Tag Archives: labor

U.S.

Cascadia Rising: Operation Black Wind, Bremerton hit by massive quake & contamination?

“To our knowledge, this is the first time, at least at Navy Medicine commands, to have a fire engine pump hundreds of gallons of water to a DECON team to use in helping decontaminate patients.”-Terry Lerma, Naval Hospital Bremerton emergency manager

Preparations for the overdue Cascadia Event continues, this time striking the U.S. Navy’s hospital on Bremerton, Washington.

During the second week of July 2021, Naval Hospital Bremerton conducted Operation Black Wind (in conjunction with Citadel Rumble) to assess how to respond to a catastrophic natural disaster.

U.S. Navy photo by Douglas H Stutz, 15JUL2021.

Operation Black Wind’s scenario is set immediately after ‘a sudden and significant seismic event’ that lasted for at least one minute.  It also involved military personnel becoming sick due to a haz-mat truck overturning as a result of the quake.  The scenario of massive amounts of hazardous materials being released and affecting the local population has only recently been added to the U.S. Department of Defense/FEMA’s disaster response training.

Citadel Rumble is a yearly large scale U.S. Navy ‘all hazard exercise’ held across the West Coast of the United States: “This exercise readies our personnel for response and recovery before, during and after a natural disaster or other all-hazard events. Installations in our West Coast regions face risk of damaging earthquakes and wildfire encroachment, so this training is vital to expedite recovery and maintain mission readiness should such events occur.”– Mark Sinder, Director of Operations for Commander, Navy Installations Command

Cascadia Rising:

PREP FOR 2022, “…EXTRAORDINARY LEVELS OF MASS CASUALTIES…”!

U.S.

U.S. Medical Disaster: For 1st time Military Medics operate on City Streets!

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“A lot of the medics had never been in the back of an ambulance….  …They are able to learn the new equipment, different ways of using it and get out on the streets to use it on actual patients in the field.”-Master Sergeant Gregg Hecathorn, 150th Special Operations Wing

New Mexico Air National Guard photo by Airman First Class Lauren McMullen.

For the first time, Air National Guard (ANG) medics from Maine, and New Mexico, conducted real-life operations on city streets, riding along civilian counterparts in the city of Greenville, Mississippi, during the first two weeks of July 2021.

New Mexico ANG photo by Airman First Class Lauren McMullen.

“At first, it was a little intimidating because we are not really used to doing civilian EMS of any kind….  My favorite part of today was being able to calm patients down and seeing their relief when I was talking to them. It was really nice to see someone in crisis and be able to help take away the panic.”-Technical Sergeant Cailee Salerno, 101st Air Refueling Wing

It was an part of operation Delta Wellness Mission 2021, which is presented as an Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) event for disaster response, however the ‘training’ involves dealing with real medical situations, and is an excuse to help out communities that are suffering economically.  

“I came from a reservation and small town; being in Mississippi, getting to help a new community on an ambulance is surreal.”-Master Sergeant Shannon Myhre, 150th Special Operations Wing

New Mexico ANG photo by Airman First Class Lauren McMullen.

Delta Wellness isn’t just about training-up the military, for some reason civilian operated Pafford Emergency Medical Services employees went through military combat medical training: “A partnership between IRT and Pafford was established to expose military personnel to real world emergency response and further their readiness to support domestic and overseas missions. This is the first time in IRT’s history with such collaboration, which was also of benefit to Pafford as their personnel attended a couple of military organized trainings to include Tactical Combat Casualty Care, K9 First Aid, Land Navigation, and Combatives.”-Captain Adrian Mateos, 150th Special Operations Wing

Captain Adrian Mateos conducted the ‘combatives’ training part of Delta Wellness 2021, in July. New Mexico ANG photo by Airman Tyler Catanach.

Why would silly-vilian Emergency Medical Technicians require ‘combative’ training?

Biden’s War: VERMONT MILITIA’S MEDICAL & ECONOMIC MISSIONS IN FOREIGN LANDS

Disaster prep 2021: ALASKA GETS NEW D-R-M-K-T

Title 5: FOR FIRST TIME, AIR NATIONAL GUARD HIRES CIVILIAN COPS! COVERT OP TO EXPAND FEDERAL POLICE FORCE?

U.S.

Title 5: For first time, Air National Guard hires civilian cops! Covert op to expand federal police force?

“We hope to blaze a trail to help other programs in the future successfully convert to Title 5 positions. We are making sure we build a premier organization that’s a benchmark for the Air National Guard to replicate.”-Chief Master Sergeant Mark Kaufmann, 131st Bomb Wing Security Forces

It has been revealed that back in December 2020, Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station, in Missouri, became the first to directly hire (as opposed to a third party contractor) civilians as base police.  By July 2021, almost 35 security jobs have been filled by civilians.

“Having civilian positions opened the doors to a diverse pool of applicants. I’ve received feedback from our state human resources office that this was one of the largest applicant pools they had seen. We had applicants who were SWAT Leads, Secret Service, FBI Forensic Analysts and veterans from all military services, except the Space Force.”-Captain Greg Myers, 131st Bomb Wing Security Forces

The new hires undergo more than 10 weeks of training at the Department of the Air Force Law Enforcement Training Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.  They then get to wear the federal police uniform of black and blue.

The Air National Guard says they need to be able to hire civilians as federal police because Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station has rapidly expanded, and there aren’t enough military cops available.  Also, in 2013 the Air National Guard disbanded their 131st Bomb Wing Security Forces Squadron and contracted out security operations.  The contracted security units apparently couldn’t handle the recent rapid growth of Jefferson Barracks Air National Guard Station (now hosting Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Defense Intelligence Agency, Navy Reserve and Army Audit Agency).

Military positions can be reclassified under Title 5 United States Code, which allows silly-vilians (many are veterans) to be hired for those positions.  In the United States there are approximately 65 different federal police agencies.

Operation CoViD-19: TITLE 42 USC 265, THE RAPTURE

Afghanistan, December 2013: SECURITY DEAL PART OF TITLE 10!

 

U.S.

Biden’s War: Vermont Militia’s medical & economic missions in foreign lands

According to the Vermont National Guard Public Affairs, 18 medical professionals with the Air Force and Army National Guard are spending two weeks in the West African country of Senegal.

“Participating in partnership exercises like this benefit the Vermont National Guard by placing them in a forward environment. It also provides staff members the opportunity to work in more austere conditions, to push them outside of their comfort zone, and to build relationships with their Senegalese health care partners.”-Lieutenant Colonel Chris Gookin, Vermont National Guard

The U.S. state of Vermont has been sending state militia personnel to Senegal since 2008.  In May, 2021, Vermont sent militia personnel to the European country of Macedonia, to promote economic development at taxpayer expense.  Vermont has been sending National Guard units to Macedonia since 1993-94.

Vermont Business Magazine, 09JUL2021: Soldiers from Senegal and North Macedonia to train in Vermont

Biden’s War: VIRGINIA DEPLOYS TO KUWAIT, AGAIN

Technology

Terminator: One Ring to Rule them all; Global Information Dominance ‘Experiment’

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An Anduril Industries battlefield management tower. Photo by Staff Sergeant Sean Carnes.

U.S. Northern Command (NorthCom) and North American Aerospace Defense Command (aka Nor-ad) conducted what they call a Global Information Dominance Experiment (GIDE-3), part of an Architecture Demonstration and Evaluation (ADE-5).

Michigan ANG A-10C. Photo by photo by Master Sergeant Joey Swafford.

Video by Senior Airman Roslyn Ward, T-38 Talons arrive for GIDE-3/ADE-5:

Photo by Staff Sergeant Sean Carnes.

GIDE-3/ADE-5 began on 09JUL2021, in Michigan. It involves A-10Cs of the Michigan Air National Guard (107th Fighter Squadron), F-16s of the Ohio ANG (112th FS), U.S. Air Force (USAF) T-38 Talons, Sentinel radar systems from the North Dakota Army National Guard (188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment), remote control helicopters (small R/C drones), a portable data broadcast system mounted on a Toyota Tacoma known as Cell On Light Truck (COLT), a portable ‘all-domain command and control advanced battle management system’ known as an Anduril Industries tower, an ‘enhanced’ cyber communications system called a Flyaway Kit, something called a Yoda Box which I have yet to find an explanation for what the Yoda Box is, except it might be connected to the now infamous Starlink satellite system (of which I warned about last year).

Photo by Staff Sergeant Devin M. Rumbaugh.

USAF video interview, a poor attempt to explain what a Flyaway Kit is, the interviewee admits he joined the Air Force to do “cool stuff” like Terminator stuff:

1st Combat Camera Squadron Cyber Systems technicians adjust a Tampa Microwave Satellite Terminal. Photo by Staff Sergeant Sean Carnes.

Ohio ANG F-16. Photo by Technical Sergeant Peter Thompson.

GIDE is officially described as a data-centric software-based experiment which combines humans and technology to innovate and accelerate development of systems for domain awareness, information dominance, decisional superiority, and global integration.

North Dakota Army Guard Sentinel radar system. Photo by Technical Sergeant Amy Picard.

And just like in the movie Terminator, ADE is an attempt to integrate hi-tech systems and connect multiple sensors to a common operating network with artificial intelligence (A-I).  GIDE is a sub-operation of ADE.  And ADE is part of the USAF’s recently created Chief Architect Office, created in 2019 specifically to develop what they call a ‘system of systems’, in other words a system to control all systems.

Toyota based COLT. Photo by Technical Sergeant Amy Picard.

Anduril Industries is a company that provides A-I driven surveillance systems for the U.K.’s Royal Navy, the U.S. Air Force and for U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations.

USAF time lapse video of Anduril Industries tower during GIDE-3:

U.S. Air Force video report, fourth ADE held in Germany, February 2021:

Terminator: U.S. ARMY SPACE FORCE LAUNCHES 3 GUNSMOKE-JACOB’S LADDER SATELLITES

Technology, U.S.

Disaster prep 2021: Alaska gets new D-R-M-K-T

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Alaska is known for Ring of Fire earthquakes and volcanoes, so far this year lots of quakes, and the United States Geological Survey/Alaska Volcano Observatory lists five volcanoes as “restless” and even raised alert levels for some.

Alaska Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Julie Avey.

On 09JUL2021, the Alaska Air National Guard tried a new-to-them piece of disaster response equipment; the Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer (DRMKT).

Alaska ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Julie Avey.

The 168th Wing Services trained-up on the DRMKT by preparing lunch for fellow Guard personnel.

Alaska ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Julie Avey.

It’s all part of efforts to prepare for natural disasters in the Arctic-Pacific region.

Alaska ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Julie Avey.

“The DRMKT provides us with the remote capabilities we need to include generator and water sources. We are always training, and with this new DRMKT, we are even more prepared to respond when called upon.”-Technical Sergeant JeanPaul Williams, 168th Services Superintendent

The company that makes the DRMKT, Babington Technologies, retails the disaster response kitchen for $750-thousand.

Hurricane prep 2021: GEORGIA MILITIA WARMS-UP THE D-R-M-K-T

U.S. Wildfire prep 2021: ALASKA AIRBORNE RED CARD

Pacific Ring of Fire, May 2021: WARNINGS FOR ALASKA, HAWAII & WASHINGTON

U.S.

Biden’s War: Virginia deploys to Kuwait, again

In the middle of June 2021, Virginia Army National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division (ID) completed Operation Spartan Shield training on North Fort Hood, Texas.

Virginia Army National Guard Army photo by Staff Sergeant Marc Heaton.

They will be deploying to Kuwait as part of Task Force Spartan, it is not their first time: “The 29th ID is very familiar with the role they’re about to assume, having mobilized for the same mission a few years ago. More importantly, they’re building on the efforts of the two previous Army National Guard headquarters, who served as Task Force Spartan; the 42nd Infantry Division from the great State of New York, and the 36th ID from the great State of Texas.”-Colonel Jakob B. Larkowich, 188th Infantry Brigade Division East, Chief of Training for the 29th ID Culminating Training Exercise

Biden’s War: ALASKA HURONS FLY TO KUWAIT

U.S.

Biden’s War: Alaska Hurons fly to Kuwait

On 09JUL2021, five Alaska Army National Guard personnel from the 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment, said good bye as they headed for deployment training in Texas.  Their final destination is in Kuwait, as part of Task Force Spartan.

Tennessee National Guard photo by Staff Sergeant Timothy Cordeiro.

They will join other C-12 Huron crews with the Tennessee Army National Guard’s Detachment 6, A Company, 2nd Battalion, 641st Aviation Regiment, in flying cargo and personnel transport missions.

Biden’s War: TENNESSEE TO SPEND YOUR TAXES IN AFRICA

Biden’s War: ALASKA BLACKHAWKS DEPLOY TO MIDDLE EAST! RETURNING GUARDSMEN NOW IN QUARANTINE!

Idaho, U.S.

Locust Plague 2021: Fat Hopper, and the ghost of its former self

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13 July 2021 / 23:44-UTC-07 Tango 06 (23 Tir 1400/04 Dhu l-Hijja 1442/05 Yi-Wei [5th month] 4719)

Chubbuck, Idaho, 13JUL2021. Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.

The fattest grasshopper I’ve seen in the 25 years I’ve lived in Southeastern Idaho was trying to get in my back door.

Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.

Despite the extreme dry heat, these grasshoppers are looking well fed. This guy had left behind a little something near my apple tree.

Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.

A ghost of his former self, his molt.  Apparently he (or she or it?) had just shed its skin.

Photo by AAron B. Hutchins.

I’ve already written about the Grasshoppers and Mormon Crickets seemingly joining together to wreak havoc upon Pacific Northwest farmers.  Here’s some links to the most recent news about the worsening situation: Grasshoppers Are Descending on the West in Swarms

Plagues of Grasshoppers Hit Western U.S.
.

CANADA, Alberta: Farmers battle surge in grasshoppers, “They’ve been really bad”

CANADA, Manitoba: Agricultural emergency declared!

SOUTH AFRICA: Farmers brace for another locust plague

UNITES STATES, Minnesota: Local Farmers turn crickets into protein

U.S., New Mexico: Is there anything grasshoppers won’t eat?

U.S., Oregon: Ranchers plead for help with grasshopper plague

U.S., Utah: Drought brings grasshopper invasion

U.S., Wyoming: Natrona County reports outbreaks of grasshoppers

Mormon Crickets & Grasshoppers: “…A PERFECT TERRIBLE STORM.”

Technology

Indiana Blacksnakes A-10C grows new skin

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09JUN2021, shedding the old grey scales. Iowa Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

An Indiana Air National Guard A-10C has shed its old grey skin for new black & dark grey scales (grey 118 and black 038).

09JUN2021, Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

Sometime between May and June 2021, Indiana’s 122nd Fighter Wing (FW) flew an A-10C to the Air National Guard Paint Facility in Sioux City, Iowa.

22JUN2021, dark grey scales appear. Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

Iowa ANG time-lapse video by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot, Blacksnakes A-10C grows a new skin:

The black & dark grey colors are to celebrate Indiana National Guard’s 1-hundred years of aviation, and to honor both the 122nd FW (with a Fort Wayne tail flash) and the 181st Intelligence Wing (Terre Haute checkered tail flash).

29JUN2021, applying the stenciling. Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

02JUL2021, resplendent in its new skin. Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

02JUL2021, Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

02JUL2021, Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

02JUL2021, Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

07JUL2021, heading home to Indiana. Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

07JUL2021, refueling on its way home to Indiana. Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

07JUL2021, Iowa ANG photo by Senior Master Sergeant Vincent De Groot.

The Blacksnakes use of green snake eyes symbolizes night-vision capability.  In the 1990s, the 122nd FW was  first unit in the Air Force to receive night-flying systems that enabled aircraft to be fully mission-capable 24 hours a day.

IDAHO’S HERITAGE A-10C ‘8N’

PRIMER BLACK IS THE NEW ZINC-YELLOW?

A-10C South East Asia CAMO