Podcasts about bomb wing

For review:1. US CENTCOM Release:- US Forces assigned to CENTCOM strike ISIS camps in Syria resulting in 35 operatives killed.- B-52 Stratofortress Bombers arrive in CENTCOM AOR from Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota from the 5th Bomb Wing.2.  Israeli Commando Raid in Northern Lebanon.According Al-Akhbar report, operatives from the Navy's Shayetet 13 commando unit captured suspected Hezbollah Naval Official, some 140 kilometers (87 miles) north of Israel's maritime border with Lebanon.3. IDF captures Syrian man conducting surveillance for Iran.Israeli commandos recently carried out a raid in southern Syria where they captured a Syrian man who was allegedly carrying surveillance operations on the border on behalf of Iran. The raid in Syria was carried by the Egoz commando unit, along with field interrogators of the Intelligence Directorate's Unit 504.4. Iran President (Masoud Pezeshkian) says that a ceasefire between Israel and Iranian allies- "could affect the intensity" of retaliation.5. On the border with Lebanon, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu: "with or without an agreement” with Lebanon, restoring security in the north and returning residents to their homes requires pushing Hezbollah north of the Litani River, preventing the terror group from rearming and responding to any activity against Israel.6. Axios Report: US tells Iran (through Switzerland), "We won't be able to hold Israel back, and we won't be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one.”7. US Security Assistance Package to Ukraine Worth $425 Million - Includes 200 Stryker Combat Vehicles.8. Lithuania provides new military assistance package to Ukraine- including electricity generators, ammunition, and mortar rounds. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry said that the equipment is expected to reach Kyiv this week. Lithuania has already donated 155 mm ammunition, M113 armored personnel carriers,  anti-drone systems, and drones this year.9. North Korea's Foreign Minister visits Moscow. NK FM Choe Son Hui:  “We will always stand firmly by our Russian comrades until victory day,” Choe declared in Moscow after talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.10.  India Procures 31 x US-Built MQ-9B Drones in deal worth $3.8 billion.11. India to develop attack submarine fleet. India is now working on a new class of attack submarines (SSN) after the government approved US$4.8 billion for the construction of an initial two 6,000-ton boats, and that an eventual six SSNs in this class are planned for the Indian Navy. 

Loading Up for Mayhem.By ronde, in 3 parts. Listen to the ► podcast at Connected.One thing that nagged at me was what I’d do in a medical emergency, like if I cut myself chopping firewood or fell down and broke my arm or leg. The first aid kit in my bug-out bag wouldn’t do anything for either of those situations. I did a lot of reading and finally bought what would probably be in any combat medic’s kit. I couldn’t do surgery, but I had enough to splint a broken limb, stop severe bleeding, and sew up a bad cut.Every week, I stopped by the local liquor store and bought a bottle each of reasonably good scotch, bourbon, vodka, and rum. My logic for that much alcohol was it’s a good mild anesthetic and all the experts said it would be good trading material if money became worthless. I figured the extra hundred dollars a week that cost me was just good preparation, and I could always drink it or give it away if things got back to normal.Another piece of advice I learned from one book was the saying, “Two is one and one is none.” What that means is if you have only one of something, like say, an axe, if it breaks you have none. If you have two or more, you’ll at least have one that’s usable while you’re fixing the other. When I was buying tools, I made sure I had duplicates of anything that I thought would be vital to my survival.The last thing to go into my storage space was more of an impulse buy than anything else. I was browsing through the gardening department of a local big box store that September and looking for what they’d put on sale when I passed a display of garden seeds. They were marked down by half. I’d been reading that having a garden is a must for long-term survival. Like Jeff had said about the guy in Montana, I had no idea what might happen, but being prepared was better than not being prepared. I searched through the seed packets looking for “heirloom” varieties because they’ll reproduce true from seed year after year. I bought enough to plant a huge garden and hoped I’d never need to.It was surprising how little money I really spent and how much food and other stuff that money bought. Once I had a year’s supply, I looked at it and it didn’t seem very big so I just kept buying food and supplies like I had before. By the summer after my bunker was built and furnished, I figured I had enough food and other supplies to last me about five years if I didn’t hunt and fish and I’d spent a total of about fifteen grand.That was less than two months of my salary, and if I hadn’t spent it, it would have just sat in my bank. I figured having the stuff more than made up for the loss of interest my bank would have paid me. A lot of articles I  read said in a lot of SHTF situations, money wouldn’t be worth anything anyway.Prepper Drills.Once I started stocking my bunker, I started making the drive out there on Friday night after work and staying until Sunday about noon. That gave me a chance to practice using the stove, food, and lighting to see if I needed to change anything. I did miss having a TV at first, but a good selection of books were almost as good and I didn’t have to watch any dumb commercials. If I got tired of reading, I could go outside and listen to music, news, and even some people on short wave on my hand-cranked radio.What I found is that living in my bunker wasn’t all that bad. I learned how to cook on my little wood stove and how to make my beans and rice taste good. I even figured out how to make cornbread in the little oven. That all worked out really well up until the twenty-eighth of December of the next year.White-out.When I woke up, it was snowing up a storm, but I had to go to the base. There was a software upgrade to one of our simulators that absolutely couldn’t wait until after New Year’s Day. It took me an hour to drive the twenty miles.I was making pretty good progress on the upgrade when about ten in the morning all the lights in the building went out. The emergency lights came on when the emergency generators started, so I figured for some reason one of the main circuit breakers in the building had tripped. Sometimes one would trip for no apparent reason, and resetting it fixed the problem.When I went to the power house in the building to see, they were all fine. The meters on the main switchgear were all dark though, and that told me there was no power coming into the building. That meant it was probably a circuit breaker at the base substation, but when I went outside, there were people coming out of all the other buildings as well. It looked as if the whole base had lost power.That couldn’t happen, or at least it wasn’t supposed to happen. The base was connected directly to the grid and the base substation and lines that serve it were supposed to be hardened against about any natural disaster. There was no natural disaster taking place, so at least a major part of the electrical grid must have gone down.I was rapidly getting a funny feeling in my gut, because there were only three reasons I could think of that would cause a major part of the electrical grid to go down.One was a nuclear device detonated high in the atmosphere. That would cause a massive EMP that could take the control systems at almost all the generating plants and distribution stations off-line. It would also disable most communication systems, including communications satellites and their ground-based relay stations. At least some of the military communications equipment on the ground, in the air, and at sea would survive, but without the satellites, they would be useless.Protecting against EMP was expensive and troublesome to work with because it entailed enclosing all equipment in a wire cage that was grounded to the earth. That’s why most protection was done by the military. They could afford it.Power companies and factories couldn’t afford to protect the huge substations they had without government money, and the cost to do so was astronomical. So far, Congress hadn’t seen fit to provide that money because doing so would have meant cutting back on the social programs most politicians used to keep getting themselves elected.Another was a solar flare big enough to do the same thing, but NASA would have figured out that it was going to happen and sent out a warning days before it was to hit the earth. They hadn’t.The other was a terrorist attack, either physical or cyber that did the same thing. All it takes to effectively kill the U S electrical grid is to shut down ten major distribution substations. We know that because of studies that were done by Homeland Security after 9 11. Terrorists may be a lot of things, but they keep proving they’re not stupid. It wasn’t crazy to think at least one group knew what ten substations would kill the grid and had a plan to take them out when they were ready.Even if something or someone didn’t manage to take out all ten, once part of the grid was down, operators would try to shift the load to another part. This would quickly overload the grid in that area and operators would shut it down in an attempt to keep from damaging their equipment. It would be a chain-reaction of shut-downs until the whole grid lost power.It really didn’t matter why the grid went down. Whatever the cause, it might take a long time to get it back up again. Any damaged hardware would have to be replaced and a lot of that equipment is not on the shelf someplace. It’s made to order and delivery times are months to over a year. If there was no power, there would be no way to make replacements. Even if there were replacements available, they’d have to be installed and then the grid brought back on-line in a very controlled manner to prevent phase mismatch and overloads.Doing that was sort of a “Catch 22” scenario. Some of the electricity generated by a power station is used to run the control systems for that station. Without some source of power, even if everything was repaired, they’d have to get electricity from somewhere in order to fire up the generating plant. The plan for most of the generating plants on the grid was either one special generating plant or diesel-powered generators mounted on trucks. An EMP pulse big enough to take out the grid would also take out the control systems for those special generating plants and truck mounted generators. A terrorist attack would surely have included those special generating plants and at least some of the standby generators.Taking Action.I left everything where it was and got in my truck. The fact that my truck started pretty much eliminated an EMP event as the cause of the black-out. Any electronic device would be affected by EMP, and the computer controls in cars and trucks would be among the first to go unless they weren’t older than a couple years. My truck was five years old.My first stop was my apartment. I put all my clothes in plastic garbage bags, filled a plastic storage box with all my pots and pans and kitchen stuff that didn’t need electricity, and filled another plastic storage box with my books and magazines about survival and engineering. After I hauled all that out the door and dumped it in the bed of my truck, I took a last look around for anything I’d missed that I might need. All I picked up was a picture of me, Mom, and Dad in front of the old farmhouse on the farm taken when I graduated from high school. I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.My second stop was the assisted living home where my mother was staying. I wasn’t about to leave her there with no guarantee that she’d be safe. I tried the local radio stations, both AM and FM on the way. They were broadcasting with generator power and confirmed the blackout was across at least the entire state, but had no explanation for what happened.As I drove into the drive of Fairlawn Retirement Community, the newsperson said they had unverified information that the entire U S electrical grid was down. Cell phone towers would continue to work until their battery backups failed, so law enforcement was still monitoring the 911 system and responding as quickly as they could.It might take weeks to find out what really happened if we ever could. With no electricity, it would be impossible to check any servers for any unauthorized entry of any computer control system for manipulation of the control parameters. Since nobody seemed to know the cause, I was putting my money on a cyber attack on the U S electrical grid, and probably the attack had been aimed at damaging as much equipment as possible.With no electricity, Fairlawn’s intercom system didn’t work so I had to pound on the door for a while before one of the nurses came to the door. Thankfully, she recognized me and let me in. When I found Mom’s room, I didn’t give her a chance to tell me no. I just grabbed all the clothes in her closet and told her we were leaving. All she said was she needed some underwear and shoes too, so I waited until she stuffed them in a suitcase. I wouldn’t have let the nurses stop me from taking Mom out if they’d tried, but they were too busy trying to make sure everybody was in their rooms.From there, I drove to my bunker and parked my pickup beside the hatch, then helped Mom down the stairs and inside. After a couple trips back to my truck to get her clothes and my other stuff, I parked the truck behind some trees, went to the bunker, and locked the door behind me.Mom was pretty shaken up.“Teddy, what happened and why did you drag me out of Fairlawn? The electricity has gone out before. It always comes back on in a day or two at most. At least at Fairlawn I’d have been warm. It’s like a refrigerator in here.”As I built a fire in the stove, I tried to explain what I thought had happened and why I wanted her here with me.“Mom, you heard the radio. It’s not just this area or even just South Dakota. It’s the whole U S. My best guess is somebody hacked into the U S electrical grid and shut it down. The grid and other businesses have been hacked before, just not on this large a scale. There was even a nuclear power plant in Kansas that was hacked in 2017. It’s also happened in South Korea, India, and Germany. In the Kansas plant, the FBI said it looked like the hackers were mapping the computer systems in preparation for another attack. I think this was that attack."If the whole grid is down like they’re saying, the U S will basically come to a screeching halt, because nothing will work. Factories won’t be able to make anything, including food. Trucking companies won’t be able to dispatch trucks or re-fuel them. Warehouses won’t know what inventory they have or where it is. You won’t even be able to pay for something a store has and you need because the cash registers won’t work."What that means is people who need food will be breaking into anyplace that has food. Other people will be waiting to take that food from them. People who are cold will be trying to find someplace with heat that still works and they’ll break in if they have to.”I put my hand on her shoulder so she’d know I was serious.“Mom, I really, really hope I’m overreacting, but what I’m talking about is riots in the streets and nobody there will be safe. Here, I have enough food to keep us going for at least a couple years, I can keep you warm, and nobody can break in here. That’s why I dragged you out of Fairlawn. Please don’t be mad at me.”Mom looked up and smiled.“I’m not mad at you Ted. Your dad would have done the same thing in this situation. He’d be proud that you did."So, what do you do down here for entertainment? I guess I won’t be playing Hearts with the girls for at least a while.”Settling In.I gave Mom the bedroom and I slept on the fold-out couch. After I cooked a couple of meals, Mom laughed and said she hadn’t done a very good job in teaching me. I had to admit her meals were a lot better than mine. At night, we’d read or just talk. We hadn’t just talked for a long time.I guess that’s what happens when your parents are close enough you see them a lot. You tend to talk about the small stuff instead of what’s really important. I found out more about Mom and Dad and their relationship than I’d ever even suspected.I’d always thought Mom was a prim and proper housewife who lived for her husband and me. Well, she was that, but apparently not before I was born. She was waiting tables in a bar when Dad and a couple of his friends walked in and sat down at one of her tables. Dad took one look at her and said, “Honey, what time do you get off?”Mom laughed then and said he only looked at her because she was only half dressed at the time.“I knew guys liked to see boobs and long legs and I had both so I dressed to show them off. They got me a lot of tips. They also got me your Dad, though I didn’t know it at the time. He said he had a little ranch and he’d teach me to ride a horse if I’d come out. Well, I did, and he did teach me. I moved in with him two months later, just to try things out. After another three months, we decided we fit together pretty good, so we got married.”Apparently, their first years had been a struggle. Cattle prices were down so Dad went to work at a sawmill so they’d have enough money to eat. Mom told me some of the ways she stretched the food budget, ways I hadn’t thought of but proved to be useful as time went on.Every day for the first week, I’d crank up my radio and go outside to see if anything had changed. The only thing that had changed was the radio stations had evidently used up their generator fuel supply because none of them were broadcasting. I did tune in a couple of ham radio operators every day. They didn’t know anything more than I did, but they confirmed the entire U S was affected as well as at least some of the European Union. They were able to transmit only because they had solar panel arrays and battery packs.I also watched the sky in the direction of the base. In addition to housing the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB was a training center for B 1 B bomber crews. All training flights had been cancelled for the holidays, but now that it was January, there should have been at least one or two flights a day. I didn’t see anything in the sky except two turkey vultures and one bald eagle. If the training flights weren’t taking place, the base wasn’t up and running, and that probably meant nothing else was either.At night, I noticed another thing. My bunker was about twenty miles from Rapid City, but on the nights I’d stayed there, I could see the lights of the city reflected by any clouds in the sky. I hadn’t seen that since the power went out, so Rapid City and Ellsworth were still in the dark. I decided I needed to find out for sure.It was a Tuesday morning, if I remember right, when I told Mom what I was going to do.“I’m going to drive over to the base and see what’s going on. Don’t worry. I’m not going to take any chances. I’m just going to drive close enough to the main gate to see if anybody’s going in or out. If things look OK, I’ll take you back to Fairlawn. If not, well, at least we’ll know."Now, I showed you how to lock the deadbolts on the door. Lock them all when I leave. When I come back, I’ll tap on the door three times, wait for two seconds, and then tap two more times. If you don’t hear that, don’t open the door.”I strapped the 3 57 Mag on my belt and left. When I was outside, I waited until I heard each bolt slide. Ten minutes later I was on the county road and headed toward Ellsworth.National Emergency.I got within a block of the main gate at Ellsworth and it was worse than I thought it might be. Before, the main gate was always open and guarded by two guards with M-4 rifles from the 28th Security Squadron. If you had a sticker on your windshield, they’d salute you as you drove through. If you didn’t they’d stop you and ask why you wanted on base. If your name was on the access list for the day, they let you through. If it wasn’t they’d ask for the name of the person you were going to contact. They’d phone that person and ask if you had a legitimate appointment. If you did, they’d apologize for the inconvenience and let you through. If not, they’d respectfully tell you they couldn’t let you on base and show you where you could turn around.That day, I counted ten guards with M-4’s, three standing in front of the closed gate and the rest behind sandbags on each side of the entrance drive. When I looked closer, there was a machine gun with crew on each side as well.I didn’t try to drive in. I’d seen enough to know that Ellsworth was in a maximum security scenario. Instead, I turned down the street before the gate and then drove to Fairlawn because I knew Mom would want to know if everything was all right there. Along the way I passed several gas stations and stores that were all closed. A couple of the grocery stores had plywood screwed over the windows.Because of that, I decided not to tell Mom about

Loading Up for Mayhem.By ronde, in 3 parts. Listen to the ► podcast at Connected.One thing that nagged at me was what I’d do in a medical emergency, like if I cut myself chopping firewood or fell down and broke my arm or leg. The first aid kit in my bug-out bag wouldn’t do anything for either of those situations. I did a lot of reading and finally bought what would probably be in any combat medic’s kit. I couldn’t do surgery, but I had enough to splint a broken limb, stop severe bleeding, and sew up a bad cut.Every week, I stopped by the local liquor store and bought a bottle each of reasonably good scotch, bourbon, vodka, and rum. My logic for that much alcohol was it’s a good mild anesthetic and all the experts said it would be good trading material if money became worthless. I figured the extra hundred dollars a week that cost me was just good preparation, and I could always drink it or give it away if things got back to normal.Another piece of advice I learned from one book was the saying, “Two is one and one is none.” What that means is if you have only one of something, like say, an axe, if it breaks you have none. If you have two or more, you’ll at least have one that’s usable while you’re fixing the other. When I was buying tools, I made sure I had duplicates of anything that I thought would be vital to my survival.The last thing to go into my storage space was more of an impulse buy than anything else. I was browsing through the gardening department of a local big box store that September and looking for what they’d put on sale when I passed a display of garden seeds. They were marked down by half. I’d been reading that having a garden is a must for long-term survival. Like Jeff had said about the guy in Montana, I had no idea what might happen, but being prepared was better than not being prepared. I searched through the seed packets looking for “heirloom” varieties because they’ll reproduce true from seed year after year. I bought enough to plant a huge garden and hoped I’d never need to.It was surprising how little money I really spent and how much food and other stuff that money bought. Once I had a year’s supply, I looked at it and it didn’t seem very big so I just kept buying food and supplies like I had before. By the summer after my bunker was built and furnished, I figured I had enough food and other supplies to last me about five years if I didn’t hunt and fish and I’d spent a total of about fifteen grand.That was less than two months of my salary, and if I hadn’t spent it, it would have just sat in my bank. I figured having the stuff more than made up for the loss of interest my bank would have paid me. A lot of articles I  read said in a lot of SHTF situations, money wouldn’t be worth anything anyway.Prepper Drills.Once I started stocking my bunker, I started making the drive out there on Friday night after work and staying until Sunday about noon. That gave me a chance to practice using the stove, food, and lighting to see if I needed to change anything. I did miss having a TV at first, but a good selection of books were almost as good and I didn’t have to watch any dumb commercials. If I got tired of reading, I could go outside and listen to music, news, and even some people on short wave on my hand-cranked radio.What I found is that living in my bunker wasn’t all that bad. I learned how to cook on my little wood stove and how to make my beans and rice taste good. I even figured out how to make cornbread in the little oven. That all worked out really well up until the twenty-eighth of December of the next year.White-out.When I woke up, it was snowing up a storm, but I had to go to the base. There was a software upgrade to one of our simulators that absolutely couldn’t wait until after New Year’s Day. It took me an hour to drive the twenty miles.I was making pretty good progress on the upgrade when about ten in the morning all the lights in the building went out. The emergency lights came on when the emergency generators started, so I figured for some reason one of the main circuit breakers in the building had tripped. Sometimes one would trip for no apparent reason, and resetting it fixed the problem.When I went to the power house in the building to see, they were all fine. The meters on the main switchgear were all dark though, and that told me there was no power coming into the building. That meant it was probably a circuit breaker at the base substation, but when I went outside, there were people coming out of all the other buildings as well. It looked as if the whole base had lost power.That couldn’t happen, or at least it wasn’t supposed to happen. The base was connected directly to the grid and the base substation and lines that serve it were supposed to be hardened against about any natural disaster. There was no natural disaster taking place, so at least a major part of the electrical grid must have gone down.I was rapidly getting a funny feeling in my gut, because there were only three reasons I could think of that would cause a major part of the electrical grid to go down.One was a nuclear device detonated high in the atmosphere. That would cause a massive EMP that could take the control systems at almost all the generating plants and distribution stations off-line. It would also disable most communication systems, including communications satellites and their ground-based relay stations. At least some of the military communications equipment on the ground, in the air, and at sea would survive, but without the satellites, they would be useless.Protecting against EMP was expensive and troublesome to work with because it entailed enclosing all equipment in a wire cage that was grounded to the earth. That’s why most protection was done by the military. They could afford it.Power companies and factories couldn’t afford to protect the huge substations they had without government money, and the cost to do so was astronomical. So far, Congress hadn’t seen fit to provide that money because doing so would have meant cutting back on the social programs most politicians used to keep getting themselves elected.Another was a solar flare big enough to do the same thing, but NASA would have figured out that it was going to happen and sent out a warning days before it was to hit the earth. They hadn’t.The other was a terrorist attack, either physical or cyber that did the same thing. All it takes to effectively kill the U S electrical grid is to shut down ten major distribution substations. We know that because of studies that were done by Homeland Security after 9 11. Terrorists may be a lot of things, but they keep proving they’re not stupid. It wasn’t crazy to think at least one group knew what ten substations would kill the grid and had a plan to take them out when they were ready.Even if something or someone didn’t manage to take out all ten, once part of the grid was down, operators would try to shift the load to another part. This would quickly overload the grid in that area and operators would shut it down in an attempt to keep from damaging their equipment. It would be a chain-reaction of shut-downs until the whole grid lost power.It really didn’t matter why the grid went down. Whatever the cause, it might take a long time to get it back up again. Any damaged hardware would have to be replaced and a lot of that equipment is not on the shelf someplace. It’s made to order and delivery times are months to over a year. If there was no power, there would be no way to make replacements. Even if there were replacements available, they’d have to be installed and then the grid brought back on-line in a very controlled manner to prevent phase mismatch and overloads.Doing that was sort of a “Catch 22” scenario. Some of the electricity generated by a power station is used to run the control systems for that station. Without some source of power, even if everything was repaired, they’d have to get electricity from somewhere in order to fire up the generating plant. The plan for most of the generating plants on the grid was either one special generating plant or diesel-powered generators mounted on trucks. An EMP pulse big enough to take out the grid would also take out the control systems for those special generating plants and truck mounted generators. A terrorist attack would surely have included those special generating plants and at least some of the standby generators.Taking Action.I left everything where it was and got in my truck. The fact that my truck started pretty much eliminated an EMP event as the cause of the black-out. Any electronic device would be affected by EMP, and the computer controls in cars and trucks would be among the first to go unless they weren’t older than a couple years. My truck was five years old.My first stop was my apartment. I put all my clothes in plastic garbage bags, filled a plastic storage box with all my pots and pans and kitchen stuff that didn’t need electricity, and filled another plastic storage box with my books and magazines about survival and engineering. After I hauled all that out the door and dumped it in the bed of my truck, I took a last look around for anything I’d missed that I might need. All I picked up was a picture of me, Mom, and Dad in front of the old farmhouse on the farm taken when I graduated from high school. I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.My second stop was the assisted living home where my mother was staying. I wasn’t about to leave her there with no guarantee that she’d be safe. I tried the local radio stations, both AM and FM on the way. They were broadcasting with generator power and confirmed the blackout was across at least the entire state, but had no explanation for what happened.As I drove into the drive of Fairlawn Retirement Community, the newsperson said they had unverified information that the entire U S electrical grid was down. Cell phone towers would continue to work until their battery backups failed, so law enforcement was still monitoring the 911 system and responding as quickly as they could.It might take weeks to find out what really happened if we ever could. With no electricity, it would be impossible to check any servers for any unauthorized entry of any computer control system for manipulation of the control parameters. Since nobody seemed to know the cause, I was putting my money on a cyber attack on the U S electrical grid, and probably the attack had been aimed at damaging as much equipment as possible.With no electricity, Fairlawn’s intercom system didn’t work so I had to pound on the door for a while before one of the nurses came to the door. Thankfully, she recognized me and let me in. When I found Mom’s room, I didn’t give her a chance to tell me no. I just grabbed all the clothes in her closet and told her we were leaving. All she said was she needed some underwear and shoes too, so I waited until she stuffed them in a suitcase. I wouldn’t have let the nurses stop me from taking Mom out if they’d tried, but they were too busy trying to make sure everybody was in their rooms.From there, I drove to my bunker and parked my pickup beside the hatch, then helped Mom down the stairs and inside. After a couple trips back to my truck to get her clothes and my other stuff, I parked the truck behind some trees, went to the bunker, and locked the door behind me.Mom was pretty shaken up.“Teddy, what happened and why did you drag me out of Fairlawn? The electricity has gone out before. It always comes back on in a day or two at most. At least at Fairlawn I’d have been warm. It’s like a refrigerator in here.”As I built a fire in the stove, I tried to explain what I thought had happened and why I wanted her here with me.“Mom, you heard the radio. It’s not just this area or even just South Dakota. It’s the whole U S. My best guess is somebody hacked into the U S electrical grid and shut it down. The grid and other businesses have been hacked before, just not on this large a scale. There was even a nuclear power plant in Kansas that was hacked in 2017. It’s also happened in South Korea, India, and Germany. In the Kansas plant, the FBI said it looked like the hackers were mapping the computer systems in preparation for another attack. I think this was that attack."If the whole grid is down like they’re saying, the U S will basically come to a screeching halt, because nothing will work. Factories won’t be able to make anything, including food. Trucking companies won’t be able to dispatch trucks or re-fuel them. Warehouses won’t know what inventory they have or where it is. You won’t even be able to pay for something a store has and you need because the cash registers won’t work."What that means is people who need food will be breaking into anyplace that has food. Other people will be waiting to take that food from them. People who are cold will be trying to find someplace with heat that still works and they’ll break in if they have to.”I put my hand on her shoulder so she’d know I was serious.“Mom, I really, really hope I’m overreacting, but what I’m talking about is riots in the streets and nobody there will be safe. Here, I have enough food to keep us going for at least a couple years, I can keep you warm, and nobody can break in here. That’s why I dragged you out of Fairlawn. Please don’t be mad at me.”Mom looked up and smiled.“I’m not mad at you Ted. Your dad would have done the same thing in this situation. He’d be proud that you did."So, what do you do down here for entertainment? I guess I won’t be playing Hearts with the girls for at least a while.”Settling In.I gave Mom the bedroom and I slept on the fold-out couch. After I cooked a couple of meals, Mom laughed and said she hadn’t done a very good job in teaching me. I had to admit her meals were a lot better than mine. At night, we’d read or just talk. We hadn’t just talked for a long time.I guess that’s what happens when your parents are close enough you see them a lot. You tend to talk about the small stuff instead of what’s really important. I found out more about Mom and Dad and their relationship than I’d ever even suspected.I’d always thought Mom was a prim and proper housewife who lived for her husband and me. Well, she was that, but apparently not before I was born. She was waiting tables in a bar when Dad and a couple of his friends walked in and sat down at one of her tables. Dad took one look at her and said, “Honey, what time do you get off?”Mom laughed then and said he only looked at her because she was only half dressed at the time.“I knew guys liked to see boobs and long legs and I had both so I dressed to show them off. They got me a lot of tips. They also got me your Dad, though I didn’t know it at the time. He said he had a little ranch and he’d teach me to ride a horse if I’d come out. Well, I did, and he did teach me. I moved in with him two months later, just to try things out. After another three months, we decided we fit together pretty good, so we got married.”Apparently, their first years had been a struggle. Cattle prices were down so Dad went to work at a sawmill so they’d have enough money to eat. Mom told me some of the ways she stretched the food budget, ways I hadn’t thought of but proved to be useful as time went on.Every day for the first week, I’d crank up my radio and go outside to see if anything had changed. The only thing that had changed was the radio stations had evidently used up their generator fuel supply because none of them were broadcasting. I did tune in a couple of ham radio operators every day. They didn’t know anything more than I did, but they confirmed the entire U S was affected as well as at least some of the European Union. They were able to transmit only because they had solar panel arrays and battery packs.I also watched the sky in the direction of the base. In addition to housing the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB was a training center for B 1 B bomber crews. All training flights had been cancelled for the holidays, but now that it was January, there should have been at least one or two flights a day. I didn’t see anything in the sky except two turkey vultures and one bald eagle. If the training flights weren’t taking place, the base wasn’t up and running, and that probably meant nothing else was either.At night, I noticed another thing. My bunker was about twenty miles from Rapid City, but on the nights I’d stayed there, I could see the lights of the city reflected by any clouds in the sky. I hadn’t seen that since the power went out, so Rapid City and Ellsworth were still in the dark. I decided I needed to find out for sure.It was a Tuesday morning, if I remember right, when I told Mom what I was going to do.“I’m going to drive over to the base and see what’s going on. Don’t worry. I’m not going to take any chances. I’m just going to drive close enough to the main gate to see if anybody’s going in or out. If things look OK, I’ll take you back to Fairlawn. If not, well, at least we’ll know."Now, I showed you how to lock the deadbolts on the door. Lock them all when I leave. When I come back, I’ll tap on the door three times, wait for two seconds, and then tap two more times. If you don’t hear that, don’t open the door.”I strapped the 3 57 Mag on my belt and left. When I was outside, I waited until I heard each bolt slide. Ten minutes later I was on the county road and headed toward Ellsworth.National Emergency.I got within a block of the main gate at Ellsworth and it was worse than I thought it might be. Before, the main gate was always open and guarded by two guards with M-4 rifles from the 28th Security Squadron. If you had a sticker on your windshield, they’d salute you as you drove through. If you didn’t they’d stop you and ask why you wanted on base. If your name was on the access list for the day, they let you through. If it wasn’t they’d ask for the name of the person you were going to contact. They’d phone that person and ask if you had a legitimate appointment. If you did, they’d apologize for the inconvenience and let you through. If not, they’d respectfully tell you they couldn’t let you on base and show you where you could turn around.That day, I counted ten guards with M-4’s, three standing in front of the closed gate and the rest behind sandbags on each side of the entrance drive. When I looked closer, there was a machine gun with crew on each side as well.I didn’t try to drive in. I’d seen enough to know that Ellsworth was in a maximum security scenario. Instead, I turned down the street before the gate and then drove to Fairlawn because I knew Mom would want to know if everything was all right there. Along the way I passed several gas stations and stores that were all closed. A couple of the grocery stores had plywood screwed over the windows.Because of that, I decided not to tell Mom about

Loading Up for Mayhem.By ronde, in 3 parts. Listen to the ► podcast at Connected.One thing that nagged at me was what I’d do in a medical emergency, like if I cut myself chopping firewood or fell down and broke my arm or leg. The first aid kit in my bug-out bag wouldn’t do anything for either of those situations. I did a lot of reading and finally bought what would probably be in any combat medic’s kit. I couldn’t do surgery, but I had enough to splint a broken limb, stop severe bleeding, and sew up a bad cut.Every week, I stopped by the local liquor store and bought a bottle each of reasonably good scotch, bourbon, vodka, and rum. My logic for that much alcohol was it’s a good mild anesthetic and all the experts said it would be good trading material if money became worthless. I figured the extra hundred dollars a week that cost me was just good preparation, and I could always drink it or give it away if things got back to normal.Another piece of advice I learned from one book was the saying, “Two is one and one is none.” What that means is if you have only one of something, like say, an axe, if it breaks you have none. If you have two or more, you’ll at least have one that’s usable while you’re fixing the other. When I was buying tools, I made sure I had duplicates of anything that I thought would be vital to my survival.The last thing to go into my storage space was more of an impulse buy than anything else. I was browsing through the gardening department of a local big box store that September and looking for what they’d put on sale when I passed a display of garden seeds. They were marked down by half. I’d been reading that having a garden is a must for long-term survival. Like Jeff had said about the guy in Montana, I had no idea what might happen, but being prepared was better than not being prepared. I searched through the seed packets looking for “heirloom” varieties because they’ll reproduce true from seed year after year. I bought enough to plant a huge garden and hoped I’d never need to.It was surprising how little money I really spent and how much food and other stuff that money bought. Once I had a year’s supply, I looked at it and it didn’t seem very big so I just kept buying food and supplies like I had before. By the summer after my bunker was built and furnished, I figured I had enough food and other supplies to last me about five years if I didn’t hunt and fish and I’d spent a total of about fifteen grand.That was less than two months of my salary, and if I hadn’t spent it, it would have just sat in my bank. I figured having the stuff more than made up for the loss of interest my bank would have paid me. A lot of articles I  read said in a lot of SHTF situations, money wouldn’t be worth anything anyway.Prepper Drills.Once I started stocking my bunker, I started making the drive out there on Friday night after work and staying until Sunday about noon. That gave me a chance to practice using the stove, food, and lighting to see if I needed to change anything. I did miss having a TV at first, but a good selection of books were almost as good and I didn’t have to watch any dumb commercials. If I got tired of reading, I could go outside and listen to music, news, and even some people on short wave on my hand-cranked radio.What I found is that living in my bunker wasn’t all that bad. I learned how to cook on my little wood stove and how to make my beans and rice taste good. I even figured out how to make cornbread in the little oven. That all worked out really well up until the twenty-eighth of December of the next year.White-out.When I woke up, it was snowing up a storm, but I had to go to the base. There was a software upgrade to one of our simulators that absolutely couldn’t wait until after New Year’s Day. It took me an hour to drive the twenty miles.I was making pretty good progress on the upgrade when about ten in the morning all the lights in the building went out. The emergency lights came on when the emergency generators started, so I figured for some reason one of the main circuit breakers in the building had tripped. Sometimes one would trip for no apparent reason, and resetting it fixed the problem.When I went to the power house in the building to see, they were all fine. The meters on the main switchgear were all dark though, and that told me there was no power coming into the building. That meant it was probably a circuit breaker at the base substation, but when I went outside, there were people coming out of all the other buildings as well. It looked as if the whole base had lost power.That couldn’t happen, or at least it wasn’t supposed to happen. The base was connected directly to the grid and the base substation and lines that serve it were supposed to be hardened against about any natural disaster. There was no natural disaster taking place, so at least a major part of the electrical grid must have gone down.I was rapidly getting a funny feeling in my gut, because there were only three reasons I could think of that would cause a major part of the electrical grid to go down.One was a nuclear device detonated high in the atmosphere. That would cause a massive EMP that could take the control systems at almost all the generating plants and distribution stations off-line. It would also disable most communication systems, including communications satellites and their ground-based relay stations. At least some of the military communications equipment on the ground, in the air, and at sea would survive, but without the satellites, they would be useless.Protecting against EMP was expensive and troublesome to work with because it entailed enclosing all equipment in a wire cage that was grounded to the earth. That’s why most protection was done by the military. They could afford it.Power companies and factories couldn’t afford to protect the huge substations they had without government money, and the cost to do so was astronomical. So far, Congress hadn’t seen fit to provide that money because doing so would have meant cutting back on the social programs most politicians used to keep getting themselves elected.Another was a solar flare big enough to do the same thing, but NASA would have figured out that it was going to happen and sent out a warning days before it was to hit the earth. They hadn’t.The other was a terrorist attack, either physical or cyber that did the same thing. All it takes to effectively kill the U S electrical grid is to shut down ten major distribution substations. We know that because of studies that were done by Homeland Security after 9 11. Terrorists may be a lot of things, but they keep proving they’re not stupid. It wasn’t crazy to think at least one group knew what ten substations would kill the grid and had a plan to take them out when they were ready.Even if something or someone didn’t manage to take out all ten, once part of the grid was down, operators would try to shift the load to another part. This would quickly overload the grid in that area and operators would shut it down in an attempt to keep from damaging their equipment. It would be a chain-reaction of shut-downs until the whole grid lost power.It really didn’t matter why the grid went down. Whatever the cause, it might take a long time to get it back up again. Any damaged hardware would have to be replaced and a lot of that equipment is not on the shelf someplace. It’s made to order and delivery times are months to over a year. If there was no power, there would be no way to make replacements. Even if there were replacements available, they’d have to be installed and then the grid brought back on-line in a very controlled manner to prevent phase mismatch and overloads.Doing that was sort of a “Catch 22” scenario. Some of the electricity generated by a power station is used to run the control systems for that station. Without some source of power, even if everything was repaired, they’d have to get electricity from somewhere in order to fire up the generating plant. The plan for most of the generating plants on the grid was either one special generating plant or diesel-powered generators mounted on trucks. An EMP pulse big enough to take out the grid would also take out the control systems for those special generating plants and truck mounted generators. A terrorist attack would surely have included those special generating plants and at least some of the standby generators.Taking Action.I left everything where it was and got in my truck. The fact that my truck started pretty much eliminated an EMP event as the cause of the black-out. Any electronic device would be affected by EMP, and the computer controls in cars and trucks would be among the first to go unless they weren’t older than a couple years. My truck was five years old.My first stop was my apartment. I put all my clothes in plastic garbage bags, filled a plastic storage box with all my pots and pans and kitchen stuff that didn’t need electricity, and filled another plastic storage box with my books and magazines about survival and engineering. After I hauled all that out the door and dumped it in the bed of my truck, I took a last look around for anything I’d missed that I might need. All I picked up was a picture of me, Mom, and Dad in front of the old farmhouse on the farm taken when I graduated from high school. I didn’t need it, but I wanted it.My second stop was the assisted living home where my mother was staying. I wasn’t about to leave her there with no guarantee that she’d be safe. I tried the local radio stations, both AM and FM on the way. They were broadcasting with generator power and confirmed the blackout was across at least the entire state, but had no explanation for what happened.As I drove into the drive of Fairlawn Retirement Community, the newsperson said they had unverified information that the entire U S electrical grid was down. Cell phone towers would continue to work until their battery backups failed, so law enforcement was still monitoring the 911 system and responding as quickly as they could.It might take weeks to find out what really happened if we ever could. With no electricity, it would be impossible to check any servers for any unauthorized entry of any computer control system for manipulation of the control parameters. Since nobody seemed to know the cause, I was putting my money on a cyber attack on the U S electrical grid, and probably the attack had been aimed at damaging as much equipment as possible.With no electricity, Fairlawn’s intercom system didn’t work so I had to pound on the door for a while before one of the nurses came to the door. Thankfully, she recognized me and let me in. When I found Mom’s room, I didn’t give her a chance to tell me no. I just grabbed all the clothes in her closet and told her we were leaving. All she said was she needed some underwear and shoes too, so I waited until she stuffed them in a suitcase. I wouldn’t have let the nurses stop me from taking Mom out if they’d tried, but they were too busy trying to make sure everybody was in their rooms.From there, I drove to my bunker and parked my pickup beside the hatch, then helped Mom down the stairs and inside. After a couple trips back to my truck to get her clothes and my other stuff, I parked the truck behind some trees, went to the bunker, and locked the door behind me.Mom was pretty shaken up.“Teddy, what happened and why did you drag me out of Fairlawn? The electricity has gone out before. It always comes back on in a day or two at most. At least at Fairlawn I’d have been warm. It’s like a refrigerator in here.”As I built a fire in the stove, I tried to explain what I thought had happened and why I wanted her here with me.“Mom, you heard the radio. It’s not just this area or even just South Dakota. It’s the whole U S. My best guess is somebody hacked into the U S electrical grid and shut it down. The grid and other businesses have been hacked before, just not on this large a scale. There was even a nuclear power plant in Kansas that was hacked in 2017. It’s also happened in South Korea, India, and Germany. In the Kansas plant, the FBI said it looked like the hackers were mapping the computer systems in preparation for another attack. I think this was that attack."If the whole grid is down like they’re saying, the U S will basically come to a screeching halt, because nothing will work. Factories won’t be able to make anything, including food. Trucking companies won’t be able to dispatch trucks or re-fuel them. Warehouses won’t know what inventory they have or where it is. You won’t even be able to pay for something a store has and you need because the cash registers won’t work."What that means is people who need food will be breaking into anyplace that has food. Other people will be waiting to take that food from them. People who are cold will be trying to find someplace with heat that still works and they’ll break in if they have to.”I put my hand on her shoulder so she’d know I was serious.“Mom, I really, really hope I’m overreacting, but what I’m talking about is riots in the streets and nobody there will be safe. Here, I have enough food to keep us going for at least a couple years, I can keep you warm, and nobody can break in here. That’s why I dragged you out of Fairlawn. Please don’t be mad at me.”Mom looked up and smiled.“I’m not mad at you Ted. Your dad would have done the same thing in this situation. He’d be proud that you did."So, what do you do down here for entertainment? I guess I won’t be playing Hearts with the girls for at least a while.”Settling In.I gave Mom the bedroom and I slept on the fold-out couch. After I cooked a couple of meals, Mom laughed and said she hadn’t done a very good job in teaching me. I had to admit her meals were a lot better than mine. At night, we’d read or just talk. We hadn’t just talked for a long time.I guess that’s what happens when your parents are close enough you see them a lot. You tend to talk about the small stuff instead of what’s really important. I found out more about Mom and Dad and their relationship than I’d ever even suspected.I’d always thought Mom was a prim and proper housewife who lived for her husband and me. Well, she was that, but apparently not before I was born. She was waiting tables in a bar when Dad and a couple of his friends walked in and sat down at one of her tables. Dad took one look at her and said, “Honey, what time do you get off?”Mom laughed then and said he only looked at her because she was only half dressed at the time.“I knew guys liked to see boobs and long legs and I had both so I dressed to show them off. They got me a lot of tips. They also got me your Dad, though I didn’t know it at the time. He said he had a little ranch and he’d teach me to ride a horse if I’d come out. Well, I did, and he did teach me. I moved in with him two months later, just to try things out. After another three months, we decided we fit together pretty good, so we got married.”Apparently, their first years had been a struggle. Cattle prices were down so Dad went to work at a sawmill so they’d have enough money to eat. Mom told me some of the ways she stretched the food budget, ways I hadn’t thought of but proved to be useful as time went on.Every day for the first week, I’d crank up my radio and go outside to see if anything had changed. The only thing that had changed was the radio stations had evidently used up their generator fuel supply because none of them were broadcasting. I did tune in a couple of ham radio operators every day. They didn’t know anything more than I did, but they confirmed the entire U S was affected as well as at least some of the European Union. They were able to transmit only because they had solar panel arrays and battery packs.I also watched the sky in the direction of the base. In addition to housing the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth AFB was a training center for B 1 B bomber crews. All training flights had been cancelled for the holidays, but now that it was January, there should have been at least one or two flights a day. I didn’t see anything in the sky except two turkey vultures and one bald eagle. If the training flights weren’t taking place, the base wasn’t up and running, and that probably meant nothing else was either.At night, I noticed another thing. My bunker was about twenty miles from Rapid City, but on the nights I’d stayed there, I could see the lights of the city reflected by any clouds in the sky. I hadn’t seen that since the power went out, so Rapid City and Ellsworth were still in the dark. I decided I needed to find out for sure.It was a Tuesday morning, if I remember right, when I told Mom what I was going to do.“I’m going to drive over to the base and see what’s going on. Don’t worry. I’m not going to take any chances. I’m just going to drive close enough to the main gate to see if anybody’s going in or out. If things look OK, I’ll take you back to Fairlawn. If not, well, at least we’ll know."Now, I showed you how to lock the deadbolts on the door. Lock them all when I leave. When I come back, I’ll tap on the door three times, wait for two seconds, and then tap two more times. If you don’t hear that, don’t open the door.”I strapped the 3 57 Mag on my belt and left. When I was outside, I waited until I heard each bolt slide. Ten minutes later I was on the county road and headed toward Ellsworth.National Emergency.I got within a block of the main gate at Ellsworth and it was worse than I thought it might be. Before, the main gate was always open and guarded by two guards with M-4 rifles from the 28th Security Squadron. If you had a sticker on your windshield, they’d salute you as you drove through. If you didn’t they’d stop you and ask why you wanted on base. If your name was on the access list for the day, they let you through. If it wasn’t they’d ask for the name of the person you were going to contact. They’d phone that person and ask if you had a legitimate appointment. If you did, they’d apologize for the inconvenience and let you through. If not, they’d respectfully tell you they couldn’t let you on base and show you where you could turn around.That day, I counted ten guards with M-4’s, three standing in front of the closed gate and the rest behind sandbags on each side of the entrance drive. When I looked closer, there was a machine gun with crew on each side as well.I didn’t try to drive in. I’d seen enough to know that Ellsworth was in a maximum security scenario. Instead, I turned down the street before the gate and then drove to Fairlawn because I knew Mom would want to know if everything was all right there. Along the way I passed several gas stations and stores that were all closed. A couple of the grocery stores had plywood screwed over the windows.Because of that, I decided not to tell Mom about

Episode Summary: In episode 164 of the Aerospace Advantage, Tip of the Spear: Inside the 509th Bomb Wing and the Future of Stealth Bombers, John "Slick" Baum chats with Colonel Keith "Ghost" Butler, long-time B-2 pilot and commander of America's sole stealth bomber wing. The ability to attack any target around the globe anytime, anywhere is a crucial asymmetric advantage for the United States. Key policy options fundamentally rely on the B-2 and the men and women who fly and sustain the aircraft. The 509th is on call 24/7 to execute both nuclear deterrence and conventional strike missions—a tremendous responsibility. They make headlines wherever they fly around the globe.  However, with only 20 B-2s in the Air Force's inventory, the aircraft and crews are stretched thin as high-demand, low-density assets. Top defense leaders know it is time to build out America's stealth bomber capacity—that's why there's such an emphasis on fielding the B-21, America's newest stealth bomber.  Col Butler explains the types of sorties he and his crews are executing, the unique realities involved with operating a jet as advanced as the B-2, and what it means to be dual-qualified for both the conventional and nuclear missions. Additionally, having successfully commanded Detachment 5 of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Edwards AFB, Colonel Butler brings unique insights into what's in store for tomorrow's long-range strike mission. This is a riveting episode you will not want to miss! Credits: Host: John “Slick” Baum, Senior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies Producer: Shane Thin Executive Producer: Douglas Birkey Guest: Col Keith "Ghost" Walker, Wing Commander, 509th Bomb Wing, Whiteman 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 #b2 #bomber #b21 Thank you for your continued support!

Amerikanska B-52:an Stratofortress har varit i tjänst sedan kalla krigets tidiga kärnvapenavskräckning. Tack vare dess storlek och aerodynamiska egenskaper har B-52 fortsätta att vara relevant. Så sent som 2021 användes B-52 över Afghanistan, och idag sägs 72 fortfarande vara i tjänst.Från amerikansk synvinkel ledde inte andra världskrigets slut till ett minskat behov av strategiska bombplan, snarare tvärtom. Under kriget, såväl som efter, fortsatte sökandet efter nästa generations flygplan och flera varianter utvecklades som kunde bära framtidens kärnvapen.I detta avsnitt av Militärhistoriepodden pratar idéhistorikern Peter Bennesved och professorn i historia Martin Hårdstedt om B-52 StratofortressFlera varianter utvecklades under slutet av andra världskriget, och strax efter började Boeing tillverka B-47 Stratojet. Tillverkaren Convair fick även ett stort kontakt på B-36 Peacemaker. Men för chefen för SAC, Generalen Curtis LeMay, fanns det oklarheter vilken förmåga som bombplanen i framtiden egentligen behövde och, framförallt i fråga om räckvidd, bomblast och hastighet. Den sovjetiska förmågan i luften utvecklades också i snabb takt och snart var både B-47 och B-36 utdaterade framförallt på grund av sin dåliga räckvidd och hastighet.Det fanns också oklarheter om vilka uppgifter som skulle krävas av ett nytt bombplan. Å ena sidan satsade USA stort på att öka sin avskräckande förmåga i form av kärnvapen under den här tiden, å andra sidan fanns det tendenser i samtiden som pekade på att även konventionella krig skulle utspela sig. Ett nytt bombplan skulle behöva tillgodose båda behoven, och samtidigt lämna utrymme för ny elektronik som behövdes vid navigering och för att hantera nya vapensystem.1948 beordrades ingenjörerna på Boeing att inkomma med ett förslag på en modell som kom att bli B-52. Fyra år senare gjordes den första jungfruresan med de nya B-52:orna, och 1955 levererades de första till 93rd Bomb Wing i Kalifornien. Under de kommande 20 åren skulle modellerna finjusteras och sammanlagt byggdes ca 740 st B52,Tack vare dess storlek och aerodynamiska egenskaper skulle B-52 fortsätta att vara relevant ända till idag. Kanske är det generalen Curtis LeMays framsynthet som gjorde detta möjligt. LeMays önskan var att skapa en plattform som kunde anta många olika roller. Räckvidden och den tunga lastkapaciteten har skapat möjligheter att följa med i vapenutvecklingen med vissa modifieringar.Listan med kända militära operationer där B-52 Stratofortress har deltagit i är följaktligen lång, och sträcker sig från de tidiga kalla krigets kärnvapenavskräckning, till Vietnam, Desert Storm, Bosnienkriget och kriget i Afghanistan. Så sent som 2021 användes B-52 över Afghanistan, och idag sägs 72 fortfarande vara i tjänst.Bild Ett amerikanskt flygvapen Boeing B-52F-70-BW Stratofortress från 320th Bomb Wing som släpper Mk 117 750 lb (340 kg) bomber över Vietnam. U.S. Air Force foto 020926-O-9999G-001 från USAFs webbplats, Wikipedia, Public Domain.Klippare: Emanuel Lehtonen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Colonel George L. Chapman is the Deputy Commander, 91st Missile Wing, Minot Air Force Base (AFB), N.D. In this role, he assists leading the wing's 1,800 personnel as they operate, maintain, and secure 150 Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs), 15 missile alert facilities, and 150 remote launch facilities located throughout an 8,500 square-mile missile complex in N.D. Combat-ready Airman provide a safe, secure, and reliable nuclear capability to credibly hold at-risk targets worldwide, ever-poised to accomplish the Air Force's core mission of global strike.Colonel Benjamin D. Jensen is the Deputy Commander of the 5th Bomb Wing, Minot Air Force Base, N.D. As the Deputy Commander, he is responsible for the health and welfare of roughly 4,900 active-duty members, 500 civilian employees, and 6,000 family members. He also assists with overseeing operations involving the wing's fleet of B-52H bombers to provide deterrence and long-range strike capability for combatant command operations worldwide.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcastRate the show

Maj. Gen. Jason R. Armagost is the Commander, Eighth Air Force, and Commander, Joint-Global Strike Operations Center, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. "The Mighty Eighth" is responsible for the service's bomber force and airborne nuclear command and control assets, encompassing approximately 24,000 Airmen across six installations, and proudly operating more than 150 E-4, B-1, B-2, B-52 and T-38 aircraft. The J-GSOC serves as the central command and control node for all operations within Air Force Global Strike Command, orchestrating warfighting and readiness activities for the Commander, Air Forces Strategic.Maj. Gen. Armagost graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and was commissioned in 1992. He has served in multiple operational and training assignments and logged more than 2,900 hours in the B-2A, F-16CJ, F 16CG, B-1B, B-52H and T-38A. His notable educational and staff assignments include a fellowship at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University, California, Chief of Nuclear Operations on the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, and Director of Strategic Plans, Programs, and Requirements at Air Force Global Strike Command.Maj. Gen. Armagost commanded the 13th Bomb Squadron at Whiteman AFB, Missouri, the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, North Dakota, and the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. His operational assignments supported contingency operations during operations Desert Strike, Southern Watch, Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, Inherent Resolve, Freedom's Sentinel and Deliberate Resolve. He also served as the Deputy Commanding General for Security Assistance Group-Ukraine, where he led coordination of the DoD's historic security assistance support effort to the Ukrainian government. Further, he has flown numerous combat missions in the F-16CJ, B-2A, B-1B and the B-52H.EPISODE NOTES:Follow NucleCast on Twitter at @NucleCastEmail comments and story suggestions to NucleCast@anwadeter.orgSubscribe to NucleCast podcastRate the show

RR The Wire 2130Z October 13, 2023PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE RRDTG: 213013Z OCT 23ICOD: 203013Z OCT 23CONTROLS: Public ReleaseQQQQBLUF: ISRAEL BEGINS GROUND COMBAT OPERATIONS AS INVASION OF GAZA IS IMMINENT. IDF ORDERS EVAC OF CIVILIANS IN GAZA. DAY OF JIHAD RESULTS IN FEW ISOLATED ATTACKS.-----BEGIN TEARLINE------International Events-Middle East Front: Israel orders the total evacuation of Gaza north of the Wadi Gaza, which roughly divides Gaza in half. The UN urges Israel to rescind the order, as less than 24 hours has been given to evacuate over 1.1 million people. The UN states that it is “impossible” to evacuate everyone by the deadline. Nevertheless, Israel has begun limited ground combat operations on the outskirts of Gaza. Limited skirmishes have begun in West Bank and the Golan Heights as well.The Lebanese Army has allegedly begun shelling targets in northern Israel. NFI ATT.Strategic military movements are being reported in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, but due to lack of corroborating information and unreliable sources little intelligence can be gained ATT regarding the strategic moves being made throughout the Arab world.US CSG-12 remains O/S Eastern Med. CSG-2 steaming into the Mediterranean Sea. US deploys B-1B LANCER assets from 7th Bomb Wing to U.K. amid growing tensions.Terror Attack Update: Isolated lone-wolf style stabbing attacks occur in France and China. More substantial attacks have not yet materialized as of the publication of this report.-HomeFront-USA: Pro-Palestinian demonstrations continue in most major US cities, with minor clashes reported as Pro-Israeli protestors join the fray.-Analyst Comments-In retrospect, the short notice offered by the declaration of Global Jihad probably limited the number of attacks that could have been carried out with any success. However, now that the ultimatum has been issued, the threat of domestic attacks is not limited to a single day. Israeli offensives into Gaza will likely be a flashpoint for genuine attacks and false flag operations alike, encouraging enhanced vigilance as tensions in the Middle East remain high.Israeli forces are likely making final preparations for a ground offensive, which may begin in earnest within the next 24-48 hours. Limited ground clearance operations have been conducted along the Gaza border, but the main offensive thrust is likely to occur after a final artillery barrage/bombing campaign along the Gaza front lines.-----END TEARLINE-----Analyst: S2AEND REPORTNNNN

Get closer to your dreams of becoming a military pilot when you listen to this episode with Aaron Bohl about the world of Air Force aviation. From challenges to best practices, this talk is jam-packed with the information you need as you embark on your journey to serve in the military. So, tune in now!   WHAT YOU'LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE  Important steps to do when transitioning into a B-52 career  Ways to build your network in the aviation industry Challenges in transitioning careers at a later stage in life  What should young aspiring pilots do to enter the industry? Why you shouldn't accept “no” for an answer when applying for an Air Force pilot career   RESOURCE/LINK MENTIONED BogiDope    ABOUT AARON BOHL Lt. Col. Aaron Bohl is the commander of the 93rd Bomb Squadron, 307th Operations Group, 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, La. He is responsible for the development and execution of the B-52 Formal Training Unit, a Total Force Enterprise partnership with the 11th Bomb Squadron responsible for the initial qualification, requalification, instructor upgrade, and senior officer training for all B-52 aircrew in the United States Air Force. As the commander, he leads the largest Formal Training Unit in the Combat Air Forces, supervising 48 reserve personnel and over 250 active duty students and instructors while directing an annual operational schedule of over 640 sorties and 4,100 flying hours.   CONNECT WITH AARON  LinkedIn: Aaron B.    CONNECT WITH US  Are you ready to take your relationship to the next level? Don't wait until it's too late. Use the promo code “PODCAST” and save 10% on all our services. Check us out at www.spitfireelite.com!   If you want to recommend someone to guest on the show, email Nik at podcast@spitfireelite.com, and if you need a professional pilot resume, go to www.spitfireelite.com/podcast/ for FREE templates!    SPONSOR If you're a professional pilot looking for a great financial planning partner for your retirement, tax, and investment, go to www.tpope.ceterainvestors.com/contact or call 704-717-8900 ext 120 to schedule a consultation appointment with Timothy P. Pope, CFP® 

This is episode six in the final review of The Silver King's War.  Michael G. Sievers, the writer, producer and creator of this podcast series, reviews his father's war.  It's late June 1944.  Stanley's training to fly the B-26, Martin Marauder, at Barksdale Army Air Base, in Shreveport, LA. Barksdale is home to the 2nd Bomb Wing, which flew with Billy Mitchell during his 1921 flying exhibition with Glenn L. Martin.  The King & his crew will ship to Hunter Field in Georgia as it prepares to travel across the Atlantic Ocean to the European Theater of Operations. Contact us: thesilverkingswar@gmail.com Please review The Silver King's War on Apple Podcasts Share our hero, The Silver King, with family & friends Share The Silver King's War on social media Thank you for listening to our podcast

SSgt Ryan Wooley, 28th AMXS, Weapons Load Crew Team Chief,talks about his duties in his current position.

Catch-22 is one of my favourite books. My battered paperback copy lives on my bedside table. I have the fancy Folio Society edition on the shelf too. As an unashamed B-25 nut, I do bang on about how the Mike Nichols adaptation, written by Buck Henry, basically saved all the flying B-25s we still have. But, how much of it is true? Heller certainly always maintained he had made it up. Author, historian and screenwriter Thomas McKelvey Cleaver took a look into Heller's war and the 57th Bomb Wing for his book The Bridgebusters, which is finally getting a UK release. Tom found that fact and fiction are a lot closer than Joe Heller ever admitted to.You can buy Thomas McKelvey Thomas' The Bridgebusters: The True Story of the Catch-22 Bomb Wing at our Bookshop here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781684513635Tom's book on the USAAF's attacks on the Gothic Line, Gothic Line 1944-45: The USAAF starves out the German Army, part of Osprey's Air Campaign series can be found here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/11015/9781472853417Check out all our social media channels at: https://www.damcasterspod.comJoin the fun on Patreon! Join from just £3+VAT a month to get ad-free episodes, chat with Matt and grab some merch. Check out the link below for more info.The Damcasters © 2022 by Matt Bone is licensed under Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Growing up just outside of Happy Valley Pennsylvania, our guest today is Bruce Gamble, retired naval flight officer, military historian and long time Classic Mustang enthusiast. His ‘67 red convertible 289 he purchased in rough shape back in 1994. Fully restored in 2004, we will let him share the full story of the rebuild including how it was nearly lost completely. Excited to chat today. Welcome Bruce to Ford Mustang The Early Years podcast.Do you own an early year Mustang?: Yes, almost 28 yearsPlease upload a favorite pic of your Mustang or a classic car you drive now or have owned in the past.: https://cdn.filestackcontent.com/E15tpQMVQeinIhccfCKQ?Eden Gardens 1.jpg?image/jpegWhat do you do for a living?: Retired naval flight officer (1989), military historian and author.If you own a Mustang or classic car, have you named your car?Sweet Chariot. Named for my dad's B-29 Superfortress of the 315th Bomb Wing on Guam. A photo of the nose art is mounted in the front license plate bracket.If you've made improvements to your classic car or restored it, what work have you done?: Convertible was built in California with a 289 C-code and C4 transmission. Factory options include power top, air-conditioning, power steering, power brakes with front discs, and exterior decor group. Purchased (in very rough condition) in 1994, restored and driven, then fully restored again in 2004 after a tree crushed the back end during Hurricane Ivan. Mods include AOD transmission swap, dual exhaust with Hi-Po exhaust manifolds, Edelbrock 4bbl intake and 600cfm carb, finned valve covers, aluminum radiator, Dakota Digital instruments (and cruise control), reclining Fox-body front bucket seats, billet aluminum grille, bluetooth stereo with four speakers and subwoofer. What plans do you have for improvements/restoration/modification of your classic car?: I put a lot of miles on the car--more than 60,000 after the AOD swap. I've kept it in driving condition, but it needs a tune-up and minor cosmetic work to bring it back to what it was 10 years ago.If you are on social media, please share your social media names/handles so we can tag you when promoting your episode.: YouTube: Bruce GambleTwitter: @BruceGamble76Ford Mustang The Early Years Podcast (social media)The Facebook GroupTheMustangPodcast.com/facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/groups/185146876036328Instagram@mustangpodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/mustangpodcast/An Expert's Guide to Maintaining Your Classic Mustangwww.TheMustangPodcast.com/repairHave an idea for a guest for the show? Reach out to me directly:doug@turnkeypodcast.comCover art Credit: Bruce GambleKeep it safe, keep it rollin' and keep it on the road. Until next time! ~Doug Sandler

Brian Terrell, Bennette Dibben, and Chris Overfelt discuss a demonstration against drone and nuclear warfare at Whiteman Air Force Base, roughly 60 miles southeast of Kansas City.  The host unit at Whiteman is the 509th Bomb Wing, which operates the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.  They can launch combat sorties directly from Missouri to any spot on the globe, […] The post Protesting drone and nuclear warfare at Whiteman Air Force Base appeared first on KKFI.

#6: Col. Michael Bob Starr - Insights as a Bomber and Base Commander into Our Afghanistan Withdrawal, Dealing with the Taliban, The Polarity of Politics, How to Transition from Military to Business/Non-Profit Leadership, How to Make the Fundraising Ask. Col. Michael Bob Starr (ret.) was the  Commander of Dyess Air Force Base, Commander of the 7th Bomb Wing, Ran for Congress 2016 for Abilene's District, and was Executive Director of Global Samaritan Resources before retiring a few months ago. He has now built the Taj Mahal of chicken coops.

Master Sergeant Josh White was part of the 509th Base Honor Guard, Whiteman Air Force Base (AFB) Missouri , where he led the Base Honor Guard Mission at the Air Force's only B-2 Bomb Wing. His mission is to provide military funeral honors to over 1000 veterans a year across an area of responsibility spanning 70,400 square miles and 118 counties within Missouri and Kansas. He also supports 500 civic events a year to include retirements, changes of command, parades, and professional sporting events. He executes the mission by ensuring 62 assigned Airmen are outfitted and expertly trained in perfecting all movements throughout every drill and ceremony while creating avenues for Airman development, mentoring, and leadership roles. Now he serves as being in charge of community health at Eglin AF Base. Also you can find out more about his podcast at https://linktr.ee/HeroFront

Our guest is Major Natassia Cherne, Natassia is part of the Minot Air Force Base leadership, serving as the Chief of Public Affairs for two wings, the 5th Bomb Wing and the 91st Missile Wing.Natassia has a variety of Public Relations experience. She has completed three deployments, one to Afghanistan on a Provincial Reconstruction Team, another as the Media Relations Officer for the Combined Air and Space Operations Center Weapons System in Qatar. She also had the opportunity to be Combat Camera Planner at the CENTCOM headquarters in Tampa, Florida. She also completed a three-year tour in Okinawa, Japan, as the Deputy Chief of Public Affairs.Today's topics include: The importance of the nonprofit sector engaging nontraditional people in leadership roles. The Honorary Commander Program and the benefits from more membership diversity. First Time Board Membership

Episode 18 – Flying and Fighting in the B-2: America's Stealth Bomber Episode Summary: The Mitchell Institute is pleased to release episode 18 of its Aerospace Advantage podcast: Flying and Fighting in the B-2: America's Stealth Bomber. Join us for an in-depth conversation with seasoned B-2 pilots Col. Keith Butler, Commander of the 509th Operations Group, and Lt. Col. Christopher Conant, Commander of the 393d Bomb Squadron of the 509th Bomb Wing. Ever since it took flight, the B-2 stands as one of the most lethal, combat capable, and technologically advanced aircraft ever invented. It can span the globe, penetrate into the most defended airspace, strike upwards of eighty independent targets, and return home safe. This is an incredible opportunity to hear from two B-2 pilots who know what it's like to strap into the jet and fly into harm's way. This is an episode you won't want to miss. Full Topic Guide This week host John “Slick” Baum is joined by seasoned B-2 pilots Col Keith “Ghost” Butler, Commander of the 509th Operations Group, and Lt Col Christopher “Crank” Conant, Commander of the 393th Bomb Squadron of the 509th bomb wing to discuss what it is like to train, fly and fight in the B-2 bomber. B-2 bombers are iconic for their wing-like design, but their performance capabilities are what set them apart. Not only are these airplanes stealthy, but they can carry upwards of eighty precision-guided weapons and span the globe on a single mission. They also fill two roles: conventional strike and as a component of the nuclear triad. This podcast will afford a “flight line perspective” from two airmen who have deep experience within the B-2 community—both as pilots and as commanders. Learn what it's like to fly this incredible aircraft, about the specific missions it undertakes, and where the Air Force is taking long range strike in the future. 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: Col Keith Butler, Commander, 509th Operations Group, USAF Guest: Lt Col Christopher Conant, Commander, 393rd Bomb Squadron of the 509th Bomb Wing, USAF

As we wrap up Women's History Month it only right that our next guest CMSgt Rochelle Hemingway take center stage! She is not only a wife, and mother, she's the Command Chief, 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota. Chief Hemingway leads the wing's enlisted force and serves as the primary advisor to the commander on all matters concerning the morale, welfare, warfighting effectiveness, operational utilization and professional development of nearly 3,200 enlisted Airmen who support the largest B-1 combat wing in the U.S. Air Force. Join us as she gives her spin on how to #Slay everyday! If you are digging the content, please let us hear your feedback & don't forget to SHARE, LIKE, and FOLLOW our page. We're gonna be streaming live from streamyard.com/facebook www.facebook.com/thelionscast Need to catch up on the Den? Add us to your playlist on www.lionspride21.com Do you want to start your own podcast but don't know where to start ?The basic tools you need and a coach that will help you establish your podcast. Enroll now on podcast boot camp with "Seth the Speaker" . Go to this link: https://tinyurl.com/ymaz9m87 Interested in The Lion's Den Merch? https://teespring.com/stores/the-lions-den-merchandise Sponsored by: www.kevlarsgrill.com https://monique.findhomesinsanantoniotx.com https://m.mvcard.me/tbrown --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thelionsdenwithseth/support

Al Schutte from Ohio has researched and written about more than 1,200 WWII fallen, focusing on those who served in B-29 Superfortresses.   Here is a link to one of of Al's favorite stories:   Captain Hugh Roper was a B-17 pilot who was lost on the infamous August 1, 1943 Ploesti Mission. It was his 25 mission, after which he would have met the requirements to go back home: https://www.fold3.com/page/638677486/hugh-r-roper/stories

Brig. Gen. Paul W. Tibbets IV is Deputy Commander, Air Force Global Strike Command and Deputy Commander, Air Forces Strategic-Air, U.S. Strategic Command, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides strategic deterrence, global strike and combat support to USSTRATCOM and other geographic combatant commands. The command comprises more than 33,700 professionals operating at two numbered air forces; 11 active duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve wings, the Joint Global Strike Operations Center and the Nuclear Command, Control and Communications Center. Weapons systems assigned to AFGSC include all U.S. Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and bomber aircraft, UH-1N helicopters, E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft and the U.S. Air Force NC3 weapons system. The command organizes, trains, equips and maintains combat-ready forces that provide strategic deterrence, global strike and combat support to USSTRATCOM and other geographic combatant commands. The command is comprised of more than 33,700 professionals operating at two Numbered Air Forces and 11 active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve wings. Weapons systems assigned to the command include Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, B-1, B-2 and B-52 bombers, UH-1N helicopters, the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center aircraft and the Nuclear Command, Control and Communications systems. General Tibbets received his commission through the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1989. Following graduation, he served in a variety of operational assignments as a B-1 pilot, and subsequently as a B-2 pilot. The general has commanded at the squadron and wing levels, and flew combat missions in support of operations in Southwest Asia, the Balkans and Afghanistan. His staff assignments include Executive Officer to the Commander, Eighth Air Force, Chief of the Nuclear and CBRN Defense Policy Branch at NATO Headquarters, Deputy Director of Operations for AFGSC and Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations at U.S. Strategic Command. Prior to his current assignment, he served as the Commander of the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. General Tibbets is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours. 

Brig. Gen. Robert S. Spalding III assumed the duties of Special Assistant to the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff in February 2018. General Spalding received his commission through Fresno State University's ROTC program in 1991. He earned his doctorate in economics and mathematics from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 2007. The general attended undergraduate pilot training in 1993, and was subsequently assigned as a B-52 Stratofortress co-pilot in the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. He subsequently transitioned to the B-2 Spirit at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. In 2001, he was selected as one of three Air Force Olmsted Scholars, and was a distinguished graduate of Mandarin Chinese language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Afterward, the general attended Tongji University in Shanghai as a graduate research student. He then returned to Whiteman AFB as a B-2 evaluator pilot and assistant director of operations for the 393rd Bomb Squadron. The general was then assigned to the Office of Secretary of Defense’s Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office as the military assistant for the deputy assistant secretary of defense. During the Iraq surge in 2007, General Spalding deployed to Baghdad and directed the Personal Security Coordination Center. After a stint at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, he was reassigned to the B-2 at Whiteman AFB. While at Whiteman AFB, he was the chief of safety, operations group commander and vice wing commander. He was then selected as a Military Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. General Spalding then served as the chief China strategist for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Washington D.C. His next assignment led him back to China as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache to China in Bejing, China. Prior to his current assignment he served at the White House as the Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council, Washington D.C. About Us: https://www.mythicistmilwaukee.com/what-we-do/ If you like our videos please support our Patreon: http://tinyurl.com/ofa37jg

After introducing his son to the film “The Sandlot” last week, host Ryan Wrecker’s son asked his dad to play catch this afternoon. Hear how the surprisingly special event transpired. The Missouri Air National Guard’s 131st Bomb Wing will conduct B-2 flyovers of six Missouri communities to honor medical and healthcare professionals, essential employees and volunteers in the fight against COVID-19 on the afternoon and evening of May 8. To see the flight pattern and determine when you can see the flyover, visit KMOX.com.   Listen to the show on Apple Podcasts? Leave us a 5-star review: apple.co/2Of49Bv and subscribe to Overnight America on other great apps like Radio.com If you like what you hear, we're live weeknights on KMOX 1120AM. We welcome your calls at 800-925-1120. Like and follow on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RyanWreckerRadio/ 

USAF Brigadier General Robert S. Spalding III assumed the duties of Special Assistant to the U.S. Air Force Vice Chief of Staff in February 2018. General Spalding received his commission through Fresno State University's ROTC program in 1991. He earned his doctorate in economics and mathematics from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 2007. The general attended undergraduate pilot training in 1993, and was subsequently assigned as a B-52 Stratofortress co-pilot in the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. He subsequently transitioned to the B-2 Spirit at Whiteman AFB, Missouri. In 2001, he was selected as one of three Air Force Olmsted Scholars, and was a distinguished graduate of Mandarin Chinese language training at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. Afterward, the general attended Tongji University in Shanghai as a graduate research student. He then returned to Whiteman AFB as a B-2 evaluator pilot and assistant director of operations for the 393rd Bomb Squadron. The general was then assigned to the Office of Secretary of Defense’s Prisoner of War Missing Personnel Office as the military assistant for the deputy assistant secretary of defense. During the Iraq surge in 2007, General Spalding deployed to Baghdad and directed the Personal Security Coordination Center. After a stint at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, he was reassigned to the B-2 at Whiteman AFB. While at Whiteman AFB, he was the chief of safety, operations group commander and vice wing commander. He was then selected as a Military Fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York. General Spalding then served as the chief China strategist for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, Washington D.C. His next assignment led him back to China as the Senior Defense Official and Defense Attache to China in Bejing, China. Prior to his current assignment he served at the White House as the Senior Director for Strategic Planning at the National Security Council, Washington D.C. Correction: The Council on Foreign Relations was developed in 1921 as a post-WWI think tank. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/iantrottier/support

From Pasadena Now:   United States Air Force Lt. Col. Nicola “Rogue” Polidor makes history in Pasadena on New Year’s Day as the first female pilot ever to fly the B2 Stealth bomber over the opening of the Rose Parade. The 8:03 a.m. B-2 flyover kicks off the Parade and Pasadena’s first day of a new decade.       Polidor told Pasadena Now she and her crew “are honored to conduct these flyovers and we will remember it for the rest of our lives.” Her career achievements embody the theme of the 2020 Rose Parade, “Power of Hope.” The B-2 flyover has become a 15-year annual highlight as the Rose Parade steps off. This year’s 8 a.m. “Opening Spectacular” performance featuring Latin Grammy winner Ally Brooke of Fifth Harmony, and Puerto Rican singer-songwriter Farruko, along with 19-time Grammy winner Emilio Estefan and the Chino Hills High School drumline, will be followed by the flyover. The 509th Bomb Wing, based at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, announced Polidor will be piloting the B-2 with Maj. Justin “Rocky” Spencer.     Chelsea Ecklebe, Chief of Command Information said, the B-2 takes off from Whiteman and flies over Pasadena twice today, once for the parade at 8:03 a.m. and then at 2:04 p.m. for the game. “We will fly the B-2 for a 13-hour mission in order to conduct the two flyovers,” Ecklebe confirmed. A California native, Polidor, who goes by the call sign “Rogue,” became an aviator in 2004 a few months after graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy. In 2011, she became the sixth woman to pilot the B-2 bomber, the world’s most advanced aircraft. Polidor recalled that she wanted to fly since she was a little girl. When she was 12 years old, her and her mother toured Edwards Air Force Base. “I was captivated when I saw the SR-71. It was such a unique airplane that represented technology and speed. When the B-2 was designed it was on the cutting edge of technology. It is very exciting to be part of a team that combines that with combat capabilities at the tip of the spear.” Polidor started taking a serious interest in flying as a teenager, and had hundreds of magazine cutouts taped all over her bedroom walls – not of boy bands or heartthrobs from popular TV shows, but of airplanes! She had pictures of small, big, commercial, military, all types of aircraft, she recalls. “The fast, elusive military jets really captivated me,” she said in a profile statement released by her unit. She actually started flying lessons at 14, and was soon flying a Cessna, taking instructions from a Finnish woman who was an Alaskan bush pilot by trade. “She had a profound influence on me,” Polidor says. “I’ll never forget being able to solo a Cessna because of her guidance. The fact that she was a female, professional pilot, especially given her generation, was an unspoken, subtle inspiration that I could do anything I wanted.” Throughout the B-2 bomber’s 30-year history, only 498 pilots have qualified to fly the long-range stealth aircraft. Only 10 of those pilots have been female, from the first, retired Lt. Col. Jennifer “Wonder” Avery, who was the 278th pilot to qualify and the only female to have flown the stealth bomber in combat, to Capt. Lauren Kram, who graduated from Initial Qualification Training in October. Lt. Col. Polidor is currently Commander of Detachment 5, 29th Training Systems Squadron at Whiteman AFB. Three other women who are B-2 pilots are assigned to the 393rd Bomb Squadron at Whiteman, making this the highest number of female B-2 pilots that have been assigned to Whiteman AFB at one time. There are several ways to become a B-2 pilot, Polidor pointed out, but generally speaking, it takes about 2 years to qualify in the B-2, including Air Force pilot training, Whiteman T-38 training, and B-2 initial qualification training. Every B-2 pilot is a graduate of a rigorous six-month training program. The Initial Qualification Training program includes 266 hours of academics, 30 exams, 46 simulator missions and 10 flights in the B-2 Spirit. After graduation, the newly minted stealth pilots continue with Mission Qualification Training, a program designed to train aviators in tactically employing the aircraft. When she first began flying, Nicky Polidor said she just tried to fit in. Today, she is treated like any other pilot, but she is more aware of workforce dynamics and the role gender plays when it comes to policies, pay and retention. “I am encouraged to think that society is evolving, and one day soon the reaction to me saying, ‘I fly the B2’ isn’t ‘They let women do that?!’ anymore,” Polidor said. Aside from the B-2 bomber, Polidor has also flown the DA-20 light aircraft while training at the Air Force Academy, and later the T-37 and T-38 jets. She has also flown the B-52 Stratofortress at the time she was assigned to the 96th Bomb Squadron at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Not including her cadet training time, Polidor has accumulated over 1,500 flying hours among these different aircraft types. Looking towards the future, Polidor said, “I am personally very interested in space flight and working at JPL would be wonderful!” In 2015, Lt. Col. Polidor was selected as an Olmsted Scholar where she earned a Master of Social Sciences in China and Asia Pacific Studies in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. In her last assignment, she served as Chief of Safety for the 509th Bomb Wing at Whiteman AFB. When Polidor’s B-2 flies over the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl Game, a team of officers from the Pasadena Police Department’s Air Operations Unit coordinate with the pilots and the U.S. Air Force ground crew to make sure communications are working and the airspace above the parade and the game is “de-conflicted,” meaning the space is clear from all other aircraft. “This has been the procedure for several years,” Pasadena Police Lt. Bill Grisafe said. “Additionally, a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) has been put into place above both events so as to assist in securing the airspace.” Speaking during the International Women’s Day celebration on March 8, Nicky Polidor said: “What I would like to pass on to my daughter is that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to, much like my mother taught me. My children see both of their parents put on flight suits every day and go to work. I want them to grow up in a world where that is normal and that they can accomplish whatever they strive for.”

Today we interview U S Senate candidate, Tony Monetti.  Tony spent over twenty years in decorated military service. He flew a B-52 to destroy infrastructure in Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. He later joined elite airmen handpicked to pilot the then-new B-2 Stealth Bomber in global combat operations. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery. Promoted to major, he became the 509th Bomb Wing’s safety chief at Whiteman Air Force Base. An election is right around the corner and we need to know what the candidates are thinking.  This show is a continuation of our efforts to probe the people who want to represent us in Washington DC.  You’re about to hear what’s going on behind the three second sound bites. The post US Senate Candidate Tony Monetti appeared first on Home Front with Cynthia Davis.

George E. Hardy in March 1943, at the age of 17, passed the written and physical examinations for the US Army Aviation Cadet program.  In July 1943 he was called to active duty and sent to Keesler Army Air Field, Biloxi, Mississippi, for basic training.  In September 1943 he was assigned to the 320th College Training Detachment at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.  His group was scheduled to take college-level courses, at Tuskegee Institute, for a period of five months. This training was cut short in the beginning of December, as his group was transferred to Tuskegee Army Air Field (TAAF) for Aviation Cadet training, as part of Class 44-H.  In September 1944 he graduated as a single-engine pilot and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. In November he was transferred to Walterboro AAF in South Carolina for combat flying training in P-47 aircraft.  This combat flying training was completed in early February 1945, and he was shipped overseas to Italy.  In Italy, he was assigned to the 99th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, where he flew 21 combat missions over Germany in P-51 aircraft.  Those missions were mainly high-altitude escort missions of heavy bombers, but many of the missions also included strafing of ground targets.  He returned from Italy in August 1945 and served at TAAF, until it closed in the summer of 1946.  In July 1946 he was transferred to Lockbourne AAF, Ohio where he was assigned to the 99th Fighter Squadron, flying P-47 aircraft. He was discharged from active duty in November 1946. He attended New York University, School of Engineering, in the Bronx, from September 1947 to May 1948. He was recalled to active duty at Lockbourne Air Force Base (LAFB), Ohio, in June 1948.  He was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group, flying P-47 aircraft.  In September 1948 he was reassigned as a student in the Airborne Electronics Maintenance Officers Course at Keesler AFB, Mississippi.  The course of study covered radar and long-range navigational equipment on fighter and bomber aircraft.  He graduated in August 1949.  In July 1949 the USAF instituted racial integration and personnel at Lockbourne AFB were reassigned to Air Force bases worldwide.  After graduation in August 1949, he was transferred to the 19th Bomb Group (B-29 Aircraft) on the island of Guam. He was further assigned to the 28th Bomb Squadron as a maintenance officer. His primary job was supervising about 25 airmen in maintenance of electronic equipment on the assigned aircraft.  As a pilot he was also required to fly and was assigned as a copilot on a B-29 aircrew.  The Korean War started 25 June 1950, and the 19th Bomb Group was transferred to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa. He flew 45 combat missions over Korea in the B-29 aircraft. In March 1951 he returned to the states and was assigned to 6th Bomb Wing, at Walker AFB in New Mexico, as a maintenance officer. In June 1951 he was transferred to Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado for seven months training as an Armament Systems maintenance officer, specifically on B-36 aircraft.  The B-36 aircraft was the largest aircraft in the Air Force, capable of intercontinental bombing missions without refueling.  The armament systems field included not only the electronic navigational and bombing systems but also included the retractable gun turrets and maintenance and loading of the bomb bays.  After the training at Lowry he was transferred back to Walker AFB and in December 1952 he was transferred to Carswell AFB, Ft Worth, Texas. He became part of the 42nd Bomb Wing (B-36 aircraft) and in March 1953 the wing was transferred to Limestone AFB, Maine. He served as a maintenance officer in the 42nd Armament and Electronics Maintenance Squadron (AEMS), until August 1955. In August 1955 he transferred to the United States Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio.  He entered the undergraduate engineering program and in August 1957, received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. In September 1957 he was assigned to the 3rd AEMS, 3rd Bomb Wing (B- 57, Canberra aircraft) at Johnson Air Base, Japan.  He was soon assigned as Maintenance Supervisor, a position he held for almost 3 years. The 3rd Bomb Wing  areas of operations were in Japan, Korea and Okinawa. He became jet-qualified as a pilot and in 1959 he received the aerial rating of Command Pilot. In June 1960 he was promoted to the grade of Major. In November 1960 he transferred to Plattsburgh AFB, New York.  He was assigned as Squadron Commander of the 4108th AEMS, in the 4108th Air Refueling Wing (KC–97aircraft).  In the second half of 1962 his squadron held the 8th Air Force trophy for best AEMS squadron.  In November 1962 he was notified by the Air Force Institute of Technology of his eligibility to apply for a new graduate level systems engineering course specializing in reliability engineering.  He applied for the course and was reassigned, in January 1963, to the USAF Institute of Technology, at Wright Patterson AFB, Dayton Ohio.  In August 1964 he graduated with a Master of Science Degree in Systems Engineering - Reliability. In September 1964 he was assigned to the Electronic Systems Division of Air Force Systems Command, at  Hanscom  AFB, Massachusetts.  In 1965 he received his promotion to the grade of Lt. Col.  In August 1966 he was assigned as Chief of Engineering and Program Manager, for the Development, Installation and Cutover of the 490L Overseas AUTOVON (AUTOmatic VOice Network) Communications Switches, part of the Department of Defense first worldwide direct dial telephone system.  The AUTOVON services within the continental United States was provided by the various telephone companies.  With completion of the overseas switches, the Department of Defense and other government agencies would have almost worldwide, direct dial telephone access.  The initial sites in Europe, Panama and the Pacific were successfully cut over in 1969. At the end of 1969 he received notice of a flying assignment in Vietnam and was provided with refresher flight training as an AC-119K Gunship Aircraft Commander. He was assigned to the 18th Special Operations Squadron at Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam in April 1970.  Although the squadron headquarters was at Phan Rang Air Base, the aircraft were located at two operating locations, one at Udorn Air Base, in Thailand, and the other at DaNang Air Base in Vietnam.  He was assigned as the Operating Location Commander at Udorn Air Base, Thailand through August 1970.  Missions were flown at night over northern Laos searching for truck traffic from North Vietnam.  In September 1970 he was transferred to DaNang Air Base in Vietnam as Operating Location Commander.  Missions were flown at night over central portions of Laos looking for truck traffic from North Vietnam.  He flew 70 combat missions before returning to the states in April 1971. In May of 1971 he  was assigned to the Inspector General's office at Air Force Systems Command,  Andrews AFB in Maryland.  He served in the IG's office until November 1971 when he retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, the Air Medal with eleven (11) Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Commendation Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster.  

The Granite State's UFO historian, Ryan Mullahy, joins Paul & Ben today to talk about the odd happenings when the 509th Bombardment Group moved from Roswell, New Mexico (where it was at the center of the 1947 UFO crash) to Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire in 1958.

The Granite State's UFO historian, Ryan Mullahy, joins Paul & Ben today to talk about the odd happenings when the 509th Bombardment Group moved from Roswell, New Mexico (where it was at the center of the 1947 UFO crash) to Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire in 1958.

This edition features stories on U.S. Air Forces Central Command staging aircraft and airmen in southeast Turkey, the consolidation of 377th Air Base Wing, 28th Bomb Wing and the 7th Bomb Wing into 20th Air Force, and National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

SSgt Andrew Caber; 28th MDSS, Diagnostic Imaging Technician, talks about her duties in her current position.