U.S. Delivers 'Devastating Combat Power' To Iran

David Vergun at the Department of War’s Pentagon News offers a piece on the U.S. military’s actions in Iran.

To date, U.S. forces are dominating the air and sea and have hit thousands of Iranian targets during Operation Epic Fury, said Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson today in the War Department's Weekly Sitrep video. 

"We will continue to deliver devastating combat power," Wilson added.

At a press conference yesterday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the current campaign is laser-focused and decisive, and the U.S. objectives of destroying Iran's missiles and missile launchers, eliminating the country's navy and ensuring Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon remain unchanged.

As evidence of the progress being made, Hegseth said Iranian ballistic missile and one-way drone attacks are down 90% since combat operations began Feb. 28.

Additionally, he said U.S. Central Command forces have damaged or sunk more than 120 Iranian naval vessels, including all 11 of their submarines.

"To the 50,000 service members supporting this mission, and their families, we are thinking about you, and we are beyond proud of your resolve and resiliency. You are the very best of our great nation," Wilson said.

Earlier this week, President Donald J. Trump, Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, honored the six fallen KC-135 Stratotanker crew members during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. They and seven other service members have made the ultimate sacrifice during Operation Epic Fury, she said.

Centcom published an Epic Fury fact sheet this week, which lists the types of targets being pursued. They include command and control centers; Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters and intelligence sites; air defense systems; ballistic missile, anti-ship missile and surface-to-air missile sites; weapon production and storage bunkers; military infrastructure and communications capabilities; and naval ships and submarines.

You can read the rest of the piece via the link below:

 This Week in DOW: U.S. Delivers 'Devastating Combat Power' to Iran > U.S. Department of War > Defense Department News | U.S. Department of War 

President Trump Nominates Retired Air Force General Dan 'Razin' Caine To Be Joint Chiefs Chairman

David Vergun at the DOD News offers a piece on the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs:

President Donald J. Trump announced the nomination of Dan "Razin" Caine for the position of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Feb. 21, 2025.  
 
The chairman is the nation's highest-ranking military officer and the principal military advisor to the president, defense secretary and National Security Council. Caine, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, will require Senate confirmation before taking on the role.   

"General Caine embodies the warfighter ethos and is exactly the leader we need to meet the moment. I look forward to working with him," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a Feb. 21, 2025, statement. 

"The outgoing chairman, Air Force Gen. Charles CQ Brown, Jr., has served with distinction in a career spanning four decades of honorable service. I have come to know him as a thoughtful advisor and salute him for his distinguished service to our country," Hegseth said. 

"Under President [Donald J.] Trump, we are putting in place new leadership that will focus our military on its core mission of deterring, fighting and winning wars," he said. 

Caine was commissioned in 1990 and served in a variety of assignments before retiring last year. His assignments included: 

·         Commander, Joint Special Operations Task Force – Air Directorate, Balad, Iraq, 2008. 

·         Assistant commanding general, Joint Special Operations Command, U.S. Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, 2016-2018. 

·         Deputy commanding general, Special Operations Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, Iraq, 2018-2019. 

·         Associate director for military affairs at the Central Intelligence Agency, 2021. 

From 2009-2016, Caine was a part-time member of the National Guard and a serial entrepreneur and investor. 

Caine has flown more than 100 combat hours in F-16 aircraft. His total flight hours are 2,800.

His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal with bronze oak leaf cluster and the Defense Meritorious Service Medal.

Nation Marks 50th Anniversary Of End of Vietnam War

As I've noted here before, my late older brother Edward R. Davis served in the U.S. Army at Chu Lai in South Vietnam in 1968-1969, and I served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk on "Yankee Station" off the coast of North Vietnam in 1970-1971.

Hard to believe it has been 50 years since the Vietnam War ended for America. 

David Vergun at DOD News offers a piece on the 50^th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. 

The United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration today hosted "Welcome Home! A Nation Honors our Vietnam Veterans and their Families," on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.  

The first of a three-day event on the Mall marks the 50th anniversary of when the last combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973.  

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro recognized attendees from Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand and thanked them for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with U.S. forces during the Vietnam War.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a video of the ceremony via the below link:

Nation Marks 50th Anniversary of End of Vietnam War > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News 

You can also watch a video about the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk off the coast of Vietnam via the below link:

USS Kitty Hawk Operating Of The Coast Of Vietnam During The War - YouTube

Partnering With Ukraine On Cybersecurity Paid Off, Leaders Say

David Vergun at the DOD News offers the below piece:

A year ago, a hunt forward 10-member team of the U.S. Cyber Command's Cyber National Mission Force arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Marine Corps major leading that team called back and she said, "We're gonna be here for a bit," said Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone, commander, U.S. Cyber Command and director, National Security Agency/chief, Central Security Service. 

Nakasone spoke on a panel today at the Reagan National Defense Forum at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. 

That team grew from 10 to 39 people, working with Ukraine to strengthen its cyber defenses and provide reassurance. It paid off big-time as Russia launched its invasion, he said. 

The lesson: presence, persistence and the value of partnerships is what matters most, he said. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, industry, academia, as well as foreign allies and partners are among those that the Defense Department works with closely, he said. 

A prime example is Cybercom partnering with the FBI and CISA, to ensure safe and secure elections, he mentioned. 

"We generate really good insights. We share intelligence and information with the FBI and CISA. And then, we take action against adversaries who are going to try to do us harm," Nakasone said. 

The past year, the NSA released 24 unclassified cybersecurity advisories regarding what to expect in terms of Russian attacks on such things as the U.S. critical infrastructure, he said. 

Frank Kendall, secretary of the Air Force, who also spoke on the panel, said regarding military cyber systems, "If we put the resources into them, we can be reasonably cybersecure. … But tactics will continue to evolve. They're going to get more sophisticated over time as we build better defenses." 

Over the last few decades, America's ability to secure against cyberattacks has improved pretty dramatically, he added. 

"You're never going to be perfect, but you can be highly resilient and you can be at a point where you if you get an unexpected attack, you can recover," Kendall said. 

When Russia attacked, Ukraine was not able to entirely defeat the cyber threat but they were able to block a lot of its impact, he said. 

DOD Focused On Protecting The Defense Industrial Base From Cyber Threats

David Vergun at the DOD News offer a piece on the Defense Department and cybersecurity.

The Defense Department relies on the entrepreneurial companies and their innovative, hard-working employees in the defense industrial base, or DIB, to create capabilities for warfighters.

Through procurements from private-sector sources, the department leverages the best technologies and innovations to give service members the battlefield advantages they need to win decisively, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen H. Hicks said.

"DIB cybersecurity is and will remain an expanding priority for the U.S. Department of Defense. More than 220,000 companies provide value to the department's force development, and the DIB is now facing increasingly sophisticated and well-resourced cyber-attacks that must be stopped," she said, referring to the defense industrial base. 

These cyber-attacks threaten the U.S. and the rules-based order on which the global economy relies, Hicks said. Markets cannot function effectively in an environment where adversarial countries are leveraging their national power to steal intellectual property, to sabotage commercial activity, and to threaten supply chains.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

DOD Focused on Protecting the Defense Industrial Base From Cyber Threats > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News 

Commander Offers Strategies For Deterring Aggression From China And Russia

David Vergun at the DOD News offers a piece on a general’s speech on the threats from China and Russia: 

The commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command described threats from Russia and China and ways to mitigate those threats. 

Air Force Gen. Glen D. VanHerck (seen in the above photo) spoke today at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium, in Huntsville, Alabama. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Commander Offers Strategies for Deterring Aggression From China and Russia > U.S. Department of Defense > Defense Department News 

Survivors Of Human Trafficking Recount Experiences, Provide Advice

David Vergun at the DOD News offers a piece on the horrendous crime of human trafficking: 

Human trafficking is a crime in which force, fraud or coercion is used to compel a person to perform labor, services or commercial sex. It affects all populations: adults, children, men, women, foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, and all economic classes. 

The Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Management Office recently stood up a website featuring videos called "Suvivor Voices of Human Trafficking."  

In the videos, eight survivors relate their experiences being trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, and being turned into child soldiers. They discuss what they wish they had done differently and how others could have helped. Several of the survivors' stories have a connection to the Defense Department. 

For example, Kalei Grant tells of being purchased by military members in Hawaii.  

"We would be driven to military bases and nearby bars where [our trafficker] would force us to look for the drunk military soldiers and proposition them. The transactions would happen everywhere — in barracks, in homes and apartments, on military bases in warehouses, in military personnel vehicles, in personal cars, and while service members were on and off duty," she said. 

In another story, Kumar, who prefers not to give his whole name, tells of being trafficked into forced labor by subcontractors in India who charged each potential worker exorbitant recruitment fees to obtain jobs with good pay. The subcontractors then used classic bait and switch techniques to force these food service workers into hard labor when they arrived in Afghanistan, which paid so little they could not get out of debt. 

Tina Frundt tells of being trafficked when she was 13 by an older man in her neighborhood. Her mother, who worked for DOD for over a decade, kept the trauma and trouble that her daughter was going through a secret from everyone.  

"What happened to me was a secret she kept, maybe because of the shame and guilt, maybe because she feared for her clearances. We create an environment where people actually need help, but everyone's scared to talk about it," Frundt said.  

A former child soldier, Carlos Dimas told how guerillas in El Salvador recruited him and his best friend when they were both 14. One of the death squads subsequently killed his friend. Dimas eventually escaped and today he and his family, including his son who is in the U.S. Army, live in the United States. 

The CTIP PMO hopes to add six to eight more stories in the coming year. "We will continue to build it; adding stories to help prevent human trafficking and raise awareness," said Linda Dixon, CTIP program manager. 

Since the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000 (Public Law 106-386), many new programs have been created to help victims become survivors and reclaim their lives. 

The TVPA laid out a 3-P framework – prevention, prosecution, protection and assistance – for combating human trafficking.  

It created a ''whole-of-government'' strategy for combating trafficking in persons. Over the years, the CTIP PMO's work to combat trafficking in persons has expanded to include meaningful input from survivors. This ''survivor-informed'' approach starts with hearing the stories of survivors to help us understand how trafficking occurs. 

You can watch the videos via the below link:

Survivor Voices (defense.gov) 

DOD Officials Describe Special Operations Forces' Contributions to National Security

David Vergun at the DOD News offers a piece on Special Operations Forces. 

Although U.S. Special Operations Command makes up just 3% of the joint force, it has suffered over half of all combat casualties over the past few years, said a Defense Department official.

Christopher P. Maier, acting assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, testified today at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the defense authorization request for fiscal year 2022 and the future years defense program. 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Officials Describe Special Operations Forces' Contributions to National Security > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Defense Department News 

NSA, Cybercom Leader Says Efforts Have Expanded

 David Vergun at the DOD News offers the below piece: 

Adversaries have heavily invested in cyberspace operations and capabilities. As such, cyber operations, cybersecurity and information operations are increasingly important to the joint force, said the commander of U.S. Cyber Command, who's also the director of the National Security Agency. 

"The scope of what we need to defend and protect has dramatically expanded," Army Gen. Paul M. Nakasone said today during a virtual address to the U.S Naval Institute and Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's WEST Conference. 

The Defense Department's information network is composed of 15,000 sub-networks, 3 million users, 4 million computers, 180,000 mobility devices and 605 million website requests a day, he said.  

"We used to think about cyberspace as merely the need to protect these computer networks. And while it's a good place to start, the attack surface is much broader," Nakasone said. 

For example, protecting weapons systems is a related but distinct challenge compared to networks, he said. They require software updates and patches. In the case of the Navy, they're onboard ships that don't return to port for months at a time, making it even more challenging to provide timely updates. 

Another challenge with weapons systems is ensuring that cybersecurity considerations are implemented in the earliest phases of the acquisition cycle, he said. 

Protecting DOD's data is also a major challenge, he said. 

Understanding how state and non-state adversaries are able to successfully carry out cyberattacks is important, he said. "They learn over time in terms of what they can do. They're not static in the terms of how they approach cyberspace." 

In about the past 150 days, adversaries have successfully conducted supply chain attacks, particularly ransomware attacks, he said. In the last several years, election cybersecurity has taken on an increasingly important role. 

Terrorist groups are also mounting cyberattacks, he said. In response, the department has emphasized close teamwork between the NSA, Cybercom, and other commands — U.S. Special Operations Command, in particular. 

"We learned how to work closely with U.S. Special Operations Command, both to support their efforts against kinetic targets and to leverage their capabilities against virtual ones," he said. 

Nakasone also emphasized the importance of working with industry, academia, interagency partners like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as with allies and partners. 

Having a skilled and motivated workforce is also critically important, he said. They need to have the right training and career paths and professional development opportunities, and the DOD must be open to their new ideas.

Nation To Observe Vietnam War Veterans Day

I’m thinking of my late brother Ed Davis (seen in the above photo), as today is Vietnam Veterans Day. 

My older brother served in the U.S. Army at Chu Lai in South Vietnam in 1968. 

I enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk on "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North Vietnam in 1970-1971. 

David Vergun at the DoD News offers a piece on Vietnam Veterans Day. 

On March 29, Americans will come together to commemorate the service and sacrifices made by the nearly 3 million service members who served in Vietnam. 

In 2012, President Barack Obama signed a presidential proclamation, designating March 29 as the annual observance of Vietnam War Veterans Day. 

The signing of the proclamation marked the 50th anniversary of the departure of the last American troops from Vietnam — March 29, 1973. Only U.S. embassy personnel and support staff remained in South Vietnam until the fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. 

"The Vietnam War is a story of service members of different backgrounds, colors and creeds who came together to complete a daunting mission," the proclamation states. "It is a story of Americans from every corner of our nation who left the warmth of family to serve the country they loved. It is a story of patriots who braved the line of fire, who cast themselves into harm's way to save a friend, who fought hour after hour, day after day to preserve the liberties we hold dear." 

More than 58,000 Americans were killed and many thousands more were wounded and injured or determined to be missing. 

The proclamation also states: "In one of the war's most profound tragedies, many of these men and women came home to be shunned or neglected — to face treatment unbefitting their courage and a welcome unworthy of their example. We must never let this happen again." 

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Nation to Observe Vietnam War Veterans Day > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Story

You can also read my previous post on the Vietnam War via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: The Vietnam War Was Winnable  

Note: Below is a photo of me and a photo of the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk:

COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Dry Runs Taking Place Across U.S., General Says

David Vergun at the DoD News offers a piece on a press conference held by U.S. Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna on Operation Warp Speed and COVID-19 vaccine dry runs

You can read the piece via the below link:

COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery Dry Runs Taking Place Across U.S., General Says > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Defense Department News 

 

Defense Department: U.S., Mexico Cooperate To Reduce Cross-Border Drug Flow

 David Vergun at the DOD News offers the below piece on how the Defense Department and Mexico are working to stem the flow of drugs into the U.S.: 

The Defense Department's statutory mission is to serve as the single lead agency for the detection and monitoring of the aerial and maritime transit of illicit drugs into the United States. Cooperation with allies and partners, such as Mexico, is critical to that effort, said a DOD official. 

"Mexico remains the source of nearly all heroin seized in the United States and is a transit route for much of the cocaine available in our country," Matthew J. Flynn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, said. 

Moreover, Mexican cartels take advantage of uneven precursor chemical controls to manufacture deadly drugs, such as fentanyl and methamphetamine, inside of Mexico, which also make their way into the United States, he said. 

"Despite the obstacles, Mexican law enforcement and military professionals, in cooperation with their U.S. counterparts, are bravely confronting the transnational criminal organizations that threaten both of our countries," Flynn added. 

While much more remains to be done in the fight against Mexican cartels, it is important to recognize the efforts of the Mexican security forces that work daily to confront the transnational criminal organizations that threaten both the United States and Mexico, Flynn emphasized. 

Two recent seizures highlight the efforts of Mexican agencies to disrupt the cartels' illicit activities, he said.  

On Oct. 15, the Mexican army used radar data from a U.S.-provided radar in Hermosillo, a city in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora, to track a plane carrying drugs, Flynn said.  

Mexican soldiers moved to the area in which the plane appeared to land and seized a "poly-load" totaling 430 kilograms of assorted drugs: 56.6 kilograms of heroin, 4.1 kilograms of fentanyl, 177.2 kilograms of cocaine and 192.6 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, he said.  

On Oct. 20, the Mexican navy informed U.S. officials of a suspicious vessel off the coast of Colima state, Mexico, Flynn said. The Mexican navy maneuvered six of its vessels to the suspicious vessel, then boarded it and discovered 1.1 metric tons of cocaine.   

A DOD official said that Mexican drug interdictions have been relatively low, and drug cartel violence remains at disturbingly high levels. "These organizations present a clear threat to Mexico and the Mexican government's ability to exert effective control over parts of its country."

Defense Department Works With U.S. Agencies, International Partners To Halt Illicit Drug Flow

 David Vergun at the DOD News offers the below piece on the Defense Department's counternarcotics mission:

The Department's statutory mission is to serve as the single lead agency for the detection and monitoring of the aerial and maritime transit of illicit drugs into the United States, another Defense Department official, Matthew J. Flynn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, explained.  

One priority of the strategy is to reduce the availability of illegal drugs in the United States, Flynn said.  "By performing this priority mission, DOD helps deter, disrupt and degrade potential threats before they reach the United States and harm our citizens," he said. With help from DOD, federal agencies — such as the Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs and Border Protection and others — are enhancing their efforts focused on the interdiction of heroin, cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamines and precursor chemicals in the air and maritime approaches to the United States and along its borders. Flynn said the DOD aims to reduce the harm posed by criminal networks. "Through our programs, we disrupt and degrade drug trafficking and other illicit threat networks, in order to reduce them to a level where they no longer threaten United States citizens and U.S. national security," he said.  

In conjunction with other U.S. departments and agencies and international partners, DOD also supports the administration's national priority to identify, disrupt and degrade transnational criminal organizations, or TCOs, by targeting their infrastructure and preventing the criminal facilitation of their activities in various ways, Flynn said. 

"The task of identifying and targeting drug trafficking and other illicit threat networks is complex and requires close coordination among U.S. and international intelligence, [the] military and law enforcement partners," he noted.

DOD supports U.S. government and international efforts to target TCOs at their source and build international partnerships to prevent transnational threat networks from undermining sovereign governments, decreasing regional stability and threatening the United States, he said.  

"We have small teams at the combatant commands and elsewhere in DOD that provide intelligence analysis and counter threat finance analysis support to U.S. law enforcement partners by helping them identify and understand illicit networks and financial flows," Flynn said. "With this support, our law enforcement partners are better able to disrupt the activities of drug trafficking and other transnational criminal organizations, including their abilities to generate, store, move and use money and other forms of value." 

Under the authority of the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, the department's counterdrug program is administered by the DASD for counternarcotics and global threats. 

U.S. Army General To Co-Lead 'Operation Warp Speed' For COVID-19 Vaccine

David Vergun at the DOD News offers the below piece: 

President Donald J. Trump today announced that Army Gen. Gustave F. Perna, the commander of Army Materiel Command, will co-lead an effort, dubbed Operation Warp Speed, to find a vaccine for COVID-19 by January 2021. 

Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said the Defense Department is very excited and committed to partnering with the Department of Health and Human Services, across the government, and in the private sector to accomplish the mission. "Winning matters, and we will deliver by the end of this year a vaccine at scale to treat the American people and our partners abroad," he said.

The goal is to produce about 300 million vaccines by January, said Jonathan Rath Hoffman, assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs, at a Pentagon press briefing today.

Hoffman mentioned that it's a goal involving a whole-of-government approach, not just the DOD.

Regarding DOD and the Pentagon, Hoffman said neither has been shut down and daily operations continue, albeit with mitigation steps that include social distancing, face masks, quarantine when necessary and telework if the situation allows.

As for increasing the number of personnel at the Pentagon, Hoffman said it will be conditions-based and informed by medical experts. The Pentagon, he said, is in consultation with the governments of the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland. Policy and decisions are currently under review and are expected to be released in a matter of weeks.

Regarding the hospital ships USNS Comfort and Mercy, Hoffman said they have completed their work in New York City and Los Angeles and are standing by if their services are needed elsewhere. 

Hoffman noted that tomorrow is Armed Forces Day. He mentioned the death yesterday of Army Staff Sgt. Ronald J. Shurer II, a Medal of Honor recipient. 

Shurer served in Afghanistan. On April 6, 2008, he was cited for valorous actions for providing medical assistance to his teammates while facing enemy fire for over six hours. 

Defense Secretary Makes Case That China Is A Growing Threat To Europe

David Vergun at the DOD News offers a piece on Defense Secretary Mark T. Esper’s warning to Europe about China.  

In Europe, there is a focus on the threat from Russia. However, there is also a threat from China, the Pentagon's number one concern, said Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper. 

"America's concerns about Beijing's commercial and military expansion should be [Europe's] concerns as well," Esper said, during his remarks at the Munich Security Conference in Germany today.

China is currently applying economic and political pressure publicly and privately on many Indo-Pacific region and European nations, to seek new strategic relationships, he said.

The Belt and Road Initiative is one such example where it uses overseas investments to force other nations into making suboptimal security decisions, the secretary noted. This has wide-ranging implications for the U.S. and allies in areas such as data security and military interoperability.

Another example is China's telecommunication firm Huawei, which has developed and is exporting 5G networks that threaten secure communications and jeopardize U.S. alliances. The department is working to support 5G advances in the U.S. and the secretary said he hopes European nations will follow suit.

Esper said China's President Xi Jinping is leading his nation even faster in the wrong direction: more internal repression, more predatory economic practices, more heavy-handedness and a more aggressive military posture.

The international community needs to be aware of the challenges presented by China's manipulation of the longstanding international rules-based order that has benefited the world for many decades, he said.

Beijing has said that by 2049, it intends to dominate Asia as the preeminent global military power, Esper said.

Over time, the Chinese have seized and militarized islands in the South China Sea, rapidly modernized its armed forces, while seeking to use emerging technology — often acquired through theft — to alter world power in its favor, he said.

Beijing is using artificial intelligence and other technologies to surveil and to repress many of its own people. Also, China is exporting those technologies to other authoritarian regimes, the secretary said.

The world is too interconnected for us not to work together to solve some of our toughest problems." 

For its part, DOD is investing in cutting edge technology to modernize its force and building stronger relationships with allies and partners. Examples, he said, are hypersonics, advanced missile defense systems and artificial intelligence. The goal of developing these weapons is to protect the sovereignty of all freedom-loving countries.

Next year marks the 20th anniversary of China's admission into the World Trade Organization, "a decision that fundamentally altered the course of international affairs," he said.

The thinking at the time was that China's admission into the WTO and other multilateral institutions would result in China's continued path to economic reform and eventually become a responsible global and political stakeholder, and possibly an eventual democracy, he mentioned.

Skeptics, however, warned that China would reap the benefits of free trade to acquire technologies to build a strong military and security state capable of expanding the reach of its authoritarian rule, he said.

"These are both credible arguments but we all know which one is winning right now," he said.

Having said that, the U.S. doesn't seek conflict with China, he said. "In fact, we look for areas of cooperation where our interests converge."

For example, Esper said the U.S. delivered 18 tons of medical supplies to China and provided other assistance to help fight COVID19, the coronavirus. "The world is too interconnected for us not to work together to solve some of our toughest problems."

The world is increasingly becoming aware of China's motives and is responding in turn, he said.

To be a responsible partner in the international community, China must be transparent and respect the sovereignty, freedom and rights of all nations, he said.

Defense Secretary Honors 3 Men Who Stopped Terrorist Gunman On Paris-Bound Train

David Vergun at the U.S. Army News Service offers the below piece: WASHINGTON September 17, 2015 — On Aug. 21, three childhood friends were on a train bound for Paris when they heard a gunshot. Amidst screams and commotion, they quickly focused on a man wielding an AK-47 rifle, said Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today during a Pentagon ceremony honoring the three men. The secretary thanked Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler for their valor. Carter described the chaotic scene on the train, where passengers were hiding, unsure of what to do, or running away. While that was happening, Skarlatos said, "Let's go," and the three sprinted toward the gunman, who had his weapon pointed at them. Stone tackled the assailant and all three men worked to disarm him, the defense secretary continued. Besides the AK-47, the attacker was also armed with an automatic pistol, 270 rounds of ammunition, a box cutter and a bottle of gasoline. "As we know, Spencer was stabbed in the effort," Carter said After they knocked out the gunman, they tended to other injured on board the train before paramedics and police arrived, he added. The defense secretary referred to the entire ordeal as "an amazing story, right out of a movie." Returning to the theme of "Let's go," he said that "if this sounds familiar, that’s because it is," noting the similarity to the phrase used by a passenger on United Flight 93; "Let's roll." Carter added that some of those passengers also "stood up and fought back against the terrorists who had aimed the plane toward Washington. While those heroes were lost, we will always remember and appreciate their courage and sacrifice." Everyone in DoD -- uniformed personnel and civilians -- has "chosen to dedicate themselves to standing between order and disorder, between the way of life we cherish and those who threaten it," the defense secretary continued. They've all been willing and ready to say, "Let's go." Medals For Heroism Carter then presented the Soldier's Medal, Airman's Medal and Secretary of Defense Medal for Valor, to Skarlatos, Stone and Sadler respectively. The medals are the highest commendations for non-combat bravery that the Defense Department can bestow. Additionally, Stone was awarded a Purple Heart Medal because he suffered multiple lacerations to the face, neck and thumb during the struggle. Carter noted that DoD has determined that since the event was deemed an act of terrorism, the Purple Heart could be awarded. Previously, all three were awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest recognition. Skarlatos is with the Oregon Army National Guard’s 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. He recently re-enlisted, calling the Guard "fantastic." Stone is a medic, assigned to the 65th Air Base Group at Lajes Air Base in Portugal. Next month, Stone is transferring to Travis Air Force Base in California. Sadler started school this year at Sacramento State University "where I’m sure he’ll have the best 'what I did on my summer vacation' story on campus this fall," Carter quipped. After the ceremony, Sadler told the media that he "couldn't think of two better people to be with in this situation." It was the first time any of the men had been in the Pentagon or to Washington, D.C., and all said they were overwhelmed with the warm welcome they received from everyone, including the president. Note: In the above DoD photo by Glenn Fawcett, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, right, walks with Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, Oregon Army National Guard Spc. Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, Sept. 17, 2015, prior to an awards ceremony in the Pentagon courtyard honoring them for their heroic actions in stopping a gunman on a Paris-bound train outside of Brussels last month.

Civil War Union Officer Finally Awarded Medal Of Honor

David Vergun at the U.S. Army News Service offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 2014 - President Barack Obama awarded the Medal of Honor to Union Army 1st Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing yesterday for helping to stop Confederate Army Maj. Gen. George E. Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.

Helen Loring Ensign accepted the medal during the ceremony, held in the White House's Roosevelt Room, on behalf of Cushing, her first cousin, twice removed. Some 24 other descendants were present as well.

Long before Gettysburg, Cushing, who graduated from West Point in June 1861, "fought bravely" at the battles of Bull Run, Antietam, Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg, developing a reputation for "his cool, his competence and his courage under fire," Obama said.

Cushing commanded Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, 2nd Corps, Army of the Potomac, atop Cemetery Ridge. On that fateful day, some 10,000 of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's troops advanced toward them in a line, elbow-to-elbow, a mile wide, in the final, desperate hours of the battle.

Cushing Refused to Fall Back

Smoke from the guns obscured the battlefield, and the air was thick with lead. In the chaos, Cushing was hit and badly wounded, the president continued. His first sergeant, Frederick Fuger, urged him to fall back to the safety of the rear, away from the punishing fire. But Cushing refused, telling Fuger he'd rather "fight it out or die in the attempt."

Bleeding badly and growing weaker every moment, Cushing moved his remaining artillery closer to the front and continued to defend the Union line. "He used his own thumb to stop his gun's vent, burning his finger to the bone," the president related. When Cushing was hit the final time, the 22-year-old soldier fell beside his gun. Obama said Cushing was later immortalized by a poet, who wrote: "His gun spoke out for him once more before he fell to the ground."

Letter to Cushing's Sister

In a letter to Cushing's sister, Fuger wrote that "the bravery of their men that day was entirely due to your brother's training and example set on numerous battlefields." Etched on Cushing's tombstone at West Point is the simple epitaph, "Faithful Unto Death," the president said. And, his memory will be honored later this month, when a Navy cruiser -- the USS Gettysburg -- dedicates its officers dining hall as the "Cushing Wardroom."

Unbeknownst to Cushing, Gettysburg was a turning point in the war, the president said, and it was men like Cushing who were responsible for the victory. Historians often refer to where Pickett's Charge was stopped as the "high water mark of the Confederacy." When President Abraham Lincoln later dedicated the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, he said these men gave their "last full measure of devotion." Cushing's story "is part of our larger American story -- one that continues today," Obama said at the ceremony. "The spirit, the courage, the determination that he demonstrated lives on in our brave men and women in uniform who this very day are serving and making sure that they are defending the freedoms that Alonzo helped to preserve. "And it's incumbent on all of us as Americans to uphold the values that they fight for," the president continued, "and to continue to honor their service long after they leave the battlefield -- for decades, even centuries, to come."

Medal Was Long in Coming

Margaret Zerwekh, 94, a historian, attended the White House ceremony and was recognized by the president. Zerwekh researched Cushing's service in the Civil War. She was certain his valorous actions merited the Medal of Honor, and she lobbied her congressional representatives for decades to make it happen.

She became interesting in Cushing's story because she lives on property in Wisconsin that once owned by the soldier's father. Typically, the medal is awarded within a few years of the action. Obama said. "But sometimes, even the most extraordinary stories can get lost in the passage of time," he added. "No matter how long it takes, it is never too late to do the right thing."

This medal is about more than just one soldier, Obama said. "It reflects our obligations as a country to the men and women in our armed services -- obligations that continue long after they return home, after they remove their uniforms, and even, perhaps especially, after they've laid down their lives," he said.

U.S. Special Operations Command Seeks Prototypes For 'Iron Man Suit'

David Vergun at the U.S. Army News Service offers the below piece:

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2013 – U.S. Special Operations Command wants its operators to be protected with what it informally calls an “Iron Man suit,” named after the fictional superhero.
In September, Socom announced it is seeking proposals for prototypes of the Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit, or TALOS.

The goal of TALOS is to provide ballistic protection to Special Operations Forces, along with fire-retardant capability, said Michel Fieldson, TALOS lead for Socom.

"We sometimes refer to it as the ‘Iron Man’ suit, frankly, to attract the attention, imagination and excitement of industry and academia," Fieldson said. "We're hoping to take products we're developing in several technology areas and integrating them into a consolidated suit to provide more protection for the [special operations forces]."

Other technologies include sensors, communications, energy and material that can store and release energy to prevent injuries and increase performance.

Materials that can store and release energy might be similar to the Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis, now used by some wounded warriors for lower-leg injuries. So TALOS could benefit wounded warriors too, Fieldson said.

The Homeland Security Department and firefighters have expressed an interest in this technology as well, he said, and it eventually might become available for other service members.

"Our goal right now is to try to get the word out and bring industry partners together," Fieldson said. The technologies that will go into the suit’s development are varied, he said, so it is unlikely one contractor would be able to specialize in the entire ensemble.

The traditional approach, Fieldson said, was to pick a prime contractor, usually a traditional defense partner, give them the design requirements and let them come up with the solution. That would take a long time, he noted.

"In this case, the government will be the lead integrator, and we'll look to work with traditional or nontraditional partners in industry and academia who are innovative," he said. "We'll leave no stone unturned."

The goal, he said, is to begin integrating capabilities over the next 12 months and have the first suit ready for full field testing in four to five years.

Fieldson thinks TALOS will become a reality because it protects the warfighters and has the backing of Socom's commander, Navy Adm. William H. McRaven.

"I'm very committed to this," McRaven said to industry representatives at a July 8 TALOS demonstration in Tampa, Fla. "I'd like that last operator that we lost to be the last one we ever lose in this fight or the fight of the future, and I think we can get there.

"I'm committed to this," he continued. "At the end of the day, I need you and industry to figure out how you are going to partner with each other to do something that's right for America."