March 29, 2024

Navy Targets ISIS in Syria

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The US hit ISIS targets in Syria with warplanes and Tomahawk cruise missiles in an aggressive operation on Tuesday morning local time, reports The Washington Post. Two Navy aircraft carriers launched 47 Tomahawk missiles and Navy fighters were also involved in the strike along with aircraft from the Marines and Air Force, including the combat debut of the F-22 Raptor stealthy jet. The airstrikes damaged or destroyed Islamic State training compounds, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and several armed vehicles. Several Mideast countries, including Jordan and Saudi Arabia, played a major role in the attacks giving the Pentagon important support from Arab nations as it expands its war against the militant group, according to DefenseNews. The US took action on its own against another terrorist organization, the Khorasan Group, which was plotting attacks against America and other Western targets, according to CNN.

The House Defense Appropriations subcommittee rejected the DoD’s request to shift as much as $1.5 billion in war spending to buy eight new F-35 jets and 21 additional AH-64 Apache helicopters, according to Bloomberg. The Pentagon asked for the additional aircraft in a September 8 request for permission to shift, or reprogram, about $2 billion in its war operations budget, partly to pay for expanded operations against Islamic State extremists in Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon is finalizing a plan to give reservists a limited role in the evolving cyber force, according to Military Times. US Cyber Command’s effort to build a force of 6,200 cyber warriors has fueled a tug-of-war between the DoD’s active and reserve components. Reserve advocates say reservists are more skilled in cyber operations than many active-duty troops, but some active-duty military leaders are reluctant to share the “sexy” cyber mission.

A Joint Strike Fighter program official said that its investigation into the engine fire that grounded the F-35 fleet has cut a long list of potential causes down to just four, reports The Hartford Courant. Navy Captain Bryant Hempstall said the investigation with Pratt & Whitney is closing in on a cause, which could be reported in October instead of the end of this month as initially planned.

The amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage completed a third set of underway recovery tests for the NASA Orion spacecraft, according to USNI News.

Rolls-Royce completed a successful flight test of its new engine upgrade for the V-22 Osprey but Marine Corps headquarters said in a September 17 statement that there is no plan to re-engine the V-22 at present, reports DefenseNews.

DARPA has been researching sensors to help helicopter pilots see through dust clouds that cause accidents and obscure targets, reports C4ISR & Networks. DoD’s R&D agency is hoping that its Multifunction RF project can develop lightweight sensors that assist pilots during takeoffs and landings in rain and dust.

A recent command-wide graduation ceremony held at NAS Pax River recognized 92 employees from the Journey Leadership Development Program (JLDP) and 58 from NAVAIR’s Leadership Development Program (NLDP), according to NAVAIR News. NLDP and JLDP help prepare employees to learn and master leadership principles and philosophies more effectively.

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin an additional $147 million contract to upgrade the fleet’s electronic warfare defenses against evolving threats, such as anti-ship missiles, reports RTT News.

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