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Relevance Score: 2.802 2009-06-28 22:04:20
WARSAW, Poland, Jan. 22 /Reuters/ -- TS2 Satellite Technologies' network in Iraq and Afghanistan has over 15,000 military users of local broadband satellite connections. "We were among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan, and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the U.S. Army for several years now," says Marcin Frackiewicz, CEO of the TS2 Satellite Technologies. TS2 Satellite Technologies offers two-way high-speed Internet access with no phone lines, no cable and no dial-up modem. It's always on, available virtually anywhere, and affordable. The laptop or Wi-Fi network can receive Internet signal through a special satellite VSAT modem, which was usually set up in a building or tent when deployed. The one VSAT access point provides the following services for soldiers: -- Broadband access to the Internet (WWW, E-mail, FTP etc.) -- Data transfer to many other users simultaneously -- Telephone connections including VoIP, IP phone -- Video-conference connections Advantages of the system: -- Short set-up time -- Fast and easy upgrades -- Possibility of guaranteed CIR -- Transmission in almost all weather conditions The communication among the bases is possible thanks to the simultaneous lease of bands on the Intelsat 10-02, Intelsat 901 and Eutelsat W6 satellites whose coverage enables configuration of connections between any place in Europe, Middle East and Southwest Asia. TS2's satellite military networks are located in Al Taqaddum Air Base, Bahgram AF, Balad Base, Baquba Airfield, Brassfield-Mora, Cob Adder, Cob Speicher, Camp Al Asad Airbase, Camp Bucca Basra City, Camp Buehring, Camp Charlie Basra, Camp Eggers, Camp Fallujah, Camp Grizzly, Camp Korean Village, Camp Liberty, Camp Mejid, Camp Ramadi, Camp Slayer, Camp Stryker, Camp Taji, Camp Victory, Fob Bagram, Fob Brassfield Mora, Fob Delta Al Kut, Fob Diamondback, Fob Falcon, Fob Garryowen, Fob Gardez, Fob Ghazni, Fob Kalagush, Fob Kandahar, Fob Lagman, Fob Mchenry, Fob Marez, Fob Normandy, Fob Rustamiyah, Fob Summerall, Fob Sykes, Fob Salerno, Fob Torkham, Fob Warhorse, Fob Warrior, Herat RTC, Jallahabad Air Base, Kabul Airport, Kabul Camp Eggers, Kandahar Air Base, Lsa Anaconda Balad, Q-West Base Complex and Tallil Ab Lsa Adder. Especially for U.S. Military Personnel, Contracting Officers and DoD Contractors, TS2 delivers satellite equipment to most of all military addresses in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Middle East, within maximum of 7 days. Supported military locations in Iraq - http://www.ts2.pl/en/Internet-in-Iraq-for-US-Army-Soldiers Supported military locations in Afghanistan - http://www.ts2.pl/en/Internet-in-Afghanistan-for-US-Army-Soldiers Contact: Piotr Kubiak and Michal Skrok TS2 Satellite Technologies phone +48 22 630 70 70 fax +48 22 630 70 71 http://www.ts2.pl
Relevance Score: 2.715 2009-03-31 11:41:15
With last week's announced escalation of the war in Afghanistan, including an Iraq-like "surge" replete with 4,000 more U.S. troops and a sizable increase in private contractors, President Barack Obama blew the lid off of any lingering perceptions that he somehow represents a significant change in how the U.S. conducts its foreign policy. In the meantime, more reports have emerged that bolster suspicions that Obama's Iraq policy is but a downsized version of Bush's and that a total withdrawal of U.S. forces is not on the horizon. In a dramatic understatement, the GAO notes that the U.S. "has an extensive basing footprint in Iraq. … Closing or handing over U.S. installations in Iraq will be time consuming and costly." With no fewer than 283 such installations throughout Iraq -- 51 large bases and 232 smaller bases -- the Obama administration has not said how it will approach this formidable task. This is no minor detail. "According to U.S. Army officials, experience has shown that it takes one to two months to close the smallest platoon -- or company -- size installations, which contain between 16 and 200 combat soldiers or Marines." However, the U.S. "has never closed large, complex installations -- such as Balad Air Force Base, which contains about 24,000 inhabitants and has matured over five years. U.S. Army officials estimate it could take longer than 18 months to close a base of that size." Obama should explain clearly how he intends to dismantle these bases or to what forces he is going to give control over them. It is very hard to imagine that the U.S. will simply walk away from large bases it spent years building. So, will they be turned over to Iraq? If so, to whom? What guarantee is there that they would not be used as operating bases for death squads? Will some be destroyed? What about the environmental impact? In addition to the bases, the GAO reveals that, as of of March 2008, "the United States had in place about 170,000 pieces of equipment worth about $16.5 billion that would need to be removed from Iraq." Erik Leaver, a senior analyst at the Institute for Policy Studies, says,"An example of a tough question: What to do with MRAPs [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles]?" "The MRAPs are so heavy, transport back to the U.S., plus the rehab charges may make it cost-effective to actually destroy them," says Leaver. "Plus, if you need to move 120,000 soldiers in a rapid time frame, do you even have the space to bring them back if you take the MRAPs?" Then there are the facilities in Iraq currently being run by U.S. contractors. According to the GAO, Defense Contract Management Agency officials estimate "there is at least $3.5 billion worth of contractor-managed government-owned property in Iraq."
Relevance Score: 2.685 2008-06-01 11:43:45
TS2 was among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the US Department of Defense, DoD contractors, Contracting Officers and U.S. Military Personnel from Iraq. Air Bases Al Asad Air base Al Iskandariyah Air base Al Taqaddum Air base al-Asad Air base al-Iskandaryah Air base al-Sahra Air base Amarah Air base Baghdad Air base Balad Air base Baquba AF HAir basebaniyah Air base Jalibah Air base K-2 Air base Kirkuk Air base Kut Air base Mosul Air base Qalat Sukar Air base Quyarrah Air base Rasheed Air base Samarra East Air base Sather Air base Taji Air base Tal Ashtah Air base Tallil Air base Tuz Khurmatu Air base US Army Camps Camp Abu Naji [Al Amarah] Camp Adder [Tallil AB] Camp Al Asad [al-Asad AB] Camp Al-Adala [Kadhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp Al-Amal [Baghdad] Camp Al-Hurya Al-Awal [Baquba AF] Camp Al-Hurya Al-Thani [Green Zone] Camp Al-Isdehar [Al Salam] Camp Al-Istiqlal [Baghdad AB] Camp al-Nasr [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Al-Saqr [Rasheed AB] Camp Al-Sharaf [Green Zone] Camp Al-Tadamun [Adhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp al-Tahreer [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Al-Tawheed Al-Awal [Al Sijood] Camp Al-Tawheed Al-Thani [Al Sijood] Camp Al-Watani [Green Zone] Camp Anaconda [Balad AB] Camp Andaluz [Kufa] Camp Anderson [Diwaniyeh] Camp Arkansas [Al Salam] Camp Arrow [Ad Dawr] Camp Ashraf Camp Avalanche [Abu Ghurayb Prison] Camp Babylon Camp Baharia [Fallujah] Camp Balad [Balad AB] Camp Basilone [Qalat Sukar AB] Camp Black Jack Camp Blackjack [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Blue Diamond [Ar Ramadi] Camp Bonzai [Kadhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp Boom [Baquba] Camp Brassfield-Mora [Samarra] Camp Bucca [Umm Qasr] Camp Bushmaster [Najaf] Camp Bushwacker Camp Caldwell [Kirkush] Camp Cedar [Tallil AB] Camp Cedar II [Tallil AB] Camp Chesty [Kut AB] Camp Claiborne [Mosul AB] Camp Cobra [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Cold Steel Camp Condor [Amarah AB] Camp Cooke [Taji AB] Camp Cropper [Baghdad IAP] Camp Cuervo [Rasheed AB] Camp Dahuk Camp Diamondback [Mosul AB] Camp Dogwood [al-Iskandaryah AB] Camp Dragoon [Baghdad] Camp Duke [Najaf] Camp Eagle [Baghdad] Camp Eagle III [Najaf] Camp Edson [Diwaniyeh] Camp Falcon [Rasheed AB] Camp Fallujah [I MEF] Camp Fenway [Qalat Sukar] Camp Ferrin-Huggins [Rasheed AB] Camp Freedom [Mosul] Camp Freedom I [Baquba AF] Camp Freedom II [Green Zone] Camp Ganci [Abu Ghurayb Prison] Camp Golf [Najaf] Camp Graceland [Rasheed AB] Camp Greywolf [Al Sijood] Camp Griffin [Baghdad IAP] Camp Gunslinger [Adhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp Headhunter [Baghdad AB] Camp Honor [Green Zone] Camp Hope [Baghdad] Camp Hope [Diwaniyeh] Camp Hotel [Najaf] Camp Hurricane Point [Ar Ramadi] Camp Independence [Baghdad AB] Camp Iron Horse [Green Zone] Camp Ironhorse [Tikrit] Camp Jennings [Al Amarah] Camp Junction City [Ar Ramadi] Camp Justice [Kadhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp Klecker Camp Korean Village [Ar Rutbah/H-3(?)] Camp Lancer [K-2 AB] Camp Leader [Mosul] Camp Libeccio [Nasiriyah] Camp Liberty [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Lima [Baghdad] Camp Manhattan [Habbaniyah AB] Camp Marez [Mosul AB] Camp Marlboro [Sadr City] Camp Mercury Camp Muleskinner [Rasheed AB] Camp Nakamura [Nippur] Camp Normandy [Muqdadiyah] Camp Outlaw [Green Zone] Camp Pacesetter [Samarra East AB] Camp Paliwoda [Balad] Camp Patriot [Green Zone] Camp Performance [Mosul] Camp Prosperity [Al Salam] Camp Qayyarah [Quyarrah AB] Camp Raider [Tikrit] Camp Red Knight Camp Redcatcher [Rasheed AB] Camp Redemption [Abu Ghurayb Prison] Camp Renegade [Kirkuk AB] Camp Ridgway/Ridgeway [Al Taqaddum AB] Camp Rustamiyah [Rasheed AB] Camp Sather [Baghdad IAP] Camp Scania [Nippur] Camp Slayer [Radwaniyah] Camp Solidarity [Adhamiyah/Baghdad] Camp Speicher [al-Sahra AB] Camp St. Mere [Fallujah] Camp Steel Dragon [Green Zone] Camp Steel Falcon [Dora Farms] Camp Strike [Mosul] Camp Stryker [Baghdad IAP] Camp Sustainer Camp Sycamore [al-Sahra AB] Camp Taji [Taji AB] Camp Taqaddum [Al Taqaddum AB] Camp Thunder [Baghdad IAP] Camp Top Gun [Mosul] Camp Ultimo [Baghdad] Camp Union I [Al Sijood] Camp Union II [Al Sijood] Camp Victory (51 Papa) [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Victory [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Victory North [Abu Ghurayb] Camp Vigilant [Abu Ghurayb Prison] Camp Viper [Jalibah AB] Camp War Eagle [Baghdad] Camp Warhorse [Baquba AF] Camp Warrior [Al Sijood] Camp Whitehorse Camp Whitford [Tallil AB] Camp Wolfpack [Green Zone] Camp Zadan [Zadan] Forward Operating Bases in Iraq FOB al-Asad [al-Asad AB] FOB Al-Tawheed Al-Thalith [Green Zone] FOB Arrow [Ad Dawr] FOB Bandit Island FOB Bernstein [Tuz Khurmatu AB] FOB Blue Diamond [Ar Ramadi] FOB Brassfield-Mora [Samarra] FOB Broomhead FOB Buzz FOB Byers FOB Caldwell [Kirkush] FOB Champion Base [Ar Ramadi] FOB Chosin [Al Iskandariyah AB] FOB Cobra [Abu Ghurayb] FOB Constitution [Abu Ghurayb] FOB Cooke [Taji AB] FOB Danger [Tikrit] FOB Daquq FOB Delta [Kut AB] FOB Duke [Najaf] FOB Eagle [Balad] FOB Echo [Diwaniyah] FOB Eden [Hit] FOB Endurance [Quyarrah AB] FOB Ferrin-Huggins [Rasheed AB] FOB Gabe [Baquba] FOB Givens FOB Glory [Mosul AB] FOB Grant [Tal Ashtah AB] FOB Grizzly [Camp Ashraf] FOB Guardian City [Al Taqaddum AB] FOB Gunner [Taji AB] FOB Headhunter [Baghdad AB] FOB Hit [Al Anbar] FOB Honor [Green Zone] FOB Hotel [Najaf] FOB Hurricane [Ar Ramadi] FOB Ironhorse [Tikrit] FOB Junction City [Ar Ramadi] FOB Kalsu [Iskandariyah] FOB Latham FOB Laurie [Fallujah] FOB Lion [Balad AB] FOB Manhattan [Habbaniyah AB] FOB McHenry [Al Hawijah] FOB McKenzie [Samarra East AB] FOB Melody [Sadr City] FOB Mercury [Fallujah] FOB Miller FOB Morgan [Baghdad IAP] FOB Muleskinner [Rasheed AB] FOB Normandy [Muqdadiyah] FOB O'Ryan FOB Pacesetter [Samarra East AB] FOB Packhorse [Tikrit] FOB Paliden Base [Ar Ramadi] FOB Q-West [Quyarrah AB] FOB Quinn FOB Raider [Tikrit] FOB Red Lion [Camp Ashraf] FOB Ridgway/Ridgeway [Al Taqaddum AB] FOB Rough Rider [Mandali] FOB Sabre [Ar Ramadi] FOB Scania [Nippur] FOB Spartan [Camp Ashraf] FOB Speicher [al-Sahra AB] FOB St. Mere [Fallujah] FOB St. Michael [Mahmudiyah] FOB Steel Dragon [Green Zone] FOB Summerall [Bayji] FOB Tiger [Al Qaim] FOB Trojan Horse [Green Zone] FOB Union III [Green Zone] FOB Volturno [Fallujah] FOB War Eagle [Baghdad] FOB Warhorse [Baquba AF] FOB Warrior [Kirkuk AB] FOB Webster [Al Asad AB] FOB Wilson [Ad Dawr] FOB Wyatt [Balad AB] Other Nomenclature Al Azimiyah Palace al-Kufah Baghdad Convention Center Bashur AB Butler Range Complex Champion Base [Ar Ramadi] Champion Main [Ar Ramadi] CJTF Babylon CMOC Ar Ramadi CMOC Baghdad CMOC Diwaniyah CMOC Mosul CMOC Samarra CSC Scania [Nippur] Engineer Base Anvil [Rasheed AB] Essayons Base [Republican Palace] Fire Base Glory [Mosul AB] Firebase Melody [Sadr City] Firebase Shoemaker [Ar Ramadi] FLB Sycamore [al-Sahra AB] Green Zone [Baghdad] H-1 Airstrip Haditha Dam Hard Site [Abu Ghurayb] Hillah Hurricane Base [Ar Ramadi] International Zone [Baghdad] Kirkuk AB Kut AB Log Base Seitz Loyalty Base [Ar Ramadi] LSA Adder [Tallil AB] LSA Anaconda [Balad AB] LSA Diamondback [Mosul AB] LSA Highlander [Al Salam] LSA Viper [Jalibah AB] MEK Compound OBJ Jaguar [Quyarrah AB] OBJ Redskins [Al Taqaddum AB] OBJ Weber [al-Asad AB] Post Freedom [Mosul] Redcatcher Field [Rasheed AB] Rifles Base (3 ACR) [Ar Ramadi] Saddamiat Al-Tharthar Sinjar Stryker Island [Baghdad IAP] Taji Military Camp Tall 'Afar AB Tiger Base [Al Qaim] TSP Whitford [Tallil AB] Victory Base [Abu Ghurayb]
Relevance Score: 2.665 2009-12-28 17:10:42
Sgt. Jeffrey Yauch, from Plover, Wis., adheres to the old Army conviction: leave it better than you found it. During a one-year deployment, the 1st Cavalry Division soldier wrote detailed technical standard operation procedures for tactical satellite hubs employing the military's latest communications technology. Yauch's painstaking labors led to an unprecedented 99-percent satellite reliability rate, according to signal reports at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. Tactical environment uptimes typically range between 90 and 95 percent, according to Chief Warrant Officer Scott Gray, 1st Cavalry Division Special Troops Battalion network technician chief. "Our team set a new standard for maintaining a tactical satellite hub," said Gray, who then commended the entire unit for supporting communication requirements for over 230,000 combat patrols in Iraq this year. The 1st Cavalry Division, a rapidly deployable armored division based at Fort Hood, Texas, assumed duties as the Multi-National Division - Baghdad headquarters in January. While the main body moved into Iraq, Yauch and 18 other Soldiers formed a tactical satellite hub at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar, located on the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The team of Soldiers inherited a critical mission: set up and maintain a robust satellite hub at the Qatar base. Warfighters throughout Iraq would depend on their signal integrity for a variety of audiovisual services, such as telecommunications, video teleconferences and network access. Unfortunately, specific instructions about fielding the Army's most recent equipment didn't exist. Yauch resolved to fix that discrepancy, as the Soldiers went to work. The tactical satellite document has been disseminated throughout Iraq and Afghanistan.
Relevance Score: 2.592 2009-06-26 11:38:56
Since the military provides just 6 to 12 computers for every 1,000 or so troops, time limits of 10 to 15 minutes per day are often enforced at Morale Welfare Recreation Cafés (the complicated name for military internet cafés). Anyone who sorts through spam, reads forwarded articles and jokes, then tries to respond to “real” email knows 15 minutes isn't enough. Josh Hines, a soldier from Conway who recently returned from Iraq , confirmed that the Army lacks internet services and lamented the scarcity of entertainment options. It should come as no surprise, then, that some enterprising military personnel have engineered an alternative. TS2, the common term for troop-owned ISPs, have sprung to life on almost every base around Iraq. A typical TS2 network is built and maintained by one or two soldiers and can provide nearly 24-hour internet access (until the region is stabilized and electrical lines can be installed, generators must occasionally be powered down for maintenance). Most TS2 networks are small, serving between 20 and 30 troops, but ISPs serving as many as 300 are known to exist. In a country wracked by war, where even the capital city receives only intermittent electricity, where people's lives are in constant peril, and where even basic necessities are scarce, this is no small victory. A TS2's key elements are satellite service from an international provider, a satellite dish to send and receive data, and a central location inside a base where network hardware is safe from attack. Like an internet-age Frankenstein, a TS2's hardware must be purchased from an international source, shipped in, then cobbled together by military personnel, many of whom have little previous experience running a network. Source: TS2 Satellite Technologies
Relevance Score: 2.558 2010-02-03 12:48:23
In addition to the Department’s base budget, the fiscal 2011 request includes $159 billion to support troops engaged in overseas contingency operations (OCO) in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is not a supplemental request. It is intended to fund all currently known requirements for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for the entire fiscal year. Included in the FY 2011 OCO request are: • $89.4 billion for operating costs, linked to the operating tempo of frontline combat and support forces in theater. This includes $0.7 billion for additional family support initiatives in addition to those in the base budget. • $21.3 billion for reconstituting equipment -- repairing and replacing equipment lost and damaged as a result of ongoing operations -- including $2.8 billion to reset equipment redeploying from Iraq and returning to inventory. • $2.4 billion to ensure greater ISR support for U.S. warfighters, including funds for five Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System aircraft and efforts to address vulnerabilities of unencrypted airborne data links. • $13.6 billion to train and equip Afghanistan and Iraq Security Forces -- $11.6 billion for the training and equipping of Afghan security forces and $2 billion for the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces. • $1.2 billion of military construction to expand the logistical backbone and operational foundation in Afghanistan. This will enable counterinsurgency forces to fight more effectively by increasing operational capability, providing troop housing, replacing expeditionary facilities at the end of their lifecycle, consolidating functions and facilities, and supporting Special Operations forces operating in Afghanistan. In addition, the Administration is submitting a FY 2010 supplemental appropriation request of $33 billion to cover the FY 2010 defense costs for the additional 30,000 troops that will be deployed to Afghanistan in support of the President’s new strategy for the region.
Relevance Score: 2.489 2008-06-01 11:48:22
TS2 was among the first telecommunications operators in the satellite technology in the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan and as such we have enjoyed a successful cooperation with the US Department of Defense, DoD contractors, Contracting Officers and U.S. Military Personnel from Afghanistan. Airfields Bagram Air base Chagcharan Chapman Airfield Bamian / Bamiyan Fayzabad / Faizabad Herat Jalalabad Kabul International Kandahar / Qandahar Khowst Mazar-e Sharif, AF Meymanah / Maimana Pul-i-Kandahar, AF Rhino FOB Shindand Air base Taloqan / Talulqan US Army Camps Kabul Compound Gardez Compound Camp Albert Camp Bagram Camp Barber Camp Black Horse Camp Blackjack Camp Bastion Camp Bulldog Camp Civilian Camp Cunningham Camp Dogan Camp Eggers Camp Gecko Camp Gibraltar Camp Hadrian Camp Holland Camp Harriman Camp Invicta Camp Julien Camp Kabul Camp Kandahar Camp Kearney Camp Lightning Camp Leatherneck Camp Marmal Camp Morehead Camp Nathan Smith Camp Phoenix Camp Rhino Camp Salerno Camp Souter Camp Spann Camp Tombstone Camp Vianini Camp Warehouse Camp Wilson Camp Wright FOB's FOB ABAD FOB Asadabad FOB Bermel FOB Blessing FOB Bostick FOB Cobra FOB Delhi FOB Dwyer FOB Fenty FOB Freia FOB Gereshk FOB Ghazni FOB Indianhead FOB Keating FOB Lagman FOB Lonestar FOB Lwara FOB Martello FOB Maimaneh FOB Mehtar Lam FOB Mizan FOB Naray FOB Orgun-e FOB Payne FOB Qalat FOB Rhino FOB Ripley FOB Salerno FOB Scorpion FOB Shank FOB Sharana FOB Sweeney FOB Tillman FOB Terrett FOB Thunder FOB Tiger FOB Zormat Fire Bases Fire Base Anaconda Fire Base Asadabad Fire Base California Fire Base Cobra Strike Fire Base Cobra Fire Base Gardez Fire Base Lagman Fire Base Maholic Fire Base Nixon Fire Base Orgun-E Fire Base Oulet Fire Base Phoenix Fire Base Shkin Fire Base Waza Khwa Fire Base Wilderness Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) PRT Asadabad - ISAF US PRT Baglan - ISAF PRT Bagram - ISAF US PRT Bamian (Bamyan) ISAF NZ PRT Chaghcharan - ISAF Lithuania PRT Farah - ISAF US PRT Feyzabad - ISAF Germany PRT Gardez - ISAF US PRT Ghazni - ISAFUS PRT Herat - ISAF Italy PRT Jalalabad - ISAF US PRT Kabul PRT Khandahar - ISAF Canada PRT Khowst / Khost - ISAF US PRT Konduz - ISAF Germany PRT Lashkar-Gah - ISAF UK PRT Mazar-E-Sharif - ISAF Sweden PRT Mehtar Lam - ISAF US PRT Meymaneh - ISAF Norway PRT Nurestan - ISAF US PRT Parwan – ROK/US PRT Panjshir - ISAF US PRT Pol-E-Khomri - ISAF Netherlands PRT Qalat - ISAF US PRT Qala-e-Naw - ISAF Spain PRT Sharana - ISAF US PRT Tarin Kowt - ISAF Netherlands/Australia PRT Wardak - ISAF Turkey
Relevance Score: 2.467 2008-06-03 23:41:16
Wintara, Inc. in Fort Washington, MD received a $5.8 million firm-fixed price contract for replacement facilities for Forward Operating Base, Speicher near Tikrit, Iraq. Work is expected to be complete by Jan 31/09. 98 bids were solicited on Feb 4/08, and 12 bids were received by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Transatlantic Programs Center in Winchester, VA. Capt. Speicher’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter was shot down over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm on Jan 17/91, and was listed as killed. There has been considerable controversy regarding his fate, however, and in January 2001, the Secretary of the Navy took the extremely rare step of changing his status to “missing in action.” In 2002, it was changed again, this time to “missing-captured.” Many also believe that his aircraft was not shot down by a surface-to-air missile, as claimed at the time, but by an Iraqi fighter that passed American planes who were not allowed to engage it. See also the March 27/01 CIA report. After Operation Iraqi Freedom, evidence was found that included a flight suit believed to be his, an escape and evade sign located on the desert floor, and what appear to be the initials “MSS” scrawled on a wall of a cell in the Hakmiyah prison in Baghdad. Speicher’s name was also found on a document in Iraq, dated January 2003, that had the names of prisoners being held in the country. Despite these efforts and clues, however, Speicher’s whereabouts and the exact details of his fate remain unknown.
Relevance Score: 2.276 2009-06-09 19:27:18
The US Army has delayed its plans for the inactivation of V Corps headquarters and the transition of the US Army Europe headquarters into a deployable field army headquarters. The Heidelberg unit is the only forward-deployed corps in the US Army and has twice led Multinational Corps-Iraq, the tactical command unit in charge of operations in Iraq. This move, according to Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, would allow the army to evaluate its overall command and control requirements and is part of a larger effort to relieve the demands placed on the army's corps headquarters. The one-year retention of V Corps headquarters in Germany from July 2009 to July 2010 will not fall under 2005 base closure and realignment commission and will have no effect on the two heavy brigade combat teams currently placed in Europe. V corps headquarters will maintain its current military authorisation of 411 personnel, and US Army Europe headquarters will maintain its current military authorisation of 377 personnel. The priority function of V Corps will be to ensure units that deploy from Europe for operational missions are trained and ready.
Relevance Score: 2.263 2009-05-27 11:53:23
France opened on Tuesday a permanent military base in the Persian Gulf, in a bid to bolster security in the region. The base, located in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates, will be home to 400 to 500 French personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force and will effectively control the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Up until now, only the United States has had military bases in the oil-rich region, but Persian Gulf officials have been talking about bringing in other military partners for several years as a result of declining U.S. influence among Arab countries. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, an average of about 15 tankers carrying 16.5 to 17 million barrels of crude oil pass through the strait every day. This represents 40% of the world's seaborne oil shipments, and 20% of all world shipments. The French base will start receiving its first warships in the next few weeks, the officials said, and will also become one of the key support points for an international naval task force fighting piracy off the Somali coast. Arab experts believe that the presence of a French military base will bring about more balance in the region, boost Arab Gulf countries' deterrence against Iran and subsequently improve stability.
