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Kirkland Air Force Base, New Mexico. (July 11, 2023): In October 2020, an American citizen was kidnapped in the tiny African nation of Niger. The kidnappers planned to sell the American to terrorist groups operating in neighboring Nigeria. What followed was the longest distance hostage rescue in American military history.
In the above photo by Allen Winston is one of the key players in this drama, Major Kyle Konkolics (center), who received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic actions in the rescue.
Here is how it went down.
Twenty-seven-year-old American Philip Walton was kidnapped in front of his family by seven men armed with AK-47s from his farm in Massalata in southern Niger in the early morning of October 27, 2020, and the kidnappers demanded one million dollars ransom. Three days later, operators from the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known as SEAL Team Six, conducted a night-time raid that killed six of the seven gunmen and rescued Walton unharmed. The raiding force, consisting of around 30 operators, was inserted into the area via parachute from Air Force Special Operations aircraft. Once on the ground, they moved on foot for about three miles to the site where Walton was held. After a short but intense firefight, Walton was moved to an extraction point, where he and the rescue force were flown out of the area.
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Adriatic Sea. (July 6, 2023): In this photo by MC2 Nolan Pennington, Quartermaster Seaman Apprentice Zachery Teetz, from Montgomery, Texas, assigned to the navigation department aboard the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford. In the above photo, Seaman Teetyz acts as bow flag walker on the flight deck during a refueling-at-sea with the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Leroy Grumman. The Gerald R. Ford is the U.S. Navy's newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, representing a generational leap in the U.S. Navy's capacity to project power on a global scale.
Resupplying a vessel as large as an aircraft carrier is no small feat.
The Gerald R. Ford has a crew of over 4,500 Sailors and Marines and up to ninety aircraft of varying types. Supplying this floating city is mostly done by transferring supplies from one ship to another while underway which allows the Navy to remain at sea almost indefinitely.
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“There is no education in the second kick of a mule.”
~Mark Twain
Bridgeport, California. (July 6, 2023): This quote from America’s most famous author accurately describes the relationship between man and mule. In this photo by Lance Corporal Justin J. Marty, Corporal Andrew Cobb, a rifleman with Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment leads a military working mule during Animal Packers Course 23-1 at the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center.
The course teaches personnel to load and maintain pack animals for military use in difficult terrain to carry essential gear.
The course is designed to teach Marines the lost combat art of handling pack animals, transporting gear, supplies, and wounded across rugged terrain too difficult for aircraft or vehicles. Students must master essential tasks such as assault climbing, animal packing, and small unit movements at high altitude in a mountainous environment.Mules have a long history of faithful service to the U.S. military.
In the 1800s, mules led the western expansion by pulling wagons and delivering supplies to far flung outposts. During the Civil War, mules were a valuable resource for the Army pulling wagons, hauling artillery pieces, and transporting the wounded. Mules also went into action during both World Wars and the Korean conflict as pack animals hauling ammunition and supplies.Over the years, the military all but eliminated the use of mules for a lack of need.
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British Columbia, Canada. (June 30, 2023): In this photo by Tech. Sgt. Betty R. Chevalier, U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Harbeck, 824th Base Defense Squadron fire team member, discusses Puma Unmanned Aerial System operations with members of the Royal Canadian Navy during exercise Agile Blizzard-Unified Vision 2023. Both the U.S. and Canadian Air Forces operate the Puma UAS and the exercise gave technicians a chance to share techniques and tactics.
The Puma is a hand launched Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operated by two person teams. It can fly up to 6.5 hours, has a range of thirty-seven miles, and can fly at speeds up to fifty mph. This lightweight, highly portable drone is ideal for surveillance and intelligence gathering by small units on the front lines. The plane uses electro-optical and infrared cameras to transmit video images in real time to battlefield commanders directing combat operations. The Puma system is deployed with three air vehicles and two ground stations and is designed to operate under extreme weather conditions including temperatures ranging from twenty below to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
month, the U.S. military announced it is sending an unspecified number of Puma drones as part of the latest security assistance package for Ukraine to use in their fight against Russia.
Technologies like the Puma have played a critical role in helping Ukraine’s military locate and target Russian forces.
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Arabian Gulf. (July 5, 2023):The Iranian Navy tried a little bullying this week, only to flee at the sight of the USS McFaul, a guided missile destroyer patrolling international waters near the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait is a narrow waterway between the Persian Gulf and Oman through which flows a third of the world's liquefied natural gas and almost 25% of total global oil consumption. It is one of the most important commercial choke points in the world.
In this photo by MC2 Juel Foster, Lt. Samuel Gilbert monitors maritime activity for the USS McFaul which is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure security and stability in the Middle East. (Note: This image has been altered by digitally obscuring the displays for security reasons.)
The first incident occurred around 1 a.m. when an Iranian navy vessel approached a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker and were attempting to board and seize the tanker when the USS McFaul appeared on scene. The Iranian ship immediately changed course and left the area. Three hours later, another Iranian navy vessel approached the tanker Richmond Voyager that had sailed from the United Arab Emirates through the Strait. The tanker issued a distress call after the Iranian ship allegedly tried to get it to stop.
This time, the Iranians fired on the innocent commercial vessel, striking the crew quarters with small arms fire. Again, when the USS McFaul arrived, the Iranians fled after only causing minor damage. Thankfully, no one was injured in either of these incidents.
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Camp Hovey, South Korea. (July 7, 2023): The masks, protective gear, and heavy chemical boots are how the U.S. Army dresses for success in a chemical, biological, or nuclear environment. For the past nine months, soldiers from the 181st CBRN Company, nicknamed the “Double Dragons”, trained alongside their South Korean counterparts, the 23rd CBRN Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, in a series of realistic exercises.
The highlight of the deployment was Exercise Goldmine, a counter Weapons of Mass Destruction exercise with the 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment and Republic of Korea Air Force and Explosive Ordnance Disposal units. Operating near the world’s most heavily guarded border, the exercise tested the response of American and Korean nuclear specialists in the event of an atomic detonation and the resulting fall-out. Soldiers practiced operating in a nuclear environment while still carrying out their military missions. The soldiers of the 81st also got a chance to get to know their Korean comrades who they would serve in the event of war.
American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from the 20th CBRNE Command deploy from nineteen bases in sixteen states to take on the world’s most dangerous chemical, biological, or nuclear incidents. The 181st CBRN Company is based at Fort Cavazos, Texas.