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☆ B-2 stealth bombers are back flying after the US Air Force grounded the fleet for 5 months in the wake of a fiery landing
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An Air Force official told Insider that the pause was "precautionary," and was lifted on May 18 by Gen. Thomas Bussiere, commander of Air Force Global Strike Command. The B-2 Spirit approaches the boom of a McGuire Air Force Base, New Jersey KC-10A Extender during a Capstone orientation flight. Scott H. SpitzerThis incident marked the second time in 15 months that there was an emergency involving the B-2 at Whiteman Air Force Base. "We successfully accomplished all necessary actions to safely return to full flight operations with the B-2 fleet. Whiteman Air Force Base is the country's only operational base for the B-2, which was first unveiled in 1988.

☆ Biden says Zelenskyy gave a 'flat assurance' that F-16s fighter jets wouldn't attack Russian territory as drastic policy shift takes shape
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

President Biden said he received "flat assurance" that Ukraine would not use F-16s to enter Russia. "Vladimir Putin will not break our resolve," Biden said at the G7 summit press conference on Sunday. It's the latest development marking a drastic shift by US President Joe Biden and US officials, who have long rejected authorizing F-16s in Ukraine. In February, Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, portrayed supplying F-16s to Ukraine as unfeasible. Earlier this week, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced the UK and the Netherlands would build an "international coalition" to help the country procure the fighter jets.

☆ Russia adapted to the game-changing HIMARS, but Ukraine's new Storm Shadow missiles could put the fear back into its commanders, warfare experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Experts say Russian commanders are now facing logistical headaches and a renewed sense of fear. Warfare experts say Storm Shadow missiles could spark new logistical headaches for Russia, giving Kyiv a massive capability to put the fear back into Moscow's commanders who thought they were safe and out of reach. With an operational range of 155 miles, Storm Shadow will more than triple the distance for Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities. "So the more that these Russian commanders are exposed to Ukrainian fires, I expect their survivability to decrease," Barros said. "Employed well, in conjunction with psychological operations and other capabilities, Storm Shadow offers myriad opportunities to cognitively attack the enemy," he said.

☆ Ukraine needs American-made F-16s if it's going to stop Russia's invasion once and for all, a defense expert says. NATO now seems to be giving in.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine could finally get the F-16 fighter jets it's been begging for. Still, the jets are vital for Ukraine's war efforts, defense experts told Insider, giving Kyiv the firepower it needs to bolster its current and future fleets. Ukraine sees the fighter jets as indispensable, Jones said, and it is thinking on a longer-term basis than friendly nations in the West. "The sooner we get fighters into the hands of Ukraine's combat-experienced fighter pilots, the greater Ukraine's chances of success," Deptula said. Matthew LotzThe debate over whether to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine has lasted months.

CNN —A Michigan teen who used a slingshot to ward off a kidnapper from his sister told CNN he “grabbed anything I could get” to save her. Shane Smith told CNN Saturday. Owen spotted the attack from inside his home and used his slingshot to hit the attempted kidnapper twice. The kidnapper then fled into the woods, taking a well-used trail used by the community, police said. Owen said he got his first slingshot when he was “probably seven or eight.”Owen said the community in Alpena has been showing support for him.

☆ Fact Check-Captain lost law enforcement status after pepper-spray incident in Ohio jail
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Judith Sealey, a former captain at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Dayton, Ohio, was stripped of her law enforcement credentials in 2018 for having pepper-sprayed a restrained inmate in 2015. (and now Promoted Captain) Judith Sealey.’ When black cops engage in Black on White Violence, they get promoted. Claims circulating in May 2023 that she remains a captain or can still work in law enforcement are out of date and incorrect, however. Media reports said she got a 30-day suspended jail sentence and lost her credentials, meaning she is prohibited from ever working in law enforcement again. Judith Sealey lost her law enforcement certifications following a pepper-spraying incident.

Jerusalem CNN —Thousands of Israelis waving Star of David flags streamed into the Old City of Jerusalem Thursday, as part of a contentious march taking place at a time of high tensions in the region. Israelis sing and dance with flags by Damascus gate to Jerusalem's Old city as they mark Jerusalem Day. Ronen Zvulun/ReutersThe march marks Jerusalem Day, when Israelis celebrate capturing east Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war. Israelis wave national flags during a march marking Jerusalem Day, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. A number of Palestinian shopkeepers told CNN before the event that they would close their shops in the Old City for fear of attacks by far-right Jewish nationalists.

☆ The US has a new friend in the Mediterranean that could help it isolate Russia, but not everybody in NATO is happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cyprus long had close ties with Russia, but it has turned to the West in recent years. John YountzHowever, Nicosia has been moving away from Russia and pursuing a closer relationship with the US. "We keep a strong military-to-military relationship with Cyprus," Cavoli said. Unhappy neighborsA UN peacekeeper looks at a map of the buffer zone between the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in Nicosia in April 2021. ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty ImagesBurgeoning US-Cyprus ties would appear to benefit NATO, but not all of the alliance's members are happy about it.

☆ A Russian warlord posed over the body of a US Army vet killed in Ukraine — then bizarrely said he'd send him back to America draped in a flag as a sign of respect
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Wagner mercengary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin posed over the dead body of a US Army veteran in Ukraine. Prigozhin bizarrely said the mercenary group would send the body back to the States covered in an American flag. The video appeared to show American documents that identified the fallen soldier as retired Army Staff Sgt. In the video, Prigozhin oddly said the group will send the body back to the US covered in an American flag as an act of respect. In a June 2022 interview with the Idaho Statesman, Maimer said he felt a calling to go and help when the war broke out.

☆ Inside the scramble to evacuate a US embassy surrounded by the chaos of street fighting, gunfire, and explosions
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

US forces evacuated the American embassy in Sudan days after violence erupted in its capital. As the situation deteriorated, the Pentagon dispatched Special Operations Forces to evacuate US diplomatic staff in a dramatic helicopter operation. Foreign governments began efforts to pull out their diplomatic staff and, in some cases, also moved to evacuate their civilians. People walk by a house hit in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. US Marine Corps courtesy photoWith the embassy staff gone, questions remained over whether Washington would move to evacuate US citizens, as some other Western nations had been doing.

☆ CNBC Pro Talks: A top fund manager proves you can generate big returns while investing ethically
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Cnbc.Com Staff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Join CNBC's Tanvir Gill as she discusses ethical investing with top-performing fund manager Philip Ripman. Ripman's fund, Storebrand Global Solutions, avoids companies that make over 5% of their revenues from fossil fuels, tobacco, alcohol, war and other vice-related activities. Ripman is based in Oslo, Norway and has been the fund manager of Storebrand Global Solutions since 2015. Join CNBC's Tanvir Gill as she discusses ethical investing with top-performing fund manager Philip Ripman. Ripman is based in Oslo, Norway and has been the fund manager of Storebrand Global Solutions since 2015.

☆ As US military recruitment dips, elite Air Force demo pilots seek to be ‘beacon of excellence’
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Hampton, Va. CNN —In a small conference room just off a runway at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, some of the US Air Force’s most elite F-16 pilots were gathered. This year marks the team’s 70th anniversary – it was established in 1953, six years after the Air Force split from the Army and became its own service. A US Air Force Thunderbird F-16D Fighting Falcon flies overhead. US Air Force Thunderbird F-16D Fighting Falcons fly in a diamond formation. Anthony Nin Leclerec/US Air ForceBut Grindstaff, like so many throughout the military, said the Air Force seemed like it would provide him a pathway to more opportunities in life.

CNN —A US Army sergeant who was convicted of murdering a protester at a Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 was sentenced to 25 years in prison Wednesday morning – even as Texas’ governor pushes to pardon him. In April, a Texas jury convicted Perry of murder but found him not guilty on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The governor can only pardon Perry if the Board of Pardons and Paroles recommends it, according to Texas law. And in a June 1, 2020, social media comment, Perry compared the Black Lives Matter movement to “a zoo full of monkeys that are freaking out flinging their sh*t,” the documents show. CNN reached out to the governor’s office for comment on the social media posts.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ How the US Air Force's 2 newest fighter jets stack up
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Kris Osborn | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The F-35 and F-15EX are different in many respects, including their tech and likely missions. F-15EX vs. F-35A US Air Force F-35A over the Pacific in June 2022. The most advanced and rapidly emerging Russian- and Chinese-built air defenses are now much more likely to operate with an ability to detect even stealth aircraft to some degree. US Air Force/Ethan WagnerConsidering these factors, some are likely to wonder if the F-15EX is an aircraft without a clearly defined mission. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel.

☆ China lands its secretive space plane after 9 months in orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China landed its mysterious reusable space plane after nine months in Earth's orbit. The space plane launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in August 2022. The nine-month mission was the longest yet for the new space plane. In the absence of photos or details from China, multiple news outlets have suggested that the Chinese space plane may resemble the X-37B space plane developed by Boeing for the US military. Adam Shanks/US Space ForceThe Chinese space plane took off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in August 2022 and in October mysteriously ejected something into orbit, according to Space.com.

Gunfire erupted at a mall north of Dallas on Saturday, sending shoppers running from stores and the police to investigate reports that people had been wounded. Jessica Pond of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office said that “there’s some possibly wounded” in the shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, Texas, but could not provide further details. The Allen Police Department said on Twitter that law enforcement was at the mall and that an “active investigation is underway.”A video circulating on social media showed people running through a parking lot in front of a shopping center with loud popping sounds in the background.

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Joe Biden has tried ChatGPT, Silicon Valley goes sober, and leaked Shopify audio
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

And Silicon Valley is catching on, too. My colleague Samantha Stokes did a deep dive into the growing trend of techies avoiding alcohol. Silicon Valley goes sober. My colleague Samantha Stokes examined this growing trend in Silicon Valley and gives some insight into the drying industry. In other news:Screenshot of Hot Chat 30002.

☆ After 35 years in flight, the US military says it's done buying one of its most unique and controversial aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Since its first flight in 1989, the V-22 Osprey has provided a unique capability to the US military. One of them is the V-22 Osprey, a unique and controversial aircraft that has carried conventional troops and special operators around the world for two decades. US Navy/Vernon PughIn the three decades since its first flight, the V-22 Osprey has brought a distinct capability to the US military's aviation fleet, despite its troubled development. Conventional and special-ops missionsUS Air Force special tactics operators fast rope from a CV-22B during an exercise in the UK in April 2021. In August 2022, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded its CV-22s over issues with its clutch, which had caused several "safety incidents."

☆ 10 Things in Tech: Uber wants to predict your habits, Apple and Google team up, and Lebron James eyes Complex Networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

And minting it could be a solution to avert a major economic catastrophe (here's an explanation of the looming disaster, by the way). This average-looking coin could prevent job losses, steep cuts to retirement savings, and other major financial blows. Shopify employees and experts brace for shakeup. Multiple sources told Insider that his company, SpringHill Co., has internally discussed offering around $100 million to buy Complex from Buzzfeed. Google tells employees to limit publishing AI research.

☆ Photos capture US special operators landing one of the Air Force's biggest planes on a Wyoming highway
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The event helped train the Air Force to use roads in case runways aren't an option. But that didn't stop the US Air Force from using the roads to land several aircraft — including one of its biggest planes. An MQ-9 Reaper with the 2nd Special Operations Squadron lands on Highway 287 during Exercise Agile Chariot near Rawlins, Wyoming, April 30, 2023. Air Force planes — including the MC-130J and Warthog — have landed on stretches of highway in recent years in places like Michigan, Latvia, and Sweden. And the Air Force Special Operations Command has even explored modifications to the MC-130J to allow it to land in water.

☆ The US Air Force has big plans for the next-generation drones that will fight alongside its fighters and bombers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It's now developing collaborative combat aircraft, which can fight alongside piloted jets or on their own. A need for 'affordable mass'MQ-9s on a runway at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico in April. Worse, the Air Force faces a pilot shortage and its overall number of flight hours has been decreasing. The Air Force also continues to develop top-tier assets like the F-35, the B-21 stealth bomber, and the Next Generation Air Dominance program, or NGAD. "Without it, it's very difficult to envision how we could keep the Air Force at the size it currently is."

☆ Former F-16 pilot says he would not want to fly missions over Ukraine right now, arguing 'there is no fighting chance'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine has repeatedly asked the US for fourth-generation fighter jets like the F-16. A former F-16 pilot said these jets don't have a fighting chance given Russia's air defense systems. One former F-16 pilot told Insider he wouldn't want to attempt to fly missions over Ukraine right now, asserting that the aircraft can't outmatch Russia's air defense systems. Fourth-generation fighters "have no business in a modern-day battlefield," John Venable, a 25-year veteran of the US Air Force, told Insider in a recent interview. F-16 fighters would likely be outmatched by Russian air defense systemsThe airspace above Ukraine remains contested after 14 months of war.

☆ An A-10 squadron is loading up with a lot more bombs for a new mission even as the Air Force tries to get rid of its attack planes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A-10 Warthog attack planes are getting a new mission in the Middle East and more bombs. Air Force leadership has been trying for years to retire its aging fleet of Warthogs. It's not immediately clear how many A-10s are being sent to the Middle East, as squadrons can vary in size. These guided air-to-surface munitions, which can hit fixed and stationary targets, weigh 250 pounds and have a range of over 46 miles, according to an Air Force fact sheet. Air Force photo/Master Sgt.

☆ After a year of heavy losses, Ukraine's military is juggling a 'very uneven' force as it prepares for major fighting, expert says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Ukraine's military is gearing up for offensives against Russian forces in spring and summer. Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWhen Russia invaded in February 2022, Ukraine's military had about 196,000 active personnel and 900,000 in reserve, according to the International Institute of Strategic Studies' 2022 Military Balance report. The Western approachAn instructor briefs Ukrainian soldiers at a training center near Yavoriv in April 2017. The training they provided accompanied other efforts by Kyiv to reverse two decades of post-Cold War decay that weakened the Ukrainian military. "This is a continuous struggle in the Ukrainian military," Kofman said.

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