Podcasts about awacs

1.⁠ ⁠Operation Sindoor: India Strikes Back In a dramatic pre-dawn move on May 8, India launched Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror camps across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including key Lashkar and Jaish hubs in Bahawalpur, Kotli, and Muzaffarabad. The operation was a direct response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians on April 22. Executed using fighter jets, loitering munitions, cruise missiles, and tri-service precision, the strikes were conducted entirely from Indian airspace and targeted only terrorist infrastructure. India described the operation as “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” avoiding Pakistani military installations while showcasing significant firepower and coordination across the Army, Navy, and Air Force. 2.⁠ ⁠Pakistan Responds: “This Won't Go Unanswered” Reacting to the strikes, Pakistan's military issued a stern warning. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated, “India's temporary pleasure will be replaced by enduring grief,” vowing retaliation at a time and place of its choosing. Pakistan confirmed strikes in three locations and mobilized its air force, while closing its airspace for 48 hours. Tensions along the Line of Control have since intensified, with reports of heavy artillery exchanges. 3.⁠ ⁠IAF Combat Drills & Civil Defence Readiness Parallel to Operation Sindoor, the Indian Air Force began a major combat readiness exercise across the western sector, involving fighter jets, drones, helicopters, AWACS, and refuellers in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, and UP. Though termed “routine,” the timing—post-Pahalgam—adds strategic weight. Simultaneously, India conducted nationwide civil defence drills across 244 districts, the largest since 1971. These drills tested air raid sirens, evacuation plans, blackout protocols, and communications, sending a clear message: India is prepared for all scenarios. ⸻ 4.⁠ ⁠India, UK Seal Historic Free Trade Deal In a major diplomatic win, India and the UK signed a long-awaited Free Trade Agreement after three years of negotiations. The deal unlocks a $45 billion trade corridor, addresses visa access for Indian professionals, and introduces the Double Contribution Convention to ease social security obligations for cross-border workers. While hailed as a boost for textiles, automotive, and seafood exports, concerns remain over the UK's upcoming carbon tax that could hurt Indian steel and cement exports. Still, the FTA is expected to double bilateral trade to $100 billion by 2030, marking a new chapter in India's global trade diplomacy. 5.⁠ ⁠SEBI Exposes IPO Scam at Synoptics In a first-of-its-kind action, SEBI has cracked down on Synoptics Technologies and its merchant banker, First Overseas Capital Ltd, for misusing over ₹19 crore from IPO proceeds. The money was diverted to shell entities a day before listing, with ₹2 crore used to buy Synoptics shares and artificially inflate demand. SEBI called the misuse “shocking and stunning,” banned FOCL from handling any new IPOs, and barred Synoptics' promoters from the market. A deeper probe has been launched into 20 other IPOs managed by FOCL. The message is clear: tampering with public money won't go unpunished. 6.⁠ ⁠India to Overtake Japan as 4th Largest Economy According to the IMF's April 2025 Outlook, India is projected to surpass Japan in 2025 with a GDP of $4.187 trillion, becoming the world's fourth-largest economy. This rise reflects India's resilience, reforms, and growing domestic demand—even as growth cools to 6.2% in FY25. Challenges persist: trade tensions, including recent US tariffs, and slowing momentum may test the climb. But India's long-term trajectory remains upward, with Germany next in its sights.

Il fait partie de ces personnes qui ont fait de leurs rêves une réalité. Le commandant Arnaud Prost, pilote d'Awacs et membre de la réserve des astronautes de l'Agence spatiale européenne, nous retrace son parcours hors du commun. Il évoque ses débuts dans l'armée de Terre, l'obtention de ses ailes de pilote de chasse, son expérience dans le domaine des essais en vol, sa sélection pour devenir un réserviste atypique, ainsi que ses échanges avec Thomas Pesquet ! Photo : SCH Christian Hamilcaro Musique originale : Stéphane Lebaron et Romain Paillard

Welcome to Paranormal Spectrum, where we illuminate the enigmatic corners of the supernatural world. I'm your host, Barnaby Jones, and today we have a very special guest joining us:Leigh Warner has been interested in the Supernatural for most of her life. From and currently living in WI, Leigh has also lived in Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Tennessee. As a SSgt [Staff Sergeant] in the USAF; and flying on AWACS, Leigh has had many opportunities to travel to different countries and visit most States in the USA.With a desire to learn and the gift of discernment, Leigh has found she can not easily explain away a series of events that happened to her as a small child living in Milwaukee, WI.Leigh is here today to tell her story and provide insight to her understanding of what happened, way back when.The Fallen Outdoorshttps://thefallenoutdoors.com/get-involved/Veteran's Crisis Hotline988 and Press 1Click that play button, and let's unravel the mysteries of the UNTOLD! Remember to like, share, and subscribe to our channel to stay updated on all the latest discoveries and adventures. See you there!Join Barnaby Jones on the Paranormal Spectrum every Thursday on the Untold Radio Network Live at 12pm Central – 10am Pacific and 1pm Eastern. Come and Join the live discussion next week. Please subscribe.We have twelve different Professional Podcasts on all the things you like. New favorite shows drop each day only on the UNTOLD RADIO NETWORK.To find out more about Barnaby Jones and his team, (Cryptids, Anomalies, and the Paranormal Society) visit their website www.WisconsinCAPS.comMake sure you share and Subscribe to the CAPS YouTube Channel as wellhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs7ifB9Ur7x2C3VqTzVmjNQ

In this episode of the High Impact Man podcast, hosts Neven Gorki (DFib) and Troy Klinger (Dial Up) welcome Gas Station, a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, who shares his unique journey through military service, pilot training, and his involvement in F3. Gas Station discusses the importance of leadership, community, and personal growth, emphasizing the need for men to support one another through challenges. He reflects on his experiences in the military, the AWACS mission, and how F3 has positively impacted his life and the lives of those around him.

Episode Summary: In this episode, Heather “Lucky” Penney chats about the evolution of air battle management with two highly experienced airmen, Lt Col Alex Wallis of the 728th Battle Management Control Squadron at Robins AFB and Lt Col Grant “SWAT” Georgulis, who just wrapped up a stint as the commander of the 965th Airborne Air Control Squadron at Tinker AFB. Air battle management is an essential mission: the combination of highly trained personnel and technology that makes sense of the combat environment. They do more than just help teams on the ground and airmen in the sky find targets – battle managers orchestrate and maneuver a diverse array of capabilities to maximize logistics, mission effects, and survivability in pursuit of air superiority and air operations within dynamic and contested theaters. We often recognize the battle management community through their aircraft and ground systems—the E-3 AWACS, the CRC, BCC, and the recently retired E-8 JSTARS. However, changes are underway in this mission given the on-ramp of the E-7, TOC-Enabled CRC with "three dealer" and space-based ground moving target indicator system. The operating domain is also evolving given the focus on China and the realities of operating in a domain as large as the Pacific.  We've also got to think about how the rise of artificial intelligence, collaborative combat aircraft, and multi-domain teaming will impact the mission. So, what tenets of the air battle management mission will hold constant? What elements will change? We explore these questions with two highly experienced operators. Credits: Host: Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Resident Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin  Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Col Grant "SWAT" Georgulis, Air Force Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Lt Col Alex "Big Bobby" Wallis, 728th Battle Management Control Squadron, Robins AFB Links: Subscribe to our Youtube Channel: https://bit.ly/3GbA5Of Website: https://mitchellaerospacepower.org/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MitchellStudies Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3nzBisb Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mitchellstudies/ #MitchellStudies #AerospaceAdvantage #aerospace #BattleManagement Thank you for your continued support!

The complexity of dealing with problems in the Middle East was pervasive during the Reagan years but the 40th President continued to pursue a path to peace. In February 1984, he invited President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan to Washington to discuss the war in Lebanon and other issues. Things were hot in the Middle East. By early 1984, US forces were directly fighting in the Persian Gulf. In late February, a US Navy destroyer launched anti-aircraft missiles against Iranian patrol aircraft. At the end of May, a USAF KC-10 tanker helped Saudi Air Force jets maintain patrols over the Gulf to head off Iranian retaliation for Iraqi attacks on oil tankers. In early June, the USAF tankers and AWACS assisted the Saudis in shooting down one or two Iranian F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers. So, US military forces played a frequent and direct combat role in regional conflicts during 1984. Therefore, in constant pursuit of communication at least, President Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan visited. First, let's talk about Jordan and Hussein.

In this engaging episode of From the Crow's Nest, host Ken Miller sits down with Erik Bamford, Branch Chief EW, Norwegian Armed Forces, and Member, AOC Board of Directors for International Region One., for an insightful conversation.Bamford delves into the growing friction surrounding standards—highlighting the tension between NATO's push for uniformity and the private sector's competitive drive for proprietary innovation. This clash, he explains, has far-reaching implications, even in high-stakes conflicts like the war in Ukraine. According to Bamford, the challenge of achieving full alignment is a major concern, one that's "keeping political leadership awake at night."The discussion also touches on NATO's evolving role in electronic warfare (EW) during the conflict in Ukraine, as well as critical projects underway within NATO's EW subgroups. Among the highlights: the shift away from the aging AWACS platform and the strategic alignment of NATO's Air Force Armament Group (NAFAG) annual meeting with AOC's International Symposium in December.To learn more about today's topics or to stay updated on EMSO and EW developments, visit our homepage.

Brig. Gen. Gavin Marks '96 discusses the absolute importance of standards and integrity in leadership, and how a new, more rigorous approach at the Academy will build that in to cadets making them Day-1 leaders. SUMMARY Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks, Commandant of the Air Force Academy, shares his journey from being a young man in Atlanta, Georgia to becoming a pilot and eventually serving as the Commandant. He discusses his experiences at the Air Force Academy, including basic cadet training and the challenges he faced. General Marks emphasizes the importance of perseverance, leaning on support networks, and maintaining high standards in leadership. He also reflects on the impact of the Academy on his personal and professional development. General Gavin Marks reflects on his personal journey and the impact of his wife on his military career. He discusses the importance of being adaptable and humble as a leader and the unique responsibilities of command. He shares his decision to return to the Air Force Academy and the changes he is implementing to better prepare cadets for the challenges of great power competition. General Marks emphasizes the love and passion that the leaders at the Academy have for developing future officers and encourages listeners to continue dreaming big.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "How you do anything is how you do everything." "There's always somebody better." "I want to make sure that they feel like they got their money's worth from a military development perspective or military training perspective."  "The leaders at the Air Force Academy, from top to bottom, love deeply, deeply love the institution, and are incredibly passionate about the development of these young men and women into officers in the Air Force and the Space Force." "Continue to dream big. Don't let anyone dissuade you from goals that you have. And as it relates specifically to the Air Force Academy, it is absolutely worth it."   SHARE THIS EPISODE LINKEDIN  |  FACEBOOK   CHAPTERS 00:00:  Introduction and Background 01:53:  Returning to the Air Force Academy 02:52:  Young Gavin Marks: Childhood and Calling to Serve 07:04:  Challenges and Growth in Basic Cadet Training 08:29:  Lessons in Leadership and Perseverance 11:45:  Choosing the Air Force Academy and Pilot Training 15:06:  Reflections on the Academy's Impact 20:52:  Leadership Experiences as a Cadet 23:43:  Lessons in Leadership and Perception 27:55:  Successes and Career Progression 32:35:  Meeting His Wife and Reflecting on Tinker Air Force Base 37:25:  Personal Journey and the Impact of Relationships 57:54:  Changes in the Life of a Cadet 01:05:48:  Challenges and Partnerships 01:09:39:  Rigor and Expectations 01:11:09:  Love and Passion for Developing Future Officers 01:12:34:  The Value and Worth of Attending the Air Force Academy   TAKEAWAYS The importance of perseverance, resilience, and grit in overcoming challenges, especially during difficult experiences like the Air Force Academy. The value of having a strong support network, including family and friends, to help navigate challenging times. The significance of leadership roles and experiences during the Air Force Academy in shaping one's development and future success. The Air Force Academy's focus on evolving its training and development methods to better prepare cadets for the challenges of great power competition. The deep passion and commitment of the Air Force Academy's leadership in developing leaders of character who are ready to serve their country.   ABOUT GEN. MARKS BRIG. GEN. MARKS' BIO Brigadier General Gavin P. Marks is the Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He commands the 4,300-member Cadet Wing and more than 200 Air Force and civilian personnel. He guides military, leadership, character development, Basic Cadet Training and Expeditionary Skills Training for the Air Force Cadet Wing in addition to providing facilities and logistical support.  Brig. Gen. Marks earned his commission from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1996 and his pilot wings from Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1998. Brig. Gen. Marks has served as a T-1A instructor pilot (at both the undergraduate and graduate training levels) and flight examiner, an E-3B/C instructor pilot and flight examiner, an Air Force Intern, a staff officer on multiple joint staffs, and has commanded at the squadron and wing levels.  Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Director, Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C.   Brig. Gen. Marks is a command pilot with more than 3,400 flying hours in the T-3, T-37, T-1A, E-3B/C/G, RC-135S/U/V, TC-135W, OC-135B, and WC-135C aircraft.   - Copy credit:  AF.MIL   CONNECT WITH GEN. MARKS INSTAGRAM: @‌USAFACOMMANDANT     ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!          FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS Guest:  Brig. Gen. Gavin P. Marks '96  |  Host:  Naviere Walkewicz '99   Naviere Walkewicz 00:01 My guest today is Brig. Gen. Gavin P. Marks, USAFA Class of '96, and currently serving as the commandant of the Air Force Academy. This is his third command position since becoming a member of the Air Force. Gen. Marks was drawn to service as a young man in Atlanta, Georgia, and joined the Junior ROTC program in high school before coming to the Academy in 1992. After he graduated, he became a pilot and flew for 26 years, in addition to continuing his personal and professional development. In 2000, Gen. Marks graduated with distinction from Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. In 2015, he again graduated with distinction from the National War College at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. He has held command positions at the squadron and wing levels. His attachment to the Academy has remained strong, so much so that 20 years ago, he committed to returning and had been working his way back to USAFA when he was called to service, assuming his role as commandant in 2023. Gen. Marks, it is a pleasure. Welcome to Long Blue Leadership. Thank you for being here.   Brig. Gen. Marks 01:03 Thank you very much. It is an honor for me to be here. It really is.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:07 This is an exciting time for us, because especially for me, being a Class of 1999 — “Gold will shine” — I had to get that in there. We go back to Arnold Hall in Basic Cadet Training, when you were the commandant of cadets during Basic Cadet Training for us. So I remember you vividly as your taps from your shoes hit the floor in Arnold Hall. So this is truly a pleasure, sir, thank you.   Brig. Gen. Marks 01:29 It is absolutely surreal to be back, and especially during this period that we're in right now during Basic Cadet Training, and as I interact with basic cadets and the cadre, it's hard not to reminisce about that time. It's hard not to share stories as well. I'm careful that I don't inundate the cadets with my stories of when I was the Basic Cadet Training commander. But it's just it's absolutely wonderful to be back here. Yeah, really is.   Naviere Walkewicz 01:53 Well, we'll get to hear some of those, I think, you know, from your perspective, back then, and also, more recently, as we weave through this podcast. But really excited. And where we like to start is when we go back to young Gavin Marks. So Gen. Marks, tell us about what you were like as a child.   Brig. Gen. Marks 02:08 My mother would tell you that I was precocious, that I was inquisitive. I was very, very talkative as well. So I have an older brother, and we are the sons of two parents that have been married for 55 years, and that's important, because 55 years is a long time, and it taught me the value of being committed. It also taught me the value of what love really looks like, up close and personal as well. I'm from Atlanta, Georgia, as you mentioned, so I'm a product of the South. I am a product of public schools, Baptist churches and Southern upbringing. So, I love sweet tea. I love this disgusting candy called Sugar Babies. And just about anything that you think of with regard to the South, you could probably say that that's pretty accurate as it relates to me and my personality as well. I call everyone ma'am and sir, regardless of rank, just based on my upbringing as well. I really would tell you that I got a calling to serve in the military by virtue of JROTC. I followed my brother into JROTC. We went to different high schools, and he enjoyed it, but it just wasn't his calling. I got involved in it and knew immediately that it was something that I wanted to do. I love shining my shoes. I love shining the brass belt buckle that I had on my trousers. I love marching. I love drill. I did Color Guard. I did Drill Team. It was wonderful for me. It was, I think, the thing that was missing in my life in terms of knowing what my niche was going to be. And so, my professor at that time in that particular JROTC program, I think he saw something in me, and he was the first one to actually bring up a military service academy. Prior to that point, I hadn't heard of anything about West Point or Annapolis or the Air Force Academy at all. And so, I took a trip with my father and we went out to all three and I can't swim, and so Annapolis was pretty difficult for me to wrap my mind around. West Point was too gray. You know, this is a 17-year-old at the time, or a 16-year-old at the time thinking these things. It's like, “Wow, this was really gray and dreary.” No offense to West Point. And then I got to the Air Force Academy, and I remember stepping off the plane and again, coming from Atlanta, Georgia, to see the snow-capped mountains, to immediately be able to feel the difference in the air, I knew that this was the place that I wanted to be. And so, I told my dad right then, as we stepped off the plane, I said, “This is it.” And he said, “What do you know about this place? You haven't even gone here yet.” But I knew, and the rest, as they say, is history.   Naviere Walkewicz 04:48 Wow. So, neither your parents served and your brother was the first kind of introduction to Junior ROTC. What was that like growing up without having that, in Atlanta, not having that military, I guess, presence around you, and you said that's what you learned was missing. But what kind of got you to that point?   Brig. Gen. Marks 05:08 So, I would say, just to be clear, so dad did not have a career in the military, but my father and my uncle both were drafted in Vietnam, and so to that extent, what I would say is, while there wasn't discussions or a lot of military impact in my household, I think, more than anything else, just through watching television, et cetera, there was something about the discipline. There was something about the professionalism. There was something about how revered those that are in service to their nation were in this country that really drew me to the profession of arms. It was just something about the fact that this is a career field. This is a profession that is extremely highly regarded across all facets of life, and I wanted to be a part of it.   Naviere Walkewicz 06:03 So, as a young man in public school, did you find yourself drawn to things, like, I started to think about programs that were like discipline-based, like taekwondo or sports in that manner. Did you have some of those experiences as young man?   Brig. Gen. Marks 06:16 I played — I ran track, following after my brother. My brother thrived in track and field. I followed him, and I absolutely loathed it. I was not athletically inclined, and try as I might, you know, I work out and I try to stay in good shape, but I would not call myself necessarily an athlete of the highest order by any stretch. And so that absolutely was an albatross around my neck coming to the Air Force Academy, especially during basic training, especially during Jacks Valley.   Naviere Walkewicz 06:52 Well, let's talk about that a little bit. Was there a specific instance in Jacks Valley where — because I feel like now you might be able to run circles around some of us.   Brig. Gen. Marks 07:01 Well, I will tell you — so, what I remember a lot about Jacks Valley, I remember the power-line runs. And back then we had the M1 Garand, 11, 12 pounds and we carried it everywhere. And it was heavy. You know, 12 pounds doesn't seem like it's heavy, but it's heavy when you're at port arms, and you're running for miles and miles on end, and the altitude, obviously, is vastly different. Jacks Valley is very dusty. You know, “Jacks Hack” is a thing. And so, all of those things, in aggregate, really caused me a lot of trouble. And so, what I remember is thinking often “I'm not going to make this. This is not going to happen for me,” in terms of graduating out of basic training, because I am falling behind in my runs, et cetera, et cetera. But I made it. I made it.   Naviere Walkewicz 07:56 I love that. And I think for some of our listeners, the key thing, even just in that one was, you know, you didn't give up. You recognized you just had to keep working at it, and you got through it. And you're now serving as a commandant of cadets. So, I feel like there's definitely a story here that talks about you and your grit and your perseverance and everything throughout these years.   Brig. Gen. Marks 08:15 The thing that I took from the Air Force Academy experience probably more than anything else — and there are several things that I took from it — is that this is a an incredibly difficult journey that is made better if you think about it from the perspective of just taking one step at a time every single day. Just show up, just show up, just be present, and that's 80% of it. If you just keep showing up, you are going to be OK. And so that was my mentality: They were going to have to kick me out. I was not going to self-eliminate at all. And so, no matter how slowly I ran back, then they were going to have to kick me out and I was going to keep showing up. The other thing is, I would say this: I had tremendous teammates. Our squad, well, in Jacks Valley, our flight, which became our squadron — we were so close, even back then. And if one of us was falling behind, “Come on, Gavin, let's go. Pick it up.” And that really helped a lot, because you didn't want to let your teammates down.   Naviere Walkewicz 09:22 So, we got a little glimpse of Jacks. So I'm just gonna' dial it back just real quick, back to the point where you said to your dad, “This is it. This is where I'm going.” So, what was that journey like from Junior ROTC to getting into the Academy? Because I think a lot of people want to know what that looked like for you.   Brig. Gen. Marks 09:38 So, I knew that from probably my junior year in high school that I wanted to go into the Air Force or to into the military. I didn't know which branch to be perfectly clear. So I applied to all three service academies. I applied to The Citadel and I applied to VMI and to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Those are all of the ones that I could think of at the time, and the visits helped a lot to crystallize in my mind what I wanted to do. But what really also helped was this fascination with flying. Originally, I wanted to be an astronaut, a dentist, a doctor, an actor, and so many different things when you're growing up, but the idea of flying was really at the forefront of my mind as well. I also knew I wanted to lead. And so, combining those two desires, it made sense to go to the Air Force Academy. And again, I couldn't swim. I tried as much as I possibly could to learn how to swim through the YMCA, et cetera. I'm a product of basic swimming at the Air Force Academy — twice. If I'm being completely candid with you and your listeners, if I could have swam at the time, it is likely that I would have gone to Annapolis, and it is likely that I would have been a Marine, because that is much more, at least in my thinking back then, in line with my personality. Because I am — I will just say the military pillar of the Air Force Academy was, as the young people would say, that's my jam, for sure.   Naviere Walkewicz 11:15 I can see that. While I appreciate that, I can see that. We're so glad that we were able to get you here at the Air Force Academy. So, let's talk about your time at the Academy. You wanted to be an astronaut. You turn the dials toward pilot. Let's talk about what that experience looked like.   Brig. Gen. Marks 11:30 So, the Academy was very, very challenging. What made it challenging primarily was the balance of so many requirements, and that's on purpose. It is rigorous on purpose because the profession of arms requires it, and the nation needs it, it deserves it. I wasn't prepared for it. High school — I wouldn't say high school came easy for me. I would say I did well in high school, and I did well in high school by virtue of cramming and by virtue of instincts. So, I came to the Air Force Academy not really knowing how to study. I didn't know how to prioritize tasks or manage tasks well at all. And the Academy humbled me tremendously.   Naviere Walkewicz Can you share a story about that?   Brig. Gen. Marks Oh, well, I would say this, and the dean, who I know has also been on the Long Blue Leadership podcast as well, she would cringe. So, I never got an F, I'm proud to say, but I certainly am on the team of Ds. I received a D in Aero, and, if I recall, Astro, civil engineering when we had that as a core as well. And that was an incredibly humbling experience for me, because prior to that point, I had never had anything in my career lower than a C in high school or anything like that. And so that kind of thing makes you think, “What am I doing wrong here?” And as you are engaged in that type of introspection, you're still having to get ready for the PFT, and you're still having to get ready for this chemistry test, and you're still having to shine your shoes and get ready for this knowledge test, et cetera, et cetera. And so it was just in my mind, based on my training to that point, not enough time in the day for the reflection that I needed in order to make some changes to my habit pattern. And you're just trying to survive, and you're just showing up every day, one step at a time. So that made it very difficult: the inability for me to study, to not know how to study, the prioritization of tasks. I loved the military piece, and I probably spent more time on that than I should have spent on other things.   My roommates would often comment on the fact that I would be shining my shoes for hours, and I would bypass the need to study until the last minute, until the test came. And that didn't work out very well for me. The other thing I would tell you is this: I wouldn't say that I got homesick, but it was a long way from home. It really was, and so going home really helped to fill my cup back up in terms of just being able to reacclimate with my family and those that were around me — extended family, church, friends, et cetera. It was a long way from home.   I developed a lot of great friends in my squadron. We were in the same squadron all four years, Way of Life committee, gospel choir at the time as well. And then this team of friends that I had on the Cadet Honor Guard as well. What an interesting year that was on the Cadet Honor Guard. But we became incredibly close, and they're still close to this day.   Naviere Walkewicz 14:47 So, I'd like to talk more about the Honor Guard, but before we get there, I think it's important for people to understand that when you find yourself in those tough situations in life and in experiences, how did you pull yourself out of that? You know, you obviously got through. So, something had to change. How did you maneuver that?   Brig. Gen. Marks 15:06 So, I will start by saying this: I talked to my parents a lot, and their support was incredibly helpful for me. They approached it from a different perspective. You know, I learned a lot of great things from both of my parents: hard work, my father's work ethic, my mother and unconditional love and what that truly means. And so, when I'm talking to my parents about the rigors of the Academy experience, my mom would say, “You know, baby you can just quit and come on home and go to Georgia Tech. It's right around the corner, and we'd love to have you, and you don't need this.” And my dad would say, “You better not quit. If you come home, it's for Christmas and you're going back.” And reflecting on both of those comments, my mother was basically saying, “No matter what, we're gonna' love you.” My dad was saying, “No matter what, you can do this, I know you can do it.” And the amalgamation of those emotions and those messages really helped me a lot. It let me know that no matter what, I have support, but I also have the confidence of my parents as well, that leaning on friends is — the friend groups that I talked about as well was really important. And then to a large extent, I would say this: The ability to dig deep inside and pull yourself up even when you are struggling, or even when you are faltering, to be able to show up the next day is really, really important, that grit, that resilience — the thing that we preach to our cadets about now we try to instill in them through the rigors of the Academy experience. It's really important. It's not only important at the Air Force Academy, it's important throughout life, because life obviously throws so many different curveballs your way, right?   Naviere Walkewicz 17:11 I appreciate that you shared that leaning into your support network, not only for their love and their confidence in you, but also it sounds like there was a bit of asking for help and what that was, and so I think that's important for people to hear too. While you are having to pull yourself up, there's no shame in asking for help along the way.   Brig. Gen. Marks 17:27 Not at all. And I would tell you, my mother has so many letters at home and letters that I don't even remember writing during my time at the Air Force Academy, where I was explaining to her different things that were going on that would bring a smile to my face now, because I would be shocked that I would have said these things to my mother or my father in terms of what was taking place and the help that I perhaps needed at the time.   Naviere Walkewicz 17:53 That's great perspective. So, you mentioned Honor Guard, and what an incredible year. I was not part of Honor Guard, but I did appreciate how they helped us stay militarily ready. What was that journey like for you?   Brig. Gen. Marks 18:08 Hard. It was very, very difficult. What I would say is this: So the Cadet Honor Guard attracted me because of the discipline that they had, that they have because of what they represented for the institution as well. These were the cadets that in every formation, carried our nation's flag. These were the cadets that were held up as the example of what a good uniform looked like and what military professionals should strive to look like and resemble and the precision with which they drilled was incredibly impressive to me. And so, when they had an opportunity to showcase what they were about to the fourth-class cadets at the time, so that we could show interest in different clubs, et cetera…   Naviere Walkewicz 19:02 Because you had to try out for honor guard. Is that correct, sir?   Brig. Gen. Marks 19:06 I'm trying to think if I would call it a try-out.   Naviere Walkewicz That's probably not the right word.   Brig. Gen. Marks I think it's probably one of the greatest examples that I can talk to about just showing up, which is to say, “Come one, come all, and there's going to be a lot of physical activity, a lot of running, a lot of drill work, et cetera, all meant to condition you and build your endurance for challenging times when you're in formation, and bad weather and things of that nature, because you know, when you're carrying the nation's flag, it's a no-fail mission, and you can't drop it. And it doesn't matter that it's 20 degrees and 50 knots of wind, you can't drop it.” And so how do I build that into you: the importance of what you're doing means to not only this institution, not only to the Cadet Wing, but to the nation as well? It was a grueling year. It was a hard year. And so I think we started probably with 70-ish fourth-class cadets, and our team ended up at the conclusion at about 16. And that was our team, and that was the team that we carried forth throughout the remainder of our time at the Air Force Academy. And again, I still stay in touch with them to this day. It was a fantastic group of people.   Naviere Walkewicz 20:35 That's incredible. So aside from Honor Guard and some of the time that you spent as a cadet, let's talk about your leadership as a cadet, because you've had multiple positions of leadership.   Brig. Gen. Marks 20:47 So, the two that resonate most with me right now, and that I gained a tremendous amount from — the summer leading into my two-degree year I was the Basic Cadet Training group training non-commissioned officer. That's a mouthful, and so the privilege of being able to, and I'm gonna' use air quotes, “greet” every new appointee as they arrived on the bus to the base of the ramp was given to me, and it was quite an honor. And so, I got to get on the bus and welcome every single basic cadet in the Class of 1998. I will never forget that. And then the next summer, I was the Basic Cadet Training commander, like you were talking about in your earlier comments,   Naviere Walkewicz I definitely recall that.   Brig. Gen. Marks I had a lot of fun, and beyond the fun that you have as cadre during Basic Cadet Training, I had a lot of fun in this regard. As the training NCO, seeing the progress, the development of the basic cadets from I-day, or from that first day of basic training, until the Acceptance Day Parade, if you will, or until we handed them off to the Jacks Valley cadre was something that I really appreciated, because it was very, very noticeable: the changes in drill, the changes in customs and courtesies, the changes in uniform wear, the changes in Mitchell Hall decorum, the changes in how they kept their rooms, et cetera. It was noticeable. And I really appreciated being able to see the fruit of the labor of the cadre. As the BCT commander in so much that you can learn executive-level leadership as a cadet, it taught me a lot about that. So this is the first time that I had an opportunity to conduct my own staff meetings, to build my own staff, to chart a vision, to set objectives, to hold accountable. It taught me a tremendous amount beyond the fun and the great memories of walking across the stage with my taps on during the Fourth of July at A-Hall, which I absolutely still remember to this day, I absolutely remember to this day. But both of those experiences are indelible for me at this point. And I talked to the BCT cadre about them now, because I want them to know that this time that they have is so precious, precious not only because of the memories that they're going to make, but precious because of the impact that they're going to have on these basic cadets. They will remember them forever. They will remember them forever.   Naviere Walkewicz 23:30 Truth. So, I think one of the things that is so unique about that: You said, it was the first time you had the experience of conducting kind of your own operations, or what that looked like, the battle rhythm, the vision. I think a lot of our listeners, you know, they look at you, you're a general, you've been a leader. You know all this. What are some of the things you learned about yourself in that experience that maybe you would share just some lessons in leadership in the early parts of your leadership journey?   Brig. Gen. Marks 23:55 So, I learned very early on, probably as a three degree, that standards really, really matter. It crystallized for me as a probably a three degree, and it just continued to resonate throughout the rest of my career that standards matter greatly in our profession, and perhaps across all walks of life. They matter because of the fact that if we allow someone to not be questioned about meeting standards, we will likely allow further deterioration down the road and erosion down the road, which could lead to catastrophic occurrences. And I've seen it in numerous instances, whether we're talking about accidents, aircraft accidents, whether we're talking about units that have toxic cultures. Because oftentimes it starts with the breadcrumbs that you can walk back to the erosion of standards. There's a line that I love in John Wick. I'm a big John Wick fan. The fourth movie, the bad guy, I don't remember his name, said that his father used to tell him, “How you do anything is how you do everything.” And that is so powerful to me. It is so incredibly powerful. “How you do anything is how you do everything.” I believe that. I truly, truly do. And I learned that for the really, for the first time, as a three degree. I would also tell you perception matters. And I learned that as a firstie as well. How you conduct yourself — as Patton would say, “You're always on parade.” It's important. And if your staff thinks that you are cutting corners here or showing favoritism there, whether that's true or not, it's their reality, and they are going to respond based on how they view their reality, how they view the world in that context. And so, I as a firstie through the experience of the BCT group commander, began to truly pay attention to what perceptions I was perhaps enabling. How about I put it that way? Those are two that come to mind in terms of lessons in leadership that I learned here at the Air Force Academy. When I talk about the idea of building a staff and running a staff meeting, they seem minor. Building the staff was important because it was at that time that I realized that while I may have some things that I'm pretty good at, there are a lot of things that I'm not, and I want to surround myself with people that are good in those areas that I'm not. And so I was very, very deliberate in who I surrounded myself with from a BCT group staff perspective. And then I would also say it's important to, especially when you walk into a group for the first time, to know what you're going to say, to have an agenda for how you want to run things. Because that first impression when you walk in as the leader, as the boss, as the commander, et cetera, it's gonna matter. It is absolutely gonna matter, and you will never have another opportunity to make a good first impression. And so, I could go on and on. I learned a lot from my experiences here in leadership at the Air Force Academy.     Naviere Walkewicz Those are excellent examples.     Brig. Gen. Marks That's why I wanted to come back. While I understood what standards meant and the importance of them as a three degree, I didn't fully put together the impact that the Academy had on me until I was a captain. Leaving here, probably like you and others, I drove away as fast as I could.   Naviere Walkewicz The rear-view mirror…   Brig. Gen. Marks Absolutely, and I told myself that I would never be back here.   Naviere Walkewicz Really?   Brig. Gen. Marks I really did at that time, because enough time hadn't passed to allow me to reconcile all of the wonderful things that had taken place in my development during that four-year period. And it wasn't until I was a captain that I realized that who I was as a function of the Air Force was in large part due to the development that I had received at the Air Force Academy. I credit my parents as well, for sure, but the Air Force Academy, for sure, had a lot to do with that, and I wanted to give that back to other cadets.   Naviere Walkewicz 29:03 Was that in a moment of reflection that you realized that, or was that — did something happen where you were like, “Wow, that's something that I kind of took from the Academy.”? How did you come to that realization?   Brig. Gen. Marks 29:15 I was having — a lot of positive things occurred to me in my career. At that point, I was having a lot of successes, and at some point, I thought about the fact that while certainly I am truly blessed, and certainly there is some luck that plays into that as well, I at some point, through introspection, just kind of look back on the journey that I had gone through from being the knucklehead kid from Atlanta, Georgia, to being this captain in the Air Force, and the metamorphosis that occurred and how that happened. And, so I can only attribute it — some of that, again, is the development over time, when your parents are teaching you things and instilling values and virtue into you, and at the time, when you're a know-it-all teenager, you don't think that it's sinking in, but it does, and it shapes you over time. So, some of it's that, but some of it was the Academy itself. I will tell you this: So, there was a program that I participated in as a junior, I guess, in high school, where I got to come to the Academy for an overnight visit. And I stayed with a cadet, and what I remember about that is this: So I think I stayed two nights. But the first night I went to a pay phone to call a friend, and there was a $20 bill at the top of the pay phone. And so, I went back to the room to tell the cadet, “Hey, somebody left some money there,” and he said, “Don't worry about it. Whoever left it, they'll remember that they left it there, and they'll come back and get it.” And I was bewildered. I was like, I don't understand how that's possible. OK, so the next night, I went to the same pay phone, and it was still there. And I was blown away, and I never forgot that, that this is a place where honor really, really matters. And certainly my parents have integrity, and certainly they, you know, preached and instilled those types of values, but here at the United States Air Force Academy, it was practiced every single day, and it was visibly discernible to me throughout all facets of the Academy experience that undergirding these, you know, push-ups that I was doing and this chemistry test that I was taking, et cetera, was this honor code and these core values that all of us together share. And I just absolutely love that. Reflecting on that over the course of seven years changed my life, truly, for the better.   Naviere Walkewicz 32:15 Thank you for sharing that story. And I actually got chill bumps just thinking about, well, I mean, but you're, right now, you can't think about a lot of places where you can leave something and it's probably still going to be there, or if it was identifiable, it would probably been returned. So, I think that is something we can be so proud of. So, you mentioned, sir, some of your successes. They were kind of, you know, happening outside of the Academy once you'd graduated. Let's talk about what your career looked like and what those successes were.   Brig. Gen. Marks 32:50 So, I was a casual lieutenant. And I guess the claim to fame that I have is that I was Gen. Lorenz's casual lieutenant. So Gen. Lorenz was the commandant immediately after I graduated, went on to become a four-star general, and he is still incredibly active here in the Academy community, and being his casual lieutenant, specifically, his special projects officer, was enlightening in a lot of different ways. Gen. Lorenz is a great leader. He's a unique leader as well. And I learned a lot from being in his space, being in his presence, and seeing how he conducted business. Interestingly enough, when you walk up to the office spaces of the Cadet Wing where my office is, in the hallway is a display of all the previous commandants and their biographies. That was one of my projects as a lieutenant, believe it or not, a long, long, long, long time ago. And so, it gave me an opportunity to be able to research all of the previous commandants to that point and see the commonalities between them as well. So I did that for a little less than a year, and then I went to pilot training. Pilot training was hard. Pilot training was very, very hard. In fact, I came back, if I recall correctly, either in the middle of pilot training or just as I was graduating to talk to the Cadet Wing, the Class of 1998 — one of the classes, '98 or '99 — invited me back to talk at M5.   Naviere Walkewicz I'd like to say it was us.   Brig. Gen. Marks I would like to say it was you all too.   Naviere Walkewicz Can I claim it?   Brig. Gen. Marks And you all gave me the bird, and it was wonderful, and I still have that bird in my office to this day. And I talked about how hard pilot training was, but maybe you'll remember this. I listed the top five hardest things that I've ever done in my life to that point, and I can't remember — I remember No. 1, but I can't remember the exact order, but it was something along the lines of the four-degree year, the entire cadet experience, pilot training, SERE at the time, and my four-degree Honor Guard experience was No. 1 for sure. But all of that to say, just being able to come back to the Academy was a tremendous honor, especially for this silly second, actually, I was a first lieutenant at the time. So went to pilot training and then was selected to be able to stay at pilot training and be an instructor. I went from Columbus to Vance Air Force Base and did that for three years in the T-1, which I absolutely loved. The T-1, that aircraft was probably, if I had the resources, if I was well healed, I would buy myself a T-1 and if I could afford the maintenance. I absolutely love flying that plane and enjoyed my time in AETC. And really, there's nothing special about me. When you enjoy what you're doing and feel like you have a passion for it, oftentimes you're going to do well. I think that's that holds true for just about anybody. I did pretty well in the T-1. After that, I went to an internship at the Pentagon, and so I was there on 9/11 and I got my master's in D.C., left there. After that, I went to Tinker Air Force Base. I did not want to go fly AWACS, and I love AWACS now, but I did not at the time. And I remember when I drove up to the gate for the first time after my year in D.C., and the Security Forces airmen that saw me at the gate asked me, “Are you OK?” just based on the, luckily, based on the look on my face after driving cross country. But what was special about Tinker is that that is where I truly learned, as I would call it, meat-and-potatoes flying, stick-and-rudder flying, no kidding, no thrills and frills. In the AWACS aircraft, you've got to know how to move that jet where you need it to move. You've got to know how to compensate for the aerodynamics of the roto-dome when you're refueling, you've got to know how to fly. And I so it was very enjoyable in that regard, and just being operational was enjoyable. Tinker, though, what I will always credit Tinker for is this: Tinker is where I met my wife.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:15 So I was gonna' ask when the magic happened.   Brig. Gen. Marks 37:19 Yeah, it happened at Tinker. We met through a mutual friend and so, interestingly enough, I always say that the two best decisions I ever made in my entire life, I show on my left and my right hand: my wedding ring on my left, my class ring on my right. Best decisions I've ever made for myself. My wife is retired Air Force 23 years, and she was a first lieutenant, I was a captain. We met through a mutual friend and became friends, and over time, over a period of about a year and a half, we started dating. I asked her to marry me after another year and a half or so, probably a little longer than I should have waited. So, I arrived in 2002, we were married in 2005.   Naviere Walkewicz 37:59 Was her uniform better than yours, sir.   Brig. Gen. Marks 38:05 Oh, goodness, no. So my wife, she will listen to this. My wife would tell you that she has had a wonderful 23-year Air Force journey. Started off with 13 years enlisted time and went to OTS, et cetera. My wife would tell you that I am, I think the term is, I am very “ate up” in terms of the military. Hopefully your listeners know what that means.   Naviere Walkewicz 38:32 Yes.   Brig. Gen. Marks She was not, at all. Not at all. That was not her personality.   Naviere Walkewicz They say opposites attract.   Brig. Gen. Marks 38:35 But I think really, more than anything, what I loved about her, beyond her candor and her honesty, was her compassion as well, her intellect, her ability to be able to see the world in a different way than I saw it — for us to respect each other's opinions about different things, for her difference of a net of opinion, but how she viewed the Air Force and her journey through the Air Force differently than I viewed mine. But we respected each other's nonetheless. And my wife is the reason why I'm still serving and I say that because of this, if my wife was not still in love with this Air Force journey, I would have stopped. I absolutely would have, because being married — and our family is, I hate to say it, is more important to me, truly it is. And so, I would have absolutely stopped. But she loves it. I loathe PCSing. Can't stand it. I'm in a great career field, but my wife loves it, loves the excitement, loves thinking about what's next. And so as long as she's enjoying it, I'm enjoying it too. Yeah, she's my best friend, my best friend for sure. So, we met after that, got married. Fast forward, I left Tinker and went to a Staff assignment in Suffolk, Virginia, stayed there for about three years, went back to the T-1 as a director of operations, a commander in the 99th of Tuskegee Airmen heritage. Then I went to National War College, went to Staff, went back to Tinker, 10 years as the vice wing commander, Offut as the wing commander, back to Staff again, and then here as the commandant.   Naviere Walkewicz 40:32 So, when did the idea trickle back to the mind of, “I want to get back to the Academy?” How did that come into play? Was that just a natural progression of your career? Or how? How does one navigate that?   Brig. Gen. Marks 40:43 So, it was at the time this realization that it had changed me so much and so positively. How can I be a part of another person's just incredible admiration for the experience and appreciation for the experience that they had while they were here? And so, I started investigating becoming an AOC, because at the time, that was where my status in life was in terms of rank, and was the most appropriate, if you will. It just didn't work out for me in terms of the timing.   Naviere Walkewicz 41:24 So, you'd already been looking throughout your career to come back.   Brig. Gen. Marks 41:27 At different points in my career, so about the seven-year point is when I said, “No, I would really like to go back and give back.” And now it's a function of trying to maneuver the timing and all of the other facets that make up an assignment and career progression to try to see how that could work. As an Air Force intern, that counted as my in-residence intermediate developmental education. And so, because of that, I was fast-tracked to staff immediately. And so, timing just didn't work in terms of that intermediate level, getting back to the Academy and making a difference. And so, the next opportunity for me was as a lieutenant colonel, because at that time, our group commanders were group AOCs and they were lieutenant colonels, the opportunity didn't present itself and command of a flying squadron did, and so I absolutely jumped on that with both feet. The idea kind of was off in the back portions of my brain after graduating from command and it didn't come back into the forefront until I got back to the Pentagon because I view the Pentagon as most people do. You know, it's a necessary evil. There is tremendous virtuous work that takes place at the Pentagon. It really is. And I certainly don't mean to poo-poo it. Staff work is important. It's necessary. I wanted to get back into, no kidding, base, desperately. And it had been 27 years-ish to that point. I'd come back for coronavirus. I was working for Gen. Brown and for Secretary Kim. I came back for corona and that was one of the first times that I had been back. And I knew I had to get back here. And interestingly enough, I brought my check to Doolittle Hall. I wanted to be a life member, and I had my $800 check in my pocket. My wife gave me permission, and I was like, “I'm ready.” And I'll never forget this. I don't remember who I talked to, but she said, “Hey, if you wait just a few more months, it'll be free for everybody.”   Naviere Walkewicz Membership for all graduates!   Brig. Gen. Marks I was like, “Sweet!” And then she happened to look at my ring, and she's like, “You got a chip on your ring. Why don't you hand that over to us? Your buying this ring came with a lifetime warranty.” And I was like, “This is unbelievable. This is like, divine intervention. I gotta get back to this place. I love it.” Yeah, I'm so happy to be back here.   Naviere Walkewicz 44:18 That is wonderful. So maybe before we go into arriving back here, kind of some of the surge of what that experience was like — what were some of the leadership nuggets, or the leaders that you worked either under with as peers, those you learned from that worked under you, that you kind of continued to evolve yourself as a leader. What were some of those that shaped you?   Brig. Gen. Marks 44:39 So, I think I will start with my time at Tinker as a flight commander. I think one of the things that I learned then was the importance of being credible in an operational flying squadron. Yeah. Your worth is, especially in a flying squadron, especially as a CGO, your worth is in how well you fly, speaking for pilots in that career field. And so, when you fast forward that to now, what I tell junior officers is this, “As a CGO, your No. 1 objective, your sole objective, is to be a master of your craft. Nothing else really matters. Being a master at your craft is the recipe for success, and if you are not able to do that, it is going to be difficult for you.” So, I learned that at Tinker Air Force Base, I would say, fast forwarding a little bit further to some of my Staff assignments, I would imagine, one of the reasons why I have never been incredibly fond of Staff is because I have — there has never been a good fit for me in terms of the staff assignments that I've been in. I could argue maybe the last one was perhaps, but where I'm going is this: It taught me the need to be able to be adaptable to learn as you go, to be open to learning, and to be humble enough to ask a lot of questions. And I think that that's a tremendous leadership trait to have, to humble yourself to your team, to come in and say, “I don't know everything. I don't know all that you all are doing.” Your stories even, “Please help me to understand. Please teach me.” So Staff, for all of the pains at times, really has developed me to have a better appreciation for that. I would tell you in command, “Oh, my goodness, command is all I ever want to do,” which is both naive and probably a very elementary way of thinking about things I just love command, and command has taught me so much.   Naviere Walkewicz 47:16 What do you love about command?   Brig. Gen. Marks 47:20 So, command is special because there isn't really, not really. There isn't period another position in the military where you are statutorily and regulatorily responsible for mission and people, nothing else. There is no other position in the Department of Defense military like command and to — especially at the unit level, the squadron level — to have such an immediate impact on mission like you are able to, as a squadron commander, and have such a positive impact, direct impact on airmen's lives. It is so incredibly fulfilling. And as you progress and command at higher levels, the direct impact on individuals lives lessens, but the direct impact on mission grows exponentially. I absolutely, not only that, but as you command at higher levels. While the impact, and I probably should have said it this way, the impact that you would have on so many individual airmen's lives' lessons, the impact that you can have on an individual airman's life magnifies based on rank. It is significant also. And I always — one of the things that I tell people all the time is the… it's an oversimplification, but the only reason to have rank is to do good, is to do good things, to make things happen in a positive way that affect positively mission and benefit airmen's lives. That's it. That's all. And if it if rank becomes something different than that for you, you are in the wrong business, or we've given it to the wrong person, if I'm being honest with you.   Naviere Walkewicz 49:11 Thank you for sharing that. So how did you find out that you — how did it work to become the commandant of cadets? Is that something that you're selected for? How did you find out?   Brig. Gen. Marks 49:23 So, I — well for your listeners, there's a dream sheet, if you will. We have a module that we go into and identify things, jobs, positions, perhaps even locations that we think that our skill-set matches up nicely for or that match our family circumstances, and in that module, I talked about the fact that I wanted to be able to give back to the Air Force Academy in this way. And talked about the fact that for 20 years or so, give or take, I have been trying to get back here to be able to have an impact. And I listed some of the things that I felt enabled me to have that type of impact. And then I got a call from the colonel's group or the general officer's group. I can't remember which one, probably general officer's group, that said, “Hey, the superintendent would like to interview you.” And I said, “OK, very good. I look forward to talking to a superintendent.” And what I will tell you is this: It is very difficult to prepare for an interview like that. Number one, you know, in the short amount of time that you're given to prepare for it. And then two, you just really don't know what you're going to be asked. And my knowledge of the Academy was very, very dated, you know, for 27 years ago when I graduated. But I said, “OK, let's go. Let's do it.” And so, I talked to him on the way home from the Pentagon in my car driving home, and we had a really nice conversation. And I remember parking in our driveway, and I remember staying in the driveway for about 15 more minutes as the conversation concluded, and I remember going into the house, and I remember talking to my wife, and I said, “You know, there are probably a number of people that interviewed, and they are, I'm positive, incredibly well suited for the position. There's always somebody better.” That's another great lesson that the Academy taught me, is there's always somebody better. But I said, “I think I feel like that went well. I don't know that I could have given any more to that interview.” Eventually, the superintendent made a decision. The superintendent had to vet that decision through higher levels as well. And eventually you come out on a list and it is announced that this is your next job.     Naviere Walkewicz That's how you found out? You saw the list?   Brig. Gen. Marks So admittedly, you know, birdies are talking to me ahead of time. But at the same time, you are just as a professional, more than anything else that is, that's meant to be private information for just and your family to kind of get your mind wrapped around those types of things. Because, as we've seen over the course of numerous years now, sometimes these lists come out later, and if you were to find out solely by that, that's not a lot of time to house hunt. That's not a lot of time to arrange schools. That's not a lot of time to arrange PCSing, you know, those types of things. So, and in this particular case, I needed to PCS from the Pentagon. I needed to perform a promotion ceremony. I needed to work a change of command ceremony here as well. And so, my wife and I joke, now this last move was the most difficult move we've ever, ever had, because I did all that in 30 days.   Naviere Walkewicz 53:27 Wow, it was a lot, but this was probably one that you were both excited for, not just her.   Brig. Gen. Marks 53:31 Oh, we were. The amount of YouTube videos that we watched in our household about basic training and about the Wings of Blue, just to get our kids excited about this, which is why, I mean — there is no excuse for not knowing what you're walking into at the Air Force Academy, because there are thousands of videos out there. Yeah, and so we were very excited, and the kids were incredibly well educated on what they could expect, everything from the wildlife that's on the installation, to the climate and the altitude, to what cadet life was going to be like. And so, we were really excited. And I remember — and because the kids had never been here at all, my wife and I had taken a trip here early in our marriage, our kids had never seen it and the excitement over the five days of driving was just really, really building up. And so, when we finally were able to see the big white box on the horizon,     Naviere Walkewicz Yes, the chapel-in-the-box.   Brig. Gen. Marks Yeah, when we were able to see that, and I was pointing to it as we were driving, they were just, they were just absolutely bubbling over with excitement. It was amazing.   Naviere Walkewicz 54:34 How did you feel when you saw it?   Brig. Gen. Marks 54:38 Very, very excited. A little overwhelmed. Also, I would tell you, I was really — I was both naive and I was also incredibly humbled and respectful of what I was walking into. Naive in this regard: I felt like, my goodness, I don't know that I've ever been more prepared for a position that I'm walking into than being the commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy. Because I graduated from here. I surely have to be well prepared and well suited. You know nothing about the inner workings of the Air Force Academy as a cadet. Nothing, nothing. And so, there was so much to learn about governance, not only that — I will tell you this: I had some troubles academically. I never had any run-ins from an honor perspective. I never had any discipline issues, either. And I don't say that to sound self-congratulatory. I say that to show my ignorance, because there were significant gaps in my knowledge and my understanding of how to manage the Cadet Wing, because I had never had any experience with honor, I'd never had any experience with discipline, and so I had to dive into those when I got here and learn that where somebody else might not have had to do that. Very respectful of what I was — the Academy is an incredibly special place. It is also, I don't say this, I don't mean this pejoratively, it is also a lightning rod for attention. There is always attention being drawn to the Air Force Academy and coming into the institution knowing that, it certainly had my attention up front, and I realized also that the opportunity to shape 4,000 cadets and to be able to be the one with a great, amazing team responsible for their military development, their character and leadership development, to ensure that on graduation they had achieved everything that they needed to do in terms of commissioning education to be responsible for their honor education, to be the one that is ultimately overseeing cadet life, it's an awesome, awesome responsibility, and I had a tremendous amount of respect for it when I came into the institution. So overwhelmed in that regard.   Naviere Walkewicz 57:22 I almost could feel through your eyes what you just expressed in coming back and seeing the Academy again and I think this is a wonderful time, because some of us have had the opportunity, whether it's been recent reunions, to hear you speak at reunion briefings, to catch a glimpse of you know, some of the changes or some of the things that you've brought back. Maybe this is an opportunity to share what's Academy life like now, but through the eyes of the commandant. What would you like to share with our listeners?   Brig. Gen. Marks 57:49 So, I would tell you and your listeners that the life of a cadet has changed and is going to change even more. So, I would start much more strategic and talk about this geo-strategically. Being in an era of great power competition, we recognize that because of who our competitor is, because of the advances that they have made, et cetera, it is incredibly important. It's critical for us to rethink how we do just about anything. Rethink how we train, how we develop, how we organize, how we employ force, how we sustain that employment of force, everything. At the Air Force Academy we're in a developmental business and so it's important for us to step back and ask ourselves, with no indictment on the past and the cadets and the lieutenants, rather that we have created and that we have graduated, but right now today, are we doing everything that we can to ensure that the lieutenants that we graduate are ready to lead on Day 1 and win ultimately, should deterrence fail in great power competition? In that deep dive, we have to explore some of the training techniques that we employ here and whether they are applicable on the outside and the force the greater force, or whether they are potentially creating a hazard of negative transfer, we have to ask ourselves whether some of the traditions that we enjoy, or that we have enjoyed here at the United States Air Force Academy, are appropriate for this day and age, send the wrong message, or are potentially harmful in terms of our culture and our climate. Deep diving into all those things, one of the things that I've come to the realization about is this: What I want to be able to do is ensure that a cadet that has graduated — and I know that I won't be here for four years, but assuming that I was — meeting a cadet on I-Day and walking with them through four years, I want to make sure that they feel like they got their money's worth from a military development perspective or military training perspective. And here's what I mean by that: Anecdotally, as I talked to cadets, hundreds of cadets, and talked about their journey at the Air Force Academy, one of the things that I found is that the institution and the curriculum challenged them as a four degree. I think that is universal. But I would also say, and I would imagine, that many of your listeners who are grads would agree that once you were out of your four-degree year, the institution allowed for it to be, if this was your desire, very easy for you to coast militarily, or, dare I say, potentially hide militarily. And I didn't want that. I wanted essentially the same level of rigor that is placed on you academically and the same level of rigor that is placed on you physically and athletically to be placed on you militarily. Said another way, the same sweaty palms that you get in anticipation of your GR are the same sweaty palms that you get in anticipation of your PFT. I want you to have an anticipation of your inspection, or an anticipation of your formation, or an anticipation of your knowledge test, et cetera, throughout your four years. And so, we have evolved our thinking and more importantly, our focus to developing across all four years with the same level of diligence and the same level of rigor that we placed in our fourth-class development. And so the moniker, or the catch phrase, the bumper sticker that we use is that we have transition from a focus on the fourth-class system, to a four-class system, where you can expect, as a rising three degree, or as a rising two degree, to be taught what we need you to do in terms of your military development, expectations and responsibilities, let loose to go practice those things, those supervisory skills, et cetera; assessed on those things, taught warfighting skills as well, that will prepare you for great power competition, et cetera, et cetera. And I can go into a lot more detail, but suffice it to say, this is a significant shift in how we've been operating, and it's a shift for the better, because this is what our nation needs. This is putting us in a better position to be ready on Day 1 to lead and to win on Day 1. So, I'm really excited about it.   Naviere Walkewicz That is exciting. Brig. Gen. Marks We're also bringing some rigor back into expectations about what it means to be a member of the Cadet Wing. So, in other words, we are increasing the number of formations. We are increasing the number of inspections. We are putting our money where our mouth is with respect to the fact that we say and rightly so, that we value character. We are now adding that too as a function of how we assess from a military performance average perspective, how we assess character, because it's so important, it's so critical. There are a lot of changes that are happening for the better, and these changes are going to affect not only the readiness of our cadets, but it's going to affect the culture of our Wing as well in a positive way. It's just going to take some time.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:04:00 That's outstanding. Do you see that trickling up as well into some of the officers that are involved in this, with you, and shaping the cadets — so the AOCs, also your AMTs, and how they're doing that? Is that part of this as well?     Brig. Gen. Marks 1:04:13 It is, and I'll be honest with you, I don't want to be short-sighted or to minimize the impact that the entire institution is going to have. Believe it or not, the touch points that our faculty have, our coaches and staff have, they are abundant, and we would be doing ourselves and our cadets a disservice if all of us in lockstep were — not attacking the problem, but weren't in this together in terms of this development and this approach that we're taking. And so we are. We absolutely are. The dean and I are classmates. We have a tremendous and positive relationship, same with the athletic director and the executive director of Athletics as well. And together we have coffee on a regular basis, and we share ideas and talk about our approaches so that we can together positively impact our cadets. So yes, it is an all-of-USAFA approach and an all-in approach.   Naviere Walkewicz 1:05:22 Absolutely love that. Well, I have two questions. I want to give them to you so you have a chance to think about. The first one being, you know, as a commandant, what keeps you up at night? I think that's something on the minds of our listeners. But then also, would you share maybe, what's something that you're so proud of that's happened since you've been here kind of under your leadership, and maybe something that you're not so proud of? And you can answer those however you'd like.   Brig. Gen. Marks 1:05:48 What keeps me up at night is the resilience of cadets. And let me explain that just a little bit. In no way is that an indictment of a generational thing; this generation of cadets is less. Not at all. It's me talking about human behavior and saying that our program is difficult, it's challenging, and individuals respond in different ways to that, and what keeps me up is an individual feeling like there is no way out. That bothers me a lot. It really, realy, really concerns me a tremendous amount. And so I spend a lot of time talking to our command teams about this and about the need for us to administratively ensure that we are being as efficient as possible when we adjudicate certain matters, because what we don't want to do is leave someone dangling in terms of decision making for months and months on end, because that exacerbates that problem and my concern. In terms of what I am most proud of — so, the jury is still out, but here's what I'll say: I'm very proud of a lot of things. I'm proud of the team we've assembled. I'm proud of the work that is being done at the Staff level. I'm proud of the work that our commanders and our AMTs are doing. Our commanders, our AOCs. I am also very proud of the partnership that we have across the installation. That partnership has enabled us to make a significant change to what is called the schedule of calls, the construct that defines how cadets, day to day, spend their time, essentially. We have made a significant change to it that enables us to provide a more professionalized delivery of commissioning education. It has allowed for us to provide some white space in cadets lives, significant white space. It has allowed for us to build in time for unit fitness. Unit fitness being the operative phrase there, because the unit is so important and developing that cohesion is so important. It ha

L'anniversaire est célébré par l'ambassadeur ukrainien en Espagne. Dans les colonnes de la Razon, Sergueï Pohoreltsev se félicite des « réformes engagées par Kiev en vue d'une adhésion future à l'Union Européenne », mais aussi « de la reconstruction du pays » et ce, malgré la guerre. Le diplomate l'assure : « son pays défend son indépendance mais aussi les valeurs européennes », alors que la Russie, elle, « tente de rayer un État souverain de la carte du monde ».En Ukraine, les rues de Kiev étaient pavoisées de bleu et jaune hier, jour du drapeau national qui vient traditionnellement la veille de la fête de l'indépendance. Dans le Wall Street Journal, des milliers de fanions ukrainiens s'affichent sur la photo de Une pour saluer le 33e anniversaire de la fin de la domination soviétique sur le pays, mais aussi la résilience des habitants de Kiev après deux ans et demi de guerre.Lutte incertaine, de Koursk au DonbassLa Tagespiegel Zeitung interviewe l'analyste militaire autrichien Markus Reisner : l'expert reconnaît « le succès ukrainien » en termes d'image dans l'offensive en territoire russe. Mais il compare cette incursion à un combat de boxe : « L'Ukraine peut donner des coups », « faire vaciller son adversaire », mais « ne peut mettre la Russie KO » car « l'Occident ne fournit pas assez [d'armes] ».Dans Die Welt, le général allemand à la retraite Klaus Wittman salue quant à lui l'incursion ukrainienne dans l'oblast russe de Koursk qui « démonte l'image d'une Russie invincible » et « remonte le moral des Ukrainiens ». Le haut-gradé plaide pour « des livraisons d'armes et de munitions sans restriction d'utilisation » vers l'Ukraine, « car la guerre d'usure met Kiev sur la route de la défaite ».Il Foglio Quotidiano s'est ainsi rendu à Soumy d'où est partie l'offensive ukrainienne le 6 août dernier. Là-bas c'est le pessimisme qui domine : Svetlana, commerçante, vit désormais dans la peur des sirènes d'alarme - un missile Iskander a frappé un parking près de chez elle – « Je ne sais pas si nos militaires font la bonne chose à Koursk », dit la jeune femme... Un soldat fait part de ses doutes « nous n'avons pas beaucoup de force pour faire pression sur l'ennemi » même si « nous luttons pour notre indépendance avec beaucoup de courage ».Le Corriere della Sera raconte aussi la chute à venir de Pokrovsk. « Les forces russes ne sont qu'à dix kilomètres » et « les responsables des chemins de fer portent désormais des gilets pare-balles ». À la gare, les familles emportent leurs affaires essentielles « dans des ‘Ecossais' [sacs plastiques à gros carreaux] qui ne cassent pas même chargés de 10 kilos ». Il y a actuellement 600 départs par jour. Destination Dnipro, à 180 kilomètres plus à l'ouest, 3h de train en théorie. Pendant ce temps, à l'hôpital, les personnels de Médecins Sans Frontière vérifient leur stock de sang. Dans les rues, les soldats épuisés ne se font pas d'illusion : « sans renfort ici c'est fini ».À lire aussiGuerre en Ukraine: à Koursk, objectifs bientôt «atteints», assure KievRenforts attendus des États-Unis… en vain ?Le Washington Post ne cache pas les doutes de l'administration américaine malgré l'aide militaire promise le 23 août par Joe Biden ou les 125 millions de dollars d'équipements détaillés par Antony Blinken : « la Maison Blanche ne sait pas s'il faut soutenir l'offensive ukrainienne en territoire russe ». Le Pentagone n'est pas informé des plans de Kiev, comme le confirme le New York Times. Autre problème vu de Washington : « un nouveau paquet d'aide pourrait raviver le risque d'escalade entre les Russes et l'OTAN ». Ces craintes de débordement du conflit se font jour en Allemagne… la Tagespiegel Zeitung revient ce matin sur l'augmentation du niveau d'alerte dans la base de Geilenkirchen près d'Aix-la-Chappelle dans l'ouest de l'Allemagne.Cette base aérienne de l'OTAN est « au centre de possibles actes de sabotages et d'espionnages » selon des responsables politiques cités par la TAZ. Selon les informations de la télévision régionale allemande ARD, « un service de renseignement étranger a notifié de possibles frappes de drones ».L'OTAN a aussitôt déployé « quatorze AWACS, des avions Boeing convertis en appareil de surveillance de l'espace aérien » ; et si l'origine de la menace n'a pas été formellement identifiée, tous les soupçons se tournent vers la Russie : « la seule nation intéressée par de telles mesures de déstabilisation » en Europe.Le Kyiv Independent s'indigne d'armes bloquéesSelon le média ukrainien en anglais, l'Afrique du Sud a suspendu une livraison de 50 000 obus de 155mm à destination de la Pologne. Des munitions produites par Denel, une filiale du géant allemand Rheinmettal. Elles étaient censées alimenter les pièces d'artillerie de l'armée polonaise. Mais la commission sudafricaine de contrôle des armes conventionnelles a mis son veto sur ces exportations, comme le révèle le média spécialisé DefenceWeb.Raison invoquée d'après Rzeczpospolita : le risque que Varsovie donne ces armes aux forces ukrainiennes. Le journal polonais libéral rappelle en outre que l'Afrique du Sud fait partie des Brics, le club des économies émergentes où figure la Russie. Le contrat a lui été annulé en juillet 2023. Depuis, le Kyiv Independent rappelle que Rheinmettal a prévu la construction d'une usine en Ukraine. En attendant l'Ukraine recevra aussi des munitions produites en Norvège, confirme le site d'information.L'Inde comme médiatrice entre la Russie et l'Ukraine ?Les journaux indiens reviennent sur la rencontre entre le Premier ministre Narendra Modi et le président ukrainien Volodymyr Zelenski à Kiev. À leur Une, les photos des poignées de main et des étreintes entre les deux hommes occupent une bonne place, tout comme leur recueillement devant les peluches rassemblées au mémorial des enfants tués en deux ans et demi de guerre.Le Business Standard rapporte les propos de Narendra Modi : le chef du gouvernement indien ne se dit pas « neutre », mais du « côté de la paix ». Le Hindustan Times pointe toutefois les critiques de Volodymyr Zelenski. Le chef d'État ukrainien n'a pas manqué de pointer les contradictions de New Delhi : « les importations indiennes de pétrole russe soutiennent l'économie de guerre de Moscou » dit-il, et entre les lignes, apparaissent ses arguments : tant que « l'Inde [lui] sera économiquement ouverte », « Vladimir Poutine ne ressentira pas les effets de la guerre », contrairement aux Ukrainiens.

Wenkert, Thomas www.deutschlandfunk.de, Informationen am Abend

Das Städtchen Geilenkirchen hat militärisch gesehen globale Bedeutung. Die dort ansässige NATO-Airbase ist der Haupteinsatzort der AWACS-Frühwarnflotte. Mit 117 Dezibel düsen die Militärmaschinen über die Häuser. Viele Anwohner und Anwohnerinnen sind nicht erfreut. Sie werden mit Krieg konfrontiert. Von Anja Kempe. Regie und Produktion: Anja Kempe. WDR 5 / BR2 / SWR Kultur 2018 — Reportage

Kā fizikā meklē patiesību un kas raksturo fiziķa domāšanu? Saruna ar Latvijas Universitātes profesoru Mārci Auziņu par viņa grāmatu "Flirts ar patiesību", kas tapusi lekciju cikla "Flirts ar citādo" ietvaros. Ieskats arī pasaulē pazīstamo Latvijas fiziķu biogrāfijās. * Pirms pāris gadiem jau runājām par grāmatu, kas tika laista klajā 2020. gada nogalē. Izdevumu ar nosaukumu „CEĻŠ UZ IZCILĪBU. Latvijas izgudrotāji pasaulē.” Tie ir stāsti par 25 Latvijā dzimušiem un ārpus dzimtenes strādājošiem zinātniekiem, kuri devuši ieguldījumu zinātnē un izgudrojumos visas pasaules mērogā. Un, ja reiz šodien runa ir par fiziku, atcerēsimies tos izcilos fiziķus, kuru vārdi ierakstīti globāla mēroga izgudrojumos: “Mans pētījums jauno aparātu attīstībā nav saistīts ar to, kā labāk un ātrāk iznīcināt cilvēku, bet gan ar to, kā aizsargāt civiliedzīvotājus, karavīrus, zemi un rūpniecību kā kara, tā arī miera laikos,” – tā fiziķis Konstantīns Počs savulaik komentēja savu dalību joprojām tik nozīmīgās NATO agrīnās brīdinājuma un kontroles sistēmas jeb AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) izstrādē. Citējam rindas no minētās grāmatas, ko rakstījusi tās teksta autore – žurnāliste Ilze Grīnuma. „Konstantīns Počs kā analītiķis bija iesaistīts šīs AWACS  sistēmas pirmās lidmašīnas projektēšanā un konstruēšanā. Uz kravas lidmašīnas “Boeing 707-320” bāzes būvētais lidaparāts ar milzīgo radaru gaisā pacēlās 1972. gadā, un drīz pēc tam lidmašīnai tika dots arī oficiāls nosaukums –  „Sentry”. Gaisa spēki izvēlējās nosaukumu “Sentry”, kas nozīmē – brīdinātājs jeb sargs. “Sentry” nav nekas cits kā lidošanai pielāgots radars,” tik vienkārši un saprotami šo iespaidīgo tehnoloģisko sasniegumu raksturoja Konstantīns Počs. Vairākus savus pētījumus, kā arī pārskatus par meteoroloģisko raķešu izmēģinājumiem Počs publicēja Savienoto Valstu Gaisa spēku Kosmosa izpētes biroja  zinātniskajos krājumos. 1970. gadā viņš patentēja vienu no saviem izgudrojumiem – mikroviļņu antenas sānstara un staru kūļa reducēšanas aparātu.  Par savu darbu K. Počs vairākkārt saņēma ASV valdības un ASV Gaisa spēku atzinību.” (I. Grīnuma „CEĻŠ UZ IZCILĪBU. Latvijas izgudrotāji pasaulē”) Latgalietis ar ļoti labu humoru izjūtu un, kā Poču raksturoja viņa novadnieks un bijušais klasesbiedrs, rakstnieks Jānis Klīdzējs, „zinātnieks ar dzejnieka dvēseli.” Īsumā par Konstantīna Poča biogrāfiju: dzimis Maltas pagastā 1912. gadā. Latvijas brīvvalsts laikā strādājis par pedagogu, kara gados iesaukts armijā, kara beigās emigrē uz Vāciju, kur netālu no Hamelinas pilsētas Vācijas rietumos, noorganizē vietējiem latviešu bēgļu bērniem organizēja ģimnāziju, vienlaikus strādājot par tās direktoru. Seko darbs Anglijā, veicot uzkopšanas darbus, par ko zinātnieks atminas: „Es nolēmu, ka angļiem podus vairs nemazgāšu. Tik daudz es mācēju angļu valodā, un to es šiem pateicu. Par to mani ar visām paunām izsvieda no hosteļa.” Vēlāk Počam rodas iespēja emigrēt  sākotnēji uz Kanādu un tad uz ASV, kur seko studijas atmosfēras fizikas un meteoroloģijas jomā un  vēlāk darbs ASV Gaisa spēku un Pasaules telpas pētniecības laboratorijā Bostonā. Nākamais  latvietis – fizikas korifejs – ir Juris Upatnieks. Citējot Ilzes Grīnumas rakstīto par viņu, „viens no hologrāfijas pamatlicējiem Juris Upatnieks ir zinātnieks, kurš no latviešiem bijis vistuvāk Nobela prēmijas saņemšanai fizikas nozarē. Viņa nozīmīgākie atklājumi tapa Mičiganā kopā ar fiziķi Emetu Normenu Līsu. Lai apskatītu 1963. gadā abu pētnieku radīto vēsturē pirmo trīsdimensionālo hologrammu, viņu kolēģi stāvēja garā rindā. Tā bija sensācija, kurai sākotnēji retais spēja noticēt. Hologrammas demonstrācijas laikā pat pieredzējušākie zinātnieki ar aizdomām lūkojās apkārt, meklēdami kādu J. Upatnieka un E. Līsa triku. Priekšmeta trīsdimensionālais attēls taču nevarēja tā vienkārši karāties gaisā! Pats Upatnieks par darbu pie telpiskā attēla raksturo šādi: “Šis izgudrojums pārvērta teorētisku principu par ikdienā lietojamu metodi. Tam bija vislielākā nozīme pētniecības darbā. Pēc mūsu rezultātu publicēšanas, hologrāfiju sāka pētīt un pielietot visā pasaulē.” 1976. gadā Amerikas Savienoto Valstu Izgudrojumu un inovāciju veicināšanas apvienība pasludināja Juri Upatnieku par ASV Gada izgudrotāju. Juris Upatnieks kā bērns kopā ar vecākiem Otrā pasaules kara beigās devās bēgļu gaitās un nonāca ASV. Tur studēja inženierzinātnes un 1961. gadā kopā ar kolēģi Emetu Lītsu uzsāka darbu pie šī telpiskā attēla veidošanas.” 2020. gadā Rīgas Tehniskās universitātes Zinātniskajā bibliotēkā tika  saņemts vērtīgs dāvinājums – Jura Upatnieka zinātniskie pieraksti un publikācijas. Pagājušā gadsimta vidū Līss un Upatnieks nebija pirmie un vienīgie, kas mēģināja uzkonstruēt šādu telpisku attēlu. Jāmin arī Lielbritānijas zinātnieks Deniss Gabors, kurš bija celmlauzis hologrāfiskā attēla izgatavošanā, un arī Padomju Savienībā dzīvojošais Jurijs Deņisjuks, kurš 1962. gadā strādāja pie hologrāfiskā attēla izveides. Visi šie zinātnieki bija pretendenti uz Nobela prēmiju. Un kā trešais šai fizikas spīdekļu saimei ir jāpieskaita Benjamiņš Joffe – ebreju izcelsmes  inženieris un izgudrotājs, dzimis Rīgā 1931. gadā, strādājis Rīgas Elektromašīnbūves rūpnīcā  par inženieri konstruktoru, pēc tam Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas Fizikas institūtā. Atkal citējot Ilzes Grīnumas rakstīto, „1980. gadā izcilais zinātnieks emigrēja uz Amerikas Savienotajām Valstīm. Viņš bažījās, ka savā zemē gan pats un viņa sieva Frīda, gan viņa bērni dzīvos kā “izsvītrotie”. Iemesli tam meklējami 1941. gadā, kad Joffes ģimeni skāra padomju varas represīvo struktūru vajāšanas. Zinātnieka tēvu nepamatoti tiesāja kā “dzimtenes ienaidnieku” un ģimeni deportēja uz Sibīriju. Vēlāk čekas aģenti pastāvīgi kontrolēja Benjamiņa Joffes gaitas, un viņš pieņēma lēmumu pie pirmās iespējas emigrēt uz ārzemēm. Tobrīd viņš nevarēja iedomāties, ka šis smagais solis pavērs iespēju kļūt par pasaules mēroga zinātnieku. ASV Nacionālās aeronautikas un kosmosa pārvaldes (NASA) Reaktīvās kustības laboratorijā Joffe tur sāka strādāt vēsturiskā brīdī, kad laboratorijas zinātnieki gatavoja lidojumam uz Saturnu orbitālo aparātu “Cassini”.” 2000. gadā, saņemot Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas goda doktora grādu fiziku, Benjamiņš Joffe sacīja: “Par savām zināšanām un visu, ko esmu sasniedzis, man jāpateicas Latvijai un tās Zinātņu akadēmijai.”

Михайло Самусь, директор New Geopolitics Research Network, на Radio NV про те, чого всі так довго чекали, а саме про появу в Україні винищувачів F-16, чому про це всі дізналися і чому Україна мовчить, коли фронт має дізнатися  про появу цих літаків, як вони мають підсилити ППО України та чому вони поки не будуть працювати біля лінії фронта, що виходить з заяви Головнокомандувача Олександра Сирського, про передачу Швецією двох літаків ДРЛО, що є аналогом літаків AWACS та як вони можуть зробити роботу F-16 ефективною.Ведучий – Василь Пехньо

Boeing CEO testifies before Congress and prosecutors ask for criminal charges, investigators look into a low-altitude Southwest flight and an activist investor wants Southwest CEO out, NTSB released a close-call preliminary report, and Cirrus won't approve a certain 100LL fuel. Also, an Australia Desk report, the E-3 AWACS jet, and a Triphibian. Aviation News Boeing CEO grilled at Senate hearing: ‘The problem's with you' Boeing CEO David Calhoun testified at a two-hour Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing. Calhoun admitted that whistleblowers were retaliated against. Subcommittee chair Sen. Richard Blumenthal stated “After whistleblower John Barnett raised his concerns about missing parts, he reported that his supervisor called him 19 times in one day and 21 times another day. And when Barnett asked his supervisor about those calls, he was told, ‘I'm going to push you until you break.'” Blumenthal said that in his opinion, the Department of Justice should criminally prosecute Boeing for violating its 2021 deferred prosecution agreement. The DOJ has until July 7, 2024, to decide how it will act. Video: Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun testifies before Senate committee on safety issues — 6/18/2024 https://www.youtube.com/live/2LNgce5vLLk?si=baqPzBhFJf8kOZCt Victims' Attorney Asks DOJ To Fine Boeing; Prosecute Executives In his 32-page letter to the DOJ, Professor Paul Cassell of the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City asks for $24 billion in fines, that part of the $24 billion fine should be used for “corporate compliance and new safety measures,” that a corporate monitor is appointed to review the safety measures and “to direct improvement as appropriate.” Also that the DOJ prosecutes former Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg and other “responsible corporate executives.” Exclusive: US prosecutors recommend Justice Dept. criminally charge Boeing U.S. prosecutors asked Justice Department officials to bring criminal charges against Boeing for violation of the deferred prosecution agreement. Federal officials are investigating a Southwest Airlines low flight over Oklahoma City suburbs A Southwest Airlines plane triggered an automated low-altitude alert nine miles out from the Oklahoma City airport. Flightradar24 shows the plane descending to about 525 feet AGL over Oklahoma City suburbs. Air traffic control asked, “Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You doing OK?” The pilot responded, “Yeah, we're going around.” The air traffic controller responded telling the pilot to maintain 3000 feet. Federal officials are investigating. Southwest's Diehard Fans Don't Want Airline to Change Activist hedge fund company Elliott Investment Management has taken a $1.9 billion stake in Southwest Airlines and wants to oust the airline's CEO Robert Jordan. Elliott says Jordan “has delivered unacceptable financial and operational performance quarter after quarter and Jordan and former CEO Gary Kelly (currently the executive chairman) “are not up to the task of modernizing Southwest.” Elliott wants to replace Jordan and Kelly with outsiders and make “significant” changes to the board of directors with others who bring airline experience. NTSB Releases Preliminary Reports On Two Airline Close Calls In April 2024, a Swiss Air A330 aborted its takeoff from Runway 4L at JFK after they saw taxiing traffic on the runway. One controller cleared the Swiss flight for takeoff, and a ground controller cleared four other airplanes to cross the same runway. In February 2023, TCAS (traffic/collision alert system) issued “resolution advisories” over an inbound Mesa Airlines Bombardier CRJ900 and a SkyWest Embraer EMB-170 at  Hollywood-Burbank Airport. The two aircraft came within 1,700 feet of each other. Cirrus: G100UL Use May Void Warranties GAMI Responds To Cirrus G100UL Service Advisory General Aviation Modifications Inc. has invested in developing an unleaded,

Wir berichten von der ILA und haben ein tolles Special für Euch aus der AWACS der NATO. Viiiiel Spaß und Danke an Jürgen, W+13! Ihr habt Fragen an einen Piloten oder Fluglotsen? Oder Themenwünsche? Immer her damit: podcast@atcpilot.com oder über Instagram @ATCpilot_podcast - Wir freuen uns außerdem über positive Bewertungen des Podcasts und wenn Ihr uns weiter empfehlt :-) Schlagt uns auch gerne Eure Wünsche für zukünftige Gäste vor!

Col. Keith Nightingale, USA (Ret.) served for 25 years with notable roles in commanding airborne units and especially in operating with special operations forces. He was involved in some of the most significant military operations of his time, including actions during the Vietnam War, the Iran Hostage Rescue Mission (Operation Eagle Claw), and the invasion of Grenada (Operation Urgent Fury).   Colonel Nightingale shares behind-the-scenes insights into his operations in Latin America, from having the host nation join the AWACS to target illegal drug labs to battling drug cartels in countries like Nicaragua, Colombia, and Panama. He also talks about snippets of his book 'Phoenix Rising' and how the US failure in Iran led to the continuation and development of special forces into what it is today.   Get a copy of Keith's latest book 'Phoenix Rising': https://amzn.to/3ysAsp6 Join the SOFREP Book Club here: https://sofrep.com/book-club  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A conversation between brothers in arms who have known each other since the early 1980s - one an athlete, the other his coach at the time.----more---- SUMMARY Neither has ventured far from the Air Force or the Academy. Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86, the Academy's 21st superintendent, opens up about his leadership journey to Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76, the man who first coached him all those years ago. Gen. Clark's leadership story is exceptional and Gen. Gould does a masterful job of helping him tell it.   OUR FAVORITE QUOTES "The one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants, better leaders of character that are ready to go out and win our wars and that are ready to go out support defend the Constitution. That is it." "Whenever there's Americans on the ground, we're going to do whatever it takes to help them you will do whatever it takes." "Seeing those young guys go out there and do that, and do what they needed to do to help other Americans to help their fellow servicemen that made me prouder than anything." "I am very happy and comfortable to leave this torch with them to hand the torch off to them. And I'm just proud to have served with them." "I am leaving with a lot of gratitude in my heart, just from our cadets from our permanent party, from the alumni that helped us do this and the other supporters."   SHARE THIS EPISODE FACEBOOK  |  LINKEDIN  |  TWITTER  |  EMAIL   CHAPTERS 00:00:  Introduction and Mission of the Air Force Academy 01:09:  Lieutenant General Rich Clark's Background and Career 08:27:  Making the Best of Unexpected Assignments 10:18:  Leadership in Challenging Situations 00:09:  Introduction 07:28:  Enhancing the Academy's Facilities and Programs 14:57:  Developing Leaders of Character 31:11:  The Importance of Alumni and Supporters 37:51:  Transitioning to the Role of Executive Director of the College Football Playoff 45:08:  Conclusion   TAKEAWAYS  - Leadership is developed through challenging experiences like overcoming adversity, mentoring others, and leading in high-pressure situations like combat.  - Support from family, mentors, and sponsor families can help one persevere through difficult times and find purpose.  - Having an open mind and making the most of unexpected opportunities can lead to unexpected benefits and career success.  - Giving back to one's alma mater through things like financial support, mentorship, and service helps continue its mission and benefits future generations.  - Expressing gratitude to those who support your mission helps foster positive relationships and a sense of shared purpose.     LT. GEN. CLARK'S BIO Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark '86 is the Superintendent, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado. He directs a four-year regimen of military training, academics, athletic and character development programs leading to a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force or United States Space Force. Lt. Gen. Clark graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1986. His commands include the 34th Bomb Squadron, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota; 12th Flying Training Wing, Randolph AFB, Texas; Eighth Air Force, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, and Joint Functional Component Commander for Global Strike, Offutt AFB, Nebraska. He has also served as a White House Fellow in Washington, D.C.; the Commandant of Cadets, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado; Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché, Cairo, Egypt, and as the Commander, Third Air Force, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Prior to his current assignment, Lt. Gen. Clark served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Deterrence and Nuclear Integration, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. - Copy and image credit:  af.mil       ABOUT LONG BLUE LEADERSHIP Long Blue Leadership drops every two weeks on Tuesdays and is available on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn + Alexa, Spotify and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on your favorite social channels for Long Blue Leadership news and updates!            FULL TRANSCRIPT OUR SPEAKERS Our guest is Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86  |  Our host is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould '76   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  00:12 The one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants, better leaders of character, that are ready to go out and win our wars and that are ready to go out and support and defend the Constitution. That's it.   Announcer  00:27 Welcome to the Long Blue Leadership podcast. These are powerful conversations with United States Air Force Academy graduates who have lived their lives with distinction. All leaders of character who candidly share their stories, including their best and worst moments, the challenges they've overcome the people and events that have shaped who they are, and who willingly lend their wisdom to advance your leadership journey. Your host for this special presentation of Long Blue Leadership is Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Mike Gould, USAFA class of '76 and currently serving as a member of the Association and Foundation board of directors. And now, Gen. Mike Gould.   Lt. Gen Mike Gould  01:09 My guest today is Lt. Gen. Rich Clark, the 21st superintendent of the Air Force Academy, Class of '86 at USAFA, and if I'm not mistaken, you're about 46 days away from retiring. After a 38-year career, that when you think about it, has spanned so much in our country, starting with the Cold War through conflicts in Southwest Asia, in the Middle East, and the culture wars that we all experience today. I think his experience in active duty is highlighted most by seven commands that he's held; a bomb squadron, a training wing, to numbered Air Force's, the joint functional component command for Global Strike, served as the commandant of cadets here at the Academy. And now like I said, as the 21st superintendent. In addition to that, Gen. Clark served as the senior defense official, and the defense attaché in Cairo during some interesting times, and also served as a White House fellow. And if that's not enough, he's flown over 4,200 hours in the B1, both the EC and KC-135, the T1, the T38, the T6 and the T21. And most notably, 400 of those hours are in combat. So Rich, as you look back on the past nearly four decades of service, I'm sure you have a lot to think about as it's all coming to an end. And really, how it all started. I'd like you to please share with us a little bit about your life as a young child. And you know, some of the influential people who you met in your formative years, and then kind of how that led you here to the Air Force Academy.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  02:58 Wow, well, first, can I call you Coach, General Gould?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  03:02 You (can) call me Coach…   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  03:03 I'll call you Coach because you were my coach when I was here, and you saw me walk in the doors here. So, I'll talk a little bit about that. But I just want to thank you for letting me be here today. This is a real honor. So, thank you.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  But I grew up in the Bay Area, Oakland, Berkeley, California, and my parents were divorced. So, it was my mother, my brother and I. And then when my mom got remarried, we moved to the East Coast to Richmond, Virginia, and that's where I went to high school, and not a military family. My dad was drafted back in the Vietnam era. He served a short tour, so I don't really remember those days. So, I don't consider myself really from a military family and really hadn't considered joining the military. I played football, I played a lot of sports. Growing up, football was my primary — and track actually, but football the primarily, and I had signed to go to William & Mary in Virginia, and I was going with my best friend from high school and actually in junior high. And Coach Ken Hatfield came to my house. And the Air Force had been recruiting me. So did Army and Navy. And he actually came to my house though and visited my parents. And he had dinner at our house, and my mom thought, “He is such a nice man. And he was like, “Look, just come out and see the Air Force Academy.” Now what he didn't know was that I wanted to, I was very interested in flying more commercial. I always thought I wanted to be a commercial pilot. And he convinced me to come out. My mom was like, “Just go; it's free.” You know, I was like, OK, and so I still had a couple of college visits left. So, I came to the Air Force Academy. I'll be honest, I got here and after seeing the place and seeing the opportunities to fly — just to have a great education and to play Division I college football, I was hooked. And I, my dad — my stepdad who I consider my dad — made me call the coach at William & Mary tell him I was changing my mind. And I signed and came to Air Force. And when I got off the bus and got on those footprints , and they started yelling at me, I was like, “Hey, wait, I'm a football player. You're not supposed to yell at me.” That's what I thought. And that was not true. And the rest is history. And, you know, it was an important decision in my life, certainly. But, you know, I appreciate Coach Hatfield being persistent and coming to get me and, you know, talk to my parents, formative people, obviously. But it was a great decision. Great decision.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  05:48 Did you also visit West Point and or Annapolis?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  05:52 I did not because I didn't want to go to a — I wasn't interested, really in a service academy. What I will say, though, I did fill out an application to Air Force before Coach Hatfield came. And I did go and do an interview with my congressional member. Because my guidance counselor convinced me to do that in case I didn't get another good offer from somewhere else. And I actually got a congressional appointment. But then the Academy contacted me, and I told them I was going to turn it down. And that's when Coach Hatfield came to my house. But I, I went through the motions, I think, but I didn't really have an intention to come. I wanted to go to William & Mary, and I wasn't even going to visit Army and Navy because, you know, there wasn't something I was interested in.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  06:46 I'll bet you've looked back and asked yourself the question, what would you be doing now had you gone to William and Mary, or one of these other schools?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  06:54 Hard for me to picture my life without being in the Air Force and the Air Force Academy, right?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  07:01 Now, you let on a little bit about falling in on the footprints. But as you look back at arriving at the Academy, and you're in now, you signed up and you're going to be a Falcon, what kind of memories do you have about basic training and leading into your first fall semester?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  07:21 Yeah. So, here's the here's one memory I definitely have — and I talk to the cadets about this sometimes — I mentioned the phone-booth to them. And they're like, “What? “What's a phone booth?” Well, you know, I explained to them, there were these big boxes that had a telephone and you had a card that you could call home. And in basic training, about halfway through, you got to call home. And I call my mom. And I said, “Mom, this place is not for me. I'm ready to come home.” She's like, “Oh, that's great. Because the William & Mary coach called last week to see how you're doing. You could probably still get your scholarship.” And I was like, “Oh.” I was expecting her to say, “Well, you better not come home.” But she said, “You know, that's OK.” And truth is, I looked out the door, you know, they had the glass doors, and all my classmates are lined up out the door waiting for their turn to come in. And honestly, I thought, “Man, I'm not ready to leave these guys yet.” And so, she said, “You come on home, it's OK.” And I said, “Well, you know what, mom, I think I'm just gonna' finish basic training. And then I'll see. I want to stick that out with these guys.” You know, I made some great friends. It's not what I expected, but I liked the people. So, I stayed. And then after basic training, she asked me, “Are you still going to come home?” And I said, “Well, you know, I think I'll stick it out one semester, I'd really like to play football because I've gotten in with the team now. And I got some friends on the team. So maybe I could play one season. I think I've got a good chance to make the varsity.” And I did that. And then it was, “You know, Mom, maybe I'll stay for my rest of my freshman year.” It was like one step at a time until eventually I was like, “You know, I'm in.” But it was not a done deal for a while for me, you know, where I just said, “You know what, this is it. I'm in the right place.” I think after that first year, though, I realized that I was, you know — it took some time though. And football had a lot to do with it. The friends you make, the success we had as a team. That was just great. And I love my squadron. I was in 7th Squadron. Great, great friends there. So, after a year though, I feel like I was in but there was that moment in that phone booth and basic training where I was like, “Man, I don't know.” But I did it and I'm glad I did.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  09:52 Well, everything you just went through right there was referencing the people. That's what kept you there. But then you get into academics and you get your military training. How did you navigate some of those things? And you know, I know you had fun with your buddies and football is always a hoot. But about the other challenges that the Academy threw at you?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  10:15 Yeah. So, I actually, I liked academics, I did pretty well, I was on Dean's List most semesters, like seven of my eight semesters, I made the Dean's List. So not that I didn't have some challenges. I mean, there's those certain courses that you're just like, “Oh, my goodness.” But overall, academics wasn't the big challenge. I think the challenge for me was not having some of the freedoms that you wanted early on because you're sort of getting acclimatized to it, you know, you're getting used to not being able to do certain things, the military lifestyle, you have to get used to that a little bit. But once I got that — and going back to the people, everybody's kind of struggling with that. And when you're all struggling together, it just makes it a lot more bearable and doable. And I think after that first year, I was in, I was like, “You know, I'm in the right place. And I'm gonna' stay here.” I did have a moment though. When I was a sophomore, I tore my knee up playing football, the last game, San Diego State. Just ripped my ACL. My MCL — meniscus cartilage — had [to be] reconstructed. And I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play football again. And that made me kind of think a little bit about was I going to stay. And I had to come to terms with some things, you know, “Why am I here? What's my real purpose?” And as much as football meant to me, I was here for something bigger than that. And I realized that unfortunately, at that point when I was injured, I think that was also the point where I really came to terms with why I was here, that it was something bigger than myself. And I wanted to be a part of it. And so I stayed. I was still determined to play and I did get to play, you know, the next season. But my purpose was a bit different, you know, and that injury really helped me kind of figure things out and sort through my greater purpose.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  12:18 Gave you that confidence of overcoming adversity.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  12:21 Absolutely. Like sports does. Right. That's it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  12:24 Now, back in my day, we didn't really have a sponsorship program — sponsor families in town. But I think by the time you were a cadet, that program existed to have a sponsor family.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  12:41 They were awesome. The Frables, Neil and Elizabeth. I just had lunch with Neil about four months ago. We still we stay in touch and they're just awesome. And they were so good. They sponsored four of us. And they actually gave each of us a key to their house. And a key to their third car. Oh, my goodness, that was a lifesaver. And they cooked a lot. And we ate a lot. And they just they really opened their homes up to us. So, I credit them. I mean, they were my second family, and still just love them for what they did for us. They were a great, great sponsor family.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  13:24 When you were a cadet, did you participate in any formal leadership programs? Did you hold some positions within the cadet wing?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  13:35 O don't think they thought that highly of me. I wasn't that kind of cadet. I was the D.O. for my squadron. And that was because one of my buddies was a squadron commander. He's like, “Hey, man, will you help me?” And I was like, “Yeah, I'll do this.” But that was the most leadership experience I got and, you know, informal way. But I was glad to do that. It was my squadron. Although, when I told my friends to clean their rooms up and stuff, they'd always give me grief. You know, all these seniors. We were all seniors together. And they're like, “Who are you to tell me this?” Peer leadership is the hardest thing in the world. But yeah, I didn't rise to the level of like group or wing leadership or anything like that. So, the cadets were already surprised to hear that I'm like not, I wasn't that good of a cadet. I mean, I was like your average kind of cadet that did pretty well.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  14:28 Well, you're being modest here. I watched you lead on that football team. You guys had some success and a really tight group.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  14:35 We did. I loved our team. We had a lot of leaders on our football team, though. And people — I always characterize the leadership on our football team — people knew when they needed to lead. You know, there was just times where someone needed to step up and be a leader. And it might not be that you were the leader all the time. But when it was needed, somebody always stepped up. And that was I think the hallmark of our team. And it was just a great group of people, humble leaders, all about team success. And I learned as much leadership from football as I did anywhere else here at the Academy. And credit to Coach DeBerry, Coach Hatfield, you know, all of our coaches, and my teammates, for just helping me develop as a man and, and what kind of a leader and person I wanted to be. So that was as much of a leadership laboratory as anything for me.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  15:33 So, it sounds like when it came time to toss your hat and put on the gold bars, you were prepared to go out and be a lieutenant in the Air Force.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  15:43 I think I was. And my first job was right back and coaching football here. So that was a nice transition from the Academy. I taught unarmed combat, PE, and I coached the JV football team and you, you were at the prep school then I think, Coach, and so… But that was a phenomenal job. And there were like eight of us that stayed back and did that. That was just great. And you know, you had to employ some leadership there because you're trying to lead the cadets. And whether they're on football or in the PE class. So, I learned a lot doing that, but I really enjoyed it. I love being back here. And honestly, it gave me a whole different appreciation for the Academy. Because when you're a cadet, you are looking about five feet in front of you and you don't stop to look at the mountains and you don't stop to look at all that everybody's doing to make this place happen and the passion that people really have for our cadets. That was when I first kind of said, “You know what, this place really is special.” But you don't get that as a cadet necessarily. Some cadets, so they're special anyway, but cadets like me, I didn't know, and I was just ready to graduate. But that one year gave me a whole different appreciation. And I'm grateful for it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  17:00 Right. And then you headed off to pilot training and like most lieutenants, you know, you're gonna' mix in with a new group of people, a new group of friends. Talk to us about your experience as a student pilot, and then on to start your career flying big airplanes.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  17:18 Yes. So, me and one of my good friends, Mike Chandler, we decided we were going to go to pilot training together. He was a teammate in football. And we were actually roommates when we traveled. And we decided we're going together. So, we both went to Laughlin. And we thought we'll go to Laughlin so there's no distractions, there's good weather, we're going to kill pilot training. And when we got there, we realized there's no distractions at all. And there was nothing else to do there. But we had a great time because of the people in our class. And we're the only two Academy grads in the class. But we just we bonded well as a class and pilot training was pretty good. I do remember though, I almost washed out, like in the first month, because I had a couple bad rides in a row. And you know how you get a couple, three bad rides, and you're out? And especially in those days, we lost half of our class, they washed out 50% of our class. And I had these bad rides. And I had to go to what they call an 89. You know, and what that was if you if you fail three rides in a row, right? If you couldn't do your no-flap landings, and you couldn't get them right in the T-37, then you went to an 88. You fail the 88, then you go to the 89. 89 was the elimination, right? And so, I had to go to an 89. And I had to fly with the squadron commander. And the night before, I call my mom again. I always called my mom. And I was like, Mom, tomorrow might be my last flight because I flew today, I failed the ride, and I don't think a whole lot is gonna' change between tonight and tomorrow. And she was like, “Well enjoy it. Because it might be the last time you get to fly an airplane, so you need to at least have fun. It's been your dream and my heart goes out to you. But enjoy the flight. Don't make your last flight something that was a bad memory for you.” And I was like, “Well, if I fail, it's gonna' be a bad memory.” She said, “But at least have fun. You can have fun.” But it was great advice because I went up there, Coach, and I was just relaxed. I even stopped studying when I called her. I didn't study that night. I went to bed, got up in the morning, didn't get up early and study. I went in there, I did my ground evals. I was usually pretty good in the ground evals and I just went up and I flew the sortie. I remember, he told me to do a cloverleaf, you know, the maneuver the cloverleaf, which was my favorite. I did the cloverleaf and he goes, “OK, we can head on back to the pattern now get your pattern work done.” And I said, “Can I do one more clover?” And he's like, “I don't recommend it, the one you did was fine.” And I said, “I know I just like the cloverleaf. Sir, can I just do one more?” He was like, “OK.” And I did another cloverleaf thinking, “You know, this might be my last time I did the cloverleaf.” I flew back to the pattern, I'm talking to the IP and stuff. I did my landings, you know, really uneventful. Got out of the plane, we're walking back, and he goes, “I don't even know why you're in this ride. That was a great ride.” And I was like, “You mean, I passed?” And he was like, “Yeah, great job today, Lt. Clark, you passed.” And what I realized, it was about just relaxing and flying the plane. And it was the best lesson I ever got in an airplane, when you can relax and just let your training kick in. And just don't worry and let your instincts take over. You just fly better. And my mom sort of taught me that. She's like, “Just relax and have a good time.” So, I sort of credited her with keeping me at the Academy. She got me through pilot training. I mean, she was my mom, too. So, I give her that credit. But yeah, that was a good pilot training memory. And, you know, everything's been great since then.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  21:12 So, you head off, and you're going to the EC135 first, right? So, talk to me a little bit about your career progression there as a captain and major and things you look back on from that period.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  21:27 Well, so, here's one big lesson that I got out. When I got the EC135, I wanted to fly C-130. Really I wanted to fly a gunship. And I thought, “I don't even know what that is I didn't put it on my dream sheet. How did I end up getting this?” I was bummed out. And then one of the IP(s) said, “You know, they handpick people to go into the EC135.” Oh, really? Well, because the EC135 was the airborne command post — the nuclear mission at Offutt and you always had a general officer on board. And you could only fly with instructor pilots and a co-pilot. You couldn't have a straight aircraft commander in that plane. And the co-pilot had an immense amount of responsibility in that mission, and you got a whole lot of flying time. And when you got done with that assignment in two years, you got your choice of your next assignment. And a lot of guys went to fighters. They had to compete for that. But then for me, it was the B-1 and I saw that that was available. And I learned that when I first walked in the door because several people got to FP111s and B-1s. And I was like, “Man, I could do this.” I got 2,000 hours in the T-38 because they had the ACE program, the companion trainer program in the EC. And between those two aircraft, I got 2,000 hours, which was plenty for me to go into the B-1. And then I flew the B-1 basically the rest of my career. And so, it was really one of the lessons I learned. Sometimes you get put somewhere that maybe it didn't want or maybe didn't expect, but you make the best of it. And sometimes there's these, sort of, hidden benefits and successes that you didn't even know about. But if you go there and just bloom where you're planted, good things happen. And I learned that early. Fortunately, in the EC135. I flew the B-1 for 17 years. I flew at McConnell which ended up moving B-1s out of there. Dyess Air Force Base, I flew at Ellsworth as a squadron commander. I did do a stint in the Pentagon and legislative liaison in there and I was also a White House fellow, which was an amazing opportunity for me. But those years and the B-1 and doing the Pentagon and the White House fellow were really amazing years. I met Amy in there and we got married. When I was stationed at Dyess as a captain, well, actually I met her as a captain — we dated, and I pinned on just a few months before we got married. But my flying career was just awesome. And my first command was just absolutely a pinnacle point. It was squadron commander and the 34th Bomb Squadron. And I got into that squadron. Sept. 5, 2001, is when I showed up for that and I had just left the White House fellowship, which was just a fantastic opportunity. But I was riding high Sept. 5, and then Sept. 11, happens and everything changed. The squadron deployed and I wasn't checked out yet in the B-1. I had to go through a re-qual program. And so, I can remember when they left. The squadron was heading out and they were, “…or maybe we could just take you as an unqualified pilot,” blah, blah, blah. There was no way that that was going to happen. And so, I can remember that day, when they were leaving, they left about a month after Sept. 11, in October. And I just went and helped pack up bags. I just did whatever I could to help that squadron out. I wasn't the squadron commander at the time. But I remember thinking, “Man, I can't believe the squadron that I was going to go in is going to go without me.” But they did. And I helped. And I tried to be as much of a contributor as I could. And when they came back, I was all qualified. And then a couple of months after that, I took over the squadron. And then they tapped us to go again. And so, I got to deploy the squadron in combat over Iraq. We deployed to Oman and we flew missions at the beginning of OIF. And that was just an unbelievable experience, growth experience, leadership experience, but really, just something I'll never forget, you know, it was hard. It was tough. We're there for about six months. But leading in combat I think is something we all prepare for and want to be ready for. But it's also an honor, you know, to be able to have that kind of responsibility. And I think back on it, and my timing couldn't have been better for me to be able to do that. It was just a highlight of my career.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  26:31 Can we entice you to tell a quick war story about a Distinguished Flying Cross that you are awarded?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  26:37 Oh, well, I could talk about that. Can I talk about a different story there? I have a better one, I do. This was one of my proudest moments I think I had as the squadron commander. I had to line up all the crews, you know, to put experience within experience and make sure that they were balanced out with the people that I knew, and who was going to perform the best. And I had 24 crews. They actually sent me extra crews from a different squadron to make sure that we had a full complement. And the last crew that I had were two of the most inexperienced people in our squadron. Two captains and two lieutenants. And one of them was a brand-new FAPE. Has just come from T-37s into the B-1. And I had to have 24 crews and they were the last four people. And I didn't really have another way to balance the experience and inexperience. So, I did it. And the flight commanders were like, “Don't do it. We can't send these guys out like that.” And I said, “We have to; they need to go. And so, on the second night, they went out they had 24 JDAM, 2,000 pound GPS bombs. And they started out. They orbited in the area, they did well. First they delivered their 12 bombs on-target, the direct targets from the ATO, and they hit those targets. And then they were orbiting, waiting for what we call it, x-cast, somebody to call in and say, “I need some bombs.” And our mantra in the squadron was whenever there's Americans on the ground, we're going to do whatever it takes to help them. You will do whatever it takes. And so, they're orbiting, and they're about at bingo fuel in there, meaning the fuel that they needed to go back, and they get a radio call from an AWAC. There's troops in contact and they need some air power. So, they give this crew, the aircraft commander, this young FAPE goes, “Well, we're close to bingo, but we're not there yet. So, give us the coordinates and give us the radio frequency,” and they fly. And they get this JTAC — joint tactical air control — on the ground. And he's like, “We're getting shelled from a ridgeline. There's Iraqi armored vehicles, they're hitting us hard. We need some bombs. We got 150 soldiers down here, can you give us some bombs.” He's like, “Got it, give us the coordinates.” So, they start getting a nine-line there. They're loading the coordinates, and the “Wizzo” is just putting the bombs, you know, he starts putting them on target. Boom, boom, one at a time. And they get the coordinates, bomb on target. But then they hit bingo. And so the aircraft commander tells the JTAC, “Hey, we're at bingo fuel, we need to get going or we're not going to be able to get back home. But we'll get somebody else out here.” And the JTAC says, “If you leave us now, we're going to get pummeled. Can you stay a little longer?” He says, “We'll stay as long as you want.” And so, they keep putting bombs on target. And they keep putting them down until they went Winchester and the JTAC says, “Hey, the shelling stopped. You guys are cleared out.” And when they turn their nose to go home, they didn't have enough fuel to get back. And so, they get on with AWACS and they're talking to AWACS trying to figure something out. They're looking at divert. Field diverting into a field in Iraq is not a good idea. But finally, a KC-135 flies into the country, into Iraq, unarmed, unafraid, gives them gas and then those guys can come home. And when they got back, they were three hours past their estimated arrival time. And I met him at the airplane because I'm going, “What happened?” And when the aircraft commander comes down the ladder, he's got salt stains on his back. They were working hard. I said, “What happened? He goes, “Sir, we overflew our bingo.” I said, “Well, certainly there's more to it than that.” And so, we go into the intel debrief and they told that story. And all of those, that whole crew, was awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses for what they did. And so that of all the things that happened, to see those young guys go out there and do that, and do what they needed to do to help other Americans, to help their fellow servicemen, that made me prouder than anything,   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  30:44 I guess it would. And you took a chance, in a way, by putting this crew together.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  30:49 I did. Yeah. As far as I was concerned, I didn't have a choice, you know, but I had to trust them to do their job. And they were trained. I mean, they had received the training that was required for them to go to combat, so we have to trust them to do it. And they did it.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  31:05 Well, that's a really cool story. And if my math is right, you are about 15-16 years into your career at that time. Let me shift gears a little bit. How much thought did you give to staying in touch with or staying engaged with the Air Force Academy while you were out? You know, developing your career path.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  31:33 I gave a lot of thought to it. I used to come back for football games. I came back for my reunions for sure. And I don't think financially at that point, I hadn't gotten involved. But a couple years later, when our class, our 20th reunion was starting, that's when I really started realizing financially I could and should start to give back to the Academy. So that was when I think from a financial point, I really connected and realized that. But just from a present standpoint and coming back, I came back at every opportunity. I came back for games; I came back for some mentorship opportunities that people asked me to come talk to cadets and things like that. But I never thought I would get to come back here to work. You know, it never crossed my mind until someone asked me to be the commandant years later. And that was like beyond imagination for me, especially knowing what kind of cadet I was. I was like, “OK, you really want me to be the commandant? I don't think so.” But I got that opportunity down the road. I mean, that was after a lot. I went on to be a wing commander, you mentioned I was the wing commander. At 12th Flying Training Wing, I got to fly all the trainers and that was just awesome. And then I deployed to Iraq for a year, which was an intense year, hard year, I would say probably the hardest year I've had, you know, in my career. And then I got promoted to one star. And they sent me to Barksdale Air Force Base as the vice commander of 8th Air Force. And when I came back from Iraq, I knew I'd gotten promoted. And that job was kind of roundabout. They said, “Hey, we're gonna' send you to Barksdale to be the vice at 8th. But that job is actually going to be downgraded to a colonel and you're about to pin on one star. So we're not sure what's going to happen with you next.” I was like, “Oh, man,” trying to remember the lessons of the past though. I said, “OK. This is where I'm going so let's bloom where I'm planted,” right? So, we all move there. Things were great. And then I remember the MATCOM commander called me in one day and he goes, “You know…, they get the phone call from the secretary. I'm gonna', one, I'm a newly pinned on one star. And he goes, “Hey, you know that job you're in is a colonel job?” And I was like, “Yes, sir, I know. But I love it.” You know, I was being positive. He says, “But we're gonna' have to move you out of there.” “Yes sir. Understood.” And he goes, “What would you think about going to the Air Force Academy and be the commandant?” You could have knocked me over with a feather. And that's when you and I first connected, when I got to come be your commandant when you were the supt. And that was just a dream to be able to come back here and that's when I really connected back, you know, when I got a chance to see it, even from a different level. I talked about it as a coach you know, and seeing how special it is and seeing how passionate people are about our school. But being the commandant gave me a whole different view and being able to engage with the cadets and understand what they were doing and trying to push that development for them. Just amazing and I loved it, and Amy loved it, to live in the Otis House, having the cadets over, trying to help them with their, you know, their development. And that's a big job, right? We all know that because you take it very personally, because you want them to be everything that they can be in there. So amazingly talented. You just want to take that talent and give them every opportunity you can to thrive. So, we did that. And after that, even Amy, she might as well be a grad. I mean, she just fell in love with this place after those two years. Our kids, Milo and Zoey, they were 10 and 8 coming in. Our family just was immersed in USAFA.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  35:40 So, I was going to ask you about the role that Amy and the kids played in your development as a leader, but I got to see it firsthand. And you just went through that. When you had to leave the Academy, if you can remember, I'm sure you do remember this, I wanted to keep you here for a third year. Because you were that perfect role model in so many ways for the cadets. Not only your leadership, you know, in the job, but your family and the way these kids could then look up and say, “I want to do that someday. I think I can be like that guy.” And we wanted to keep you another year and then you came out on the two-star list and you moved on to what was undoubtedly a really, really tough assignment as the DAT and senior guy in Cairo. Tell us about that little bit.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  36:30 Yeah, well, if you remember at first they told me I was going to the Pentagon to be the 8th, which was like the big job. If you're a two-star, you go there, the 8th as the programmer. And Amy loves D.C. And so, they told us we were going there. And then I get a phone call from then-Chief of Staff Gen. Schwartz, actually, he called and said, “Hey, I need you to talk to the GAO management office, the GoMo, who do all the assignments for the general.” And I was like, “Oh, yes, sir. Is there a problem?” And I think you might have known about that — you probably knew about this already. Because it was bad news, I think he wanted to tell me personally or something. And so, I called GoMo. And they go, “Yeah, your assignment's changed. You're not going to the Pentagon, you're going to Egypt.” And I go, “Is there a base in Egypt?” They're like, “No, you're gonna' be working at the embassy as the DET.” And I was like, “Ah, OK. All right. That's good.” And so, then the first thing that came to my mind was telling me, I was like, “Oh man, she's gonna' flip out.” Well, I called her. And I said, “Honey, we're not going to D.C.” And here's the thing. Our movers were already in route, like, they were coming to pack us out. And I said, “We're not going to D.C., we're going to Egypt.” I was bracing for impact. And she goes, “Oh my gosh, are you kidding me? That's amazing.” I was like, she couldn't care less about what job I had, she couldn't care less that I was giving up like the best job to target. She was just looking for that adventure of Egypt. And that actually took a lot of heat off me. Because if she's happy, I'm happy. And so, we went to Egypt. And it actually turned out to be great. But we got truncated on the training. Like, you're supposed to get language school, you're supposed to go through this whole defense attaché course. And I didn't have time because it was a late breaking change. And they said, “Don't worry, you don't need all that training because Egypt's on skids.” That was the exact words of the guy that that told me I was getting a job. And he meant Egypt is in a good place. You know, they just elected a new president, democratically elected, and everything's good. Well, when we got there, I got to the airport and we're all sitting in the lounge at the airport, and I picked up a newspaper, and it was in English. And it said that day, the president fired all the military, all the top military leaders. I was like, I guess we're not on skids anymore. And it just went downhill from there. I was there for a month, and they attacked the embassy. And then a year later, the coup happened. Amy and the kids and all the families within the embassy had to go home. It was an order departure. They all had to leave. I remember telling Amy because I was in the meeting with the ambassador when all this happened. And I said “Hey, you might want to pack a bag because I think you're about to go.” She's like, “Pack a bag?” I said, “You can only pack a carry on.” “How long are we going to be gone?” “I don't know.” And they left and they went to D.C. And we had no idea. They ended up being gone for nine months. The kids started school and everything. Well, there was two thirds of the embassy stayed, but it was actually, from a professional standpoint, awesome. To be involved, often to be our representative on the military side, to work with the Egyptian military to try to help navigate through this coup d'état. And they're a country that we were very interested in keeping as a partner. I got a lot of good experience and just cool, like, opportunities to do things. It was a little scary at times, but I actually loved it. And then Amy and the kids came back. We look at that as one of our best assignments as a family. It was just — the Egyptian people are amazing. The travel that we got to do was incredible. And I just loved the assignment, and it goes back, you know, I mentioned to you, sometimes you get an assignment and you're like, “Gosh, what?” And it turns out to be the best thing ever. And that was one of them.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  40:50 And I thought for sure, somewhere in there, you were gonna' say you called your mom.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  40:57 Then I was married, so then I just had to stop calling my mom after that. Well, I still call her but not for advice. I gotta' call Amy, so, you know?   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:06 Well, you had a couple more really challenging assignments. But let's talk about your time as superintendent. Not too many people think that you'll grow up someday and have that type of responsibility. And then when you get here, you realize that it's probably one of the most heavily scrutinized positions you can have in the Air Force.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  41:26 That's an understatement.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:29 We can both agree on this.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  41:34 But other than the general leadership and the experiences you have throughout your career, this place is different. USAFA is different than any other command, and in many ways more challenging, because you just hadn't had that experience. How do you reflect back on your time as superintendent and the fact that you you've worked through, I think you had two presidents, two commander in chiefs, you had a couple different secretaries, and they all have guidance that comes to you. But your job then is to make that guidance into your own policy. How have you dealt with all that?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  42:14 You know, honestly, all of us military members are — our job is to make the commander in chief's policy our policy, and to execute that policy. That's our oath. And that's what we do. And so, you know, for me, I feel like we've all done that. I mean, we've all at some point in our careers had to say, you know, “This is the law of the land.” I mean, I'm gonna' follow my oath to the Constitution, support and defend. And that's a part of it. So, in that aspect, you saw it was no different. But like you said, it's such a, I don't know, everybody has an idea. Everybody thinks they can run the Air Force. Everybody thinks that it should flow along their ideological lines, or whatever. And, frankly, it's about our country's policies that we have to abide by. But the one thing that doesn't change is our mission. And our mission is to develop lieutenants that are leaders of character that are ready to go out and win our wars, and that are ready to go out, support, defend the Constitution. That's it. And the policy things that people get so hung up on, sometimes they're really on the periphery, and they're not as entrenched. And what we do as people might think are — our core mission has never changed. There are some nuances, there's some things that might change a little bit, society changes. Young people change, you know, people that are 18 to 24. It's a pretty volatile group, in a way, and they change with society, too. So, we have to tweak and adjust based on our superiors, you know, people in the Pentagon and OSD and our president. We have to change based on society, and who we have coming into the Air Force Academy. And frankly, parents get a vote in this and the things that happen. And alumni always have a voice in this as well. They make their voice well known. But in the end, what it's my job to do is to make sure that our team is inoculated enough from all that, that we can continue to do our job and make sure that these warfighters are ready to go out and do what those lieutenants and those captains did for me as a squadron commander. That we're putting people out that are ready to go do that. And I always have in mind, like that story that I told you, Coach, it's always in the back of my mind. I hope that I'm developing people that are ready to go out and do what Those guys did that day. If our lieutenants are ready to fight like that, then we've succeeded. And that's my goal. I've never been a political person. But I get dragged into it all the time. And my job is to make sure that when I do get dragged into it, that we're still able to execute our mission, and that I don't drag the entirety of the Academy into it. And you know how it is. That's our job as leaders: to provide that top cover, and that shield, so that our people can do their job and produce those lieutenants that are going to go win wars.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  45:34 Well, that's a great attitude, and you've done it well. Tell me about your relationship with the Association of Graduates and Foundation? How have they contributed to your successes here at the Academy? And is there anything that the two organizations could do better?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  45:52 Well, I will say, let me start off with, enormous support from the Foundation and the AOG. And it's hard for everyone to really know what kinds of things you guys do for us. But all you need to do is drive around the campus, right? And look at the North Commons area, look at our new hotel, look at our visitor center, that's coming up, look at the Cyber Innovation Center that's coming up, look at our football stadium that's getting built. All those things are either fully private or public-private, that the Foundation has to not only raise the money, but facilitate those things happening. And I would say that, nowadays, we're not going to have very much construction that's going to happen here or any growth that the Foundation isn't involved in. You're going to have to be involved in pretty much everything that we do, if we want to keep evolving as an Academy. And since I've been here, the Foundation has done that. And the Foundation and the AOG are only as strong as our alumni. And I guess I've always known that intuitively. But since I've been here, it is entrenched in me and I will always be a supporter of our Academy from a financial standpoint, from my time standpoint, but it's critical, not just for our Academy, but really for the product, those 1,000 lieutenants that we put out, they benefit enormously from the help that we get. And those are just the big things. Forget about all of the research opportunities, the travel opportunities, the opportunities to bring in guest speakers, NCLS, you know, the National Character and Leadership Symposium is NCLS. There's so many other things that people don't even know that only happened because someone was willing to put their resources behind our Academy. And so, you know, the Foundation makes that happen for us to AOG brings them in, but together, that support is just enormous. And, you know, I get a lot of compliments about people who they see — the visitors that we have coming through the Carlton House, you know, the supt. house — thousands of people that come through there: cadets, donors, dignitaries, all kinds of people. All that happens because of gift funds from the Foundation. We're able to represent our Academy in a way that people can't even understand. And that also, you know — there's a synergy from that and an exponential effect from us being able to do those kinds of things that most universities do. But the government doesn't always support those things because it's not in a funding line. But the Foundation helps us to make those things happen.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  48:45 Well, you've summed it up pretty well. Our goal is for the Association to be relevant in the lives of cadets through their time here at the Academy and onto their careers. So that eventually they follow into that continuum where they go to the Foundation and say, “How can I help?” And we're seeing that happen now. And it's nice to hear you recognize that it's been a factor in your time. We're close to running out of time here. Richard, let me ask you about your next big challenge, executive director of the College Football Playoff. This is exciting. What are your thoughts there?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  49:19 So, I am enormously grateful and blessed to even have this job. I still kind of don't believe it. You know, because it's such a dream job. I'm going from one dream job to another, you know, but it's funny. What I'll say is, it came out of the blue. A search firm contacted me and I had some, I had known them because I was involved in another search for the Mountain West Conference to find our commissioner. And the people that ran the search knew me just because I was on that panel and everything. And the guy calls me one day. He goes “Hey, Rich, I heard you might be retiring soon. I think you mentioned to us would you be willing to put your name in the hat for the executive director of the CFP.” I was like, “Is that a trick question?” And so, he said, “Now you're the longshot candidate.” They wanted a nontraditional candidate on the, you know — they have 15 or 20 people that they're looking at, but they wanted a nontraditional. I was like, “Yeah, I'll do it.” I said, “Can I ask though, do I really have a shot at this?” He goes, “Yeah, everybody has a shot.” I'm like, “OK, so I got a shot. Let's do this.” And I did a phone interview, then I did a Zoom interview, then it was narrowed down to three and an in-person interview. And I got the job, and I couldn't believe it. But what's really interesting, the things that they liked about me, like, they asked me some questions like, “Do you have any media…?” They go, “Do you have any media experience?” I was like, “No.” “Do you have any experience in managing college athletic teams?” “No.” You know, “Do you have any experience and revenue generation?” “No.” I, you know, and I thought, “I'm just done.” But then they started asking me leadership questions and things that any of us in the military, we would all knock them out of the park. They are things that we've all lived and done things that I learned here, you know, at the Air Force Academy. They weren't hard questions; they were things that are second nature to us. The other thing that they liked was that I played football for four years. And being a student-athlete myself, they thought that that was a big benefit. So really, it goes right back to being here at the Academy and getting that job. And now I look at the challenges that it faces, then you just talked about all the scrutiny we get here as a superintendent. Yeah, I think I'm walking right into another job where I'm going to get scrutinized. It's going to the 12-team playoff, you know, this year. Last year, you know, number five team, everybody was all mad and lost their minds. And I think the committee did it right, though. Next year, it'll just be team 13 that's going to be mad. So, I'm ready, though. I'm excited about it. Amy's excited about it. We're going to move to Dallas, which is where the headquarters is. But I still am, you know, I'm sprinting to the finish in this job. So, I don't have a lot of time to think about it. But it's nice to know that I have another great job that I'm going to be able to flow into. I feel incredibly blessed by it. And just for the opportunity to continue to contribute to student success. And to be a part of that.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  52:32 That's a really good thought. And let me just ask you to close this out, Rich. Any parting thoughts to your team here at the Academy, to the cadets and to your teammates as you move on to your second career?   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  52:50 Well, first of all, and you know this, as much as I do, you know, as the supt, you know, you're at the head of the table, right? And you're trying to provide the top cover. But it's really so that all of the amazing teammates — we have the dean of faculty, the commandant, the athletic director, the prep school, airbase wing, just across the board. You know, all of those people in the flying training group too, even though they're not AETC, there's much of this character development effort that we have. But they're the ones that get the job done. And what makes the Air Force Academy so special is that everyone is so passionate about our cadets, and trying to help them to be ready to go out and do the things that we need them to do. That's what makes us special. It's also what makes it kind of hard, though. But I will take hard when people are passionate any day, you know? They just will do this mission and they will do it, whatever it takes to make it right. And to make sure that we're giving those cadets everything they deserve. I couldn't thank them enough from all of our senior leaders right on down to the, you know, the people in the trenches working in Mitchell Hall. You know, I just love this place because of the people that make it work and that make it go to our cadets. I'll be very honest, there's people that go, “What's wrong with this generation? They don't, you know, they're not patriotic; they're not athletic.” These people don't know what on Earth they're talking about. Come spend an hour, 30 minutes, with our cadets and you'll change your mind. These are the most incredible people. They are patriotic. They want to go serve. They might be different than we were. They might be different than you know, even the classes before us. But there is no lack of patriotism and them wanting to serve and them wanting to do great things and to reach their destiny. And they are every bit as much leaders of character as anybody, this generation. They're better. They're smarter, they're more athletic, they're more in touch with their world around them. I am very happy and comfortable to leave this torch with them, to hand the torch off to them. And I'm just proud to have served with them. And then just to everyone out there, all the supporters of the Academy, and we do have a lot, I just thank them, you know, for letting us do our job at helping us do our job and supporting this Academy. So, I am leaving with a lot of gratitude in my heart, just from our cadets from our permanent party, from the alumni that helped us do this and the other supporters. It just makes me feel good about our country, you know, people still care, people still want to serve and to go do great things. And this place exemplifies that, like no other.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  55:48 Rich, that gratitude goes both ways. We're awfully proud of you, Amy, Milo, Zoë, and we just thank you for your years of service and the leadership you've exhibited here at the Academy. You left a mark, trust me, and we wish you all the well in the future as you go on about, and please stay in touch. Thank you.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  56:11 Thank you to the AOG and Foundation. And I'll say this, you know, I thank Amy because she's the one that was willing to go an extra four years because I could have retired as a three star when we started and she said, I'm in that passion from our time as commandant, she was like, “I'm in, let's do this.” And another four years wasn't easy for her. I'll be honest with you. She wants to live in her own house. She wants to… she started a new job. But she, she owned it. And she loves this Academy too. And I have to thank her and Milo and Zoë. They've just been my, that's my team. You know, I mean, in the end, you know, I thank God for them. I thank God for every opportunity. But I am just full of gratitude. So, thanks, Coach.   Lt. Gen. Mike Gould  56:59 Well done. Thank you. Lt. Gen.Rich Clark, 21st superintendent of the United States Air Force Academy.   Lt. Gen. Richard Clark  57:03 Thanks very much. Yeah, thank you.   Announcer:  57:08 Thank you for listening to long blue leadership. If you enjoyed this episode, we encourage you to subscribe, share it with your family and friends and post it to your social channels. Long Blue Leadership is a production of the long blue line Podcast Network and presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation. The views and opinions of the guests and hosts do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Air Force, Air Force Academy, Academy Association and Foundation, its staff or management. The podcast drops every two weeks on Tuesday mornings. Subscribe to Long Blue Leadership on Apple podcasts, Spotify, tune in plus Alexa, and all your favorite podcast platforms. Search @AirForceGrads on LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, and more for show announcements and updates and visit long blue leadership.org for past episodes and more long blue line podcast network programming     KEYWORDS Air Force Academy, leadership, character, military career, pilot training, squadron command, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Gen. Richard Clark '86, superintendent, United States Air Force Academy, executive director, college football playoff, Association of Graduates, Foundation, leadership, character development, support, gratitude     The Long Blue Line Podcast Network is presented by the U.S. Air Force Academy Association and Foundation      

Pełnej wersji podcastu posłuchasz w aplikacji Onet Audio.  Całość TYLKO w aplikacji Onet Audio. Subskrybuj pakiet Onet Premium i słuchaj bez limitu.  Polityczna awantura w Rosji wokół pogrzebu Aleksieja Nawalnego trwa, a my zastanawiamy się, czy można nazwać przyczyną naturalną śmierć człowieka, który przebywa w kolonii karnej za kołem podbiegunowym, odsiadując 30-letni wyrok? W kolejnej części wieści z frontu – drugi rosyjski AWACS został zestrzelony. Samolot spadł 120 kilometrów za linią frontu, co budzi bardzo poważne pytania o to, czym został zestrzelony. Czy mogły pojawić się pierwsze F-16? Jakie inne istotne straty poniosła Rosja w ostatnich dniach i ile realnie może mieć po tych stratach samolotów? Równolegle: media wystosowały list otwarty do władz Izraela i Egiptu, domagający się wolnego dostępu do Strefy Gazy. Podpisały go między innymi redakcje BBC, Channel 4, Sky News, NBC, CBS, CNN, NBC... Mówiąc krótko: podpisały go wszystkie największe stacje, nie tylko te anglojęzyczne. To jest wojna, w której dostępu do rzetelnej informacji nie mamy w ogóle – mówi Zbigniew Parafianowicz – to, co wiemy na temat wojny w Gazie, to są narracje jednej lub drugiej strony mocno przefiltrowane przez Hamas, lub przez wojsko izraelskie. Wiele więcej – w podcaście. Na „Raport międzynarodowy” zapraszają Witold Jurasz i Zbigniew Parafianowicz.

Täglich grüßt das Murmeltier ... und die Russen verlieren wieder eine AWACS --- und ich kann es nicht glauben.   Links: https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2024/02/23/incredibly-the-russian-air-force-has-lost-another-one-of-its-rare-a-50-radar-planes/ https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2024/02/23/7443442/ https://defence-blog.com/russia-reportedly-loses-second-a-50-radar-jet/ https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berijew_A-50 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68387232 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_E-3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_Grumman_E-2_Hawkeye https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_E-2 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/type/E2 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/type/A50 https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/type/E3TF https://www.bmi.bund.de/SharedDocs/downloads/DE/publikationen/themen/bevoelkerungsschutz/leitfaden-krisenkommunikation.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4     Links für Feedback: Twitter: https://twitter.com/OchmennoP/ Mastodon: @ochmennoPODCAST@literatur.social Email:ochmennopodcast@gmail.com Bewerten: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/och-menno/id1470581030

The complexity of dealing with problems in the Middle East was pervasive during the Reagan years but the 40th President continued to pursue a path to peace. In February 1984, he invited President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan to Washington to discuss the war in Lebanon and other issues. Things were hot in the Middle East. By early 1984, US forces were directly fighting in the Persian Gulf. In late February, a US Navy destroyer launched anti-aircraft missiles against Iranian patrol aircraft. At the end of May, a USAF KC-10 tanker helped Saudi Air Force jets maintain patrols over the Gulf to head off Iranian retaliation for Iraqi attacks on oil tankers. In early June, the USAF tankers and AWACS assisted the Saudis in shooting down one or two Iranian F-4 Phantom fighter-bombers. So, US military forces played a frequent and direct combat role in regional conflicts during 1984. Therefore, in constant pursuit of communication at least, President Mubarak of Egypt and King Hussein of Jordan visited. First, let's talk about Jordan and Hussein.

Après l'échec de l'offensive terrestre à l'été dernier, l'Ukraine change de stratégie et fait preuve d'imagination pour desserrer l'étau russe. Ce mercredi, un missile Patriot ukrainien a abattu un Iliouchine 76 russe, et les forces ukrainiennes sont parvenues, en janvier, à détruire un nombre significatif d'avions à haute valeur ajoutée, réduisant ainsi la capacité de l'armée russe à lire le champ de bataille. C'est la stratégie d'usure de Kiev.  La ligne de front étant figée, l'Ukraine cherche à mettre la Russie dans une position de déséquilibre. Après avoir écarté la menace de la flotte russe en mer Noire, l'objectif est désormais la maîtrise du ciel... Et elle passe par la Crimée... Ainsi ces quatre dernières semaines, des frappes massives ont éliminé, les radars au sol et les systèmes de défense sol air de la péninsule. Puis le 15 janvier, les forces ukrainiennes ont utilisé un système Patriot pour cibler deux appareils stratégiques russes qui pensaient voler en sécurité au-dessus de la mer d'Azov.Dans le collimateur : un illiouchine 22 de renseignement électronique ; il a été endommagé et un A50 Beriev de guet aérien, lui, a fini au fond de l'eau.L'A 50, c'est l'équivalent de l'AWACS pour l'Otan, souligne Philippe Gros de la Fondation pour la recherche stratégique : « Pourquoi un AWACS c'est important… car les Russes sont confrontés aux mêmes problèmes que tous les systèmes intégrés de défense anti-aériennes mondiaux, c'est-à-dire la difficulté à détecter les objets qui volent à très basse altitude, comme les missiles de croisière et les drones d'attaque. Ça signifie qu'il faut pouvoir avoir un surplomb et voir la ligne d'horizon. Et c'est à ça que servent les AWACS : à déjà gérer la bataille aérienne et à détecter les engins qui volent bas. Les Russes, devant les pertes qu'ils ont eues avec leurs radars au sol, ont peut être redéployés leur A 50 Beriev pour pouvoir combler ces gaps de détection.Certains envisagent le fait que les Ukrainiens aient presque mené une embuscade contre l' A50. C'est en anticipant le fait que les Russes redéploient leurs AWACS plus à l'Ouest pour mieux couvrir la Crimée et donc de ce fait les Ukrainiens auraient quelque part fait une embuscade aérienne, anticipant ce redéploiement-là. »Les Ukrainiens appuient là où ça fait malSurtout l'A50 Beriev, avion rare et cher, a disparu avec tout son équipage hautement qualifié... Il y avait aussi à bord le général Oleg Pchela commandant de l'aviation à long rayon d'action.À lire aussiUkraine: ce que l'on sait de la perte de deux avions stratégiques russesUn rude coup porté à la Russie, dit Vincent Tourret, chercheur à l'Université de Montréal: « Les Ukrainiens appuient sur le point faible du dispositif russe. Les Russes ont toujours manqué d'ISR (renseignement, surveillance et reconnaissance), de moyens de reconnaissance, d'intelligence. Les Russes ont toujours eu beaucoup de vecteurs, beaucoup de missiles, de moyens de frappe de précision, mais ils ont toujours manqué de jumelles, d'une vision assez précise pour pouvoir les utiliser à leur pleine efficacité. Les Ukrainiens appuient donc là où ça fait vraiment mal. Ils les rendent aveugles en fait. Et c'est vraiment ça l'objectif recherché par les Ukrainiens en visant des avions de reconnaissance électronique et de commandements aériens. C'est tout le dispositif russe pour (frapper) L'Ukraine en profondeur qui est amputé de sa vision et de ses capacités de coordination. »L'aveuglement des forces russes et l'insécurité dans les airs permettent aux Ukrainiens de frapper loin... Le 21 janvier dernier des drones chargés d'explosifs ont ainsi bombardé le terminal d'Oust Louga sur la Baltique, où se trouvent les plus importantes infrastructures de gaz naturel liquéfié de Russie.Un missile Patriot à l'origine du crash de l'Il 76Le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU s'est réuni jeudi 25 janvier en urgence à la demande de Moscou, qui accuse l'Ukraine d'avoir abattu mercredi un avion de transport militaire russe et tué tous ses passagers. La Russie affirme que les forces ukrainiennes ont lancé « deux missiles » issus « d'un système de défense antiaérien ». De source militaire française, c'est bien un missile Patriot qui a abattu l'Iliouchine 76... Pourtant dans la doctrine, le système Patriot est fixe et destiné à la protection des villes.Mais les Ukrainiens l'ont rendu mobile. En tout cas un système, qu'ils déplacent au plus près de la ligne de front... pour tendre des embuscades. Et pour rester discrets les experts estiment que pour ne pas dévoiler la position du Patriot les Ukrainiens n'allument pas son radar, bien trop signant.Ils utilisent probablement celui d'un système de facture russe S300, placé à distance : ce dernier illumine la cible qui est ensuite détruite par un missile d'interception Patriot.La méthode n'est pas orthodoxe mais elle se révèle redoutable. Fin décembre les Ukrainiens ont ainsi, en quelques minutes, envoyé au tapis cinq avions de chasse SU34 et SU30, et le 15 janvier l'A50 Beriev, avion de guet aérien stratégique, fut à son tour foudroyé.À chaque fois des cibles à haute valeur ajoutée, c'est la stratégie d'usure ukrainienne contre la Russie.

Wir reden etwas über die Erfolge in der Ukraine und wundern uns über die neuen automatischen Kapitelmarken ....   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moHUON4_jPE https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/26/ukraine-claims-to-have-destroyed-russian-ship-in-crimea-attack https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/10/05/russian-warships-leave-annexed-crimea-amid-growing-missile-threats-reports-a82668 https://twitter.com/Nexuist/status/1745840418552459340 (Die Houtis sagten das sie nen Flugzeugträger versenkt haben, vergessen zu erwähnen) https://twitter.com/secretsqrl123/status/1745850245974569316/photo/1 https://twitter.com/ukraine_map/status/1746636997245157775 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_Warning_and_Control_System https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwarzmeerflotte https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewastopol https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noworossijsk https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berijew_A-50 https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyryliwka https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berijew_A-100       Links für Feedback: Twitter: https://twitter.com/OchmennoP/ Mastodon: @ochmennoPODCAST@literatur.social Email:ochmennopodcast@gmail.com Bewerten: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/och-menno/id1470581030

Rosja straciła jeden ze swoich AWACS-ów. Ukraińcy potwierdzają zestrzelenie A‑50. Raport z frontu - dr Marek Kozubel. Partner Odcinka: Kuchnia Vikinga: https://kuchniavikinga.pl/

This week in the studio Dan Horgan is a US Air Force Veteran and served on Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard. He retired with over 20 years Honorable service. Dan held several positions while in the Air Force from Security Forces, to AWACS aircrew member, to a Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) member and Joint Terminal Attack Control (JTAC) qualified. Dan deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 supporting 10th Mountain Division operations. While serving in the National Guard, Dan was also a Detective for the Baltimore Police Department and served seven years protecting and serving the residents of Baltimore, Maryland. Dan deployed back to Afghanistan as a defense contractor and worked in the aviation and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) industry. When Dan moved from Oklahoma to Texas, he joined the Black Rifle Coffee Company team as the CEO's Executive Operations. Dan learned the ins and outs of the coffee and media industry while there from becoming the Director of Marketing Operations and then finally Director of Special Projects. Dan is married to his wife Bethany, currently serving in the Air National Guard full time, and has four children. Dan is a huge supporter of veteran programs and the therapeutic nature of archery.

Parla l'esperto che seguì il recupero del relitto del Dc9

Welcome to the sixty-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I am your host Mark Hasara, Air Force vet and KC-135 pilot. Colonel Mark Waite took a very interesting route to fill one of the most critical positions in the Air Force as Airborne Battle Manager, surveilling the air over a battlefield and directing fighters and bombers to targets. Boner was a Senior Director in the E-3 AWACS on the opening night of Desert Storm. He's a graduate of the US Air Force's Weapons School and later an instructor in the Command and Control division. Some of his most interesting lessons learned come from serving in the Al Udied CAOC during the Afghan elections and now working in the cyberspace world, both offensively and defensively. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is financially supported by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Over one hundred thirty incredibly detailed Ready-to-Print side view profiles of famous aircraft are available on the www.wallpilot.com website, in four, six, and eight-foot-long prints. The E-3C Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS aircraft from the 961st ACCS based at Kadena Air Base where Mark was stationed is available in the Ready-to-Print section. The RC-135 Rivet Joint provides battlefield electronic and signals intelligence to commanders and a Ready-to-Print graphic of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, the new RJ with the CFM56 engines is available on the Wall Pilot website. The U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane works closely with the other Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on the battlefield through datalinks which Mark discussed in the podcast. The U-2R Dragon Lady continues to fly ISR missions all over the world at 70 years of age! The F-15E Strike Eagle was one of the airplanes in the Close Air Support role during the Afghan elections and this 335th Fighter Squadron Strike Eagle is loaded for that typical CAS role. The B-1B Lancer bomber carried out CAS missions during the war in Afghanistan. This B-1B graphic is the 77th Weapons Squadron flagship, a division of the US Air Force Weapons School. Thanks for downloading and listening to this of the LEssons from the Cockpit podcast, found on the www.markhasara.com website under the Podcast pulldown tab. The previous sixty-three episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show can be downloaded from my www.markhasara.com website.  

Welcome to the sixty-fourth episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! I am your host Mark Hasara, Air Force vet and KC-135 pilot. Colonel Mark Waite took a very interesting route to fill one of the most critical positions in the Air Force as Airborne Battle Manager, surveilling the air over a battlefield and directing fighters and bombers to targets. Boner was a Senior Director in the E-3 AWACS on the opening night of Desert Storm. He's a graduate of the US Air Force's Weapons School and later an instructor in the Command and Control division. Some of his most interesting lessons learned come from serving in the Al Udied CAOC during the Afghan elections and now working in the cyberspace world, both offensively and defensively. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is financially supported by Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. Over one hundred thirty incredibly detailed Ready-to-Print side view profiles of famous aircraft are available on the www.wallpilot.com website, in four, six, and eight-foot-long prints. The E-3C Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS aircraft from the 961st ACCS based at Kadena Air Base where Mark was stationed is available in the Ready-to-Print section. The RC-135 Rivet Joint provides battlefield electronic and signals intelligence to commanders and a Ready-to-Print graphic of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron, the new RJ with the CFM56 engines is available on the Wall Pilot website. The U-2 Dragon Lady spy plane works closely with the other Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft on the battlefield through datalinks which Mark discussed in the podcast. The U-2R Dragon Lady continues to fly ISR missions all over the world at 70 years of age! The F-15E Strike Eagle was one of the airplanes in the Close Air Support role during the Afghan elections and this 335th Fighter Squadron Strike Eagle is loaded for that typical CAS role. The B-1B Lancer bomber carried out CAS missions during the war in Afghanistan. This B-1B graphic is the 77th Weapons Squadron flagship, a division of the US Air Force Weapons School. Thanks for downloading and listening to this of the LEssons from the Cockpit podcast, found on the www.markhasara.com website under the Podcast pulldown tab. The previous sixty-three episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit show can be downloaded from my www.markhasara.com website.  

Zurzeit trainiert die NATO beim Manöver "Air Defender" in Deutschland. WDR-Reporter Thomas Wenkert hat einen Flug mit der AWACS-Aufklärungsmaschine begleitet. Von Thomas Wenkert.

Rachelle grew up a hotel managers "brat" and lived in the Philippines, Korea, Japan, and Bahamas before graduating HS in Boise. At USAFA she landed on both Honor and Academic probations doolie year and wanted to quit, but only daily, so her dad made her gut it out. He gave her a great gift upon graduation. She became an Air Battle Manager in AWACS while on active duty, overcome airsickness, and eventually managed over 300 people during major system upgrades while undermanned. Tindall, Tinker, and Mountain Home were her primary location assignments and she deployed several times to other places. She transitioned to civilian life and after moving to the Springs during COVID and helping with the USAFA web and video content is now the typical grad juggling multiple roles: mom of two, wife, management consultant, canine foster parent, and cross fit level 1 instructor.

Welcome to the sixty-first episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast!  The Defense Department Budget is out and there are a number of aircraft coming into the inventory and a lot going to the Boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB Arizona. Platforms that I refueled from my KC-135 are going to be gone soon, and I voice my concerns about some of the aircraft being cut out of the inventory. My biggest concern is the health of the tanker fleet of course. There are some new aircraft on the horizon also and some of them are cosmic! This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is supported and financed by the book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit available on Amazon in all four formats; hardback, softback, Kindle, and Audible. The softback edition has pictures in black and white, and the hardback, Kindle, and Audible have pictures in color. Aircraft spoken about in this episode are available from Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. These are very detailed profiles of famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface. Go take a look at the 128 Ready-to-Print profiles from World War II aircraft to modern aircraft. Wall Pilot can also create a graphic of your favorite aircraft with your name, unit, tail codes, and weapons loadout. One of my favorite aircraft and fortunately have been able to fly in is the F-15. The 44th Fighter Squadron Vampires were recently deactivated at Kadena Air Base Okinawa and this Eagle jet was one of their jets that deployed to the Middle East with the CHAOS nose art.  This 64th Aggressor Squadron F-16C was named WRAITH because of its black paint scheme. I like this black Darth Vader scheme!  The KC-10 Extender inventory will be reduced by 10 aircraft this year. The KC-10 has been called the "Gucci Bird" because of its nice ride. This is a Gucci Bird from the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB California. The E-3B Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS aircraft from the 961st Air Control Squadron is based at Kadena Air Base Okinawa. The AWACS will be replaced by some future platform, probably the 737 Wedgetail flown by other Air Forces. The B-1B Lancer bomber has been a workhorse of the Global War on Terror, nicknamed The Bone. This B-1B is the flagship of the 77th Weapons Squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School Bone division based at Dyess Air Force Base Texas. Thanks for downloading and listening to my podcast. We are over 15,000 downloads now and I appreciate all of you who listen. This and previous episodes of the Lesson from the Cockpit podcast can be found on my website at markhasara.com      

Welcome to the sixty-first episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast!  The Defense Department Budget is out and there are a number of aircraft coming into the inventory and a lot going to the Boneyard at Davis Monthan AFB Arizona. Platforms that I refueled from my KC-135 are going to be gone soon, and I voice my concerns about some of the aircraft being cut out of the inventory. My biggest concern is the health of the tanker fleet of course. There are some new aircraft on the horizon also and some of them are cosmic! This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is supported and financed by the book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit available on Amazon in all four formats; hardback, softback, Kindle, and Audible. The softback edition has pictures in black and white, and the hardback, Kindle, and Audible have pictures in color. Aircraft spoken about in this episode are available from Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. These are very detailed profiles of famous aircraft you can peel off and stick to any flat surface. Go take a look at the 128 Ready-to-Print profiles from World War II aircraft to modern aircraft. Wall Pilot can also create a graphic of your favorite aircraft with your name, unit, tail codes, and weapons loadout. One of my favorite aircraft and fortunately have been able to fly in is the F-15. The 44th Fighter Squadron Vampires were recently deactivated at Kadena Air Base Okinawa and this Eagle jet was one of their jets that deployed to the Middle East with the CHAOS nose art.  This 64th Aggressor Squadron F-16C was named WRAITH because of its black paint scheme. I like this black Darth Vader scheme!  The KC-10 Extender inventory will be reduced by 10 aircraft this year. The KC-10 has been called the "Gucci Bird" because of its nice ride. This is a Gucci Bird from the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB California. The E-3B Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS aircraft from the 961st Air Control Squadron is based at Kadena Air Base Okinawa. The AWACS will be replaced by some future platform, probably the 737 Wedgetail flown by other Air Forces. The B-1B Lancer bomber has been a workhorse of the Global War on Terror, nicknamed The Bone. This B-1B is the flagship of the 77th Weapons Squadron, the US Air Force Weapons School Bone division based at Dyess Air Force Base Texas. Thanks for downloading and listening to my podcast. We are over 15,000 downloads now and I appreciate all of you who listen. This and previous episodes of the Lesson from the Cockpit podcast can be found on my website at markhasara.com      

En exercice comme en mission opérationnelle, c'est depuis l'Awacs que les ordres partent jusqu'aux autres avions mobilisés. Ennemis ou alliés, le lieutenant Virginie indique si un avion peut tirer, larguer des soldats ou s'engager. Tour de contrôle volante, un seul Awacs par ce radar balaie la totalité de l'Hexagone, de Dunkerque à Bayonne. Il détecte des avions mais aussi des navires militaires et civiles. Et si leur intérieur ressemble à un sous-marin, les Awacs sont les yeux et les oreilles les plus discrets et les puissants du ciel européen.

As Donna and Jay continue their series on Veteran Treatment Court, they look at the resources within the Veteran Treatment Court. One of the important aspects of helping our Veterans to move forward is to have a strong peer mentoring program.  Mike Fogerty is the Peer Service Coordinator for the Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN). He works to recruit, educate and match mentors with Veterans in the Treatment Court. Donna and Jay talk with Mike about his Veteran background, how he became involved in the MVPN, and role of the mentors, and their importance.  Mike's Bio Mike retired after 20+ years as an Air Force Navigator, with the majority of his time on AWACS. In his last years in the military he was at Randolph AFB teaching new navigators in the Nav Training School. After retirement, he spent 16 years as a teacher, with the last 6 focused on Special Ed kids. He went on to a new adventure and spent 3 1/2 years as office manager Canyon Lake Mental Health clinic (Hill Country MHDD). Seven months ago he took training through the Texas Veteran Commission and added on Military Veteran Peer Network Coordinator (MVPN) Peer Service Coordinator (PSC) to his office manager title. Mike's Contact Information Email: michael6652@hillcountry.org Work Cell: (737)221-1494 To Find a Peer Service Coordinator or learn more about the MVPN program in Texas please visit the Veteran Mental Health website. Veteran Justice Outreach Tune into our CHW Streaming Radio and the full lineup at cominghomewell.com Download on Apple Play and Google Play Online-Therapy.com ~ Life Changing Therapy Click here for a 20% discount on your first month. Donna's Links Website: www.rebel-llc.com Consulting/Coaching Book: Warrior to Patriot Citizen (2017) Blog: Taking Off The Armor IG: @thetransitioningwarrior Twitter: @wtpc FB: The Transitioning Warrior Jay's Links Website: https://j2servantleadership.com/ Book: Breaking Average (2020) Thank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!

As Donna and Jay continue their series on Veteran Treatment Court, they look at the resources within the Veteran Treatment Court. One of the important aspects of helping our Veterans to move forward is to have a strong peer mentoring program. Mike Fogerty is the Peer Service Coordinator for the Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN). He works to recruit, educate and match mentors with Veterans in the Treatment Court. Donna and Jay talk with Mike about his Veteran background, how he became involved in the MVPN, and role of the mentors, and their importance. Mike's BioMike retired after 20+ years as an Air Force Navigator, with the majority of his time on AWACS. In his last years in the military he was at Randolph AFB teaching new navigators in the Nav Training School.After retirement, he spent 16 years as a teacher, with the last 6 focused on Special Ed kids.He went on to a new adventure and spent 3 1/2 years as office manager Canyon Lake Mental Health clinic (Hill Country MHDD). Seven months ago he took training through the Texas Veteran Commission and added on  Military Veteran Peer Network Coordinator (MVPN) Peer Service Coordinator (PSC) to his office manager title.Mike's Contact InformationEmail: michael6652@hillcountry.orgWork Cell: (737)221-1494To Find a Peer Service Coordinator or learn more about the MVPN program in Texas please visit the Veteran Mental Health website.Veteran Justice OutreachGet the ammo you need to seize your day at Soldier Girl Coffee with an automatic 10% off at checkout!Donna's LinksWebsite: www.rebel-llc.com Consulting/CoachingBook: Warrior to Patriot Citizen (2017)Blog: Taking Off The ArmorIG: @thetransitioningwarriorTwitter: @wtpcFB: The Transitioning WarriorJay's LinksWebsite: https://j2servantleadership.com/ Book: Breaking Average (2020) Follow us on our socialsYouTube @cominghomewellmilitaryInstagram @cominghomewellorganizationFacebook at Coming Home WellLinkedIn at Coming Home WellTwitter @ComingHomeWellThank you for listening! Be sure to SHARE, LIKE and leave us a REVIEW!

This episode will dive into the story of Tracy "JackieO" LaTourrette, Colorado's first lady fighter pilot. LaTourrette graduated from the United States Air Force Academy before women were even authorized to fly combat aircraft. After working in the back of an AWACS airfract, she moved to a window seat, becoming one of the first female fighter pilots in the Air Force and flew the F-16 Fighting Falcon, earning numerous accolades for her skill and leadership.LaTourrette flew direct Presidential protection missions and in a classified location for Operation Iraqi Freedom. "JackieO" is known for breaking barriers, from the sound barrier to beyond. This one's going to be cool!Key Takeaways: Tracy LaTourrette retired after 22 years while serving as the Deputy Director of Operations at the Colorado National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters.  Tracy flew F-16s. She has over 3,300 combined flying hours as a pilot and AWACS Air Weapons director. Her call sign is "JackieO". Post 9-11 “JackieO” flew direct Presidential protection missions and flew in a classified location for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Tracy is a highly sought-after international speaker and executive consultant for Fortune 100 companies, associations and more. Her interactive workshops and executive consulting are second to none.  Tracy is a married mother of three and grew up in Evergreen, CO. Her husband is also an F-16 pilot. Tracy will be the host of a Behind the Wings PBS episode all about the F-35.  Quotes: "Those barriers that drive you to fight for what you really want to achieve- those are the barriers worth breaking. Not all barriers are worth breaking." "Find what inspires you- what really fires you up. It may not be the thing everyone around you tells you you're good at or tells you that you should be pursuing. Sometimes it's something completely out of the left field. IF we allow ourselves the space- the quiet- to search inside for what really matters to use then we will find the thing we are truly willing to fight for." "It took me awhile to find that dream inside of myself, but once I identified that I wanted to break the sound barrier then the path became crystal clear. The sacrifices I was willing to make along the way became crystal clear because I knew where I was going." "Don't shy away from doing the hard thing. Face it." "I'm so glad I pursued greatness because it gave me options."

Welcome to the fifty-seventh episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! This episode is an anniversary episode. This past week marked twenty years since the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign, a term those of us involved never used. To those planning and executing air operations, it was Air Tasking Order Oscar or ATO O. The Combined Air Operations Center Air Refueling Control Team which I led went through six weeks of hell preparing for the opening  A-Day and H-Hour, Friday night 21 March 2003 at 9 pm local Baghdad time. In this episode, you will hear the background stories of how the air refueling team got to that Friday night air schwacking of Iraq, from Friday 14 March to what you saw a week later on all the news media on 21 March. It looked like everything was going smoothly but no, it wasn't. The tanker force was not in place until Sunday 23 March. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is sponsored by the book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit found in all four formats; hardback, softback, Kindle, and Audible. Thirty-two pictures taken during events described in the book are contained in the pages, some taken by the author and some taken by the receivers.  Prints of aircraft participating in the opening night of Iraqi Freedom can be found at Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. These are four, six, or eight-foot-long aircraft profiles printed on vinyl which can be peeled off or framed and placed on any flat surface. The F-15E Strike Eagle was tasked to support Close Air Support to the Third Infantry Division in their march to Baghdad. This F-15E carries the weapons load normally used on such CAS missions. The F-16CJ Wild Weasel took part in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) and the Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses on the opening night when the Baghdad Super Missile Engagement Zone had to be destroyed. The F-16CJs were supported in their mission by the RC-135 Rivet Joint, an electronic intelligence collection platform used to identify, classify, and locate Saddam's SAM systems. The E-3B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS was the Air Battlefield Manger platform for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Air Mobility Command KC-10 Extender was critical to the air refueling system for Operation Iraqi Freedom because they could refuel both Boom or Drogue-equipped aircraft and were air refuelable, allowing the KC-10 to be filled up during flight. Go by my Lt Col Mark Hasara TikTok page to see short 15 to 30-second aviation and military videos that educate and entertain. Some are pretty incredible! Thanks to all of my listeners for downloading this and previous episodes of the podcast. I really do appreciate it! This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be found on my website at markhasara.com

Welcome to the fifty-seventh episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast! This episode is an anniversary episode. This past week marked twenty years since the opening of Operation Iraqi Freedom's Shock and Awe air campaign, a term those of us involved never used. To those planning and executing air operations, it was Air Tasking Order Oscar or ATO O. The Combined Air Operations Center Air Refueling Control Team which I led went through six weeks of hell preparing for the opening  A-Day and H-Hour, Friday night 21 March 2003 at 9 pm local Baghdad time. In this episode, you will hear the background stories of how the air refueling team got to that Friday night air schwacking of Iraq, from Friday 14 March to what you saw a week later on all the news media on 21 March. It looked like everything was going smoothly but no, it wasn't. The tanker force was not in place until Sunday 23 March. This episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast is sponsored by the book Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit found in all four formats; hardback, softback, Kindle, and Audible. Thirty-two pictures taken during events described in the book are contained in the pages, some taken by the author and some taken by the receivers.  Prints of aircraft participating in the opening night of Iraqi Freedom can be found at Wall Pilot, custom aviation art for the walls of your home, office, or hanger. These are four, six, or eight-foot-long aircraft profiles printed on vinyl which can be peeled off or framed and placed on any flat surface. The F-15E Strike Eagle was tasked to support Close Air Support to the Third Infantry Division in their march to Baghdad. This F-15E carries the weapons load normally used on such CAS missions. The F-16CJ Wild Weasel took part in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) and the Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses on the opening night when the Baghdad Super Missile Engagement Zone had to be destroyed. The F-16CJs were supported in their mission by the RC-135 Rivet Joint, an electronic intelligence collection platform used to identify, classify, and locate Saddam's SAM systems. The E-3B Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System or AWACS was the Air Battlefield Manger platform for Operation Iraqi Freedom. Air Mobility Command KC-10 Extender was critical to the air refueling system for Operation Iraqi Freedom because they could refuel both Boom or Drogue-equipped aircraft and were air refuelable, allowing the KC-10 to be filled up during flight. Go by my Lt Col Mark Hasara TikTok page to see short 15 to 30-second aviation and military videos that educate and entertain. Some are pretty incredible! Thanks to all of my listeners for downloading this and previous episodes of the podcast. I really do appreciate it! This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be found on my website at markhasara.com

Dave grew up in Sacramento and was HS class President, debate, and band member who was the 1st ever Calif State HS intern. At USAFA Dave got on conduct and aptitude probation AND was on the Commandant' s List, Yell Leader of the cheer squad, and member of the AFA Color Guard. Upon graduation he stayed at AFA as a minority affairs advisor/recruiter. After a short stint in pilot training Dave became an Air Weapons Officer eventually rising to Flight Commander in AWACS. While on active duty he joined Toastmasters and won the world championship with a motivational speech in 1991. Upon retirement from the USAF Dave became a life coach and field trainer for Training Solutions out of Leesburg, VA. Dave recently ended a role as an Internet radio station manager in OK. I've known Dave since our cadet days and know you will enjoy this episode.

Die NATO verstärkt ständig ihr Team in Rumänien. In den nächsten Tagen wird neue Ausrüstung aus Deutschland erwartet. An Überwachungsflugzeugen und Technik sollte es nicht mangeln. Web: https://www.epochtimes.de Probeabo der Epoch Times Wochenzeitung: https://bit.ly/EpochProbeabo Twitter: https://twitter.com/EpochTimesDE YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC81ACRSbWNgmnVSK6M1p_Ug Telegram: https://t.me/epochtimesde Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/epochtimesde Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EpochTimesWelt/ Unseren Podcast finden Sie unter anderem auch hier: iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/etdpodcast/id1496589910 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/277zmVduHgYooQyFIxPH97 Unterstützen Sie unabhängigen Journalismus: Per Paypal: http://bit.ly/SpendenEpochTimesDeutsch Per Banküberweisung (Epoch Times Europe GmbH, IBAN: DE 2110 0700 2405 2550 5400, BIC/SWIFT: DEUTDEDBBER, Verwendungszweck: Spenden) Vielen Dank! (c) 2022 Epoch Times

„Most volt az a pillanat, amikor ténylegesen nyilvánvalóvá vált mindenki számára, hogy ebből lehet egy ilyenfajta, mondjuk így, nyílt konfliktus lehet egy hosszú eszkalációs lépcső végén akár egy atomháború is, és akkor hirtelen mindenki megdöbbent” – mondta Somkuti Bálint hadtörténész, biztonságpolitikai szakértő a Hetek Originals adásában, akit a lengyelországi rakétabecsapódás körülményeiről, illetve az incidens tanulságairól kérdeztünk. Ha még nem tetted, iratkozz fel a csatornánkra, és mondd el kommentben a véleményed. Kövess bennünket: Facebookon: https://www.facebook.com/hetek Instagramon: https://www.instagram.com/hetek.hu/ Soundcloudon: https://soundcloud.com/hetek-magazin/ és online is: https://www.hetek.hu #morvaypeter #lengyelország #rakéta #ultrahang #cskiralytamas #jeruzsálem #herszon #béke#zgeneráció #allah #terrorizmus #euhitel #usa2024 #abortusz #feketelyuk #desantis #florida #midterm #trump #északiáramlat #baranyi #mihazánk #kárpátalja #hadházy #bengvir #paks #cionisták #klímavédelem #greenpeace #liztruss #horváthjózsef #brianhouston #hillsong #online #függőség #szergejsojgu #netanjahu #izrael #franklingraham #elonmusk #budaházy #monet #rishisunak #róma #ferencpápa #macron #katyperry #rishisunak #india #nato #transznem #peking #billgates #sannamarin #ferencpápa #jóga #démonok #dollár #euro #infláció #nemzetibank #árfolyam #tőzsde #reálkamat #spekuláció #hozam #kamat #bank #befektetés #hitradio #ultrahang #hetek #eu #usa #moszkva #robertccastel #nógrádigyörgy #stiergábor #kijev #ukrajna #rakéta #szankciók #euróatlanti #északiáramlat #nordstream #atombunker #ursulavonderleyen #hetek #cia #iran #vaskupola #irondome #európaiunió #atomhaború #atomcsapás #taktikaiatomfegyver #stratégiaiatomfegyver #atomerőmű #washington #trump #neymar #psg #brazília #választás #elsőforduló #izrael #netanjahu #putyin #zelenszkij #ukrajna #háború #kreml #usa #biden #kreml #fehérház #twitter

in todays episode we talk with Brad about his time being a crew chief for one of the Air Forces most important aircraft. We also talk about the family connection that made being in the Air Force so meaningful to Brad. My Social Media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/musngsofanaddmind/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/musingsofanaddmind/ My website: www.podpage.com/dashboard/musings-of-an-add-mind/ The Charity I Support: www.servicedogproject.org Email: musingsofanaddmind@gmail.com Intro Music: Purple Planet Music - Predator --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-robertson39/support

in todays episode we talk with Brad about his time being a crew chief for one of the Air Forces most important aircraft. We also talk about the family connection that made being in the Air Force so meaningful to Brad. My Social Media: Facebook: www.facebook.com/musngsofanaddmind/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/musingsofanaddmind/ My website: www.podpage.com/dashboard/musings-of-an-add-mind/ The Charity I Support: www.servicedogproject.org Email: musingsofanaddmind@gmail.com Intro Music: Purple Planet Music - Predator --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/john-robertson39/support

– To nie jest łatwa praca: głównie z facetami – wojskowymi, a ja jestem cywilką. To bardzo stresujące zajęcie – mówi Dorocie Haller w podcaście "Hallo Haller" Maria Wasilewska, inżynierka lotnicza i szefowa działu odpowiedzialnego za ciągłą zdatność do lotu samolotów AWACS w NATO. Jak sama przyznaje, wybrała typowo męskie zajęcie, chociaż brzydzi się tego typu podziałów, ponieważ samoloty od dawna są jej pasją. Ale temat seksizmu w jej branży jest żywy i spotyka się z nim na co dzień. – Po 15 latach w branży potrafię usłyszeć, że "co ja się znam na obsłudze samolotów". Mogę się nie znać na wielu rzeczach, ale jedno wiem, że znam się na obsłudze samolotu – przyznaje Wasilewska. Jak to się stało, że rozpoczęła prace w NATO? Na czym polegają jej obowiązki? Obejrzyjcie podcast!

Financial Q&A: Most common client questions lately: 1. How to get some sort of return/interest for short-term goals? 1-5 years?   a. I-Bonds: Currently paying an annualized 9.62% for the next six months. https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/research/indepth/ibonds/res_ibonds_iratesandterms.htm#:~:text=The%20composite%20rate%20for%20I,October%202022%20is%209.62%20percent. b. Treasury Bills: Payingabout 2.8%-3.4% depending on the term. https://ycharts.com/indicators/3_month_t_bill https://ycharts.com/indicators/1_year_treasury_rate c. Treasury Bonds: https://ycharts.com/indicators/2_year_treasury_rate#:~:text=Basic%20Info&text=2%20Year%20Treasury%20Rate%20is%20at%203.42%25%2C%20compared%20to%203.37,long%20term%20average%20of%203.14%25. 2. Should I stop saving and investing since the market is tanking?   a. No!  This is the best time to save and invest. Buy low! Stay invested, even when it's difficult because the stock market tends to recover quietly. There is no magic signal or announcement that the stock markets are doing better.   Special guest Darren Ellisor: Darren Ellisor is a Captain at SouthwestAirlines with over 11,000 flying hours. He started flying for Southwest in 2008 after serving more than 10 years in the active-duty Air Force. Darren graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1997. In the Air Force he flew multiple versions of the Boeing707, accumulating the majority of his time in the E-3 AWACS as an Instructor and Evaluator Pilot. In the E-3, he flew numerous Combat Support flights during Operation NOBLE EAGLE and during middle east deployments for Operation NORTHERN WATCH, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, and counter-drug operations. During tours at Tinker AFB, OK and Geilenkirchen NATO Airbase, Germany, Darren worked as Squadron Chief of Standardization and Evaluation, as well as Squadron Chief of Flight Safety. He was named Pilot of the Year at Geilenkirchen in 2004. On April 17, 2018, Darren was flying with Captain Tammie Jo Shults from LaGuardia to Dallas-Love on Southwest Airlines Flight 1380. Climbing through 32,500 feet, the number one engine exploded, causing shrapnel to damage much of the left wing and a passenger window to blow out. The aircraft banked more than 41 degrees to the left and experienced extreme aircraft vibration, hydraulic malfunctions, and an explosive decompression of the cabin. Darren, who was flying the aircraft at the time, recovered from the ensuing unusual attitude and started a descent. He worked alongside Captain Shults and their flight attendants Rachel Fernheimer, Kathryn Sandoval, and Seanique Mallory to safely make an emergency landing of the crippled jet at Philadelphia International airport—saving 148 lives. One passenger was unfortunately killed in the accident. In his free time, Darren has volunteered as a Cub Scout Pack Leader and as a Little League baseball coach. Darren and his wife, Jennifer, live in League City with their four children.

In questa puntata di #IngloruiousGlobastards un esperto di cyberwarfare e cybersecurity rivela gli aspetti segreti dello scontro tecnologico sul teatro ucraino che vede i russi malamente perdenti su tutta la linea. Un'Armata Branca-Putiglione obsoleta e demoralizzata impantanata dopo aver subito ingenti perdite (inclusi otto generali).Il fiasco della guerra lampo in Ucraina deriva da una sostanziale arretratezza dell'esercito russo, che nonostante stratosferiche spese militari, è attrezzato con residuati dell'epoca sovietica (che già non brillava per capacità tecnologica).Il sistema di comunicazioni tra le varie unità è stato disastroso, il GPS usato dai militari ha fatto cilecca, i missili sparati a centinaia nei primi giorni dell'invasione sono caduti per lo più in aperta campagna senza far danni, gli aerei e gli elicotteri russi sono bersagliati dalla contraerea e dai missili Stinger.Il coordinamento tra aviazione e truppe di terra è inaffidabile e l'ingorgo di carri armati per decine di kilometri dimostra che i generali non sono in grado nemmeno di gestire il traffico di mezzi. Le forze della resistenza ucraina invece hanno beneficiato del sistema Starlink di Elon Musk e delle informazioni in tempo reale fornite dai satelliti e dagli AWACS americani.Gli Stati Uniti non hanno dispiegato ancora tutta la loro superiorità militare: man mano che arrivano le armi promesse da Biden a Zelensly, gli attaccanti si troveranno a dover difendere posizioni sempre più precarie.

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, episode number 30! I'm asked several times a day "Have you seen the movie"... of course referring to TOPGUN Maverick. Of course I have, the opening night! During this review, I talk about the Air Force's TOPGUN school, the US Air Force Weapons School based out of Nellis Air Force Base north of Las Vegas. Attendance to the Weapons School is by a competitive review board of each applicant. Often graduates or "Patch Wearers" as they are called get summoned to work complex military operations because of their planning and leadership skills. The scenario of the movie is not as far-fetched as you might think and I give some examples of planning missions, why planners chose a course of action, and some historical operations to strike and destroy nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons facilities as depicted in TOPGUN Maverick. And how do pilots and aircrew members get those crazy callsigns you hear about in the movie? Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on the Israeli Air Force strike on a nuclear plant in eastern Syria called Operation Outside the Box, the name chosen because Syria and North Korea tried to hide the nuclear facility under a boxy-type building. Syria's air defense system was rendered totally inoperable during the raid using means developed by the US.  I could not find the website Above Top Secret Surface to Air Missile Google Maps overlay. Here is a picture of the Russian airfield near Latakia Syria showing the S-400 SAM sites... which Israeli Air Force F-35 seem impervious from attack! Notice the Russian SU-35 rolling out on the runway and the IL-76 AWACS parked on the ramp! Article on the B-2 bombers attacking Sirte Libya. This was a long mission planned and led by Weapons School graduates and required 950K+ gas from Air Force tankers to accomplish. Thanks to Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit for sponsoring this show. This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be downloaded from markhasara.com Thanks for listening and tune in next week for another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit.  

Welcome to another episode of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast, episode number 30! I'm asked several times a day "Have you seen the movie"... of course referring to TOPGUN Maverick. Of course I have, the opening night! During this review, I talk about the Air Force's TOPGUN school, the US Air Force Weapons School based out of Nellis Air Force Base north of Las Vegas. Attendance to the Weapons School is by a competitive review board of each applicant. Often graduates or "Patch Wearers" as they are called get summoned to work complex military operations because of their planning and leadership skills. The scenario of the movie is not as far-fetched as you might think and I give some examples of planning missions, why planners chose a course of action, and some historical operations to strike and destroy nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons facilities as depicted in TOPGUN Maverick. And how do pilots and aircrew members get those crazy callsigns you hear about in the movie? Wikipedia has a pretty good write-up on the Israeli Air Force strike on a nuclear plant in eastern Syria called Operation Outside the Box, the name chosen because Syria and North Korea tried to hide the nuclear facility under a boxy-type building. Syria's air defense system was rendered totally inoperable during the raid using means developed by the US.  I could not find the website Above Top Secret Surface to Air Missile Google Maps overlay. Here is a picture of the Russian airfield near Latakia Syria showing the S-400 SAM sites... which Israeli Air Force F-35 seem impervious from attack! Notice the Russian SU-35 rolling out on the runway and the IL-76 AWACS parked on the ramp! Article on the B-2 bombers attacking Sirte Libya. This was a long mission planned and led by Weapons School graduates and required 950K+ gas from Air Force tankers to accomplish. Thanks to Tanker Pilot: Lessons from the Cockpit for sponsoring this show. This and previous episodes of the Lessons from the Cockpit podcast can be downloaded from markhasara.com Thanks for listening and tune in next week for another episode of Lessons from the Cockpit.  

durée : 00:57:05 - LSD, la série documentaire - par : Perrine Kervran, Raphaël Krafft - Pour combler ses lacunes capacitaires, l'armée de l'air tente de fédérer ses créneaux d'entraînement. Elle intègre des aéronefs virtuels dans ses exercices pour simuler la masse d'un adversaire dans le cadre d'un conflit de haute-intensité. Dans ce cadre, l'avion radar AWACS est indispensable.

Agradece a este podcast tantas horas de entretenimiento y disfruta de episodios exclusivos como éste. ¡Apóyale en iVoox! La Armada de la República Popular hace 20 años, estaba limitada a unos pocos buques pequeños, y algunos submarinos de clase Kilo, herencia de la tecnología soviética de la Guerra Fría Intermedia. Actualmente, cuenta con 777 buques de guerra, con dos portaaviones que serán 6 más de nueva generación en menos de 10 años. AWACs de última tecnología, aviones embarcados de quinta generación, misiles hipersónicos de ataque a buques, sistemas de vigilancia de satélites, flotas fantasma, nuevas bases militares en lugares remotos... La apuesta china en el mar parece responder a una necesidad de reforzar su soft-power, y proteger su inmensa flota mercante. Con 🦕 Antonio Gómez y 👩‍🚀 Dani CarAn Este programa forma parte de la 🏭 Factoría Casus Belli. Casus Belli Podcast forma parte de 📀 Ivoox Originals. 👉https://podcastcasusbelli.com 👉En Facebook, nuestra página es @casusbellipodcast https://www.facebook.com/CasusBelliPodcast 👉En Instagram estamos como @casusbellipodcast https://www.instagram.com/casusbellipodcast 👉En Twitter estamos como @casusbellipod y @podcastvictoria 👉Telegram, nuestro canal es @casusbellipodcast https://t.me/casusbellipodcast 👨💻Nuestro chat del canal es https://t.me/aviones10 ⚛️ Los logotipos aparecidos en la 🏭 Factoría Casus Belli están diseñados por Publicidad Fabián publicidadfabian@yahoo.es 🎵 La música incluida en el programa es toda bajo licencia CC. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/3.0/, o licencias privadas de Epidemic Music, Jamendo Music o SGAE de Ivoox. 📧¿Queréis contarnos algo? También puedes escribirnos a casus.belli.pod@gmail.com Escucha el episodio completo en la app de iVoox, o descubre todo el catálogo de iVoox Originals

It's easy to understand why Russia is mad when you see what NATO is doing. You can support my work at the links below. We are totally listener supported and we appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you and God bless! PayPal: https://paypal.me/johnnystorm Cash app now available for donations! Our cash tag is $jstorm212 For checks and money orders please email us at dntspk5@gmail.com and we will send you the address. Support us through the BRAVE web browser here: https://brave.com/don308 Free book on Spiritual Warfare below! https://www.smashwords.com/books/view... https://twitter.com/DontSpe54156130 Show Email dntspk5@gmail.com Back up Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuJ9... Website: https://dontspeaknews.com --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dontspeak/support

Состоявшийся 10 февраля 2022 г. первый полёт авиационного комплекса дальнего радиолокационного обзора и наведения А-100 с включённым бортовым радиотехническим комплексом - событие, которого Россия ожидала без малого 18 лет. Соответствующий Указом Президента России был подписан ещё 28 апреля 2004 г. Российский А-100 приходит на смену самолётам дальнего радиолокационного обнаружения и управления А-50 и А-50У. Их первый прототип был поднят в воздух ещё в 1978 году, через 3 года после взлёта американского аналогичного аппарата. Если сравнить некоторые параметры определённых режимов работы двух самолётов - нашего и натовского (хотя, понятно, реальные возможности изделия никто никогда не «светит), то сравнение в пользу А-100. Так, дальность обнаружения стратегических бомбардировщиков противника у нашего ДРЛО - 900 км, а у AWACS - только 650; истребителей на малой высоте наш летающий командный пункт видит за 600 км, а у НАТО - только за 400.Количество сопровождаемых воздушных целей у А-100 официально 300, но по западным источникам - на самом деле, до 600! Напомним, что у AWACS эта цифра равна трёмстам единицам. Дальность обнаружения групповой наземной цели у А-100 450-500 км, у НАТОвского борта - опять-таки 300.Материалы, используемые при создании обложки:1) https://iohotnik.ru/interesnye-fakty/255124-radiolokacionnaa-stancia.html2) https://www.unian.net/lite/stars/10322421-odin-iz-neboskrebov-san-francisko-prevratili-v-3) bashnyu-saurona-iz-vlastelina-kolec-video.htmlhttp://youinf.ru/a-100-vs-awacs/Что происходит в мире? Самые актуальные новости, аналитика интервью, видео и фото! Заходите узнать больше - http://www.pravda.ru/✅ Сайт - https://www.pravda.ru✅ Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@pravda.ru_news✅ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/pravdaru✅ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pravdaonline✅ Twitter - https://twitter.com/pravdaru✅ OK - https://ok.ru/pravdaru✅ Telegram - https://telegram.me/pravdist✅ VK - https://vk.com/pravda_ru✅ Дзен - https://zen.yandex.ru/pravda ✅ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/pravdaru_news/

durée : 00:04:35 - Le Reportage de la Rédaction - En 2021, les forces armées ont fait des étincelles en matière de saisies de stupéfiants. La Marine nationale a ainsi saisi plus de 45 tonnes en mer dans le golfe de Guinée, dans l'océan Indien et en mer des Antilles... Reportage à bord d'un des AWACS affecté à la traque des narcotrafiquants.

durée : 00:02:25 - Grand angle - La France dispose de quatre Awacs, avion-radar qui peut aussi servir de poste de commandement. Ils sont basés à Avord dans le Cher mais se déploient partout pour sécuriser et surveiller.

Most people familiar with the F-14 know Iran was the only non-U.S. country to operate the big fighter, but they likely know little of the Persian Cat experience. This candid interview with a former Iranian Tomcat pilot takes viewers where few have gone: inside the Iranian F-14 program.We hide the identity of our guest for his personal security, but we get the full story of his experience: his selection for Tomcats, what he thought of his instructors, the condition of the aircraft and facilities, and even some war stories. He talks about practice intercepts with the MiG-25, use of the F-14 as a “mini-AWACS,” and attitudes toward external threats such as American and Israeli forces. We avoid political issues but as the interview progresses, our guest says he cannot talk about the military forces without touching on certain political aspects--and his revelations are surprising.Our guest describes sitting alert: “You wear those sexy speed chaps and you're sitting there…and the alarm goes and you're running.” This episode is loaded with exciting, entertaining, and remarkable disclosures; be sure to listen to the very end. In addition, we announce more give-away opportunities.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/f-14_tomcast/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Unmistakable because of its giant rotating dish, the airliner sized E-3D Sentry, also known as AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System), recently flew its final operational mission before retirement later this year. Join us on board to find out what made Sentry so special. InsideAIR is produced for the Royal Air Force by RAF Media Reserves. Theme music by RAF Music Services.   

Episode 47 – Fractional Orbital Strike, Advanced Tactical Trainer, UAV Strikes, and Next Gen AWACS: The Rendezvous Episode Summary: In episode 47 of the Aerospace Advantage podcast, Fractional Orbital Strike, Advanced Tactical Trainer, UAV Strikes, and Next Gen AWACS: The Rendezvous, Mitchell Institute team members talk about some of the top aerospace headlines you've seen in recent news. Whether discussing why the Chinese are pursuing a new strike technology, ACC's desire to rethink how it trains pilots, whether “over the horizon strikes” with UAVs will continue to present value, and the latest considerations when it comes to replacing the E-3 AWACS—there are a lot of issues in play. Join us to hear the background context and key points of consideration on these important topics. Links: The Mitchell Institute Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace The Mitchell Institute LinkedIn Page: https://linkedin.com/company/mitchellaerospacepower The Mitchell Institute Twitter: @MitchellStudies The Mitchell Institute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themitchellinstituteforaero/ @themitchellinstituteforaero Credits: Host:  Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret. Producer: Daniel C. Rice Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Gen (ret.) David Deptula, Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Col (ret.) Mark “Gonzo” Gunzinger, Director of Future Concepts and Capabilities Assessments, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Maj (ret.) Heather “Lucky” Penney, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Chris Stone, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute Space Power Advantage Research Center

Photo:   An E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) E-3 Sentry AWACS is worn out; & What is to be done? RADM Mark Montgomery @FDD https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2021/10/25/wedge-e-7a-wedgetail-into-air-force-fleet/

When a President enters office, he inherits unfinished business from the prior administration. 40 years ago, one of the bits of dicey business President Reagan inherited was a promise made by President Carter to sell AWACS or Advance Radar Surveillance Aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

When a President enters office, he inherits unfinished business from the prior administration. 40 years ago, one of the bits of dicey business he inherited was a promise made by President Carter to sell AWACS or Advance Radar Surveillance Aircraft to Saudi Arabia.

El Presidente Ronald Reagan anunció su intención de vender tanques de combustible para los jets de combate F-15 que los sauditas compraron en 1978. También anunció vender aviones con tecnología avanzada de vigilancia AWACS a Arabia Saudita. La venta inició con el gobierno de Carter durante sus últimos días en el poder. De hecho, Carter se ofreció voluntariamente a apoyar al gobierno de Reagan ante la presión del congreso por esta negociación, incluso antes de que Reagan se posesionara. A medida que el gobierno de Reagan avanzaba con estos acuerdos en el congreso, recibió reacciones negativas por parte de los seguidores de Israel. Los israelíes siempre pensaron que estas armas podrían amenazar su seguridad porque este equipo americano de tecnología avanzada caería en manos de un país árabe hostil. Israel aprendió la lección: la gestión política más eficiente no sólo se realiza en la casa blanca sino también en todos los distritos del congreso. Más info en www.hoyenlahistoriadeisrael.com

If you're seeking context for the 9/11 attack and the Afghanistan conflict, you'd want to stick around. In this episode, Justin Wieland interviews Brig. Gen. Ben Robinson about his current work as the Oklahoma Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Brig. Gen. Robinson also shares his experience leading the AWACS community during and after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Plus, get a glimpse of the events unfolding in Afghanistan from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran and lifelong public servant. Tune in! Support the show

REBECCA GRANT, MILITARY ANALYST, IRIS RESEARCH Dr. Rebecca Grant is a national security analyst based in Washington, DC.  She earned her PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics at age 25 then worked for RAND and on the staff of the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force. Since founding IRIS Independent Research, she has specialized in research for government and aerospace industry clients ranging from analysis of military campaigns to projects on major technology acqusition such as the B-21 bomber. Dr. Grant has written over 100 articles for Air Force Magazine and appears regularly on the Smithsonian Channel, Fox News, CNN,  Veterans Radio and other media outlets talking about airpower and national security. She has flown with the United States Air Force in the T-38, E-3 AWACS, B-52, F-16 Aggressors, F-15 in Exercise Cope North and in the B-2 Spirit bomber. Listen to our past programs with Dr. Rebecca Grant

Rafale, Mirage 2000-5, WACS, C-135FR… Le 13 avril 2018, la France, la Grande-Bretagne et les Etats-Unis engagent une véritable armada aérienne pour bombarder la Syrie avec plus d'une centaine de missiles de croisière. Le raid, placé sous commandement français, se distingue par sa complexité et finalement son succès. Un podcast de Jérôme Bonnard et Frédéric Lert, pour Aerobuzz.frHébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

Episode 27 – Guiding the Fight: Airborne Command and Control Episode Summary: In episode 27 of the Aerospace Advantage, Guiding the Fight: Airborne Command and Control, join battle manager Major Alex Wallis to explore why the information advantage is crucial at the tactical edge of the battle space. For decades, the E-3 AWACS and E-8 JSTARS have defined the command and control mission, their 707 airframes and huge radars are unmistakable icons. However, given the rapid evolution of technology in the information age, the way in which these missions are executed is going to change—whether talking about the power of space-based assets, artificial intelligence, or increased connectivity. What won't change is the continued importance of command and control. It's all about understanding how to maximize a relative position to best achieve the mission, while avoiding or minimizing threats. It doesn't matter whether you're on the ground or in the air—information is life.   Maj Alex Wallis is a U.S. Air Force military fellow at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies. The views expressed in this interview are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government. Links: The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies website: https://www.mitchelleaerospacepower.org The Mitchell Institute Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell.Institute.Aerospace The Mitchell Institute LinkedIn Page: https://linkedin.com/company/mitchellaerospacepower The Mitchell Institute Twitter: @MitchellStudies The Mitchell Institute Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themitchellinstituteforaero/ @themitchellinstituteforaero Credits: Host:  Lt Col John “Slick” Baum, USAF, ret. Producer: Daniel C. Rice Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Lt Gen (ret.) David Deptula, Dean, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Guest: Maj Alex “Big Bobby” Wallis, USAF

Cap Interviews RAAF F/A-18B ACO & USAF AWACS GCI Speaks On Career

Le 9 mars 2014, le Boeing MH 370 de la Malaysia Airlines disparaissait au-dessus du golfe de Thaïlande avec 239 personnes à bord, en majorité des Chinois, des Malaisiens et 4 Français. Malgré les innombrables satellites, radars civils ou militaires présents dans cette partie du monde, l’avion s’est comme volatilisé. Depuis 7 ans, Florence de Changy, notre correspondante à Hong-Kong qui travaille également pour le quotidien Le Monde enquête sans relâche sur la plus grande énigme de l'aviation civile. Dans Vol MH370, la disparition, publié aux éditions Les Arènes, elle pointe les incohérences dans les recherches et propose un scénario inédit impliquant des Awacs américains pour expliquer cette mystérieuse disparition. Florence de Changy s’entretient avec Sylvie Noël.

#PolarVortex2021 #Texas #Mars #Perserverance #GameofThrones #GoT #BibleProphecy #Eschatology #EndTimesProphecy #GrandSolarMinimum #HoaryFrost #StaticFrost ----------- 1) "The Wall in 'Game of Thrones' " By: Wiki Fandom https://gameofthrones.fandom.com/wiki/Wall ----------- 2) "Trump to Fire Responders: 'It'll Start Getting Cooler' " Date: Sept. 14, 2020 https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-54156357 ----------- 3) "Scientists Find Unexpected Animal Life Far Beneath Antarctica's Floating Ice Shelves" Date: Feb. 15, 2021 https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/scientists-find-unexpected-animal-life-far-antarcticas-floating-ice-sh-rcna285 ----------- 4) "Are We on The Brink of a New 'Little Ice Age'?" (No publishing date listed). By: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution https://www.whoi.edu/know-your-ocean/ocean-topics/climate-ocean/abrupt-climate-change/are-we-on-the-brink-of-a-new-little-ice-age/ ------------ 5) "Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf" (Antarctica) By: Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filchner%E2%80%93Ronne_Ice_Shelf ----------- 6) "The Day After Tomorrow" (2004 FILM) -- PREDICTIVE-PROGRAMMING OF A RAPID-ONSET ICE AGE. This is one of my favorite predictive-programming films, that I have evaluated multiple times. In the movie, the climatologist, played by Dennis Quaid was told that it was getting warmed due to the tropical weather storms and torrential rains falling, but he actually saw that Ice Cores and models revealed a rapid freeze was coming. People didn't believe him and then it all happened as he said it would. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319262/ ** NOTE: There is also a worldwide disaster movie called, "2012," which is really representative of the year 2021: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1190080/ . ** Of additional importance is the movie, "2012: Ice Age," (again represents 2021). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1846444/ ------------- Copyright 2021 Metaphysical Life Mastery (MLM) and The Starfire Alchemist (TSA). All Rights Reserved. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/metaphysicallifemastery/support

Radio B - Bordel Rum: DJ Sanny (guest mix: Awacs) 08.02.2021 by Radio B

The Veteran Owned Business Roundtable has stood on guard to monitor compliance with that promise of (now 5%) state contracting with SDVOSB’s. Having enlarged our mission today, however, the Roundtable serves ALL veteran owned businesses and our advocacy has succeeded in persuading large, private corporations to pledge similar goals for inclusion of VOSB’s in existing supplier diversity initiatives. Dr. Rebecca Grant has written over 100 articles for Air Force Magazine and appears regularly on the Smithsonian Channel, Fox News, CNN,  Veterans Radio and other media outlets talking about airpower and national security. She has flown with the United States Air Force in the T-38, E-3 AWACS, B-52, F-16 Aggressors, F-15 in Exercise Cope North and in the B-2 Spirit bomber.

Episode 74! John de Mol gaat de boer op met zijn privé-jet. De PH-TLP, een Falcon 7X, staat in Zuid-Amerika. Ook de 767 van TuiFly is ver van huis. Een geheimzinnige helikopter is gespot boven Noordwijk aan Zee. Emirates maakt verlies en probeert geld te verdienen met cargo. Het kabinet wil passagiers een vliegbelasting opleggen. Het dramatische verhaal rond een oude foto van Prof Mr Pieter van Vollenhoven. Nederlanders onder elkaar! Chat op de ATC tussen crews AWACS en de KDC-10 tanker van de Koninklijke Luchtmacht. Het fragment is van Maurice, EHEH_Spotter op Twitter. Abonneer je op zijn YouTube kanaal: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDQJDrowe0ZV1S_KlPBWkpA/ Nieuwe video's van KLM (met vaste stem Garreth, over betrouwbaar eten)en Code Groen van Transavia. Luister aan het einde van deze podcast naar een mix van Transavia stewardess Chelsey Emily. De Belgen doen net alsof de MRTT's alleen van hun zijn. Het Geheime Hoekje: Conviasa vliegt met antieke A340 tussen schurkenstaten Iran en Venezuela. De weddenschap tussen Menno Swart en Philip Dröge over de Boeing 737 MAX is too close to call. En: een flauw Wopke-KLM liedje bij BNNVARA. Bekijk de foto's van de jet van John de Mol: https://twitter.com/mennoswart/status/1327897972085055488?s=21 De Luchtvaartplaat: Flying North - Thomas Dolby Voor nog meer vliegtuigplaten ga je naar luchtvaartplaat.nl Hier vind je onze Spotify playlist met 500+ nummers. Tips en commentaar stuur je naar info@tmhc.nl of via onze social accounts. Geef ons vijf sterren op Apple Podcasts en een positieve review wordt zeer gewaardeerd. Michiel Koudstaal is onze voice-over, voor al je inspreekwerk ga naar voxcast.nl

In this episode of Industry Intellect we have an interesting combination of panelist here Col. Bharat Haladi(Retd.) an Ex-NDA, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharathaladi) Combatant from Army, Commanded a Field Regiment in hostile desert terrain; Gr. Captain. Abhay Bhavsar (Retd) (https://www.linkedin.com/in/gp-capt-abhay-gopal-bhavsar-retd-pmp%C2%AE-cssgb-28085b18/) a University Entry Officer from Hi-tech Air Force, handling state-of-art AWACS and Air Intelligence systems and Cdr. Yogesh Chaudari (Retd) ) https://www.linkedin.com/in/ydchaudhari/) from the Navy's pioneering scheme of entry of 10+2 (Technical), a member of Elite Submarine Arm and a Weapons Systems Engineer to share their experience in Armed Forces, Carrier opportunities in both Uniform & Non Uniform of Defence Services, selection processes and technology trends.

The Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking permission to take out Muharram processions, the Centre is set to clear a deal for Israeli-made AWACS amid a stand-off with China, Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana in the United States & other top stories in your evening news bulletin.

In the valley where Juniper lies along a slight river, the Divine Motion has brought her enduring velocity to bear. In front of her, the vanguard of her Black Century, the tip of an endless spear. Behind her, the vast machinery of the greatest military power in the history of life itself. And in her sights, unworthy prey: The Rapid Evening, a group sent to die for an empire they don’t believe in and fractured even in their seditious ambitions. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - COMBUSTION ///Operation Dossier //Organizations The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they’re utilized by their commanding officer, Tes’ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation.  The Black Century: Infamous retinue of the Divine Motion. Each member of this 100-person company serves for 100 years. Motion guarantees them this service. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh’s holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency.  The Pact of Necessary Venture: The Pact of Necessary Venture: Though they trace their lineage back to an exploratory committee founded in the late 14th century of the Perfect Millenium, the Pact was not made in earnest until five years ago in 1418 PM, soon after hostilities began between Kesh and Apostolos. It’s original leadership committee, ████████, ███████, ████████, ███, and Hyacinth determined that to ensure the future stability of the Principality, ███ ████ █████ █████████ █ █████ ████ ██ ███ ████████████████ ███, █████ a vast fleet █████ ███ ███████████ █████████ █████, ███ █████ ████ ████████ ███ ██ █████, █████████ ███ ████ ████ █ █████████ ███████ ████████████ ████ ████ ███████.  //People Tes’ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes’): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes’ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over.  A.O. Rooke (he/him): Former Stel Orion mercenary, now commander of the Rapid Evening’s “toughs” squad. Hyacinth (they/them): Elect of Motion. Serving in their 99th year, Hyacinth is nearing the end of their tenure in the Black Century.  Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.  Lucia Whitestar (she/her): “Lady Whitestar” is Clementine’s peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house’s military operations on Partizan. Given the house’s military strength, that makes him among the moon’s most influential people. //Places Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn’t a fort so much as what might be called the “main line of resistance” separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn’t to say that there isn’t also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land carrier which prowls the tundra armed with innumerable weapons and housing over ten thousand of Apostolos’ most skilled soldiers. And, worst of all, it does not only move across the ground, but below it, too.  Point Juniper: One of the two central bases in Fort Icebreaker’s long line, but also the weakest of them. Partially, that’s because any base with a river running through it is going to be weaker by virtue of being a little more porous. But also because, as one of the central fortresses, it’s also one of the most easily reinforced.  Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos. The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of warmth has made its presence known: The burning engine of the Apostolosian war machine, which melts the ice away with artillery barrage and crashed mech, both. Lion’s Rest: A bustling seaside port town, housing hundreds of thousands of civilians along with the bulk of the Apostolosian navy and diplomatic forces. //Divines The Divine Future: An ancient divine, dating back to the second major war in the Golden Branch star sector. Exists in the form of golden orb slightly larger than a softball or bocce ball, which can either be carried by or hover around its Elect. Offers its chosen unparalleled perspective on the hopes and dreams of themselves and others, and the endless vigor with which to pursue them. Stolen by Gur Sevraq from ████████, █████████ of ███ ████ ██ █████████ ███████. The Divine Motion: Long after enemy fuel tanks run empty, Motion continues to power Apostolosian machines of war (like its infamous retinue, the Black Century) and service  (including the massive Barranca Loop that allows Apostolos to regularly launch ships spaceward). //Things Old Glory: Sovereign Immunity’s hallow, a modified Singh Sisters Wheel Service & Heavy Industry Ltd. “Deltoid” model. Used for rapid agricultural construction, able to create small shelters in minutes, and large modular structures in a matter of hours instead of days. Able to rapidly create barricades with large construction panels. Wields a spike-planting gun and a scythe, the latter of which was appropriated from an agricultural hollow. Once featured the icon of the Shepherd’s Crook, but this was melted by a flamethrower, then removed, leaving behind the negative space of the symbol instead of a scorch mark. Blessed by Future. Panther: Clementine’s hallow, an ancient mech piloted by a near mythological hero of a war barely remembered. Medium sized, black, humanoid, angular, and birdlike in some elements of its design. In another life, it could split itself up into independently flying microwings, each of which could serve as a flanking weapon. Its current pilot can not conceive of using it in this way. Blessed by Future. Stray Dog: Million’s hallow, a Zenith-A Project Katalepsis prototype model, stolen when she went AWOL from GLORY. Medium-sized and humanoid in base shape, but able to rearrange its body to accommodate the rail gun built into the torso and left arm. Each limb is double jointed with sleek black and silver plating. There is only one glowing eye on the head, which houses the Stray Dog's aiming systems and pilot. Blessed by Future. Heads Up: Exeter Leap’s hallow, a re-fitted Emergentec Rapid Response Type III Breaching Ambulance which he has converted for criminal purposes. Large cylindrical legs taper upwards towards the head. Armored fists and a back mounted mortar. Blessed by Future. AdArm Cast: This surveillance hollow is mostly used by Stel Nideo, where it features angelic (and grotesque) features. But in its Kesh variation, this mirror-coated, humanoid mech’s wings are stylized as long claymores instead of feather-y wings, and its body a noble knight instead of celestial seraphim. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc.  AdArm Shrewdness: These modified Troop units have been retrofitted for long range combat, with lock-on missile launchers and only short range chest vulcans for anti-infantry and close-range combat. Zenith-A Project Kosmos: Designed by the Columnar Zenith Fund for Apostolosian use, these hefty hollows are designed for melee supremacy. Their bulky, reverse jointed legs allow them to explode with speed into close range (where they can do serious damage with their long heat glaives), or to hold their ground from incoming assaults (supported by the stock, circular shield each unit wields). The cost of this strength is a lack of versatility: Between the added articulation and pre-programmed combat routines required for the elaborate weapon use these hollows are known for, there simply wasn’t room left for any serious ranged weaponry. AdAm Cackle: Designed to disorient enemies with their quick speeds and to finish off weakened units, the Cackle is a four legged model named for a group of hyenas. Their side-mounted rockets can be used for additional acceleration or as holdout munitions, but their primary weapons are their sharp claws and the heavy cannons on their backs. AdArm Wake: Adamant Arms and Artifice isn’t known for building particularly maneuverable units, and these heavy flight mechs are evidence of that, as they hover through the sky more than soar. But between the information provided by their altitude, their added armor, and their unpredictable armaments, they remain a force to be reckoned with. When they launch their tethered, magnetic talons at a foe, there is rarely time to adjust. Soon enough, their foes are lifted into the air and dropped, soft-side first, into the hardest surface available. Z-A Project Pneuma Prototype: The Pnuema is an experimental model based on the basic design ethos first explored with the Z-A Kosmos. Instead of being focused on extreme close range, the Pneuma is meant to dominate the battlefield as a heavyweight, mid-range commander. Despite its increased scale, large ovoid vernier engines allow it a great deal of mobility, making it an intimidating machine to face--even more so when you take into account the fact that its heat glave has been affixed with a pump-action rocket launcher. If that wasn’t enough, this particular model creaks and groans with Divine potential... //Additional Notes Primary Objective: After House Chasmata attacks Fort Icebreaker at the northwestern point Spruce, capture and hold central point Juniper long enough for Lucia Whitestar to break through Fort Icebreaker at southeastern point Pine. Prevent Fort Icebreaker from reaching Point Pine at any cost.  Secondary Objective: Provide the documentary team with enough footage to increase your reputation. ROE: Capture and detain all POWs. Harm no one captured, but let none flee to spread the word. Future's Hallowed: In your vehicle, when you get a 4+ result on a roll, you can remove the highest die to refresh your Spark (this can turn a success into failure, or crit into a normal success if the two 6s are the only successful dice). Spend your spark to change a failed roll into a partial success.

At the northwest reaches of the extended defensive perimeter known as Fort Icebreaker, Kesh brigades engage in a feint so convincing that the graves have already been dug. To the southeast, the bulk of the Stel’s might on Partizan waits for the signal to roll through the weakest point in Apostolos’ line. And in the middle, as if the axle of a wheel, is the Rapid Evening, a river, and a bastion called Juniper. Here rests the fate of the early days of this new offensive. From the hills to the south, the fog begins to roll in. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - THREECARD ///Operation Dossier //Organizations The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they’re utilized by their commanding officer, Tes’ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation.  The Black Century: Infamous retinue of the Divine Motion. Each member of this 100-person company serves for 100 years. Motion guarantees them this service. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh’s holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency.  //People Tes’ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes’): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes’ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over.  A.O. Rooke (he/him): Former Stel Orion mercenary, now commander of the Rapid Evening’s “toughs” squad. Hyacinth (they/them): Elect of Motion. Serving in their 99th year, Hyacinth is nearing the end of their tenure in the Black Century.  Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.  Lucia Whitestar (she/her): “Lady Whitestar” is Clementine’s peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house’s military operations on Partizan. Given the house’s military strength, that makes him among the moon’s most influential people. //Places Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn’t a fort so much as what might be called the “main line of resistance” separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn’t to say that there isn’t also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land carrier which prowls the tundra armed with innumerable weapons and housing over ten thousand of Apostolos’ most skilled soldiers. And, worst of all, it does not only move across the ground, but below it, too.  Point Juniper: One of the two central bases in Fort Icebreaker’s long line, but also the weakest of them. Partially, that’s because any base with a river running through it is going to be weaker by virtue of being a little more porous. But also because, as one of the central fortresses, it’s also one of the most easily reinforced.  Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos. The Verglaz Taiga: Wrapped around the northern latitudes of Partizan, the Verglaz is a beauty to take in, at least from the comfort of the palatial Kesh estates which dot its wooded expanses. From the smaller villages and towns, where feudal tenants huddle for warmth in the snow, whatever aesthetic pleasure the taiga may offer the rich is lost. In the south west, though, a new source of warmth has made its presence known: The burning engine of the Apostolosian war machine, which melts the ice away with artillery barrage and crashed mech, both. //Divines The Divine Future: An ancient divine, dating back to the second major war in the Golden Branch star sector. Exists in the form of golden orb slightly larger than a softball or bocce ball, which can either be carried by or hover around its Elect. Offers its chosen unparalleled perspective on the hopes and dreams of themselves and others, and the endless vigor with which to pursue them. Stolen by Gur Sevraq from ████████, █████████ of ███ ████ ██ █████████ ███████. The Divine Motion: Long after enemy fuel tanks run empty, Motion continues to power Apostolosian machines of war (like its infamous retinue, the Black Century) and service  (including the massive Barranca Loop that allows Apostolos to regularly launch ships spaceward). //Things Old Glory: Sovereign Immunity’s hallow, a modified Singh Sisters Wheel Service & Heavy Industry Ltd. “Deltoid” model. Used for rapid agricultural construction, able to create small shelters in minutes, and large modular structures in a matter of hours instead of days. Able to rapidly create barricades with large construction panels. Wields a spike-planting gun and a scythe, the latter of which was appropriated from an agricultural hollow. Once featured the icon of the Shepherd’s Crook, but this was melted by a flamethrower, then removed, leaving behind the negative space of the symbol instead of a scorch mark. Blessed by Future. Panther: Clementine’s hallow, an ancient mech piloted by a near mythological hero of a war barely remembered. Medium sized, black, humanoid, angular, and birdlike in some elements of its design. In another life, it could split itself up into independently flying microwings, each of which could serve as a flanking weapon. Its current pilot can not conceive of using it in this way. Blessed by Future. Stray Dog: Million’s hallow, a Zenith-A Project Katalepsis prototype model, stolen when she went AWOL from GLORY. Medium-sized and humanoid in base shape, but able to rearrange its body to accommodate the rail gun built into the torso and left arm. Each limb is double jointed with sleek black and silver plating. There is only one glowing eye on the head, which houses the Stray Dog's aiming systems and pilot. Blessed by Future. Heads Up: Exeter Leap’s hallow, a re-fitted Emergentec Rapid Response Type III Breaching Ambulance which he has converted for criminal purposes. Large cylindrical legs taper upwards towards the head. Armored fists and a back mounted mortar. Blessed by Future. AdArm Cast: This surveillance hollow is mostly used by Stel Nideo, where it features angelic (and grotesque) features. But in its Kesh variation, this mirror-coated, humanoid mech’s wings are stylized as long claymores instead of feather-y wings, and its body a noble knight instead of celestial seraphim. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc.  AdArm Shrewdness: These modified Troop units have been retrofitted for long range combat, with lock-on missile launchers and only short range chest vulcans for anti-infantry and close-range combat. Zenith-A Project Kosmos: Designed by the Columnar Zenith Fund for Apostolosian use, these hefty hollows are designed for melee supremacy. Their bulky, reverse jointed legs allow them to explode with speed into close range (where they can do serious damage with their long heat glaives), or to hold their ground from incoming assaults (supported by the stock, circular shield each unit wields). The cost of this strength is a lack of versatility: Between the added articulation and pre-programmed combat routines required for the elaborate weapon use these hollows are known for, there simply wasn’t room left for any serious ranged weaponry. AdAm Cackle: Designed to disorient enemies with their quick speeds and to finish off weakened units, the Cackle is a four legged model named for a group of hyenas. Their side-mounted rockets can be used for additional acceleration or as holdout munitions, but their primary weapons are their sharp claws and the heavy cannons on their backs. AdArm Wake (vulture): Adamant Arms and Artifice isn’t known for building particularly maneuverable units, and these heavy flight mechs are evidence of that, as they hover through the sky more than soar. But between the information provided by their altitude, their added armor, and their unpredictable armaments, they remain a force to be reckoned with. When they launch their tethered, magnetic talons at a foe, there is rarely time to adjust. Soon enough, their foes are lifted into the air and dropped, soft-side first, into the hardest surface available. Z-A Project Pneuma Prototype: The Pnuema is an experimental model based on the basic design ethos first explored with the Z-A Kosmos. Instead of being focused on extreme close range, the Pneuma is meant to dominate the battlefield as a heavyweight, mid-range commander. Despite its increased scale, large ovoid vernier engines allow it a great deal of mobility, making it an intimidating machine to face--even more so when you take into account the fact that its heat glave has been affixed with a pump-action rocket launcher. If that wasn’t enough, this particular model creaks and groans with Divine potential... //Additional Notes Primary Objective: After House Chasmata attacks Fort Icebreaker at the northwestern point Spruce, capture and hold central point Juniper long enough for Lucia Whitestar to break through Fort Icebreaker at southeastern point Pine. Prevent Fort Icebreaker from reaching Point Pine at any cost.  Secondary Objective: Provide the documentary team with enough footage to increase your reputation. ROE: Capture and detain all POWs. Harm no one captured, but let none flee to spread the word.Future's Hallowed: In your vehicle, when you get a 4+ result on a roll, you can remove the highest die to refresh your Spark (this can turn a success into failure, or crit into a normal success if the two 6s are the only successful dice). Spend your spark to change a failed roll into a partial success.

In the weeks since Kesh’s new offensive into Apostolos territory, little has changed besides the quantity of weekly war casualties. Halting Kesh’s push is Fort Icebreaker, a massive defensive line composed of a dozen smaller forts, an intricate tunnel system, and a massive moving fortress called Icebreaker Prime which stalks along the border, rejecting any intruders with overwhelming force.    But that will change today, says Kesh leadership. Organized by tactical prodigy Lucia Whitestar, a complex ploy is put into action. House Chasmata, strongest of Kesh’s noble families on Partizan, will lead their vast ground force in a feint maneuver to Icebreaker’s northwest edge. Lucia, meanwhile, will lead the combined forces of the remaining houses at the Fort’s opposite end in the southeast.  It’s an old plan, one that hasn’t worked in five years of war, nor the occasional skirmish prior. But this time, there is a final twist: The Rapid Evening. Driven into the fray by A.O. Rooke’s boisterous bragging, the group has been given a difficult task: Capture one of the smaller fortresses in the center of the defensive line and hold the returning Icebreaker Prime for long enough that Lucia’s army can breach the southern defenses and finally secure a foothold deeper into Apostolosian territory. WIth the gravity of the task at hand, the members of the Rapid Evening look for any advantage they can get. Information. Family. Prayer. This week on PARTIZAN: BITTER AIR - BEHEST ///Operation Dossier //Organizations Swordbreakers: Blessed by Commitment and led by Cas’alear Rizah, the adopted sibling of the Apokine & Princept, they’re known across the war as legend killers who punch above their weight. Serpent’s Head: Grand Admiral Phy’lon Antiphony and their fleet serves double duty as both naval powerhouse and lead diplomatic corp for Apostolos’ forces on Partizan. They wear the name like a dare. House Whitestar: A generation ago, House Whitestar was a footnote: A noble house in name alone, with an ancient (and novel) connection to Apostolos. But then a scion of their house was elected as Princept. Now, they have a little weight to throw around and a chip on their shoulder. Home to the virtuoso strategist Lucia Whitestar. House Chasmata: The Chasmata family has governed Stel Kesh’s holdings for as long as Kesh has had holdings on Partizan. But in the last century, the family seems more interested in an archeological dig in the northern ice cap than in managing its estates. This has not, unfortunately for Apostolos, limited the amount of military might that Chasmata can bring to bear in an emergency.  The Curtain of Divinity: Though Kesh is technically governed through an elaborate parliamentary democracy, the truth is that The Curtain of Divinity, a secretive organization inside of the Stel (and with agents across all of the Principality), serves as the actual power behind the throne. Knowledge of the Curtain is carefully guarded, and its membership is even further protected.  //People Cas’alear Rizah (cas/cas’, they/them): Leader of the Swordbreakers. Reputation as being beautiful and brave by allies, unflinching and unpredictable by foes. Pilots the notorious Ataraxia. Previously fought against the Oxblood Clan in Obelle and negotiated with Clementine Kesh during the recovery of Past. Crysanth Kesh (she/her): Clementine Kesh’s mother. Third in line to the throne of Kesh. As Gabardine of the Curtain of Divinity, Crysanth is the highest ranking member of the Curtain on Partizan. Gur Sevraq (he/them): Leader of the Church of the Resin Heart. Reported miracle worker. Currently in Rapid Evening custody. Has possession of the Divine Future, which gives them startling prescience and the ability to imagine futures outside of the confines of the hegemonic and imperialist world around him.  Lucia Whitestar (she/her): “Lady Whitestar” is Clementine’s peer, emerging strategic genius, and eighth in line to the throne of Princept. Leading the operation to breach Fort Icebreaker. Alberz Chasmata (he/him): Lord Chasmata operates all of his house’s military operations on Partizan. Given the house’s military strength, that makes him among the moon’s most influential people. //Places Lion’s Rest: A bustling seaside port town, housing hundreds of thousands of civilians along with the bulk of the Apostolosian navy and diplomatic forces. Fort Icebreaker: Fort Icebreaker isn’t a fort so much as what might be called the “main line of resistance” separating Kesh from Apostolos across a 500 mile stretch of Partizan. Despite its name, Fort Icebreaker comprises hundreds of military facilities, including watchtowers, artillery emplacements, anti-armor barriers, an array of advanced surveillance systems, and 12 major bases. That isn’t to say that there isn’t also A Fort Icebreaker, though: Icebreaker Prime is real and it is massive, an arsenal, garrison, airfield, and a firebase all rolled into one. Worse: It moves. Icebreaker Prime is a rumbling land carrier which prowls the tundra armed with innumerable weapons and housing over ten thousand of Apostolos’ most skilled soldiers. And, worst of all, it does not only move across the ground, but below it, too.  Point Juniper: One of the two central bases in Fort Icebreaker’s long line, but also the weakest of them. Partially, that’s because any base with a river running through it is going to be weaker by virtue of being a little more porous. But also because, as one of the central fortresses, it’s also one of the most easily reinforced.  Barranca: To the north of Obelle lies the Apostolosian province of Barranca, where mediterranian subtropical shores give way to a vast latticework of ravines and crags. There, military bases and civilian settlements sit in the crooks and alcoves, shaded by high canyon walls. Rising above it all is the famed Barranca Loop, a massive suspended cable system that runs up above the atmosphere like a giant bridge, and which allows Apostolos to launch ships and cargo into space. Heavily patrolled and under complete control of Stel Apostolos. //Divines The Divine Future: An ancient divine, dating back to the second major war in the Golden Branch star sector. Exists in the form of golden orb slightly larger than a softball or bocce ball, which can either be carried by or hover around its Elect. Offers its chosen unparalleled perspective on the hopes and dreams of themselves and others, and the endless vigor with which to pursue them. Stolen by Gur Sevraq from ████████, █████████ of ███ ████ ██ █████████ ███████. //Things AdArm Cast: This surveillance hollow is mostly used by Stel Nideo, where it features angelic (and grotesque) features. But in its Kesh variation, this mirror-coated, humanoid mech’s wings are stylized as long claymores instead of feather-y wings, and its body a noble knight instead of celestial seraphim. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc.  AdArm Shrewdness: These modified Troop units have been retrofitted for long range combat, with lock-on missile launchers and only short range chest vulcans for anti-infantry and close-range combat. Zenith-A Project Kosmos: Designed by the Columnar Zenith Fund for Apostolosian use, these hefty hollows are designed for melee supremacy. Their bulky, reverse jointed legs allow them to explode with speed into close range (where they can do serious damage with their long heat glaives), or to hold their ground from incoming assaults (supported by the stock, circular shield each unit wields). The cost of this strength is a lack of versatility: Between the added articulation and pre-programmed combat routines required for the elaborate weapon use these hollows are known for, there simply wasn’t room left for any serious ranged weaponry. //Additional Notes Primary Objective: After House Chasmata attacks Fort Icebreaker at the northwestern point Spruce, capture and hold central point Juniper long enough for Lucia Whitestar to break through Fort Icebreaker at southeastern point Pine. Prevent Fort Icebreaker from reaching Point Pine at any cost.  Secondary Objective: Provide the documentary team with enough footage to increase your reputation. ROE: Capture and detain all POWs. Harm no one captured, but let none flee to spread the word.

To the west of the small town of Obelle, the Oxblood Clan attempts to secure the landing zone for an inbound VIP. The plan is simple: Recover them and escape east across the sea. To aid them in that task, the Society of Banners and Bright Returns have been sent to take out the nearby Apostolosian militia’s sensors, fuel reserves, and weapon platforms. So far, it’s been light work for the team, with Kal’mera Broun’s artillery-scale flashbang and Thisbe’s powerful mechanical gorilla, Mow, being key to a smash-and-grab that’s given the team control over the enemy’s hollows. But now, as Valence is confronted by a member of an Apostolosian smuggling ring, chaos begins to seep into the mission... This week on PARTIZAN: Obelle, On Fire ///Operation Dossier //Organizations The Red Fennecs: Technically, the Red Fennecs are an Apostolosian logistics and transport squad. In actuality, they’re utilized by their commanding officer, Tes’ili Serikos, as the backbone of a humble smuggling operation.  The Partizan Palace: Across Divinity, the Palace provides citizens with authorized archival information, approved news reports (kept up to date locally by the day, galactically by the week), and art and entertainment determined to be canonical to the Divine Principality. House Whitestar: For generations, House Whitestar was among the smallest vassal families of Stel Kesh’s most powerful noble House (itself called House Kesh). With modest holdings and minimal political influence, it seemed they’d inevitably fade into history. But after the Apostolosian leader Dahlia declared themselves the Glorious Princept, Stel Kesh announced that Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, a mid-level diplomat, was the true Princept. With his rise, they’ve grown in importance and power. //People Tes’ili Serikos (they/them, tes/tes’): This Apostolosian transport specialist, black marketeer, and Tes’ili Serikos can get just about anything just about anywhere, for a price. Short, round, fuzzy, and good natured… unless you screw tes over.  Cymbidium (he/him): The elect of the Kesh-aligned divine Past. Cymbdium is an Ashen, the descendent culture of the ancient deer-like Hypha people. He is traveling to Partizan for mysterious reasons. Azyet Eyesgrene (she/her): Recorder for the Partizan Palace. (Name unspoken.) //Places The Prophet’s Path: An autonomous region of Partizan running from east from the barren edge of the desert, through the tropical coast, and through the Isles of Logos. Independent towns and cities like Obelle make up the bulk of its continental settlements. Believed to be the area through which the prophet Logos Kantel traveled on their miraculous journey one thousand years ago. //Things The Divine Past: Part floating city, part living library. The Divine Past was built tens of thousands of years before the Divine Principality was created. It stores an untold amount of information about the cultures it has observed, including the Divine Principality itself. The only person who can access this information is its Elect, who wanders its endless halls and travels across Divinity as equal parts librarian, priest, ship captain, and diplomat. Cast: A mirror-coated, humanoid mech that appears like a four-winged angel, with loud jet engines hidden inside of its shiny, metallic wings. Just above its mouth, its head becomes an AWACS-esque flat sensor disc. Largely built for reconnaissance, and deployed by the Palace to gather information and recordings. Avoids conflict, though can defends or stabilize itself with a system of chains and hooks. Ataraxia: A white, purple, and yellow mantid-shaped machine blessed by the divine Commitment and developed by Stel Columnar’s Zenith Fund. Each of its six curved limbs can light up its edges with energy beams. On the ground, it can dance in combat in such a way that any two limbs can be its temporary feet, and when it’s in flight, it becomes a complete whirlwind of violence. Named for the philosophical concept key to ancient Stoicism. Herd: Developed from the basic AdArm Troop design, the Herd’s centaur like silhouette is famous to anyone who has faced off against Apostolos. The Troop’s bipedal legs have been replaced with piston-driven, heavy quad legs that are able to shift between two modes: Movement (with legs paired parallel like an ungulate, allowing for high speed traversal or charges) or combat (spread in a wide cross shape for stability in firing or traversal, moving like a spider). Armed with heavy shoulder cannon, and spears that can be used for both melee combat and as javelin-like explosive projectiles. (Name unspoken.) Yoke: The Oxblood Clan’s unique, further customized Herds. Though they cannot transform into the Herd’s “combat” mode, they have upgrades that allow them to serve a unique command and operations role when deployed in pairs. Their heads feature unique horn sensors which can generate battlefield map data and targeting assistance when two Yokes can provide complete data. Wields a giant fortress shield in left hand, a kanabo in the right, and a vertical missile pod on back. (Name unspoken.) //Additional Notes SBBR’s Mission Objectives: Primary: Support Oxblood’s mission by destroying the Apostolosian fuel depot at point Barnacle and sensor station at point Carp, each outside of Obelle proper. Secondary: Destroy any hallows or hollows at Point Dory, in the Apostolosian base west of the river in Obelle.  Rules of Engagement: No harming civilians or civilian property inside of Obelle--destruction of fields is incidental and acceptable collateral damage. Do not enter Point Albacore under any circumstances. Hosted by Austin Walker (@austin_walker) Featuring Janine Hawkins (@bleatingheart), Ali Acampora (@ali_west), and Andrew Lee Swan (@swandre3000) Produced by Ali Acampora Music by Jack de Quidt (@notquitereal, available on bandcamp) Text by Austin Walker Cover Art by Craig Sheldon (@shoddyrobot)  

On FPF #425, I explain why NATO should be dissolved. NATO leaders are meeting in London and there are plenty of issues among the members. Turkey is recently purchased Russian made air defense systems and is refusing to sign off on defense plans unless other countries label the Syrian Kurdish militia as a terror group. France is accusing Turkey of using terror proxy groups against the Kurds in Syria. The French president recently called NATO brain dead, identifying the alliance lacks an enemy. Trump said he would not be surprised if Franch leaves NATO and is threatening sanctions on Franch. Trump is also frustrated that many member states are making no progress in meeting the NATO target of spending 2% on defense.  Links Texas is seeking the death penalty against a man who killed someone breaking into the window of his home. The intruder was a SWAT team member in a no-knock raid. The police only found a glass pipe and grinder. [Link] Jordan Smith explains fingerprint analysis can be a complex and subjective science. The so called experts who testify in criminal trials have dubious qualifications. [Link] Trump is using the PATRIOT Act to indefinitely detain a non-US citizen in the US. Trump is the first president to use this power. [Link] The Trump administration is considering adding a regulation that would require all US citizens to be photographed entering and leaving the country. [Link] General Dynamics will get a $20 billion contract to build Virginia class submarines. [Link] The Navy awards General Dynamics with a three-quarters of a million-dollar contract to supply the ground systems for the Navy’s satellite communications. [Link] Singapore is attempting to enforce its fake news law. It claims a blog posted fake information. Singapore first pushed the author to publish a correction. He refused and is not under investigation. Singapore then asked Facebook to post a correction. Facebook has not responded. [Link] Julian Assange will testify in a Spanish court about a Spanish company spying on him while he was in the Ecuadorian embassy. The Spanish company is accused of illegally spying on Assange’s privileged conversations with lawyers and passed the intelligence to the US. [Link] NATO/New Cold War NATO countries are working on a plan to pay more of NATO’s budget in an attempt to appease Trump. France has said they will not sign on to the plan and already contribute enough to defense. [Link] Russia formally proposes to extend the NEW START Treaty for five years. Russia says it is also open to a shorter extension. [Link] Trump says Russia wants to make an agreement on arms control and nuclear. Trump suggested bringing China into the deal. [Link] A senior State Department official says Russia is in compliance with the NEW START Treaty. [Link] Russia showed US inspectors its hypersonic nuclear missile system under the auspices of the NEW START Treaty. [Link] The Trump administration is 100% duties on $2.4 billion in French champagne, cheese, and other products in response to a French tax on digital products. [Link] Trump says he can see France leaving NATO. [Link] The French president says Turkey is working with ISIS proxies. [Link] US Senators, led by Graham, send the White House a letter calling for sanctions against Turkey for buying S-400 air defense systems from Russia. [Link] NATO awards Boeing a $1 billion contract to upgrade AWACS recognisances planes. [Link] Turkey is refusing to sign off on a NATO defense plan until NATO starts recognize the Syrian Kurdish militia the YPG as a terror group. [Link] Turkey says their newly purchased Russian-made S-400 air defense system will not be integrated into NATO’s air defense. Russia says Turkey is looking to purchase more S-400s. [Link]  Latin America  Pompeo says the US will support Latin American countries trying to suppress riots and unrest. [Link] Trump will place steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and Argentia. Trump accuses the countries of currency manipulation that is harming American farmers. [Link] Afghanistan Secretary of State Esper says the US withdrawing troops is not necessarily tied to negotiations with the Taliban. [Link] The US killed a family of six with a drone strike in Afghanistan. [Link] Trump traveled to Afghanistan on Thanksgiving. He said he believes the Taliban would engage in a ceasefire. The Taliban confirmed they have resumed talks with the US. [Link] The top US general says peace talks have a higher chance of working this time. [Link] Fifteen members of an Afghan family were killed by a roadside bomb on the way to a wedding. [Link] Israel A UN report estimates the Israeli occupation of Palestine has cost the Palestinian economy $48 billion from 2000-2017. [Link] Syria The UAE says it hops Syria stabilizes under Assad. [Link] Heavy clashes in Idlib Syria have killed 96 people over two days. [Link] A Syrian airstrike killed ten civilians at a market in Idlib. A Turkish airstrike killed ten civilians in a Kurdish region of Syria. [Link] Two Turkish soldiers were killed by a mortar attack in southern Turkey near the Syrian border. [Link]   Yemen 20 African migrants were killed traveling through Yemen to Saudi Arabia. Reports say they may have been killed by an airstrike. [Link] The Red Cross says 128 Houthi prisoners of war have been released by Saudi Arabia. Saudi claims to have released 200 prisoners. [Link] The Houthi claim to have shot down a Saudi helicopter. [Link] A German court reverses a de facto ban on selling armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. [Link]

Secretary General marks $1 billion contract to modernize NATO's fleet of AWACS aircraft. NATO Military Spending Approved: US to Pay Less, Germany to Pay More - Stoltenberg. Turkey reject US Demand to return Russian S 400 Sources: Centre for research on Globalization. Global Security.org --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/peter--corretjer/support

Episode 79 featuring my good friend Isaac Cornell. Isaac, details what his journey to AWACS was like, the highs and the lows. Find out more, by hitting play and listening to this great episode

Die Gedanken des Gegenübers zu lesen und genau vorhersagen zu können, was er oder sie als nächstes sagen oder machen wird, sind Fähigkeiten, die viele Menschen gerne ihr Eigen nennen würden. Nun, dank vielen psychologischen Erkenntnissen und unzähligen Studien über menschliches Verhalten sowie den passend dazu entwickelten „Tools“ wie es neudeutsch so schön heißt, bietet sich uns tatsächlich die Möglichkeit, ein ziemlich gutes Bild des Gegenübers zu erstellen – nur durch die reine Beobachtung. Während meiner Zeit beim Militär war ich u.a. ein Teil des NATO AWACS FLYING Squardon One. AWACS steht für  Airborne Early Warning and Control System und einfach erklärt ist das eine fliegende Radarstation. Vielleicht kennst Du die Maschine – sieht aus wie eine Passagiermaschine mit einem Pilz auf dem Rücken. In den AWACS-Patchs, den Aufnähern die Du vielleicht aus Pilotenfilmen oder von Karneval kennst, kommen häufig Begriffe wie „Surveillance“ und „Vigilance“ vor – Überwachung und Wachsamkeit. Beides Begriffe, die mir sehr gut in Erinnerung geblieben sind, denn beides ist essentiell für deinen Verhandlungserfolg. Nun verbinde ich mit Überwachung nicht die Beschattung o.ä. deines Gegenübers, sondern eher die Überwachung der Verhandlung. Bei der Wachsamkeit liegt der Fokus dann schon eher auf dem Gegenüber und auf dem gesamten Umfeld. Klar kannst du im Vorfeld ein entsprechendes Screening durchführen. Das Netz vergisst ja bekanntlich nie und Google, Facebook, Linked-In und Co. können dir schon ein erstes Bild von deinem Gegenüber verschaffen – legal versteht sich! Wenn Du etwas tiefer bohren möchtest, dann kann die Suchmaschine yasni Dir weiterhelfen. Viel tiefer halte ich jedoch in den meisten Fällen für übertrieben – es sei denn, Du verhandelst in der Regel Millionen-Deals – nur dann hast Du wahrscheinlich auch andere Screening-Ressourcen. Goolge, Linked-In / Xing und Facebook sind schon sehr gute und zuverlässige Quellen – auch Twitter kann helfen. Wenn Du der Person dann begegnest, gibt es weitere Möglichkeiten, wie Du ihn kennenlernen kannst. Achte auf seine Mimik, seine Körpersprache als Ganzes, seine gesamte Art zu kommunizieren. Wie spricht er? Was spricht er? Wie reagiert sein Umfeld auf ihn? Alles Informationen, die Dir weiterhelfen – wenn Du diese denn richtig deutest. Und genau da wird es dann richtig interessant! Denn das was Du bis hierhin gehört hast, ist, in einer Aussage zusammengefasst: „Sammle so viele Informationen über deinen Gegenüber wie möglich und höre nie damit auf.“ Doch was mache ich nun mit diesen Informationen? Du erstellst Dir ein Profil! Leicht gesagt, denn das ist eine Königsdisziplin. Eingangs hatte ich kurz angeschnitten, dass es bereits viele verschiedene Tools gibt, die einen dabei unterstützen. Motive herausfinden durch entsprechende Fragetechniken ist das eine – doch ein Persönlichkeitsprofil anhand von Beobachtungen erstellen, das ist Champions League.   Mir helfen Kombinationen verschiedener Tools dabei, ein solches Profil zu erstellen. Ich achte darauf, wie sich mein Gegenüber insgesamt verhält und wie er kommuniziert. Wie reagiert er auf welche Einflüsse, wie reagiert er auf welche Fragen und auf welche Antworten? Ich versuche herauszufinden, ob ich es mit einem Macher, einem Analytiker oder einem Netzwerker zu tun habe. Außerdem ist es für mich wichtig zu wissen, wie stark sein Narzissmus ausgeprägt ist, und ob ich es mit einem Choleriker zu tun habe. Wenn ich diese 3 Fragen für mich beantwortet habe, dann weiß ich genau, welcher Wurm diesem Fisch schmeckt – um jetzt die alte Vertriebs- & Marketing-Metapher wieder aufzugreifen. Um das alles richtig einschätzen zu können bedarf es neben dem Wissen, worauf man achten soll noch etwas anderem: ÜBUNG ÜBUNG ÜBUNG! Und gerade diesen Part darfst Du nicht unterschätzen. Soviel sei an dieser Stelle schonmal verraten. Worauf Du nun genau achten musst, um innerhalb von wenigen Momenten einen Macher von einem Netzwerker zu unterscheiden und wie Du herausfinden kannst, wie Stark der Narzissmus deines Gegenübers ausgeprägt ist, dass werde ich in späteren Episoden ansprechen – denn das wird hier den Rahmen sprengen. Hier im Podcast kann ich mit Dir nur die Spitze eines Eisbergs, der für sehr viele Menschen interessant ist, betrachten – denn alles, was sich unter der Wasseroberläche befindet ist ein riesiges, umfangreiches und wahrscheinlich nie endendes Informationskonstrukt. Doch ich verspreche Dir – sich damit auseinander zu setzen, ist mega spannend. Tobi Beck verspricht z.B. denjenigen, die sein „Tier-Modell“ lernen, dass ihnen nie mehr langweilig werden wird, wenn Sie unter Menschen sind. Und das sehe ich ähnlich. Und wer weiß – vielleicht habe ich ja auch noch den ein oder anderen spannenden Interviewpartner zu einem solchen Thema im Petto. Die Interviews mit Mario Büsdorf (Mimik), Stefan Verra (Körpersprache) und Ina Hagenau (Stimme) sind ein guter Anfang um dich dahingehend zu fokussieren.   Also, um deinen Gegenüber richtig einzuschätzen, benötigst Du: Informationen, die Du aus einem Screening über legale Kanäle gewinnen kannst. Suchmaschinen und Social-Media-Kanäle eignen sich sehr gut, um erste Informationen zu sammeln. Wenn Du deinen Gegenüber persönlich triffst oder mit Ihm in Kontakt stehst, dann analysiere sein Verhalten. Körpersprache, Mimik, seine Rhetorik, seine gesamte Sprache – alles liefert Informationen. Nutze verschiedene Tools um nicht nur seine Motive herauszufinden, sondern auch um seine Persönlichkeit richtig einschätzen zu können. Sei stets wachsam und übe übe übe übe   Wenn du jetzt auch nur einen dieser Tipps mit in deine nächste Verhandlung einbaust, dann wirst Du mit Sicherheit BESSER VERHANDELN Wenn Du nicht solange warten willst oder kannst, dann melde dich bei mir – ich bin mir sicher, dass wir gemeinsam eine Abkürzung für dich finden werden.   Ansonsten gilt, wie immer: Rezension & Bewertung für meinen Podcast schreiben mir auf meinen Social-Media-Kanälen folgen, und Dir mein kostenfreies ebook auf meiner Homepage sichern.   Ich wünsche Dir viel Erfolg bei deinen Verhandlungen.   Besten Gruß & bis zum nächsten Mal     Shownotes Audiobook „Negotiation Matchplan” Portfolio Homepage Instagram Xing Linked-In Facebook Twitter  

In this AWACS episode 96, Mental forgets it is tequila day, Jeff sings a song about fruit , Chrissy waits    then goes, and Chris rants about Hooisers in HPDE1. Really, we talk all about our experience, lessons learned, and takeaways as Chrissy, Chris, Jeff, and Bill had at the NASA Pitt Race HPDE.   Aaron Brown's account of the New England Forrest Rally Wagons!NASA Endurance SeriesGRM Frontstretch Rolex Ticket Package Never Stop Driving Book YouTube Baby Bets on a Brown FiestaPeter Hughes and Davey G Johnson: “My God Is an Angry God”Car and Track Youtube ChannelE1R YouTubeLucky Dog Fueling VideoE1R Bingo, https://mfbc.us/m/chgzx4Lucky Dog Racing24 Hours of LeMonsChampcarWorld Racing LeagueAmerican Endurance Racingwww.XXSpeed.com save 25% with code EveryoneRacersLeMons Rally 

Yemen: Most of us don't know where that is but we Americans have been participating in a war there since 2015. In a surprise move, the 116th Congress recently put a resolution on President Trump's desk that would LIMIT our participation in that war. In this episode, learn about our recent history in Yemen: Why are we involved? When did our involvement start? What do we want from Yemen? And why is Congress suddenly pursuing a change in policy? In the second half of the episode, Jen admits defeat in a project she's been working on and Husband Joe joins Jen for the thank yous. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD167: Combating Russia (NDAA 2018) LIVE CD131: Bombing Libya CD102: The World Trade Organization: COOL? Additional Reading Article: Hurricane Michael upgraded to a Category 5 at time of U.S. landfall, NOAA, April 19, 2019. Article: US carries out first airstrikes in Yemen in nearly 3 months by Ryan Browne, CNN, April 1, 2019. Article: The assassination of Jamal Khashoggi by Joyce Lee and Dalton Bennett, The Washington Post, April 1, 2019. Article: Trump revokes Obama rule on reporting drone strike deaths, BBC News, March 7, 2019. Article: US carried out 36 airstrikes in Yemen last year by Andrew Kennedy, The Defense Post, January 7, 2019. Article: See no evil: Pentagon issues blanket denial that it knows anything about detainee abuse in Yemen by Alex Emmons, The Intercept, January 7, 2019. Report: Senate bucks Trump's Saudi approach by Jeff Abramson, Arms Control Association, January/February 2019. Article: Saudi strikes, American bombs, Yemeni suffering by Derek Watkins and Declan Walsh, The New York Times, December 27, 2018. Article: The wooing of Jared Kushner: How the Saudis got a friend in the White House by David D. Kirkpatrick, Ben Hubbard, Mark Landler, and Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times, December 8, 2018. Report: Saudi lobbyists bout 500 nights at Trump's DC hotel after 2016 election by John Bowden, The Hill, December 5, 2018. Article: Hidden toll of US drone strikes in Yemen: Nearly a third of deaths are civilians, not al-Quaida by Maggie Michael and Maad al-Zikry, Military Times, November 14, 2018. Article: Jamal Khashoggi's friends in Washington are in shock by Scott Nover, The Atlantic, October 12, 2018. Report: Catastrophic Hurricane Michael strikes Florida Panhandle, National Weather Service, October 10, 2018. Article: Yemen's President Hadi heads to US for medical treatment, Aljazeera, September 3, 2018. Article: Bab el-Mandeb, an emerging chokepoint for Middle East oil flows by Julian Lee, Bloomberg, July 26, 2018. Report: YEM305: Unknown reported killed, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, March 29, 2018. Article: Yemen: Ex-President Ali Abdullah Saleh killed, Aljazeera, December 10, 2017. Article: In Yemen's secret prisons, UAE tortures and US interrogates by Maggie Michael, AP News, June 22, 2017. Report: Yemen: UAE backs abusive local forces, Human Rights Watch, June 22, 2017. Article: What we know about Saudi Arabia's role in 9/11 by Simon Henderson, Foreign Policy, July 18, 2016. Report: Yemen: Background and U.S. relations by Jeremy M. Sharp, Congressional Research Service, February 11, 2015. Article: How al Qaeda's biggest enemy took over Yemen (and why the US government is unlikely to support them) by Casey L. Coombs and Jeremy Scahill, The Intercept, January 22, 2015. Report: Yemen protests erupt after fuel price doubled, Aljazeera, July 30, 2014. Article: U.S. charges saudi for 2002 oil tanker bombing by MAREX, Feburary 6, 2014. Report: "Between a Drone and Al-Qaeda": The civilian cost of US targeted killings in Yemen, Human Rights Watch, October 22, 2013. Article: Yemen: Opposition leader to be sworn in Saturday by Reuters, The New York Times, December 7, 2011. Article: Yemen's Saleh signs deal to give up power by Marwa Rashad, Reuters, November 23, 2011. Article: Yemen's leader agrees to end 3-decade rule by Kareem Fahim and Laura Kasinof, The New York Times, November 23, 2011. Article: Yemeni president's shock return throws country into confusion by Tom Finn, The Guardian, September 23, 2011. Article: Yemen: President Saleh 'was injured by palace bomb', BBC News, June 23, 2011. Article: Government in Yemen agrees to talk transition by Laura Kasinof, The New York Times, April 26, 2011. Article: Hundreds take to streets in Yemen to protest by Faud Rajeh, The New York Times, February 16, 2011. Article: U.S. plays down tensions with Yemen by Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, December 17, 2010. Article: Cables depict range of Obama diplomacy by David E. Sanger, The New York Times, December 4, 2010. Article: Yemen's drive on Al Qaeda faces international skepticism by Mona El-Naggar and Robert F. Worth, The New York Times, November 3, 2010. Article: Op-Ed: The Yemeni state against its own people by Subir Ghosh, Digital Journal, October 11, 2010. Roundtable Summary: Reform priorities for Yemen and the 10-Point agenda, MENAP, Chatham House, February 18, 2010. Article: As nations meet, Clinton urges Yemen to prove itself worthy of aid by Mark Landler, The New York Times, January 27, 2010. Article: After failed attack, Britain turns focus to Yemen by John F. Burns, The New York Times, January 1, 2010. Resources Congress.gov: S.J.Res.54 - A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress Govtrack: S.J.Res. 7: A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by ... Congress IMF.org: Gulf Cooperation Council Countries Middle East Institute: Addressing the Crisis in Yemen: Strategies and Solutions Open Knowledge Repository: Leveraging Fuel Subsidy Reform for Transition in Yemen US Dept. of Treasury: International Monetary Fund Sound Clip Sources House Proceedings: Yemen Resolution Debate, 116th Congress, April 4, 2019. Congressional Record Sound Clips: 1:06:30 Rep. Michael McCaul (TX):This resolution stretches the definition of war powers hostilities to cover non-U.S. military operations by other countries. Specifically, it reinterprets U.S. support to these countries as ‘‘engagement in hostilities.’’ This radical reinterpretation has implications far beyond Saudi Arabia. This precedent will empower any single Member to use privileged war powers procedures to force congressional referendums that could disrupt U.S. security cooperation agreements with more than 100 countries around the world. 1:14:30 Rep. Barbara Lee (CA): Yes, Madam Speaker, I voted against that 2001 resolution, because I knew it was open-ended and would set the stage for endless wars. It was a blank check. We see this once again today in Yemen. We must repeal this 2001 blank check for endless wars. Over the past 18 years, we have seen the executive branch use this AUMF time and time again. It is a blank check to wage war without congressional oversight. 1:21:30 Rep. Ro Khanna (CA): My motivation for this bill is very simple. I don’t want to see 14 million Yemenis starve to death. That is what Martin Griffith had said at the U.N., that if the Saudis don’t stop their blockade and let food and medicine in, within 6 months we will see one of the greatest humanitarian crises in the world. Senate Floor Proceedings: Yemen Resolution Debate, 115th Congress, 2nd Session, December 12, 2018. Congressional Record Pt. 1 Congressional Record Pt. 2 Sound Clips: 7:09:00 Sen. Bernie Sanders (VT): Finally, an issue that has long been a concern to many of us—conservatives and progressives—is that this war has not been authorized by Congress and is therefore unconstitutional. Article I of the Constitution clearly states it is Congress, not the President, that has the power to send our men and women into war—Congress, not the President. The Framers of our Constitution, the Founders of this country, gave the power to declare war to Congress—the branch most accountable to the people—not to the President, who is often isolated from the reality of what is taking place in our communities. The truth is—and Democratic and Republican Presidents are responsible, and Democratic and Republican Congresses are responsible—that for many years, Congress has not exercised its constitutional responsibility over whether our young men and women go off to war. I think there is growing sentiment all over this country from Republicans, from Democrats, from Independents, from progressives, and from conservatives that right now, Congress cannot continue to abdicate its constitutional responsibility. 7:14:45 Sen. Bob Corker (TN): I have concerns about what this may mean as we set a precedent about refueling and intelligence activities being considered hostilities. I am concerned about that. I think the Senator knows we have operations throughout Northern Africa, where we are working with other governments on intelligence to counter terrorism. We are doing refueling activists in Northern Africa now, and it concerns me—he knows I have concerns—that if we use this vehicle, then we may have 30 or 40 instances where this vehicle might be used to do something that really should not be dealt with by the War Powers Act. 7:49:06 Sen. Todd Young (IN): We don’t have much leverage over the Houthis. We have significant leverage over the Saudis, and we must utilize it. 7:58:30 Sen. Jim Inhofe (OK): The Sanders-Lee resolution is, I think, fundamentally flawed because it presumes we are engaged in military action in Yemen. We are not. We are not engaged in military action in Yemen. There has been a lot of discussion about refueling. I don’t see any stretch of the definition that would say that falls into that category. 8:01:00 Sen. Jim Inhofe (OK): Saudi Arabia is an important Middle Eastern partner. Its stability is vital to the security of our regional allies and our partners, including Israel, and Saudi Arabia is essential to countering Iran. We all know that. We know how tenuous things are in that part of the world. We don’t have that many friends. We can’t afford to lose any of them. 8:04:30 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): It is important to note some-thing that we take for granted in the region—this now long-term detente that has existed between the Gulf States and Israel, which did not used to be something you could rely on. In fact, one of the most serious foreign policy debates this Senate ever had was on the sale of AWACS to Saudi Arabia back in the 1980s. The objection then was that by empowering Saudi Arabia, you were hurting Israel and Israeli security. No one would make that argument today because Saudi Arabia has been a good partner in trying to figure out a way to calm the tensions in the region and, of course, provide some balance in the region, with the Iranian regime on the other side continuing to this day to use inflammatory and dangerous rhetoric about the future of Israel. So this is an important partnership, and I have no interest in blowing it up. I have no interest in walking away from it. But you are not obligated to follow your friend into every misadventure they propose. When your buddy jumps into a pool of man-eating sharks, you don’t have to jump with him. There is a point at which you say enough is enough. 8:06:00 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): Muhammad bin Salman, who is the Crown Prince, who is the effective leader of the country, has steered the foreign policy of Saudi Arabia off the rails. Folks seem to have noticed when he started rounding up his political opponents and killing one of them in a consulate in Turkey, but this has been ongoing. Look back to the kidnapping of the Lebanese Prime Minister, the blockade of Qatar without any heads-up to the United States, the wholesale imprisonment of hundreds of his family members until there was a payoff, the size of which was big enough to let some of them out. This is a foreign policy that is no longer in the best interests of the United States and cannot be papered over by a handful of domestic policy reforms that are, in fact, intended to try to distract us from the aggressive nature of the Saudis’ foreign policy in the region. 8:08:15 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): I am appreciative that many of my colleagues are willing to stand up for this resolution today to end the war in Yemen. I wish that it weren’t because of the death of one journalist, because there have been tens of thousands who have died inside Yemen, and their lives are just as important and just as worthwhile as Jamal Khashoggi’s life was, as tragic as that was. But there is a connection between the two, which is why I have actually argued that this resolution is in some way, shape, or form a response to the death of Jamal Khashoggi, for those who are primarily concerned with that atrocity. Here is how I link the two: What the Saudis did for 2 weeks was lie to us, right? In the most bald-faced way possible. They told us that Jamal Khashoggi had left the consulate, that he had gotten out of there alive, that they didn’t know what happened, when of course they knew the entire time that they had killed him, that they had murdered him, that they had dismembered his body. We now know that the Crown Prince had multiple contacts all throughout the day with the team of operatives who did it. Yet they thought we were so dumb or so weak— or some combination of the two—that they could just lie to us about it. That was an eye-opener for a lot of people here who were long-term supporters of the Saudi relationship because they knew that we had trouble. They knew that sometimes our interests didn’t align, but they thought that the most important thing allies did with each other was tell the truth, especially when the truth was so easy to discover outside of your bilateral relationship. Then, all of a sudden, the Saudis lied to us for 2 weeks—for 2 weeks—and then finally came around to telling the truth because everybody knew that they weren’t. That made a lot of people here think, well, wait a second—maybe the Saudis haven’t been telling us the truth about what they have been doing inside Yemen. A lot of my friends have been supporting the bombing campaign in Yemen. Why? Because the Saudis said: We are hitting these civilians by accident. Those water treatment plants that have been blowing up—we didn’t mean to hit them. That cholera treatment facility inside the humanitarian compound—that was just a bomb that went into the wrong place, or, we thought there were some bad guys in it. It didn’t turn out that there were. It turns out the Saudis weren’t telling us the truth about what they were doing in Yemen. They were hitting civilian targets on purpose. They did have an intentional campaign of trying to create misery. I am not saying that every single one of those school buses or those hospitals or those churches or weddings was an attempt to kill civilians and civilians only, but we have been in that targeting center long enough to know—to know—that they have known for a long time what they have been doing: hitting a lot of people who have nothing to do with the attacks against Saudi Arabia. Maybe if the Saudis were willing to lie to us about what happened to Jamal Khashoggi, they haven’t been straight with us as to what is happening inside Yemen, because if the United States is being used to intentionally hit civilians, then we are complicit in war crimes. And I hate to tell my colleagues that is essentially what the United Nations found in their most recent report on the Saudi bombing campaign. They were careful about their words, but they came to the conclusion that it was likely that the Saudi conduct inside Yemen would amount to war crimes under international law. If it is likely that our ally is perpetuating war crimes in Yemen, then we cannot be a part of that. The United States cannot be part of a bombing campaign that may be—probably is— intentionally making life miserable for the people inside of that country. 8:14:00 Sen. Chris Murphy (CT): There is no relationship in which we are the junior partner—certainly not with Saudi Arabia. If Saudi Arabia can push us around like they have over the course of the last several years and in particular the last several months, that sends a signal to lots of other countries that they can do the same thing—that they can murder U.S. residents and suffer almost no consequences; that they can bomb civilians with our munitions and suffer no consequences. This is not just a message about the Saudi relationship; this is a message about how the United States is going to interact with lots of other junior partners around the world as well. Saudi Arabia needs us a lot more than we need them, and we need to remind folks of that over and over again. Spare me this nonsense that they are going to go start buying Russian jets or Chinese military hardware. If you think those countries can protect you better than the United States, take a chance. You think the Saudis are really going to stop selling oil to the United States? You think they are going to walk away from their primary bread winner just because we say that we don’t want to be engaged in this particular military campaign? I am willing to take that chance. We are the major partner in this relationship, and it is time that we start acting like it. If this administration isn’t going to act like it, then this Congress has to act like it. 8:44:15 Sen. Mike Lee (UT): Many of my colleagues will argue—in fact some of them have argued just within the last few minutes—that we are somehow not involved in a war in Yemen. My distinguished friend and colleague, the Senator from Oklahoma, came to the floor a little while ago, and he said that we are not engaged in direct military action in Yemen. Let’s peel that back for a minute. Let’s figure out what that means. I am not sure what the distinction between direct and indirect is here. Maybe in a very technical sense—or under a definition of warfare or military action that has long since been rendered out- dated—we are not involved in that, but we are involved in a war. We are co-belligerents. The minute we start identifying targets or, as Secretary James Mattis put it about a year ago, in December 2017, the minute we are involved in the decisions involving making sure that they know the right stuff to hit, that is involvement in a war, and that is pretty direct. The minute we send up U.S. military aircraft to provide midair refueling assistance for Saudi jets en route to bombing missions, to combat missions on the ground in Yemen, that is our direct involvement in war. 8:48:00 Sen. Mike Lee (UT): Increasingly these days, our wars are high-tech. Very often, our wars involve cyber activities. They involve reconnaissance, surveillance, target selection, midair refueling. It is hard—in many cases, impossible—to fight a war without those things. That is what war is. Many of my colleagues, in arguing that we are not involved in hostilities, rely on a memorandum that is internal within the executive branch of the U.S. Government that was issued in 1976 that provides a very narrow, unreasonably slim definition of the word ‘‘hostilities.’’ It defines ‘‘hostilities’’ in a way that might have been relevant, that might have been accurate, perhaps, in the mid-19th century, but we no longer live in a world in which you have a war as understood by two competing countries that are lined up on opposite sides of a battlefield and engaged in direct exchanges of fire, one against another, at relatively short range. War encompasses a lot more than that. War certainly encompasses midair refueling, target selection, surveillance, and reconnaissance of the sort we are undertaking in Yemen. Moreover, separate and apart from this very narrow, unreasonably slim definition of ‘‘hostilities’’ as deter- mined by this internal executive branch document from 1976 that contains the outdated definition, we our- selves, under the War Powers Act, don’t have to technically be involved in hostilities. It is triggered so long as we ourselves are sufficiently involved with the armed forces of another nation when those armed forces of another nation are themselves involved in hostilities. I am speaking, of course, in reference to the War Powers Act’s pro- visions codified at 50 USC 1547(c). For our purposes here, it is important to keep in mind what that provisions reads: ‘‘For purposes of this chapter [under the War Powers Act], the term ‘introduction of United States Armed Forces’ includes the assignment of members of such Armed Forces to command, coordinate, participate in the movement of, or accompany the regular or irregular military forces of any foreign country or government when such military forces are engaged, or there exists an imminent threat that such forces will become engaged, in hostilities.’’ In what sense, on what level, on what planet are we not involved in the commanding, in the coordination, in the participation, in the movement of or in the accompaniment of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the civil war in Yemen? 9:57:15 Sen. Richard Blumenthal (CT): In March of this year, I led a letter to the Department of Defense with my colleague Senator JACK REED of Rhode Island, along with many of our colleagues on the Senate Armed Services Committee, stating our concern regarding U.S. support for Saudi military operations against the Houthis in Yemen and asking about the DOD’s involvement, apparently without appropriate notification of Congress, and its agreements to provide refueling sup- port to the Saudis and the Saudi coalition partners. We were concerned that the DOD had not appropriately documented reimbursements for aerial re- fueling support provided by the United States. Eight months later—just days ago— the Department of Defense responded to our letter and admitted that it has failed to appropriately notify Congress of its support agreements; it has failed to adequately charge Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for fuel and refueling assistance. That admission 8 months after our inquiry is a damning indictment. These errors in accounting mean that the United States was directly funding the Saudi war in Yemen. It has been doing it since March of 2015. Video: Trump: Khashoggi case will not stop $110bn US-Saudi arms trade, The Guardian, October 12, 2018. Donald Trump: I would not be in favor of stopping from spending $110 billion, which is an all-time record, and letting Russia have that money, and letting China have that money. Because all their going to do is say, that's okay, we don't have to buy it from Boeing, we don't have to buy it from Lockheed, we don't have to buy it from Ratheon and all these great companies. We'll buy it from Russia and we'll buy it from China. So what good does that do us? Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Middle East, House Foreign Affairs Committee, C-SPAN, April 18, 2018. Witnesses: David Satterfield: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Wess Mitchell: Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Sound Clips: 18:00 David Satterfield: We all agree, as does the Congress, that the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is unacceptable. Last month, the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates provided $1 billion to Yemen's humanitarian response appeal, and this complements the US government pledge of $87 million and more than $854 million contributed since beginning of fiscal year 2017. 19:45 Wess Mitchell: Turkey is a 66 year member of the NATO alliance and member of the defeat ISIS coalition. It has suffered more casualties from terrorism than any other ally and hosts 3.5 million Syrian refugees. It supports the coalition through the use of Incirlik air base through its commitment of Turkish military forces against Isis on the ground in (Dibick? al-Bab?) And through close intelligence cooperation with the United States and other allies. Turkey has publicly committed to a political resolution in Syria that accords with UN Security Council. Resolution 2254. Turkey has a vested strategic interest in checking the spread of Iranian influence and in having a safe and stable border with Syria. Despite these shared interests, Turkey lately has increased its engagement with Russia and Iran. Ankara has sought to assure us that it sees this cooperation as a necessary stepping stone towards progress in the Geneva process, but the ease with which Turkey brokered arrangements with the Russian military to facilitate the launch of its Operation Olive Branch in Afrin district, arrangements to which America was not privy, is gravely concerning. Ankara claims to have agreed to purchase, to, to purchase the Russian S 400 missile system, which could potentially lead to sanctions under section 231 of CAATSA and adversely impact Turkey's participation in the F-35 program. It is in the American national interest to see Turkey remains strategically and politically aligned with the west. Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Yemen, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, C-SPAN, April 17, 2018. Witnesses: Robert Jenkins: Deputy Assistant Administrator at USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, & Humanitarian Assistance David Satterfield: Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Karem: Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs Nominee and former Middle East Adviser to Vice President Cheney Sound Clips: 9:30 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Well, Yemen has always faced significant socioeconomic challenges. A civil war, which began with the Houthis armed takeover of much of the country in 2014 and their overthrow of Yemen's legitimate government in January 2015, has plunged the country into humanitarian crisis. 17:25 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our first witness is acting assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, Ambassador David Satterfield. Ambassador Satterfield is one of the most distinguished, one of our most distinguished diplomats. He most recently served as director general, the multinational force and observers in the Sinai peninsula and previously served as US Abassador to Lebanon. 17:45 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our second witness is Robert Jenkins, who serves as the Deputy Assistant Administrator for USA ID Bureau for Democracy, conflict and humanitarian assistance. Mr. Jenkins, recently mark 20 years at USAID and previously served as the Director of Office of Transition Initiatives. 18:15 Chairman Bob Corker (TN): Our third witness is Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Robert Kerem. Prior to his Senate confirmation last year, Mr. Karem served as National Security of Staff of Vice President Cheney and then as National Security Advisor to the House, majority leader's Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy. 20:15 David Satterfield: US military support serves a clear and strategic purpose to reinforce Saudi and Mrid self defense in the face of intensifying Houthi and Iranian enabled threats and to expand the capability of our Gulf partners to push back against Iran's regionally destabilizing actions. This support in turn provides the United States access and influence to help press for a political solution to the conflict. Should we curtail US military support? The Saudis could well pursue defense relationships with countries that have no interest in either ending the humanitarian crisis, minimizing civilian casualties or assisting and facilitating progress towards a political solution. Critical US access to support for our own campaign against violent extremists could be placed in jeopardy. 30:00 Robert Karem: Conflict in Yemen affects regional security across the Middle East, uh, and threatens US national security interests, including the free flow of commerce and the Red Sea. Just this month, the Houthi, his attack to Saudi oil tanker and the Red Sea threatening commercial shipping and freedom of navigation and the world's fourth busiest maritime choke point, the Bab el Mandeb. 32:00 Robert Karem: The Defense Department is currently engaged in two lines of effort in Yemen. Our first line of effort and our priority is the fight against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and ISIS in Yemen, two terrorist organizations that directly threaten the United States, our allies and our partners. To combat AQIP, AQAP, and ISIS, US forces in coordination with the UN recognized government of Yemen are supporting our regional key counter terrorism partners in ongoing operations to disrupt and degrade their ability to coordinate, plot and recruit for external terrorist operations. Additionally, US military forces are conducting airstrikes against AQAP and ISIS in Yemen pursuant to the 2001 a authorization for the use of military force to disrupt and destroy terrorist network networks. Our second line of effort is the provision of limited noncombat support to the Saudi led coalition in support of the UN recognized government of Yemen. The support began in 2015 under President Obama and in 2017 president Trump reaffirmed America's commitment to our partners in these efforts. Fewer than 50 US military personnel work in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi led coalition advising and assisting with the defense of Saudi territory, sharing intelligence and providing logistical support, including aerial refueling. 35:45 Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): Mr. Karem. I'm gonna Start with you. Um, in regards to the US military assistance that we give to the kingdom, you said that is to embolden their capacity and to reduce noncombatant casualties. Last March, the CENTCOM commander General Votel stated that the United States government does not track the end results of the coalition missions. It refills and supports with targeting assistance. So my question to you is, how do you determine that we are effectively reducing the non combatant casualties if we don't in fact track the results of the kingdoms military actions? Robert Karem: Senator, thank you. Um, it's correct that we do not monitor and track all of the Saudi aircraft, um, uh, a loft over Yemen. Uh, we have limited personnel and assets in order to do that. Uh, and CENTCOM's focus is obviously been on our own operations in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in Syria. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): I understand that, but my question is, our stated mission is to reduce noncombat and casualties. If we don't track, how do we determine that? Robert Karem: So I think one of our stated missions is precisely that. Um, there are multiple ways that I think we do have insight into, uh, Saudi, uh, targeting behavior. Um, we have helped them with their processes. Um, we have seen them implement a no strike list. Um, and we have seen their, their, their uh, capabilities, uh, improved. So the information is based upon what the Saudis tell you, how they're conducting the mission rather than the after impact of the mission. I think our military officers who are resident in Saudi Arabia are seeing how the Saudis approach, uh, this, this effort that took getting effort. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): But you know, obviously the proof is in the results and we don't know whether the results are, there are not fair statement. Robert Karem: I think we do see a difference in how the Saudis have operated in Yemen, how they operate. Sen. Ben Cardin (MD): I understand how they operate but we don't know whether in fact that's been effective. The United Nations Security Council panel of experts on Yemen concluded in recent reports that the cumulative effect of these airstrikes on civilian infrastructure demonstrates that even with precaution, cautionary measures were taken, they were largely inadequate and ineffective. Do you have any information that disagrees with that assessment? Robert Karem: Senator, I think the assessment of, uh, our central command is that the Saudi, uh, and Emirati targeting efforts, uh, have improved, um, uh, with the steps that they've taken. We do not have perfect understanding because we're not using all of our assets to monitor their aircraft, but we do get reporting from the ground on what taking place inside Yemen. 40:15 Sen. Rand Paul (KY): Ambassador Satterfield. I guess some people when they think about our strategy might question the idea of our strategy. You know, if your son was shooting off his pistol in the back yard and doing it indiscriminately and endangering the neighbors, would you give hmi more bullets or less? And we see the Saudis acting in an indiscriminate manner. They've bombed a funeral processions, they've killed a lot of civilians. And so our strategy is to give them more bombs, not less. And we say, well, if we don't give him the bomb, somebody else will. And that's sort of this global strategy, uh, that many in the bipartisan foreign policy consensus have. We have to, we have to always be involved. We always have to provide weapons or someone else will and they'll act even worse. But there's a, I guess a lot of examples that doesn't seem to be improving their behavior. Um, you could argue it's marginally better since we've been giving them more weapons, but it seems the opposite of logic. You would think you would give people less where you might withhold aid or withhold a assistance to the Saudis to get them to behave. But we do sort of the opposite. We give them more aid. What would your response be to that? David Satterfield: Senator, when I noted in my remarks that progress had been made on this issue of targeting, minimizing or mitigating civilian casualties, that phrase was carefully chosen into elaborate further on, uh, my colleagues remarks, uh, Robert Karem. We do work with the Saudis and have, particularly over the last six to nine months worked intensively on the types of munitions the Saudis are using, how they're using, how to discriminate target sets, how to assure through increased loiter time by aircraft that the targets sought are indeed clear of collateral or civilian damage. This is new. This is not the type of interaction… Sen. Rand Paul (KY): And yet the overall situation in Yemen is a, is a disaster. David Satterfield: The overall situation is extremely bad. Senator. Sen. Rand Paul (KY): I guess that's really my question. We had to rethink...And I think from a common sense point of view, a lot of people would question giving people who misbehave more weapons instead of giving them less on another question, which I think is a broad question about, you know, what we're doing in the Middle East in general. Um, you admitted that there's not really a military solution in Yemen. Most people say it's going to be a political solution. The Houthis will still remain. We're not going to have Hiroshima. We're not going to have unconditional surrender and the good guys win and the bad guys are vanquished. Same with Syria. Most people have said for years, both the Obama administration and this administration, probably even the Bush administration, the situation will probably be a political solution. They will no longer, it's not going to be complete vanquished meant of the enemy. We're also saying that in Afghanistan, and I guess my point as I think about that is I think about the recruiter at the station in Omaha, Nebraska, trying to get somebody to sign up for the military and saying, please join. We're going to send you to three different wars where there is no military solution. We're hoping to make it maybe a little bit better. I think back to Vietnam. Oh, we're going to take one more village. If we take one more village, they're going to negotiate and we get a little better negotiation. I just can't see sending our young men and women to die for that for one more village. You know the Taliban 40% in Afghanistan. Where are we going to get when they get to 30% don't negotiate and when we it, it'll be, it'll have been worth it for the people who have to go in and die and take those villages. I don't think it's one more life. I don't think it's worth one more life. The war in Yemen is not hard. We talk all about the Iranians have launched hundreds of missiles. Well, yeah, and the Saudis have launched 16,000 attacks. Who started it? It's a little bit murky back and forth. The, the Houthis may have started taking over their government, but that was a civil war. Now we're involved in who are the good guys of the Saudis, the good guys or the others, the bad guys. Thousands of civilians are dying. 17 million people live on the edge of starvation. I think we need to rethink whether or not military intervention supplying the Saudis with weapons, whether all of this makes any sense at all or whether we've made the situation worse. I mean, humanitarian crisis, we're talking about, oh, we're going to give my, the Saudis are giving them money and I'm like, okay, so we dropped, we bomb the crap out of them in this audience. Give them $1 billion. Maybe we could bomb last maybe part of the humanitarian answers, supplying less weapons to a war. There's a huge arms race going on. Why do the Iranians do what they do? They're evil. Or maybe they're responding to the Saudis who responded first, who started it? Where did the arms race start? But we sell $300 billion a weapons to Saudi Arabia. What are the Iranians going to do? They react. It's action and reaction throughout the Middle East. And so we paint the Iranians as the, you know, these evil monsters. And we just have to correct evil monster. But the world's a much more complicated place back and forth. And I, all I would ask is that we try to get outside our mindset that we, uh, what we're doing is working because I think what we're doing hasn't worked, and we've made a lot of things worse. And we're partly responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.  48:30 David Satterfield: The political picture on the ground in Yemen has changed radically with the death, the killing of a Ali Abdullah Saleh, uh, with the fragmentation of the General People's Congress. All of that, while tragic in many of its dimensions, has provided a certain reshuffling of the deck that may, we hope, allow the United Nations to be more effective in its efforts. 1:05:45 Sen. Todd Young (IN): Approximately how many people, Mr. Jenkins require humanitarian assistance in Yemen? David Jenkins: 22 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): What percent of the population is that? David Jenkins: Approximately 75% was the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance increase from last year. It increased by our, we're estimating 3.5 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): And how much has it increased? David Jenkins: About 3.5 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): Okay. How many are severely food insecure? David Jenkins: 17.8 million. Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many children are severely malnourished? David Jenkins: 460,000 Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many people lack access to clean water and working toilets? David Jenkins: We estimate it to be around 16 million people. Sen. Todd Young (IN): Does Yemen face the largest cholera outbreak in the world? David Jenkins: It does. Sen. Todd Young (IN): How many cholera cases have we seen in Yemen? David Jenkins: A suspected over a 1 million cases. Sen. Todd Young (IN): And how many lives has that cholera outbreak claim? David Jenkins: Almost 2100. 1:46:00 Robert Jenkins: I do know that the vast majority of people within that, the majority of people in need, and that 22 million number live in the northern part of the country that are accessible best and easiest by Hodeidah port, there is no way to take Hodeidah out of the equation and get anywhere near the amount of humanitarian and more importantly, even commercial goods into the country. Hearing: Violence in Yemen, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North America, C-SPAN, April 14, 2015. Witnesses: Gerald Feierstein: Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Former Ambassador to Yemen (2010-2013) Sound Clips: 1:45 Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL): On September 10th of last year, President Obama announced to the American public his plan to degrade and destroy the terrorist group ISIL. While making his case for America's role in the fight against ISIL, the president highlighted our strategy in Yemen and held it up as a model of success to be emulated in the fight against ISIL. Yet about a week later, the Iran backed Houthis seized control of the capital and the government. Despite this, the administration continued to hail our counter-terror operations in Yemen as a model for success, even though we effectively had no partner on the ground since President Hadi was forced to flee. But perhaps even more astonishingly in what can only be described as an alarmingly tone deaf and short sighted, when Press Secretary Ernest was asked at a press briefing if this model was still successful after the Yemeni central government collapsed and the US withdrew all of our personnel including our special forces, he said yes, despite all indications pointing to the contrary. So where do we stand now? That's the important question. President Hadi was forced to flee. Saudi Arabia has led a coalition of over 10 Arab nations and Operation Decisive Storm, which so far has consisted of airstrikes only, but very well could include ground forces in the near future. 4:45 Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehtinen (FL): Iran has reportedly dispatched a naval destroyer near Yemen in a game of chicken over one of the most important shipping routes in the Gulf of Aden. This area is a gateway between Europe and the Middle East and ran was not be allowed to escalate any tensions nor attempt to disrupt the shipping lanes. 13:30 Rep. David Cicilline (NJ): I think it's safe to say that the quick deterioration of the situation in Yemen took many people here in Washington by surprise. For many years, Yemen was held up as an example of counter-terrorism cooperation and it looked as if a political agreement might be achieved in the aftermath of the Arab spring. The United States poured approximately $900 million in foreign aid to Yemen since the transition in 2011 to support counter-terrorism, political reconciliation, the economy and humanitarian aid. Now we face a vastly different landscape and have to revise our assumptions and expectations. Furthermore, we risk being drawn deeply into another Iranian backed armed conflict in the Middle East. 17:30 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): Following the deposition of Yemen's longtime autocratic Saleh in 2011, the US supported an inclusive transition process. We had national dialogue aimed at rebuilding the country's political and governmental institutions and bridging gaps between groups that have had a long history of conflict. Yemen's first newly elected leader, President Hadi made clear his intentions to cooperate closely with the United States. 18:00 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): Yemen, the poorest country on the peninsula, needed support from the international community. The United States has long viewed Yemen as a safe haven for all Qaeda terrorists, and there was alarming potential for recruitment by terrorist groups given the dire economic conditions that they faced. In fact, the US Department of Homeland Security considers al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the affiliate, most likely the al Qaeda affiliate, most likely to attempt transnational attacks against the United States. 18:30 Rep. Ted Deutch (FL): While the national dialogue was initially viewed as successful, the process concluded in 2014 with several key reforms still not completed, including the drafting of the new constitution. The Hadi government had continued to face deep opposition from Yemen's northern tribes, mainly the Shiite Iranian backed Houthi rebels, over the past year. The Houthis, in coordination with tribes and military units still loyal to Saleh, began increasing their territorial control, eventually moving in to Sanaa. Saleh had long been thought to have used his existing relationship to undermine the Hadi government. Houthis are well trained, well funded, and experienced fighters, having fought the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia in 2009. 23:15 Gerald Feierstein: I greatly appreciate this opportunity to come before you today to review recent developments in Yemen and the efforts that the United States is undertaking to support the government of Yemen under president Rabu Mansour Hadi and the Saudi led coalition of Operation Decisive Storm, that is aimed at restoring the legitimate government and restarting the negotiations to find peaceful political solutions to Yemen's internal conflict. 26:45 Gerald Feierstein: To the best of our understanding, the Houthis are not controlled directly by Iran. However, we have seen in recent years, significant growth and expansion of Iranian engagement with the Houthis. We believe that Iran sees opportunities with the Houthis to expand its influence in Yemen and threatened Saudi and Gulf Arab interests. Iran provides financial support, weapons training, and intelligence of the Houthis and the weeks and months since the Houthis entered Sanaa and forced the legitimate government first to resign and ultimately to flee from the capitol, we have seen a significant expansion of Iranian involvement in Yemen's domestic affairs. 27:30 Gerald Feierstein: We are also particularly concerned about the ongoing destabilizing role played by former President Saleh, who since his removal from power in 2011 has actively plotted to undermine President Hadi and the political transition process. Despite UN sanctions and international condemnation of his actions, Saleh continues to be one of the primary sources of the chaos in Yemen. We have been working with our Gulf partners and the international community to isolate him and prevent the continuation of his efforts to undermine the peaceful transition. Success in that effort will go a long way to helping Yemen return to a credible political transition process. 42:00 Gerald Feierstein: From our perspective, I would say that that Yemen is a unique situation for the Saudis. This is on their border. It represents a threat in a way that no other situation would represent. 52:30 Gerald Feierstein: I mean, obviously our hope would be that if we can get the situation stabilized and get the political process going again, that we would be able to return and that we would be able to continue implementing the kinds of programs that we were trying to achieve that are aimed at economic growth and development as well as supporting a democratic governance and the opportunity to try to build solid political foundations for the society. At this particular moment, we can't do that, but it's hard to predict where we might be in six months or nine months from now. 1:10:00 Gerald Feierstein: When the political crisis came in Yemen in 2011, AQAP was able to take advantage of that and increase its territorial control, to the extent that they were actually declaring areas of the country to be an Islamic caliphate, not unlike what we see with ISIL in Iraq and Syria these days. Because of our cooperation, primarily our cooperation with the Yemeni security forces, uh, we were able to, uh, to defeat that, uh, at a significant loss of a life for AQAP. Uh, as a result of that, they changed their tactics. They went back to being a more traditional terrorist organization. They were able to attack locations inside of, uh, inside of Sanaa and and elsewhere. But the fact of the matter is that, uh, that we, uh, were achieving a progress in our ability to pressure them, uh, and, uh, to keep them on the defensive as opposed to giving them lots of time. And remember in 2009 in 2010, uh, we saw AQAP mount a fairly serious efforts - the underwear bomber and then also the cassette tape effort to attack the United States. After 2010, uh, they were not able to do that, uh, despite the fact that their intent was still as clear and as strong as it was before. And so a while AQAP was by no means defeated and continue to be a major threat to security here in the United States as well as in Yemen and elsewhere around the world, nevertheless, I think that it was legitimate to say that we had achieved some success in the fight against AQAP. Unfortunately what we're seeing now because of the change in the situation again, inside of Yemen, uh, is that we're losing some of the gains that we were able to make, uh, during that period of 2012 to 2014. That's why it's so important that we, uh, have, uh, the ability to get the political negotiation started again, so that we can re-establish legitimate government inside of Sanaa that will cooperate with us once again in this fight against violent extremist organizations. 1:16:45 Rep. Ted Yoho (FL): How can we be that far off? And I know you explained the counter-terrorism portion, but yet to have a country taken over while we're sitting there working with them and this happens. I feel, you know, it just kinda happened overnight the way our embassy got run out of town and just says, you have to leave. Your marines cannot take their weapons with them. I, I just, I don't understand how that happens or how we can be that disconnected. Um, what are your thoughts on that? Gerald Feierstein: You know, it was very, it was very frustrating. Again, I think that, if you go back to where we were a year ago, the successful conclusion of the National Dialogue Conference, which was really the last major hurdle and completion of the GCC initiative, Houthis participated in that. They participated in the constitutional drafting exercise, which was completed successfully. Uh, and so we were in the process of moving through all of the requirements of the GCC initiative that would allow us to complete successfully the political transition. I think there were a combination of things. One, that there was a view on the part of the Houthis that they were not getting everything that they wanted. They were provoked, in our view, by Ali Abdullah Saleh, who never stopped plotting from the very first day after he signed the agreement on the GCC initiative. He never stopped plotting to try to block the political transition, and there was, to be frank, there was a weakness in the government and an inability on the part of the government to really build the kind of alliances and coalition that would allow them to sustain popular support and to bring this to a successful conclusion. And so I think that all through this period there was a sense that we were moving forward and that we believed that we could succeed in implementing this peaceful transition. And yet we always knew that on the margins there were threats and there were risks, and unfortunately we got to a point where the Houthis and Ali Abdullah Saleh, my personal view is that they recognized that they had reached the last possible moment, where they could obstruct the peaceful political transition that was bad for them because it would mean that they wouldn't get everything that they wanted, and so they saw that time was running out for them, and they decided to act. And unfortunately, the government was unable to stop them. Hearing: Targeted Killing of Terrorist Suspects Overseas, Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Human Rights, C-SPAN, April 23, 2013. Sound Clips: 44:30 Farea al-Muslimi: My name as you mentioned, is Farea al-Muslimi, and I am from Wessab, a remote village mountain in Yemen. I spent a year living with an American family and attended an American high school. That was one of the best years of my life. I learned about American culture, managed the school basketball team and participated in trick or treat and Halloween. But the most exceptional was coming to know someone who ended up being like a father to me. He was a member of the U S Air Force and most of my year was spent with him and his family. He came to the mosque with me and I went to church with him and he became my best friend in America. I went to the U.S. as an ambassador for Yemen and I came back to Yemen as an ambassador of the U.S. I could never have imagined that the same hand that changed my life and took it from miserable to a promising one would also drone my village. My understanding is that a man named Hamid al-Radmi was the target of the drone strike. Many people in Wessab know al-Radmi, and the Yemeni government could easily have found and arrested him. al-Radmi was well known to government officials and even local government could have captured him if the U.S. had told them to do so. In the past, what Wessab's villagers knew of the U.S. was based on my stories about my wonderful experiences had. The friendships and values I experienced and described to the villagers helped them understand the America that I know and that I love. Now, however, when they think of America, they think of the terror they feel from the drones that hover over their heads ready to fire missiles at any time. What violent militants had previously failed to achieve one drone strike accomplished in an instant. 1:17:30 Farea al-Muslimi: I think the main difference between this is it adds into Al Qaeda propaganda of that Yemen is a war with the United States. The problem of Al Qaeda, if you look to the war in Yemen, it's a war of mistakes. The less mistake you make, the more you win, and the drones have simply made more mistakes than AQAP has ever done in the matter of civilians. News Report: Untold Stories of the underwear bomber: what really happened, ABC News 7 Detroit, September 27, 2012. Part 1 Part 2 Hearing: U.S. Policy Toward Yemen, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, C-SPAN, July 19, 2011. Witnesses: Janet Sanderson: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Daniel Benjamin: State Department Counterterrorism Coordinator Sound Clips: 21:00 Janet Sanderson: The United States continues its regular engagement with the government, including with President Ali, Abdullah Saleh, who's currently, as you know, recovering in Saudi Arabia from his injuries following the June 3rd attack on his compound, the acting president, Vice President Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, the opposition, civil society activists, and others interested in Yemen's future. We strongly support the Gulf Cooperation Council's initiative, which we believe would lead to a peaceful and orderly political transition. The GCC initiative signed by both the ruling General People's Congress party and the opposition coalition, joint meeting parties. Only president Saleh is blocking the agreement moving forward and we continue to call on him to sign the initiative. 22:30 Janet Sanderson: While most protests in Yemen have been peaceful over the last couple of months, there have been violent clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators and between protesters and government security forces and irregular elements using forced to break up demonstrations. The United States is strongly urged the Yemeni government to investigate and prosecute all acts of violence against protesters. 27:00 Janet Sanderson: We strongly believe that a transition is necessary, that an orderly, peaceful transition is the only way to begin to lead Yemen out of the crisis that it has been in for the last few months. 34:30 Daniel Benjamin: Really, I just want to echo what ambassador Sanderson said. It is vitally important that the transition take place. 1:02:15 Daniel Benjamin: The the view from the administration, particularly from a DOD, which is doing of course, the lion's share of the training, although State Department through anti-terrorism training is doing, uh, uh, a good deal as well, is that the Yemenis are, uh, improving their capacities, that they are making good progress towards, uh, being, able to deal with the threats within their border. But it is important to recognize that, uh, uh, our engagement in Yemen was interrupted for many years. Uh, Yemen, uh, did not have the kind of mentoring programs, the kind of training programs that many of our other counter-terrorism partners had. Um, it was really when the Obama administration came into office that a review was done, uh, in, in March of, uh, beginning in March of 2009, it was recognized that Yemen was a major challenge in the world of counter terrorism. And it was not until, uh, December after many conversations with the Yemenis that we really felt that they were on-board with the project and in fact took their first actions against AQAP. This, as you may recall, was just shortly before the attempted, uh, December 25th bombing of the northwest flight. So this is a military and a set of, uh, Ministry of Interior that is civilian, uh, units that are making good progress, but obviously have a lot to learn. So, uh, again, vitally important that we get back to the work of training these units so that they can, uh, take on the missions they need to. Press Conference: Yemen Conference, C-SPAN, January 27, 2010. Speakers: David Miliband - British Foreign Secretary Hillary Clinton - Secretary of State Abu Bakr al-Kurbi - Yemeni Foreign Minister Sound Clips: 3:30 David Miliband: And working closely with the government of Yemen, we decided that our agenda needed to cover agreement on the nature of the problem and then address the, uh, solutions across the economic, social, and political terrain. Five key items were agreed at the meeting for the way in which the international community can support progress in Yemen. First, confirmation by the government of Yemen, that it will continue to pursue its reform agenda and agreement to start discussion of an IMF program. The director of the IMF represented at the meeting made a compelling case for the way in which economic reform could be supported by the IMF. This is important because it will provide welcome support and help the government of Yemen confront its immediate challenges. 11:45 Hillary Clinton: The United States just signed a three year umbrella assistance agreement with the government of Yemen that will augment Yemen's capacity to make progress. This package includes initiatives that will cover a range of programs, but the overarching goal of our work is to increase the capacity and governance of Yemen and give the people of Yemen the opportunity to better make choices in their own lives. President Saleh has outlined a 10 point plan for economic reform along with the country's national reform agenda. Those are encouraging signs of progress. Neither, however, will mean much if they are not implemented. So we expect Yemen to enact reforms, continue to combat corruption, and improve the country's investment in business climate. 15:45 Abu Bakr al-Kurbi: This commitment also stems from our belief that the challenges we are facing now cannot be remedied unless we implement this agenda of reforms and the 10 points that her exellency alluded to because this is now a priority number of issues that we have to start with, and I hope this is what will be one of the outcomes of this meeting. 16:30 Hillary Clinton: One of the factors that's new is the IMF's involvement and commitment. the IMF has come forward with a reform agenda that the government of Yemen has agreed to work on. 24:30 Hillary Clinton: We were pleased by the announcement of a cease fire, um, between the Saudis and the Houthis. That should lead, we hope, to broader negotiations and a political dialogue that might lead to a permanent, uh, end to the conflict in the north. It's too soon to tell. The Daily Show with John Stewart: Terror 2.0 by Yemen - Sad Libs, CC.com, January 6, 2010. The Daily Show with John Stewart: Terror 2.0 by Yemen, CC.com, January 4, 2010. Community Suggestions See Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)