NewzIntel.com

Category: Aviation

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Wilson Presents $850,000 Check to Carrie Meek Foundation to Fund New Aviation Workforce Innovation Center in North Dade

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Frederica S Wilson (24th District of Florida)

    On Friday, Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (FL-24) visited Flying Classroom at Miami-Opa-Locka Executive Airport to present a check of $850,000 to the Carrie Meek Foundation. The appropriation will fund the Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center, a state-of-the-art upskilling location that will serve residents in Opa-Locka, Liberty City, Miami Gardens, and Hialeah. The project is in collaboration with Experience Aviation, led by renowned pilot Barrington Irving, whose technical training school prepares students across the nation for careers in aviation and STEM-related fields. This funding is part of Fiscal Year 2024 Congressional Appropriations.

    “I’m thrilled to support the Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center. There is no better way to support our communities than by providing ladders of economic opportunity. People want the opportunity to work hard and be rewarded for a job well done,” Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said. “Miami is a major transportation hub with high-paying jobs. Too many workers don’t know how to get into the Aviation workforce or lack the skills. That’s why I’m proud to support this innovative job center, which will empower workers with the skills and resources to land high-paying jobs in the aviation industry.”

    The Center aims to host technicians from STEM fields to provide aviation industry-specific workforce skills training, and job placement opportunities for residents in North Dade and the surrounding area who are unemployed or underemployed. The facility will include labs for 3D printing, advanced manufacturing, electrical systems, green technologies and other technical skills.

    “The Carrie Meek Aviation Workforce Innovation Center will be a groundbreaking collaboration between The Carrie Meek Foundation and Experience Aviation,” said Lucia Davis-Raiford, president and CEO of the Foundation. “It will open doors by increasing awareness of opportunities, then building the talent base to match those opportunities through expert training, career development and economic impact to our community. We are grateful to Congresswoman Wilson for understanding how well-paying jobs in growing industries can lift the livelihood of families in Miami-Dade.”

    “It meant a lot to me as a young Black man in today’s society because not a lot of Black men get offered a lot of opportunities in this field of work, so it was an amazing event,” said Natory Dixon, a student at the Barrington Irving Technical Training School.

    “Never in my life did I ever think that I was going to get introduced to the aviation field. It was crazy because I was in Miami-Dade Boot camp program, so I got introduced by there and it was like something good that happened out of something bad because I was incarcerated and I got introduced to BITTS through there, so it means a lot to me because I have something on right now,” said Dabil Chavaria, a 21 year old student at Barrington Irving Technical Training School. “The event I feel it helped everybody out because they’re going to be able to do a lot more stud with the funding—more projects, more hand-on tools and I feel good about the whole experience.”

    For more photos, click here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Tse Chin-wan to join energy summit

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Environment & Ecology Tse Chin-wan will depart for Singapore on October 20 to attend Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW).

    Mr Tse will attend the SIEW Summit on October 21 to speak on “Asia’s Collaborative Journey to a Sustainable Energy Future” and engage in in-depth discussions and exchanges with other participants.

    During his stay in Singapore, Mr Tse will meet officials from the Ministry of Trade & Industry and the Maritime & Port Authority of Singapore to exchange views on hydrogen development and green maritime fuel respectively.

    He will also visit a local enterprise to understand better the application of sustainable aviation fuel.

    Director of Electrical & Mechanical Services Poon Kwok-ying and officers from the Environment & Ecology Bureau and the Electrical & Mechanical Services Department will join the visit.

    Mr Tse will arrive back in Hong Kong on October 22. During his absence, Under Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong will be Acting Secretary.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Military Sealift Command Far East Participates in Sama Sama

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SUBIC BAY, Philippines  –  

    As part of the eighth iteration of Exercise Sama Sama 2024, Military Sealift Command (MSC) Far East participated in refueling-at-sea familiarization training aboard the Philippine Navy (PN) frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF 150), at Subic Bay, Philippines, Oct. 8-9.

    “MSC Far East makes sure every U.S. military ship in the Indo-Pacific region is able to get fuel, ammo, and supplies; this can include services to our allies and partners,” said U.S. Navy Senior Chief Boatswain’s Mate Andrew Werner, MSC Far East, out of Singapore. “Without a Combat Logistics Force (CFL) or refueling ships, our fleet of ships, and those of some allies, such as the Philippines, would not be able to refuel at sea.”

    Sama Sama 2024, which was held Oct. 7-18, was hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the U.S. Navy, and featured participation from allies and partners throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including personnel and assets from Australia, Canada, France and Japan.

    MSC Far East provided subject-matter-expert instruction for the refueling-at-sea familiarization training, along with members attached to Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, out of Singapore.

    “The purpose of the training was to get the PN familiar with underway replenishment gear on a ship, how to set it up, and how to conduct a safe underway-replenishment,” said Werner. “MSC Far East has Boatswain’s mates that are subject-matter-experts and can train the Philippine Sailors. We do the similar training with other allies and partners.”

    Underway replenishments of allied partners present a unique opportunity to strengthen partnerships and exercise compatibility of logistics systems.

    “The training went over the fundamentals of refueling and replenishing at sea,” said U.S. Navy Chief Boatswain’s Mate Francisco Fuentes, DESRON 7. “We also conducted hands-on training and observed their on-station procedures for refueling-at-sea, and looked at their replenishment-at-sea stations forward of the ship.

    “It was important for us to do hands-on training because it helped them understand our safety procedures, maintenance requirements, and types of equipment we use and our station procedures. This helps with our interoperability.”

    According to Werner, he hopes that the training was beneficial to the PN, and they can mutually build upon interoperability.

    “Every Navy does evolutions a little different and we were able to show them how on our U.S. Navy conducts a safe refueling—just about every week—when underway on deployment,” added Werner. “They were excited and motivated to learn and I look forward to working with them again in the future.”

    Sama Sama 2024 is a multilateral engagement that includes a sea and shore phase that will incorporate medical, engineering, logistics and symposiums, while diving and explosive ordnance disposal teams, naval vessels and maritime surveillance aircraft conduct exercises focused on anti-submarine, surface and air warfare, and maritime domain awareness.

    MSC Far East supports the U.S. 7th Fleet and ensures approximately 50 ships in the Indo-Pacific Region are manned, trained, and equipped to deliver essential supplies, fuel, cargo, and equipment to warfighters, both at sea and on shore.

    U.S. 7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet and routinely interacts and operates with allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

    Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2024, MSC exists to support the joint warfighter across the full spectrum of military operations, with a workforce that includes approximately 6,000 Civil Service Mariners and 1,100 contract mariners, supported by 1,500 shore staff and 1,400 active duty and Reserve military personnel.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA News: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠ Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Support North Carolina’s Hurricane  Recovery

    Source: The White House

    FEMA to hire Community Liaisons across the state to aid in recovery

    More than $300 million approved for North Carolina survivors and state recovery efforts

    Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impacts across the Southeast and Appalachia, the Biden-Harris Administration continues its robust Federal efforts to help communities recover and rebuild, including in heavily impacted communities in North Carolina. Across the state, the Administration is working alongside state and local officials to continue surging resources and assisting families, business owners, farmers, and other impacted communities receive the support and assistance they need and deserve.

    To continue supporting recovery efforts, today the Administration is announcing that the Federal government will create a brand-new program and hire Community Liaisons to assist impacted communities with their recovery and rebuilding efforts. These dedicated Community Liaisons will interface between the people of North Carolina and FEMA to ensure their needs are met and serve as trusted messengers for survivors.

    Thus far, the Administration has approved more than $300 million in assistance across the state, including $118 million in individual assistance to more than 87,600 households, and more than $189 million for debris removal and other emergency efforts. In total, across all impacted states in the Southeast and Appalachia, the Administration has approved nearly $2 billion in hurricane recovery assistance.

    These new efforts to support North Carolina’s recovery supplement additional resources and funding, including:

    • More than 1,500 Federal personnel remain deployed supporting the response and recovery operations. This includes more than 400 Disaster Survivor Assistance Team members, who are visiting neighborhoods to connect with survivors, assess damage, and offer access to Federal resources that support recovery and rebuilding.
    • Fourteen Disaster Recovery Centers are operating in impacted areas and have served more than 5,700 visitors. More centers will be opening in the coming days. Survivors can visit Disaster Recovery Centers in the following cities/towns: Asheville, Bakersville, Boone, Brevard, Hendersonville, Jefferson, Lenoir, Marion, Morgantown, Newland, Old Fort, Sparta, Sylva, and Waynesville.
    • FEMA is providing temporary hotel stays to more than 2,500 households through Transitional Sheltering Assistance.
    • FEMA inspectors have performed more than 21,000 home inspections to help survivors assess damage and apply for financial assistance.
    • Active-duty troops and National Guard members remain on the ground in their state capacity to support search-and-rescue operations, route clearance, and commodities distribution across western North Carolina. The Department of Defense is also employing additional capabilities to assist with increasing situational awareness across the remote terrain of Western North Carolina. The Army Corps of Engineers continues missions supporting debris removal, temporary emergency power installation, water and wastewater assessments with the Environmental Protection Agency.
    • Power has been restored to 99 percent of impacted North Carolina customers due to thousands of utility personnel working around the clock.
    • Commodity distribution, mass feeding, and hydration operations continue in areas of western North Carolina. FEMA continues to send commodity shipments and voluntary organizations are supporting feeding operations with bulk food and water deliveries coming in via truck and aircraft. Mobile feeding operations are reaching survivors in heavily impacted areas, including three mass feeding sites in Buncombe, McDowell and Watauga counties.

    Additional actions the Administration is taking to protect public health, provide flexibilities to homeowners and taxpayers, support infrastructure recovery, and support workers, farmers, and students in North Carolina can be found here. Additional actions President Biden directed before Helene’s landfall can be found here.

    Biden-Harris Administration’s Continuous Commitment to Being on the Ground

    Following Hurricane Helene’s devastating impacts across North Carolina, President Biden committed to helping impacted communities recover and rebuild, no matter how long it takes. On October 2, less than one week after landfall, President Biden visited North Carolina to survey the damage, meet with first responders and impacted communities, and receive an operational briefing. As part of that visit, he also directed up to 1,000 active-duty troops to partner with the North Carolina National Guard on the ground at the request of the Governor. Days later, to surge additional resources and capacity at the request of the Governor, President Biden ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western North Carolina. On October 5, Vice President Harris also visited North Carolina to survey the damage, receive briefings, and meet with first responders.

    The President and Vice President and senior leaders across the Administration have spoken with and coordinated closely with Governor Cooper throughout the response. President Biden talked with Governor Cooper at least twice immediately following Helene’s landfall, and Governor Cooper joined him to survey damage and receive briefings during his visit. They have stayed in close contact in the ensuing weeks.

    At the President’s direction, FEMA Administrator Criswell has been on the ground in North Carolina for multiple days and nights to lead the Federal response since Helene’s landfall. She has traveled across the state to meet with survivors and communities, identify resource needs, and continue ensuring a swift and coordinated recovery effort.  She will return again this evening and remain in place to direct additional measures to speed response and recovery.  Many other Administration leaders, including Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Secretary Michael Regan, and Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, have also visited North Carolina to support recovery efforts and others will do so in the coming days and weeks, including Secretary Tom Vilsack on October 25.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: China launches spectrum, database for aircraft wings

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    XI’AN, Oct. 21 — China has unveiled its first-ever wing type spectrum of aircraft in Xi’an, northwestern Shaanxi Province.

    The design of the aircraft wings is the foundation of the aviation industry and also the key technology to support the independent innovation of China’s aviation technology, said Tang Changhong, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

    Wings determine the aerodynamic efficiency and flight stability of the aircraft. The spectrum is China’s first profile of high-performance aircraft wings, consisting of more than 1,000 wing types and a database for industrial utilization.

    The spectrum is a 30-year research achievement of the Northwestern Polytechnical University, the main builder of the spectrum.

    It is of significance in improving the independent innovation capability of aerodynamic design in China’s aviation, and supporting the sustainable development of high-end aerospace equipment in China.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SCHNEIDER INTRODUCES THE EXPANDING CLEAN FUEL PRODUCTION ACT

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL)

    LINCOLNSHIRE, IL — Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10), with Reps. Dan Kildee (MI-08) and Julia Brownley (CA-26), introduced today the Expanding Clean Fuel Production Act which would extend for ten years the Section 45Z clean fuel production credit. 

    The Inflation Reduction Act created the clean fuel production credit (CFPC) for transportation fuel with zero or low greenhouse gas emissions, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This credit currently expires at the end of 2027 and this bill would extend it for ten additional years, making the credit available through 2037. 

    “I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Reps. Kildee and Brownley to extend the SAF credit, boost production of clean fuels and position the U.S. as a global leader in production and use of sustainable fuels,” said Rep. Schneider. “A ten-year extension would allow for sustained investment in production to accelerate the transition to cleaner fuels and to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from the aviation industry, in particular. We are already seeing the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act’s investments on U.S. production of sustainable fuels.” 

    Schneider authored the tax credit for the production of SAF which was included in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 and aims to halve carbon emissions in the aviation sector.  

    The credit was inspired by a SAF credit included in the Sustainable Skies Act, which Rep. Schneider authored with Reps. Kildee and Brownley in 2021. The credit was ultimately enacted in the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, will transition into the CFPC in 2025, and will expire in 2027. SAF producers are eligible for a tax credit of $1.25 to $1.75 per gallon. 

    “The 45z tax credit has been critical in helping to ramp up U.S. production of sustainable aviation fuel,” said Rep. Brownley. “However, we needed to extend the credit long-term to provide market certainty and to ensure a safe and reliable supply of SAF to meet the needs of the aviation industry. I appreciate Congressman Schneider and Congressman Kildee’s partnership on this bill, and I look forward to working with stakeholders in the environmental, energy, and aviation community to extend the 45z credit and promote U.S. investment in this critical domestic fuel source.” 

    “In my home state of Michigan, we have already seen the harmful effects of climate change on our Great Lakes,” said Rep. Kildee. “This legislation will help us continue producing clean energy and fuels here in the United States, to help create good paying jobs, provide new markets to Michigan farmers, and reduce carbon emissions from airplanes and other vehicles,”  

    “As the leading U.S. airline in SAF use and advocacy, we know that extending incentives for U.S. SAF producers by a full ten years is a necessary first step to grow the industry,” said Lauren Riley, Chief Sustainability Officer for United Airlines. “The continued leadership of Representatives Schneider, Kildee and Brownley is helping to assure U.S. competitiveness in SAF and clean fuels, while boosting U.S. agricultural producers and rural communities. We look forward to working with Representatives Schneider, Kildee and Brownley and their colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that this tax credit is both extended and enhanced in a way that will maximize investment in SAF and other clean, low-carbon fuels.” 

     “Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) is the single most important method to decarbonize aviation in the coming decades, and LanzaJet applauds the leadership of Representatives Schneider, Kildee, and Brownley in advancing SAF tax incentives that will catalyze domestic investment in this critical sector,” said Jimmy Samartzis, LanzaJet CEO. “As the original sponsors of the IRA’s SAF Blender’s Tax Credit via the Sustainable Skies Act, Reps Schneider, Kildee, and Brownley continue to lay the foundation for a vibrant U.S. SAF industry by providing for ten years of policy certainty for domestic SAF producers via this important bill.  We look forward to continuing to work with Representatives Schneider, Kildee, and Brownley to develop policy proposals that will both extend and enhance the IRA’s short term SAF tax credits and enable achievement of the goals of the SAF Grand Challenge.”   

     “We applaud Representative Schneider and his colleagues Representatives Kildee and Brownley for their efforts to extend incentives for SAF,” said Alison Graab, Executive Director of the SAF Coalition. “We look forward to working with them on both an extension as well as enhancing and strengthening the incentive. Advancing sustainable aviation fuel demonstrates a clear commitment to the environmental and economic promises SAF holds, and incentives that are durable and attract investment are essential to unlocking that potential and driving the progress needed to sustain and grow the SAF industry.” 

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Meloë Kacenelenbogen Eyes the Future of Air Quality, Climate Research

    Source: NASA

    A mentor of research scientist Meloë Kacenelenbogen once shared a sentiment from French author André Gide: “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” Kacenelenbogen pushes beyond her comfort zone to explore the unknown.
    Name: Meloë S. KacenelenbogenFormal Job Classification: Research scientistOrganization: Climate and Radiation Laboratory, Science Directorate (Code 613)

    What do you do and what is most interesting about your role here at Goddard?
    I study the impact of aerosols — suspended particles from, for example, wildfire smoke, desert dust, urban pollution, and volcanic eruptions — on air quality and the Earth’s climate. I use space, air, and ground-based observations, as well as models.
    Why did you become a scientist? What is your educational background?
    I never made a deliberate choice to become a scientist. I started with very little confidence as a child and then built up my confidence by achieving things I thought I could not do. I chose the hardest fields to work on along the way. Science looked hard and so did fluid mechanics, remote sensing, and atmospheric physics. I have failed many times, but I always learn something and move on. I do get scared and maybe even paralyzed for a day or two, but I never let fear or failure immobilize me for long.
    I was born in Maryland, but my family moved to France when I was young, so I am fluent in French. I have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in mechanical engineering, and physical methods in remote sensing from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris VI, Jussieu). In 2008, I got a Ph.D. in atmospheric physics for applying satellite remote sensing to air quality at the Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille (USTL), France.
    What are some of your career highlights?
    After my Ph.D., I worked for the Atmospheric Lidar Group at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), on spaceborne and ground-based lidars. In 2009, I got a NASA Post-doctoral Program (NPP) fellowship at the agency’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, where I worked for 13 years on space-based, aircraft-based, and ground-based atmospheric aerosol vertical distribution and aerosol typing.
    In 2022, I came to work at the Climate and Radiation Lab at Goddard.
    What is most interesting about aerosols?
    Aerosols are very topical because they have a huge impact on the air we breathe and our Earth’s climate. The smaller the aerosol, the deeper it can get into our lungs. Among other sources, aerosols can come from cars, factories, or wildfires. We all know that wildfires are becoming bigger and more frequent. They are expected to happen even more frequently in the future due to climate change. Both when I was living in California and here in Maryland, I have experienced first-hand choking from the wildfire smoke. I will always remember how apocalyptic it felt back in the summer of 2020 in California when wildfire smoke was paired with COVID confinement, and the sky turned Mars-like orange.
    Please tell us about your involvement with the Atmosphere Observing System (AOS)?
    I am incredibly lucky to be able to contribute to the next generation of NASA’s satellites. I am working on AOS, which will observe aerosols, clouds, convention, and precipitation in the Earth’s atmosphere. I am part of the team that is helping design several instruments and algorithms.
    My role is to connect this spaceborne observing system to all our other space, ground, and air-based measurements at the time of launch. We are making a mesh of observations to address the science questions, run the algorithms, and validate the spaceborne measurements. I am constantly pushed to expand my horizon and my own knowledge.
    Why do you enjoy always challenging yourself intellectually?
    I started that way. I had no confidence, so I felt that the only way I could build my confidence was to try doing things that scared me. I may sometimes be a little scared, but I am never bored.
    What did you learn from your mentors?
    A few years ago, a mentor shared a quote from André Gide with me that encapsulates what we are talking about: “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” In other words, it is OK, maybe preferable, to be out of my comfort zone to explore the unknown as scary as it may be.
    Along the way, it has been extremely important for me to deliberately choose mentors. To me, a good mentor has earned the respect of all who have worked with them, is uplifting, reassuring, and gives me the invaluable guidance and support that I need. I deliberately try to surround myself with the right people. I have been very, very fortunate to find incredible people to encourage me.
    As a mentor, what do you advise?
    I tell them to deliberately choose their mentors. I also tell them that it is OK to be uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable is the nature of our field. To do great things, we often need to be uncomfortable.
    Why do you enjoy working on a team?
    I love working on teams, I love to feed off the positive energy of a team whether I lead it or am part of it. In my field, teamwork with a positive energy is incredibly satisfying. Everybody feeds off everybody’s energy, we go further, are stronger, and achieve more. This may not happen often, but when it does it makes it all worth it.
    What are the happiest moments in your career?
    I am always happiest when the team publishes a paper and all our efforts, are encapsulated in that one well-wrapped and satisfying peer-reviewed paper that is then accessible to everyone online. Every paper we publish feels, to me, the same as a Ph.D. in terms of the work, pain, energy, and then, finally, satisfaction involved.
    What do you hope to achieve in your career?
    I want to have been a major contributor to the mission by the time the AOS satellites launch.
    What do you do for fun?
    I do mixed martial arts. I love the ocean, diving, and sailing. I also love going to art galleries, especially to see impressionist paintings to reconnect with my Parisian past.

    Who is your favorite author?
    I love Zweig, Kafka, Dostoyevsky, Saint-Exupéry, and Kessel. The latter two wrote a lot about aviators in the early 1900s back in the days when it was new and very dangerous. Those pilots, like Mermoz, were my heroes growing up.
    Who would you like to thank?
    I would like to thank my family for being my rock.
    What are your guiding principles?
    To paraphrase Dostoevsky, everyone is responsible to all men for all men and for everything. I have a strong sense of purpose, pride, justice, and honor. This is how I try to live my life for better or for worse.
    By Elizabeth M. JarrellNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

    Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brown Announces New Investment at John Glenn Columbus International Airport

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a new $8.5 million investment for the John Glenn Columbus International Airport. The investment will be used to acquire five passenger boarding bridges and associated ground power units.

    “Ohio airports are vital infrastructure supporting travel and commerce in our state,” Brown said. “These investments will enhance operations at John Glenn Columbus International Airport and improve travel for Ohioans.”

    The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration awarded these investments as a part of its FY 2025 Airport Terminal Program. The Airport Terminal Program is made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Brown helped write and pass.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Brown Announces New Investment at Port Bucyrus-Crawford County Airport

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Ohio Sherrod Brown

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced a new $1.9 million investment for the Port Bucyrus-Crawford County Airport. The investment will be used to design and construct a new 2,400 square foot general aviation terminal for area and regional fliers.

    “Ohio airports are vital infrastructure supporting travel and commerce in our state,” Brown said. “These investments will enhance operations at Port Bucyrus-Crawford County Airport and improve travel for Ohioans.”

    The Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration awarded these investments as a part of its FY 2025 Airport Terminal Program. The Airport Terminal Program is made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Brown helped write and pass.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ezell and Wicker Announce $1 Million Grant for Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport Infrastructure Improvements

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mike Ezell (Mississippi 4th District)

    Today, Congressman Mike Ezell (MS-04) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) announced a $1,000,000 grant to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport to replace and install a passenger boarding bridge that has reached the end of its useful life. This crucial funding will enhance the airport’s infrastructure, improving both efficiency and safety for travelers.

    “The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is a strong partner in the economic vitality of South Mississippi,” Ezell said. “This grant will allow the airport to continue serving South Mississippians and those traveling to our community, ensuring a more efficient and safer travel experience as we enhance the infrastructure that supports our growing community.”

    “When people travel through our airports, whether for travel, leisure, or business, they should have a pleasant experience. This new passenger jet bridge will help ensure this outcome happens in Gulfport,” Senator Wicker said. “Supporting Mississippi’s airport infrastructure will continue to be one of my top priorities as a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.”

    “On behalf of Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, we greatly appreciate the support of the Congressional delegation in providing funding for infrastructure improvements to enhance the overall flying experience for those traveling to and from South Mississippi,” said Clay Williams, Executive Director, Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. 

    The Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is centrally located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in Gulfport, Mississippi, and is the second largest airport in the state. The airport is approximately two miles from Interstate 10 and the Port of Gulfport, and it welcomes nearly 800,000 travelers each year. This grant will help ensure the airport continues to meet the demands of increasing travel while providing a seamless experience for passengers.

    Background on Ezell’s work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee:

    • Ezell has prioritized initiatives that support regional airports, recognizing their role in local economies. His work on the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee has focused on advocating for increased funding for maintenance and improvements at airports like Gulfport-Biloxi.
    • Ezell has been a strong proponent of safety measures in transportation. He believes that investments in airport infrastructure, such as the replacement of outdated boarding bridges, are essential to ensuring safe travel for all passengers.
    • Understanding the importance of timely infrastructure upgrades, Ezell has worked to streamline the processes for federal funding, making it easier for local airports to access the resources they need for essential improvements.
    • Ezell’s efforts on the committee include advocating for infrastructure that stimulates economic growth. By investing in airport upgrades, he is helping to enhance connectivity, attract tourism, and support local businesses.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Stauber Announces Infrastructure Funding for Duluth International Airport and Pine River Regional Airport

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08)

    Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) announced $1,000,000 to help fund the replacement of the existing Air Traffic Control Tower at Duluth International Airport (DLH), which is one of the oldest in the country, and $1,140,000 to replace a general aviation terminal building at the Pine River Regional Airport.

    “I am excited to announce that more federal funding is returning to the Northland. The airports in our communities, no matter their size, contribute greatly to our regional economies. They ensure Minnesotans stay connected and bring tourism and commerce to our front doors. I am excited that Pine River Regional Airport will focus this investment on general aviation, helping inspire the next generation of aviators and keeping our aviation industry strong. Additionally, I am grateful that more investment is going towards replacing the Duluth Air Traffic Control Tower. I have been advocating for this project since 2019 as its replacement is crucial to keeping up with the growing numbers of travelers that the airport serves each year. This project is so important for a brighter aviation future in northern Minnesota, and I know our work is not done. I will continue working with Duluth Airport Authority Executive Tom Werner to secure the full amount of funding necessary.”

    In 2023, Stauber and Senator Klobuchar led the Minnesota delegation in sending a letter to the Federal Aviation Administration requesting that they expedite reviews and approvals required for DLH to apply for grant funding to build a new traffic control tower.

    In 2024, Stauber and Klobuchar also led the Minnesota delegation in a letter to President Biden, requesting that his Administration prioritize funding for the traffic control tower at DLH.

    Earlier this year, Stauber and Klobuchar jointly announced $10 million in funding for the project.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Read With NASA: Books, More to Inspire Young Explorers

    Source: NASA

    Stories open up new worlds and spark curiosity in readers of all ages – and NASA is using the power of storytelling to encourage the Artemis Generation to explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Through the below list of reading resources – books, comics, and graphic novels written and illustrated by NASA experts, and video read-alongs by astronauts – students will find themselves exploring the Moon, piloting a cutting-edge aircraft, searching for life among the stars, and more.
    Come along with NASA on a journey of discovery!
    Story Time With NASA Astronauts (Grades Pre-K to 4)
    Take your reading adventure out of this world! In this video playlist, astronauts read storybooks aloud from aboard the International Space Station and other locations around NASA.
    Kids Club Picture Show (Grades Pre-K to 4)
    View cool pictures from NASA missions and more! This curated collection of fascinating photos introduces young explorers to a variety of topics across NASA. Each photo includes a short description with the option to hear it read aloud.
    Astro-Not-Yet Storybooks (Grades K-4)
    These storybooks follow along as an ambitious classroom of students learn about the International Space Station, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, and important STEM concepts such as microgravity and sound waves. The books are available in English and Spanish.
    The Adventures of Kennedy and Duke Storybook (Grades K-4)
    This book follows the experiences of Kennedy, a fictional young girl who discovers an amateur radio during a visit to her grandfather’s farm. While learning to use the radio, she communicates with Duke, an astronaut living and working aboard the International Space Station. Also available in Spanish.

    You Are Going (Grades K-4 and 5-8)
    Through “You Are Going,” readers get a glimpse into NASA’s Artemis campaign. Learn about NASA’s powerful megarocket, the SLS (Space Launch System), as well as the Orion spacecraft, the Gateway, and other important elements that will help make these pioneering flights possible. Also available in Spanish and French.
    Hooray For SLS (Grades K-4)
    NASA is working to send humans back to the Moon to live, learn, and explore through the Artemis campaign – and as members of the Artemis Generation, today’s students are invited to be part of the story. “Hooray for SLS!” is the first in a series of children’s books introducing young explorers ages 3 to 8 to the SLS rocket and other components of the Artemis missions.
    The Adventures of Commander Moonikin Campos and Friends Comics (Grades K-4 and 5-8)
    Although no astronauts flew around the Moon on the Artemis I mission, the mission included a crew of manikins – Commander Moonikin Campos and two identical manikin torsos – outfitted with sensors to capture data during the flight. This webcomic explains what the manikins experienced on the Artemis I mission around the Moon. Also available in Spanish.

    Aeronautics Leveled Readers (Grades K-4, 5-8, and 9-12)
    The history of American aviation comes to life through these stories written at elementary, middle school, and high school levels. Students will read about important figures in aviation such as Amelia Earhart and the Tuskegee Airmen, as well as mini biographies of NASA employees Danielle Koch, Maria Cabellero, and Red Jensen.

    First Woman Graphic Novels (Grades 5-8, 9-12, and Higher Education)
    This graphic novel series takes readers into the world of fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. Build on the story’s lessons with the accompanying hands-on activities and videos designed for use in K-12 informal education settings. Also available in Spanish.
    Astrobiology Graphic Novels (Grades 5-12)
    Produced within NASA’s Astrobiology Program, “Astrobiology” is a graphic novel series that explores the many facets of astrobiology: the study of the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe. Some novels are also available in Japanese, Korean, or Spanish editions. 
    Explore Further
    There’s more to explore! Check out NASA’s STEM Search for additional resources for each grade level, including hands-on activities, games, educator guides, and more. Visit NASA’s Learning Resources for the latest news and resources from the agency’s Office of STEM Engagement.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: A plan for growth in Auckland’s rural south is coming

    Source: Auckland Council

    From 29 October, Aucklanders will be asked to have their say on a strategy for the region’s southern rural area. The Southern Rural Strategy sets out how the area will accommodate a growing population, while enabling industries like farming and food production to thrive.  

    Councillor for Franklin ward, Andy Baker, chairs the political working group overseeing the development of the strategy.  

    “A lot of the food eaten around the country comes from the rural parts of south Auckland – the unique climate, soils and proximity to markets, airport and port see major growth in our under-glass and kiwifruit industries. We rely on these, and other vital industries found in this region, every day.”  

    “The Franklin area is growing and is expected to become home to another 100,000 people over the next 30 years. This is great news for our economy, and means we need a strategy to manage the valuable – and vulnerable – natural resources found here. People all over New Zealand enjoy the produce from this area, so, we need to get the balance right as we develop to maintain our horticultural and agricultural advantage.”  

    “Growth needs to be at the right place and right time, with infrastructure in place to support new development. We also need to develop employment at the same time as housing so people can live and work in the same locality. The best places for that are in our existing towns and villages.   

    Which areas does the strategy cover?  

    The strategy covers the full Franklin ward. It also includes some rural land from the Howick and Papakura local board areas.  

    Why do we need this strategy? 

    There are many different factors at play in Auckland’s southern rural area. The temperate climate and fertile soils make it ideal for rural production, one of New Zealand’s primary food production areas, and a significant contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). It’s also an area where significant urban development is taking place to accommodate the increasing population.  

    The Southern Rural Strategy is being coordinated to manage each of these factors, to ensure they fit together in harmony. This will allow the area to be developed sustainably, as it needs to be, and ensure it continues to evolve as a key economic and environmental resource for the future.  

    Importantly, the strategy will reflect the views of communities in the area.  

    Where will growth happen in this area? 

    Drury, Opaheke, Pukekohe, Waiuku are identified as towns where the most growth will occur, mainly through in-fill development and expansion to future urban areas. Development has already started in some of these towns, supported by water infrastructure, roads, and are expected to have new railway stations from 2025. 

    Deputy chair of Auckland’s Policy and Planning Committee, Councillor Angela Dalton, also sits on the political steering group for development of the Southern Rural Strategy. She says it is anticipated that these areas will grow over the next 30 years.    

    “Drury and Pukekohe have long-term plans for how they will expand over time – so the communities that live here now have had a chance to say how they would like their towns to grow.” 

    “Importantly, the investment in infrastructure to support the growth happening in these towns is already planned through a mix of council budgets, government investments and development contributions.” 

    When can I have my say? 

    You will be able to have your say on the Southern Rural Strategy from Tuesday 29 October until Sunday 1 December 2024.  

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Press release – European Parliament approves more efficient and greener EU airspace

    Source: European Parliament

    On Tuesday, MEPs paved the way for improved management of European airspace, enabling more direct flights and fewer delays, and supporting climate neutrality.

    The reform of Single European Sky rules, already agreed upon in negotiations with the Council last March, strengthens national performance plans for air navigation services and will help to improve EU airspace management. These plans will have binding targets and incentives to make flights more efficient and environmentally friendly. An independent advisory Performance Review Board would be set up to help the Commission and EU member states in taking decisions on implementing these plans.

    In addition, the Commission will adopt EU performance targets on capacity, cost efficiency, climate and environmental factors for air navigation services, to be reviewed at least every three years.

    Greener air navigation charges

    MEPs secured a provision that tasks the Commission with assessing how charges levied on airspace users (airlines or private planes operators) for providing air navigation services could encourage them to become more environmentally friendly, for example by using the most fuel-efficient available routing or alternative clean propulsion technologies.

    More competition

    Another key demand of MEPs during the negotiations was to encourage competition in the air navigation services market. The new bill includes the possibility for air-traffic service providers to procure other air navigation services, such as communication, meteorological or aeronautical information services, under market conditions.

    Quotes

    “The reform is a step forward in removing bottlenecks, creating more efficient air traffic control and management, and reducing costs and emissions through shorter and safer flights, from which all European airlines, and especially European citizens, will benefit. The creation of a truly single European airspace, however, has been blocked by member states, unwilling to give up national powers for the greater good. I now call on member states to constructively implement this reform”, said EP co-rapporteur Jens Gieseke (EPP, DE).

    “Today, Europe’s airspace is like a big jigsaw puzzle where each country has its own piece, but unfortunately not all the pieces fit together. This leads to detours, waiting times and unnecessary costs. In 2023, almost three out of ten flights were delayed by more than 15 minutes. The new rules will make aviation safer, more punctual and more climate-friendly”, added EP co-rapporteur Johan Danielsson (S&D, SE) and also thanked former rapporteurs Marian-Jean Marinescu (EPP, Romania) and Bogusław Liberadzki (S&D, PL) for their work.

    Next steps

    Both co-legislators have now approved the new rules– the Council did so on 26 September. They will enter into force 20 days after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. While most of the provisions will apply from that date, other provisions (e.g. penalties for infringing the new rules; national supervisory authority’s independence) will only take effect two years later.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan – B10-0134/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Markéta Gregorová, Ville Niinistö, Maria Ohisalo, Hannah Neumann, Diana Riba i Giner, Nicolae Ştefănuță, Erik Marquardt
    on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group

    B10‑0134/2024

    European Parliament resolution on the People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan

    (2024/2891(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its recommendation of 21 October 2021 to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on EU-Taiwan political relations and cooperation[1],

    – having regard to its resolution of 7 June 2022 on the EU and the security challenges in the Indo-Pacific[2],

    – having regard to its resolution of 15 September 2022 on the situation in the Strait of Taiwan[3],

    – having regard to its resolution of 13 December 2023 on EU-Taiwan trade and investment relations[4],

    – having regard to its recommendation of 13 December 2023 to the Council and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy concerning EU-China relations[5],

    – having regard to the joint communication of the Commission and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of 16 September 2021 on the EU strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific (JOIN(2021)0024),

    – having regard to the Strategic Compass for Security and Defence – For a European Union that protects its citizens, values and interests and contributes to international peace and security, approved by the Council on 21 March 2022 and endorsed by the European Council on 24 March 2022,

    – having regard to NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept,

    – having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of the European External Action Service of 14 October 2024 on China’s latest military drills,

    – having regard to the G7 Foreign Ministers’ statement of 3 August 2022 on preserving peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,

    – having regard to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 25 October 1971 on the restoration of the lawful rights of the People’s Republic of China in the United Nations,

    – having regard to Article 7 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of 9 May 1992,

    – having regard to Rule 5 of the Standing Rules of Procedure of the Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO),

    – having regard to Article 4 of the Constitution of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol),

    – having regard to Article 8 and Article 18, paragraph (h), of the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO),

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas the statutes of most international organisations tasked with addressing global issues including climate change, the preservation of human health and the suppression of transnational crime, such as the WHO, the UNFCCC, Interpol and the ICAO, provide opportunities for non-state entities to participate without infringing on the rights of member states;

    B. whereas the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has made instrumental use of UN Resolution 2758 as a legal basis for its position that Taiwan is part of the PRC and a foundational element of its One China principle; whereas UN Resolution 2758 does not include the words ‘Republic of China’ or ‘Taiwan’, but only states that the PRC will represent ‘China’ at the UN, and does not make any determination regarding the status of Taiwan; whereas, however, the PRC continues to misinterpret UN Resolution 2758 to block Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organisations;

    C. whereas the EU and Taiwan are like-minded partners that share the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law; whereas the EU remains decisively committed to its One China policy;

    D. whereas following the Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te’s annual speech on 10 October 2024, the PRC, on 14 October 2024, conducted a comprehensive military exercise across the Taiwan Strait, amounting to the fourth round of large-scale war games in just over two years;

    E. whereas the median line, which was set up in a decades-old tacit agreement between both sides of the Taiwan Strait, was designed to reduce the risk of conflict by keeping the military aircraft from both sides of the Strait at a safe distance and thus prevent fatal miscalculations; whereas the PRC’s People’s Liberation Army violated the median line only four times between 1954 and 2020, but now routine incursions reflect Beijing’s intent to irreversibly reset long-standing benchmarks;

    F. whereas on 14 October 2024, China also deployed 17 vessels from its coast guard, which was a larger deployment than in a previous exercise held in May this year, when coast guard vessels had been deployed for the first time; whereas four formations of Chinese coast guard ships patrolled the island and briefly entered its restricted waters; whereas the very frequent deployment of coast guard ships by the PRC in the Taiwan Strait, in what they consider ‘law enforcement’ missions, sends a clear message of sovereignty from the PCR, keeps constant pressure on Taiwanese authorities and causes a dangerous increase in the risk of collisions, in what is one of the most concrete indications of China’s intention to erode the status quo;

    G. whereas full-scale military exercises by the PRC have also been coupled with cyberattacks against Taiwanese authorities and other grey-zone activities such as cognitive and legal warfare and disinformation, aimed at discouraging the Taiwanese population, eroding Taiwanese legitimate sovereign rights and, ultimately, instilling the belief that reunification is inevitable;

    H. whereas on 16 October 2024, the authorities of the PRC stated ‘We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and endeavour, but we will never commit ourselves to renouncing the use of force,’ reiterating Xi Jinping’s landmark speech at the opening of the Chinese Communist Party’s 20th Party Congress in October 2022; whereas Xi Jinping also referred to permanent military pressure in the Taiwan Strait as ‘new normality’; whereas Chinese diplomats even threatened ‘re-education’ of Taiwanese people after reunification;

    I. whereas the PRC has been behaving aggressively across a vast area of the Indo-Pacific and exerting varying degrees of military or economic coercion, which has led to disputes with neighbours such as Japan, India, the Philippines and Australia;

    1. Strongly reiterates its commitment to the EU’s One China policy and to maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, in the whole Indo-Pacific region and beyond;

    2. Expresses the view that UN Resolution 2758 does not establish the PRC’s sovereignty over Taiwan; underlines how Taiwan has proven to be a very reliable partner in dealing with the many challenges of our time and supports Taiwan’s participation in meetings, mechanisms and activities of relevant international organisations, particularly the WHO, the UNFCCC, Interpol and the ICAO; calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote Taiwan’s inclusion in such international forums in accordance with their statutory rules;

    3. Strongly condemns the PRC’s practice of regularly resorting to comprehensive military exercises in the Taiwan Strait; is very concerned by the increasing, unwarranted mobilisation of the PRC coast guard, which confirms that the PRC considers the waters around Taiwan as its own and increases the risks of accidents; considers this to be yet another worrying confirmation that China is deliberately jeopardising the status quo in the Taiwan Strait;

    4. Is very concerned at the adoption of guidelines for punishing ‘diehard “Taiwan independence” separatists for conducting or inciting secession’ jointly announced by the Supreme People’s Court, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, the ministries for public security and state security and the justice ministry in June 2024, which could lead to harsh punishments for the crime of secession, up to and including the death penalty; strongly condemns the sentencing of one Taiwanese activist to nine years in prison in September this year, after his arrest while in the PRC in 2022, as well as the constant harassment of Taiwanese people working and living in the PRC;

    5. Expresses concern at the expectation that China will become more aggressive militarily in the Taiwan Strait, as well as in the Indo-Pacific region more broadly;

    6. Urges the PRC authorities to restore full respect for the Taiwan’s Strait median line and to put a stop to all other grey-zone actions against Taiwan;

    7. Remains resolutely opposed to any unilateral change in the Taiwan Strait and against the will of Taiwanese citizens; remains equally strongly opposed to the threat or use of force, and stresses that any attempt by Beijing to subjugate Taiwan would come at an extraordinarily high price for the PRC;

    8. Commends Taiwan for the remarkable democratic journey it has undertaken over the last 30 years, solidly anchored upon freedoms, the rule of law, democratic institutions and free and fair elections; highlights the recognition of same-sex marriage by Taiwan in 2019, the first such recognition in Asia; strongly encourages Taiwan to keep working towards the abolition of the death penalty;

    9. Welcomes the very responsible reactions by the Taiwanese political elite to provocations by the PRC and expresses its great respect for the whole of Taiwanese society for its extraordinary resilience and strength;

    10. Welcomes the latest annual speech by President Lai Ching-te, who also appealed to China to work with him for peace; considers this to be an encouraging sign of movement towards stronger unity within the Taiwanese political spectrum; highlights that Taiwanese sovereignty is supported across the whole political spectrum and finds its best expression in the conducting of free and fair elections and in the maturity of Taiwanese democracy;

    11. Stresses that the EU and Taiwan are like-minded partners and share common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, thereby making Taiwan a strategically important partner for the EU in the Indo-Pacific region;

    12. Acknowledges that the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle does not provide any credible prospect for the preservation of the status quo in the Taiwan Strait; stresses the need to further develop EU-Taiwan relations with the preservation of peace and democracy at their core;

    13. Highlights the importance of coupling dialogue with deterrence; stresses the need, hence, to identify a fully-fledged and multidimensional strategy that would ensure that any unilateral change in the status quo in the Taiwan Strait would come at a prohibitively high cost to the PRC;

    14. Welcomes the posting of a liaison officer at the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan to coordinate joint efforts to tackle disinformation and interference as a first important step towards deeper EU-Taiwan cooperation, and calls for the EU to further deepen cooperation with Taiwan in this key area;

    15. Stresses the need to strengthen the focus on the PRC’s grey-zone activities against Taiwan and to renew EU support for the resilience of Taiwanese society and democracy as a whole; encourages, with this in mind, increased scientific, cultural and political interaction at the highest level possible, as well as the deepening of parliamentary diplomacy and visits; prioritises the creation of a common civic space with Taiwan by fostering exchanges and common activities with Taiwanese civil society and media organisations; underlines the importance of the people-to-people dimension of this cooperation;

    16. Stresses the crucial role of Taiwan in the global supply chain of key high-tech sectors, notably semiconductors; welcomes the recent investment projects by Taiwanese companies in some Member States and underlines the importance for Taiwan’s security of continuing to deepen its investments in the EU; calls on the Commission and the Member States to start working on a resilient supply chain agreement with Taiwan or other bilateral agreements to deepen the economic relationship; highlights the potential for cooperation on foreign direct investment screening policy and on tackling economic coercion and retaliation;

    17. Reiterates the importance of respecting international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea with its provisions on the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means, and on maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight;

    18. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the member states of the United Nations, and the Government and Legislative Yuan of Taiwan.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia – B10-0141/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    Rasa Juknevičienė, François‑Xavier Bellamy, Michael Gahler, Andrzej Halicki, David McAllister, Sebastião Bugalho, Nicolás Pascual De La Parte, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Daniel Caspary, Loucas Fourlas, Sandra Kalniete, Łukasz Kohut, Andrey Kovatchev, Andrius Kubilius, Miriam Lexmann, Vangelis Meimarakis, Ana Miguel Pedro, Davor Ivo Stier, Michał Szczerba
    on behalf of the PPE Group

    B10‑0141/2024

    European Parliament resolution on the situation in Azerbaijan, violation of human rights and international law and relations with Armenia

    (2024/2890(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its previous reports and resolutions on Azerbaijan and Armenia,

    – having regard to the European Convention on Human Rights of 1950, ratified by Azerbaijan in 2002,

    – having regard to the relevant documents and international agreements, including but not limited to the United Nations Charter, the Helsinki Final Act of 1 August 1975 and the Alma-Ata Declaration of 21 December 1991,

    – having regard to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part, signed on 22 April 1996[1],

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas 300 people remain in detention in Azerbaijan on politically motivated charges; whereas prominent human rights defender and climate advocate, Anar Mammadli, has been in pre-trial detention since 30 April 2024 on bogus charges of conspiracy to bring illegal foreign currency into the country and his health has deteriorated significantly while in custody; whereas economist and political activist Gubad Ibadoghlu was moved to house arrest on 22 April 2024 after 274 days in detention;

    B. whereas Azerbaijan has also intensified its repression against the remaining independent media, such as Abzas Media and Toplum TV, through detentions and judicial harassment;

    C. whereas the Azerbaijani laws regulating the registration, operation and funding of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are highly restrictive and arbitrarily implemented, thus effectively criminalising unregistered NGO activity;

    D. whereas Freedom House’s 2024 index ranks Azerbaijan among the least free countries in the world, below Russia and Belarus;

    E. whereas on 19 September 2023, after a nine-month illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor and disregarding both the commitments it made in the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020 and an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Azerbaijan launched an offensive on the remaining parts of Nagorno-Karabakh not already under its control;

    F. whereas more than 100 000 Armenians had to flee the territory, including 30 000 children, resulting in Nagorno-Karabakh being almost entirely emptied of its Armenian population, who had been living there for centuries; whereas this amounts to ethnic cleansing;

    G. whereas the Russian peacekeeping force did not act in accordance with its mandate, as laid down in the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020, taking no action against Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin corridor, the establishment of the Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor or the offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh in September 2023;

    H. whereas the Azerbaijani leadership continues to make irredentist statements with reference to the sovereign territory of Armenia; whereas the Azerbaijani army continues to occupy no less than 170 km2 of the sovereign territory of Armenia;

    1. Stresses its profound concern regarding the human rights situation in Azerbaijan;

    2. Urges the Azerbaijani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all human rights defenders, journalists, environmental, political and other activists prosecuted under fabricated and or politically motivated charges; recalls in this context the names of Tofig Yagublu, Akif Gurbanov, Bakhtiyar Hajiyev, as well as human rights defenders and journalists including Ulvi Hasanli, Sevinj Vagifgizi, Nargiz Absalamova, Hafiz Babali and Elnara Gasimova, Aziz Orujov, Rufat Muradli, Avaz Zeynalli, Elnur Shukurov, Alasgar Mammadli and Farid Ismayilov; underlines that since April 2024, Azerbaijan has carried out further arrests of civil society activists on bogus charges, including Farid Mehralidze, Igbal Abilov, Bahurz Samadov, Emin Ibrahimov and Famil Khalilov;

    3. Recalls the need to lift the travel ban in force against Gubad Ibadoghlu and drop all charges against him, and calls on Azerbaijan urgently to ensure an independent medical examination by a doctor of his own choosing, and allow him to receive treatment abroad;

    4. Reminds the Azerbaijani authorities of their obligations to respect human dignity and fundamental freedoms in accordance with their international commitments and calls on them to repeal repressive legislation that drives independent NGOs and media to the margins of the law;

    5. Calls for the EU to impose sanctions under its global human rights sanctions regime on Azerbaijani officials who have committed serious human rights violations; reiterates its position that the EU should be ready to impose sanctions on any individuals and entities that threaten the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Armenia;

    6. Recalls that the 1996 EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which is the legal basis for bilateral relations, is based on respect for democracy and the principles of international law and human rights and that these have been systematically violated in Azerbaijan;

    7. Reiterates the EU’s unequivocal support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of the borders of Armenia; strongly supports the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the basis of the principles of the mutual recognition of territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration;

    8. Recalls its previous condemnation of the pre-planned and unjustified military attack by Azerbaijan of 19-20 September 2023 against the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to the expulsion of the entirety of the ethnic Armenian community which had been living there for centuries, amounting to ethnic cleansing; recalls that this attack resulted in the complete dissolution of the structures of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh and the establishment of full Azerbaijani control over the region; demands the release of all remaining Armenian political prisoners and prisoners of war;

    9. Reiterates its demand for the withdrawal of Azerbaijan’s troops from the entirety of the sovereign territory of Armenia; rejects and expresses its grave concern regarding the irredentist and inflammatory statements made by the Azerbaijani President and other Azerbaijani officials threatening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia; warns Azerbaijan against any potential military adventurism against Armenia proper; highlights that Azerbaijan’s connectivity issues with its exclave of Nakhchivan should be resolved with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia;

    10. Calls on Azerbaijan to genuinely engage in a comprehensive and transparent dialogue with the Karabakh Armenians to ensure respect for their rights and guarantee their security, including their right to return to and live in their homes in dignity and safety, overseen by an international presence, to access their land and property rights, to maintain their distinct identity and to fully enjoy their civic, cultural, social and religious rights;

    11. Calls for the establishment of an ad hoc committee within the European institutions to identify or develop international mechanisms to guarantee the collective, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh to their ancestral land; calls for the creation of a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the reports and resolutions adopted by Parliament on Nagorno-Karabakh;

    12. Urges Azerbaijan to refrain from further destroying, neglecting or altering the origins of cultural, religious or historical heritage in the region, bearing in mind the destruction of cultural, religious and historical heritage that has occurred since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and calls on it to instead strive to preserve, protect and promote this rich diversity; demands the protection of the Armenian cultural, historical and religious heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh in line with UNESCO standards and Azerbaijan’s international commitments;

    13. Recognises the urgent need to strengthen the cooperation between the EU and Armenia in the field of security and defence; welcomes the fact that Armenia has frozen its participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization; notes the added value of regular EU-Armenian Political and Security Dialogues, as an umbrella platform for all security related matters; welcomes the actions undertaken by several Member States to provide defensive military support to Armenia and urges other Member States to consider similar initiatives;

    14. Expresses its support for the decision of Armenia to discontinue the presence of Russian Federal Security Service border guards at the international airport in Yerevan, and its understanding for the suspension of relations with Belarus;

    15. Calls for the EU to end its dependency on gas exports from Azerbaijan; is seriously concerned about Azerbaijan’s import of Russian gas and the substantial Russian share in the production and transportation of Azerbaijani gas for the EU, which contradicts the EU’s objective of undermining Russia’s capacity to continue its war of aggression against Ukraine by cutting its revenues from oil and gas exports to the EU; urges the Commission to investigate suspicions that Azerbaijan actually exports Russian gas to the EU;

    16. Calls for the suspension of all imports of oil and gas from Azerbaijan to the EU; recalls its demand, in the light of Azerbaijan’s 2023 invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, for the suspension of the Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic Partnership in the Field of Energy between the European Union and Azerbaijan;

    17. Supports all initiatives and activities that could lead to the establishment of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the signing of a long-awaited peace agreement; believes that if a peace agreement is to be lasting, it requires genuine engagement from the parties, not the escalation of rhetoric and demands; welcomes the recent achievement in the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security of a preliminary agreement on the delimitation of several sectors of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border;

    18. Welcomes the new momentum in bilateral relations between the EU and Armenia, which is strongly supported by the authorities in Yerevan; takes good note of Armenia’s European aspirations, as expressed by the Armenian foreign minister, among others; recalls its previous position that, pursuant to Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, any European state may apply to become a member of the European Union provided that it adheres to the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of democracy, respects fundamental freedoms and human and minority rights, and upholds the rule of law; considers that, should Armenia be interested in applying for candidate status and continuing on its current path of sustained reforms consolidating its democracy, this could set the stage for a transformative phase in EU-Armenia relations; calls on the Commission and the Council to actively support Armenia’s desire for increased cooperation with the EU, not only in the area of economic partnership but also in political dialogue, people-to-people contacts, sectoral integration and security cooperation; believes that the experience stemming from the Association Agreements / Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas with Ukraine, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova should serve as a good basis for closer EU-Armenia cooperation, in particular in relation to a gradual sectoral integration with the single market;

    19. Welcomes the decision of 22 July 2024 to launch the visa liberalisation dialogue with Armenia, which is the first step towards achieving a visa free regime for short stays in the EU; welcomes further the decision to adopt the first assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) in support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, worth EUR 10 million; calls for the EU to cease all technical and financial assistance to Azerbaijan that might contribute to strengthening its military or security capabilities; calls on the Member States to freeze exports of all military and security equipment to Azerbaijan;

    20. Condemns the Baku Initiative Group’s repeated attempts to denigrate and destabilise EU Member States; condemns in particular its support for irredentist groups and disinformation operations targeting France, especially in the French departments and territories of New Caledonia, Martinique and Corsica; recalls that these methods were used against Germany in 2013; denounces the smear campaigns targeting Denmark; strongly opposes the allegations made by Ilham Aliyev himself at the Baku Initiative Group meeting in Baku in November 2023;

    21. Condemns the arbitrary arrests of EU citizens based on spurious accusations of espionage and their disproportionate sentencing;

    22. Regrets the smear campaign aimed at damaging France’s reputation by calling into question its capacity to host the 2024 Olympic Games, launched by actors suspected of being close to the Azerbaijani regime;

    23. Strongly condemns the intimidation, death threats and assassination attempts against opponents of the Azerbaijani Government, including in EU countries, and against Azerbaijani citizens who have been granted political asylum by Member States, such as Mahammad Mirzali in France; calls on the Member States to cooperate, if necessary, in the investigation into the murder, in September 2024, of Vivadi Isgandarl, an Azerbaijani political opponent residing in France; stresses that for the Member States, preventing any act of retaliation on their territory is a matter of democracy, human rights, security and sovereignty; insists that Europol should closely monitor this matter;

    24. Strongly condemns the public insults and direct threats made by Azerbaijani diplomatic or government representatives, or members of the Azerbaijani Parliament, targeting elected officials of EU Member States; demands, in this regard, that access for all Azerbaijani officials to EU institutional buildings be denied until further notice;

    25. Welcomes the fact that the Republic of Armenia formally deposited the instrument of ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in 2023 and that the statute entered into force for Armenia on 1 February 2024;

    26. Deplores steps taken by Azerbaijan towards the secessionist entity in occupied Cyprus, which are against international law and the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984); calls on Azerbaijan to respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity of states and to not invite the secessionist entity in occupied Cyprus to any meetings of the Organization of Turkic States;

    27. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Member States and the President, Government and Parliament of Azerbaijan.

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of the UN resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan – B10-0138/2024

    Source: European Parliament

    to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

    Adam Bielan, Charlie Weimers, Bert‑Jan Ruissen, Mariusz Kamiński, Sebastian Tynkkynen, Michał Dworczyk, Carlo Fidanza, Alexandr Vondra, Alberico Gambino, Rihards Kols, Reinis Pozņaks, Ondřej Krutílek, Veronika Vrecionová, Assita Kanko, Małgorzata Gosiewska, Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
    on behalf of the ECR Group

    B10‑0138/2024

    European Parliament resolution on People’s Republic of China’s misinterpretation of the UN resolution 2758 and its continuous military provocations around Taiwan

    (2024/2891(RSP))

    The European Parliament,

    – having regard to its previous reports, recommendations and resolutions on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan,

    – having regard to the urgency motion on Taiwan, passed by the Australian Senate on 21 August 2024,

    – having regard to the motion of 12 September 2024 passed in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on UN resolution 2758,

    – having regard to the statement by the spokesperson of the European External Action Service of 14 October on China’s latest military drills around Taiwan,

    – having regard to the UN Charter,

    – having regard to UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 (XXVI) of 25 October 1971,

    – having regard to Rule 136(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

    A. whereas, in the 1970s, in the hope of enhancing prosperity, stability and peace, the PRC was offered a place in the UN; whereas Beijing seized this opportunity, benefiting from close ties with the West, joining the World Trade Organization, enjoying freedom of navigation and experiencing stabilisation in the seas and straits of South-East Asia, all of which opened the door to the country’s unprecedented economic and technological development;

    B. whereas, in recent years, through its actions – such as supporting Russia’s barbaric aggression and assertively expanding in the region, particularly with the threat of invading Taiwan – Beijing is failing to uphold the commitments expected of UN Security Council members and the commitments enshrined in the UN Charter; whereas UN resolution 2758 does not establish the PRC’s sovereignty over Taiwan and does not determine the future status of Taiwan in the United Nations, nor of Taiwanese participation in UN agencies or international organisations;

    C. whereas the PRC has falsely leveraged some interpretations of UN Resolution 2758 to advance its ‘One China’ narrative globally and put pressure on Taiwan, limiting its voice on the international stage and influencing its diplomatic relationships;

    D. whereas the Australian and Dutch Parliaments have already decided not to go along with the PRC’s interpretation of UN Resolution 2758;

    E. whereas the PRC is perpetuating its overly aggressive actions, and trying to erode the status quo in the Taiwan Strait; whereas since 2019 the PRC has violated the Taiwanese air defence identification zone (ADIZ) with increasing regularity; whereas the PRC has been behaving aggressively across vast areas of the Indo-Pacific and exerting varying degrees of military or economic coercion, which has led to disputes with neighbours such as Japan, India, the Philippines and Australia;

    F. whereas on 14 October 2024 the PRC launched, without prior warning, a large-scale military drill named Joint Sword 2024-B that simulated a blockade of Taiwan; whereas the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) deployed 153 aircraft and 36 naval and coastguard ships around Taiwan, setting single-day records;

    G. whereas the PLA’s air manoeuvres have increased from under 20 incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ in 2019 to 2 459 so far in 2024; whereas the threat is exacerbated by Beijing’s announcement that it was practising for a blockade of Taiwan’s key ports and military bases; whereas the PLA’s primary locus for ADIZ operations has shifted over time from the South China Sea to the Taiwan Strait; whereas the PLA’s flight activity to the east of Taiwan has increased, demonstrating a shift from training and navigation operations to testing likely combat concepts in the event of a blockade or military invasion of Taiwan;

    H. whereas, besides military pressure, the PRC has for years pursued a sophisticated strategy of targeting Taiwan with foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI), including hybrid and cyberattacks, with the goal of undermining Taiwan’s democratic society;

    I. whereas the PRC under the leadership of Xi Jinping has said that it will not renounce the use of force to seek unification with Taiwan;

    J. whereas on 25 September 2024 the PRC fired an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean for the first time since 1980;

    K. whereas the PRC’s increasingly aggressive posture, in particular in its own neighbourhood, such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, poses a risk to regional and global security;

    L. whereas Beijing’s active support of the Russian Federation’s aggressive actions against Ukraine contradicts the PRC’s claim to be a ‘stabilising power’; whereas the Russian war of aggression is being closely watched by the PRC as a test bed for the possible future invasion of Taiwan and to gauge the likely reaction of the international community;

    M. whereas the EU and Taiwan are like-minded partners that share the common values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law;

    N. whereas the PRC is a one-party state controlled and ruled entirely by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP); whereas the CCP has used its growing influence in international organisations to reshape the open, rules-based international order to protect and advance its own interests;

    O. whereas Taiwan is located in a strategic position in terms of trade; whereas the Taiwan Strait is the primary route for ships travelling from the PRC, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan towards Europe; whereas the EU remains the largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Taiwan; whereas there is considerable potential for increasing Taiwan’s FDI in the EU; whereas Taiwan dominates semiconductor manufacturing markets, as its producers manufacture around 50 % of the world’s semiconductor output; whereas the EU’s Indo-Pacific strategy argues for increasing trade and investment cooperation with Taiwan and advocates stabilising tensions in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait;

    1. Reiterates that Taiwan is an important EU partner and a like-minded democratic ally in the Indo-Pacific region;

    2. Condemns the sustained efforts made by representatives of the PRC to distort the meaning of UN resolution 2758, historical documents and international rules;

    3. Remains deeply committed to the EU’s ‘One China’ policy, which does not equate with the PRC’s ‘One China’ principle’;

    4. Stresses that nothing in resolution 2758 prevents Taiwan’s participation in international organisations and that it has no bearing on the sovereign choices of other countries with respect to their relationship with Taiwan;

    5. Regrets the PRC’s efforts to block Taiwan’s participation in multilateral organisations; calls for the EU and its Member States to support Taiwan’s meaningful participation, in line with the key UN principles of universal representation, in relevant international organisations such as the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in order to better protect global interests and address the serious challenges facing humanity, such as pandemics, climate change and human rights;

    6. Strongly condemns the PRC’s provocative, irresponsible, disproportionate and destabilising military exercises, including the recent exercises of 14 October, as well as its continued military provocations against Taiwan and its aggressive posture in the wider region; expresses its concern about the PRC’s recent launch of an ICBM into the Pacific Ocean, which has contributed to further tensions across the Indo-Pacific region;

    7. Reaffirms its strong commitment to the status quo in the Taiwan Strait; calls for the EU and its Member States to ensure that any attempt to unilaterally change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, particularly by means of force or coercion, will not be accepted and will be met with a decisive and firm reaction;

    8. Highlights that the PRC’s increasingly aggressive posture poses a threat to the freedom of navigation and jeopardises the stability which is vital for global trade; emphasises that this situation is being watched with concern by a growing number of like-minded partners committed to peace and stability in the region, including across the Taiwan Strait; underlines the need to shore up deterrence against destabilising behaviour, including through regular operations to assert freedom of navigation over the PRC’s attempts to impose control over international waters and airspace;

    9. Reiterates its strong condemnation of statements by President Xi Jinping that the PRC will never renounce the right to use force with respect to Taiwan;

    10. Urges the PRC to immediately cease all actions and intrusions into the Taiwanese ADIZ and the airspace violations above Taiwan’s outer islands, and to restore the full respect of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, all of which also poses a risk to international aviation, and stop all other grey-zone military actions, including cyber and disinformation campaigns;

    11. Recalls that maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific is a core interest for the free world, including the EU and its Member States; stresses that a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait would not only cause significant economic disruption affecting European interests and prosperity, but would also seriously undermine the rules-based order in the region, as well as democratic governance with human rights, democracy and the rule of law at its core;

    12. Recalls Taiwan’s help and assistance during both the COVID-19 pandemic and the humanitarian crises caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as its continuous involvement and support for the Ukrainian government and countries hosting Ukrainian refugees;

    13. Reiterates the importance of respecting international law, in particular the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and its provisions on the obligation to settle disputes by peaceful means and on maintaining the freedom of navigation and overflight;

    14. Reiterates its call for the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs to change the name of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan to ‘European Union Office in Taiwan’ to reflect the broad scope of our ties;

    15. Reiterates its previous call for the Commission to launch, without delay, an impact assessment, public consultation and scoping exercise on a bilateral investment agreement with the Taiwanese authorities in preparation for negotiations on deepening bilateral economic ties;

    16. Recommends further deepening cooperation between the EU and Taiwan to enhance structural cooperation on countering disinformation and foreign interference; recommends posting a liaison officer at the European Economic and Trade Office to coordinate joint efforts on tackling disinformation and interference; condemns any form of pressure and threats of reprisals, including economic coercion, with regard to the independent right of the EU and its Member States to develop relations with Taiwan in line with their interests and shared values of democracy and human rights, without foreign interference;

    17. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Governments of the PRC and Taiwan.

     

     

     

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USS George Washington transits to Japan

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SAN DIEGO  –  

     The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) departed the San Diego area for routine operations Oct. 8, beginning its transit to Yokosuka, Japan.

    George Washington assumed the role of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed carrier, replacing USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), which operated out of Yokosuka for nearly nine years before departing Japan in May.

    “USS George Washington departed San Diego to begin the final phase of its redeployment to Japan, where it will once again serve as the Navy’s forward-deployed aircraft carrier,” said Rear Adm. Greg Newkirk, commander of Carrier Strike Group 5. “It will take up station alongside the always-ready forces postured in the area of responsibility. George Washington, with all its capabilities, represents America’s commitment to stability in the region where it will sail and fly with our partner navies as we strive to move from interoperability to true interchangeability.”

    George Washington completed its midlife refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at Newport News Shipbuilding in May 2023, conducted pre-deployment certifications and inspections over the course of 10 months, and departed Norfolk, Virginia, in April for its Southern Seas deployment around South America, arriving in San Diego in July.

    The forward-deployed Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, which recently completed training at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada, will embark George Washington to transit the Pacific Ocean and return to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.

    “I am incredibly proud of this team and everything they have accomplished this year,” said Capt. Timothy Waits, commanding officer of George Washington. “This crew, alongside Carrier Air Wing 5, is trained, tested, and ready to return to 7th Fleet as the Navy’s premier forward-deployed aircraft carrier.”

    This marks the second time that George Washington has served as the Forward-Deployed Naval Forces-Japan aircraft carrier. In 2008, it became the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward-deployed to Japan before being relieved by Ronald Reagan in 2015.

    After operating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet and 7th Fleet areas of operations, George Washington will arrive in Yokosuka in late fall.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Announces $290,000 in New Funding to Fight Fentanyl Trafficking

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    10.18.24
    Cantwell Announces $290,000 in New Funding to Fight Fentanyl Trafficking
    Funding goes to Northwest HIDTA, which successfully seized nearly 5 million illicit fentanyl pills last year in WA
    EDMONDS, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) announced that the Northwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program will receive $290,000 in new funding.
    “With overdose deaths continuing to rise in our state, the federal government is stepping up to help,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Northwest HIDTA seized nearly 5 million illicit fentanyl pills last year, and this funding will aid their successful work with more than 75 federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies across 15 counties to disrupt drug traffickers. We must continue to support proven ways to address this crisis and keep this dangerous illicit drug out of our communities.”
    The funding comes from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, and is in addition to $5,031,349 in base funding allocated to Northwest HIDTA earlier this year.
    The HIDTA Program coordinates and assists federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to address regional drug threats and reduce illicit drug production and trafficking.
    Sen. Cantwell has traveled across the State of Washington hearing from people in 10 communities on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis, including first responders, law enforcement, health care providers, and people with firsthand experience of fentanyl addiction. She’s using what she heard in those roundtables to craft and champion specific legislative solutions, including:
    The Stop Smuggling Illicit Synthetic Drugs on U.S. Transportation Networks Act, which would create first-ever inspection strategies to stop drug smuggling by commercial aircraft, railroads, vehicles, and ships. The legislation would boost state, local, and tribal local law enforcement resources,; deploy next generation non-intrusive detection technologies,  and increase inspections at ports of entry.
    The Opioid Overdose Data Collection Enhancement Act, which would which would direct the Department of Justice (DOJ) to award grants to states, units of local government, law enforcement task forces, and tribes to adopt and implement an overdose data collection program.
    The Fatal Overdose Reduction Act, which would expand an evidence-based, low-barrier fentanyl treatment pilot program across the United States; and
    The Fight Illicit Pill Presses Act, which would require that all pill presses be engraved with a serial number and impose penalties for the removal or alteration of the number.
    Sen. Cantwell’s other legislative actions to fight fentanyl include cosponsoring the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, a new law enacted earlier this year that will help U.S. government agencies disrupt opioid supply chains by imposing sanctions on traffickers and fighting money laundering.
    In addition, in March 2024, Sen. Cantwell voted for a series of federal funding bills allocating $1.69 billion to combat fentanyl and other illicit drugs coming into the United States, including an additional $385.2 million to increase security at U.S. ports of entry, with the goal of catching more illegal drugs like fentanyl before they make it across the border. Critical funding will go toward Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) technology at land and sea ports of entries. NII technologies—like large-scale X-ray and Gamma ray imaging systems, as well as a variety of portable and handheld technologies—allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection to help detect and prevent contraband from being smuggled into the country without disrupting flow at the border. The funding breakdown includes:
    $201 million for construction and infrastructure activities for drive-through NII deployment;
    $75.5 million for the Fentanyl Initiative for NII at ports of entry and for labs at eight ports of entry;
    $65.3 million to procure and deploy new NII detection devices;
    $14.4 million to procure advanced Computed Tomography scanners for deployment to mail and courier facilities;
    $12.6 million for artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities; and
    $12.1 million for system integration that brings together the use of the scanning, machine learning and other customs data.
    Sen. Cantwell also cosponsored and helped advance the TRANQ Research Act of 2023, which President Joe Biden signed into law last year. That measure will spur more research into xylazine and other novel synthetic drugs, by directing the National Institute of Standards and Technology to tackle these issues.
    A full timeline of Sen. Cantwell’s actions to combat the fentanyl crisis is available HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI China: BRICS urged to enhance its solidarity

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Beijing has highlighted the need for BRICS to build on openness and solidarity among the Global South countries, as the Foreign Ministry announced that President Xi Jinping will attend the 16th BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, from Tuesday to Thursday.

    Analysts are closely following this year’s summit because they said it is the first to be held after the most recent historic expansion of BRICS, and it is also the first year of what its members have called “greater BRICS cooperation”.

    During the summit, Xi will attend small-group and large-group talks, as well as the BRICS Plus leaders’ dialogues, and deliver important speeches.

    He will have in-depth exchanges with leaders on the current international situation, BRICS practical cooperation, the development of the BRICS mechanism and important issues of common concern.

    “China stands ready to work with other parties to strive for the steady and sustained development of greater BRICS cooperation, open a new era for the Global South to seek strength through solidarity and jointly promote world peace and development,” said Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

    Since the establishment of BRICS, member countries have always upheld the spirit of openness, inclusiveness and win-win cooperation, she told a regular news conference on Friday.

    These members have “remained true to its founding purpose of seeking strength through solidarity, stayed committed to upholding multilateralism and become a positive and stable force for good in international affairs”, she said.

    Experts and officials said the BRICS cooperation mechanism has grown to be an essential platform for emerging market countries and developing countries to strengthen solidarity and cooperation and safeguard common interests.

    After the most recent expansion, BRICS countries’ share of global trade has exceeded 20 percent, further expanding their international influence.

    In the first three quarters of this year, China’s imports and exports with the other BRICS member countries totaled 4.62 trillion yuan ($650.6 billion), a year-on-year increase of 5.1 percent, according to China’s General Administration of Customs.

    “Under the guidance of the BRICS spirit of openness, inclusiveness, cooperation and win-win, the big BRICS family has continued to achieve new fruits in trade and exchanges,” said Wang Lingjun, deputy director of the General Administration of Customs.

    In the industrial sector, China and other BRICS countries “have been complementing each other in fundamental sectors such as iron and steel, chemicals and textiles”, he said at a news conference on Monday.

    “In the first three quarters, China’s exports of intermediate goods such as integrated circuits, flat-panel display modules and aircraft parts to other BRICS countries all saw double-digit growth,” he added.

    With the first summit after the latest expansion ready to kick off, China’s economic and trade cooperation with the other BRICS countries “will also continue to go deeper and be more solid” in the future, he said.

    Speaking of the upcoming Kazan summit, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said Russia is an important BRICS partner of China. Beijing “is pleased with the progress made by Russia as the chair of BRICS”, and it will continue to support Russia as a good host to make the summit a success, he added.

    “The BRICS countries play an important role on the international stage,” Zhang told a Russian TV station last week.

    The ambassador also referred to the special summit of BRICS leaders on the Palestine-Israel issue held last year, as well as the BRICS countries’ joint efforts to defend the rights and interests of developing countries in multilateral mechanisms, such as the Group of 20.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New air defence laser engages multiple missiles at once  

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    RAF pilots are one step closer to being equipped with a cutting-edge air-protection laser self-protection system, following 100% successful live-fire trials.

    • Air protection laser defeats 100% of targets in live firing trial.

    • Equipment being fitted to UK military aircraft to defeat missile threats. 

    • Collaboration between Dstl scientists and UK industry partners help support 1950 jobs across Scotland. 

    RAF pilots are one step closer to being equipped with a cutting-edge laser self-protection system, following 100% successful live-fire trials.  

    The laser is being designed to be fitted to a range of RAF aircraft including the intelligence gathering Shadow R2 and A400M transporter, ready to rapidly detect and defeat threats such as missiles.  

    During the trial at the Vidsel Test Range in Sweden, the operational system defeated a range of infrared heat-seeking missiles being fired simultaneously. 

    100% of threats were quickly defeated using a laser with pinpoint accuracy, which has been designed and developed by the Team Pellonia partnership between Leonardo UK, Thales UK, and the MOD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory.

    Defence Secretary, John Healey said:  

    Identifying, tracking and defeating threats from the air in seconds is crucial to having the edge over those who try to do us harm.  

    We’re equipping our Armed Forces with the very latest technology to keep them safe and give them the advantage on operations. 

    This high-tech laser is another excellent example of joint working between our Dstl experts and the UK’s defence industry.

    The system works by Thales’s Elix-IR threat warning system quickly detecting and identifying the launch of missiles, using a series of algorithms to filter out background clutter so that only valid threats are tracked, classified and declared.  

    Once the threat(s) has been classified, an alert is sent to the Leonardo’s Miysis directed infrared countermeasure which moves to track the incoming missile and directs a jamming laser onto the missile with ultimate precision. 

    Threats are defeated faster than the time it takes to read this sentence. This UK engineered capability gives the MOD the latest generation best-in-class protection, whilst enjoying full operational independence, and offering the same freedoms to export customers. 

    The live tests were witnessed by senior military officers from a number of NATO nations.  

    Dstl’s Chief for Air Survivability, Mark Elson, said: 

    The UK defensive aids system is the culmination of MOD’s detailed understanding of changing threats alongside years of sustained defence investment in science and technology nurtured within Dstl. This has been aligned with the development capabilities of our commercial partners through Team Pellonia.  

    The design of the system has the agility to protect platforms now and into the future, providing long-term operational advantage to the UK and our allies. This is enabled through Spiral Development which provides capabilities such as the Dstl developed jamming waveform that defeats the guidance of the missile threat.

    Dstl’s research programme and partnerships like Team Pellonia help boost UK economic growth, sustaining 700 jobs at Thales in Glasgow and 1,250 specialist roles at Leonardo in Edinburgh, supporting both the local as well as national economies. 

    Leonardo’s Senior Vice-President of Radar and Advanced Targeting, Mark Stead, said: 

    The results of these latest trials speak for themselves, and are a testament to the skills and experience within Leonardo as a global leader in directed infrared countermeasures. Miysis DIRCM has again proven itself as a reliable, effective protection system and is flying operationally on many platforms today.  

    My thanks go to the Miysis team who demonstrated superb leadership and technical prowess during the trials at Vidsel, working alongside our partners in Defence and Industry to prove our capabilities which help to protect our Armed Forces.

    Thales’s Managing Director of Optronics & Missile Electronics UK, Stephen McCann, said: 

    Once again, as previously witnessed during SALT 3 in 2018, Elix-IR has proved its world leading capabilities as the latest generation multi-function infrared threat warning system during what was a comprehensive and complicated multi-faceted trial.  

    I am extremely proud of our entire team that supported both the UK, under Team Pellonia, and other NATO member teams in the preparation and execution of this event. UK MOD has adopted Elix-IR as its core reference capability threat warner of choice, based on its maturity and proven capability.

    Updates to this page

    Published 20 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Speech by DCS at Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair (English only)(with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

         Following is the speech by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, at the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair organised by the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 15th Anniversary of the Implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinace at the Khalsa Diwan Hong Kong (Sikh Temple) in Wan Chai today (October 20):
     
    Ms Linda Lam (Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC)), Mr Akil Khan (President, Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities), Mr Bhagt Singh (President, Sikh Temple), Dr Rizwan Ullah (EOC member), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
     
         Good afternoon. I am pleased to be joining you today for the opening of the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Recruitment Fair co-organised by the EOC and the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities (Federation).
     
         Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city with rich tapestry of people connections, vibrant economic activities and a flourishing multi-cultural scene, thanks in no small part to the some 300 000 ethnic minority residents who settled here for generations. It is evident from the latest Census figures (of 2021) that this treasured community continues to play an integral part in strengthening Hong Kong’s workforce and driving our productivity: their labour force participation rate is at 65.5 per cent, which is higher than the 57.7 per cent of the whole population. 

         Today’s recruitment fair is among the EOC’s celebration events for the 15th anniversary of the implementation of the Race Discrimination Ordinance, a crucial piece of legislation driving Hong Kong’s promotion of racial equality. Following the Racial Diversity and Inclusion Sports Day in April this year, I am excited to be here today to witness another milestone. This fair is also held in celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. I trust that you have been enjoying the wide arrays of celebrating events and special offers over the past few weeks. With the new card-type Mainland travel permits for non-Chinese Hong Kong permanent residents, it has never been easier for many of you to visit the Mainland for business or pleasure, to see for yourself the spectacular transformation in the Mainland today.

         Since its inauguration in 2018, the Federation of Hong Kong Ethnic Communities has been uniting and leveraging the support from various ethnic minority communities for greater and wider contributions to the betterment of Hong Kong. We thank the Federation’s support all along in realising our common vision for a harmonious and inclusive society. 

         The current-term Government places importance on enhancing support and services for ethnic minorities. As just announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address, the Government will engage one more “Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities” to provide interpretation and translation services for ethnic minorities next year, so as to reduce language barrier concerns. In terms of education, more resources will also be invested in boosting support for learning Chinese and parental assistance for our non-Chinese speaking students. 

         Of course, the Government’s support for ethnic minorities does not stop there. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, over 50 civil service grades in the Government have adjusted their Chinese-language proficiency requirements to increase government job opportunities for ethnic minorities. Departments, including the disciplinary forces, are also encouraged to design their own job-oriented language tests suitable for individual grades to provide ethnic minority applicants with an additional avenue for meeting the thresholds. Since 2019, we have been organising an internship programme for non-ethnic Chinese university students and 180 students have since taken part. 

         In addition, the Racial Diversity Employment Programme launched by the Labour Department has been regularised in 2023 to step up employment support for ethnic minorities. To date, the Programme has provided employment support services to over 400 ethnic minority job-seekers. 

         Today’s recruitment fair features prominent private enterprises in addition to a number of government departments, offering over 500 employment opportunities, including a wide range of skilled and professional positions, as well as on-the-spot career and employment counselling services. These job opportunities span across eleven signatories of the EOC’s Racial Diversity and Inclusion Charter for Employers from different industries, including aviation, hospitality, education, transportation, and five government departments including our disciplinary forces.

         In closing, my great thanks go to the EOC and the Federation for organising this meaningful recruitment fair, the Sikh Temple for the support rendered, and the representatives from different sectors who are here with us today, for your wholehearted efforts in creating opportunities for our ethnic minority community. I wish this recruitment fair great success and all of you an enjoyable weekend. Thank you very much.      

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: ACT challenges Brian Tamaki’s racist, ignorant campaign targeting immigrants

    Source: ACT Party

    ACT Ethnic Communities spokesperson Dr Parmjeet Parmar is challenging Brian Tamaki after Indian New Zealanders and other ethnic communities raised concerns about a new campaign to “Make NZ Kiwi Again” which targets immigrants.

    “I have been approached by representatives of ethnic communities in New Zealand alarmed to see Brian Tamaki is promoting conspiracy theories about an ‘Indian invasion’. In a long video tirade, Tamaki rails against Hindu temples, Indian civil aviation officials, and the proposed free trade deal with India.

    “Tamaki wants New Zealanders to march to ‘Make NZ Kiwi Again’ , but he cannot be very Kiwi himself if he has forgotten our fundamental history and values. Every New Zealander has either crossed an ocean to build a life here, or is descended from someone who did. Kiwis believe in freedom and a fair chance for anyone who’s willing to offer their efforts to society.

    “I hope Brian Tamaki doesn’t have to visit hospital any time soon, but if he does, he will experience firsthand the contribution of immigrant doctors, nurses, and carers that have made New Zealand home.

    “The construction sector is powered by migrants who are literally building New Zealand’s future. Others develop cutting-edge technology right here in New Zealand to solve problems, boost exports, and create jobs that benefit us all.

    “The migrant community shouldn’t be feared – they should be embraced for all they bring to New Zealand.

    “Tamaki warns that Indians are ‘not bad people, but they have intentions’. That is part is true – we have intentions to build peaceful and prosperous lives, raise educated children, and open businesses that offer value to New Zealand.

    “Brian Tamaki is a shameless self-promoter and is clearly willing to tap into any negative sentiment that draws attention and outrage. This week it’s Indians, next week it will be another group. It’s tempting to ignore him, but when he seeks to define who is and isn’t a Kiwi, he must be challenged.”

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: It would cost billions, but pay for itself over time. The economic case for air conditioning every Australian school

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Technology Sydney

    Later this week the government will receive the report of the year-long independent inquiry into its handling of the COVID pandemic.

    Among the issues it will have to contend with is air quality, in particular the air quality in high occupancy public buildings such as schools, aged-care facilities, shops, pubs and clubs.

    Many already have high quality air. High-fitration air conditioning (so-called mechanical ventilation) is standard in offices, hospitals and shopping centres.

    But not in schools. Almost all of our schools (98% in NSW) use windows.

    In Australia’s national construction code, this is called “natural ventilation” and it is allowed so long as the window, opening or door has a ventilating area of not less than 5% of the floor area, a requirement research suggests is insufficient.

    Windows, but no requirement to keep them open

    There’s no requirement to actually open the windows. School windows are often shut to keep in the heat in (or to keep out the heat in summer).

    The result can be very, very stuffy classrooms, far stuffier than we would tolerate in shopping centres. This matters for learning. Study after study has found that when air circulation gets low, people can’t concentrate well or learn well.

    And they get sick. Diseases such as flu, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) spread when viruses get recirculated instead of diluted with fresh air.

    The costs of the resulting sickness are borne by students, parents, teachers and education systems that need to find replacement staff to cover for teachers who are sick and parents who need to look after sick children at home.

    A pilot study prepared for the Australian Research Council Centre for Advanced Building Systems Against Airborne Infection (known as “Thrive”), suggests the entire cost of installing high-filtration air conditioning in every Australian school would be offset by the savings in reduced sickness.

    What classroom air is like

    The study carried out by the education architecture firm ARINA compared the ventilation of 60 so-called naturally ventilated schools in southern NSW and the Australian Capital Territory to that of a school in Sydney that happened to have been fitted with a Standards Australia-compliant air conditioning system to control aircraft noise.

    It used carbon dioxide levels to measure ventilation. Carbon dioxide is a good proxy for ventilation because its levels are determined by both the number of people breathing out concentrated carbon dioxide and the clean air available to dilute it.

    Under a normal load, defined as 26 students, one teacher and one assistant, measured levels of carbon dioxide in the air-conditioned school stayed below 750 parts per million (ppm) and were typically between 500 and 600 ppm.

    A reading of 700 ppm is particularly good. It means the people in the room breathe in less than 0.5% of air breathed out by others.

    But in “naturally ventilated” classrooms the reading often climbed to 2,500 ppm and sometimes more, within an hour of a class commencing.

    At 2,500 parts per million, people in the room are breathing in 5.5% of the air breathed out by others. This is also high enough to affect cognition, learning and behaviour, something that begins when carbon dioxide climbs above 1,200 ppm.

    Research suggests using ventilation to cut carbon dioxide to 700 ppm can cut the risk of airborne transmission of disease by a factor of two and up to five.

    The economic case for healthy air

    In 2023, Australia had 9,629 schools with 4,086,998 students.

    ARINA has previously estimated the cost of ensuring all of these schools are mechanically ventilated at A$2 billion per year over five years.

    Offsetting that cost would be less sickness. Documents released under freedom of information laws show Victoria spent $360.8 million on casual relief teachers between May 2023 and May 2024, 54% more than before COVID in 2019.

    The figures for other states are harder to get, but if Victoria (with 26% of Australia’s population) is spending $234 million more per year on casual relief teachers than before COVID, it is likely that Australia is spending $900 million per year more.

    Add in the teachers in non-government schools (37% of Australia’s total) and the potential saving from air conditioning schools exceeds $1 billion per year.

    Add in the other non-COVID viruses that would no longer be concentrated and circulated in classrooms and the potential savings grow higher still.

    Worth more than $1 billion per year

    And, in any event, the cost of replacement teachers is a woefully incomplete measure of the cost of illness in schools. Many ill teachers can’t be replaced because replacements aren’t available, making schools cancel lessons and combine classes, costing days, weeks and sometimes months of lost education.

    Also, the bacteria and viruses spread by recirculated air infect students as well as teachers, keeping students (and often their parents) at home as well.

    This suggests the costs per year of not air conditioning schools exceed $1 billion and may well approach or exceed $2 billion, which is the estimated cost per year over five years of air conditioning every Australian school.

    Natural ventilation was never a good idea for classrooms: it was cheap at the time, but not cheap at all when the costs are considered. Those costs happen to extend beyond disease to thermal comfort, energy use and the ability of students to concentrate.

    It’s time we gave students and teachers the kind of protections we demand for ourselves in our offices, our shopping centres and often our homes. It would soon pay for itself.

    Geoff Hanmer is a member of the executive of the Industry Training and Transformation Centre for Advanced Building Systems against Airborne Infection Transmission (known as Thrive) which receives funding from the Australian Research Council, QUT, the University of Melbourne and industry partners in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. He is a director of the health expert body OzSAGE and the managing director of ARINA, an architectural consultancy.

    – ref. It would cost billions, but pay for itself over time. The economic case for air conditioning every Australian school – https://theconversation.com/it-would-cost-billions-but-pay-for-itself-over-time-the-economic-case-for-air-conditioning-every-australian-school-241465

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Wichita Local 774 Machinists Vote to Accept Latest Contract Offer from Textron Aviation

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    WICHITA, Kan., Oct. 20, 2024 — Today, local Textron IAM members voted to accept the latest contract offer, which covers nearly 5,000 members across three campuses in Wichita. They will return to work beginning Wednesday, Oct. 23.

    IAM Local 774 (District 70) members voted down the companies’ last, best, and final offer in September, citing concerns over wages and healthcare as some of the top issues they felt Textron Aviation did not address.

    Read: Together We are Unstoppable: IAM Leadership Gives Boost to Local 774 Textron Strike Lines

    “Our skilled members in Wichita know what it takes to make Textron Aviation products just like they know how to stick together for what’s right,” said IAM International President Brian Bryant. “The dedication it takes to stand up with your Brothers and Sisters to fight for what you deserve is admirable, and the entire IAM is beyond proud of Local 774.”

    Read: IAM Local 774 Members at Textron Aviation Vote to Reject Contract, Strike for Fairness

    The offer extended across the table in September was not enough for many workers at one of Wichita’s largest aircraft producers. Keeping Textron Aviation as a strong player in a competitive market, these essential workers toiled during the worst pandemic in recent history. With wages 7% below the national average for aerospace members at Local 774, they fought hard to bring their wages up and over flatline.

    Healthcare was another top concern for many families employed by Textron Aviation. With a deeply flawed healthcare system, many of the industry’s top savings measures include passing these costs onto hardworking families for Local 774.

    Read: IAM Local 774 Members Demand More for Families, Wichita Community as Textron Aviation Strike Enters Second Wee

    The new offer that Local 774 members voted on over the weekend includes a fifth year, as several members were adamant about not having a contract expire in an election year. There is also a 5% wage increase and an additional $3,000 directable bonus.

    Some of the other highlights include:

    • 31% overall increase in wages throughout the five-year agreement
    • $3,000 directable lump sum to use how the member sees fit
    • Longevity bonuses
    • New technical and license holder premium pays
    • Automatic Quarterly Increases raised to 30 cents per hour
    • COLA cap increased from $700 to $1,500
    • Define Benefit plan negotiated new rate increases
    • New Insurance premium increase caps at 3%
    • Insurance premium rates will remain at 2025 rates for the No Deductible plan for the life of the agreement
    • Improvements earned time off with improved accrual time

    “Our members know what matters to them and used their voices as the essential tool to gain more,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “Textron Aviation is a powerhouse in today’s market and needed to offer more. I am proud of our members in Wichita – they stood strong and won for their families and communities.”

    At a time when unions are flexing their power, there appear to be small glimpses of hope when it comes to business leadership—or at least an understanding that you have to treat your employees respectfully and listen. For those businesses that don’t, the members of the IAM have no problem giving a little push.

    “We know aircraft in Wichita,” said IAM District 70 Business Representative for Local 774 Clint Shockley. “We also know family, survival, and our members’ rooted values here. Local 774 members have shown that through collective action and won.”

    The new offer will be backdated to Sept. 23 and will remain in effect until September 2029.

    Share and Follow:

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: New Report on Circumstances Resulting in UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld’s Death in 1961

    Source: United Nations (Video News)

    A new report concerning the investigation into the conditions and circumstances resulting in fatal crash in 1961that killed then-United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause, a United Nations spokesman said today. The report, written by the designated Eminent Person, Mohamed Chande Othman, notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage, or unintentional human error. Spokesman Farhan Haq said the Secretary-General calls for renewed resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.

    ————————–

    One of the most enduring mysteries in United Nations history – the 1961 plane crash that killed Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld and all on board as he sought to broker peace in the Congo – will linger on, with a new assessment announced today (18 Oct) suggesting that “specific and crucial” information continues to be withheld by a handful of Member States.

    According to the UN’s Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, “significant new information” has been submitted to the inquiry for this latest update.

    This included probable intercepts by Member States of communications related to the crash, the capacity of Katanga’s armed forces, or others, to mount an attack on SE-BDY and the involvement of foreign paramilitary or intelligence personnel in the area at the time.

    It also included additional new information relevant to the context and surrounding events of 1961.

    Over the years, the UN General Assembly has mandated a series of inquiries into the death of Hammarskjöld and those of his party. The most recent, in December 2022, was led by Mohamed Chande Othman, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, with the formal title of “Eminent Person.”

    Othman, Haq said, “assesses it to remain plausible that an external attack or threat was a cause of the crash,” and “notes that the alternative hypotheses that appear to remain available are that the crash resulted from sabotage or unintentional human error.”

    However, Haq continued, Othman assessed so far that it is “almost certain” specific, crucial and so far undisclosed information exists in the archives of Member States.

    He noted that Othman has not received, to date, specific responses to his queries from some Member States believed to be holding useful information.

    Haq said, “the Secretary-General has personally followed up on [Mr. Othman’s] outstanding requests for information and calls upon Member States to release any relevant records in their possession,” and added that “with significant progress having been made, the Secretary-General calls on all of us to renew our resolve and commitment to pursue the full truth of what happened on that fateful night in 1961.”

    Appointed at just 47 years old, Hammarskjöld of Sweden remains the youngest UN Secretary-General.

    Widely regarded as a visionary diplomat and reformer, Hammarskjöld is credited with strengthening the role of the newly established UN during a period of intense global tensions, including the drive to decolonise Africa and Asia.

    His leadership was pivotal during the tumultuous events of 1956. He led a ceasefire mission to the Middle East and continued through the Suez crisis, where he helped negotiate the withdrawal of foreign forces from Egypt and oversaw the deployment of the Organization’s first emergency peacekeeping mission, the UN Emergency Force.

    Hammarskjöld was known for his integrity and dedication to public service, earning the Nobel Peace Prize for developing the UN into an effective and constructive international organization capable of giving life to the principles and aims expressed in the UN Charter.

    Hammarskjöld served as Secretary-General from April 1953 until his death aged 56, when the chartered Douglas DC6 aircraft he was travelling in with others, registered as SE-BDY, crashed shortly after midnight on 17-18 September 1961, near Ndola, then in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

    He was en route to negotiate a ceasefire between UN peacekeepers and separatists from the breakaway Congolese region of Katanga, and possibly even a peace agreement encompassing the whole of newly independent Congo.

    Fourteen of the 15 passengers died on impact, and the sole survivor succumbed to their injuries a few days later.

    An initial inquiry by Rhodesian authorities reportedly attributed the crash to pilot error but the finding was disputed.

    On Friday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres transmitted Othman’s latest report to the Assembly.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqA7GqfAIPY

    MIL OSI Video –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Proposing to create a UK Airspace Design Service

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Announcing a consultation on the creation of a new UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS).

    This was published under the 2022 Truss Conservative government
    Location:
    House of Commons
    Delivered on:

    Today, the Department for Transport (DfT) and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) are launching a consultation proposing the creation of a new UK Airspace Design Service (UKADS) that would act as a single guiding mind for modernising the design of UK airspace.

    The consultation demonstrates the government’s commitment to delivering holistic and modernised UK airspace as part of the CAA’s Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS). The AMS vision is to provide quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys and more capacity for the benefit of those who use and are affected by UK airspace.

    Modernisation will help meet the needs of passengers, businesses and the wider economy while bringing environmental improvements that contribute towards the aviation sector achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

    UK airspace is an invisible but vital piece of our national infrastructure. Using an ageing network of ground navigation beacons, its design has remained largely unchanged since the 1950s when there were fewer than 1 million flights per year in UK airspace. This compares with 2.5 million flights in 2019 and projections of 3 million annually by 2030 (NATS (En Route) plc forecast traffic growth estimates (2026 to 2040)). In many cases, today’s aircraft still use the same outdated routes flying further than necessary at sub-optimal altitudes and speeds because the routes rely on the location of the ground navigation beacons, instead of following shorter, more efficient flight paths.

    Doing nothing is not an option. If UK airspace is not modernised, NATS (En Route) plc (NERL), the UK’s licensed provider of en route air traffic control services, estimates that by 2040, delays at a national level may increase by more than 200%, which would result in one in 5 flights experiencing disruption of more than 45 minutes (airspace change masterplan iteration 2, CAP2312b, ACOG (2022)).

    Modernised airspace will make it easier for aircraft to fly more direct routes, with better climb and descent profiles to and from energy-efficient cruising altitudes to help reduce CO2 emissions. It will also ensure that future technologies such as remotely piloted aircraft systems can operate beyond visual line of sight in the UK in a safe and efficient manner.

    The current model for airspace change requires airports and air traffic control providers to develop their own airspace designs individually. Coordinating these changes creates significant challenges, particularly for the airports in and around the complex London area where airspace designs overlap.

    The consultation proposes creating a new single guiding mind on future airspace design, to deliver much-needed modernisation at scale and at pace. This will help to instil confidence among stakeholders in the delivery of airspace changes that will facilitate overall reductions in carbon emissions, noise and delays.

    The consultation seeks views on the overall concept of a UKADS, including its responsibilities, governance and funding. Views from stakeholders will be critical to the next phase of work and we welcome responses from all interested parties.

    Updates to this page

    Published 22 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI: Gilat Satellite Networks to Attend APEX/IFSA Conference to Discuss State-of the Art In-Flight Connectivity Solutions for Aviation Markets

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PETAH TIKVA, Israel, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (Nasdaq: GILT, TASE: GILT), a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions, and services, announced today its attendance at the APEX/IFSA Global Expo in Long Beach, California, from October 28-30, 2024. Gilat is inviting participants to schedule meetings to discuss their in-flight connectivity (IFC) needs and explore how Gilat’s advanced ESA (Electronically Steered Antenna), SSPA (Solid-State Power Amplifier), KPSU (Ka/KU Power Supply Unit), and FCU (Frequency Converter Unit) solutions are transforming in-flight connectivity.

    Driving the Future of IFC with Cutting-Edge ESA Technology

    Gilat’s innovative, single LRU solution ESAs are ideal for commercial, business, and military aviation, providing robust, reliable, and seamless satellite connectivity. With the best size, weight and power in its class, these state-of-the-art solutions meet the increasing demand for high-performance IFC across the globe.

    In addition to its ESA technology, Gilat’s Wavestream subsidiary offers market-leading SSPAs (Solid-State Power Amplifiers), KPSUs (Ka/Ku-band Power Supply Units), and FCUs (Frequency Converter Units.) These components are designed to ensure optimal performance and efficiency, delivering high-speed internet services for passengers on both large commercial aircraft and private business jets.

    Meet with Us at APEX/IFSA

    Gilat invites APEX/IFSA attendees to set up meetings with its team to discuss the evolving needs of in-flight connectivity and learn more about its innovative satellite solutions. Airline and IFC service providers are encouraged to connect with Gilat to explore how its technology can enhance their in-flight connectivity offerings.

    To schedule a meeting with Gilat at the APEX/IFSA Global Expo, please contact either Timor Blau at 858-999-1036 or Raju Chandra at 909-741-0600, raju.chandra@wavestream.com.

    About Gilat

    Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: GILT, TASE: GILT) is a leading global provider of satellite-based broadband communications. With over 35 years of experience, we create and deliver deep technology solutions for satellite, ground, and new space connectivity and provide comprehensive, secure end-to-end solutions and services for mission-critical operations, powered by our innovative technology. We believe in the right of all people to be connected and are united in our resolution to provide communication solutions to all reaches of the world.

    Our portfolio includes a diverse offering to deliver high-value solutions for multiple orbit constellations with very high throughput satellites (VHTS) and software-defined satellites (SDS). Our offering is comprised of a cloud-based platform and high-performance satellite terminals; high-performance Satellite On-the-Move (SOTM) antennas; highly efficient, high-power Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPA) and Block Upconverters (BUC) and includes integrated ground systems for commercial and defense, field services, network management software, and cybersecurity services.

    Gilat’s comprehensive offering supports multiple applications with a full portfolio of products and tailored solutions to address key applications including broadband access, mobility, cellular backhaul, enterprise, defense, aerospace, broadcast, government, and critical infrastructure clients all while meeting the most stringent service level requirements. For more information, please visit: http://www.gilat.com

    Certain statements made herein that are not historical are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “estimate”, “project”, “intend”, “expect”, “believe” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Gilat to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements that may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, inability to maintain market acceptance to Gilat’s products, inability to timely develop and introduce new technologies, products and applications, rapid changes in the market for Gilat’s products, loss of market share and pressure on prices resulting from competition, introduction of competing products by other companies, inability to manage growth and expansion, loss of key OEM partners, inability to attract and retain qualified personnel, inability to protect the Company’s proprietary technology and risks associated with Gilat’s international operations and its location in Israel, including those related to the current terrorist attacks by Hamas, and the war and hostilities between Israel and Hamas, and Israel and Hezbollah and Iran; and other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in Gilat’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Gilat undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

    Contact:

    Gilat Satellite Networks
    Hagay Katz, Chief Products and Marketing Officer
    HagayK@gilat.com

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Africa: Cameroon after Paul Biya: poverty, uncertainty and a precarious succession battle

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David E Kiwuwa, Associate Professor of International Studies, University of Nottingham

    Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is 91 years old. He is Africa’s oldest head of state and only one has served longer: President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea, who is 82 years old.

    Biya has been Cameroon’s president since 1982. Prior to that, he was prime minister from 1975.

    In recent weeks there has been growing speculation about the nonagenarian’s health. Some rumours even suggested that he had died. This led the Cameroonian government to issue a statement banning all reports about his health.

    These cycles of rumour have recurred whenever Biya has “gone missing” for extended periods of time. Before he arrived at Yaoundé’s international airport on 21 October, Biya was last seen in public on 8 September, when he attended a China-Africa forum in Beijing.

    Cameroon has known only two presidents since independence. For 60% of the country’s youth population, Biya is the only president they have known.

    Read more: Paul Biya has been Cameroon’s president for 40 years – and he might win office yet again

    The country finds itself in a precarious situation, uncertain about what will happen after Biya, who has ruled with an iron fist.

    Long term incumbencies don’t usually end well. Examples across the continent illustrate the high potential for political instability. The most vivid cases include Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Gabon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    For me as an associate professor of international studies and researcher of regime transformation in Africa, Cameroon holds specific interest because of its regime resilience over the decades, when many in the region haven’t fared as well.

    My view is that Cameroon will, sooner rather than later, hit an inflection point post-Biya. Cameroon lacks strong constitutional guard rails, so succession is bound to be a very messy affair.

    Second, due to years of nepotism and tribalism institutionalised by Biya, there will be heightened potential for regional and ethnic tensions or conflict – even a general breakdown of law and order.

    Lastly, the military establishment could well make a move in the name of safeguarding the republic in times of uncertainty.

    The legacy

    Cameroon is endowed with abundant resources, including oil, gas and timber. It is also strategically located at a crossroads between west and central Africa on the Atlantic coast, an entry point to landlocked inner regions.

    Yet, according to the World Food Programme, over 55% of Cameroonians live in poverty and 37.7% are severely impoverished.

    The country’s infrastructure is in poor shape. While the Douala port has been modernised and railway regional linkages such as the Douala-Yaoundé lines have been expanded, road and railway infrastructure are barely functional.

    According to Transparency International, corruption is endemic in Cameroon. The country ranks 140th out of 180. This is despite official efforts to do something about it.

    In 1982 Biya capitalised on the anti-corruption sentiment that had been directed at the Amadou Ahidjo regime. Biya promised an anti-corruption “new deal”. Despite initial progress, by the early 1990s Cameroon was topping the world’s corruption tables.

    Critics suggest that Biya has also used his anti-corruption drive to keep his potential competitors in check.

    Nepotism and tribalism continue as Biya has established a patron-client state system. For example, the Beti people, who are the president’s ethnic kin, are reported to take up a disproportionate slice of senior positions in government and the military. Yet they account for a small percentage of the population.

    This has bred a kleptocratic system matched only by widespread communal resentment.

    Read more: Cameroon: how language plunged a country into deadly conflict with no end in sight

    There are other deep fissures in Cameroonian society. Socially, the country became a federated entity at independence in 1960. Two language groups – French and English speaking – came together for a United Republic of Cameroon.

    For a while this unity held. But increasing disenchantment with Biya’s regime, especially the marginalisation of the Anglophone south-west, developed into a rebellion in 2016. Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced. It has also resulted in an increased crackdown by the central authority.

    Today, Cameroon is a fractured society with the south-west calling for increased autonomy and language justice and even self-determination. The creation of the Commission of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism and designating special status to the rebellious regions has done little to quell the crisis.

    Regional role

    Regionally, Cameroon has been a key partner for the US and France through tackling Boko Haram in the region. The country has been directly affected by the attacks of this Islamist group, which originated in Nigeria and has extended its reign of terror across the region.

    The anti-terror campaign has seen a close US-France-Cameroon relationship with military and intelligence strategic cooperation.

    Equally Biya can be lauded for having peacefully settled the Bakassi peninsula crisis with Nigeria, a territorial border dispute, thereby averting regional instability.

    There are not yet obvious signs that, after Biya, the Franco-Cameroon relationship would come under strain similar to other scenarios in the region.

    France has built a steady political and economic relationship with Cameroon, investing heavily in the region, providing political cover to the regime and entering into a defence pact.

    This relationship has also benefited many a political and military elite. Barring any monumental development, it is bound to be sustained in the post-Biya era.

    Read more: Cameroon spends 90% of Chinese development loans on its French region: this could deepen the country’s divisions

    Fractured political landscape

    Biya’s longevity at the helm of Cameroon politics is testament to his ability to mobilise all state resources, power and constitutional levers for his lifetime presidency. He has outmanoeuvred all political competitors.

    This has enabled him to avoid the fate of neighbouring countries such as Central African Republic, Niger, Chad and Gabon, where governments have been overthrown by military coups.

    In 1992 Biya agreed to a multiparty dispensation. But since then, he has engineered removal of term limits and he is on his seventh term of office.

    But in the evening of his years, and in the absence of a designated successor or an elite pact, there is a real possibility that various factions of the Biya regime such as that of Frank Biya, Ngoh Ngoh, Laurent Esso or even the military will jostle and fight for power.

    Without a political culture of constitutional constraint, instability seems inevitable. And the south-west rebellion might escalate its military and political pressure for better leverage with whoever comes to power post-Biya.

    Whether the next political leadership will be able to set a transformative agenda for socio-political reconciliation and national renewal will be dictated by their ability to strike a grand compromise.

    – Cameroon after Paul Biya: poverty, uncertainty and a precarious succession battle
    – https://theconversation.com/cameroon-after-paul-biya-poverty-uncertainty-and-a-precarious-succession-battle-241312

    MIL OSI Africa –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Cameroon after Paul Biya: poverty, uncertainty and a precarious succession battle

    Source: The Conversation – Africa – By David E Kiwuwa, Associate Professor of International Studies, University of Nottingham

    Cameroon’s President Paul Biya is 91 years old. He is Africa’s oldest head of state and only one has served longer: President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of neighbouring Equatorial Guinea, who is 82 years old.

    Biya has been Cameroon’s president since 1982. Prior to that, he was prime minister from 1975.

    In recent weeks there has been growing speculation about the nonagenarian’s health. Some rumours even suggested that he had died. This led the Cameroonian government to issue a statement banning all reports about his health.

    These cycles of rumour have recurred whenever Biya has “gone missing” for extended periods of time. Before he arrived at Yaoundé’s international airport on 21 October, Biya was last seen in public on 8 September, when he attended a China-Africa forum in Beijing.

    Cameroon has known only two presidents since independence. For 60% of the country’s youth population, Biya is the only president they have known.



    Read more:
    Paul Biya has been Cameroon’s president for 40 years – and he might win office yet again

    The country finds itself in a precarious situation, uncertain about what will happen after Biya, who has ruled with an iron fist.

    Long term incumbencies don’t usually end well. Examples across the continent illustrate the high potential for political instability. The most vivid cases include Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Gabon, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    For me as an associate professor of international studies and researcher of regime transformation in Africa, Cameroon holds specific interest because of its regime resilience over the decades, when many in the region haven’t fared as well.

    My view is that Cameroon will, sooner rather than later, hit an inflection point post-Biya. Cameroon lacks strong constitutional guard rails, so succession is bound to be a very messy affair.

    Second, due to years of nepotism and tribalism institutionalised by Biya, there will be heightened potential for regional and ethnic tensions or conflict – even a general breakdown of law and order.

    Lastly, the military establishment could well make a move in the name of safeguarding the republic in times of uncertainty.

    The legacy

    Cameroon is endowed with abundant resources, including oil, gas and timber. It is also strategically located at a crossroads between west and central Africa on the Atlantic coast, an entry point to landlocked inner regions.

    Yet, according to the World Food Programme, over 55% of Cameroonians live in poverty and 37.7% are severely impoverished.

    The country’s infrastructure is in poor shape. While the Douala port has been modernised and railway regional linkages such as the Douala-Yaoundé lines have been expanded, road and railway infrastructure are barely functional.

    According to Transparency International, corruption is endemic in Cameroon. The country ranks 140th out of 180. This is despite official efforts to do something about it.

    In 1982 Biya capitalised on the anti-corruption sentiment that had been directed at the Amadou Ahidjo regime. Biya promised an anti-corruption “new deal”. Despite initial progress, by the early 1990s Cameroon was topping the world’s corruption tables.

    Critics suggest that Biya has also used his anti-corruption drive to keep his potential competitors in check.

    Nepotism and tribalism continue as Biya has established a patron-client state system. For example, the Beti people, who are the president’s ethnic kin, are reported to take up a disproportionate slice of senior positions in government and the military. Yet they account for a small percentage of the population.

    This has bred a kleptocratic system matched only by widespread communal resentment.



    Read more:
    Cameroon: how language plunged a country into deadly conflict with no end in sight

    There are other deep fissures in Cameroonian society. Socially, the country became a federated entity at independence in 1960. Two language groups – French and English speaking – came together for a United Republic of Cameroon.

    For a while this unity held. But increasing disenchantment with Biya’s regime, especially the marginalisation of the Anglophone south-west, developed into a rebellion in 2016. Thousands of people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced. It has also resulted in an increased crackdown by the central authority.

    Today, Cameroon is a fractured society with the south-west calling for increased autonomy and language justice and even self-determination. The creation of the Commission of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism and designating special status to the rebellious regions has done little to quell the crisis.

    Regional role

    Regionally, Cameroon has been a key partner for the US and France through tackling Boko Haram in the region. The country has been directly affected by the attacks of this Islamist group, which originated in Nigeria and has extended its reign of terror across the region.

    The anti-terror campaign has seen a close US-France-Cameroon relationship with military and intelligence strategic cooperation.

    Equally Biya can be lauded for having peacefully settled the Bakassi peninsula crisis with Nigeria, a territorial border dispute, thereby averting regional instability.

    There are not yet obvious signs that, after Biya, the Franco-Cameroon relationship would come under strain similar to other scenarios in the region.

    France has built a steady political and economic relationship with Cameroon, investing heavily in the region, providing political cover to the regime and entering into a defence pact.

    This relationship has also benefited many a political and military elite. Barring any monumental development, it is bound to be sustained in the post-Biya era.



    Read more:
    Cameroon spends 90% of Chinese development loans on its French region: this could deepen the country’s divisions

    Fractured political landscape

    Biya’s longevity at the helm of Cameroon politics is testament to his ability to mobilise all state resources, power and constitutional levers for his lifetime presidency. He has outmanoeuvred all political competitors.

    This has enabled him to avoid the fate of neighbouring countries such as Central African Republic, Niger, Chad and Gabon, where governments have been overthrown by military coups.

    In 1992 Biya agreed to a multiparty dispensation. But since then, he has engineered removal of term limits and he is on his seventh term of office.

    But in the evening of his years, and in the absence of a designated successor or an elite pact, there is a real possibility that various factions of the Biya regime such as that of Frank Biya, Ngoh Ngoh, Laurent Esso or even the military will jostle and fight for power.

    Without a political culture of constitutional constraint, instability seems inevitable. And the south-west rebellion might escalate its military and political pressure for better leverage with whoever comes to power post-Biya.

    Whether the next political leadership will be able to set a transformative agenda for socio-political reconciliation and national renewal will be dictated by their ability to strike a grand compromise.

    David E Kiwuwa does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Cameroon after Paul Biya: poverty, uncertainty and a precarious succession battle – https://theconversation.com/cameroon-after-paul-biya-poverty-uncertainty-and-a-precarious-succession-battle-241312

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –