Author: Michael

Members of 5th Special Forces Group (A) conducting 50. Cal Weapons training during counter ISIS operations at Al Tanf Garrison in southern Syria in November 2017. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jacob Connor).

This article first appeared on The War Horse, an award-winning nonprofit news organization educating the public on military service.
Explosions flashed in the fog hanging over the Euphrates River like a coming summer storm.
The continuous thunder of Russian guns pounded the American positions in a burned-out natural gas refinery in eastern Syria.

TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. – Marines and Sailors with 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment completed the Spring Fire Exercise in Twentynine Palms from 11 – 26 March. The training enhanced the unit’s ability to support distributed operations and improved accuracy and efficiency.
The Marines and Sailors of 1/11 spent two weeks at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center refining fire support procedures from the fire direction center down to the gun line.

Boeing

When U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin appeared before the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee in mid April, he had troubling news regarding the service’s continuing pilot shortage.
In response to a question from committee member Rep. Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA), asking how long it takes to train Air Force fighter, bomber and mobility pilots, Allvin testified that training for mobility pilots should take 18 months while fighter and bomber pilot training could take more than two years.

For fighter pilots, air-to-air kills are the ultimate bragging point of skill. Shooting down an enemy aircraft demonstrates superior aviation and combat ability. However, not all air-to-air kills are scored by fighter planes. In fact, one bomber shot down five enemy planes during the Korean War to become an ace. Moreover, the Navy’s first air-to-air kill of WWII was recorded by a flying boat.
The PBY was the most widely used and produced flying boat of WWII (U.S. Navy)
The Consolidated Model 28 was flown by the U.S. Navy as the PBY Catalina.

With Sweden soon to join the Nato alliance the country joins its future partners in a military exercise to advance their collective security in the Baltic Sea region.
Aurora 2023 enables participants to hone their skills in a high-intensity scenario that simulates potential threats. Swedish air defence units work alongside fighter, transport, and support aircraft from Sweden, Finland, Poland, Portugal, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Shown here is the VBE Eng configuration of the VBTP-MSR Guarani. (Victor Barreira)

The Brazilian operation of Iveco Defence Vehicles (IDV) is proposing an export version of the Guarani 6×6 amphibious armoured vehicle, Giovanni Giordani, marketing manager at IDV in Brazil told
Janes
.

The vehicle is equipped with provisions for an external armoured add-on jointly developed with local company System Car and has a rear-mounted ComeUp Industries Bison 20 hydraulic recovery winch, according to Giordani.

A homeless U.S. Army veteran shows a folded up five dollar bill prior to entering a convenience store in the Chinatown District of Honolulu, Hawaii, Aug. 15, 2016. (Tech. Sgt. Brandon Shapiro/U.S. Air Force).

The official end of the national COVID-19 health emergency Thursday means the end of a slew of programs that benefit veterans, ranging from cash assistance to stave off homelessness to remote doctor visits.
The cutbacks come as the federal Public Health Emergency over COVID-19 declared in March 2020, comes to an end.

The Bundestag’s budget committee approved the procurement of 50 more Puma IFVs on 10 May. (Bundeswehr/Marco Dorow)
The budget committee of the Bundestag, the German parliament, approved the procurement of 50 more Puma infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) on 10 May, with an option for an additional 179 IFVs, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on its website on 11 May.

Australian Army soldiers from the 16th Regiment and the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery received training on the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. The system includes the Raytheon AN/MPQ-64F1 Sentinel X-band 3D air-defence radar, the Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace Fire Distribution Centre (FDC), and the Kongsberg Mk II canister launcher with provision for the AMRAAM and the AIM-9X interceptors.

The Hill
The Pentagon’s top two officials on Thursday warned lawmakers a default on the nation’s debt would put troops’ pay in danger and benefit China.