Category Added in a WPeMatico Campaign
Spirit Airlines hit by gunfire
On 11 November 2024, 3 commercial US airplanes (Spirit Airlines, Jet Blue, American Airlines) were struck by bullets in the airspace near Port Au Prince, Haiti. Gang violence has been escalating and was blamed for the incidents that resulted in one injured airline crewmember and bullet holes in all 3 aircraft. As a result, the FAA closed the airspace above Haiti for 30 days.1
Of note, Haiti is listed as one of the top ten failed nations in the 2024 world2.
Screenshot Youtube
Every effective cyber operation still needs enablers on the ground in the target area to shape, tweak, and further propagate the message in the last cyber mile.
TikTok did this aggressively for the January 2024 Taiwan elections, with multiple enablers on the ground in Taiwan. In other words – agents that were helping the TikTok message.
Taiwan National Security Bureau (NSB) just caught up to this social media couple in Taiwan.
There is no shortage of problems confronting the U.S. Navy, as salvo after salvo of embarrassing stories attest. The range of problems is spectacularly depressing, addressing almost every facet of the Navy — from the design, production, maintenance, and crewing of its warships to the lack of commercial shipyard capacity, civilian shipbuilders, government drydocks, force structure, recruits, civilian mariners, and an adequate budget. How the Navy got into this predicament is complex. The lack of consistent strategic guidance between the chiefs of naval operations, however, is a major cause.
Money is the sinew of all wars. In Haiti, feuding gangs are financed by illicit traffic of all sorts, including narcotics and weapons. Disrupting that flow of cash could help provide some leverage to the authorities trying desperately to re-establish order. Considering that Haiti is insular, cutting seaborne illicit traffic would be a practical and effective step for countries that wish to help the Haitian population but are hesitant to contribute boots on the ground.
Image by Gage Skidmore
President Trump has announced Pete Hegseth, a U.S. Army officer and television personality, as Secretary of Defense.
Hegseth has been out in front pushing to rid the military of Marxist ideology and take care of its servicemen and women.
The choice will likely be well received by military members.
His website lists his bio below:
Pete Hegseth is co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend on the FOX News Channel. He is also a FOX Nation host, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and Army combat veteran.
Public Domain
After years of feminizing the US military through DEI initiatives, a new executive order under consideration by the Trump transition team would establish a “warrior board” of retired senior military personnel which would be granted the power to review three- and four-star officers and recommend any removals of those deemed unfit for leadership.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a fusillade of drones and missiles against two U.S. Navy destroyers as they transited the Bab el-Mendeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, said Air Force Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, a Pentagon spokesman.
Harriet Tubman, a Black woman widely credited as the first female leader of a combat regiment during the Civil War, was posthumously commissioned as a brigadier general of the Maryland National Guard at a Veteran’s Day ceremony.
A Maryland native, Tubman is best known for leading hundreds of slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad, but worked as a Union spy during the Civil War and led a raid in South Carolina that eventually freed 700.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — A group of 14 communications Marines was tasked with establishing comms for the logistical hub of the Marine Air Wing. Despite how complicated network equipment can be, it should have been an easy enough task for the group of comms personnel — until their position came under attack by the enemy.
In the middle of establishing a Marine Air Traffic Control Mobile Team, the small unit was forced into defensive positions to protect its area. As the old adage goes: Every Marine a rifleman.
As we honor the sacrifice and bravery of our veterans this National Veterans and Military Families Month, it is crucial to remember that the battles they face do not always end when they return home. While the visible scars of conflict are often recognized, the invisible wounds—those affecting the mental health of our service members—demand our urgent attention and care.
The Unseen Battle
As a former Army doctor who served during Desert Storm and Bosnia conflicts, I found that the unique demands and stressors of military life were things I, too, shared with my patients.