The USS Cleveland, to be commissioned May 16th. A very cool-looking ship:
I wonder if they make a civilian version?
Archive of posts filed under the Our Military category.
Remembrance
President Donald Trump on Monday signed a proclamation honoring the 13 U.S. service members killed in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing during the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
The Abbey Gate attack, carried out outside Kabul’s international airport as crowds attempted to flee Afghanistan, killed 13 American troops and 170 Afghan civilians. The bombing became one of the most devastating moments of the U.S. withdrawal, which Trump has repeatedly called a disaster.
“We will never forget the names of the 13 brave souls who shed their blood for our Nation: Staff Sergeant Darin T. Hoover, USMC; Sergeant Johanny Rosario Pichardo, USMC; Sergeant Nicole L. Gee, USMC; Corporal Hunter Lopez, USMC; Corporal Daegan W. Page, USMC; Corporal Humberto A. Sanchez, USMC; Lance Corporal David L. Espinoza, USMC; Lance Corporal Jared M. Schmitz, USMC; Lance Corporal Rylee J. McCollum, USMC; Lance Corporal Dylan R. Merola, USMC; Lance Corporal Kareem M. Nikoui, USMC; Petty Officer Third Class Maxton W. Soviak, USN; and Staff Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss, USA,” the proclamation read.
I heard that the Biden administration refused requests to neutralize the bombers as they were heading to the airport.
Well, In the Grand Scheme of Things, I Guess It Doesn’t Matter What You Call It
Any Army Veterans Among Our Tight Little Group?
— and by “tight,” I mean in the positive, not the negative, sense. Unless applicable.
If so, happy 250th! You carried on George Washington’s legacy… Valley Forge and Crossing the Delaware, and D-Day.
Oh, you Navy and Marine guys did, too. Don’t tell the Army guys I said that.
You Air Force guys can’t be carrying on Washington’s legacy for obvious reasons. Space Force? Please.
I never served. I never put my life on the line for the whole country. That makes me personally a pusscake by comparison. But my dad rose to LT 1C (Airborne) in the army. Dues paid?
Yeah, Well, IMAO Has As Many Interns As Viewers
The Navy Has As Many Admirals as Ships
Frontpage mag | May 15, 2025 | Daniel GreenfieldAnd the Air Force has a general for every 22 planes..
The US Navy has under 300 ships and under 300 admirals. The ratio of one admiral to one ship seems absurd but of the hundreds of admirals in the Navy, few actually command ships.
This Theater of Operation — Are You Sure It’s Not Ford’s?
Carrier USS Abraham Lincoln Now in the South China Sea, Russian Surface Action Group Also Underway
U.S. Naval Institute | Nov. 28, 2024 | Dzirhan Mahadzir
Are we sure Dzirhan Mahadzir is the best person to hire at the U.S. Naval Institute?
Why Waste Money Having a Military Who Says That Military Solutions Won’t Work?
The US Navy says it can’t stop the Houthi attacks on shipping with force alone
Business Insider via Yahoo ^ | August 9th, 2024 | Jake Epstein
I’m sorry, Harvey. Your beloved Navy is now full of pusscakes. Weakness, weakness, wokeness.
The US Navy’s counter-Houthi mission will not be enough on its own to stop the Iran-backed rebels from attacking vulnerable merchant ships, the admiral overseeing operations in the Middle East said this week.
Vice Adm. George Wikoff, the commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, said that it will take more than force and firepower to deal with the Houthis. Rather, Washington and its allies must come up with an alternative way to apply pressure on the group.
“The solution is not going to come at the end of a weapon system,”
Oh, yes it will. Do pirates sit down at a negotiation table? No, they don’t.
Wikoff said Wednesday at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. “It’s going to be the international community.”
“Wikoff” rhymes with what?
So What Was It Structured For, Before?
Army ‘Restructuring Itself for War’ … By Cutting 24,000 Amid Recruiting Shortfalls
World Net Daily | February 29, 2024 | J.M. PhelpsDownsizing its force from 494,000 to 470,000 soldiers by fiscal year 2029, the U.S. Army claims it’s preparing its fighting force for future wars. The 24,000-person reduction is being touted as serving to restructure the “largely unmanned ‘hollow’ force structure and build new formations equipped with new capabilities needed for large scale combat operations [as it seeks] a high state of readiness.”
Hollow Wean II?
Ironically, with continued recruiting shortfalls in recent years, the Army is also claiming the restructuring effort will help “build back its end strength.” Over the last two fiscal years, the Army missed its recruiting goals by an eye-opening 26,000 recruits – almost the same number it now claims to be intentionally cutting.
The Army: “That’s just a coincidence!!”
Cutting force size to match decrease in enlistment: just the Army being all it can be.
No Diablo Sandwich?
101-Year-Old Retired Soldier, Hospital Volunteer, Credits This Soda for His Longevity
American Military News | Jan. 06, 2024 | Robert Higgs – The Plain Dealer
Travis Air Force Base — At age 101, hospital volunteer Eugene Petersen has certainly had his fair share of life lessons, tips and tricks. But he may have one that’s more curious than others: He credits a popular drink as one key to his longevity.
“Dr. Pepper,” he says without hesitation.
Staff at the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base recently marked Petersen’s 101st birthday and his 59 years of service.
Petersen started volunteering at the medical center in 2010. “Mr. Gene,” as he is affectionately known, works shifts of four hours per day, three to five days per week, the base said on Tuesday.
“He is instrumental in assisting our Health Information Management office in maintaining 124,000 medical records for our 276,000 Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs eligible beneficiaries,” Lt. Col. Reni Angelova, 60th Medical Support Squadron commander, said in a statement.
“He shares his knowledge, experience and life with our staff and young Airmen. We truly appreciate his contribution to our Health Information Management mission and to David Grant Medical Center,” Angelova said.
Petersen was drafted in 1941 and served as a paratrooper in the Philippines during World War II. He retired from the military as a U.S. Army sergeant major, according to his daughter, retired U.S. Army Col. Linda Standage.
After leaving the Army, Peterson worked for 14 years with the U.S. Postal Service.
Asked about his longevity, Petersen said he enjoys working out at a gym. He likes to fish in his off time.
Standage told base communications staff that one of his secrets is “He doesn’t let any moss grow under him!”
“And Dr. Pepper!” Petersen added.
___
© 2024 Advance Local Media LLC
I don’t suppose I’ll be around at 101 to credit beer, whiskey, wine, IMAO, and whatnot to my longevity. Ah, well. Mark Twain cautioned that what kept him alive for 80 years would most certainly kill other men — cigars all day, whiskey every night.
Haw Haw!
US Army Removes COVID Vaccine Requirement for Recruits Following Historic Low in Recruitment Since 1973
Gateway Pundit | 11/16/3023 | Jim HoftThe United States Army has removed the COVID-19 vaccine requirement for new recruits.
The Army’s recruitment challenges have been mounting in recent years, exacerbated by the stringent COVID-19 vaccine mandates that were previously in place.
Recruiting has been hampered by COVID-19 vaccine requirements as well as an increasingly woke military atmosphere where trans soldiers are give special privileges while Christian soldiers are persecuted, bases host drag shows, and leaders with a history of anti-white statements are hired.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin mandated the experimental COVID-19 vaccine for all military personnel on August 24, 2021.
So it’s neither safe, effective, nor necessary now? Useful to know from our military leaders.
The Answer Is 42
Air Force Raises Age Limit for Recruits to 42
www.airandspaceforces.com | Oct. 27, 2023 | David RozaThe Department of the Air Force expects to add about 50 more recruits per year after lifting its maximum age limit for initial accession from 39 years old to 42 on Oct. 24, the latest in a long series of efforts to expand the talent pool in the midst of an ongoing recruiting shortage. The change applies to both officers and enlisted in both the Air Force and Space Force …
The new age limit is the latest in a series of changes made by the Air Force over the last few years to usher in new members. Giving qualified applicants an option to retest if they test positive for marijuana use allowed about 165 Airmen to join in fiscal year 2023, while allowing small hand and neck tattoos brought in another 150. Updating the service’s body fat composition rules brought in another 700 recruits, and streamlining the process for trainees to become citizens upon graduating Basic Military Training brought in 200 new Airmen.
Futuristic Weapons Program Driven By for, You Know, Global Warming
(I guess we can be glad they don’t call it a bi-plane)
Energy-Saving Airlift Prototype To Be Built by JetZero for Air Force
Defense News | Aug. 16, 2023 |Rachel S. Cohen
“We’re going into this new area where it’s all about bringing capabilities … to the Air Force, the warfighter [and] the commercial space,” JetZero Chief Executive Officer Tom O’Leary said…
Can’t he speak English?
The Pentagon’s renewed focus on the Pacific as its top priority has placed a premium on assets that can travel farther and faster without breaking the bank.
The Pentagon now cares about costs?
JetZero’s partnership with Northrop Grumman on the Z-5 has received $40 million in government funds in fiscal 2023, Chaudhary said.
The military will put $235 million toward the initiative through 2026, plus more from private investors.
Less ten percent for the Big Guy?
Friday Night Open Thread: No Word on Whether It Could Hit the Millenium Falcon
US Army Developing World’s Most Powerful Laser Weapon for a ‘Future Battlefield’
AmericanMilitaryNews.com | June 10, 2021 | Liz GeorgeThe U.S. Army is building the world’s most powerful laser weapon, capable of vaporizing targets and interrupting adversaries’ technology signals. The weapon is over one million times more powerful than any other laser developed before, NewScientist reported.
According to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) website, the laser system, known as the Tactical Ultrashort Pulsed Laser (USPL) for Army Platforms, will stand apart from current lasers by emitting short pulses that rely on low energy, unlike current lasers which typically produce continuous waves.
. . .
According to the report, the system being developed will reach a terawatt for 200 femtoseconds, or one quadrillionth of a second. The split-second laser would be capable of incinerating a drone. The laser is also being designed to interrupt electronic signals by emitting an electromagnetic pulse.
Do you have something you’d like to share? A link? A joke? Some words of wisdom? A topic to discuss? It’s our nightly Open Thread, and you have the floor.
Arrow Space
It would be cooler if that thing above the “A” was a pilot.
Final Captive Test for U.S. Air Force’s Hypersonic Weapon
The Lockheed Martin AGM-183A “Arrow” hypersonic missile could be fielded as early as 2022 if development proceeds successfully.David Donald / AIonline.com / August 10, 2020
“The event this week demonstrated the ability to communicate with the prototype weapon; the entire team is excited to take the next step and begin energetic flight test of our first air-launched hypersonic weapons,” said Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jungquist, 419th FLTS commander and Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force director. “These weapons will enable the application of conventional firepower anywhere in the world at eye-watering speed.”
Yes, I see how this could make our enemies’ eyes water.
ARRW’s TBG concept involves the missile being accelerated to hypersonic speed and high altitude by a first-stage solid-fuel rocket section, which has folding fins to reduce its dimensions for carriage. The weapon vehicle itself is released following the jettison of the booster’s aerodynamic nosecone. The unpowered wedge-shaped effector then glides to its target at great speed. No details regarding range or speed performance have been released, but a range of considerably above 1,000 miles is likely, while speed will be above Mach 7. DARPA has hinted that speeds of up to Mach 20 are achievable with its TBG concept.
Seriously, do you want Biden’s or Kamala’s hands on this stuff?