated more tasks and expeditionary skills. We’re teaching them how to ‘shoot, move and communicate,’ establish defensive fighting positions, tactical combat casualty care along with a stress test and other things of that nature. With each class that comes through, even with each day being rigorous in nature, the students’ feedback is that they want it to be longer. They definitely want to start pushing themselves even more than we are pushing them.”
The MCA course challenged Airmen to push themselves beyond the expectations of their primary roles, test their leadership abilities and complete mission requirements under stressful circumstances in order to build a more agile and lethal force capable of doing more with less.
“It was a really complex training spread over five days and in this short time we learned what it meant to be a multi-capable Airman,” said Capt. Agnieszka Gaertner, 20th FW Legal Office chief of military justice and MCA trainee. “We learned M4 rifle fundamentals, combat formations and how to care for wounded in the battlefield. It has helped me a lot to improve as a leader. I led a squadron consisting of 16 Airmen and together we learned how to work as a team and to be good followers and leaders, building the fundamentals of warfighting.”
The 20th FW currently conducts the longest MCA training across Air Combat Command and aims to expand the course to include a more thorough academic curriculum and immersive training environment. MCA trainers within ACC are working closely together to compare results and develop a stronger course to implement across the wider Air Force, paving the way forward to a more agile and lethal military force.
Source: United States Coast Guard
10/27/2023 01:48 AM EDT
The search for a Utah man ended Friday morning after he was found unresponsive and recovered by a lifeguard from the ‘Balneario’ beach in Fajardo, Puerto Rico. Recovered is Ben Kerbs, 52, from Utah, who reportedly was last seen alive by his wife while paddling out from Playa Escondida (Hidden Beach) in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Source: United States Air Force
FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. (AFNS) —
In this week’s look around the Air Force, units are starting to deploy under the new Air Force Force Generation model, MQ-9 Reapers relocate to Kadena Air Base, Japan, and recruits can now ask questions of Military Training Instructors online before they get to basic training. (Hosted by Tech. Sgt. Brittan Crolley)
Watch on DVIDS | Watch on YouTube
For previous episodes, click here for the Air Force TV page.
Source: US Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff
October 26, 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C., — Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey provided the following readout:
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., spoke with Canada’s Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Wayne Eyre today by video call.
The two leaders discussed the current security environment throughout the Middle East. In addition, the leaders discussed NATO’s response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and other items of mutual interest, including homeland defense.
The United States and Canada share a long history of support and coordination, and the leaders remain committed to continuing cooperation and addressing the challenges facing regional and global partners.
For more Joint Staff news, visit: www.jcs.mil.
Connect with the Joint Staff on social media:
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
LinkedIn and Flickr.
Source: NATO
As part of NATO’s efforts to step up its longstanding cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, a NATO partner country, the Alliance held a NATO Day in the country’s capital city on 24 October 2023.
NATO Days are held to raise awareness and understanding of NATO among public audiences in partner countries, including institutions, international partners, Allied embassies, civil society, academia, media and youth. During the event, lectures, round tables and conferences focused on the current strategic context and on boosting resilience in Moldova, particularly through greater energy security in light of growing international hybrid challenges. An information session on NATO’s Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme concluded the conference, shifting the focus of conversations from policy towards practical scientific cooperation and knowledge exchange activities.
The SPS presentations to an audience of government officials, civil society and members of the Moldovan academic community outlined Moldova’s record of cooperation in the framework of the SPS Programme, comprising more than 55 activities since 1995. Representatives of the Moldovan Academy of Sciences and of the SPS Programme outlined major achievements of these nearly three decades of cooperation, which include the establishment of a Cyber Incident Response Capability for the Moldovan Armed Forces, the deployment of a mobile laboratory for the detection of biological agents, and the adoption of Moldova’s first National Action Plan for the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
Recently, NATO’s scientific cooperation with Moldova has increasingly focused on resilience and the application of technology towards securing critical infrastructure. This was highlighted in a presentation by Dr Veaceslav Sprincean of Moldova State University, who is about to start an SPS project researching the use of unmanned systems and advanced detection systems for critical infrastructure protection, together with scientists from Italy, Latvia and Slovakia.
NATO’s SPS Programme connects academics, experts and officials in Moldova with their counterparts in NATO member and partner countries, and supports their collaborative work on innovative scientific projects. SPS activities expand and create international scientific networks that address shared security challenges and exchange knowledge on security-related topics. To stay up-to-date with the latest opportunities offered by the SPS Programme, subscribe to the SPS newsletter.
Source: United States Coast Guard
| News Release |
U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Jacksonville |
10/26/2023 07:31 PM EDT
The Coast Guard suspended its search, Thursday, for three people aboard an overdue 31-foot fishing vessel offshore Brunswick, Georgia, pending new information.
Source: United States Coast Guard
10/27/2023 03:24 AM EDT
For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac
Source: NATO
On 26-27 October 2023, the NATO Military Committee visited Allied Air Command (AIRCOM) headquartered at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. The visit involved discussions and updates on the Air and Space domains and the importance of agile Air Power in NATO’s multi-domain operations, against the backdrop of the Alliance’s major deterrence and defence posture overhaul.
The delegation of senior military officials was welcomed by Commander AIRCOM, General James B. Hecker. “Besides our leading role in coordinating the Allies’ Space activities and maintaining Space awareness for the Alliance, we also enhance our traditional air capabilities in support of multi-domain operations,” said General Hecker. He proceeded to illustrate AIRCOM’s plans for strengthening the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro Atlantic Area (DDA). “With our collective AIRCOM effort we ensure the security and strength of the Alliance – working on important subjects like counter anti-access and area denial, continuing to lead NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence, trailblazing Agile Combat Employment and enhancing cross-border operational procedures of our air forces,” he stated.
Admiral Bauer, Chair of the NATO Military Committee, also highlighted AIRCOM’s critical expertise in deploying Allied air forces along the eastern flank, orchestrating air defence capabilities and strengthening command and control of Allied integrated air assets.
Reflecting on Air and Space Power as a force multiplier and catalyst for NATO multi-domain operations, the Chair discussed ‘ubiquity’ as the unique capability offered by Air Power to ensure “we stay one step ahead of our adversaries, from seabed to space”.
Sessions throughout the day offered the NATO HQ military representatives a deep-dive into how AIRCOM implements the Alliance’s subordinate strategic plans in the Air and Space domains and centered on a number of key topics, included Integrated Air and Missiles Defence (IAMD) in correlation to industrial capacity; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and integrated processes among nations. “This challenge goes beyond the simple concept of air and missile defence we were accustomed to”, said Admiral Bauer reflecting on the importance of Air and Space Power as a critical element of the Alliance’s overall deterrence and defence, now and going forward. “In this new era of collective defence – marked by an increasingly complex and multifaceted global security landscape – the importance of Air and Space Power as a cornerstone of NATO’s deterrence and defence capabilities will continue to grow”, he stressed, adding that this is instrumental to the Alliance’s readiness and ability to defend every inch of our territory and uphold our shared values of freedom and democracy.
Source: United States Air Force
DUKE FIELD, Fla. (AFNS) —
AFWERX Prime and the Federal Aviation Administration announced they have agreed to share flight-test data to accelerate the safe integration of Advanced Aircraft Mobility platforms into the National Airspace System Oct. 25.
The memorandum of understanding will also support AFWERX Prime’s efforts to advance the integration and maturation of AAM, including the electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft and autonomous systems industries. Prime, a division within AFWERX, aims to accelerate emerging commercial markets by leveraging government resources for rapid and affordable fielding, benefiting both the commercial industrial base and U.S. military capabilities.
The agreement was signed by Col. Elliott Leigh, AFWERX director and chief commercialization officer for the Department of the Air Force, and John Maffei, the FAA’s acting director of Portfolio Management and Technology Development, during an event at Duke Field, Florida.
Leigh noted that, during the past three years, AFWERX has awarded more than $345 million in contracts to 36 developers of electric aircraft and related technologies as part of the national AAM strategy. With the DAF investments, certifications, limited partnership agreements and testing, this effort has generated more than $11 billion in commercial investment in the AAM sector.
According to Leigh, now is the time to redouble these efforts not only with the FAA but also with other federal partners in this space.
“With this MOU and the ongoing AAM Interagency Working Group, we are accelerating a breakthrough in electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft,” Leigh said. “We are driving progress in propulsion technology, in manufacturing and materials, and in test and safety for a novel class of air vehicles. Keeping this effort rooted in the United States, building our national security and accelerating innovation for our Airmen and Guardians are all crucial for the Air Force, and we are humbled to be a part of this historic effort. I am excited about this industry’s direction and the Air Force’s role in shaping it.”
The MOU will enable the DAF, AFWERX and the FAA to exchange data and share capabilities and expertise needed to test these technologies. The data will inform FAA certification efforts, policy, standards and future airspace integration requirements.
“A new era of aviation is taking off and safe and efficient operations require collaboration,” Maffei said. “This data will help inform FAA certification efforts, policies, standards and future airspace integration requirements.”
The new agreement showed the continued commitment by the Defense Department and the FAA to ensure all aviation conducted in the NAS meets the highest levels of safety and security, said Darshan Divakaran, AFWERX head of Airspace Innovation and Prime Partnerships. The NAS is a complex system composed of aircraft, airports, airspace, communication, individual pilots, policies, navigation and regulations working in these areas.
Divakaran added that the agreement establishes a unique approach to integrated testing and data sharing that will not only ensure airspace safety, but also help accelerate development of U.S.-built aircraft, supporting infrastructure and regulatory policy needed for successful integration of AAM.
“This MOU is a big step for the future of AAM and provides industry and investors the confidence needed to accelerate forward,” Divakaran said. “This partnership validates why the DoD created the AFWERX Agility Prime program to focus on AAM and dual-use technology.”
In July, the FAA released an implementation plan detailing the steps it and others will need to take to safely enable advanced air mobility operations in the near term. The “Innovate28”, or I28, plan includes various components and the sequence they will follow for operations to reach scale at one or more sites by 2028.
FAA officials added the partnership with AFWERX and the MOU supports the I28 initial entry into service objectives and future phases as defined in the FAA Urban Air Mobility Concept of Operations.