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Category: Military Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Russia: GUU helps Anapa: university volunteers fight fuel oil spill on the coast

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University of Management – Official website of the State –

    On December 15, 2024, two tankers sank in the Black Sea. Several tons of fuel oil ended up in the water and were later washed up on the coast. Rescuers have been fighting the consequences of the accident for over a month. The coast is being cleaned, among other things, by specialists from the All-Russian Student Rescue Corps. On January 16, a group of 18 volunteers joined the liquidators, including representatives of the State University of Management. There is still a lot of work to do, but there are already great results. 35 days after the tankers sank in the Kerch Strait and the fuel oil spill, the main beaches of Anapa are almost cleared. This was reported by the head of the Moscow city branch of the VSKS, director of the Educational and Training Center for Actions in an Emergency and Basic Military Training of the State University of Management Maxim Dzhetygenov and a second-year master’s student Matvey Ulyanov.

    As noted by the university representatives, the work is well-coordinated and productive, but is complicated by weather conditions. Strong winds are raging on the coast of Anapa, which is why rescuers are working in shifts to avoid hypothermia.

    “There is plenty of work now. The sea is rough, yesterday we were cleaning the beach area, and today we arrived and discovered that the waves had washed up fuel oil on the shore again. The guys have to get back to work and clean familiar places from new pollution,” said Maxim Dzhetygenov.

    To ensure the safety and effectiveness of the volunteers, a mutual aid headquarters called “We Are Together” has been created. Two people are on duty there 24 hours a day, giving everyone personal protective equipment. Before starting work, all rescuers undergo safety training and receive instructions on how to perform specific tasks for the day. And there are really many who want to help. As Matvey Ulyanov noted, about 7,000 volunteers participate in the cleanup every day, including local residents and representatives of various organizations.

    “Many local residents come. They bring fuel, food, water. That is, everything that we, in principle, need. We also supply civilians who want to help with personal protective equipment. These are overalls, gloves, glasses, respirators. And we involve them in our work,” said Matvey Ulyanov.

    Volunteers make an invaluable contribution to cleaning the coast. It is worth noting that their work is not limited to this. All the guys are “universal soldiers”. When the weather does not allow continuing rescue operations, volunteers help ecologists. They build structures for cleaning and rehabilitating injured birds, install barriers designed to collect fuel oil. This work is carried out indoors, which allows work even in bad weather.

    “The guys also insulate special houses, where electricity is later installed, lamps are hung to keep it warm, sand is brought in there, and it is also placed on the insulation so that the birds can undergo rehabilitation in more comfortable conditions,” noted Maxim Dzhetygenov.

    Volunteers working on the beach first collect a mixture of sand and fuel oil in bags. Then special equipment comes to the rescue: a tractor with a bucket, which drives up to the collection site and loads the bags. After that, the cargo is transferred to KAMAZ dump trucks, which take the waste to the landfill. During the day, rescuers collect an average of 150-170 bags.

    The situation is now much better than it was in the first days after the accident. This is confirmed by Maxim Dzhetygenov.

    “As the chief of staff, I drive around our area of responsibility along the coastline every morning and inspect it. I can say that there are no large deposits of fuel oil now. But a small “crumb” of oil product is still thrown out,” noted Maxim Dzhetygenov.

    And this once again emphasizes the importance of work to restore the ecology of the Anapa coast. The efforts of volunteers with the support of local residents inspire hope for the successful completion of the work and the restoration of the ecological situation. We will add that on January 24, representatives of the State University of Management will return to Moscow.

    Subscribe to the TG channel “Our GUU” Date of publication: 01/29/2025

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Russia: Burning Hearts: Stories of Those Who Received the Moscow Volunteer Badge

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Moscow Government – Government of Moscow –

    These people represent different generations: some have recently graduated from school, while others have already retired. But they are united by a common cause – volunteering. They help organize and hold the Victory Parade, are on duty at major events and collect humanitarian aid, and Resource center “Mosvolonter” — preparation and coordination of concerned Muscovites. The unofficial motto of such enthusiasts is “No other way!” On January 21, Sergei Sobyanin presented the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge of distinction 30 residents of the capital.

    About what merits can lead to receiving an honorary award, how kindness leads to the profession of dreams and helps to create a family – in the material mos.ru.

    A smile as a reward

    One of the youngest volunteers to earn the badge was 18-year-old Yuri Potolokov. He studies at the Moscow City Pedagogical University and plans to teach geography in the future. But even after graduating and getting a job, Yuri plans to participate in public events.

    The young man joined the volunteer movement in 2022, while still at school. “One day I went to a concert at VDNKh and saw guys handing out raincoats to the audience because it was raining. That’s when I noticed that people were smiling at the volunteers. And I realized that I wanted to receive such smiles too. After all, this is the best gratitude for your work! After the concert, I told my mother: “I’m going to volunteer!” She happily accepted my choice,” our interlocutor recalls.

    Yuri Potolokov is a graduate of a cadet school and has been interested in Russian history since childhood. That is why patriotic events are closest to him, for example, meeting veterans who came to Moscow from different cities for Victory Day at train stations. However, over the past two years, the young man has had the opportunity to volunteer at other events. For example, he helped participants National Championship “Abilympics”in 2022 and 2023, navigate the site and get to the competitions on time, coordinated guests at the World Youth Festival in 2024. And recently, I sorted out New Year’s decorations at the N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology: I twisted the branches of artificial trees with insulating tape, packed the toys and sent them to the warehouse. Moreover, I was already performing the duties of a team leader, managing a team of five people.

    In total, he has over three thousand volunteer hours to his credit. Nevertheless, the mos.ru interviewee did not expect to be among those awarded.

    “I can imagine how many people applied for the badge! And they chose me. Now I want to try even harder than before. In the near future, I hope to hold a master class on creating eco-paintings from recycled materials in the “Good Place” space in the South-Eastern Administrative District,” says Yuri Potolokov, holder of the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge.

    From the veterans’ meeting to the registry office

    Kirill Kononaev is 21 years old. The volunteer is a final-year student at the Moscow Institute of Economics. He joined the “club of caring people” three years ago: first, he headed the student council, and soon he wanted to do good deeds outside the university. “The opportunity presented itself: the pandemic began, and I went to deliver food to the elderly,” recalls the mos.ru source.

    Then there were other events, for example the International Forum of Civic Participation “Moscow helps”The young man devoted more than 1,700 hours to volunteer work. He personally liked patriotic events.

    “Once I was distributing water in the center of the capital during the Immortal Regiment march. It was an amazing feeling: we were met by participants carrying portraits of their fathers and grandfathers who fought for their country in the Great Patriotic War. And it was in our power to make sure that they did not feel thirsty. Another time I was processing applications for the “Faces of Victory” campaign: relatives sent touching stories about their ancestors, battle heroes,” says Kirill Kononaev, holder of the “Moscow Volunteer” badge.

    At one of these events at the headquarters, organized to meet veterans, our interlocutor met his future wife: Taisiya Borisova, a student at the Moscow State Pedagogical University, also a volunteer. They got married in February 2024 and now come to help together.

    “It was very nice to receive a badge of distinction this year. And although I have less and less free time, I will continue to volunteer. So, soon it will be time to distribute St. George ribbons to Moscow residents. Even when I feel tired, helping people and the city allows me to switch off, charges me with positive energy,” smiles Kirill Kononaev.

    Dream job

    Margarita Buchina teaches English at school #2075In 2018, when the capital hosted the World Cup, her students enthusiastically and delightedly told how they rooted for the teams and interacted with foreign guests on the city streets.

    “I thought it was good language practice and a new experience. And soon I signed up through the website Mosvolonter.ruto her first large-scale event — the Moscow Urban Forum — 2019, where guests from different countries came. She successfully passed the interview and became part of the team of volunteers with knowledge of foreign languages, who help at the information desks,” recalls the mos.ru interlocutor.

    Already at the event, Margarita Buchina realized that applying her knowledge for the benefit of the city is her calling. In addition to her teaching profession, she is also a photographer and journalist. Therefore, she offered her help as a media volunteer.

    “Every year on June 22, I go to the Krymskaya Embankment to collect material for a report on the “Candle of Memory” campaign: I get amazing emotional portraits of volunteers in military uniform from the Great Patriotic War, who came to light the lights in honor of those who died in 1941-1945. I was the manager of the volunteer corps at the International Exhibition and Forum “Russia” at VDNKh and supervised media volunteers, photographed Christmas trees decorated with balls with children’s wishes, as part of the “Kind Christmas Tree” charity campaign at festival venues, photographed artists performing at the International Military Music Festival “Spasskaya Tower”. In addition, I am a volunteer editor of the “Good News” magazine, which tells about the lives of active and caring city residents,” says Margarita Buchina, holder of the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge.

    Now she is trying to find her dream job and realize herself as a journalist. But she does not plan to leave volunteering.

    “When I was awarded the “Moscow Volunteer” badge for my services, I once again realized how important and useful my good deeds are for the city. And you can do them in different ways, for example, by helping to collect humanitarian aid. If you were born with a kind heart, then it is not difficult for you to share kindness with others, volunteering is forever!” our interlocutor believes.

    Six thousand hours of good deeds

    Elena Akhtyrskaia is a “silver” volunteer, she is 56 years old. “In 2015, I began to actively attend excursions organized Department of Cultural Heritage of Moscow. Once I was asked to help a guide gather a group and make sure no one was left behind during a walk around the capital. It turned out to be much more interesting than just listening! So I joined the ranks of cultural volunteers. Now I also help organize events for Mosconcert,” she says.

    During the winter holidays, Elena Akhtyrskaya was on duty at the New Year’s game-journey through Russian fairy tales in the Petrovsky Travel Palace, and after the performance she gave gifts to the young spectators.

    However, our interlocutor participates not only in cultural programs. For example, she had the opportunity to accompany the Victory Parade in 2024. “This is the highest honor for a volunteer!” she admits. Elena Akhtyrskaya met visitors at the entrance to Red Square and explained where to go next, and then seated veterans in the stands and watched the procession from a place of honor.

    “I have dedicated almost six thousand hours to good deeds. But when I was awarded the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge, I was surprised. After all, there are many worthy candidates, including “silver” ones, and they are older than me. Of course, it is very nice to receive such an award. However, something else is more important to me: the emotional response of those whom I helped, eyes full of joy and gratitude!” – summarizes the holder of the “Volunteer of Moscow” badge Elena Akhtyrskaya.

    A Holiday for Everyone: How the Mosconcert Cultural Brigade Congratulated Soldiers and Children on the New Year“Moscow Helps”: Sobyanin Told How Muscovites Support SVO ParticipantsOver a thousand events were held in 2024 in the Dobroe Mesto centers in MoscowThe number of events in Moscow involving cultural heritage volunteers has almost doubledWhat dreams does the “Kind Tree” of the “Winter in Moscow” project fulfill?

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    https: //vv.mos.ru/nevs/ite/149440073/

    MIL OSI Russia News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-Evening Report: PSNA’s Minto hits back at Gaza ‘genocide hotline’ critics, insists NZ should deny Israeli soldier visas

    Asia Pacific Report

    A national Palestine advocacy group has hit back at critics of its “genocide hotline” campaign against soldiers involved in Israel’s war against Gaza, saying New Zealand should be actively following international law.

    The Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa (PSNA) dismissed a “predictable lineup of apologists for Israel” for their criticisms of the PSNA campaign.

    “Why is concern for the sensitivities of soldiers from a genocidal Israeli campaign more important than condemning the genocide itself?,” asked PSNA national chair John Minto in a statement.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs Winston Peters, the Chief Human Rights Commissioner Stephen Rainbow and the New Zealand Jewish Council have made statements “protecting” Israeli soldiers who come to New Zealand on “rest and recreation” from the industrial-scale killing of 47,000 Palestinians in Gaza until a truce went into force on January 19.

    “We are not surprised to see such a predictable lineup of apologists for Israel and its genocide in Gaza from lining up to attack a PSNA campaign with false smears of anti-semitism,” Minto said.

    He said that over 16 months Peters had done “absolutely nothing” to put any pressure on Israel to end its genocidal behaviour.

    “But he is full of bluff and bluster and outright lies to denounce those who demand Israel be held to account.”

    Deny illegal settler visas
    Minto said that if Peters was doing his job as Foreign Minister, he would not only stop Israeli soldiers coming to Aotearoa New Zealand — as with Russian soldiers in the Ukraine war — he would also deny visas to any Israeli with an address in an illegal Israeli settlement in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

    The Human Rights Commission had issued a “disingenuous media release”, he said.

    “Our campaign has nothing to do with Israelis or Jews — it is a campaign to stop Israeli soldiers coming here for rest and recreation after a campaign of wholesale killing of Palestinians in Gaza,” Minto said.

    “To imply the campaign is targeting Jews is disgusting and despicable.

    “Some of the soldiers will be Druse, some Palestinian Arabs and others will be Jews.”

    The five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, shot 355 times by Israeli soldiers on 29 January 2024. Image: @Onlyloren/Instagram

    Israeli soldiers are facing a growing risk of being arrested abroad for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza, with around 50 criminal complaints filed so far in courts in several countries around the world.

    Earlier this month, a former Israeli soldier abruptly ended his holiday in Brazil and was “smuggled” out of the country after a Federal Court ordered police to open a war crimes investigation against him. The man fled to Argentina.

    A complaint lodged by the Belgium-based Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) included more than 500 pages of court records linking the suspect to the demolition of civilian homes in Gaza.

    ‘Historic’ court ruling against soldier
    The foundation called the Brazilian court’s decision “historic”, saying it marked a significant precedent for a member country of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to enforce Rome Statute provisions domestically in the 15-month Israeli war on Gaza.

    The foundation is named in honour of five-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab who was killed on 29 January 2024 by Israel soldiers while pleading for help in a car after her six family members were dead.

    According to The New Arab, the foundation has so far tracked and sent the names of 1000 Israeli soldiers to the ICC and Interpol, and has been pursuing legal cases in a number of countries, including Belgium, Brazil, Cyprus, France, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.

    In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, together with a former Hamas commander, citing allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

    Minto accused the New Zealand Jewish Council of being “deeply racist” and said it regularly “makes a meal of false smears of anti-semitism”.

    “It’s deeply problematic that this Jewish Council strategy takes attention away from the real anti-semitism which exists in New Zealand and around the world.

    “The priority of the Jewish Council is to protect Israel from criticism and protect it from accountability for its apartheid policies, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

    “We are demanding that accountability.”

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marines with 12th LAAB Execute a Tactical Air Surveillance Raid on Wake Island

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan  –  

    CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JAPAN—U.S. Marines with 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion executed their first operational training on Wake Island from December 16 to 19, 2024, just days after the battalion’s activation ceremony. During the training, Marines executed a tactical air surveillance raid, which included a communications training exercise and the deployment of an AN/TPS-80 Radar.

    While at Wake Island, the Marines participated in a memorial ceremony alongside U.S. Airmen with Eleventh Air Force Detachment 1 to honor the Marines, Sailors, and civilians who lost their lives during the Battle of Wake Island. The battalion’s motto, “Vigilance Above, Valor Below,” was evident in their training, symbolizing their focus on vigilance in forward air surveillance and honoring the valor of those who defended Wake Island during World War II.

    “Being able to conduct this training at Wake Island is a powerful tribute to those who served here before us,” said Maj. John Boehles, the commander of 12th LAAB’s air control battery. “This exercise not only tested our operational skills but reminded us of the sacrifices made here, connecting our present mission to the valor of those who defended this ground.”

    Marines reflected on the historical significance of the Battle of Wake Island during the memorial ceremony. “Standing at the site where so many Marines sacrificed their lives was humbling,” said Staff Sgt. Ricky Thomas, an air support operations operator with 12th LAAB. “It reminded me why we do what we do – honoring their legacy through our mission today.”

    The unit fought in the Battle of Wake Island as the 1st Defense Battalion, responsible for coastal and air defense of advanced naval bases. It was deactivated in 1977 and has now been reactivated as one of the three subordinate elements of 12th Marine Littoral Regiment.

    The 12th LAAB is organized, trained, and equipped to support sea control and sea denial operations within contested maritime spaces. As part of a modernized force, it integrates with the U.S. Navy, other Joint Force elements, and allied and partner forces.

    “This training directly supports U.S. efforts to maintain regional stability and deter potential adversaries within the Indo-Pacific,” said Lt. Col. Caton, the commanding officer of 12th LAAB. “The battalion’s ability to deploy swiftly and conduct air surveillance just days after activating speaks to our unit’s enduring capabilities and strategic reach.”

    As a key element of 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, the 12th LAAB is responsible for air control, air defense, air surveillance, and early warning. This training on Wake Island marks the first of many future operations and highlights the Marines’ capability and lethality within the first island chain.

    As the Marines of 12th LAAB continue to refine their abilities, they remain steadfast in their commitment to ensuring peace and security in the Indo-Pacific region. This training marks the beginning of a new chapter, one that builds on a proud legacy while paving the way for future innovation and success.

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: USINDOPACOM Deputy Commander Travels to Brunei

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Brunei  –  

    U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, traveled to Brunei Jan. 22-24, reinforcing the strong U.S.-Brunei relationship.

    He met with senior government and military officials including Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Defense II, the Honorable Pehin Datu Lailaraja Maj.Gen. (Ret.) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd Yussof, Royal Brunei Armed Forces Commander, Maj. Gen. Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, Royal Brunei Armed Forces Deputy Commander, Brig. Gen. Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohammad Sharif bin Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim, Royal Brunei Air Force Commander Col. Haji Haszahaidi bin Haji Ahmad Daud, and U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Caryn R. McClelland.

    During his visit, Rudd also attended briefings at Tuker Lines, where British Forces Brunei is headquartered, and spoke with students at the Defense Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Each engagement focused on shared priorities of building deeper trust through people-to-people ties and increasing opportunities for military partnership.

    The U.S. and Brunei established diplomatic relations in 1984, with defense cooperation serving as a cornerstone of the bilateral relationship over the last 40 years. Both nations cooperate in a variety of military exercises and exchanges, including the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), and the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises.

    USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win.

     

    -30-

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Questions Defense Secretary Hegseth on Trump’s Purported Military Action to “Turn On” California Water

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Questions Defense Secretary Hegseth on Trump’s Purported Military Action to “Turn On” California Water

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) requested Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth clarify President Trump’s January 27th Truth Social post, which claimed that the U.S. military “entered” California and “turned on the water” flowing from Northern California to other parts of the state.
    Even though California is delivering as much water to farms and cities as during the previous Trump Administration, the President claimed that he used his “Emergency Powers” as Commander-in-Chief to send the military to California to turn on the water. Contrary to misinformation circulated by President Trump, Southern California has record water storage on hand. Senator Padilla has pushed back against dangerous misinformation about the state’s water supply, which Trump is attempting to leverage to withhold disaster aid.
    After President Trump was sworn in, federal pumping of water was briefly reduced due to outages for maintenance, which have since been restored to prior pumping levels.   
    “Clarity and transparency on these matters are crucial to ensure that the public is properly informed and that any actions comply with federal laws governing the use of the U.S. military within the United States,” wrote Senator Padilla.
    Padilla asked Secretary Hegseth the following five clarifying questions in response to Trump’s post:
    1. Which units of the U.S. Armed Forces have been assigned to this mission?
    2. Specifically, where in California were they deployed? Please name the specific cities that were “entered” by U.S. Armed Forces, and the names and ownership of any facilities where troops were assigned.
    3. When the President says members of the military “TURNED ON THE WATER,” what specific actions did U.S. servicemembers undertake to accomplish this mission?
    4. To which specific “Emergency Powers” is the President referring to justify this mission?
    5. Compared to the week of January 13, 2025, how much more water is now flowing through the federal pumps?
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    Dear Secretary Hegseth,
    I write regarding President Trump’s January 27th post on Truth Social in which he wrote, “The United States Military just entered the Great State of California and, under Emergency Powers, TURNED ON THE WATER flowing abundantly from the Pacific Northwest, and beyond. The days of putting a Fake Environmental argument, over the PEOPLE, are OVER. Enjoy the water, California!!!”
    Given this statement from the President and Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, I ask that you respond in writing to the following questions:
    1. Which units of the U.S. Armed Forces have been assigned to this mission?
    2. Specifically, where in California were they deployed? Please name the specific cities that were “entered” by U.S. Armed Forces, and the names and ownership of any facilities where troops were assigned.
    3. When the President says members of the military “TURNED ON THE WATER,” what specific actions did U.S. servicemembers undertake to accomplish this mission?
    4. To which specific “Emergency Powers” is the President referring to justify this mission?
    5. Compared to the week of January 13, 2025, how much more water is now flowing through the federal pumps?
    Clarity and transparency on these matters are crucial to ensure that the public is properly informed and that any actions comply with federal laws governing the use of the U.S. military within the United States.
    I look forward to your prompt response to these questions.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Raises Alarm on Trump Administration Illegally Blocking Hundreds of Billions in Federal Support

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Raises Alarm on Trump Administration Illegally Blocking Hundreds of Billions in Federal Support

    Urges Budget Committee to Delay OMB Nominee
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement after President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) ordered federal agencies to freeze all congressionally approved federal grants and loans, including disaster relief for Californians:
    “Donald Trump is illegally blocking hundreds of billions of dollars for essential federal programs to support families recovering after catastrophic fires, law enforcement agencies we rely on to keep our communities safe, and children and families who depend on federal child care and nutrition programs. All in his effort to pay for his tax cuts for large corporations and billionaires, like the ones he surrounded himself with during his inauguration. This overreach is unconstitutional and hurts the thousands of Californians who have been devastated by the recent fires. When Congress approves federal funds for programs to help communities, they are not optional: they are legal mandates.
    “Americans in every corner of the country will feel the impact of Donald Trump’s unlawful directives. I am calling on my Republican colleagues to not confirm Russell Vought to be OMB Director until Trump reverses this reckless order.”
    The sweeping directives in the Trump Administration’s memorandum are set to go into effect at 5 p.m. ET this evening. If implemented as written, the directives could block funding for California and national priorities including:
    Disaster Relief: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters will be halted — right as so many Southern California communities are struggling amid the recent fires.
    Firefighting: Grants to support firefighters across the country will be halted. This includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment.
    Public Safety: Grants for law enforcement and homeland security activities will cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in every state and territory.
    Infrastructure Projects: All federally-funded transportation projects — roads, bridges, public transit, and more — will be halted, including projects already under construction.
    Homelessness/Housing: In the midst of a homelessness and housing crisis, the Trump Administration is freezing housing and homelessness funding, which will exacerbate our housing crisis.
    988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that Senator Padilla significantly improved, as well as grants for mental health services, will be cut off.
    Nutrition Assistance: Millions of American citizens who rely on nutrition assistance programs like school lunch programs will be left hungry as funding is cut off and non-profits who provide additional assistance lose federal funding.
    Combating the Fentanyl Crisis: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis will be cut off.
    Emergency Preparedness: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events will be frozen.
    Child Care: Child care programs across the country will not be able to access the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
    K-12 Schools: Federal funding for K-12 schools will be halted. School districts may not be able to access key formula grant funding including Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and Career and Technical Education, which would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
    Biomedical Research: There will be immediate pauses on all funding for critical health research, including research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, as well as clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and all across the country — disrupting lifesaving and often time-sensitive research.
    Higher Education and Job Training: Millions of students relying on federal student loans and federal work study will have their plans to pursue postsecondary education and further their careers thrown into chaos as federal financial aid disbursements are paused.
    Health Services: Federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for over 30 million Americans will be immediately frozen, creating chaos for patients trying get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
    Small Businesses: The Small Business Administration will have to halt loans to small businesses — including those in disaster-ravaged California communities. 
    Veterans Care: Federal grants to help veterans in rural areas access health care and grants to help veterans get other critical services, including suicide prevention resources, transition assistance, and housing for homeless veterans, will be cut off.
    Tribes: Funding to tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, programs, tribal schools, and food assistance will be halted.
    Preventing Violence Against Women: All Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as funding for victims assistance and state and local police, will be cut off.
    U.S. Competitiveness: Existing grants to support research for Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing will be halted and any new grant funding would be paused — undermining U.S. innovation and competitiveness with China and putting California jobs at risk.
    Energy Jobs: Grants for critical energy projects nationwide will be cut off — halting billions of dollars in investment nationwide and jeopardizing good-paying American jobs. The Department of Energy Loan Program Office will halt loans in 28 states, impacting hundreds of thousands of construction and operations jobs.
    Food Inspections: Some states will have to take on the full financial burden of ensuring the nation’s meat supply is safe if federal cooperative agreements for meat inspection are halted.
    Support for Servicemembers: Support for a host of Department of Defense financial assistance and grant programs supporting servicemembers and their families will be halted, including the Fisher House, Impact Aid, community noise mitigation, ROTC language training, STEM programs, and the USO.
    Military Readiness: Grants and other assistance appropriated to strengthen military effectiveness and defense capacity will be halted, including Defense Production Act support for the defense industrial base, basic research grants necessary to advance key technologies, and small business support to strengthen supply chains.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Lieutenant General Ulisses De Mesquita Gomes of Brazil – Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)

    Source: United Nations MIL-OSI 2

    nited Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Lieutenant General Ulisses De Mesquita Gomes of Brazil as Force Commander of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

    Lieutenant General Gomes succeeds Acting Force Commander Major General Khar Diouf of Senegal, to whom the Secretary-General is grateful for his dedication and service.

    Lieutenant General Gomes brings to the position 35 years of experience in crisis response, conflict management and peacekeeping.  He has both operational and strategic expertise as well as diplomatic experience.  His last position was with his national military, where he served as Deputy Chief of Army Logistics Command.  Prior to that, he was the Brazilian Military Attaché to the United States of America.

    He previously served as the 7th Infantry Brigade Commander in Brazil, the Defence Adviser of the Minister of Strategic Affairs of the Brazilian Government and the Chief of Planning and Operations of the 11th Infantry Brigade.  His international experience includes his deployment with the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) (2008-2009) and his appointment as the Chief of the Current Military Operations Service and Policy & Doctrine Team in the Office of Military Affairs of the UN Department of Peace Operations (2017-2019).
     
    Lieutenant General Gomes holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Federal University, Brazil, and a master’s degree in military science and law from the Brazilian Army Staff College. He is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Cramer Questions Industry Executives on Defense Innovation and Acquisition Reform

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
    ***Click here to download video. Click here for audio.*** 
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of Defense (DOD) has faced criticism for its slow and cumbersome acquisition system, which has hampered the timely delivery of advanced technologies to the warfighters. The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing to discuss the use of defense innovation and acquisition reform to address longstanding challenges in the DOD’s procurement processes.
    Members of the committee heard testimony from three witnesses: former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition James Geurts; Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies Shyam Sankar; and Chief Executive Officer of Divergent Technologies Nathan Diller.
    [embedded content]
    U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), co-chair of the Senate Defense Modernization Caucus, highlighted the need for implementing the right technology and acquisition reforms to move at the speed of China and other adversaries.
    Cramer said when he first joined SASC, DOD was considering bids for a cloud computing contract known as Jedi. In early 2019, the department selected Microsoft and Amazon to compete for the contract, which was ultimately awarded to Microsoft. Unfortunately, but predictably this led to an immediate protest. This back and forth resulted in a delayed award for a critically important product DOD needed.
    “Five years later, we finally have multiple companies doing cloud computing,” said Cramer. “I was very frustrated by the ability of a company who didn’t win the contract, […] to protest the company who did and then hold up modernization by five years. […] But then we fast forward to today, where we read about now what I believe to be the most innovative agency within the DOD, the Space Development Agency, which has been under attack since the day we stood it up by swamp creatures, legacy space operators, and legacy acquisition and procurement officials, and a protest that I almost guarantee will slow [down] the proliferated warfighter space architecture, which is the worst thing that could happen.”
    Cramer asked the witnesses for their comments or opinions about the protest regime and whether more can be done. He explained while competition requires the ability to challenge, “it shouldn’t provide the opportunity to make the country less safe.”
    Geurts agreed with Cramer and emphasized the need for an avenue, though it has been abused over time.
    “One thing I suggested early on was you get one bite at the apple,” said Geurts. “You could protest to the [Government Accountability Office] or Court of Federal Claims. You couldn’t protest twice. I also think there should be some look at behavior over time and some disincentive for what I would call chronic protesting, particularly by incumbents.”
    Sankar agreed with the notion the avenue had been abused. He said one way they could buy this down is by “doing more bake-offs, more things in parallel, getting more things fielded, because anyone can win a fiction writing contest, you know, it has no correlation to your ability to perform, but when we have the satellites in space, we’ll be able to tell one way or another.”
    Diller emphasized the need to build trust:
    “When we look at these protests, if we take this approach, our Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff uses this phrase, ‘acquire to require.’ It’s exactly what Shyam was saying. How do we slowly build trust? Because at the core, it’s a trust issue. If we actually work together at the beginning in ways that [Other Transactions] allow us to, trust can be built.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Chairman Wicker Leads Senate Armed Services Committee in Defense Innovation Hearing

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led his committee colleagues and a panel of three subject matter experts in a hearing examining the future of defense innovation and acquisition reform.
    In his opening remarks, Chairman Wicker touted his “Restoring Freedom’s Forge” plan, which would fundamentally change the way the Pentagon does business by cutting red tape and increasing competition. Chairman Wicker observed that as China undertakes a historic military modernization, DOD needs game-changing reform to embrace commercial innovation and build next-generation American manufacturing techniques.
    “The past few years have been marked by some success in innovation improvements, but we have much more work to do. Most of our work is actually ahead of us in this regard. I believe we’re poised to go faster and further than we have thus far,” Chairman Wicker said. “I’m optimistic that many of my colleagues’ ideas for improvements and reform will have an enthusiastic reception in this new Pentagon team…we need a game changer in this regard, and we need it now, because the United States is entering the most dangerous period we’ve faced since World War II. Our adversaries are rapidly innovating and leveraging commercial technologies. In response, we must expand our capacity to produce and sustain high-end weapons, like ships, aircraft, and missiles.”
    Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth endorsed Chairman Wicker’s “Freedom’s Forge,” saying that “Those are precisely the kinds of ideas that need to be pursued, and I look forward to working with this committee to ensure we cut the red tape, we incentivize innovation, we rebuild the defense industrial base, cut out the bureaucracy, all the things that are preventing the platforms and the tools from getting rapidly from our great defense companies here that should and those that want to compete into the hands of warfighters.”
    Shyam Sankar, Chief Technical Officer/Executive Vice President at Palantir Technologies; Nathan P. Diller, CEO of Divergent Technologies; and Hon. James “Hondo” Geurts, former Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, and Acquisition, appeared before the committee.
    Read the remarks as delivered below or watch them here.
    This hearing will come to order. Thank you all for coming. The committee meets this morning to discuss the topic that is of great interest to every member of this panel: we’re here to talk about defense innovation.
    We must change the way the Pentagon does business. Otherwise, there’s no way we can maintain deterrence, particularly against China. Today, day we’ll hear from three experts: Shyam Sankar serves as the Chief Technology Officer at Palantir, which has done important work for the military. Mr. Sankar has published widely on innovation, and we look forward to hearing his ideas today.
    We’ll also hear from Nate Diller, who has worked at both the Department of Defense and the House Appropriations Committee – where I previously worked in another life. Today, Mr. Diller is the CEO of Divergent Technologies, which is seeking to make revolutionary changes in manufacturing, and we need revolutionary changes in DoD.
    And finally, James Geurts is with us today. In addition to having one of the coolest nicknames around – “Hondo” – he has ably and successfully served this country as the acquisition executive for both SOCOM and the Navy.
    So, thank you all for being here to talk about innovation.
    The past few years have been marked by some success in innovation improvements, but we have much more work to do. Most of our work is actually ahead of us in this regard. I believe we’re poised to go faster and further than we have thus far. I’m optimistic that many of my colleagues’ ideas for improvements and reform will have an enthusiastic reception in this new Pentagon team.
    I appreciate my friend Ranking Member Reed for holding a hearing in the previous Congress on the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution Reform Commission. I expect we can continue to make progress in this new Congress. As a matter of fact, Mr. Reed and my colleagues: we need a game changer, and we need it right now.
    The committee took steps last year to remove unnecessary steps from the acquisition process, and get defense innovators more powerful hiring authorities. We can and should continue on that positive trajectory. I recently released the FORGED Act, and published this white paper, entitled “Restoring Freedom’s Forge: American Innovation Unleashed,” and I must say, I appreciate the positive comments and response that we’ve heard from industry and from government officials.
    The white paper lays out in specific detail my plan to implement smart spending practices at DoD. The FORGED Act proposes the most comprehensive set of budgeting and acquisition reforms in decades. It focuses on five areas.
    First, we must cut the red tape that burdens our defense workforce. Our regulations are full of outdated and excessive compliance requirements. Addressing this is exactly the type of work that DOGE is contemplating, and I hope we can make progress in this area. Contracting regulations total more than 6,000 pages. Financial regulations add up to more than 7,000 pages. I’m interested to hear our witnesses address how this committee can reduce the statutory and regulatory burdens, even as we retain the core elements of good policy.
    Second, we should harness one of our nation’s core advantages: our world-class tech sector, which is built by American entrepreneurial spirit. Government-unique requirements have made it nearly impossible for commercial companies and startups to do business with the Department of Defense. We need to reward commercial innovation by making it possible for innovative companies to work with the Pentagon.
    Third, we must create competitive pressure by rapidly qualifying new suppliers to help build our weapon systems. More than 20,000 suppliers have exited the Navy’s ship building industrial base in the past 20 years – and that’s just the Navy’s industrial base – 20,000 suppliers gone. I hope our witnesses will address how we can lower barriers to second sources and how we can adopt technologies like 3D printing, which can dramatically reduce cost and expedite production schedules.
    Fourth, we must enable senior officials to manage programs by reducing the bureaucracy’s ability to veto their decisions. A typical acquisition must satisfy nearly 50 documentation requirements and get 50 external signoffs. We need to be careful about the taxpayers’ money, but that is excessive. We need to give program managers all of the tools they need for success, while retaining an appropriate level of checks and balances.
    Finally, we should modernize the defense budget process by allowing money to move as fast as technologies and threats change. It currently takes at least two years to request and receive funding. Meanwhile, the commercial sector deploys new generations of technologies in less than two years, and the Pentagon is continually lagging behind. We cannot keep conducting business as usual.
    I repeat: we need a game changer in this regard, and we need it now, because the United States is entering the most dangerous period we’ve faced since World War II. Our adversaries are rapidly innovating and leveraging commercial technologies. In response, we must expand our capacity to produce and sustain high-end weapons, like ships, aircraft, and missiles. At the same time, we must adopt autonomous, adaptive, and networked or swarming systems.
    This is not an either-or effort. We must produce traditional and innovative systems quickly and at the scale of relevance. Doing so will ensure that we can deter our adversaries from taking action against us and our interests. In other words: peace through strength.
    I look forward to discussing those initiatives and more with our witnesses, and again, I welcome all three of them to our hearing. And I recognize my friend, Ranking Member Reed, for his remarks.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: ICYMI: Chairman Wicker Joins Fox’s Brian Kilmeade to Talk Defense Reform, Trump Administration Priorities

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Mississippi Roger Wicker
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger F. Wicker, R-Miss., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, appeared on Fox’s “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade” on Saturday to discuss his urgent priorities on defense reform and bringing back peace through strength under President-elect Trump.
    In his interview, Chairman Wicker stressed the importance of acting on major reforms at the Pentagon, including through his “Freedom’s Forge” plan, to strengthen the defense industrial base under President-elect Trump. Chairman Wicker also discussed the window of opportunity that the President has early in his term to rebuild deterrence and the United States military to send a signal to China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran.
    Following last week’s hearing, Chairman Wicker additionally noted that nominee for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is well on his way to Senate confirmation, and that Hegseth will prove a vital partner for returning peace through strength to the Pentagon. In Hegseth’s hearing, he endorsed Chairman Wicker’s Freedom’s Forge plan, saying that “those are precisely the kinds of ideas that need to be pursued.”
    Read more about “Freedom’s Forge” here, “Peace Through Strength” here, and the FORGED Act here. Key excerpts of the interview are below.
    On Pete Hegseth:
     
    [Pete is] definitely on his way [to confirmation], and I’ll tell you what, we’re going to have a hearing at 5:00 on Inauguration Day, and I think he’ll be reported to the full Senate the very first day…I’d say by the first week, Pete Hegseth will be in place at the Pentagon. And we need somebody right away at the Pentagon. This the most dangerous situation the United States has faced since World War II we’re facing not only Russia and China, but North Korea, and the Ayatollahs, and Iran – they’re and they’re all in it together like they never have been before. So, we need leadership, we need a change, and we need somebody in charge, and I’m really looking forward to working with Pete Hegseth, and also, the team that he’s putting in place.
     
    On defense reform:
     
    Well, we need to act more like a business when it comes to buying things [at the Pentagon]. Well for one thing we need to encourage startup companies. We have been in the Pentagon too comfortable with the old way of doing things. New folks with startup ideas like Elon Musk had a couple of decades ago – we need to encourage them to come forward and make suggestions. And so the point is, we can get to 5% of our gross domestic product on defense, but we can save a lot of money by bringing efficiencies at the same time…as a matter of fact, my report came out before I ever heard of DOGE, so the fact that you’ve got two people really trying to find the same efficiencies that we’ve outlined is music to my ears. This is going to work very well with Elon Musk.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA News: Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation

    Source: The White House

    By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:

    Section 1.  Policy and Purpose.  Across the country today, medical professionals are maiming and sterilizing a growing number of impressionable children under the radical and false claim that adults can change a child’s sex through a series of irreversible medical interventions.  This dangerous trend will be a stain on our Nation’s history, and it must end.

    Countless children soon regret that they have been mutilated and begin to grasp the horrifying tragedy that they will never be able to conceive children of their own or nurture their children through breastfeeding.  Moreover, these vulnerable youths’ medical bills may rise throughout their lifetimes, as they are often trapped with lifelong medical complications, a losing war with their own bodies, and, tragically, sterilization.

    Accordingly, it is the policy of the United States that it will not fund, sponsor, promote, assist, or support the so-called “transition” of a child from one sex to another, and it will rigorously enforce all laws that prohibit or limit these destructive and life-altering procedures.

    Sec. 2.  Definitions.  For the purposes of this order:

    (a)  The term “child” or “children” means an individual or individuals under 19 years of age.

    (b)  The term “pediatric” means relating to the medical care of a child.

    (c)  The phrase “chemical and surgical mutilation” means the use of puberty blockers, including GnRH agonists and other interventions, to delay the onset or progression of normally timed puberty in an individual who does not identify as his or her sex; the use of sex hormones, such as androgen blockers, estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone, to align an individual’s physical appearance with an identity that differs from his or her sex; and surgical procedures that attempt to transform an individual’s physical appearance to align with an identity that differs from his or her sex or that attempt to alter or remove an individual’s sexual organs to minimize or destroy their natural biological functions.  This phrase sometimes is referred to as “gender affirming care.”

    Sec. 3.  Ending Reliance on Junk Science.  (a)  The blatant harm done to children by chemical and surgical mutilation cloaks itself in medical necessity, spurred by guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), which lacks scientific integrity.  In light of the scientific concerns with the WPATH guidance:

    (i)   agencies shall rescind or amend all policies that rely on WPATH guidance, including WPATH’s “Standards of Care Version 8”; and 

    (ii)  within 90 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall publish a review of the existing literature on best practices for promoting the health of children who assert gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion.

    (b)  The Secretary of HHS, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall use all available methods to increase the quality of data to guide practices for improving the health of minors with gender dysphoria, rapid-onset gender dysphoria, or other identity-based confusion, or who otherwise seek chemical or surgical mutilation.

    Sec. 4.  Defunding Chemical and Surgical Mutilation.  The head of each executive department or agency (agency) that provides research or education grants to medical institutions, including medical schools and hospitals, shall, consistent with applicable law and in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children.

    Sec. 5.  Additional Directives to the Secretary of HHS.  (a)  The Secretary of HHS shall, consistent with applicable law, take all appropriate actions to end the chemical and surgical mutilation of children, including regulatory and sub-regulatory actions, which may involve the following laws, programs, issues, or documents:

    (i)    Medicare or Medicaid conditions of participation or conditions for coverage;

    (ii)   clinical-abuse or inappropriate-use assessments relevant to State Medicaid programs;

    (iii)  mandatory drug use reviews;

    (iv)   section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act;

    (v)    quality, safety, and oversight memoranda;

    (vi)   essential health benefits requirements; and

    (vii)  the Eleventh Revision of the International Classification of Diseases and other federally funded manuals, including the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

    (b)  The Secretary of HHS shall promptly withdraw HHS’s March 2, 2022, guidance document titled “HHS Notice and Guidance on Gender Affirming Care, Civil Rights and Patient Privacy” and, in consultation with the Attorney General, issue new guidance protecting whistleblowers who take action related to ensuring compliance with this order.

    Sec. 6.  TRICARE.  The Department of Defense provides health insurance, through TRICARE, to nearly 2 million individuals under the age of 18.  As appropriate and consistent with applicable law, the Secretary of Defense shall commence a rulemaking or sub-regulatory action to exclude chemical and surgical mutilation of children from TRICARE coverage and amend the TRICARE provider handbook to exclude chemical and surgical mutilation of children.

    Sec. 7.  Requirements for Insurance Carriers.  The Director of the Office of Personnel Management, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, shall:

    (a)  include provisions in the Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) programs call letter for the 2026 Plan Year specifying that eligible carriers, including the Foreign Service Benefit Plan, will exclude coverage for pediatric transgender surgeries or hormone treatments; and

    (b)  negotiate to obtain appropriate corresponding reductions in FEHB and PSHB premiums.

    Sec. 8.  Directives to the Department of Justice.  The Attorney General shall:

    (a)  review Department of Justice enforcement of section 116 of title 18, United States Code, and prioritize enforcement of protections against female genital mutilation;

    (b) convene States’ Attorneys General and other law enforcement officers to coordinate the enforcement of laws against female genital mutilation across all American States and Territories; 

    (c)  prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end deception of consumers, fraud, and violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act by any entity that may be misleading the public about long-term side effects of chemical and surgical mutilation;

    (d)  in consultation with the Congress, work to draft, propose, and promote legislation to enact a private right of action for children and the parents of children whose healthy body parts have been damaged by medical professionals practicing chemical and surgical mutilation, which should include a lengthy statute of limitations; and

    (e)  prioritize investigations and take appropriate action to end child-abusive practices by so-called sanctuary States that facilitate stripping custody from parents who support the healthy development of their own children, including by considering the application of the Parental Kidnapping Prevention Act and recognized constitutional rights.

    Sec. 9.  Enforcing Adequate Progress.  Within 60 days of the date of this order, the heads of agencies with responsibilities under this order shall submit a single, combined report to the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, detailing progress in implementing this order and a timeline for future action.  The Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy shall regularly convene the heads of agencies with responsibilities under this order (or their designees) to coordinate and prepare for this submission.

    Sec. 10.  Severability.  If any provision of this order, or the application of any provision to any person or circumstances, is held to be invalid, the remainder of this order and the application of any of its other provisions to any other persons or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.

    Sec. 11.  General Provisions.  (a)  Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

    (i)    the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or

    (ii)   the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

    (b)  This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.

    (c)  This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

    THE WHITE HOUSE,

        January 28, 2025.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: In Veterans Affairs Hearing, King Argues VA Hiring Freeze, Lack of Health Care Data Essentially a “Denial of Benefits”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Maine Angus King
    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King today argued that a lack of health care data and the current Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hiring freeze are denying veterans the benefits they rightly deserve. In a hearing of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee (SVAC), King questioned Naomi Mathis, the Assistant National Legislative Director for Disabled American Veterans (DAV), and John Eaton, the Vice President for the Complex Care Wounded Warrior Project, about the lack of health care data comparing the VA direct care and non-VA community care providers. He also made clear that hiring freezes will make it more difficult for VA staff to carry out their duties, resulting in a decrease in quality care for veterans.
    “This electronic medical records problem started with a no bid contract about five years ago, six years ago, that was extended by the last administration. I still don’t understand why we don’t go out to the market. I’m sorry you mentioned Epic Senator, because Epic is a successful medical record system that I observed in my system. Well, okay, in any case, it seems to me, in order to analyze the issue of the relationship between VA direct care and community care, we need more data. We know exactly the VA wait times and all those kinds of things. We don’t have that kind of data in terms of the private sector. I know in the private sector, in Maine, it is pretty hard to get a get an appointment, and particularly with a specialist. So, I think in order to make policy here, Mr. Chairman, we need some information. We need to have cost comparisons. We need to have time comparisons, wait times. So everybody’s nodding, but that won’t show up in the record. Could somebody say yes,” asked Senator King.
    “Yes. Senator, I wholeheartedly agree. There is no data coming back out of the community back into VA and there is no sort of accountability either when the records don’t show up back to VA. So, you have a provider, a primary care provider, say at VA, that may have sent a patient out to the community for specialized care and the information when the patient comes back to VA, the information is not coming back, therefore that provider is not able to provide an accurate treatment plan for that patient,” replied Mathis.
    “So we don’t have a handle on cost, quality or time. Is that correct,” questioned Senator King.
    “Correct, Senator,” said Mathis.
    “And, by the way, when we’re talking about the time of VAs responsibility and backlogs, a staff freeze isn’t going to help that problem. If there are fewer people to answer the phone, fewer people to process claims, that’s only going to exacerbate the problem, not make it any better. And I note that the that the administration the other day appeared to walk back part of the hiring freeze with regard to direct care providers, but to deny, but to leave a hiring freeze in effect that has fewer people responding, processing claims and those kinds of things. That’s in effect, a denial of benefits itself. Is it not, Mr. Eaton,” Senator King asked again.
    “Yes,” responded Eaton.
    Representing one of the states with the highest rates of veterans per capita, Senator King is a staunch advocate for America’s servicemembers and veterans. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, he has been among the Senate’s most prominent voices on the need to address veterans suicide, and has repeatedly pressed for action from top Department of Defense officials on this issue. An advocate for amplifying veteran voices, Senator King held a field hearing focusing on long-term care in Maine. Additionally, last spring led a letter urging further investments in traumatic brain injury research, the signature wound of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and introduced legislation to provide safe firearm storage for veterans. In 2024, Congress passed Senator King’s bipartisan legislation to improve veterans’ access to health care and benefits.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Grassley Seek Presidential Explanation For IG Dismissals

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    January 28, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, requested President Donald Trump provide the lawfully-required substantive rationale behind his recent decision to dismiss Inspectors General (IGs) from 18 offices. The Senators additionally asked President Trump to share the names of each official who will serve in an acting IG capacity and urged the President to quickly nominate qualified and nonpartisan individuals to permanently fill the current IG vacancies. This weekend, Durbin released a statement after President Trump unlawfully fired independent inspectors general across multiple federal agencies.
    IGs are nonpartisan watchdogs responsible for identifying and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse at federal agencies. IGs serve at the President’s disposal. However, a Grassley-authored amendment signed into law as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the President to provide written, detailed communication informing Congress of the President’s decision to dismiss or transfer an Inspector General at least 30 days before taking action to do so.  
    “While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed. The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements; rather, it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission,” the Senators wrote. 
    “This is a matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s confidence in the Inspector General community, a sentiment shared more broadly by other Members of Congress,” the Senators continued. “IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within the Executive Branch bureaucracy, which you have publicly made clear you are also intent on doing.
    Full text of the letter is available here and below:
    January 28, 2025
    Dear President Trump:
    We write to you today concerning the reported firing of Inspectors General (IGs) from 18 offices.[1] Congress was not provided the legally required 30-day notice and case-specific reasons for removal, as required by law.[2] Accordingly, we request that you provide that information immediately.
    On December 23, 2022, the “James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023” was signed into law and included provisions from the Securing Inspector General Independence Act, which was introduced by a bipartisan group of members.[3]  Those provisions require that the President “shall” communicate to Congress in writing 30 days before removing or transferring an IG from office the “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for the removal or transfer.[4]  The law also prohibits an IG from being placed on non-duty status during the 30-day period preceding the date of removal or transfer unless the continued presence of the Inspector General in the workplace poses a threat as described by requirements in the Administrative Leave Act and the President submits a report to Congress.[5]  
    While IGs aren’t immune from committing acts requiring their removal, and they can be removed by the president, the law must be followed.[6]  The communication to Congress must contain more than just broad and vague statements, rather it must include sufficient facts and details to assure Congress and the public that the termination is due to real concerns about the Inspector General’s ability to carry out their mission.[7]
    This is a matter of public and congressional accountability and ensuring the public’s confidence in the Inspector General community, a sentiment shared more broadly by other Members of Congress.  IGs are critical to rooting out waste, fraud, abuse, and misconduct within the Executive Branch bureaucracy, which you have publicly made clear you are also intent on doing.
    Accordingly, we request that you provide Congress with a written communication that contains the “substantive rationale, including detailed and case-specific reasons” for each of the IG’s removed.  Further, we request the name of each official that will serve in an acting capacity and that you work quickly to nominate qualified and non-partisan individuals to serve in these open positions.
    -30-

    [1] Yamiche Alcindor, Vaughn Hillyard and Laura Strickler, Trump fires 18 inspectors general overnight in legally murky move, NBC News (Jan. 25, 2025) https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-fires-multiple-inspectors-general-legally-murky-overnight-move-rcna189261.  
    [2] Id.; see Pub. L. 117-263.
    [3] See S. 587, Securing Inspector General Independence Act of 2021, 117th Congress (introduced Mar. 4, 2021) https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/587/text.
    [4] Pub. L. 117–263.
    [5] Id.; see 5 U.S.C. § 6329b(b)(2)(A)(i)-(iv) (2) Requirements.-An agency may place an employee in leave under paragraph (1) only if the agency has-(A) made a determination with respect to the employee that the continued presence of the employee in the workplace during an investigation of the employee or while the employee is in a notice period, as applicable, may- (i) pose a threat to the employee or others; (ii) result in the destruction of evidence relevant to an investigation; (iii) result in loss of or damage to Government property; or (iv) otherwise jeopardize legitimate Government interests.
    [6] Pub. L. 117–263.
    [7] Pub. L. 117–263.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Defense Statement Clarifying Defense Contracting

    Source: United States Department of Defense

    “The Department is currently reviewing the OMB Memorandum, “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance,” dated January 27, 2025. As directed by the memorandum, the Department will expeditiously analyze its financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders. In the interim, and as directed by OMB, the Department will temporarily pause activities related to the obligation or disbursement of financial assistance, to the extent permissible under applicable law. The scope of the OMB M-25-13 memo on financial assistance instruments does not include contracts. Contrary to certain media accounts, the Department of Defense has not paused contract awards. The Department continues to award new contracts to fulfill validated mission needs. While we are not aware of any specific contracts or other activities affected, it is possible that activities may be paused if they are determined to fall within the bounds of the guidance. We look forward to providing more details regarding this matter as they develop and become available.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Nations: DR Congo crisis: ‘The violence must end now’, UN Security Council told

    Source: United Nations 4

    28 January 2025 Peace and Security

    The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma – the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

    Vivian van de Perre, Deputy Head of the UN Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), provided a detailed briefing from Goma, highlighting the dire humanitarian situation and the need for “urgent and coordinated international action,” to stop the fighting between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese forces – as they battle for control of the city.

    She reported that the recent clashes have led to massive displacement, with over 178,000 people fleeing Kalehe territory after the M23 took control of Minova.

    More than 34,000 of those on the run have sought refuge in already overcrowded IDP sites in and around Goma, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and overwhelming the city’s infrastructure.

    Rebels and Rwandan troops joint attack

    “Despite the appeals from Member States during the Security Council meeting on 26 January, the M23/RDF [Rwanda Defence Force] launched an attack on Goma, using heavy direct and indirect fire,” Ms. van de Perre stated.

    “These attacks have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, further displacement, and significant trauma among the population.”

    She emphasised the critical role of MONUSCO in providing refuge and protection, noting that the mission has received a large number of people seeking safety, including officials and armed elements who have surrendered.

    “MONUSCO’s bases are not able to accommodate the large number of surrendering elements and civilians seeking refuge,” she said. “The Uruguayan Battalion (URUBATT) alone has taken in approximately 1,200 Congolese soldiers and over a thousand civilians, placing immense pressure on resources.”

    UN bases ‘not safe’

    The situation is further complicated by damage to water tanks, compromising the security of UN personnel and property.

    “Our bases are not safe: two mortars have hit MONUSCO bases and compounds in the last three days, as well as numerous bullets,” Ms. van de Perre reported.

    “Installations of [formed police unit] staff in Jambar camp have been destroyed and burnt.”

    Casualty evacuation efforts remain a significant challenge, with peacekeepers injured during the fighting in Sake.

    Despite the closure of Goma airport, MONUSCO continues to facilitate medical evacuations with the help of SAMIDRC – the Southern African Development Community mission in DRC.

    Evacuation of injured ‘blue helmets’

    “We continue to do our utmost to ensure timely evacuation of injured peacekeepers and other casualties to our level 3 hospital in Goma despite continued challenges,” Ms. van de Perre said.

    The M23 and Rwandan forces’ capture of Goma’s international airport and their advance from multiple directions have heightened the risk of weapons proliferation, as combatants blend into the civilian population, the Deputy UN Special Representative continued.

    The mass influx of IDPs, separation of families, and escape of prisoners from Goma prison have increased the vulnerability of women and children to sexual and gender-based violence.

    Ms. van de Perre called on all parties to guarantee the protection of life and access to basic services, and to prevent sexual violence.

    “The degree of suffering that the population here in Goma and its environs is enduring is truly unimaginable,” she said.

    “Let us please draw on our humanity and do our utmost to bring an immediate end to such levels of violence and suffering.”

    In light of the ongoing conflict, Ms. van de Perre urged the establishment of humanitarian corridors between Goma, Minova and Bukavu, and the reopening of critical airports and border points.

    Political solution must be found

    She emphasised that military action cannot resolve the conflict and called for a resumption of the Luanda Process under the auspices of the Angolan Government to ensure de-escalation and “avert the looming threat of a third Congo war.”

    The briefing concluded with a call for urgent and coordinated international action to address the crisis in Goma. Despite the challenges, MONUSCO remains a vital lifeline for vulnerable groups, but its effectiveness is being severely tested by the ongoing violence and logistical difficulties.

    “The protection of civilians and the pursuit of a peaceful resolution must be prioritised to end the suffering in Goma,” MONUSCO’s deputy head stressed.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Marshall Islands, military leaders strengthen partnership, defense

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    MAJURO, Marshall, Islands  –  

    U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s senior military official to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) met with local leaders in Majuro to discuss defense and security, Jan 23.

    Commander, Joint Task Force-Micronesia (JTF-M) U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Greg Huffman spoke with representatives from the U.S. Embassy and RMI National Security Director Chris deBrum during the visit.

    The U.S. has a longstanding relationship with the RMI and, continued under the recently renewed Compact of Free Association, is responsible for its defense. Established in June 2024, JTF-M’s mission is to synchronize military operations and activities across all domains from seabed to space to promote regional security and stability.

    “I am thankful for the opportunity to build upon the partnership we share with the people of the Marshall Islands,” Huffman said. “We have the common goal of maintaining peace and security in the region and will continue to work together to grow our collective maritime domain awareness and strengthen our defense here and across all of Micronesia.”

    Huffman shared his commitment to open lines of communication with RMI’s leadership and community about potential military activities and future investments. He also underscored the value of a common operating picture to counter illegal activity in the region.

    “We look forward to partnering more closely with INDOPACOM to address security concerns,” deBrum said. “We have overlapping issues so to be able to share resources is critical to our mutual success.”

    Huffman met with members of the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) at their headquarters in Majuro, where the MIMRA team provided a capabilities brief. He also met with Commander, U.S. Army Garrison-Kwajalein Atoll Col. Andrew Morgan and Royal Australian Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lachlan Sommerville, maritime security advisor, for updates in their respective areas of responsibility.

    Dedicated to promoting regional stability, JTF-M performs Homeland Defense, Defense Support to Civil Authorities, and Foreign Humanitarian Assistance through a whole of government approach within its assigned joint operations area.

    For more information about JTF-M, visit https://www.pacom.mil/JTF-Micronesia/

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Hagerty Stands with Small Businesses, Supports Repeal of Misnamed Corporate Transparency Act

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty

    January 28, 2025

    WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, has joined Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and his colleagues in introducing legislation that would repeal the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) and its onerous small business reporting requirements.
    Background
    The CTA was passed into law as part of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. While the bill intended to target shell companies that facilitate illicit activities, in practice, it created substantial compliance burdens for approximately 32.6 million law-abiding small businesses and associations that operate as corporations or limited liability companies. Penalties for noncompliance can result in up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The Biden Administration’s botched implementation of the CTA only worsened the situation; according to a survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), 83 percent of their members were unfamiliar with the reporting requirements.
    The legislation co-sponsored by Hagerty, the Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act, would repeal the CTA.
    Full text of the legislation can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: At Hearing, Defense Contractor Agrees with Warren: Legal Loopholes Should Not Lead to Price-Gouging the Military

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    January 28, 2025
    Warren: “The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing.”
    Defense contractor agrees legal loopholes should not lead to price-gouging the military
    Video of Hearing
    Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Palantir Technologies, about defense contractors exploiting loopholes to price gouge the military. 
    Senator Warren highlighted an enormous loophole in military acquisition rules that allows defense contractors to market a product as “commercial” even when the product is only made for and sold to our military. As the only customer, the Department of Defense (DoD) has no way to negotiate a fair market price without cost or pricing data, resulting in the department often overpaying for products and services. 
    In one example, defense contractor Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress to get its engines treated as commercial items and subsequently doubled the price of the engine. 
    “I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item,” Mr. Shankar said.
    Last year, DoD’s Inspector General released a report that found Boeing paid the Air Force 80 times the available commercial price for a soap dispenser and recommended companies be required to alert the government when prices go up 25% or more. 
    “I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military,” Senator Warren said to Mr. Sankar. As a result, she asked him to commit to the Pentagon watchdog’s recommendation that bid contractors should provide notice when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. Mr. Sankar refused to commit Palantir to that recommendation but said he would get back to the committee. 
    Senator Warren’s bipartisan Stop Price Gouging the Military Act would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense (DoD) the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs.
    Transcript: Hearings to examine defense innovation and acquisition reform.Senate Armed Services CommitteeJanuary 28, 2025
    Senator Elizabeth Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you for holding this hearing. So, DoD buys a lot of stuff from defense contractors, and to protect the military and taxpayers, it’s long been the law that defense contractors must give DoD contracting officers certified cost and pricing data to help verify that a price that’s being charged is fair and reasonable. 
    One of the big exceptions to this, though, is for, “commercial goods and services,” based on the principle that the market will make sure it’s a fair price. If you could buy it on Amazon, that’s a fair price. You don’t have to go into all the background on how you got there. I get that, and I am all for commercial buying. But the fact is, this is turned into a massive loophole where big defense contractors withhold data, even though there’s no market, and DoD, effectively the only customer, doesn’t have this information so that these giant companies can price gouge the military. 
    I want to give you an example here. For years, the army was buying Chinook helicopter engines from Honeywell, and Honeywell successfully lobbied Congress so its engines would be treated as commercial, and Honeywell wouldn’t have to turn over the certified cost and pricing data. Now, Mr. Sankar, you’re the CTO of Palantir, a billion-dollar tech company that contracts with DoD once Honeywell got the engine moved to a commercial engine. 
    What do you think happened to the price?
    Mr. Shyam Sankar, Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, Palantir Technologies: I’m not familiar, Senator. 
    Senator Warren: Well, it went up, not down, by 100%, and that’s the problem we’ve got here too often. DOD is outgunned when it is negotiating with these giant defense contractors, which is exactly why it needs the cost and pricing data to avoid being ripped off. Now, Mr. Sankar, your company, Palantir, is looking to create a consortium with another defense tech company, Anduril, is that right? Yeah. To jointly bid for something called “other transactions agreements,” or since we have to give everything initial OTAs, where the government also waives taxpayer protections on how to get pricing information. And I’m sure it is not your intent to team up with another organization in order to price gouge the military. This next question should probably be easy here. DoD’s inspector general recommended requiring bid contractors to alert military contracting offices when the price of a good or service goes up by 25%. In other words, move it up so other people know, and can get eyes on it. Mr. Sankar, do you agree with the IGs recommendation?
    Mr. Sankar: I do agree. I think the price signal is part of the competitive market and encouraging more entrants and capital to efficiently be allocated to improve things.
    Senator Warren: Excellent. And will Palantir agree to do that voluntarily?
    Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team here, but I don’t think we would have any conceptual disagreement with that. 
    Senator Warren: Okay, so can I treat that as a yes? 
    Mr. Sankar: I would defer to my team. 
    Senator Warren: Well, I want to be clear here because the—
    Mr. Sankar: As the CTO, I don’t speak on the business side. 
    Senator Warren: Fair enough. Look, we only know about most of these overcharges because of the work that the Department of Defense’s Inspector General has done. This is the person who President Trump just illegally fired on Friday night, along with at least 16 other IGs. I am deeply concerned that this administration is removing exactly the cops on the beat that we need to identify waste and to prevent these kinds of increases. 
    So, Mr. Sankar, do you think it helps or hurts national security to have Senate-confirmed watchdogs, who can be there on pricing questions, like this, to call balls and strikes?
    Mr. Sankar: As a technologist, what I can speak to is, when you look at Intel in the late 60s, 96% of the market for integrated circuits was the Apollo program and the DOD. But Bob Noyce, says, the co-founder of Intel, the CO inventor the transistor, always envisioned a bigger commercial market, our ability to deliver a salt breaker and ultimately have an asymmetric threat against the Soviets—
    Senator Warren: Can you relate that to the question?
    Mr. Sankar: Yeah. I promise it will get there. Ability to deliver a salt breaker was because, actually he could, he could create integrated circuits that were 1000s of times cheaper than when we were building Apollo. That was only possible because he had an eye towards the commercial market. So I completely agree that if you have a fake commercial item that doesn’t actually have commercial applicability, if the company is not able to leverage a diversified R&D base that goes beyond the government, that is the promise that should lead to price performance improvements for the government, then you’re not getting the value of the commercial item. But when we look at space, for example, I grew up in the shadow of the Space Coast, the cost to get a kilogram into orbit for the shuttle, was $50,000 a kilogram, the cost with starship heavy reuse will be 10 bucks.
    Senator Warren: Mr. Sankar, I very much appreciate that you’re trying to push here on cost. I am too. The question I had asked you is whether or not we need IGs—who are the whistleblowers who say people are cheating on the cost, for example, on the definition of commercial—or somebody who can help us bring these costs down. The Pentagon is spending $440 billion this year on contracts. It’s important for us to get better procedures in place to get some eyes on what they’re doing. And IGs help us do that. Thank you.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Two New Jersey Men Convicted For Their Roles In The Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, Including A Leader Convicted Of Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. –  Yesterday afternoon a Newark jury convicted two New Jersey men for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    Michael Mayse, 38, of Newark, a leader of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of murder, drug trafficking conspiracy, and related drug and firearms offenses.

    Gary Shahid, 66, of Newark, a drug supplier of the Stephen Crane Drug Trafficking Organization, was convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy, distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and firearms offenses.

    “This Office’s commitment to prosecuting violent crime and serious drug trafficking offenses is unwavering.  This case demonstrates the strength of our partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and ensures that serious consequences will follow for these defendants.”

    Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna

    “ATF remains steadfast in identifying and apprehending those who are terrorizing our neighborhoods with violence and senseless disorder,” ATF Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr., Newark Field Division stated.  “These guilty verdicts bring accountability to violent criminals whose actions disregard criminal law, human life, and public safety. We will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners and secure the safety of our communities.”

    “Drug trafficking can be a dangerous and violent game, often entangled with the deadly consequences. Today’s conviction against these two members of the Stephen Crane Village Drug Trafficking Organization, who repeatedly used violence when operating their criminal enterprise, shows the commitment the DEA and our law enforcement partners have in keeping our communities safe and making sure those responsible for these types of violent crimes face the consequences for their actions,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz, New Jersey Field Division.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    Stephen Crane Village is a public housing complex near Branch Brook Park, on the border of Newark, New Jersey and Belleville, New Jersey. Stephen Crane Village was the site of an open-air drug market controlled by a violent drug trafficking organization (“DTO”) from at least February 2019 through February 2020.

    Through numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, consensually recorded telephone calls and text messages, physical surveillance, electronic surveillance, and the analysis of telephone call detail records, law enforcement determined that the members of the DTO conspired to distribute narcotics, including heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine base, in and around Stephen Crane Village.

    The DTO used a drug stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village to package and store their drugs for distribution. The DTO sold significant quantities of drugs to confidential sources and an undercover agent. On December 15, 2019, Mayse entered the DTO’s stash apartment in Stephen Crane Village and murdered a member of the DTO over a monetary debt relating to the drug trafficking conspiracy.

    The count of conspiracy to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin carries a minimum sentence of five years in prison, maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, and a fine of up to $5 million. The counts of distribution of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a fine of $1 million. The count for of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 100 grams or more of heroin, and 500 grams or more of cocaine carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million. The count of murder during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The count of discharging a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.  The counts of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a minimum sentence of 5 years in prison, a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a $250,000 fine.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents and task force officers with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; special agents and task force officers of the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz; the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Theodore N. Stephens II and Chief Mitchell G. McGuire; the Newark Police Department, under the direction of Director Emanuel Miranda; and the Belleville Police Department, under the direction of Chief Mark Minichini.  He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for their assistance with this case.

    The investigation was conducted as part of the Newark Violent Crime Initiative (VCI). The Newark VCI was formed in August 2017 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the City of Newark’s Department of Public Safety for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Newark. As part of this partnership, federal, state, county, and city agencies collaborate and pool resources to prosecute violent offenders who endanger the safety of the community. The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the ATF, the DEA, the DHS/HSI, the USMS, the Newark Department of Public Safety, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the Essex County Sheriff’s Office, New Jersey State Parole, Union County Jail, New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center, New Jersey Department of Corrections, the East Orange Police Department, and the Irvington Police Department.

    This case is also conducted under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracey Agnew of the Criminal Division in Trenton and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Goldberg of the Organized Crime and Gangs Unit in Newark.

                                                     ###

    Defense counsel:

    Thomas Ambrosio, Esq., for Gary Shahid

    Joel Silberman, Esq., and Keith Oliver, Esq., for Michael Mayse

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Tuberville Supporting Elimination of DEI, Restoration of Lethality in Armed Forces

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alabama Tommy Tuberville
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) issued a statement in support of President Donald Trump’s latest executive orders restoring lethality to the United States Armed Forces.
    “For the past four years, I have sounded the alarm about Joe Biden and the far-left, progressive Democrats politicizing our military,” said Senator Tuberville. “As a result, recruitment has fallen to the lowest levels since before World War II. We need our military to be a fighting machine, not a playground for Democrats’ culture war. Thankfully, change is here. Yesterday’s executive orders from President Donald Trump eliminate DEI in the military, reinstate service members discharged for refusing the COVID vaccine, and ensure military standards are updated to prioritize readiness, restore lethality, and build confidence in our Armed Forces. With President Trump and Secretary Hegseth at the helm, our military will be 100% focused on protecting our country and putting America First on the world stage.”
    MORE:
    Tuberville: “We need a military that is 100% focused on protecting our country and enhancing national security.”
    ICYMI: Tuberville op-ed: “Biden is Infecting Our Military With Woke Politics While the World Implodes”
    Tuberville Questioned Army Officials on Lasting Effects of Vaccine Policy on the Military
    Tuberville, Colleagues Help Secure Provision To Protect Servicemembers From COVID Vaccine Mandate In 2023 NDAA
    Tuberville Questions Pentagon about COVID Vaccine Military Discharge
    Tuberville Demands Answers on Military’s Vaccine Mandate
    Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP, and Aging Committees.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Australia: Army Reservists in the firing line from unsupportive managers

    Source: University of South Australia

    29 January 2025

    Australians love their war heroes but a new national survey of 800 managers shows that sentiment doesn’t extend to part-time soldiers on their payroll, many of whom experience indifference, hostility and discrimination in the workplace.

    Almost one in five managers indicated their organisation would likely give ‘low or very low support’ to an Army reservist taking leave for training and combat duties.

    The study, led by University of South Australia sociologist Associate Professor Brad West, and employment relations Associate Professor Dr Josh Healy from the University of Sydney, has been recently published  by the Australian Army Research Centre.

    Interviews with 60 Army reservists based at three different locations in Sydney, Brisbane and Townsville also revealed that middle managers in both the private sector and government consistently sought to deny Defence leave requests, largely irrespective of the organisation’s official stance.

    This contrasted with a generally positive view of Army reservists as employees, with most employers believing they were hard workers (80%) and creative problem solvers (70%).

    The study revealed a large mismatch between employers’ public declarations of support for Army reservists and the actual tensions that occurred in workplaces.

    A novel feature of the survey is that managers were asked to consider a hypothetical reservist called John and indicate how they would respond in a range of common workplace situations if John was on their payroll. The 60 reservists interviewed provided feedback from their actual experiences in the workplace.

    Support for the part-time soldiers differed between industries, with managers in public administration, mining and healthcare sectors reporting a ‘significantly higher willingness’ to support reservists’ service. Part of this is attributed to large numbers of reservists and veterans already working in these sectors.

    “One factor contributing to tensions in the less supportive workplaces was an incorrect perception among many managers that military skills were not useful in the civilian workplace,” Assoc Prof West says.

    Almost 40% of managers said military training and experience would have ‘low or very low relevance’ in their organisation.

    One reservist interviewed in the focus groups provided this feedback:

    “Management loves to put the word forward, super supportive, love the Reserves, Defence Force, yeah let’s go, but the second it comes to jumping on a course, they question everything. They question the importance of the Defence Force and that course. They question whether I really need to be going to that course.”

    “Interestingly, managers’ own personal attributes are generally not the main drivers of differences in their perceptions of reservists,” Assoc Prof Healy says. “We didn’t find different attitudes because of managers’ age, or sex, or even their own education levels.”

    The focus groups revealed that the support that reservists receive in the workforce is not only related to attitudes towards the military, but specifically to the role of reservists.

     “There is a lack of understanding among employers. They think it’s either a holiday or a hobby or just something fun to go on your days off, or a cash grab,” one reservist said. “When I try to explain to them that if something big happens in the Pacific tomorrow, I might have to go frontline, they don’t accept that.”

    Despite the lack of support from managers, most reservists said they were motivated by a volunteer ethos and serving their country.

    “It’s not the money or the lifestyle but that fact that I am helping Australia’s national interests and contributing to something larger than myself,” according to one interviewee.

    More information on the project, including recommendations stemming from the study, is available at:
    Drawing on Reserves | Australian Army Research Centre (AARC)

    A video explaining the findings is available at: Army Reservists in the firing line

    Notes for editors and authors

    This report is part of the Occasional Papers series produced by the Australian Army Research Centre (AARC) which publishes original, high-quality research that generate informed discussion and new ideas that contribute to Army modernisation and the future of land power.

    Brad West is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of South Australia who researches the interconnections between war, the military and civil society.

    Josh Healy is an Associate Professor in Managing People and Organisations at the University of Sydney Business School, with a research focus on developments shaping the future of work. 

    …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

    Media contact: Candy Gibson M:  0434 605 142 E: candy.gibson@unisa.edu.au

    Researcher: Associate Professor Brad West E: brad.west@unisa.edu.au

    MIL OSI News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI: Qorvo® Announces Fiscal 2025 Third Quarter Financial Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Qorvo® (Nasdaq:QRVO), a leading global provider of connectivity and power solutions, today announced financial results for the Company’s fiscal 2025 third quarter ended December 28, 2024.

    On a GAAP basis, revenue for Qorvo’s fiscal 2025 third quarter was $916.3 million, gross margin was 42.7%, operating income was $53.0 million, and diluted earnings per share was $0.43. On a non-GAAP basis, gross margin was 46.5%, operating income was $177.9 million, and diluted earnings per share was $1.61.

    Bob Bruggeworth, president and chief executive officer of Qorvo, said, “Qorvo is executing on a broad set of strategic initiatives to expand margin, generate strong free cash flow, and increase shareholder value. During the December quarter, we continued to successfully support our largest customer, who represented approximately 50% of sales. Within our Android 5G product portfolio, we are narrowing our focus to the higher-value flagship and premium tiers, where customers value Qorvo’s differentiated products. In HPA, we had record Defense & Aerospace quarterly revenue and expect continued strength in the March quarter. As we continue to execute on our growth and diversification strategy, we expect HPA and CSG to deliver double-digit growth in fiscal 2025 and next fiscal year.”

    Financial Commentary and Outlook

    Grant Brown, chief financial officer of Qorvo, said, “Qorvo exceeded the midpoint of our December quarter non-GAAP guidance in revenue, gross margin, and EPS. During the quarter, we took proactive steps to change how we support our Android business. These actions will reduce operating expense and are expected to benefit gross margin in our fiscal 2026. Subsequent to the quarter, we divested our silicon carbide business. These actions, in aggregate, are expected to support a high-40%’s gross margin in seasonally strong quarters of fiscal 2026 and additional gross margin improvement in fiscal 2027.”

    Qorvo’s current outlook for the March 2025 quarter is:

    • Quarterly revenue of approximately $850 million, plus or minus $25 million1
    • Non-GAAP gross margin between 43% and 44%
    • Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share between $0.90 and $1.10

    1 Includes immaterial silicon carbide revenue, versus silicon carbide revenue of approximately $9 million in the December 2024 quarter

    See “Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures” below. Qorvo’s actual quarterly results may differ from these expectations and projections, and such differences may be material.

    Selected Financial Information

    The following tables set forth selected GAAP and non-GAAP financial information for Qorvo for the periods indicated. See the more detailed financial information for Qorvo, including reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP financial information, attached.

    SELECTED GAAP RESULTS
    (In millions, except for percentages and EPS)
    (Unaudited)
                           
      Q3 Fiscal 2025   Q2 Fiscal 2025   Q3 Fiscal 2024   Sequential Change   Year-over-Year Change
    Revenue $ 916.3     $ 1,046.5     $ 1,073.9     $ (130.2 )   $ (157.6 )
    Gross profit $ 391.4     $ 445.3     $ 387.9     $ (53.9 )   $ 3.5  
    Gross margin   42.7 %     42.6 %     36.1 %   0.1 ppt   6.6 ppt
    Operating expenses $ 338.4     $ 435.6     $ 429.4     $ (97.2 )   $ (91.0 )
    Operating income (loss) $ 53.0     $ 9.7     $ (41.6 )   $ 43.3     $ 94.6  
    Net income (loss) $ 41.3     $ (17.4 )   $ (126.9 )   $ 58.7     $ 168.2  
    Weighted-average diluted shares   95.0       94.9       97.2       0.1       (2.2 )
    Diluted EPS (loss per share) $ 0.43     $ (0.18 )   $ (1.31 )   $ 0.61     $ 1.74  
                           
                           
    SELECTED NON-GAAP RESULTS(1)
    (In millions, except for percentages and EPS)
    (Unaudited)
                           
      Q3 Fiscal 2025   Q2 Fiscal 2025   Q3 Fiscal 2024   Sequential Change   Year-over-Year Change
    Revenue $ 916.3     $ 1,046.5     $ 1,073.9     $ (130.2 )   $ (157.6 )
    Gross profit $ 426.3     $ 492.0     $ 470.5     $ (65.7 )   $ (44.2 )
    Gross margin   46.5 %     47.0 %     43.8 %   (0.5) ppt   2.7 ppt
    Operating expenses $ 248.4     $ 279.8     $ 234.0     $ (31.4 )   $ 14.4  
    Operating income $ 177.9     $ 212.2     $ 236.5     $ (34.3 )   $ (58.6 )
    Net income $ 152.8     $ 179.8     $ 205.9     $ (27.0 )   $ (53.1 )
    Weighted-average diluted shares   95.0       95.8       97.8       (0.8 )     (2.8 )
    Diluted EPS $ 1.61     $ 1.88     $ 2.10     $ (0.27 )   $ (0.49 )

    (1) Adjusted for stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring-related charges, acquisition and integration-related costs, goodwill and other asset impairments, net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement, gain or loss on assets, other expense or income, gain or loss on investments, and an adjustment of income taxes.

    SELECTED GAAP RESULTS BY OPERATING SEGMENT
    (In millions, except percentages)
    (Unaudited)
      Q3 Fiscal 2025   Q2 Fiscal 2025   Q3 Fiscal 2024   Sequential Change   Year-over-Year Change
    Revenue                  
    HPA $ 171.7     $ 148.3     $ 118.9     15.8 %   44.4 %
    CSG   109.5       146.8       108.9     (25.4 )%   0.6 %
    ACG   635.1       751.4       846.1     (15.5 )%   (24.9 )%
    Total revenue $ 916.3     $ 1,046.5     $ 1,073.9     (12.4 )%   (14.7 )%
    Operating income (loss)                  
    HPA $ 32.6     $ 13.1     $ 1.6     148.9 %   1,937.5 %
    CSG   (11.7 )     (9.0 )     (25.6 )   (30.0 )%   54.3 %
    ACG   161.2       215.1       263.8     (25.1 )%   (38.9 )%
    All other(1)   (129.1 )     (209.5 )     (281.4 )   38.4 %   54.1 %
    Total operating income (loss) $ 53.0     $ 9.7     $ (41.6 )   446.4 %   227.4 %
    Operating income (loss) as a % of revenue                      
    HPA   19.0 %     8.8 %     1.3 %   10.2 ppt   17.7 ppt
    CSG   (10.7 )     (6.1 )     (23.5 )   (4.6) ppt   12.8 ppt
    ACG   25.4       28.6       31.2     (3.2) ppt   (5.8) ppt
    Total operating income (loss) as a % of revenue   5.8 %     0.9 %   (3.9 )%   4.9 ppt   9.7 ppt

    (1) Includes stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring-related charges, acquisition and integration-related costs, goodwill and other asset impairments, net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement, gain or loss on assets, other expense or income, costs associated with upgrading certain of the Company’s core business systems and other miscellaneous corporate overhead expenses.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    In addition to disclosing financial results calculated in accordance with United States (U.S.) generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), this earnings release contains some or all of the following non-GAAP financial measures: (i) non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin, (ii) non-GAAP operating expenses, operating income and operating margin, (iii) non-GAAP net income, (iv) non-GAAP net income per diluted share, (v) free cash flow, (vi) EBITDA, (vii) non-GAAP return on invested capital (ROIC), and (viii) net debt or positive net cash. Each of these non-GAAP financial measures is either adjusted from GAAP results to exclude certain expenses or derived from multiple GAAP measures, which are outlined in the “Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Financial Measures” tables, attached, and the “Additional Selected Non-GAAP Financial Measures and Reconciliations” tables, attached.

    In managing Qorvo’s business on a consolidated basis, management develops an annual operating plan, which is approved by our Board of Directors, using non-GAAP financial measures. In developing and monitoring performance against this plan, management considers the actual or potential impacts on these non-GAAP financial measures from actions taken to reduce costs with the goal of increasing gross margin and operating margin. In addition, management relies upon these non-GAAP financial measures to assess whether research and development efforts are at an appropriate level, and when making decisions about product spending, administrative budgets, and other operating expenses. Also, we believe that non-GAAP financial measures provide useful supplemental information to investors and enable investors to analyze the results of operations in the same way as management. We have chosen to provide this supplemental information to enable investors to perform additional comparisons of our operating results, to assess our liquidity and capital position and to analyze financial performance excluding the effect of expenses unrelated to operations, and stock-based compensation expense, which may obscure trends in Qorvo’s underlying performance.

    We believe that these non-GAAP financial measures offer an additional view of Qorvo’s operations that, when coupled with the GAAP results and the reconciliations to corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of Qorvo’s results of operations and the factors and trends affecting Qorvo’s business. However, these non-GAAP financial measures should be considered as a supplement to, and not as a substitute for, or superior to, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with GAAP.

    Our rationale for using these non-GAAP financial measures, as well as their impact on the presentation of Qorvo’s operations, are outlined below:

    Non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin. Non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin exclude amortization of intangible assets, stock-based compensation expense, restructuring-related charges, acquisition and integration-related costs, and certain other expense (income). We believe that exclusion of these costs in presenting non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin facilitates a useful evaluation of our historical performance and projected costs and the potential for realizing cost efficiencies.

    We view amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets, such as the amortization of the cost associated with an acquired company’s research and development efforts, trade names, and customer relationships, as items arising from pre-acquisition activities, determined at the time of an acquisition, rather than ongoing costs of operating Qorvo’s business. While these intangible assets are continually evaluated for impairment, amortization of the cost of purchased intangible assets is a static expense, which is not typically affected by operations during any particular period. Although we exclude the amortization of purchased intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase price accounting and contribute to revenue generation.

    We believe that presentation of non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin and other non-GAAP financial measures that exclude the impact of stock-based compensation expense assists management and investors in evaluating the period-over-period performance of Qorvo’s ongoing operations because (i) the expenses are non-cash in nature, and (ii) although the size of the grants is within our control, the amount of expense varies depending on factors such as short-term fluctuations in stock price volatility and prevailing interest rates, which can be unrelated to the operational performance of Qorvo during the period in which the expense is incurred and generally are outside the control of management. Moreover, we believe that the exclusion of stock-based compensation expense in presenting non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin and other non-GAAP financial measures is useful to investors to understand the impact of the expensing of stock-based compensation to Qorvo’s gross profit and gross margins and other financial measures in comparison to prior periods. We also believe that the adjustments to profit and margin related to restructuring-related charges, and acquisition and integration-related costs do not constitute part of Qorvo’s ongoing operations and therefore the exclusion of these items provides management and investors with better visibility into the actual costs required to generate revenues over time and facilitates a useful evaluation of our historical and projected performance. We believe disclosure of non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin has economic substance because the excluded expenses do not represent continuing cash expenditures and, as described above, we have little control over the timing and amount of the expenses in question.

    Non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin also exclude net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement. In October 2023, a long-term capacity reservation agreement with a foundry supplier was amended. Pursuant to the amendment, Qorvo is no longer obligated to order silicon wafers from the foundry supplier and the agreement was terminated effective December 31, 2023. Included in the net adjustments to our cost of goods sold for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 is a contract termination fee which we paid during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. We believe these net adjustments are not reflective of the performance of our ongoing business.

    Non-GAAP operating expenses, operating income and operating margin. Non-GAAP operating expenses, operating income and operating margin exclude stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition and integration-related costs, goodwill and other asset impairments, restructuring-related charges, net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement, (gain) loss on assets and certain other expense (income). We believe that presentation of a measure of operating expenses, operating income and operating margin that excludes amortization of intangible assets and stock-based compensation expense is useful to both management and investors for the same reasons as described above with respect to our use of non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin. We believe that acquisition and integration-related costs, goodwill and other asset impairments, restructuring-related charges, net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement, (gain) loss on assets and certain other expense (income) do not constitute part of Qorvo’s ongoing operations and therefore, the exclusion of these costs provides management and investors with better visibility into the actual costs required to generate revenues over time and facilitates a useful evaluation of our historical and projected performance. We believe disclosure of non-GAAP operating expenses, operating income and operating margin has economic substance because the excluded expenses are either unrelated to ongoing operations or do not represent current cash expenditures.

    Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share. Non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share exclude the effects of stock-based compensation expense, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition and integration-related costs, goodwill and other asset impairments, restructuring-related charges, net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement, (gain) loss on assets, certain other expense (income), gain or loss on investments, and also reflect an adjustment of income taxes. The income tax adjustment primarily represents the use of research and development tax credit carryforwards, deferred tax expense (benefit) items not affecting taxes payable, adjustments related to the deemed and actual repatriation of historical foreign earnings, non-cash expense (benefit) related to uncertain tax positions and other items unrelated to the current fiscal year or that are not indicative of our ongoing business operations. We believe that presentation of measures of net income and net income per diluted share that exclude these items is useful to both management and investors for the reasons described above with respect to non-GAAP gross profit and gross margin and non-GAAP operating expenses, operating income and operating margin. We believe disclosure of non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP net income per diluted share has economic substance because the excluded expenses are either unrelated to ongoing operations or do not represent current cash expenditures.

    Free cash flow. Qorvo defines free cash flow as net cash provided by operating activities during the period minus property and equipment expenditures made during the period, and free cash flow margin is calculated as free cash flow as a percentage of revenue. We use free cash flow as a supplemental financial measure in our evaluation of liquidity and financial strength. Management believes that this measure is useful as an indicator of our ability to service our debt, meet other payment obligations and make strategic investments. Free cash flow should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, net income as a measure of our performance and net cash provided by operating activities as a measure of our liquidity. Additionally, our definition of free cash flow is limited, in that it does not represent residual cash flows available for discretionary expenditures due to the fact that the measure does not deduct the payments required for debt service and other contractual obligations. Therefore, we believe it is important to view free cash flow as a measure that provides supplemental information to our entire statement of cash flows.

    EBITDA. Qorvo adjusts GAAP net income for interest expense, interest income, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation and intangible amortization expense, stock-based compensation and other charges that are not representative of Qorvo’s ongoing operations (including goodwill and other asset impairments, investment activity, acquisition-related costs and restructuring-related costs and certain net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement) when presenting EBITDA. Management believes that this measure is useful to evaluate our ongoing operations and as a general indicator of our operating cash flow (in conjunction with a cash flow statement which also includes among other items, changes in working capital and the effect of non-cash charges).

    Non-GAAP ROIC. Return on invested capital (ROIC) is a non-GAAP financial measure that management believes provides useful supplemental information for management and the investor by measuring the effectiveness of our operations’ use of invested capital to generate profits. We use ROIC to track how much value we are creating for our shareholders. Non-GAAP ROIC is calculated by dividing annualized non-GAAP operating income, net of an adjustment for income taxes (as described above), by average invested capital. Average invested capital is calculated by subtracting the average of the beginning balance and the ending balance of equity plus net debt, less certain goodwill.

    Net debt or positive net cash. Net debt or positive net cash is defined as unrestricted cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments minus any borrowings under our credit facility and the principal balance of our senior unsecured notes. Management believes that net debt or positive net cash provides useful information regarding the level of Qorvo’s indebtedness by reflecting cash and investments that could be used to repay debt.

    Inventory days on hand. Inventory days on hand is defined as (a) average net inventory for the period, divided by (b) the result of non-GAAP cost of goods sold for the period divided by the number of days in the period.

    Forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures. Our earnings release contains forward-looking free cash flow, gross margin, income tax rate and diluted earnings per share. We provide these non-GAAP measures to investors on a prospective basis for the same reasons (set forth above) that we provide them to investors on a historical basis. We are unable to provide a reconciliation of the forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable forward-looking GAAP financial measures without unreasonable effort due to variability and difficulty in making accurate projections for items that would be required to be included in the GAAP measures, such as stock-based compensation, acquisition and integration-related costs, restructuring-related charges, gain or loss on assets, goodwill and other asset impairments, gain or loss on investments and the provision for income taxes, which could have a potentially significant impact on our future GAAP results.

    Limitations of non-GAAP financial measures. The primary material limitations associated with the use of non-GAAP financial measures as an analytical tool compared to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are these non-GAAP financial measures (i) may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies in our industry, and (ii) exclude financial information that some may consider important in evaluating our performance, thus limiting their usefulness as a comparative tool. We compensate for these limitations by providing full disclosure of the differences between these non-GAAP financial measures and the corresponding GAAP financial measures, including a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the corresponding GAAP financial measures, to enable investors to perform their own analysis of our gross profit and gross margin, operating expenses, operating income, net income, net income per diluted share and net cash provided by operating activities. We further compensate for the limitations of our use of non-GAAP financial measures by presenting the corresponding GAAP measures more prominently.

    Qorvo will conduct a conference call at 4:30 p.m. ET today to discuss today’s press release. The conference call will be broadcast live over the Internet and can be accessed by any interested party at the following URL: https://ir.qorvo.com (under “Events & Presentations”). A telephone playback of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the call’s completion and can be accessed by dialing 1-412-317-0088 and using the passcode 8143934. The playback will be available through the close of business February 4, 2025.

    About Qorvo

    Qorvo (Nasdaq:QRVO) supplies innovative semiconductor solutions that make a better world possible. We combine product and technology leadership, systems-level expertise and global manufacturing scale to quickly solve our customers’ most complex technical challenges. Qorvo serves diverse high-growth segments of large global markets, including automotive, consumer, defense & aerospace, industrial & enterprise, infrastructure and mobile. Visit www.qorvo.com to learn how our diverse and innovative team is helping connect, protect and power our planet.

    Qorvo is a registered trademark of Qorvo, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations and contentions, and are not historical facts and typically are identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “forecast,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently. You should be aware that the forward-looking statements included herein represent management’s current judgment and expectations as of the date the statement is first made, but our actual results, events and performance could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements or publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, other than as is required under U.S. federal securities laws. Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those relating to fluctuations in our operating results on a quarterly and annual basis; our substantial dependence on developing new products and achieving design wins; our dependence on several large customers for a substantial portion of our revenue; a loss of revenue if defense and aerospace contracts are canceled or delayed; our dependence on third parties; risks related to sales through distributors; risks associated with the operation of our manufacturing facilities; business disruptions; poor manufacturing yields; increased inventory risks and costs, due to timing of customers’ forecasts; our inability to effectively manage or maintain relationships with chipset suppliers; our ability to continue to innovate in a very competitive industry; underutilization of manufacturing facilities; unfavorable changes in interest rates, pricing of certain precious metals, utility rates and foreign currency exchange rates; our acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic investments failing to achieve financial or strategic objectives; our ability to attract, retain and motivate key employees; warranty claims, product recalls and product liability; changes in our effective tax rate; enactment of international or domestic tax legislation, or changes in regulatory guidance; changes in the favorable tax status of certain of our subsidiaries; risks associated with social, environmental, health and safety regulations, and climate change; risks from international sales and operations; economic regulation in China; changes in government trade policies, including imposition of tariffs and export restrictions; we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our debt; restrictions imposed by the agreements governing our debt; our reliance on our intellectual property portfolio; claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights; security breaches, failed system upgrades or regular maintenance and other similar disruptions to our IT systems; theft, loss or misuse of personal data by or about our employees, customers or third parties; provisions in our governing documents and Delaware law may discourage takeovers and business combinations that our stockholders might consider to be in their best interests; and volatility in the price of our common stock. These and other risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 30, 2024, and Qorvo’s subsequent reports and statements that we file with the SEC, could cause actual results and developments to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any of these forward-looking statements.

    # # #

    Financial Tables to Follow

    QORVO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
    (In thousands, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended   Nine Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   December 30, 2023   December 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    Revenue $ 916,317     $ 1,073,861     $ 2,849,497     $ 2,828,518  
                   
    Costs and expenses:              
    Cost of goods sold   524,901       685,983       1,680,471       1,721,880  
    Research and development   179,126       164,329       567,778       502,366  
    Selling, general and administrative   90,360       86,914       313,043       296,033  
    Other operating expense   68,905       178,204       220,899       246,516  
    Total costs and expenses   863,292       1,115,430       2,782,191       2,766,795  
                   
    Operating income (loss)   53,025       (41,569 )     67,306       61,723  
    Interest expense   (18,655 )     (17,581 )     (58,343 )     (51,963 )
    Other income, net   14,526       15,359       41,713       34,286  
                   
    Income (loss) before income taxes   48,896       (43,791 )     50,676       44,046  
    Income tax expense   (7,625 )     (83,147 )     (26,426 )     (117,103 )
    Net income (loss) $ 41,271     $ (126,938 )   $ 24,250     $ (73,057 )
                   
    Net income (loss) per share:              
    Basic $ 0.44     $ (1.31 )   $ 0.26     $ (0.75 )
    Diluted $ 0.43     $ (1.31 )   $ 0.25     $ (0.75 )
                   
    Weighted-average shares of common stock outstanding:              
    Basic   94,341       97,152       94,942       97,905  
    Diluted   95,031       97,152       95,808       97,905  
     
    QORVO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
    (In thousands, except per share data)
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
               
    GAAP operating income (loss) $ 53,025     $ 9,675     $ (41,569 )
    Stock-based compensation expense   28,384       38,181       21,755  
    Amortization of intangible assets   26,085       29,482       29,787  
    Restructuring-related charges   68,072       34,396       6,075  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1,382       1,211       2,529  
    Goodwill impairment   —       96,458       173,414  
    Net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement   (1,253 )     885       51,864  
    Other expense (income)   2,216       1,926       (7,333 )
    Non-GAAP operating income $ 177,911     $ 212,214     $ 236,522  
               
    GAAP net income (loss) $ 41,271     $ (17,435 )   $ (126,938 )
    Stock-based compensation expense   28,384       38,181       21,755  
    Amortization of intangible assets   26,085       29,482       29,787  
    Restructuring-related charges   68,072       34,396       6,075  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1,382       1,211       2,529  
    Goodwill impairment   —       96,458       173,414  
    Net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement   (1,253 )     885       51,864  
    Other expense (income)   600       (506 )     (12,252 )
    (Gain) loss on investments   (1,721 )     780       464  
    Adjustment of income taxes   (10,067 )     (3,611 )     59,161  
    Non-GAAP net income $ 152,753     $ 179,841     $ 205,859  
               
    GAAP weighted-average outstanding diluted shares   95,031       94,886       97,152  
    Dilutive stock-based awards   —       867       666  
    Non-GAAP weighted-average outstanding diluted shares   95,031       95,753       97,818  
               
    Non-GAAP net income per share, diluted $ 1.61     $ 1.88     $ 2.10  
     
    QORVO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended
    (in thousands, except percentages) December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    GAAP gross profit/margin $ 391,416   42.7 %   $ 445,306   42.6 %   $ 387,878   36.1 %
    Stock-based compensation expense   5,742   0.6       6,047   0.6       5,575   0.5  
    Amortization of intangible assets   23,462   2.6       25,523   2.4       25,457   2.4  
    Restructuring-related charges   6,931   0.7       15,414   1.4       (250 ) —  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1   —       636   0.1       1   —  
    Net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement   (1,253 ) (0.1 )     (885 ) (0.1 )     51,864   4.8  
    Non-GAAP gross profit/margin $ 426,299   46.5 %   $ 492,041   47.0 %   $ 470,525   43.8 %
     
      Three Months Ended
    Non-GAAP Operating Income December 28, 2024
    (as a percentage of revenue)  
       
    GAAP operating income 5.8 %
    Stock-based compensation expense 3.1  
    Amortization of intangible assets 2.8  
    Restructuring-related charges 7.4  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs 0.2  
    Net adjustments related to a terminated capacity reservation agreement (0.1 )
    Other expense 0.2  
    Non-GAAP operating income 19.4 %
      Three Months Ended
    Free Cash Flow(1) December 28, 2024
    (in millions)  
       
    Net cash provided by operating activities $ 214.1  
    Purchases of property and equipment   (37.8 )
    Free cash flow $ 176.3  

    (1) Free Cash Flow is calculated as net cash provided by operating activities minus property and equipment expenditures.

    QORVO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    ADDITIONAL SELECTED NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES AND RECONCILIATIONS
    (In thousands)
    (Unaudited)
     
      Three Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    GAAP research and development expense $ 179,126   $ 201,050   $ 164,329  
    Less:          
    Stock-based compensation expense   13,650     13,468     11,830  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1     2     2  
    Non-GAAP research and development expense $ 165,475   $ 187,580   $ 152,497  
               
      Three Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    GAAP selling, general and administrative expense $ 90,360   $ 107,760   $ 86,914  
    Less:          
    Stock-based compensation expense   8,985     18,488     4,336  
    Amortization of intangible assets   2,623     3,959     4,330  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   —     1     —  
    Non-GAAP selling, general and administrative expense $ 78,752   $ 85,312   $ 78,248  
               
      Three Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    GAAP other operating expense $ 68,905   $ 126,821   $ 178,204  
    Less:          
    Stock-based compensation expense   7     178     14  
    Restructuring-related charges   61,141     18,982     6,325  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1,380     572     2,526  
    Goodwill impairment   —     96,458     173,414  
    Other expense (income)   2,216     3,696     (7,333 )
    Non-GAAP other operating expense $ 4,161   $ 6,935   $ 3,258  
               
      Three Months Ended
      December 28, 2024   September 28, 2024   December 30, 2023
    GAAP total operating expense $ 338,391   $ 435,631   $ 429,447  
    Less:          
    Stock-based compensation expense   22,642     32,134     16,180  
    Amortization of intangible assets   2,623     3,959     4,330  
    Restructuring-related charges   61,141     18,982     6,325  
    Acquisition and integration-related costs   1,381     575     2,528  
    Goodwill impairment   —     96,458     173,414  
    Other expense (income)   2,216     3,696     (7,333 )
    Non-GAAP total operating expense $ 248,388   $ 279,827   $ 234,003  
     
    QORVO, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
    (In thousands)
    (Unaudited)
     
      December 28, 2024   March 30, 2024
    ASSETS      
    Current assets:      
    Cash and cash equivalents $ 769,432   $ 1,029,258
    Accounts receivable, net   427,863     412,960
    Inventories   656,216     710,555
    Other current assets   126,917     133,983
    Assets of disposal group held for sale   116,435     159,278
    Total current assets   2,096,863     2,446,034
           
    Property and equipment, net   820,874     870,982
    Goodwill   2,437,234     2,534,601
    Intangible assets, net   332,338     509,383
    Long-term investments   25,692     23,252
    Other non-current assets   250,095     170,383
    Total assets $ 5,963,096   $ 6,554,635
           
    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY      
    Current liabilities:      
    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 551,676   $ 589,760
    Current portion of long-term debt   —     438,740
    Other current liabilities   227,110     113,215
    Liabilities of disposal group held for sale   29,075     88,372
    Total current liabilities   807,861     1,230,087
           
    Long-term debt   1,549,230     1,549,272
    Other long-term liabilities   225,572     218,904
    Total liabilities   2,582,663     2,998,263
           
    Stockholders’ equity   3,380,433     3,556,372
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity $ 5,963,096   $ 6,554,635
     

    At Qorvo®
    Doug DeLieto
    VP, Investor Relations
    1.336.678.7968

    The MIL Network –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: January 28th, 2025 Heinrich: Trump’s Blockade on Federal Funding Pummels New Mexicans and American Economy

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for New Mexico Martin Heinrich
    Published: January 28th, 2025

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is condemning President Trump’s unlawful direction to unilaterally blockade all federal grant funding.
    “Our economy, our healthcare system, our schools, our law enforcement and fire departments, our newborns, our elders, our veterans – everyone, everywhere in New Mexico. President Trump is attempting to shove all of this over a cliff,” said Heinrich. “In New Mexico alone, Trump’s blockade on federal funding will make it impossible for thousands to pay rent on February 1st, force tens of thousands of New Mexico students to drop out of college without Pell Grant funding, close hundreds of preschool programs across the state, deprive 7 out of 10 New Mexico children their daily lunch, and cut off federal Medicaid reimbursement – impacting 7 out of 10 nursing home residents, 55% of newborn births, and all health care providers in our state.”
    Heinrich continued, “Trump is clearly willing to pummel New Mexicans and the American economy for his twisted and deranged agenda and fragile ego. But the Constitution is clear: the president cannot override, delay, or rescind Congress’s funding laws. We passed these laws to help working families get ahead and put food on the table and create jobs New Mexicans can build their families around. I will fight like hell to undo this brazen, barbaric blockade from this wannabe dictator and his weird billionaire lackeys.”
    The Constitution explicitly gives Congress, not the president, the power of the purse. The president does not have the power to override spending laws that Congress has passed and the president has signed into law. Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution says: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” Fact sheets from the Senate and House Appropriations Committees detailing how presidents lack power to unilaterally override congressional spending laws and deny enacted funding to communities can be found here and here.
    Examples of the impacts of this funding blockade:
    PUBLIC SAFETY: Grants for law enforcement and homeland security activities will cease to go out the door, undermining public safety in every state and territory.
    DISASTER RELIEF: Public assistance and hazard mitigation grants from the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and non-profits to help communities quickly respond to, recover from, and prepare for major disasters will be halted—right as so many communities are struggling after severe natural disasters, including Roswell flooding and Ruidoso fires and severe storms and wildfires in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and California.
    INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS: All federally-funded transportation projects across the country—roads, bridges, public transit, and more—will be halted, including projects already under construction.
    COMBATTING THE FENTANYL CRISIS: Funding for communities to address the substance use disorder crisis and combat the fentanyl crisis will be cut off.
    988 SUICIDE AND CRISIS LIFELINE: Funding for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, as well as grants for mental health services, will be cut off.
    MEDICAL RESEARCH: There will be immediate pauses on all funding for critical health research, including research on cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes, as well as clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center and all across the country—disrupting lifesaving and often time-sensitive research.
    EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: Critical preparedness and response capability funding used to prepare for disasters, public health emergencies, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear events will be frozen.
    FIREFIGHTING: Grants to support firefighters across the country will be halted—this includes grants that help states and localities purchase essential firefighting equipment.
    HEAD START: Funding for Head Start programs that provide comprehensive early childhood education for more than 800,000 kids and their families will be cut off. Teachers and staff would not get paid and programs may not be able to stay open.
    CHILD CARE: Child care programs across the country will not be able to access the funding they rely on to keep their doors open.
    K-12 SCHOOLS: Federal funding for our K-12 schools will be halted. School districts may not be able to access key formula grant funding including Title I, IDEA, Impact Aid, and Career and Technical Education, which would pose tremendous financial burdens on schools in the middle of the school year.
    HIGHER EDUCATION AND JOB TRAINING: Millions of students relying on Pell grants, federal student loans, and federal work study will have their plans to pursue postsecondary education and further their careers thrown into chaos as federal financial aid disbursements are paused.
    HEALTH SERVICES: Federal funding for community health centers that provide health care for over 30 million Americans will be immediately frozen, creating chaos for patients trying get their prescriptions, a regular checkup, and more.
    SMALL BUSINESSES: The Small Business Administration will have to halt loans to small businesses—including those in disaster ravaged communities in North Carolina, Texas, and Florida.
    VETERANS CARE: Federal grants to help veterans in rural areas access health care and grants to help veterans get other critical services, including suicide prevention resources, transition assistance, and housing for homeless veterans, will be cut off.
    NUTRITION ASSISTANCE: Millions of American families and children who rely on nutrition assistance programs like SNAP, WIC, and school lunch programs will be left hungry as funding is cut off and non-profits who provide additional assistance lose federal funding.
    TRIBES: Funding to Tribes for basic government services like health care, public safety, law enforcement, Tribal schools, housing, and food assistance will be halted.
    PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: All Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants, as well as funding for victims assistance and state and local police, will be cut off.
    U.S. COMPETITIVENESS: Existing grants to support research for AI and quantum computing will be halted and any new grant funding would be paused—undermining U.S. innovation and competitiveness with China and putting American jobs at risk.
    ENERGY JOBS: Grants for critical energy projects nationwide will be cut off—halting billions of dollars in investment nationwide and jeopardizing good-paying American jobs. The Department of Energy Loan Program Office will halt loans in 28 states, impacting hundreds of thousands construction and operations jobs.
    FOOD INSPECTIONS: Some states will have to take on the full financial burden of ensuring the nation’s meat supply is safe if federal cooperative agreements for meat inspection are halted.
    SUPPORT FOR SERVICE MEMBERS: Support for a host of Department of Defense financial assistance and grant programs supporting service members and their families will be halted, including the Fisher House, Impact Aid, community noise mitigation, ROTC language training, STEM programs, and the USO.
    WEAKENS MILITARY READINESS: Grants and other assistance appropriated to strengthen military effectiveness and defense capacity will be halted, including Defense Production Act support for the defense industrial base, basic research grants necessary to advance key technologies, and small business support to strengthen supply chains.
    AMERICANS OVERSEAS: Programs that track and combat the spread of infectious diseases, create business opportunities for American companies in emerging markets, combat terrorism, and counter the influence of China, Russia, and Iran—and efforts to ensure the safety and security of Americans implementing these programs—are all suspended and could be terminated.
    An extensive list of potentially impacted federal programs can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The UK is deeply alarmed by the events in Goma: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    The UK is deeply alarmed by the events that have unfolded in eastern DRC.

    Since we met on Sunday, M23, with support from the Rwandan Defence Forces, have closed in on Goma. M23 have declared that it is now under their control. 

    The humanitarian impacts are dire. The advances have displaced close to one million people in North and South Kivu. Civilian casualties are rising.

    Hundreds of thousands of people who have already fled from M23’s advances, many of them several times before, are now on the move again, with virtually nowhere safe to go. 

    How many times must they pack up their lives and flee? The cycle must end.

    The UK is also deeply concerned by the limited ability of humanitarian actors to get help to those who need it.

    Key humanitarian routes – land, water and air – are closed and hospitals are overcrowded, with staff risking their own lives to provide emergency assistance. 

    More than 800,000 people in the area who were prioritised for support may no longer receive vital food and nutritional assistance.

    We call on the parties not to obstruct the vital services that humanitarians are providing, and to cease hostilities and uphold the protection of humanitarian workers, as required in international humanitarian law.

    We also urge all parties to consider essential humanitarian corridors to allow the resupply and delivery of essential life-saving items and the freedom and safe movement of civilians and humanitarian actors.

    President, the UK is deeply concerned by the continued endangering of peacekeepers’ lives. 

    On Sunday I expressed my condolences to the families of the thirteen who have already been killed. Since then, four more peacekeepers have tragically been killed. We urge an immediate end to this violence. 

    We commend the leadership of MONUSCO and your courage under fire, and we thank you for their vital work.

    Finally, President, the UK’s Foreign Secretary and Minister for Africa have spoken with Rwanda at the highest levels, as well as with wider partners in the region. 

    And we have made clear that there can be no military solution. 

    We urge all parties to cease hostilities and return to diplomatic talks immediately without preconditions. 

    We remain committed to ensuring this Council takes the necessary action to support an end to this conflict.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 January 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Government Employee Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Theft for Billing Same Hours to Two Employers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Billed Substantially Same Hours to DC Department of Health and U.S. Department of Defense Over Nine-Month Period

                WASHINGTON – Idris Ahmad, 53, of Maryland, pleaded guilty in DC Superior Court yesterday to two counts of second-degree fraud and two counts of second-degree theft for submitting fraudulent timesheets to the D.C. Department of Health (DOH) and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. for the District of Columbia, and District of Columbia Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas.

                The Honorable Robert R. Rigsby accepted Ahmad’s guilty plea and scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2025.

                According to court documents, Ahmad accepted a job in 2017 as a pest control supervisor with DOH while maintaining a second job with DoD as a pest controller on a night shift at the Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB). However, when he was later moved to a day shift at JBAB, he continued working for both employers despite his new shift substantially overlapping with his daily shift at DOH. Ahmad admitted in court that beginning in September of 2020, and continuing through June of 2021, he submitted timesheets to both employers for substantially identical hours and lied to both employers about this double-billing in order to keep collecting paychecks from each one.

                This case was investigated by the D.C. Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Defense. The case was prosecuted by the late Special Assistant United States Attorney Bayly Leighton, Special Assistant United States Attorney Micah Bluming, and Assistant United States Attorneys Caroline Huether and Anna Forgie.

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer Joins “Mornings with Maria” to Discuss Delivering for Americans

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer

    U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined Maria Bartiromo on FOX Business today to discuss how Republicans will deliver for the American people. Senator Fischer condemned the Democrats for stalling President Trump’s Cabinet nominees, risking America’s national security, and playing political games instead of serving their constituents.

    Senator Fischer also highlighted her plans to continue working for the American people during reconciliation by making her Paid Family Medical Leave tax credit permanent.

    Click the image above to watch a video of Senator Fischer’s remarks

    Click here to download audio

    Click here to download video

     


    Republicans Are Here To Work:

    Maria Bartiromo: You will be part of Howard Lutnick’s confirmation hearing. Tell us about your expectations for Howard Lutnick and the rest of these nominees. Do you think they’ll all get past the finish line?

    Senator Fischer:
     It is so very important that we do get these nominees confirmed, and that we do it quickly. Of course, as you’re well aware, Maria, the Democrats are slow walking everything. Republicans have shown that we will stay late. We will stay over the weekends in order to get this done. 

    On Democrats Stalling President Trump’s Cabinet Nominees:


    Maria Bartiromo:
     The President needs his team on the ground. Do you feel like your colleagues on the left have been stalling these hearings?

    Senator Fischer:
     Oh, most definitely. You know, you especially saw it on Armed Services Committee where the Democrat members wanted to have another round of questions. They wanted to postpone the vote. They just wanted to drag it out.

    Let’s remember that, I think it was in the first 12 days of President Obama’s administration. He had 12 or 15 nominees already confirmed. We need to do that for national security reasons, for reasons that the American people are tired of waiting. You know, we want to see things happen, we need to move ahead. But we’ve got to do our job, we have to be thorough in it, and I can guarantee that we are.

    On Democrats Playing Political Games:


    Maria Bartiromo:
     Yeah, I mean, more than that, people are sick and tired of the political tricks. We’ve been watching political games since President Trump walked down that escalator 10 years ago. From the Russia collusion lie, to hiding things about the Biden family, to now this obstruction of justice… 

    Senator Fischer: It’s just nonsense. We heard J.D. Vance answer a question this weekend, “You know, I don’t really care Margaret.” That is a calling that I hear all across Nebraska and all across America. You know, I don’t really care anymore. We have work to do. We need to get it done. Stop with the tricks, stop with all this stalling, and let’s get to work for the American people, on energy, on inflation, on reconciliation. There is so much to do.

    On Working for the American People During Reconciliation:


    Maria Bartiromo:
     House Republicans are set to meet with VP Vance today at the Trump Doral Resort in Florida, as part of their annual conference. Committee chairs will also hold reconciliation meetings on how to pass President Trump’s agenda. Trump joined lawmakers for dinner last night with a speech on his priorities. Here’s what he said. Watch:

    President Trump: 
    In the coming weeks, I’m looking forward to working with Congress on a reconciliation bill that financially takes care of our plans to totally and permanently restore the sovereign borders of the United States once and for all. I’m also eager to get to work with Congress on the largest package of tax cuts and reforms in American history. We got to get that done, and we don’t want to get hung up on the budget process. We just want whether it’s one bill, two bills, I don’t care.

    Maria Bartiromo: Senator, how do you see this playing out?

    Senator Fischer:
     Well, I agree with the President on his goals here, and I agree with him when he says whether it’s one bill or two bills, you know, I don’t care. We need to make sure that we’re going to deliver for the American people. What I’m worried about are American families. You know, they have to choose right now between making ends meet and taking care of their families.

    My top priority in reconciliation is my Paid Family Medical Leave tax credit. That was included in the 2017 Tax Reform, and I want to make that permanent in this reconciliation package. So we are working hard on that with a number of my colleagues. In the Senate, we are working together, as you know, in reconciliation, we just need to keep our guys together. And we’re trying to do that through a number of committees to make sure that we protect this country, that we protect our borders. That we can provide for families and meet their needs, so that they can have a better life for themselves and their children. These are promises made, and they’re going to be promises kept.

    On Putting America First:


    Maria Bartiromo:
     I’m glad that you’re focused on families, whether it be their economic progress or their security. President Trump declared a national energy emergency in an effort to increase U.S. oil production. Gas executives told the New York Times they don’t plan on doing so unless prices rise significantly. This is another potentially economic yet also national security issue. And I spoke with your colleague, the Leader of the U.S. Senate, John Thune, on Sunday, and we talked about military spending being lifted. Here’s what he said. Watch: “What are you looking for in terms of specifics in bulking up America’s defense?

    Senate Majority Leader Thune:
     Well, obviously our Navy, and if you look at the number of ships we have relative to our adversaries, particularly China, that’s something the President is interested in, an American Iron Dome concept. But, frankly, the thing we’ve got to do Maria is we’ve got to increase the top line. We have not, we have underfunded and in the Biden budget, there wasn’t a single Biden budget that kept up with the rate of inflation when it comes to the military, and so we’ve got some making up to do. I think there’s a very compelling argument on Panama, very compelling argument on Greenland and optimism in America that we haven’t seen in a long time. I think there’s been a real this has been a sluggish country, a country that’s been bogged down under the weight of government, regulation and red tape and taxation.

    Maria Bartiromo: Senator, I’ve got the Iron Dome for America Executive Order in front of me, and this is one of the ways that President Trump says he will be protecting America from a national security standpoint. What are you considering in terms of defense spending? And tell us where the priorities are in this plan.

    Senator Fischer:
     Right. You know, on Armed Services Committee the last three years that President Biden sent us his top line for his budget, we increased that in the Senate Armed Services Committee, because we are well aware of the threats that face this nation. I happen to chair the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces. So not only do we have jurisdiction over STRATCOM and Space Command, but we also have jurisdiction over our nuclear triad to make sure that we have that strong deterrence policy.

    You’ve heard President Trump and the Vice President talk about deterrence that is so important to keep this country safe. We also have jurisdiction on strategic forces over missile defense, and we have been putting funding into missile defense in this country since I have been here and on that committee for now into my third term. So I am very, very pleased to hear that President Trump is prioritizing that with a focus on Iron Dome. We need to continue to look at our missile defense, the capabilities that we have, the capabilities that we need in order to defend and protect our homeland. 

    On Curbing Government Spending:


    Maria Bartiromo:
     Yeah, I’m so glad to hear you talk this way. I could not agree more. Unfortunately, something has got to give. Senator, can you name one or two important offsets that you think will be significant? Interest is the single largest item in the budget behind Social Security. More than spending on defense, Medicare, and on children? Senator, what’s your most important offset to pay for all this?

    Senator Fischer:
     You know, there’s a number of things, as you know, Maria, that all of us are looking at and being able to go through a budget. On Appropriations Committee, we’re going to be really having a strong oversight with our agencies that we have jurisdiction over and hold them accountable for programs. I think we can look, for example, on job training programs. I know a few years ago, across agencies, there were like 37 different job training programs. I am all for job training, but I think we need to figure out what the balance is. And I think that’s a private enterprise. A private business does training in conjunction with our community colleges, in conjunction with our state universities.

    I mean, just simple things like that. You’re going to see a lot of things like that. And I know we’ve heard some in the past. What I want to see, though, is a return to energy dominance. That is going to bring in, it’s going to help lower prices for families in this country. I want to be able to see inflation addressed, which we will. 

    Maria Bartiromo:
     Of course. 

    Senator Fischer:
     I know, I know many are saying, well, we’ve seen the price of eggs go up. Why hasn’t it dropped yet? I’m going, it’s been a week, folks, it’s been a week. You know, we are, we are focused, and we’re getting it done.

    Maria Bartiromo:
     Senator, we’ll be watching your work. It’s a great point, the oversight alone may actually save a lot, given the reckless spending in the past. We’ll be watching. Thank you so much. Senator Deb Fisher, joining us this morning.

    Senator Fischer:
     Thank you. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren Slams Defense Nominee for Improperly Withholding Aid to Ukraine, Violating U.S. Constitution, Disregarding Congressional Authority

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    January 28, 2025

    Michael Duffey is responsible for holding up aid to Ukraine, leading to President Trump’s first impeachment

    “[I]f you are confirmed…the Senate would be supporting the confirmation of an individual who has shown disregard for the Constitution, Congressional authority, and our nation’s laws.”

    Text of Letter (PDF) 

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote to Mr. Michael Duffey, nominee for Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)) of the Department of Defense (DoD), ahead of his confirmation hearing, with serious concerns about his record, which include violating the law, disregarding Congressional authority, and his involvement in Project 2025. Mr. Duffey also played a direct role in Trump’s withholding of funding to Ukraine, an action that resulted in the impeachment of Donald Trump. It is especially alarming given he would oversee a DoD requested acquisition budget of $311 billion and procurement programs already at high-risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. 

    Mr. Duffey’s Role in the Unlawful Freezing of Aid to Ukraine

    In December 2019, President Trump was impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors for illegally seeking assistance from Ukraine to help him win the 2020 election against President Joe Biden. In his role at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Mr. Duffey helped President Trump block aid to Ukraine in an effort to pressure them to open an investigation into President Biden. He did so despite under-oath testimony and emails showing that career officials raised concerns with him that this could violate the law and disrupt DoD’s ability to train and equip Ukraine to strengthen their security forces. The Government Accountability Office (GAO), a non-partisan independent government watchdog, concluded that freezing this aid violated the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. 

    “Your actions in the course of these events give the strong appearance that you knowingly violated the law and the Constitution – and that you were an important participant in events that ultimately resulted in the President’s impeachment,” said Senator Warren.

    Duffey’s Disregard for Congressional Authority and Oversight

    Mr. Duffey also refused to comply with a deposition request as part of the impeachment inquiry and ignored a subpoena from the three House committees that led the impeachment inquiry. His refusal to comply with the subpoena – at the direction of President Trump – was so significant that it was one of the reasons that President Trump was charged with the second article of impeachment for Obstruction of Congress and that Mr. Duffey was listed by name in the impeachment resolution.

    Duffey’s Direct Involvement in Project 2025

    Mr. Duffey also had direct involvement in Project 2025, developing several policies for the report. One of the chapters Mr. Duffey contributed to calls for “using government contracts to push back against woke policies in corporate America.” The senator raised concerns about whether Mr. Duffey would use his position to police the personnel and Human Resources decisions of defense contractors, rather than prioritizing government contracts that advance U.S. national security and support our servicemembers. Project 2025 also calls for “reducing the number of procurement competitions” and a new system that allows decision makers of federal contracts to “bypass unnecessary departmental regulations.”  

    “I am concerned by whether these policy plans will reduce necessary competition and favor the biggest – or most politically connected – defense contractors,” wrote Senator Warren. 

    Duffey’s Plan to Address Risks of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in DoD Acquisition

    Given Mr. Duffey’s past behavior, especially that which led to President Trump’s first impeachment, the senator raised concerns about whether he will ensure DoD contracts are awarded fairly and based on the best interests of taxpayers and national security. 

    Already, DoD’s acquisition program has been a target of “contracting-related fraud schemes” and DoD’s contracting processes have been found to be “vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse.” This concern is heightened as major DoD contractors, including Lockheed Martin and Boeing, made donations to President Trump’s second inauguration in order to ingratiate themselves with the new administration in an effort to avoid regulation and win government contracts.

    “[I]f you are confirmed…the Senate would be supporting the confirmation of an individual who has shown disregard for the Constitution, Congressional authority, and our nation’s laws,” concluded Senator Warren. She requested his written answers to questions by February 3, 2025. 

    Senator Warren has led efforts, including bipartisan action, to hold DoD accountable and transparent to ensure taxpayers are not being price gouged and the defense industrial base remains resilient:  

    • In January 2025, Senator Warren sent Elon Musk, Chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a letter detailing over 30 proposals that would cut at least $2 trillion of wasteful government spending over the next decade.
    • In September 2024, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, along with Senators Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), reintroduced the Streamline Pentagon Spending Act, bipartisan legislation to repeal statutory requirements to provide unfunded priorities lists, reduce wasteful reporting burdens, and enhance civilian oversight over the budgetary process.
    • In May 2024, Senators Warren, then-Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), then-Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Budget, led a letter with Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.) demanding the Department of Defense (DoD) provide answers about military contractors’ price gouging tactics that cost the Pentagon billions of dollars every year in overpayments. 
    • In May 2024, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), raised concerns about DoD contractor, SpaceX, which is owned by Elon Musk, undermining U.S. allies and national security goals. Senator Warren questioned Mr. John D. Hill, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense, about SpaceX’s work to stop its Starlink technology from being illegally acquired by Russia. These illegal terminals may have provided Russia a major advantage in their invasion of Ukraine.  
    • In March 2024, at a hearing of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), Senator Warren questioned General Anthony J. Cotton, USAF, Commander of United States Strategic Command about significant cost overruns and mismanagement of the Sentinel program. 
    • In February 2024, Senator Warren and Representative Garamendi (D-Calif.), sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, expressing concerns with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) insufficient review process for consolidation in the defense industrial base and the resulting impact on supply chains, innovation, and national security.
    • In November 2023, after reports that defense contractor TransDigm refused to provide cost and pricing information needed to prevent price gouging of taxpayers and the DoD, Senator Warren and Representative Garamendi sent letters to the DoD and TransDigm, pressing them to provide transparency on cost and pricing data to ensure that taxpayers aren’t being overcharged for expensive DoD contracts. 
    • In August 2023, Senator Warren, then-Chair of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top officials during a visit to Kyiv, Ukraine on August 23rd. The congressional delegation’s trip coincided with Ukraine’s Independence Day celebration on August 24th and demonstrated strong bipartisan support from the U.S. Senate for the Ukrainian people in the face of Russia’s brutal and illegal invasion. 
    • In July 2023, at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Personnel, Senator Warren called out the Department of Defense for wasting billions in taxpayers dollars due to price gouging by defense contractors for services and in health care, and identified opportunities for cost savings when DoD buys personnel-related goods and services. 
    • In July 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Director of the Defense Health Agency, Lieutenant General Telita Crosland, regarding a series of DoD Inspector General reports finding that the DoD is failing to prevent price gouging and overpayments to contractors in the TRICARE health program.
    • In June 2023, Senator Warren, Senator Mike Braun, and Representative Garamendi reintroduced the bipartisan Stop Price Gouging the Military Act which would close loopholes in current acquisition laws, tie financial incentives for contractors to performance, and provide the Department of Defense the information necessary to prevent future rip-offs.
    • In May 2023, Senator Warren and Representative Garamendi sent letters to Boeing, TransDigm, and the Department of Defense, calling out the defense contractors for their refusal to provide cost and pricing data to the Department of Defense (DoD), as required by law. The lawmakers also called on DoD to take action to address these contractors’ refusals to provide cost and pricing data. 
    • In October 2022, Senator Warren obtained a commitment from DoD not to increase contract prices due to inflation.
    • In October 2022 Senator Warren sent a letter to DoD urging them to insist on receiving certified cost or pricing data to justify any contract adjustments.
    • In June 2022, Senator Warren and Representative Garamendi introduced the bicameral Stop Price Gouging the Military Act, which would enhance DoD’s ability to access certified cost and pricing data. Part of Senator Warren’s legislation was incorporated into the FY 2023 National Defense Authorization Act reported to the Senate.
    • In March 2022, at a SASC hearing, Senator Warren criticized DoD for failing to consider alternatives to the Sentinel program in order to justify unsustainable nuclear weapons spending.
    • In September 2020, Senator Warren and Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) formally requested that the Department of Defense (DoD) Inspector General (IG) investigate reports that the Pentagon redirected hundreds of millions of dollars of funds meant for COVID-19 response via the Defense Production Act (DPA) to defense contractors for “jet engine parts, body armor and dress uniforms.”
    • In May 2020, Senator Warren wrote to the Department requesting clarification on how the Department would prevent profiteering following a recent change to increase payments to contractors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • In August 2017, Senator Warren traveled to Eastern Europe and Germany to learn more about plans to counteract Russian efforts to damage European democracies.
    • In May 2017, Senator Warren wrote to the DoD Inspector General, requesting an investigation into TransDigm for potential waste, fraud, and abuse in the military spares market.
    • In October 2015, Senator Warren visited Ukraine and other European countries for a visit focused on economic issues and the Syrian refugee crisis. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI Security: Bronx Man And Former Postal Employee Admits To Stealing Valuable Trading Cards And Sports Memorabilia From The Mail

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A Bronx man formerly employed by the United States Postal Service as a sorting clerk admitted to theft of mail, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    Shelby Dozier, 34, of the Bronx, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas to an Information charging him with theft of mail by a postal service employee.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    In August 2022, Dozier was hired by the United States Postal Service as a sorting clerk and assigned to the Clifton Main Post Office. Shortly after Dozier started his employment, numerous parcels destined for a consignment auction house located in Clifton (“Company-1”) went missing. Company-1 specializes in the sale of trading cards and sports memorabilia that it receives from customers around the world.

    Between September 2022 and December 2022, Dozier stole the contents of at least 10 parcels that were mailed to Company-1. The stolen parcels contained valuable trading cards and sports memorabilia that Dozier sold to either individual customers or sports collectible stores. As part of his plea agreement, Dozier agreed to pay restitution to the victims in the amount of $108,692.49.

    The theft of mail by a postal employee charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a maximum fine equal to the greatest of $250,000 or twice the gross amount of any pecuniary gain that any persons derived from the offense. Sentencing is scheduled for April 22, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the United States Postal Service – Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Matthew Modaferri in the North East Area Field Office; and postal inspectors from the United States Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Christopher Nielsen with the investigation leading to today’s plea.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas S. Kearney of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Special Prosecutions Division in Newark.

    25-023                                                              ###

    Defense counsel:  Areeb Salim, Esq.  

    MIL Security OSI –

    January 29, 2025
  • MIL-OSI USA: Senators Coons, Blunt Rochester, Congresswoman McBride statement on Trump federal spending directive

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Delaware Christopher Coons

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride (all D-Del.) released the following statement in response to President Trump’s late-night directive unilaterally freezing federal funding appropriated by Congress:

    “This blatantly unconstitutional directive will cause massive harm to Delawareans. Police and fire departments up and down the state will go unfunded. Military families stationed at Dover Air Force Base will lose access to critical programs, construction projects will go unfinished as workers are laid off, community health centers will be unable to provide critical primary care, opioid overdoses will rise as prevention programs end, and children of working families will go hungry when free lunch programs stop.

    “These are not partisan programs. They are exactly what the vast majority of Americans want our government to be funding. With the stroke of a pen, President Trump defunded programs already signed into law and has made Delaware and every other state across the country less safe, less healthy, and less stable.

    “We are hearing throughout the day from leaders and constituents across Delaware in state and local government, education, and the non-profit sectors concerned about this directive and are working to address their concerns. We have spoken with Attorney General Jennings about her prompt legal action against this unconstitutional directive and are grateful for her partnership. President Trump must immediately repeal this disastrous policy and return federal funding to working order. We will not stand by while our state suffers.”

    Senator Coons is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    January 29, 2025
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