Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale

The Raggruppamento Operativo Speciale (ROS), or Special Operations Group, is part of the Italian Carabinieri. Founded on 3 December 1990 to coordinate investigative activities against organized crime, it is now the main investigative arm of the Carabinieri, dealing with organized crime and mafia. The ROS reports directly to the Carabinieri General Command.
It was created from the remains of the Special Anti-terrorism Unit, built up in the 1970s by General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa to combat terrorism in Italy. It had centers in Genoa, Naples, Milan, Padua, Rome and Turin. Having defeated the Red Brigades in the 1980s, the Special Anti-terrorism Unit was also employed to investigate organized crime.
Organization.
The ROS command center coordinates the activities of 26 regional anti-crime sections. The headquarters is organized as follows:
The staff of the ROS is extremely specialized and 75 percent of its personnel are officers and non-commissioned officers of the Carabinieri. The other quarter of its members are lower-ranking police officers. In order to encourage synergy with the territorial units, the staff of the ROS often attends professional refresher courses and conferences with the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza.
Operations.
Among the investigative methods used by the ROS, one of the most effective and dangerous for the investigator is the undercover infiltration of gangs used in investigations into narcotics, kidnapping, money laundering, and the smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives.
Buried in a recent 158-page U.N. report on how terrorists use the Internet is the so-called "protocol of a systematic approach". The protocol, authored by Raggruppamento, is significant because it has been implemented by authorities across the world, according to the United Nations. The document outlines the stages law enforcement agencies should go through when conducting electronic surveillance of suspects: first, by obtaining data and “cookies” stored by websites like Facebook, Google, eBay and PayPal; second, by obtaining location data from servers used by VoIP Internet phone services (like Skype); then, by conducting a “smart analysis” of these data before moving on to the most serious and controversial step: intercepting communications, exploiting security vulnerabilities in communications technologies for “intelligence-gathering purposes,” and even infecting a target computer with Trojan-horse spyware to mine data.


Royal Thai Army

The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces.
History.
Origin.
The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 1874, partly as a response to new security threats following the 1855 Bowring Treaty with Britain, which opened the country for international trade.
Current.
On 22 May 2014 the army deposed the government, appointed military officers to the national assembly, and on 21 August 2014 they elected the army's Commander in Chief, General Prayut Chan-o-cha, as prime minister. The general retired October 2014 to concentrate on political reform which he said would take at least a year, following which he promised national elections would be held.
In modern era, the army has a long history of coups d'état and coup attempts. Its leadership continues to see coup-making as one role of the army.
The existence of an information warfare unit participating in a cyber campaign against government critics was leaked to the public in late February 2020.
In 2020 Twitter shut down a network of accounts which were engaged in information warfare. According to Twitter “Our investigation uncovered a network of accounts partaking in information operations that we can reliably link to the Royal Thai Army (RTA).” The operation had targeted the political opposition within Thailand. The Thai Army denied that they had been involved in the disinformation operation.
Army components and control.
The number of army generals is unclear. One point of comparison: as of 1 November 2019, the US Army had 322 general officers for a force of 471,990 troops. Saiyud Kerdphol is Thailand's oldest general, a veteran of World War II and Korea who retired in 1983 as supreme commander. During his tenure, general officer numbers were based on the number of troops under their command. , only 150–200 four-star generals occupy command positions. Speaking on the topic of army manpower, Saiyud declared that, "Everybody being a general is unbelievable. Full generals don't have a seat to sit in or a job to do."
Command and control.
The Royal Thai Army is commanded by the Commander of the Royal Thai Army (ผู้บัญชาการทหารบกไทย). <br>This position is considered the most powerful position in the Thai Armed Forces. As of 1 October 2020, the commander is General Narongpan Jitkaewthae.
Structure.
The army is organized nationally into four army areas:
The creation of the 15th Infantry Division was announced in January 2005. Defence Minister, General Samphan Boonyanan, was quoted as saying that the new unit, dubbed the "Development Division", would not be a combat unit for fighting Islamic militants, but rather its main mission would be to assist local citizens and develop the region. The military will not ignore its general function of providing safety for the citizens of the region, he added. He said that troops for the new division would undergo training to give them a good understanding of local residents, the vast majority of whom are ethnic Malay Muslims. The division is in fact a transformation of the Pranburi-based 16th Infantry Division. It will now be headquartered at Fort Ingkhayutthaborihan in Pattani, complete with its battalions and companies of military police and communications and aviation personnel, he said. It will also have three separate infantry battalions, one each in Pattani, Yala, and Narathiwat. Each battalion will include three companies of medical, engineering, and psychological warfare personnel, he said. The government will allocate a budget of more than 18 billion baht for the division over the next four years.
The 15th Infantry Division is being established as a permanent force to handle security problems in the Deep South. The division is based in Pattani and is expected to have a combined force of around 10,000. The establishment of this new division, approved by the government in 2005, has yet to be completed. As of this writing, some 7,000 troops deployed in the Deep South are affiliated to this division." In 2012, two new combat formations had been approved by the thai government. The new 7th Infantry Division is based at Mae Rim, near Chiang Mai, and the new 3rd Cavalry Division is based at Khon Kaen.
Tactical units.
The army is organised into the following formations:
The Army Tactical Level Advanced Simulation (ATLAS) is an interactive, distributed, constructive simulation used to conduct military Command Post Exercises (CPX). ATLAS displays a continuous terrain model, incorporates HLA 1516, and displays 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 maps and satellite imagery. ATLAS was developed between 2002 and 2005 through co-operation with the Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC).
Army Medical Department.

Army Medical Department (AMED) () belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army. It is in charge of medical affairs, and providing medical care, both in the field and on base, training personnel in research and agriculture and supervising the other medical divisions within the Royal Thai Army.
AMED observed 111 years of service in January 2011, with 110 years of service having been honoured by issue of a series of commemorative stamps. AMED operates Phramongkutklao Hospital in Bangkok and Ananda Mahidol Hospital in Lopburi, along with smaller hospitals at each fort, as well as Phramongkutklao College of Medicine (PCM).
Air Division.
Royal Thai Army Aviation Center (กองบินทหารบกไทย) belongs to the service segment of the Royal Thai Army Areas:
Military districts.
The army is divided into districts, whereby the first digit of the district indicates the army (first, second, third or fourth) responsible for its supervision. The names of forts are from locations or influential figures in Thailand's history. These are as follows:
Budget.
The RTA budget for FY2021 is 107,662 million baht, down from 112,815M baht in FY2020.
Businesses and infrastructure.
The army owns more than 30 golf courses nationwide. The army also owns boxing stadium, 100 petrol stations, racecourses, hotels, retail and coffee shops, and radio and television airwaves (by one count, the armed forces have ownership in 537 radio and TV stations). In early 2020, the army entered an agreement with the Finance Ministry to turn over to the ministry the management of businesses unrelated to the army's mission. In a related move, army commander General Apirat Kongsompong decreed that retired generals must move out of army-owned housing to free space for serving officers. , about 100 retired generals and colonels inhabit army accommodations. Some ex-generals, like PM Prayut Chan-o-cha and deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan were exempted immediately from eviction because of their "contribution to society". The Thai Defence Ministry position is that there is no law prohibiting retired officers from occupying military housing.
In January 2021, the RTA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to study the feasibility of constructing solar farms on 4.5 million rai of army land to generate 30,000 megawatts of electricity. Following up, on 22 February 2021 a meeting was called by the President of Royal Thai Army Radio and Television Channel 5 with energy firms interested in winning a piece of what is projected to be a 600 billion baht project. The Energy Ministry was not represented at the meeting. Critics have questioned why the army is involved in energy procurement, in contravention of existing regulations, and why Thailand needs more electricity when it already has 59% reserve capacity and more capacity under construction.


Peter Par Jiek

Peter Par Jiek (1950s – 9 April 2017) was a brigadier general of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), and veteran of the Second Sudanese Civil War. In the course of that conflict, Par fought under Riek Machar with several rebel and pro-government groups, and eventually became a powerful militia commander in Unity State. In that region, he established his own fiefdom and gained some notoriety for his rivalry with another rebel leader, Peter Gadet. Even though he had followed Machar during the whole Second Sudanese Civil War until 2005, Par sided with President Salva Kiir Mayardit upon the outbreak of the South Sudanese Civil War in 2013. Leading pro-government counter-insurgency forces in Wau State since 2014, Par was eventually ambushed and killed by SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Machar in 2017.
Biography.
Second Sudanese Civil War.
Initial rebellion and rise in ranks.
Peter Par Jiek was born in the 1950s as a member of the Dok subgroup of the Nuer people. He attended the Malakal secondary school where he received his high school education. After the outbreak of the Second Sudanese Civil War, he joined the SPLA. In 1991, however, Par followed Riek Machar as he broke away from the SPLA, and afterwards served in Machar's various rebel groups, such as the SPLA-Nasir, SPLA-United, and SSIM/A. Eventually, Machar and Par joined the SSDF in 1997, an alliance of militias that had decided to side (for the time being) with the Sudanese government against other rebel factions. This alliance gradually broke down, as its member groups resumed attacking each other. The pro-government force of Paulino Matip Nhial repeatedly attacked the town of Leer in late 1998 which was held by SSDF fighters under Par and Tito Biel. They regarded the assaults as betrayal by the Sudanese government. A military commission was sent to investigate, and claimed that Matip had acted on his own. This did little to reduce Par's suspicion that the attack had been part of the government divide and rule strategy. In the next months, open warfare broke out between SSDF militias and the Sudanese Armed Forces in Unity State. Par took part in the fighting, serving under Biel from 1998 to 1999.
In May 1999, a major government offensive defeated the rebellious SSDF forces, recapturing Leer and driving the SSDF mostly from Unity State. While most of the SSDF retreated to Nyal, Par and some of his men instead moved to Tonj in Bahr el Ghazal. Machar then ordered Par to participate in the Wunlit talks with the SPLA, where he was supposed to ask the SPLA for assistance against the government; the SPLA did send limited aid, and the SSDF consequently was able to regain some ground.
In early 2000, Machar left the SSDF, forming the SPDF, and Par yet again followed him. In March of that year, he was appointed the SPDF's overall commander for Unity State by Machar. In this position, he expanded his forces by recruiting Dok Nuer, who generally supported him. From March 2000 onwards, the allied forces of Par and the SPLA, under Peter Gadet's command, gained some ground against the Sudanese army and Paulino Matip Nhial's militia, while continuing to weaken the government's grip on the area by ambushing military convoies and destroying oil pipelines.
War of the Peters.
The cooperation between Peter Par and Peter Gadet broke down in June–July 2000, as their militias began to fight each other. Who was responsible for the outbreak of hostilities is unknown, as both sides blamed each other. The resulting conflict became known as "War of the Peters". As Par and Gadet battled for control over Unity State, the former was reportedly backed by the government, receiving ammunition from Matip's men. In return, Par's men guarded government installations, especially Block 5A. Between July and August 2000, Par joined forces with Matip's pro-government militia and drove Gadet's men to the west of the Jur River, though Gadet was able to retake all lost territory in August and September 2000. This fighting was brutal and led to enormous destruction and the displacement of up to 60,000 people.
The War of the Peters continued until August 2001, when Par and Gadet agreed to a ceasefire. A few months later, Machar also came to an understanding with the SPLA leadership and agreed to merge the SPDF with the SPLA, whereupon Par and Gadet signed a final peace agreement in Koch in February 2002. As result, Par rejoined the SPLA.
Later civil war and LRA insurgency.
As their dispute was now settled, Par and Gadet concentrated on evicting the government from Upper Nile, though the government soon launched a counter-offensive in the area. While Par managed to repulse an attempt of pro-government forces to capture Leer in September 2002, the Sudanese army eventually retook the town in January 2003 in a fresh drive to clear the area for oil exploitation. The civil war eventually ended with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Thereafter, Par was appointed lieutenant colonel of the SPLA, and took part in the campaign against the Lord's Resistance Army. By 2006, he and his men were stationed in Owiny Ki-Bul in Eastern Equatoria.
South Sudanese Civil War.
After South Sudan's independence in 2011, Par was appointed brigadier general. When the civil war between Kiir and Machar broke out in 2013, Par decided to side with Kiir, and quickly became one of the government's leading counter-insurgency commanders. He narrowly escaped death in 2014, when rebels captured Bentiu and massacred all local government supporters. Afterwards, Par joined the SPLA's 5th Division in Wau State, where he was accused of ordering the killings of Nuer SPLA soldiers in Wau town and Mapel who were suspected of sympathizing with Machar. Since the outbreak of a widespread rebellion in Wau State in 2016, Par was heavily involved in fighting the local insurgents and became the leading commander for all SPLA operations in Wau State.
In April 2017, Par led a major government offensive aimed at retaking Baggari, an important town in Wau State held by SPLM-IO forces. Though his men defeated the rebels and captured Baggari, his convoy was ambushed as it returned to Wau town on 9 April 2017. Par, along with Colonel Abraham Bol Chut Dhuol and twelve of their bodyguards, were killed in the following shootout. In revenge for their deaths, SPLA soldiers and pro-government Dinka militiamen belonging to Mathiang Anyoor murdered and robbed non-Dinkas in Wau town and surrounding villages.


RAF Voluntary Bands

RAF Voluntary Bands are voluntary military, brass or pipe bands that provide music for ceremonial and social occasions within the Royal Air Force, as well as local and national charities. In contrast to the RAF's professional musical bands (the RAF Central Band, the RAF Regiment Band and the RAF College Band), the bands are formed of volunteer musicians from RAF stations, other services and members of the local community.
RAF Voluntary Bands Association.
Numerous bands were founded at the formation of the RAF on 1 April 1918. Several can trace their roots to Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps volunteer musicians. The bands are centrally administered through the RAF Voluntary Band Association which, co-ordinates policy and activities and represents its members on those occasions when they are called upon to participate in major public events. Each of the current eight voluntary bands in the RAF are located on a geographical basis at stations throughout the United Kingdom and Cyprus:
To celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the RAF in 2008, a massed band event featuring members from all bands was held at Symphony Hall, Birmingham.
RAF Pipe Bands Association.
There are five voluntary RAF pipe bands spread across the UK: three in Scotland and two in England. These are administered through the RAF Pipe Bands Association These are currently located at:
The pipe bands compete in several contests, and the Pipe Band Association holds its own annual contest for members which includes solo events as well as band contests.


Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force

The Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force (HAF/HC) is the senior chaplain in the United States Air Force, the functional leader of the U.S. Air Force Chaplain Corps, and the senior advisor on religious issues to the Secretary and Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force.
The current Chief of Chaplains is Major General Steven A. Schaick.


Close Quarters Battle Receiver

The Close Quarter Battle Receiver (CQBR) is a replacement upper receiver for the M4A1 Carbine, developed by the US Navy. The CQBR features a barrel 10.3 in (262 mm) in length, similar to the Colt Commando short-barreled M16 variants of the past. This shorter barrel makes the weapon significantly more compact, which makes it easier to use in and around vehicles and in tight confined spaces. Special units such as commandos boarding ships and bodyguards for senior officers have found such shortened weapons very useful and use the CQBR.
Its preliminary National Stock Number was 1005-LL-L99-5996; however, a complete CQBR-equipped carbine now has the NSN 1005-01-527-2288. The overall length of the upper receiver is 19.25 inches (489 mm). With the stock retracted, the overall length of the weapon is 26.75 inches (679.4 mm).
Background.
The M4 carbine and M16 are not ideally suited for all missions, so it was proposed that the modularity of the M16 series would allow a user to replace the upper receiver of an existing weapon with one more suitable to the task. One of two proposed special mission receivers that were planned for inclusion into the SOPMOD Block II kit, the CQBR has taken off on its own. Like the proposed Special Purpose Receiver, the Close Quarters Battle Receiver has been more or less taken on by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (often referred to as NSWC-Crane or just "Crane") as its own project following the CQBR's removal from the SOPMOD program. Just as the Special Purpose Receiver morphed into the Special Purpose Rifle, and was type-classified as Mk 12 Mod 0/1, the complete CQBR-equipped carbine has been type-classified as the Mk 18 Mod 0, or the Mk 18 Mod 1 with a sightless gas block and full-length accessory rail kit.
The purpose of the CQBR remains to provide operators with a weapon of submachine gun size, but firing a rifle cartridge, for scenarios such as VIP protection, urban warfare, and other close quarters battle (CQB) situations. The CQBR is designed to provide improvement over previous AR-15/M16-type weapons in this category. The CQBR is usually issued as a complete weapon system, and not just an upper receiver. The CQBR was once only available to Naval Special Warfare units (and by extension, other US Special Operations Forces units), but the Mk 18 Mod 0 has become general issue for Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) missions and, as of 2006, for NCIS agents deploying to active combat zones. The Mk 18 is also used by the Coast Guard's Tactical Law Enforcement Teams and Maritime Security Response Teams and the United States Navy's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Operators. It is also used by Marine Force Recon's CQB operators and Critical Skills operators, and is in most cases the standard weapons of choice for said operators where the range and accuracy of an M4 is not necessary.
The short 10.3 in (262 mm) barrel length requires special modifications to reliably function. The gas port is opened from 0.062 to 0.070 in (1.6 to 1.8 mm). A one-piece McFarland gas ring replaces the three-piece gas ring set. The standard four-coil extractor spring is replaced with a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) five-coil spring. An O-ring surrounds the extractor spring. The standard M4 flash hider has been replaced with the M4QD flash hider for suppressor compatibility.
Specifications.
The handguard manufacturer has since changed from KAC to Daniel Defense as the primary contractor for the MK18 RIS, NSN # 1005-01-548-1385.


Republican Party of South Sudan

The Republican Party of South Sudan was a political party in the Republic of South Sudan.
Origins.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the governing party of South Sudan, fractured in December 2013, leading to the ongoing civil war that has killed thousands and forced a large number of people to seek refugees in neighbouring countries. The party was formed on 22 June 2017 by senior officials who have split from the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) faction allied to President Salva Kiir.
History.
Former governor of the defunct Warrap state, Lewis Anei Madut, was heavily endorsed to be the party's new chairman. The new party's deputy chairman and secretary general were also elected at the same meeting of the founding members. Speaking at the official launch of the party, Lewis Anei Madut said "the "Republican Party of South Sudan" is a non-violent political organization formed after being inspired by the call to unite the country along a political party that aspires for equal rights of all the people of South Sudan."


Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award

The Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award is the highest honorary award the Secretary of the Navy can confer on a Department of the Navy civilian employee. The Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award will be granted only to those employees who have given distinguished or extraordinary service. The achievements or service must be truly exceptional when measured against the position requirements of the employee and should far exceed the contributions and service of others with comparable responsibilities. The Navy Distinguished Civilian Service Award is reserved for contributions that are so unusual or significant that recognition at the secretary of the Navy level is deserved. Additional qualifiers include:


Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building

The Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building is the current headquarters of the United States Coast Guard and is located in Washington, D.C. on the west campus of the historic St. Elizabeths Hospital. The building is named in honor of Douglas Albert Munro and was completed in 2013.
History.
Previous headquarters of the U.S. Coast Guard.
By the time of its foundation in 1915, U.S. Coast Guard headquarters shared space with its parent agency, United States Department of Treasury. In the same year, the U.S. Coast Guard moved to Munsey Trust Building, which was home up until 1919. In 1921 Bond Building became new building for headquarters. By the 1930s, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters units were split into three venues – Treasury Annex, the Wilkins Building and the Liberty Loan Building.
In 1942, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters consolidated those offices into the Southern Railway Building. Between 1963 and 1971 U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters units occupied 800 Independence Avenue Southwest along with Federal Aviation Agency. In early 1960s and in early 1970s agency also occupied 1300 E Street Northwest. In 1970 U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters moved into Nassif Building along with its new parent agency United States Department of Transportation. Last building to be headquarters was Transpoint Building, leased by General Services Administration since 1979 from Laszlo N. Tauber & Associates, which constructed the building in 1973 (building also served as headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command between 2013 and 2015).
Initially, in the 1990s, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters units planned to relocate to 1200 New Jersey Avenue Southeast along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, but as the U.S. Coast Guard was transferred to United States Department of Homeland Security, plans were scrapped.
Construction and tenure.
In 2004, the Coast Guard began exploring its need for a new headquarters facility. The General Services Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security determined that it would be more cost-effective for the Coast Guard to move to a secure, federally owned site than to find a replacement lease for Transpoint Building. By 2006, a new U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters Building on the campus of the historic St. Elizabeths Hospital was proposed in the 2006 federal budget, although, construction of the building began in 2009 after receiving funding by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Budgeted at $646.2 million, it was the largest GSA project at the time.
The building was officially opened on July 29, 2013. From August 2013 to November 2013, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters units relocated to the new building. Earlier in July 2013, An act to designate the Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building was introduced and passed in the United States House of Representatives, officially naming the building the Douglas A. Munro Coast Guard Headquarters Building.
In autumn 2015, the Coast Guard's Marine Safety Center (MSC), Personnel Service Center (PSC), Hearing Office, Legal Division, National Pollution Funds Center, Recruiting Command, Marine Safety Center, and Base National Capital Region moved from various offices in Arlington County, Virginia to the Headquarters Building.


Prairie-Masker

Prairie-Masker is a radiated noise reduction system fitted to some western warships, including the "Spruance", "Oliver H. Perry", "Arleigh Burke" class destroyers, and the "Ticonderoga" class cruisers of the US Navy. The system was also installed during the 1960s on a limited number of post WWII Guppy III modified, and later diesel submarines.
The Masker and Prairie systems are designed to prevent the classification or identification of a warship's acoustic signature by another vessel, i.e. by a hostile submarine. Instead of hearing machinery, the ship sounds similar to rain on passive sonar. The Masker portion of the system is installed onto the hull of a vessel, usually near its machinery spaces. The Prairie portion of the system is designed to silence the vessel's propellers. Originally classified top secret, these systems are now used by several countries as part of their antisubmarine warfare systems.
Background.
Ship silencing is an important part of reducing unwanted noise, which can severely limit a naval vessel's active and passive undersea warfare capability and decrease the range or probability of detection by an unfriendly vessel. The US Navy maintains a Ship Silencing Program to address these problems. The goals of the Ship Silencing Program are a reduction of sonar self noise over the frequency range of passive capable sonar and the reduction in the ship's radiated noise to reduce detection by enemy submarines. Self-noise is the noise generated by a ship that has an effect on its own sonar and sensors. Radiated noise is the noise generated by a ship that has an effect on other ship's sensors, especially submarines. The Masker-Prairie countermeasure systems are key elements in this program to reduce radiated noise and self-noise that are not reduced by controlling the sounds at their source or their transmission to the hull.
The use of air-bubbles and their effects upon acoustic wave propagation began to be studied systematically during the Second World War as part of a general effort to understand sound in submarine warfare. In the United States, this research effort was directed by the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) and was carried out by various US Navy laboratories. The advances made in this research were published in "The Physics of Sound in the Sea" in 1946. Results of that study most pertinent to this discussion are found in Part IV of that volume "Acoustic Properties of Wakes".
The use of bubble curtains have found wide spread applicability in reducing noise or the damaging effect of shock waves in a variety of industry from: underwater blasting, to pile driving, to explosive metal forming.
Principle of operation.
The Masker portion of the system is based upon creating a speed of sound (acoustic impedance) mismatch between the bubble curtain and the seawater. Acoustic waves encountering material with a radically different speed of sound do not penetrate, but are reflected back. The speed of sound in a medium is dependent upon the square root of stiffness of a material divided by its density. In a bubble cloud, the density is mostly unchanged - that of the water - but the stiffness is that of air. The result is that the speed of sound in a cloud of bubbles in water is a factor of almost ten slower than in water itself and a factor of three slower than it is in air. Thus, sounds within the ship (or submarine) hull which would otherwise go out into the water and propagate for a long distance are reflected back into the hull and are eventually dissipated. One can experience a manifestation of these physics concepts by filling one glass with water, a second glass with carbonated water, and tapping the side of each with a spoon. The water-filled vessel will ring. The vessel with bubbles in it will "thud".
The noise quieting of the Prairie screw works on a different principle. The principal noise problem with a screw is cavitation. The pressure behind the moving blade may become so low that it is less than the vapor pressure of water at that depth. This results in a water vapor bubble forming. When the bubble gets out of the low pressure area, it collapses right back into water and makes a loud noise in doing so. If, however, the trailing edge of the screw emits a small amount of air, then the cavitation bubbles have a bit of air within them. The collapse of the water vapor does not completely close the bubble, and thus little extra noise is generated.
Masker.
The Masker portion of the system is designed to silence a vessel's engine noise from detection by threat vessels and to reduce self-noise to increase the vessel's own sonar efficiency. The Masker portion typically consists of two bands fitted to the outside of the hull adjacent the vessel's engine rooms, compressed air is then forced into the bands and escapes through machined perforations to create a barrier of air bubbles in the sea about the hull, thus trapping machinery noise within the hull where it is dissipated.
Prairie.
Prairie ("acronym: propeller air i mission emission") on the other hand, is fitted either near to or on the ships propellers and compressed air is pumped through small holes in the edges of the propeller. As might be expected, keeping a set of small holes clear of fouling under the surface of a ship or submarine can present a problem. On submarine installations this was prevented by running a trickle of fresh water through the system when the ship was in port. Most of the creatures that foul an ocean-going ship's hull cannot survive in fresh water.
A similar system called Agouti was fitted to Royal Navy frigates and such vessels as .
Submarines.
In submarine use the large volume of air needed to operate the system needs to come from the surface, and therefore Prairie-Masker can only be used when the diesel submarine is snorkeling. This is not a serious limitation since the major noise source that needs quieting are the diesel engines, which are used only when snorkeling. When used by an antisubmarine warship, it is so effective in hiding its acoustic signature that often they are requested not to use the system when exercising with submarines. This is because of the possibility of a collision with the submarine which might come at or near the surface in close proximity to the warship without hearing it.


USS LSM-297

USS "LSM-297" was a medium landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II.
Career.
USS "LSM-297" was laid down on 5 October 1944 at Charleston Navy Yard in South Carolina and was launched on 30 October 1944. She was commissioned on 18 December 1944, LTjg. Gilbert A. Harre, USNR, in command.
During World War II "LSM-297" was assigned to the Pacific Theater. She was decommissioned on 4 November 1957 at Astoria, Oregon, and sold for scrapping in November 1958.


Women in the United States Coast Guard

There have been women in the United States Coast Guard since 1918, and women continue to serve in it today.
History.
Note that some minor wars women served in have been omitted from this history.
World War I.
During World War I, in 1918, twin sisters Genevieve and Lucille Baker transferred from the Naval Coastal Defense Reserve and became the first uniformed women to serve in the Coast Guard. Before the war ended, several more women joined them, all of them serving in the Coast Guard at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
World War II and after until the Korean War.
On November 23, 1942, the Coast Guard Women's Reserve was created with the signing of Public Law 773 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Dorothy Stratton transferred from the Navy WAVES to serve as the Reserve's director. Dorothy Tuttle was the first woman to enlist in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve, and in all 11,868 enlisted women and 978 female officers served in it during World War II. This included Olivia Hooker, who thus became the first African-American woman to enter the Coast Guard in 1945. In all five African-American women served in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve before it was ended in 1947, namely Hooker, D. Winifred Byrd, Julia Mosley, Yvonne Cumberbatch, and Aileen Cooke. The Coast Guard Women's Reserve was ended in 1947 but recreated in a smaller form in 1949.
Korean War and after until the Vietnam War.
Approximately 200 women who had been in the Coast Guard Women's Reserve reenlisted and served during the Korean War. They mostly served at the Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Vietnam War.
The Vietnam War gave the Coast Guard a surplus of qualified male applicants, and the Coast Guard did not make a systematic effort to attract women during that time.
Women in the Coast Guard since 1972.
"Frontiero v. Richardson", , was a landmark Supreme Court case which decided that benefits given by the military to the family of service members cannot be given out differently because of sex.
In 1974 the Coast Guard Women's Reserve was ended and women became part of the regular Coast Guard.
In 1976 the Coast Guard Academy first admitted women; in 1985 Denise L. Matthews became the first woman to graduate at the top of her class at the Coast Guard Academy.
In 1977 the first Coast Guard women were assigned to sea duty as crew members aboard "Morgenthau" and "Gallatin".
In 1978 the Coast Guard opened all assignments to women.
In 1979 LTJG Beverly G. Kelley became the first female commanding officer afloat in U.S. history when she took command of USCGC "Cape Newagen".
Women in the Coast Guard served in Operation Desert Shield (1990-1991) and Operation Desert Storm (1991).
In 1993 Patricia A. Stolle became the first woman in the Coast Guard to advance to Master Chief Petty Officer.
Before the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy was enacted in 1993, lesbians and bisexual women (and gay men and bisexual men) were banned from serving in the military. In 1993 the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy was enacted, which mandated that the military could not ask servicemembers about their sexual orientation. However, until the policy was ended in 2011 service members were still expelled from the military if they engaged in sexual conduct with a member of the same sex, stated that they were lesbian, gay, or bisexual, and/or married or attempted to marry someone of the same sex.
Women in the Coast Guard served in the Iraq War from 2003 until 2011.
In 2011 Rear Admiral Sandra Stosz was chosen by the Commandant of the United States Coast Guard, ADM Robert J. Papp to become the superintendent of the Coast Guard Academy. As such, she was the first woman to lead a United States military service academy.
In 2020, Rear Admiral Melissa Bert became the first woman to serve as the Judge Advocate General and Chief Counsel of the Coast Guard.
Women in the Coast Guard currently serve in the Afghanistan War that began in 2001.


USS Evea (YT-458)

USS "Evea" (YT-458), originally the sixth USS "Resolute" (YT-458), later YTB-458, was a United States Navy tug in commission from 1943 to 1944.
Design and construction.
In the early 1940s a series of Allaquippa-class district tugs (YT) were ordered from Gulfport Boiler & Welding Works of Port Arthur, Texas by General Motors for transfer before completion to the United States Navy. These tugs had a displacement off 300 tons and were 102 feet 3 inches length overall, 95 feet length between perpendiculars, 24 feet in beam and with a draught of 10 feet. They were powered by a 1000 bhp diesel-electric engine, supplied by General Motors, and driving a single propeller.
World War II service.
Five of the Allaquippa-class tugs were completed for the British Royal Navy and supplied under the Lend-Lease Act. The last of these, Yard No. 194 from Gulfport, was designated BYT 5 by the U.S. Navy, given the name Resolute on completion and transferred to the U.K. on 26 March 1942. She served in the Mediterranean as a salvage tug.
She was acquired by the U.S. Navy at the Moroccan Sea Frontier on 16 May 1943 and placed in service as the harbor tug USS "Resolute" (YT-458). She was renamed USS "Evea" (YT-458) on 9 June 1943. Assigned duty in North African waters, she was reclassified as a "large harbor tug" and redesignated YTB-458 on 15 May 1944. During her service in the Mediterranean area she was involved in the Sicilian occupation (9-15 July 1943), the Salerno Landings (9-21 September 1943), and the Invasion of Southern France (15 August-25 September 1944).
French Navy.
"Evea" was transferred to the French Navy under Lend-Lease at Marseille in autumn 1944 and renamed Malabar (A 709). France later nominally returned "Evea" to the United States, after which she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and sold to France. On 26 November 1946 the tug sailed from Toulon for Singapore towing the French Navy steam tug "Tulear", destined for service at Saigon. "Malabar" was then deployed as a port tug at Diego Suarez, Madagascar, where she arrived on 26 March 1947.
On 19 July 1967 "Malabar" capsized and sank while assisting the 51,270 DWT British tanker "Mobil Enterprise" outside the port of Diego Suarez. In the accident ten of her crew lost their lives.


USS Conyngham (DD-58)

USS "Conyngham" (Destroyer No. 58/DD-58) was a built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Gustavus Conyngham.
"Conyngham" was laid down by the William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia, in July 1914 and launched in July of the following year. The ship was a little more than in length, just over abeam, and had a standard displacement of . She was armed with four guns and had eight 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. "Conyngham" was powered by a pair of steam turbines that propelled her at up to .
After her January 1916 commissioning, "Conyngham" sailed in the Atlantic and the Caribbean. After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, "Conyngham" was part of the first U.S. destroyer squadron sent overseas. Patrolling the Irish Sea out of Queenstown, Ireland, "Conyngham" made several rescues of passengers and crew from ships sunk by U-boats. "Conyngham"s commander was commended for actions related to what was thought at the time to be a "probable" kill of a German submarine.
Upon returning to the United States in December 1918, "Conyngham" underwent repairs at the Boston Navy Yard. She remained there in reduced commission through 1921, with only brief episodes of activity. After returning to active service for about a year, she was decommissioned in June 1922. In June 1924, "Conyngham" was transferred to the United States Coast Guard to help enforce Prohibition as a part of the "Rum Patrol". She operated under the name USCGC "Conyngham" (CG-2) until 1933, when she was returned to the Navy. Later that year, the ship was renamed DD-58 to free the name "Conyngham" for another destroyer. She was sold for scrap in August 1934.
Design and construction.
"Conyngham" was authorized in 1913 as the second ship of the which, like the related , was an improved version of the s authorized in 1911. Construction of the vessel was awarded to William Cramp & Sons of Philadelphia, which laid down her keel on 27 July 1914. Twelve months later, on 8 July 1915, "Conyngham" was launched by sponsor Miss A. C. Stevens, a great-great-granddaughter of the ship's namesake, Gustavus Conyngham (1744–1819), a Continental Navy officer. As built, "Conyngham" was in length and abeam and drew . The ship had a standard displacement of and displaced when fully loaded.
"Conyngham" had two Curtis steam turbines that drove her two screw propellers, and an additional steam turbine geared to one of the propeller shafts for cruising purposes. The power plant could generate and move the ship at speeds up to .
"Conyngham"s main battery consisted of four /50 Mark 9 guns, with each gun weighing in excess of . The guns fired armor-piercing projectiles at . At an elevation of 20°, the guns had a range of .
"Conyngham" was also equipped with eight torpedo tubes. The General Board of the United States Navy had called for two anti-aircraft guns for the "Tucker"-class ships, as well as provisions for laying up to 36 floating mines. From sources, it is unclear if these recommendations were followed for "Conyngham" or any of the other ships of the class.
Early career.
USS "Conyngham" was commissioned into the United States Navy on 21 January 1916 under the command of Lieutenant Commander A. W. Johnson. Following her commissioning, "Conyngham" joined in tactics and war maneuvers off the east coast in 1916 and in the beginning of 1917 sailed to the Caribbean for war games and fleet maneuvers. Returning to Norfolk, Virginia on 23 March, she joined 5th Naval District Patrol Force and with and patrolled the approaches to Chesapeake Bay.
World War I.
On 24 April 1917 "Conyngham" sailed from Boston, Massachusetts with her division for Queenstown, Ireland, the first destroyers to join English forces for duty after the entry of the United States into World War I earlier that month. This force patrolled off the Irish coast and escorted convoys through the danger zone where German submarine operated.
The destroyers also providing rescue services for stricken ships. When the British ship was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine on 17 August 1917, "Conyngham" sped to her assistance and rescued 39 survivors. A similar distress call from the British ship on 22 November—torpedoed by German submarine —resulted in the rescue of her 30-man crew by "Conyngham".
The British Armed merchant cruiser and ten destroyers, including "Conyngham", were escorting an eastbound convoy of twenty steamers on 19 October, when German submarine surfaced in the midst of the group. The submarine launched its only remaining torpedo at "Orama", sinking that vessel. Lookouts on "Conyngham" saw "U-62"s periscope and quickly launched a depth charge attack on the spot where the U-boat had submerged, bringing oil and debris to the surface. "Conyngham"s commanding officer was commended for his prompt and effective action, and the British Admiralty awarded "Conyngham" a "probable" kill on the submarine. Unfortunately for "Conyngham"s record, though, "U-62" had survived the encounter.
Post-war.
After the hostilities had ended on 11 November 1918 with Germany signing the Armistice, "Conyngham" sailed from Queenstown on 14 December 1918 for Boston to have an overhaul. From February to April 1919, the destroyer participated in fleet exercises and division maneuvers in the Caribbean. Returning to Boston, she was placed in reduced commission until 1921.
In June 1921, "Conyngham" accompanied a Cuban warship that was repatriating the remains of former Cuban President José Miguel Gómez to Havana. She returned to Newport, Rhode Island, for summer exercises with her squadron and, after wintering at Charleston, South Carolina, reported to Philadelphia Navy Yard in March 1922 for inactivation. She was decommissioned there on 23 June 1922.
United States Coast Guard career.
On 17 January 1920, Prohibition was instituted by law in the United States. Soon, the smuggling of alcoholic beverages along the coastlines of the United States became widespread and blatant. The Treasury Department eventually determined that the United States Coast Guard simply did not have the ships to constitute a successful patrol. To cope with the problem, President Calvin Coolidge in 1924 authorized the transfer from the Navy to the Coast Guard of twenty old destroyers that were in reserve and out of commission. "Conyngham" was reactivated and transferred to the Treasury Department on 7 June 1924 for use by the Coast Guard. Designated "CG-2", "Conyngham" was commissioned on 8 March 1925, and joined the "Rum Patrol" to aid in the attempt to enforce prohibition laws.
After the United States Congress proposed the Twenty-first Amendment to end prohibition in February 1933, plans were made for "Conyngham" to be returned to the Navy. On 27 May 1933, "Conyngham" arrived at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, and was decommissioned nine days later, on 5 June. "Conyngham" was transferred back to the Navy on 30 June. Later in 1933, the ship was renamed "DD-58" in order to free the name "Conyngham" for a new destroyer of the same name. "DD-58" remained in noncommissioned status until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 5 July 1934. She was sold for scrap on 22 August in accordance with the London Naval Treaty.


USS LCT-777

U.S.S. LST-777 was a Mark 6 Landing Craft Tank of the United States Navy during World War II.
History.
Built in 1943 at Mount Vernon, Ohio, "LCT-777" was delivered to the Navy in January 1944. She was then assigned to LCT FLOTILLA SEVENTEEN, LCT GROUP FIVE ZERO under command of Commander R. Fabian. The "LCT-777" took part in the massive Invasion of Normandy, where she was sunk stern-first on 6 June 1944 by German naval mines about 500 yards off of Omaha Beach. As a result of the explosion, five sailors were killed, and another six were badly wounded. Four tanks were sunk with her. She was stricken from the Naval Register on 27 November 1944.
Decorations.
"LCT-777" received one battle star.


Treaty of Varkiza

The Treaty of Varkiza (, also known as the Varkiza Pact or the Varkiza Peace Agreement) was signed in Varkiza (near Athens) on February 12, 1945 between the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) for EAM-ELAS, following the latter's defeat during the "Dekemvriana" clashes. One of the aspects of the accord (Article IX) called for a plebiscite to be held within the year in order to resolve any problems with the Greek Constitution. This plebiscite would help establish elections and thus create a constituent assembly that would draft a new organic law. In another aspect of the treaty, both signatories agreed that the Allies send overseers in order to verify the validity of the elections. The accord also promised that members of the EAM-ELAS would be permitted to participate in political activities if they surrendered their weapons. Moreover, all civil and political liberties would be guaranteed along with the undertaking by the Greek government towards establishing a nonpolitical national army.
Disarmament.
The Treaty specified that the EAM-ELAS would disarm. According to records, it surrendered, within the next few days or weeks, 100 artillery of various types, 81 heavy mortars, 138 light mortars, 419 machine guns, 1412 submachine guns, 713 automatic rifles, 48,973 rifles and pistols, 57 antitank rifles and 17 radios.
However, the real numbers are higher, as some refused to accept receipts for their weapons. Panagiotis Koumoukelis relates in 'All That Grief' that he refused a receipt for his gun and so he was subsequently tortured by members of the Security Battalions, as he could not produce his receipt.
Aftermath.
Ultimately, the promises enshrined in the Treaty of Varkiza were not upheld. The main problem was that the treaty gave amnesty only for political reasons, but many actions by communists during the "Dekemvriana" were viewed as nonpolitical. The events that followed entailed widespread anticommunist killings of communists.
Even though the Treaty of Varkiza was not enforced, it was nevertheless a diplomatic attempt towards officially ending the civil war. The Communist Party of Greece remained legal during the Greek Civil War until 27 December 1947.
Sources.
+ Richter, Heinz "British Intervention in Greece, From Varkiza to Civil War February 1945 to August 1946" (London 1986)


Battle of Vitoria order of battle

This is the order of battle for the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813).
Allied army.
Commander-in-Chief: Lt Gen (local General) Arthur Wellesley, 1st Marquess of Wellington
Total Allied Forces: 81,136 (68,222 infantry, 7,715 cavalry, 5,199 artillery and train)
Artillery: Lt Col Alexander Dickson (4,307 gunners and train, approx. 90 guns)
Reserve Artillery (Lt Col Julius Hartmann)
Engineers: 892
Right Column.
Lt Gen Rowland Hill
Right Centre Column.
Lt Gen Lowry Cole
Left Centre Column.
Lt Gen George Ramsay, 9th Earl of Dalhousie
Left Column.
Lt Gen Thomas Graham
"From Glover (2001), The Peninsular War, pp. 382-385 unless otherwise cited."
French Army.
Commander-in-Chief: King Joseph Bonaparte
Chief of Staff: Marshal Jean Baptiste Jourdan
French Army total: 69,212 (51,645 infantry, 11,002 cavalry, 6,565 artillery and train, 151 guns)
Army of the South.
GD Honoré Gazan
Army of the Centre.
GD Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Army of Portugal.
GD Honoré Charles Reille
King Joseph's Spanish Army.
"From Fletcher (2005), Vittoria 1813, pp. 32-33 unless otherwise cited."


Air Force Office of Energy Assurance

The Office of Energy Assurance (abbreviated OEA) was established by the United States Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff of the Air Force in February 2016 to serve as a central management office dedicated to strategic energy and resiliency.
OEA serves as an extension of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center and in conjunction with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations, Environment and Energy to ensure alignment with Air Force priorities. OEA develops, implements and oversees an integrated facility energy portfolio, including privately financed, large-scale renewable and alternative energy projects as well as direct Air Force investments. OEA leverages partnerships with the Army's Office of Energy Initiatives and the Navy’s Resilient Energy Program Office.
For OEA, energy assurance represents a vast array of activities across three categories - preparation and planning; mitigation and response; and education and outreach - focused on the goal of energy resiliency. OEA uses a holistic, enterprise-level approach across all Air Force installations with a focus on optimizing cost and providing resilient and cleaner sources of energy to assure the mission.
OEA's mission is to deliver creative installation energy resiliency solutions to meet 21st century threats. Its vision is to be the recognized leader for implementing innovative energy assurance solutions that provide the Air Force with mission-ready installations.
OEA works with installations to determine energy requirements critical to the mission and provides practical tools and support to develop projects to meet those needs. OEA develops energy assurance projects on or near installations by collaborating with community stakeholders to identify shared interests, such as costs, risks and goals, and to develop mutually beneficial solutions. OEA leverages the expertise, resources and capabilities of private industry to design and execute creative solutions to energy challenges. The office seeks innovative solutions for energy assurance projects, including but not limited to alternative generation methods, smart controls, increased cyber security, infrastructure upgrades and storage.


George Cobb (lighthouse keeper)

George Douglas Cobb was an American lighthouse keeper who served at the Point Bonita Light near San Francisco. On December 26, 1896 he saved three young men from drowning near the lighthouse, for which he was awarded a Silver Lifesaving Medal.
A United States Coast Guard buoy tender (WLM 564) based in San Pedro, California was named for Cobb.


Swedish Air Force weapons

This is a list of Swedish Air Force weapons.
Designating a weapon.
Most weapons were called by an m/xx number that normally showed the weapon's acceptance into service by the armed forces. Missiles were designated with two digits after the "Rb" designation, which is short for "Robot", the Swedish word for missile.
With air-to-air missiles odd numbers indicated radar seekers like the Rb 71 or Sky Flash, even numbers indicate IR seekers like the Rb 98 or IRIS-T off-boresight air-to-air missile.
See also.
Swedish Air Force


Navy Expeditionary Medal

The Navy Expeditionary Medal is a military award of the United States Navy which was established in August 1936.
Award criteria.
The General Orders of the Department of the Navy which established the medal states, "The medal will be awarded, to the officers and enlisted men of the Navy who shall have actually landed on foreign territory and engaged in operations against armed opposition, or operated under circumstances which, after full consideration, shall be deemed to merit special recognition and for which service no campaign medal has been awarded. The Navy Expeditionary Medal is retroactively authorized to February 12, 1874."
Design.
The medal was designed by A. A. Weinman and features a sailor beaching a craft carrying Marines, an officer, and a US flag with the word "Expeditions" above. On the reverse of both the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal and Navy Expeditionary Medal, in the center of the bronze medallion an eagle is shown alight upon an anchor; the eagle is facing to the left and the flukes of the anchor are to the right. The eagle is grasping sprigs of laurel, which extend beyond the anchor in both directions. Above the eagle are the words UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS or UNITED STATES NAVY presented as an arch. Above the laurel are the words FOR SERVICE presented horizontally. The eagle is the American bald eagle and represents the United States, the anchor alludes to Marine Corps or Navy service, and the laurel is symbolic of victory and achievement.
Marine Corps eligibility.
The medal is one of the few Navy awards which is not concurrently bestowed to the United States Marine Corps, as Marine Corps personnel are eligible for the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal as an equivalent award. In addition, since 1961, some Navy commands have permitted service members to choose between the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for participation in certain operations. Both awards may not be bestowed simultaneously for the same action.
Additional awards.
Additional awards of the Navy Expeditionary Medal are denoted by service stars.
Wake Island Device.
The Wake Island Device is authorized for those service members who were awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal through the defense of Wake Island. As the vast majority of the defenders of Wake Island were U.S. Marines, the Navy Expeditionary Medal with the Wake Island device is one of the rarest awards in the U.S. military history, with only 68 eligible recipients.
Classified operations.
Under the “deemed to merit special recognition and for which service no campaign medal has been awarded“ clause, both the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal (MCEM) and Navy Expeditionary Medal (NEM) have been awarded for classified operations with proper adjudication by the Secretary of the Navy Special Awards Board. The MCEM and NEM "can be authorized and awarded to individuals or units who have participated in classified operations not necessarily in connection with larger operations in which the public is aware.” The SECNAV INSTRUCTION 1650.1H - NAVY AND MARINE CORPS AWARDS MANUAL details the process via the Special Awards Board for issuing classified awards. Anecdotal reports from former service members cite a wide variety of classified operations for which the MCEM and NEM have reportedly been awarded, ranging from Marine Corps units clandestinely deployed in Africa, to helicopter gun-crews or force protection units assisting SEAL-DEVGRU or Delta Force teams worldwide, and even classified submarine operations during the Cold War. In cases where the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal or Navy Expeditionary Medal has been awarded for classified operations, the name of the operation is omitted from public documentation including from the individual service member’s DD214 personnel record with only the name of the award and issue date provided.
Stolen Valor.
Both the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal (MCEM) and Navy Expeditionary Medal (NEM) have been fraudulently worn by military service members convicted under the UCMJ and civilians fraudulently claiming to have been awarded the MCEM or NEM along with other medals such as the Purple Heart (see Stolen Valor Act for applicable criminal legislation). It has been widely reported that L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, fraudulently claimed being awarded the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal.
The issuance of military awards is available via a public records search and from lists of authorized recipients available online. In recent years, a number of television news crews have confronted people fraudulently wearing military awards and “Stolen Valor” websites publicly shame those who fraudulently wear or claim military awards and will notify federal law enforcement when they believe the activity rises to the level of a crime such as fraud for profit-or-gain, falsely receiving veterans services, falsifying a federal document such as the DD214, or violation of the Stolen Valor Act.


Al MacKenzie

Al MacKenzie is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", portrayed by Henry Simmons. He eventually became the new director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Publication history.
Al MacKenzie first appeared in "Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D." #3 (August 1988), and was created by Bob Harras and Paul Neary.
The character subsequently appears in "Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." #1-7 (September 1989-January 1990).
An entry for Al MacKenzie appears in issue four of the reference series "Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89".
Fictional character biography.
Al MacKenzie was born in Austin, Texas. He was once the C.I.A. liaison to S.H.I.E.L.D. He became romantically involved with Contessa Valentina Allegra di Fontaine after a while, which led to an estrangement between him and Nick Fury. Because of this, he returned to the CIA with the Contessa.
MacKenzie later joined the S.H.I.E.L.D. organization full-time, and spent considerable time as the senior liaison officer to the C.I.A. Subsequently, under unknown circumstances, MacKenzie resigned from S.H.I.E.L.D., and wrote a "tell-all" book entitled "UnSHIELDed: an Unauthorized Insider's Look Behind the World's Most Powerful Global Spy Network", which purportedly explained some of the history behind the organization from his point of view. Since then, he also acted as an unofficial source to Ben Urich, prodding Urich and Jessica Jones to attempt to expose Fury's unauthorized mission to Latveria.
In other media.
Mackenzie appears in the TV series "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.", portrayed by Henry Simmons. His full name is Alphonso MacKenzie, but goes by the nickname "Mack". He is an African-American mechanic and engineer who is recruited into the newly rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D. by Phil Coulson after the events of the film "". He is old friends with Barbara "Bobbi" Morse. He develops a close friendship with Leo Fitz, and a romantic relationship with Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez. Mack later goes on to become the director of S.H.I.E.L.D due to the ill health and subsequent death of Phil Coulson.
Simmons reprises his role in a six part web series titled "".


USS SC-696

USS "SC-696" was an SC-497-Class Submarine Chaser of the United States Navy during World War II. She was sunk on 23 August 1943 by German dive bombers.
Ship History.
She was ordered on 16 February 1942, laid down at Daytona Beach, Florida on 26 March 1942 by Daytona Beach Boat Works Inc. and launched on 6 August 1942. On 25 November 1942 she was commissioned as USS "PC-696". In April, she was re-designated as USS "SC-696". On 23 August 1943, off Palermo, Italy, "SC-696" and came under attack by Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers. Both were sunk. 18 men were killed aboard the "696".
Decorations.
"SC-696" received one battle star for her service.


M88 Recovery Vehicle

The M88 Recovery Vehicle is one of the largest armored recovery vehicles (ARV) currently in use by United States Armed Forces. There are currently three variants, the "M88", "M88A1" and "M88A2" HERCULES (Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lifting Extraction System). The M88 series has seen action most noticeably in the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War, and the War in Afghanistan, and to a lesser extent during the Kosovo War, where they were deployed to help recover heavy armored vehicles of the Allied ground units. As of 2000, the M88A2 replacement cost is around .
History.
Design.
The design of this vehicle was based on the chassis and parts of the automotive component of the M48 Patton and M60 Patton tanks. The original M88 was introduced in 1961, M88A1 in 1977, with the current M88A2 introduced in 1997.
Development.
Originally manufactured by Bowen McLaughlin York (later the BMY division of Harsco Corporation) in 1961, the company would later merge with FMC Corp. to form the United Defense Industries in 1994, which was in turn acquired by BAE Systems in 2005 to become BAE Systems Land and Armaments. In February 2008 the company was awarded a $185 million contract modification from the U.S. Army to manufacture 90 Army-configured M88A2s, four United States Marine Corps-configured M88A2s and authorized spares list parts.
Role.
The M88's primary role is to repair or replace damaged parts in fighting vehicles while under fire, as well as extricate vehicles that have become bogged down or entangled. The main winch on the M88A2 is capable of a 70-ton, single line recovery, and a 140-ton 2:1 recovery when used with the 140 ton pulley. The A-frame boom of the A2 can lift 35 tons when used in conjunction with the spade down. The spade can be used for light earth moving, and can be used to anchor the vehicle when using the main winch. The M88 employs an Auxiliary power unit (APU) to provide auxiliary electrical and hydraulic power when the main engine is not in operation. It can also be used to slave start other vehicles, provide power for the hydraulic impact wrench, as well as the means to refuel or de-fuel vehicles as required. The M88 series of vehicles can refuel M1 tanks from its own fuel tanks, but this is a last resort due to the possibility of clogging the AGT-1500s fuel filters. The fuel pump draws fuel from the bottom of the fuel cell, and with it, all of the sediment that has accumulated with time.
Variants.
The original M88 produced from 1960 to 1964 used the Continental AVSI-1790-6A gasoline engine rated at 980 HP at 2800 rpm, as well as a 10 HP gasoline auxiliary power unit. The M88A1 was powered by the Continental AVDS-1790-2DR Diesel engine and had a 10 HP Diesel auxiliary power unit. While the original M88 and M88A1 are designated as a "Medium Recovery Vehicle", the M88A2 (original designation being M88A1E1) is designated as "Heavy Recovery Vehicle". They are all similar in many fundamental ways however, the later version is distinctly heavier (70 tons, compared to the original 56 tons) and uses a different engine (AVDS 1790-8CR with 1050 hp, compared to a Continental AVDS-1790-2DR, with 750 hp).
The M88A2 is slightly larger than its predecessors (8.6 × 3.7 × 3.2 m compared to 8.3 × 3.4 × 3.2 m) thus retains a lower top speed (40 km/h) and a significantly lower road range (322 km compared to 450 km). There have also been improvements in braking and steering. Additionally, the M88A2 has upgraded armor protection including armored track skirts and applique armor panels, which both previous models lack. The M88 is also lacking in Nuclear, Biological, Chemical (NBC) defenses and a smoke screen generator, which the later M88A1 and M88A2 models are equipped with. Furthermore, the crew number has decreased from 5, to 3–4, to 3 through the series.
The M88A3 configuration features an upgraded powertrain, suspension and tracks, increasing the vehicle’s speed, survivability and reliability. The M88A3 also features a seventh road wheel to reduce ground pressure and new hydropneumatic suspension units (HSUs) that enable the track to be locked out for greater control when recovering vehicles, say BAE in a release.
“The contract is being awarded under an Other Transactional Authority (OTA) acquisition model for upgrading the M88A2 Heavy Equipment Recovery Combat Utility Lift Evacuation System (HERCULES) to the next generation M88A3 HERCULES. BAE Systems’ M88 family of recovery vehicles has provided the Army with unprecedented capability for recovering stranded or disabled combat vehicles since the 1960s.
Due to incremental weight increases of the Army’s Main Battle Tank over the years, the M88A3’s predecessor, the M88A2, is currently unable to safely perform single-vehicle recovery of the Abrams. BAE Systems has invested Independent Research and Development to develop the M88A3 for three years in an effort to identify, understand, and provide solutions to return to single-vehicle recovery of the tank.”
All variants retain an M2 Browning .50 caliber machine gun, 432 mm ground clearance, 2.6 m fording depth, 1.1 m wall climb and 2.6 m trench crossing capabilities. There has been no major deviation in battlefield role through the M88 series, the later models are merely able to lift heavier loads. The M88A1 was designed around the now obsolete M60 Patton tanks, so it was in light of the fact that two M88A1s were required to tow the new M1 Abrams tank that the decision was made to upgrade to the M88A2 in 1991.
On February 20, 2017, it was announced that the United States Army had contracted BAE Systems Land and Armaments a $28 million contract modification for the procurement of 11 M88A2 recovery vehicles.
Criticism.
One of the main issues afflicting the current M88A2 is the high rate of winch failures. The leading cause of these failures is by operating the winch without tension on the cable leading to loose wrapping and bunching up of the cable (Birdnesting). There is also concern with loss of tractive force when an M88A2 tows a heavy M1 Abrams on a slope in wet, muddy conditions. The M88A2 was extensively tested at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland and on August 10, 1998 was officially approved for the towing of 70-ton combat vehicles such as the M1 Abrams.


Command element (United States Marine Corps)

In the United States Marine Corps, the command element (CE) is the command and control force of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). It provides C3I for the MAGTF.
Role within the MAGTF.
The Command Element (CE), a headquarters unit organized into a MAGTF (MEU, MEB, MEF) headquarters (HQ) group, that exercises command and control (management and planning for manpower, intelligence, operations and training, and logistics functions) over the other elements of the MAGTF. The HQ group consists of communications, intelligence, surveillance, and law enforcement (i.e., military police) detachments, companies, and battalions, and reconnaissance (Force Reconnaissance), and liaison (ANGLICO) platoons, detachments, and companies.
Organization.
The size of the CE varies in proportion to the size of the MAGTF. A Marine Expeditionary Force has a MEF Information Group, approximately the size of a regiment. A Marine Expeditionary Brigade holds a battalion-sized MEB Information Group. The various Marine Expeditionary Units command a company-sized MEU Information Group. Generally, MEF postings are permanent, while MEBs and MEUs rotate their GCE, ACE, and LCE twice annually.
Hierarchy of Marine command units.
I Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group.
CE of I Marine Expeditionary Force
II Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group.
CE of II Marine Expeditionary Force
III Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group.
CE of III Marine Expeditionary Force
Marine Forces Reserve CE units.
Force Headquarters Group


USCGC Knight Island

USCGC "Knight Island" (WPB-1348) receives her namesake from the Knight Island in the Prince William Sounds of Alaska. "Knight Island" was in commissioned on April 22, 1992, at Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana. "Knight Island" and the other 48 Island class cutter’s construction are based on the internationally known Vosper-Thornycroft design. Her hull is a semi-displacement type monohull made of high strength steel, while the main deck and superstructure are aluminum. "Knight Island" employs an active fin stabilization system to improve her sea keeping abilities. With a top speed in excess of 30 knots and a cruising speed of 26 knots, the ship is capable of enduring unsupported operations for six days and accommodates two officers and sixteen enlisted personnel.
Island Class Patrol Boat Overview.
The 110-foot Island-class Patrol Boats are a U.S. Coast Guard modification of a highly successful British-designed patrol boat. With excellent range and seakeeping capabilities, the Island Class, all named after U.S. islands, replaced the older 95-foot Cape-class patrol boats. These cutters are equipped with advanced electronics and navigation equipment and are used on the front lines of the Coast Guard's Maritime Homeland Security, Migrant Interdiction, Fisheries Enforcement, and Search-and-Rescue missions.
The 58 ordered 154-foot s, selected under the Fast Response Cutter (FRC) program, are slated to replace the 37 aging cutters remaining in the Island class.
History.
Originally homeported in Freeport, Texas, "Knight Island’s" home port was changed to St. Petersburg, Florida in the summer of 2000. In 2008, "Knight Island’s" homeport was changed again to Key West, Florida. "Knight Island’s" current complement is of two separate crews, known as the Port and Starboard Crew in support of the Coast Guard's new effort to maximize the operational hours of the patrol boats in the Coast Guard's Seventh District by utilizing a dual-crew manning concept.
Typical patrols in Key West, Florida’s area of operations involved search and rescue, alien migrant interdiction operations, fisheries law enforcement, counter narcotics operations, and homeland security.
Current.
"Knight Island"'s main patrol area is the Florida Straits. "Knight Island" often interdicts illegal migrants from go-fast vessels and homebuilt rustica rafts from Cuba. In the past two years, "Knight Island" has cared for over 1000 illegal migrants on her decks and conducted numerous politically sensitive repatriations to Cabanas, Cuba.
In January 2010, "Knight Island" traveled to Bayou La Batre, Alabama for an extensive $750,000 Dry-Dock Package. During the yard period, major projects will be completed by local Yard employees from Master Marine Inc. and ship's crew. Some of the major projects include: Hull and bilge preservation and painting, Main Engine & Generator replacements, numerous tank inspections, cleanings, and preservations, and painting of interior and exterior surfaces. This Dry-dock will help ensure the "Knight Island" will continue to be a viable asset for the US Coast Guard.


Hyperspectral


Elmer Fowler Stone

Elmer "Archie" Fowler Stone (January 22, 1887 – May 20, 1936) was a United States naval aviator and a commander in the United States Coast Guard.
Biography.
Stone was born in Livonia, New York and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He joined the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service as a cadet at the Revenue Cutter Service School of Instruction on April 28, 1910.
Elmer Stone was a United States Coast Guard aviation pioneer; in early 1915 Stone and another officer Norman B. Hall, were the first to suggest that the Coast Guard develop an aviation capability. With the encouragement of their commanding officer, Captain Benjamin M. Chiswell of the , Lieutenants Stone and Hall approached the Curtiss Flying School in Newport News, Virginia about using aircraft in air-sea rescue operations, and participated in experimental flights in a Curtiss Model F flying boat. During the summer of 1915, Stone and Hall performed scouting patrols for "Onondaga", assisting in search missions that the cutter was assigned. On March 28, 1916 he was assigned as a student aviator at the United States Navy flight facility in Pensacola, Florida. The same year he also studied aeronautical engineering at the Curtiss factory. On April 10, 1917, Stone became the Coast Guard's first aviator upon graduating from flight training at Pensacola and was appointed as Coast Guard Aviator No. 1 and Naval Aviator No. 38. On October 12, 1917, Stone was assigned to the U.S. Navy Aeronautic Station at Rockaway, New York.
In May 1919 First Lieutenant Elmer F. Stone was one of the two pilots, along with Walter Hinton, on the first successful transatlantic flight on NC-4 with Lieutenant Commander Albert C. Read, USN, as the mission commander and navigator. After the historic flight, he was made a knight of the Order of the Tower and Sword by the Portuguese government (June 3, 1919), awarded the British Air Force Cross by the British government (June 9, 1919) and received a promotion to the temporary rank of captain on September 25, 1919. He was awarded the Navy Cross and Congressional Medal of Achievement for "distinguished service in making the first successful trans-Atlantic flight" on November 11, 1920.
For the next six years he worked with the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics where he assisted in the development of the catapults and arresting gear of the new aircraft carriers USS "Lexington" and , equipment still used on aircraft carriers to this day. He continued to promote aviation in the U.S. Coast Guard during the 1920s, He collaborated with the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company on development of airborne "motor lifeboats" for the explicit purpose of lifesaving missions, and in this is one of the pioneers of modern air-sea rescue. He also commanded a former destroyer that was turned over to the U.S. Coast Guard and used in the enforcement of Prohibition.
After a tour at sea, Stone became the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Aviation Unit at Cape May, New Jersey, where he continued to develop his skill at making open-ocean landings. On April 5, 1933, Stone put his open-ocean landing skills to the test when the Navy dirigible "Akron" went down off the Atlantic coast in a storm with only three survivors of the 76 aboard, Stone was the only pilot available willing to attempt a landing in the heavy seas. He accomplished this successfully, but was too late to save any more lives. On December 20, 1934, he broke the world seaplane speed record, 191 miles per hour over a 3 kilometer test course.
Commander Stone's last duty was as the commanding officer of the Air Patrol Detachment in San Diego.
He died of a heart attack while on duty on May 20, 1936 in San Diego, California, while inspecting a new aircraft and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
Legacy.
Commander Elmer "Archie" Stone was inducted into the United States Naval Aviation Hall of Honor on May 5, 1983, and is also a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Hall of Fame. Stone was a pivotal figure in the establishment and development of aviation for the Coast Guard and the Navy and was a favorite of many of the famous aviation figures of the day, including Eddie Rickenbacker, aircraft designers Anthony Fokker, Igor Sikorsky, and Alexander P. de Seversky.
The ninth Legend-class National Security cutter USCGC "Stone" will be named in honor of Cmdr. Stone.


Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force

The Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force is a three-star equivalent civilian member of Headquarters Air Force and in this role is the most senior science & technology representative in the United States Air Force. The current Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force is Dr. Richard Joseph.
Roles and responsibilities.
The Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force has several roles and responsibilities, including:
Products of the Office of the Chief Scientist.
The Office of the Chief Scientist has conducted several strategic studies including:


30th Operations Group

The 30th Operations Group (30 OG) is a group of the United States Space Force. It is assigned to the 30th Space Wing, stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It is responsible for all space launch operations from the West Coast of the United States, including all polar launches. It operates the Western Range, which conducts launches for the Space Force, other parts of the Department of Defense, NASA, and private space corporations.
History.
Patrolled west coast, 1942–1943, while training crews for other units.
Began operations in the Pacific in November 1943. Attacked enemy installations on the Gilbert Islands in support of U.S. invasion; raided enemy airfields in the Marshalls to prevent Japanese airplanes launching against Tarawa. From January–March 1944, bombed installations in the Marshalls in preparation for their occupation. During April–Jul, raided airfields and navy facilities in the Truk Islands to keep them neutralized during the U.S. attack on the Marianas; also bombed Wake, Guam, and Saipan. From August 1944 until the U.S. took Iwo Jima in early 1945, the group attacked airfields and shipping in the Bonin and Volcano Islands and hit bypassed islands in the Carolines and Marianas until March 1945, when group returned to Hawaii for routine patrols and training until inactivated.
Search, rescue, and recovery missions in area of Vandenberg AFB, CA, 1993–. Launched meteorological and surveillance satellites into polar earth orbit, 1990–. Launched first interceptor missile in Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program, September 2006. Deployed airmen worldwide to meet national commitments, 2005–.