Author: Michael

NATO

The largest air combat exercise in NATO’s history, Air Defender 2023 (AD23), officially got underway yesterday. Bringing together 25 nations and NATO, the exercise features a strong U.S. military presence, with the U.S. Air National Guard (ANG) providing nearly half of the aircraft involved. AD23, which seeks to test the “joint responsiveness of… allied air forces in a crisis situation,” the Bundeswehr indicates, comes as Russia’s all-out war with Ukraine has left the issue of European security of paramount importance to the U.S. and allies.

China could have as many ICBMs as the US or Russia by the end of the decade, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
The number of operational nuclear weapons in the arsenals of the major military powers is on the rise again, according to a leading think tank, whose analysts warn that the world is “entering one of the most dangerous periods in human history.

By Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
 
The Battle of Conoco Fields, also known as the Battle of Khasham, was one of the rare occasions U.S. and Russian (mercenary) forces went toe to toe. The battle began as a force of some 500 Syrian and Russian Wagner PMC fighters supported by armour and artillery launched an assault on a joint SDF/U.S. special forces base at the Conoco gas plant located near the city of Deir ez-Zor. As the Wagner-led force pushed their advance, U.S. forces responded with a series of air and ground strikes. U.S.

(Task & Purpose photo).

An Army base that might elicit memories of hot, swampy field training has a new name. Fort Polk, Louisiana is now officially Fort Johnson. 
The base was renamed at a ceremony on June 13. Fort Johnson is one of nine installations being redesignated this year, as the Army removes the names of Confederate officers from its bases, streets, and buildings.

An unknown number of new F-35s will be on hold as a result of ongoing testing of the TR-3 system, deliveries of which are expected to begin between December 2023 and April 2024.
Starting in July, new-build F-35 Joint Strike Fighters equipped with Tech Refresh 3 (TR-3) hardware will not be accepted by the government until ongoing testing of the system is complete, the Office of the Joint F-35 Program (JPO).
“As we reported to Congress in March, we continue to see the risk of TR-3 delivery being delayed until December 2023-April 2024.

Criticizing the military is illegal in Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and openly displaying political ambitions that could challenge the president’s strongman is highly ill-advised. However, the head of the Wagner mercenaries, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, boasts of doing both and, for now at least, seems to get away with it.
Prigozhin, the innkeeper-turned-warlord who deployed his private army – bolstered by thousands of convicts he recruited from prison – to Ukraine, has been locked in a fierce dispute for weeks with Russia’s military leadership, repeatedly accusing the minister of incompetence.

The U.S. Marines are getting ready for the future wars and defining how they want to fight alongside and against machines.
The post US Marines reveal their rules for the Robot Wars first appeared on Sandboxx.
The post US Marines reveal their rules for the Robot Wars appeared first on Sandboxx.

President Biden’s pick for the next commandant of the Marine Corps said that ensuring the service owns the intellectual property and technical data rights for its platforms and systems will be one of his top priorities if he’s confirmed by the Senate.
During his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Gen.

The missile is part of the latest $2.1 billion security aid package announced by the Pentagon, which also includes more MIM-23 HAWK surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), 105mm and 203mm projectiles, small reconnaissance drones RQ-20 Puma, laser-guided ammunition and training and maintenance support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
The package will be implemented under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), whereby the US government buys weapons from arms manufacturers for Ukraine.

The life of a military spouse presents a myriad of unique complexities and obstacles to overcome. Those new to this lifestyle may not comprehend the extent of what lies ahead or possess the necessary tools to navigate the challenges that will inevitably arise. Even experienced military spouses require support during challenging times while also having […]
The post A Networking App for Military Spouses: Meet Twelve Million Plus first appeared on Sandboxx.
The post A Networking App for Military Spouses: Meet Twelve Million Plus appeared first on Sandboxx.