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SINGAPORE – Singapore has announced that it will implement all operational provisions of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (ATF) as soon as the agreement becomes active next year.
The ATF endeavors to simplify the bureaucratic regulations involved in cross-border trade by streamlining the customs and border procedures of WTO member states. With the creation of the ATF, the WTO has clarified and improved articles V, VIII, and X of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
According to estimates by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), businesses will see trade costs decrease by 10 to 15 percent when the ATF becomes active.The WTO also expects the administrative costs to exporters for moving goods across borders to decrease by up to 50 percent.
The ATF could also inject more than US$1 trillion into the global economy, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics.It is expected that gains would amount to approximately US$450 billion in Asia alone.
After more than nine years of negotiations, the 160 members of the WTO finally reached consensus on the ATF at the WTO's 9th Ministerial Conference in Bali in December 2013. The exact date that the ATF will become active is unknown as it will not be implemented until at least two-thirds of WTO members have ratified the agreements.This is expected to be by July 31, 2015.
The agreement is made up of two sections, the first of which contains provisions for simplifying the movement, release and clearance of goods. Obligations include ensuring the publication and availability of customs information, providing traders with appeal and review procedures, ensuring procedures for the release and clearance of goods and issuing traders with advance rulings on their goods.
The second section outlines the differential treatment regarding the implementation of ATF obligations offered to countries depending on their level of economic development. Developing countries have some flexibility over which provisions they will implement immediately once the pact comes into force. It is expected that these countries will notify the WTO of the relevant provisions, also known as 'Category A commitments,' by July 31, 2014. Developed countries will implement all ATF provisions as soon as the agreement becomes active.
The ultimate aim of the ATF is to expedite greater economic integration and growth.Successful economic integration depends not only on the reduction of tariff and non-tariff barriers, but also, and according to several analysts, more so, on trade facilitation measures such as improved infrastructure and telecommunications, improved security and efficient border administration.
The wide-ranging economic benefits of such trade facilitation measures include enticing foreign investment, advancing domestic development and supporting business supply chains. Businesses can also save a significant amount of time and money.
For example, IBM has estimated that Singapore's national single window, which allows companies operating in Singapore to submit documents fulfilling all import, export and transit-related regulatory requirements to a single entry point, saves companies up to US$1 billion per year.By improving the efficiency and transparency of customs procedures, the ATF will be able to make significant progress relatively quickly and cheaply.
Facilitating greater economic integration is a goal which is especially important to ASEAN countries in the lead-up to the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) coming into effect on December 31, 2015. The AEC, which is one of the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, aims to establish a single market and production base, a highly competitive economic region, a region of equitable economic development and a region fully integrated into the global economy.
Earlier this year, the World Economic Forum published the fifth edition of its Global Enabling Trade Report (GETR), which ranks 138 economies in terms of their ability to enable trade. The ASEAN countries' rankings varied widely – the list was topped by Singapore, followed by Malaysia in 25th place, Thailand (57th), Indonesia (58th), Philippines (64th), Vietnam (72nd), Cambodia (93rd), Laos (98th) and Myanmar (121st). Brunei was not included in the report.
Singapore's top ranking reflected its status as a global trade hub, but other ASEAN countries did not do as well due to suffering, to various degrees, from issues such as weak connectivity, poor transport infrastructure and logistics, corruption and complex bureaucratic regulations.At a time when there are increasing concerns that the AEC deadline may not be met, the ATF has hopefully created momentum to tackle some of these problems.
Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email email@example.com or visit www.dezshira.com.
Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.
Related Reading
The Gateway to ASEAN: Doing Business in Singapore 2014 (Second Edition)
Dezan Shira & Associates' Singapore business guide will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Singapore. The 2014 edition explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll and social insurance in the city-state, in addition to how a company established there can be used to conduct business in the wider ASEAN and Southeast Asian region.
WTO Delivers Historic Trade Deal
Singapore Set to Sign Off on FATCA
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Ok, so I said I was closing down Gingerbeard Outdoors and well as you can tell I haven't. I didn't really want to shut it down because that is still part of me but I thought I could not do Front Line Farm and Gingerbeard Outdoors. I was mostly wrong and I am happy about... Continue Reading →
Not the End
I am going to be closing down gingerbeardoutdoors.com but by no means am I done. I am going to be starting a new chapter of my life to include a new business that will be starting soon. Check back soon for more updates.
Kickstarter for Documentary
This is from the amazing team at Spruce Tone Films that is helping me get "Constant Thought" created. **BIG UPDATE! NEW PROJECT ALERT!** In case you missed it, our newest project is launched! We are psyched to share the concept for our new film "Constant Thought" which will explore the therapeutic benefits of time spent... Continue Reading →
Reviews moving to YouTube
My YouTube Link
All the feels
As most of you know I am about 60 day from leaving on my PCT journey. Over the last week or so it all started to get real. I am getting all the feels about this trip, good and "bad". The reason I am putting this out there is that people know it is normal... Continue Reading →
My Gear and Resupply Strategy
Here is a link to my gear as of now, some changes and additions may be coming. Also, the second sheet is my resupply strategy and rough timeline.
Our Future
Well I have been thinking for along time about the future of my family and how we want to live. So, we have decided when I am done with the PCT we are finally going to get a RV or Tiny Home and live a semi-nomadic lifestyle. That being said, what I am going to... Continue Reading →
PCT 2018.. It's Happening
First, sorry about not being on here that much. I have been doing for Instagram and YouTube. I will be attempting to put out a quick blog once a week from now on. Well everything is a go. I got my gear 95% set, you can see my video's at my YouTube channel. Got my... Continue Reading →
STR and Healing
Ok, I have been thinking how I can put into words the amazing time I had at Strongpoint Theinert Ranch. First, a little history of STR. "After their son's death on June 4, 2010, the parents of 1LT Joseph J. Theinert, Dr. Francis "Doc" Kestler and Chrystyna Kestler knew they wanted to continue Joe's legacy... Continue Reading →

subset: commoncrawl


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There's a Jerk in every office. A know-it-all, overachiever who comes in early, stays late and kisses up to the boss. Exact revenge on ?that guy? with Office Jerk: grab whatever you can find, and hurl it at him!
The Office Jerk can only take so much - find out how much by throwing:
- Zombie Mask(NEW ITEM)
- Fire Extinguisher
- Cheesy Button
- Snappy Mouse Trap
- Fish Bowl, complete with Goldfish
- Sloppy, Spicy Taco
- Sweet, Vanilla Ice Cream Cone
- Nice, Blue Water balloon
- Stick O' Dynamite
- Yummy Cupcake with Sprinkles
- Crumpled Piece of Paper
- Shiny Red Stapler
- Suction Cup Dart - Always Classic, Always Funny
- Pipe Wrench
- Soda Pop!
Release Date: 15/06/2011
Game Trailer
Download Game
...and a whole bunch more, plus mystery items! And we're adding new items all the time.
Don't just sit back and take it: pay it back. Grab whatever feels right, and fling it at his head or shoulder - or go right for the face! Tap the desk organizer and see what other items you can rain down on that office meanie. Finally wipe that smirk off his face, in this feel-good app from Fluik Entertainment.
- Hit the Jerk with 30+ items
- Unlock hilarious reactions for each item
- Discover tons of environment interactions
- Master the Office Jerk checklist
- Earn Daily Rewards
- Complete Daily Challenges
- Achievements Galore!
Download Game
Office Jerk is developed by Fluik Casual.


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Yesterday we went to the CNE (The "Ex") in Toronto.It was a long drive and we were gone all day and it's was lots of walking and we're tired but we had fun. My hubby decided to take the long way though,not listening to me when I said to take Lake Shore Blvd. instead, even though I grew up there and went to the Ex several times every summer and went across the city on my own; he thinks he knows everything and I know nothing and talks down to me like I'm a dumb little kid. He also says I "whine" because I get tired and hurt and have to keep going to the bathroom. I liked being back in the city and I missed it and wish I could move back again except we couldn't afford to live there now. I wish I could go back to the past. I wish I had my old life back. I was happy once and I wish I could go back to that time.I have so many fond memories I wish I could relive.
My hubby took the kids and they went on the rides(they didn't play the games as it's gambling which is a sin and they're also a waste of $$$) and I looked in the buildings and then we'd meet up again for meals. I got peacock feathers, a cool backpack with rubber "spikes" on it, and a hippo carved out of wood. I also saw 3 shows(I had to keep sitting): an acrobat troupe from China(like the kind you'd see at a circus) a folk dance troupe from Russia(it reminded me of when I was there and saw similar performances) and they did Cossack dancing, . and a ballerina as well,and a Gypsy Jazz trio.One of them looked like a guy I used to like too; very Bohemian; he had a little beard, long hair put back in a ponytail and wore a beret(that's the kind of guy I SHOULD be with and not the redneck I ended up with) and they were the kind of band you could picture playing in a little bistro in Quebec City! I liked being back in the city seeing the diversity and multiculturalism there as well; seeing people from all different cultures, and I wished they'd sold puppies at the Ex and if they'd had Chihuahuas I would have bought one and just brought it home and then there would be nothing my mother and hubby could have done!
We had a good day,even though it was long and tiring and alot of walking and driving.I'm going to bed now! I ache all over!


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December 4, 1984, Section A, Page 1Buy Reprints
Toxic gas leaking from an American-owned insecticide plant in central India killed at least 410 people overnight, many as they slept, officials said today.
At least 12,000 were reported injured in the disaster in the city of Bhopal, 2,000 of whom were hospitalized.
The death toll in the city and its environs, 360 miles south of New Delhi, was expected to rise as more bodies were found and some of the critically injured died.
United News of India put the death toll at 500, but the news agency's figure could not be independently confirmed.
Underground Storage Tank
An Indian environmental official, T. N. Khushoo, called it the ''worst such disaster in Indian history.''
The Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh State, where Bhopal is situated, told reporters that the gas had escaped from one of three underground storage tanks at a Union Carbide Company plant in Bhopal.
Witnesses said thousands of people had been taken to hospitals gasping for breath, many frothing at the mouth, their eyes inflamed.
The streets were littered with the corpses of dogs, cats, water buffalo, cows and birds killed by the gas, methyl isocyanate, which is widely used in the preparation of insecticides.
Doctors Are Rushed to City
Doctors from neighboring towns and the Indian Army were rushed to the city of 900,000, where hospitals were said to be overflowing with the injured.
Most of the victims were children and old people who were overwhelmed by the gas and suffocated, Indian press reports said.
Even in small amounts, the gas produces heavy discharge from the eyes and is extremely irritating to the skin and internal organs. Exposure can apparently lead to enough fluid accumulation to cause drowning. (Page A8.)
(In Danbury, Conn., a spokesman for Union Carbide said it was temporarily closing part of a nearly identical plant in West Virginia while it investigated the Bhopal disaster. ''We don't know what went wrong,'' the spokesman said. Page A8.)
Valve Malfunction Suspected
The managing director of Union Carbide in India, Y. P. Gokhale, was quoted as saying that the incident occurred when a tank valve apparently malfunctioned after an increase in pressure, allowing the gas to escape into the air in a 40-minute period early today. It was not clear why the pressure had risen or how the leak was stopped.
Mr. Kushoo, the environmental official, said it was still unclear whether it would be necessary to evacuate parts of Bhopal. The poison gas spread through about 25 square miles of Bhopal, an area said to be populated largely by poor families. Gandhi Announces Relief Fund
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, calling the incident ''horrifying,'' announced the creation of a $400,000 Government relief fund. At the same time, the Central Bureau of Investigation was said to have begun an inquiry.
Mr. Gandhi, traveling in southern India for the general election campaign, said that ''everything possible will be done to provide relief to the sufferers,'' and added, ''Such mishaps must never be allowed to recur.''
Rewnath Chaure, the Health Minister of Madhya Pradesh State, told a reporter in Bhopal that 302 people had died in one hospital alone.
The state's Chief Minister, Arjun Singh, reported that about 2,000 people overcome by the gas fumes were hospitalized. He said at least 10,000 others were treated for symptoms including vomiting, breathing problems and inflamed eyes. Arrests Are Reported
Authorities said five factory officials had been arrested and charged with criminal negligence in the disaster. (In Danbury, Conn., the Union Carbide Company said the reports that the managers had been arrested were incorrect.)
The officials reportedly arrested were identified as J. Mukand, the works manager; S. B. Chowdhury, the production manager, and three other officials. It was not known if all were Indian nationals.
Most of the initial reports on the leak, which began at 1 A.M. Monday (2:30 P.M. Sunday, New York time) were provided by India's two independent news agencies, Press Trust of India and United News of India, which had reporters on the scene in the early hours of the disaster.
According to Press Trust of India, the gas spread over an area of about 200,000 people, many of whom awoke vomiting and complaining of dizziness, sore throats and burning eyes. Many could hardly talk, it reported, and some complained of brief spells of blindness.
United News of India said the factory siren did not sound to alert the neighborhood until two hours after the leak began, and it said the police and doctors did not come into the area until four hours after that. Shutdown Is Announced
Mr. Singh, the Chief Minister, announced that he was ordering a shutdown of the Union Carbide plant and pledged not to allow it to resume production. He said the Government might demand that the company pay compensation to the victims.
Mr. Singh also ordered schools, colleges, offices and markets closed.
In a statewide radio broadcast later, Mr. Singh said the leak had been stopped and described the situation as ''fully under control.'' He urged people not to spread rumors.
Reports from Bhopal said thousands fled the city's crowded districts as word of the leak spread. Plant Opened in 1977
The Bhopal plant was opened in 1977 and produces about 2,500 tons of pesticides based on methyl isocyanate annually. In 1978, six people were reported killed when they were exposed to phosgene gas, another lethal mixture produced in the plant.
According to a Union Carbide spokesman, the underground tank in which the leak occurred today contained 45 tons of methyl isocyanate in its liquid form.
The chemical is colorless, burns easily and has a low evaporation level. The spokesman said enormous pressure had built up inside the tank, forcing a rupture of a valve and allowing the gas to pass into the air.
Safety Features Noted
According to a Union Carbide statement in Bombay, the storage tanks had special safety features. The main emergency devices, according to the statement, were vent scrubbers, which it said were ''meant to neutralize and render the gas harmless prior to its release into the atmosphere.''
''In the accident,'' the statement added, ''the rapid pressure built up resulted in a spurt of gas running unneu tralized which escaped into the atmosphere.''


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Posts tagged census
Iowa Uninsured at 8 Percent in 2013
One of nation's best rates leading up to ACA and Medicaid expansion
A greater percentage of Iowans had health insurance than in most other states leading up to the implementation of the new health care law, Census data showed Tuesday.
Data from the Census' American Community Survey showed 248,000 Iowans, or 8.1 percent, were uninsured in 2013, down from 254,000, or 8.4 percent, in 2012. The change was not statistically significant, as it was within the margin of error.
Only three other states and the District of Columbia had lower percentages of people who identified themselves as uninsured.
"As good as the Iowa numbers look in comparison to other states, we still had a quarter of a million people without insurance heading up to implementation of the Affordable Care Act," noted Peter Fisher, research director of the nonpartisan Iowa Policy Project, which is part of the Iowa Fiscal Partnership.
"The Census report demonstrates a need for policies that provide access to health insurance such as ACA, or Obamacare, and Iowa's Medicaid expansion. Both can be expected to have reduced the number of uninsured. It will be interesting next year to see how these numbers have changed after more people have enrolled."
Fisher noted one reason for optimism of better numbers in the future is that the state with the lowest uninsurance rate is Massachusetts, which has had a state plan for a number of years. The uninsurance rate in Massachusetts was 3.7 percent in 2013.
"As the ACA is implemented and we have a public policy response to the problem of uninsurance, you have to wonder if we'll approach the Massachusetts number," Fisher said.
Besides Massachusetts, only Hawaii and Washington, D.C., at 6.7 percent and Vermont at 7.2 percent had lower rates than Iowa. Minnesota at 8.2 percent was about the same as Iowa's 8.1 percent, as both had a 0.3 percentage-point margin of error.
In the region, Iowa and Minnesota were well ahead of neighboring states, with uninsurance in Wisconsin at 9.1 percent and all others in double digits: Nebraska and South Dakota both at 11.3 percent, Kansas at 12.3 percent, Illinois at 12.7 percent, and Missouri 13 percent.
The Iowa Fiscal Partnership is a joint public policy analysis initiative of two nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations — the Iowa Policy Project in Iowa City and the Child & Family Policy Center in Des Moines. Reports are at www.iowafiscal.org.
IFP News: Income Down, Poverty Up Since '07
Iowans in slow recovery from Great Recession
PDF of this release
IOWA CITY, Iowa — More Iowans remained in poverty three years after the recession, new data from the Census Bureau showed Thursday.
The American Community Survey (ACS) indicated 12.7 percent of Iowans — about 377,500 people — were in poverty in 2012, up from 11 percent in 2007, the year the last recession started.
"These are the signs we have been seeing across the board in our research," said David Osterberg, founding director of the Iowa Policy Project, part of the Iowa Fiscal Partnership. "Whether you're looking at jobs, or income, or poverty, or food insecurity, we simply have not caught up with where we were before the Great Recession."
Other key points for Iowa from the release of 2012 ACS data:
• Iowa's poverty rate of 12.7 percent compared with 11 percent in 2007 and 9.7 percent in 2001. The change from 2011 — a drop of 0.1 of a percentage point — was not statistically significant.
• Child poverty was 15.6 percent in 2012 (about 110,200 children), up from 13.1 percent in 2007 and 12 percent in 2001.
• Median income was $50,957 in 2012, changing little from 2001 in inflation-adjusted dollars, but it dropped from $52,371 in 2007.
"Public policy needs to give people the tools to lift themselves out of poverty, and at the same time boost the economy," said Charles Bruner, executive director of the Child & Family Policy Center, also part of the Iowa Fiscal Partnership. "We have those kinds of tools in place — such as SNAP, or Food Stamps — but many of those same tools are under assault in Congress."
In the U.S. House, lawmakers Thursday debated legislation that would cut SNAP benefits to an estimated 3.8 million beneficiaries.
"Look at these numbers today," Osterberg said. "How can we see over 100,000 kids in Iowa in poverty and not realize this is a problem that needs to be addressed?"
Reports from the Iowa Fiscal Partnership are at www.iowafiscal.org.
# # # # #
Note: A simple comparison of the Current Population Survey and the American Community Survey is available at http://www.census.gov/hhes/


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Our website has moved
Our Website Has Moved
Referee Training
Coaching courses, resources, & licensing
NMSC facebook page
Mutiny brings in 3 Championships and 2 Finalist at Plant City Strawberry Classic
Congratulations to the U11 Boys who have gone undefeated in the league season 2 years in a row under coach Tim Betts and Greg Bald...
ANNOUNCEMENT! We are proud to bring you our second year of the Mutiny Player Development Academy for players with birth years 2011...
Out of 6 age brackets filled the Munity has 4 teams in the finals
Help support the US Men's National Team when the face off against Columbia right here in Tampa at Raymond James Stadium.
Buffalo Creek Park (Primary Field)
17th Street Soccer fields
Sarasota Futball Club
North Manatee Soccer Club
Parrish, Florida 34219
Email: [email protected]


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Granite Kitchen Countertops
When homes have marble or granite counters the homeowners are almost always bragging about their counters, and you really do not hear many people just dying to tell you about their new laminate counters. Laminate might be a material that is overlooked and perhaps even given a bad reputation over the years, but things have changed and so has laminate products. There are numerous reasons why a laminate counter top is a great alternative to marble, and here are five of them
Easy Cleaning & Maintenance
Laminate is installed seamlessly, and that is not without serious benefits! This option is easy to clean, and easy to keep clean. There is very little maintenance you need to do it on, as in you will not ever have to seal it like you would with marble, and it can be cleaned using regular house hold cleaning products.
Easy on the Wallet
When compared to other counter materials frequently used, like stone, laminate is hands down the most friendly to your wallet. It can start anywhere in the neighbourhood of $15 per square foot making it far more affordable than something like quartz, granite or marble which can start, often, anywhere from $50 - $100 per square foot. You do have to take a little more care with sharp things like knives, really hot pots or pans and abrasive cleaners but that kind of care is so much easier to accomplish than attempting to seal your counters every 3 years.
It Looks Good
With the new styles available laminate counters look good, really good actually! The patterns available will compliment both dark and light cabinets, whether painted or not. You can pretty much find anything, really anything, to suit your taste and any previously existing fixtures in your kitchen. Since this is an engineered product the options are legitimately endless. There are even marble look alike options that you can choose so that you have the look of marble, without the cost and upkeep.
More Style Than Ever Before
Laminate counters can be ordered without the apron, or 'lip' at the back of them and when installed they will end at the wall behind your cupboards. With installation like this, you can select a gorgeous back splash and make your kitchen even trendier.
Easy on the Wallet
It is no longer just high end counters making the covers of magazines, and lots of budget friendly renovations are making the covers of home magazines everywhere. Your brand new kitchen will look absolutely amazing, and completely magazine worthy. You might even find a marble look alike that has all your friends wondering if you splurged for really high end counters. What's more is that because of the amount you saved on counters by choosing laminate you can splurge on other items in your kitchen and make your budget go even further.
Laminate is a valid option for kitchen counters, and the material itself has come a really long way in terms of its look and options. Since it is completely budget friendly it is definitely within your best interest to explore this material when looking to select a new kitchen countertops, and due to what you save here maybe you will have enough budget left over for that really high tech fridge you wanted or maybe brand new cupboards, too!
- 10 Great Alternatives to Granite Kitchen Countertops
- 5 Reasons to Buy Granite Kitchen Countertops
- 5 Reasons to Choose Laminate for Your New Kitchen Counters
- The Pros and Cons of Marble Kitchen Countertops
- Should You Install Your New Kitchen Countertop by Yourself?
- 9 Reasons to Choose Quartz over Granite for your Kitchen Countertops
- Choosing the Right Kitchen Countertop Material
- Why You Should Buy Engineered Stone Kitchen Countertops
- What You Should Know About Replacing Your Kitchen Counters
- Which Is Better for My Kitchen Countertops: Granite or Quartz?
- Hottest Trends for Kitchen Counter Tops in 2016
- Budgeting for Certain Types of Kitchen Countertops
- Advantages and Drawbacks to a Granite Kitchen Countertop
- Modernizing Your Kitchen with New Countertops
- What You Gain from Investing in Kitchen Countertops
- The Creation Process: How Granite Kitchen Countertops Are Made
- Guidelines to Follow When Maintaining Your Kitchen Countertop
- 6 Things to Consider When Shopping for Kitchen Countertops
- A Look at Some Rare and Exotic Kitchen Countertops


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Why would a company want to be involved in a Vendor Managed Inventory program?on October 13th, 2007 at 4:53 am
Posted In: VMI
- Data entry errors are greatly reduced due to computer to computer communications. The speed of the processing is also improved.
- Both parties are interested in giving better service levels to the end customer. Having the correct item in stock when the end customer needs it, benefits all parties involved.
- A true partnership is formed between the Manufacturer and the Distributor. They work closer together and strengthen their ties. This benefits of a stronger partnership goes beyond VMI.
- Stabilize the timing of Purchase Orders – PO's are now generated on a predefined basis. Example: A once/twice Weekly purchase order cycle.
- The goal is to have an improvement in Fill Rates from the manufacturer and to the end customer. Also, a decrease in stockouts and a decrease in overall inventory levels.
- Planning and ordering cost will decrease due to the responsibility being shifted to the Manufacturer.
- The overall service level is improved by having the right product at the right time.
- The manufacturer is more focused than ever in providing great service to the distributor and the end customer.
- Visibility to the Distributors Point of Sale data makes forecasting for the manufacturer easier.
- Promotions can be more easily incorporated into the inventory plan.
- A reduction in Distributor returns due to improved ordering.
- Visibility to Stock Levels helps to identify priorities – replenishing for stock or a stockout?. Before Vendor Managed Inventory, a manufacturer has no visibility to the quantity and the products that are ordered. With VMI, the manufacturer can see the potential need for an item before the item is ordered.


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Home Theater
Have you dreamed of having an entertainment system that rocks?
Do you want to upgrade your current entertainment system? Spot lightingCall Generation 3 Electric to install and upgrade:
- Flat Screen TVs
- Speaker Wiring
- Track Lighting
- Surround Sound
- Recessed Lighting
Need More Information?
For questions, or to schedule an appointment, contact us today!


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Remember being a child and needing to have a popsicle in the shape of Sonic the Hedgehog, or a Clown with the bubblegum nose? – well this MIT invention is meant to take us all back to our youth and get kids excited about computing.
Although, I think it's safe to say that kids and adults alike are able to get excited about ice cream, unless you have the unfortunate affliction of being lactose intolerant.
MIT students, who either had too much time on their hands or think creating 3D printers is akin to watching Walking Dead on Netflix, created this homemade 3D ice cream printer.
A test of the finished product. (via MIT)
The picture below shows how these students repurposed household items to become a 3D ice cream printer which has the ability to create some fun and tasty shapes. Who could have known that a freezer and Cuisinart soft serve machine could become high tech?. Atlhough, I suppose if you have a liquid nitrogen tank on hand and a solidoodle, anything could be possible in the frozen food 3D printing world.
The soft serve machine and liquid nitrogen tank work together to freeze the ice cream on demand. Then the ice cream is fed into the solidoodle 3D printer as a printing material where it becomes a 3D edible shape. Finally, you can only hope that the freezer is cold enough to keep these treats frozen for long enough to enjoy all the effort.
I would be over the moon if these MIT students create 3D printed funnel cake next and top it with their ice cream creations. It seems that 3D ice cream may just be the first stop for edible printer products, but perhaps not the last. I see a trend on the rise for Michelin star chefs. Or, perhaps the latest cooking robots will be adopting these ideas. However, there are many more effective and less time consuming ways to get the same job done, for instance: walking to the convenient store.
These MIT students are hoping that this invention gets kids excited about computing by appealing to their "tummies."
A schematic of the 3D ice cream printer


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Careers with Exemplar Health Care
Exemplar Health Care's success is thanks to our passionate team of colleagues who all share our values. If you share our determination to make every day better for those in our care, we'd love to hear from you.
I would definitely recommend Exemplar Health Care to all nurses, from newly qualified to nurses who have already qualified. Everyone works together and there are opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and provide great job satisfaction by enabling you to play a part in ensuring the service users achieve a great quality of life.
Claire Bell, Exemplar Health Care Nurse
Rewarding your dedication
Whether it's RCNi membership or NMC Pin payment for nurses, or lifestyle and retail discounts for everyone, we're always thinking about new ways of saying 'thank you' for being part of our team.Find out more
Lifestyle and retail discountsRead more
Free car parkingRead more
£150 referral bonus *Read more
Free uniformRead more
Pension planRead more
Paid DBS checkRead more
Continuous professional development (CPD)Read more
24/7 employee counselling and support programmeRead more
Comprehensive induction programRead more
*Pro-rated for part-time colleagues and subject to qualifying conditions.
Click here to download your refer-a-friend claim form and view terms and conditions.
We are a National Living Wage employer
What is the National Living Wage?
The National Living Wage means anyone over the age of 25, and not in the first year of an apprenticeship, must be paid £8.72 per hour or more.
At Exemplar Health Care, we pay £8.72 per hour to all colleagues on this wage level - not just those over 25.
Which team is right for you?
There are six core teams at the heart of our business. And regardless of our seniority or experience, every voice is equally important. Because our business only works when we all work together for the people in our care.
Our values and People Plan
Brilliant people are at the heart of everything we do. And to reflect our commitment to you and your career, we've created our very own People Plan to make sure we continue to attract, inspire and retain the most passionate and caring people.


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DRACUT — The state Department of Labor Relations has dismissed allegations that the town violated the law by denying a Department of Public Works employee the right to union representation when fired and discharging him in retaliation for the union raising an overtime issue with DPW Director Ed Patenaude.
According to the DLR decision provided by Town Manager Jim Duggan to The Sun, the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Council 93, Local 1404 accused the town of discharging George Metros in retaliation for the union raising an overtime issue with Patenaude. It also argued that the town violated Metros' Weingarten rights when it denied a request for union representation at a Dec. 14, 2017 meeting between Metros, Duggan, Patenaude and Director of Human Resources Christine Lindberg. The town argues that Metros never requested union representation during the meeting.
Metros, a Dracut resident who worked as a truck driver for the DPW for 13 years, was fired last year for taking copper pipes on Sept. 6, 2017, from a Phineas Street home. Metros told police he had noticed the barrel of copper at the end of a driveway and had taken it because he believed it was being thrown out. He also said he knocked on the house's door and no one answered. The owner of the pipes agreed not to press any charges in exchange for $150 reimbursement.
Three months later, on Dec. 11, 2017, Patenaude ordered a 5 a.m. start time for DPW workers on Dec. 12 due to a storm, according to the DLR documents. When Patenaude arrived to work the following day, at the normal start time of 7:30 a.m., the office manager and a foreman informed him that the union wanted to talk to him about the amount of overtime pay that the members would receive for the early call-in.
According to the documents, at the urging of Metros, two others entered Patenaude's office and informed him that the members believed that under the parties' collective bargaining agreement they were entitled to four hours of overtime pay for the call-in rather than the two hours they were set to receive. Patenaude agreed and directed the office manager to pay them for four hours. The issue was resolved within approximately 10 minutes. Duggan said he didn't know of this issue until later.
On Dec. 14, Duggan directed Patenaude to bring Metros to Town Hall. According to Patenaude, Metros asked him if Metros needed union representation and Patenaude told Metros that it was "up to him." According to the documents, Duggan did not explain to Patenaude his reason for wanting to see Metros, and Patenaude was not involved in Duggan's decision to discharge Metros.
At the meeting, Duggan brought up the copper incident. This is when narratives split. According to Metros, at the meeting he said he would like to enact his Weingarten rights and was told he didn't need it. Duggan says Metros never asked for union representation.
It was at this meeting that Duggan handed Metros a discharge letter.
"I was fully confident that the DLR was going to come to that conclusion because the claims that Mr. Metros was terminated directly related to union business was baseless and the controversial issue that he gave as the reason why was something that was handled quickly," Duggan said. "It was just a matter of a miscommunication and the DPW director resolved the issue immediately within minutes. It didn't even get to my desk. I never knew that issue had occurred, that there was a difference in opinion because I empower my department heads to resolve conflicts first. If they are not able to resolve it, then I get involved."
Metros on Thursday referred questions to his counsel. In an email Thursday, Jim Durkin, director of Legislation, Political Action and Communications for AFSCME Council 93, released the following statement on Metros' behalf.
"The recent ruling by the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations pertained to the union's contention that Mr. Metros was targeted for discipline because of his status as union president and that he was entitled to have union representation present at the meeting that resulted in his termination by the town manager," the statement reads. "The department of labor relations ruled against the union in both matters. However, the matter of Mr. Metros' termination is still pending in binding arbitration."
Follow Amaris Castillo on Twitter @AmarisCastillo.


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City of Ames, IAHome Menu
HDR Flood Mitigation Study 2014
HDR Flood Mitigation Study
In 2013, the City of Ames worked with consultants HDR, to develop a strategy to mitigate challenges of area flooding. The final report was presented in January, 2014.
To access the report, click here. (The study is very large, with many graphs and images.)
The flood mitigation study was pursued to consider options to reduce future flooding. Ames community's location at the confluence of Squaw Creek and South Skunk River created challenges with flooding over the years. Major floods occurred in 1965, 1975, 1990, twice in 1993, 1996, 2007, 2008, and 2010. The most recent flood was severe and affected many residents and businesses. The flood of 2010 motivated the Ames City Council to pursue the Ames Flood Mitigation Study. The goal of this study is to develop a list of recommendations to reduce the impact of future flooding on the Ames community.


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techniquejunkies.com website -- the stamps are on sale for 15% off ONLY THROUGH MIDNIGHT tonight! Don't miss out on this great deal on stamps.
The funky little kitty above, Meow Chicka (SD637) is one of my personal favorite cats! Every time I look at it the Meow Chicka Meow Meow runs through my head. I couldn't help myself, either, I put it on another fun background called Abstract Waves (S365). Add a little fringe at the bottom, and viola! Funky kitty fun.
Now get on over to the TJ website and get your discount!
Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Kitty cat -- get your 15% discount before it's gone!
Posted by Pat Huntoon at 6:00 AM 2 comments
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Advisory materials that are clear, and bring together information required.
For example, the handbook From Subsistence to Profit - How to live better from my farm, which brings together many strands of information including generic design of farm-level or community-level micro-processing units, to help small scale farmers obtain a better income for themselves and their families.
Solar driers for fruits and vegetables.
ADEPT has designed and built eight low-technology solar driers, which were provided free to local families, improving household storage of herbs and vegetables, as well as providing marketable products. The driers were made locally by village carpenters from a template provided by ADEPT. Producers are now selling dried fruit, herbs and medicinal plants: in markets, to visitors in their own courtyard, from the Tourist Information Centre in Saschiz.
Community-owned micro-processing unit
Fundația ADEPT has developed a basic model of a community-owned micro-processing unit, easily to be replicated, for village-level food processing, enabling small-scale producers in the area to sell their traditional recipes more widely, while meeting the safety and hygiene regulations set out by the EU. SES Fruleco HNV aims to contribute to local development and social cohesion, with a high potential for generating and maintaining stable employment. Currently, the social enterprise includes seven full-time employees, of which five persons belonging to vulnerable groups. The main objective is to eradicate poverty behaving responsibly towards environmental issues, not to maximise the profit.


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Chapter 2: Control of the Air (B-GA-403-000/FP-001, Canadian Forces Aerospace Shape Doctrine)
- Introduction
- Offensive counter-air
- Defensive counter-air
- Summary
The only real security upon which sound military principles will rely is that you should be master of your own air.[1]
– Sir Winston Churchill
If we lose the war in the air, we lose the war, and we lose it quickly.[2]
– Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery
Gaining and maintaining control of the air[3] is an essential capability for successful military operations. Having control of the air safeguards sovereignty in peacetime, controls access in times of tension, and provides safety from air attack in war. Control of the air shapes the operational area by providing friendly forces with the freedom to conduct operations at the time and place of their choosing without prohibitive interference from an adversary. It may be thought of as the level of influence over the aerospace domain that friendly forces exert relative to the aerospace capabilities of the adversary. Achieving control of the air is a vital joint task force commander (JTFC) objective.
Establishing control of the air depends upon many factors, including the operational situation, resources available, and the capabilities of the adversary. Against an adversary with little counter-air capability, total control of the air may be established rapidly and maintained at little cost (during a counter-insurgency operation, for example). Against an adversary possessing robust offensive and defensive aerospace capabilities, gaining control of the air may only be possible for a short period of time or in a discrete area of the battlespace. In such cases, the effort required to gain control of the air must be balanced against the risks created by insufficient control. The JTFC must determine the necessary degree of control of the air required to achieve mission success, articulate control-of-the-air objectives, and then apportion sufficient resources to the task.
Determining the necessary level or degree of control of the air that can be reasonably achieved depends on understanding the threat, friendly offensive and defensive capabilities, battlespace, time available, and the strategic intent. Regardless of this understanding, the JTFC's control-of-the-air objectives must be accurately identified, clearly articulated, and appropriately resourced.
Assuring access to space and preserving unhampered exploitation of space capabilities are essential to contemporary military operations and are an integral part of the control-of-the-air campaign. This necessitates operations to guard space assets and associated critical surface infrastructure. Operations to prevent an adversary's use of space capabilities through denial, deception, disruption, degradation, or destructive measures may also be required.
This chapter provides a general overview of the control of the air aerospace capability and its associated roles and missions. As seen in Figure 2-1[4], the control-of-the-air capability is divided into two roles: offensive counter-air and defensive counter-air.
Counter-air operations are fundamental to achieving control of the air. They shape the physical battlespace in the vertical dimension in order to permit friendly freedom of action and deny an adversary the same. Achieving control of the air demands that the friendly counter-air capability is commensurate with the threat and has sufficient mass and resource depth. Counter-air targets include the breadth of adversarial aerospace capabilities including:
- aircraft and missiles;
- specialized aerospace infrastructure such as airfields, sensors, command and control (C2) nodes, and systems;
- stockpiles of fuel, munitions, special lubricants, and gasses;
- aircraft parts; and
- personnel possessing specific skill sets.
Counter-air operations are focused on reducing or destroying an adversary's aerospace capabilities, preferably as close to the source as possible and, ideally, before they can be launched or affect friendly operations. Effective counter-air operations require:
- a means to survey and monitor airspace, which consists of:
- ground, space, or airborne active and passive sensors to detect, identify, and monitor the atmospheric and orbital battlespace; and
- a combat identification capability, to include determining point of origin, alignment (friendly, enemy, neutral), type, and intent. This is particularly important in contested airspace where civil air activities are occurring;
- a means to exercise C2; and
- a force application capability commensurate with the anticipated threat, consisting of aircraft supported by space-based capabilities and capable of applying decisive, precision force against ground, airborne, and atmospheric threats.
Vignette 2: The Two-Hour War. Southern Lebanon had been used by para-military groups, terrorists, and Lebanese ground forces as a training haven and forward base to conduct attacks against Israeli civilians throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s. Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian ground forces were building in southern Lebanon through 1981, and small-scale attacks on Israel were commonplace.
Syria was well aware of the danger posed by Israeli air power and took steps to secure the gateway to the airspace of southern Lebanon, that above the Bekaa Valley. They had positioned 19 modern Soviet-built, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles (SAMs); numerous radars; anti-aircraft artillery (AAA); and communication facilities in the valley and conducted regular combat air patrols in the area. Their intent was to deter Israel from responding to the aggression and provide safety from Israeli air power.
The Israeli Air Force (IAF) had gathered a great deal of intelligence in or near the valley. The Syrian order of battle, tactics, doctrine, operational methodology, and use of the electronic spectrum were all very well known. Additionally, the IAF had developed a training area in the Negev desert, which was nearly identical to the Bekaa Valley, and trained there frequently. By June of 1982, diplomatic efforts to ease the mounting tensions had stalled; with attacks occurring almost daily and civilian casualties mounting, inaction was no longer an option.
Operation PEACE FOR GALILEE was launched in the summer of 1982. Operation DRUGSTORE, the offensive counter-air campaign, commenced on 9 June; the aim was air supremacy over southern Lebanon. Helicopters, artillery, fighters, electronic warfare (EW) and C2 aircraft, commandos, and UAs were dedicated to the task in a well-coordinated strike against Syrian surface and air threats in the valley.
The first strikes occurred at 1410 local time; 17 of the 19 SAM installations, most AAA, all of the sensors, and some C2 facilities were destroyed. The Syrians responded by sending fighters to regain the airspace, but 29 were shot down without a single loss to the IAF. Two hours after it had begun, the IAF had achieved control of the airspace over the Bekaa Valley. Over the next two days, further sorties were carried out to consolidate this success. Both remaining radar-guided SAMs were destroyed, along with all remaining C2 facilities and sensors. Fifty-three additional Syrian fighters were shot down.
Over two days, IAF losses were less than 10 aircraft of all types. Syria lost 82 fighters (over 30 per cent of its air force) and its entire surface-based anti-air capability in Lebanon, a loss from which it has never recovered. Without the counter-air protection, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian ground forces were thereafter savaged by Israeli air power and eventually routed completely. Lebanese-based attacks posed no serious threat to Israeli civilians for the next 18 years.[5]
Counter-air operations may be categorized as either offensive counter-air (OCA) or defensive counter-air (DCA) missions; competency in both disciplines is essential for effective control of the air. OCA and DCA differ in where and when the counter-air missions occur:
- OCA missions are conducted in hostile or contested territory and at the initiative of friendly forces. OCA operations prosecute both air and surface targets; are heavily intelligence reliant; and employ air-to-air, air-to-surface, and surface-to-surface fires and capabilities.
- DCA missions are conducted in neutral or friendly territory and are generally reactive to an adversary's capabilities, operations, or intent. DCA targets are exclusively airborne; DCA operations may be active or passive, are heavily reliant upon surveillance and warning, and employ air-to-air as well as surface-to-air fires and capabilities.
OCA and DCA missions must be coordinated and integrated at all levels; they draw upon resources across the joint force and include the use of aircraft, surface-to-surface and surface-to-air fires, as well as information operations. OCA and DCA operations are conducted across the entire battlespace and range from seeking out and destroying the adversary's ability to conduct air and missile attacks to simply minimizing the effectiveness of these attacks while maximizing attrition. The overall situation and friendly campaign plan determine when, where, and how these operations are used to gain and maintain the desired degree of control of the air.
The flexibility of modern aerospace power is such that aerospace platforms may swing from OCA to DCA missions and back with little or no advanced planning. Though OCA and DCA are distinct and separate, they utilize similar assets and personnel; synchronization of these operations from the earliest stages is vital.
The requirements for OCA and DCA operations will vary as a military campaign progresses. During the initial stages, OCA and DCA apportionment will be balanced in accordance with the threat and an adversary's capabilities. As intelligence and understanding of the adversary's aerospace order of battle grows, a comprehensive OCA campaign can be planned and executed. A successful OCA campaign will, over time, lessen the required DCA weight of effort.
In a domestic setting, control of the air is considered the capability to monitor and influence the security of friendly airspace and its approaches, activities that primarily fall under the DCA role. Domestic control-of-the-air / air sovereignty operations are "all military measures conducted across the spectrum of conflict to control sovereign airspace. Such an operation does not need to have aircraft airborne. The airspace is being controlled, not protected."[6] Control of Canadian domestic airspace is the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Creation of the mutually beneficial North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD—a bilateral agreement between the United States and Canada) has significantly increased the overall effectiveness of North American air defence. These efforts are closely coordinated with both countries' civilian aviation controlling and regulatory agencies. Domestic control-of-the-air operations are the area defence missions of aerospace warning and aerospace control. While these are presented here in the domestic context, both aerospace warning and aerospace control can also be conducted in an expeditionary setting:
- Aerospace warning is "a warning based on the detection, assessment and validation of an impending or actual intrusion into an airspace of interest by aircraft, missiles or spacecraft."[7] This includes capabilities for maintaining awareness of all civil and unknown activity within the designated airspace. This mission is primarily carried out by a robust ground- and space-based system of sensors and communication links, supported in specific circumstances by airborne assets.
- Aerospace control is "the implementation and coordination of the procedures governing airspace planning and organization in order to minimize risk and allow for the efficient and flexible use of airspace."[8] Aerospace control is underpinned by the aerospace warning mission and includes the capability and authority to monitor, control, and prosecute all unauthorized activity approaching and operating within the designated airspace. The aerospace control mission involves a number of related air operations and a range of aerospace capabilities (ground-based, space-based, and airborne). Aerospace operations can be:
- Air surveillance operations, which are "conducted to monitor designated airspace by detecting and tracking operations or intrusions";[9]
- Air enforcement operations, which are conducted in a permissive environment to support law enforcement operations and exert control over designated airspace; and
- Air defence operations, which are "conducted to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action through active measures."[10]
In an expeditionary context, and principally in the context of hostilities, the friendly aerospace power available determines the degree of control of the air that can reasonably be achieved. The degree of control of the air achieved is categorized as unfavourable, parity, air superiority, or air supremacy.[11] These terms, used to clarify the overall situation and can be used as goalposts when the JTFC establishes the objectives of the air campaign, are:
- Unfavourable. The condition of the air battle where friendly aerospace capability is unable to gain or maintain control of the air in the face of the adversary's aerospace capability.
- Parity. "In air battle, a condition of the air battle in which one force does not have an advantage over other forces."[12]
- Air superiority. That degree of dominance of one air force over another which permits the conduct of operations by the former and its related land and sea forces at a given time and place without prohibitive interference by the opposing air force.[13]
- Air supremacy. "That degree of air superiority wherein the opposing air force is incapable of effective interference."[14]
Vignette 3: Control of the air. Prior to hostilities in Operation DESERT STORM (1991), Iraq had the fourth-largest standing army in the world; a sophisticated, integrated air-defence system; and a large and capable air force. Freedom of action for friendly aerospace and surface operations was a vital condition for military success. The control of the air objective for Operation DESERT STORM, therefore, was to establish air superiority over the battlefield, and this was a precursor for surface operations.
The coalition control-of-the-air campaign began on January 17, 1991, and was largely concluded by February 23. During this time, more than 100,000 coalition offensive and defensive counter-air sorties were carried out. This campaign was utterly successful and resulted in the total destruction of the Iraqi air force, the integrated air defence system, and the Iraqi command and control network. Total air supremacy had been achieved.
The ground invasion of Kuwait and Iraq began with the ground war that lasted only 100 hours. Coalition ground, maritime, and air operations were unopposed by Iraqi air power for the entire campaign, and the Iraqi command was unable to relay any timely information to the field units.
The results of the conflict were the decimation of the Iraqi military and a convincing coalition victory based significantly on the initial success of the control-of-the-air campaign.[15]
Find the enemy and shoot him down! Anything else is nonsense.[16]
– Manfred von Richtofen, April 1917
OCA operations support the control-of-the-air objectives by preventing the launch or employment of adversarial aerospace capabilities. The aim of OCA is to disrupt, neutralize, or destroy those aerospace capabilities as close to their source as possible, ideally before they are launched or can affect friendly operations. OCA operations range throughout neutral and contested battlespaces, are executed at the initiative of friendly forces, and are categorized as either OCA air-to-surface (A/S) or OCA air-to-air (A/A).
Effective OCA requires a comprehensive understanding of an adversary's aerospace doctrine and a detailed assessment of their aerospace capability. Additionally, OCA missions depend upon timely and accurate intelligence. This is particularly true where unanticipated, mobile, or time-sensitive targets are concerned.
Detailed and thorough planning is vital to an effective OCA campaign; adherence to key principles of war is also critical, specifically selection and maintenance of the aim, concentration of force, and economy of effort. These planning steps include:
- Set objectives. OCA objectives must relate directly to the commander's stated control-of-the-air objectives and higher commander's intent.
- Determine targets. OCA targets must encompass all adversarial aerospace capabilities that could adversely affect friendly control of the air.
- Allocate resources. OCA targets must be within the realistic reach of friendly capabilities, and missions must be appropriately resourced and prioritized.
The success of OCA operations depends on the availability and the capabilities of the systems assigned to the OCA mission. The choice of a particular system depends on target characteristics, threats, environmental conditions, intelligence, and the potential for fratricide and collateral damage. OCA joint resources include but are not limited to:
- fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft;
- specially equipped suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD) platforms;
- ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and other surface fires such as artillery;
- special operations forces, including direct action, terminal guidance (for precision weapons), special reconnaissance, and target marking;
- EW capabilities; and
- satellites for surveillance, reconnaissance, navigation, and communication.
Vignette 4: OCA failure equals campaign failure. Following the defeat of the Allied armies in mainland Europe during the Second World War, the Germans contemplated an amphibious invasion of England (Operation SEA LION). Air superiority was required if this invasion was to be successful. Operation ADLERANGRIFF (eagle attack) was launched in July 1940; this was a Luftwaffe OCA campaign, the aim of which was the destruction of the Royal Air Force's (RAF's) fighter capability and subsequent control of the air.
By early September, conditions were desperate for the RAF; Fighter Command's back was to the wall, as 11 Group's personnel, airfields, and radar sites were being decimated by Luftwaffe bombers, and their pilots and fighters by Luftwaffe escort fighters. 11 Group was within mere days of being withdrawn north to consolidate resources with 12 Group; this would have left the Luftwaffe largely unopposed in the airspace above the English Channel and southern England, giving them local air superiority and paving the way for invasion by sea.
In mid-September (arguably in response to the British bombardment of Berlin), the Germans shifted priority from aerospace capability targets to British civilian, industrial, and political targets. This shift away from aerospace infrastructure staved off certain disaster for 11 Group. Fighter Command rapidly regained its strength during this respite and successfully fought off the Luftwaffe raids for the remainder of September.
With the initiative lost and the level of attrition untenable, German air superiority was no longer a realistic goal. Operation SEA LION was postponed indefinitely by Hitler in October of 1940, ending the period known as the "Battle of Britain" and marking a pivotal turning point in the Second World War in Europe.[17]
As stated by historian Richard J. Evans: "Irrespective of whether Hitler was really set on this course, he simply lacked the resources to establish the air superiority that was the sine qua non of a successful crossing of the English Channel." [18]
Air-to-surface. While it is perhaps difficult to envision that an offensive counter-air campaign includes striking surface targets, OCA A/S missions, which destroy an adversary's aerospace capability on the ground, are actually the most effective use of available OCA resources. This is a far more efficient use of the limited aerospace Shape capabilities than engaging an adversary's air power after it is airborne. Surface attack and SEAD are the two OCA A/S missions.
OCA surface-attack operations differ from traditional counter-surface operations in that they are directed exclusively at an adversary's aerospace capability on the surface; this includes aircraft on the ground as well as specialized aerospace infrastructure (including personnel). The aim is to prevent an adversary from employing their aerospace power. By destroying key infrastructure, particularly airfields, significant degradation of an adversary's aerospace capability may be realized. This infrastructure can be targeted by weaponry and fires of all types; even a minor amount of damage can have a significant impact on an adversary's ability to generate, control, and sustain aerospace operations.
As aerospace power is vital to military success, it is expected that adversarial aerospace surface infrastructure will be heavily defended. A surface-attack operation against such targets is one of the most demanding, high-risk, and resource-intensive objectives of the OCA campaign. These operations, therefore, demand a high percentage of friendly resources and require detailed operational- and tactical-level planning. OCA planners must utilize the full range of OCA missions and their associated tasks to ensure friendly success. In addition, special operations forces and joint fires (artillery, cruise missiles, naval bombardment, etc.) must be integrated, and coordinated, where applicable.
Outright destruction of an airfield may not be possible or practical. Purposely leaving an airfield partially intact may also be desirable to allow for future operations by friendly forces or for humanitarian or civil reasons. Airfield attack objectives must, therefore, be synchronized with strategic and operational aims during planning and execution. Total destruction of an airfield is rarely necessary to achieve the desired level of degradation; simply cratering a runway or disabling other critical infrastructure may render an aerodrome unusable for the required period of time.
SEAD operations are missions targeting an adversary's surface-based air defence weapons, surveillance, and C2 capabilities. SEAD is "that activity which neutralizes, degrades, or destroys an adversary's air defences by a destructive and/or disruptive means."[19] These include conventional weapons (such as bombs and cannons), specialized weapons (such as anti-radiation missiles [ARM]), and electronic attacks (using chaff, jamming, and/or deception).
Effective SEAD operations against sophisticated surface-to-air threats or integrated air defence systems (IADS) require highly specialized equipment, weapons, and specially trained crews.[20] In areas where a significant surface-to-air threat exists, SEAD assets will be assigned as escorts to those platforms with little or no capability to defend themselves from surface-to-air threats. Such SEAD escort missions allow the opportunistic suppression of threats, as known threats would have been previously targeted or avoided. Specialized SEAD platforms include the ECR Tornado, F-16 CJ, and EA-18G Growler.
SEAD requirements vary widely according to the level and complexity of the threat and available resources to counter it. Against a more dispersed or less sophisticated threat, SEAD missions may be conducted by a wide variety of platforms, including armed helicopters and UA. Surface component commanders may also contribute fire support elements using field artillery, mortars, naval surface fire, EW, and surface-to-surface missiles (SSM). To ensure unity of effort and avoid interference, close coordination is required between the planning staffs of surface component commanders and the joint force air component commander (JFACC).[21] SEAD operations require high-fidelity intelligence, real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) cueing, detailed planning and integration, a rapid and free exchange of precise targeting information, unity of effort, and close coordination. EA operations[22] must also be thoroughly deconflicted from friendly usage of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Destroying an adversary's entire air defence capability may not be necessary (or even realistically achievable). Simply creating a temporary gap or degradation in coverage and capability may be sufficient to enable the success of other missions. SEAD operations may be broadly categorized are defined as:
- Area suppression. Disables an adversarial air defence system over a wide area of the battlespace. Area suppression is achieved through kinetic and non-kinetic (electronic) means and is generally achieved by destroying critical command and control nodes rather than specific threats. Area suppression is desirable but is very resource intensive.
- Localized suppression. Focuses on a specific portion of the battlespace and may be defined in terms of physical proximity of threats; impact on adversarial detection abilities; or the destruction of a specific, high-priority threat. Localized suppression is less resource intensive in the short term than area suppression but commits friendly forces to maintaining a SEAD capability throughout a campaign.
- Opportune suppression. SEAD assets target pop-up surface-to-air threats (often mobile threats) and may be conducted either as self or strike-package protection or as a result of "hunting" for threats.
Vignette 5: A tale of two SEAD campaigns. The DESERT STORM SEAD campaign was a resounding success, easily one of the clear successes of the war. In 1991, the City of Baghdad had the most dense air defence coverage of any city in the world except Moscow, and throughout the country, highly interlinked and integrated air defence weapons, facilities, C2 nodes, and sensors made up the world's second-most comprehensive IADS.
By the commencement of hostilities, the IADS had been well mapped and SEAD missions were the first sorties flown. Radar jammers, ARM, and conventional bombs were used to devastating effect on key IADS components, preventing centralized control of the defensive effort. Devoid of integration and fearful of being targeted by anti-radiation weaponry, air defence operators resorted to using visual sensors and operating independently (which was not doctrinally practiced); all air defence sites were eventually destroyed.
The DESERT STORM SEAD campaign planners were targeting a very well-mapped IADS operating within a well-understood doctrinal framework. The campaign was given a high resource priority, a great deal of operational flexibility, and tactical freedom at the crew level. Four days after the conflict began, Iraqi air defence emissions had decreased 95 per cent from pre-war levels, and coalition aircraft enjoyed near complete freedom of action above 10,000 feet (3,050 metres). Total area suppression had been handily achieved.
By contrast, the Serbian air defence system in the Balkans was much smaller than the Iraq IADS and had only a limited number and type of threats. The SEAD campaign during Operation ALLIED FORCE (Kosovo), however, was not nearly as successful as that during DESERT STORM.
The ALLIED FORCE SEAD campaign had to contend with numerous constraints, tactical limitations, and a highly mobile threat which was not well defined prior to hostilities. Significant operational restrictions were imposed (mainly for political reasons), and the confined airspace made SEAD efforts very predictable. Restrictions on the use of force with respect to opportune suppression were strict, and each target had to be approved by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) combined aerospace operations centre (CAOC) prior to engagement, effectively negating opportune suppression possibilities entirely. Early warning of inbound strikes was also being provided to an adversary by states not engaged in the hostilities (therefore, not targetable).
For their part, the Serbs had learned a great deal from the ARM threat. Through a combination of low-technology tactics, swift learning, and astute improvisation, they rapidly operationalized their lessons learned, significantly reducing the effectiveness of coalition SEAD tactics and ARMs. The situation was further complicated because an adversary's IADS operations were not doctrinally aligned with recognized methodology, and a great deal of tactical freedom was given to lower-level commanders.
While NATO aerospace forces enjoyed relative freedom of manoeuvre, area suppression was by no means achieved, and NATO was forced to commit SEAD assets to each strike mission. The Serbian radar-guided SAM threat remained a real and viable threat throughout the campaign and after cessation of hostilities.[23]
Air-to-air. OCA air-to-air includes escort and sweep missions. If it is not possible to destroy the capability on the ground, adversarial aerospace capabilities have to be dealt with in the air. This reality demands a robust ability to counter any real, perceived, or potential airborne threat. Traditionally, these missions have been flown solely by fighter aircraft. More recently, however, other platforms, including armed helicopters and UA, have also been equipped with significant OCA A/A capabilities.
OCA escort and sweep and DCA missions are often executed by the same assets. Though the missions are mutually supporting, competing priorities and resource demands must be carefully balanced with consideration of the larger aim in mind. Additionally, there is often pressure for close escort missions to take precedence over sweep or detached escort missions. Over-apportionment of OCA assets to the close escort mission may decrease the chances of successfully engaging an adversary's aircraft, thereby increasing and prolonging the risk they represent.
OCA escort missions use A/A capable aircraft to protect friendly aircraft. Escort can be considered a DCA mission when flown in friendly airspace or where the escorted aircraft is a high-value air asset (HVAA). In the context of offensive action in hostile airspace, the escort mission is clearly OCA.
Escort formations may be tied to a single aerospace asset or strike formation from friendly or neutral airspace into contested airspace and back, or the escort may join the escorted force at any point during the mission. The escort force may also be positioned within hostile airspace and provide protection for successive waves of friendly formations. Platforms requiring dedicated escort could include fighters or fighter-bombers, air mobility aircraft, or helicopters. While many different force application platforms can be assigned the escort mission, the escort force must be capable of countering the expected air threat in both mass and capability. OCA escort[24] may be:
- Attached (or close) escort. The escort formation is tied, in terms of proximity and/or time to the escorted formation or platform. Detailed tactical-level integration is necessary both between the escort and the escorted force and with the controlling air C2 organization. Attached escort is less resource intensive from an enabler (air-to-air refuelling (AAR), air C2, etc.) standpoint but places much greater demands on OCA resources.
- Detached escort. The escort formation is not directly tied to the escorted formation in terms of distance, but it remains within effectual proximity for a specified period of time. Detached escort formations are often staged well along the anticipated threat axis or may be assigned an operating area from which they may provide support to more than one formation. Detached escort requires less-detailed tactical integration and increases the survivability of the assigned OCA assets due to increased tactical freedom.
- Organic escort. Many current aerospace platforms have both A/S and A/A force application capabilities (multirole fighters such as the F-15E Strike Eagle and CF18A/B Hornet); armed appropriately, they can protect themselves. A significant drawback of this organic escort capability is the high probability that A/S stores will have to be jettisoned, in the event of an A/A engagement, in order to maximize A/A manoeuvrability. If such an engagement occurs prior to the intended target, the aim of the strike mission will not be achieved. Additionally, most multirole fighters have a limited number of stores stations; therefore, configuring aircraft with both A/A and A/S weaponry limits the numbers of each type of ordnance the aircraft may carry. Multirole platforms capable of organic escort include the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the F-15E Strike Eagle, the Su-30 MKI Flanker, and the Eurofighter Typhoon.
OCA sweep operations are often more effective than the escort mission in defeating an adversary's aerospace assets. Aircraft are launched over hostile territory to seek out, engage, and destroy all adversarial fighters, electronic warfare (EW), reconnaissance and collection, C2, AAR, and mobility platforms. The sweep force, though it is usually synchronized with other operations, operates independently of other friendly formations and, if a fighter force, is ordinarily assigned a fighter area of operations/responsibility (FAOR) for a period of time or proceeds along a specified route of flight.
Sweep is a very flexible and dynamic mission. Sweep formations may originate as sweep and then remain in an area to become detached escort for follow-on formations. Effective sweep operations require strong air C2, comprehensive battlespace awareness, a combat identification capability, and clearly defined rules of engagement (ROE). Autonomous sweep operations are possible with aircraft using integral sensors and tactical data-link systems. Sweep operations are less resource intensive than escort and require little planning or coordination at the tactical level; however, comprehensive operational-level planning and strong aerospace control is essential both for mission effectiveness and fratricide avoidance.
Fighter aircraft are the watchdogs of our sovereignty. They are primarily designed to safeguard our airspace so friendly forces—both military and civilian—can freely use the area thus protected. Not only are fighters the best tool that a military force has at its disposal to accomplish this task, fighters, because of their strong ability to "act," also represent a strong deterrent to any threat that might potentially enter the airspace—domestic or deployed. As no other weapons platform is yet available or mature enough to provide the range of capabilities that fighters provide, Canada will continue to need fighters and their pilots for at least another generation of aircraft.[25]
DCA operations protect friendly forces, equipment, personnel, infrastructure, and vital interests from an adversary's aerospace power. The aim of DCA operations is to detect, identify, intercept, nullify, and/ or destroy aerospace threats, ideally as far from friendly forces and/or their intended targets as is possible. Pre-emptive, proactive OCA is the preferred method of securing control of the air over reactive, resource-intensive, around-the-clock DCA. However, air forces may be forced into a DCA posture because of political, legal, operational, or resource limitations. Even with an aggressive and successful OCA campaign, the requirement for at least some level of DCA must be anticipated.
By nature, DCA operations are reactive to adversarial OCA, strategic attack, and counter-surface operations. They usually take place in closer proximity to friendly forces than OCA. DCA is primarily surveillance driven, while OCA is intelligence driven. Effective DCA demands a C2 structure and process specific to this mission; DCA C2 processes must be centralized, streamlined, and agile in order to permit timely and appropriate responses to airspace incursions.
DCA is the air combat element of the larger air defence (AD) effort, forming only one part of an integrated air defence system. Given the lethality of modern weaponry, the immediate consequences of unsuccessful DCA can be severe and the effects disproportionate to the actual physical damage inflicted. DCA is a high-risk, no-fail mission which must be resourced appropriately and executed effectively.
Vignette 6: DCA failure equals strategic failure: The battle of Midway was a Second World War (WWII) naval battle fought in the Pacific theatre in June 1942 between the Imperial Japanese Navy and the United States Navy (USN). Though known as a naval battle, the engagement was fought entirely with air power.
When the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) fleet was located west of Midway Island by USN reconnaissance aircraft, strikes were launched using both Midway-based bombers and carrier-based air power. The carrier-based strike aircraft had to cover a much greater distance, and the two attacks were not synchronized. The land-based strike was tactically ineffective, but it did serve to alert the IJN that they had been located; they subsequently launched their own strikes on Midway Island. The Japanese strike aircraft had just returned to their carriers when the fleet was spotted by the USN carrier-based strike force.
The first to attack were torpedo bomber squadrons VT-8 and VT-6. The torpedo attack aircraft were slow and vulnerable during their attack runs and, without fighter support, both squadrons were obliterated by the superior Japanese fighters. The attack did, however, draw the Japanese DCA combat air patrol (CAP) to low altitude and away from the carriers. VT-3 arrived shortly after the first attack, and the remaining Japanese fighters descended to engage. At that moment, USN dive-bombers, alerted to the Japanese location and linked-up with their escort fighters, closed in at high altitude. The American fighters surprised their Japanese counterparts and attacked with an altitude advantage; the dive-bombers were, therefore, unopposed during their attack.
The coordinated dive-bomber attack began at 1022, striking the carriers Kaga, Soryu, Akagi and Hiryu, their decks laden with the reconstituting strike aircraft. By 1028, only six minutes after locating the enemy, the dive bombers had reduced the IJN carriers to burning wrecks, all of which eventually sank.
Had the Japanese DCA followed a more disciplined game plan or had they been in position to engage the dive bombers, the result may have been different. As it was, the IJN was never able to recover from this strategic loss. This battle is largely viewed as the pivotal engagement between the belligerents in the Pacific war and was critical to the eventual victory over Japan.[26]
The DCA contribution to the overall air defence mission can be broadly divided into active and passive measures:
- Active air defence measures engage, destroy, nullify, or reduce the effectiveness of an adversary's aerospace power, including air and missile threats. Active air defence may be further separated into air and missile defence. These are complementary but involve vastly different weapon systems as well as tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP). Surface-to-air weaponry and DCA aircraft have individual strengths and limitations and must be arrayed in overlapping, mutually supporting, defensible positions to create a layered defence in depth. Domestically, given the vast and austere nature of the Canadian land mass, the RCAF primarily uses DCA fighters supported by ground- and space-based assets to carry out the air defence of Canada.
- Passive air defence measures minimize the effectiveness of hostile air and missile threats. They encompass several categories which span the breadth of force protection, including but not limited to:[27]
- detection and warning;
- chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) defence;
- hardening, battle-damage repair and reconstitution;
- mobility and dispersal;
- redundancy;
- cyber defence;
- camouflage; and
- countermeasures, decoys, and deception.
Control of the air from a DCA perspective involves a mix of sensor, communication, and force application means, which, when linked, form an IADS. An effective IADS will be commanded and controlled through a unified chain of command centrally reporting to a single authority, ostensibly the area air defence commander (AADC). An IADS must be flexible and robust and have redundant systems, as it will be the first target of adversarial OCA activity. DCA force application platforms, as part of the IADS, are commanded by a single authority. The Shape portion of an IADS is its weapon systems.
The coordination and functioning of an effective IADS is very complex and resource intensive. NORAD is an excellent example of the potential size and complexity involved. Each defensive system and capability has different advantages and limitations in terms of range, reaction time, and flexibility of operation. The disadvantages of one system must be balanced by the advantages of another. Effective air defence requires a mix of capabilities, which can include:
- fixed- and rotary-wing aerial interceptors; and
- ground-based air defence (GBAD), including:
- mobile and fixed, tactical and strategic SAMs;
- directed-energy weaponry (DEW); and
- shipborne AD weapons (SAMs and AAA).
Effective DCA operations require positive control of the affected airspace through an integrated and centralized C2 system. The variety of surveillance, tracking, and weapon systems involved require detailed planning and coordination to allow rapid AD warnings, effective C2, and timely weapons employment. A large air defence area may be divided into sectors for more effective operations. As an example, a maritime task group, aircraft carrier battle group, or amphibious task force within an area of operations (AOO) may require the establishment of a locally coordinated AD area within which the anti-air warfare (AAW) commander or supporting arms coordination centre is responsible for the coordination of AD operations.
Most aerospace force application assets are capable of DCA operations to a limited extent,[28] but to be capable of the full spectrum of DCA operations, the asset must have specialized A/A sensors and weaponry, be manned by highly proficient crews, and be controlled by experienced and well-trained air-defence controllers.
Interceptor aircraft are the most flexible weapon systems available to the AD commander. These aircraft are designed to fly at high altitudes and employ A/A weaponry at long ranges. They rely primarily on area surveillance systems such as long-range radars and airborne C2 but also have integral C2 and sensor systems that allow them to conduct limited autonomous operations. Contemporary DCA interceptors become a node in the broader air-defence network of systems and can contribute passively and actively to the common operating picture. Air interceptors are often capable of both the DCA and OCA A/A role. Purpose built A/A interceptor aircraft include the F-22A Raptor, the MiG 31 Foxhound, and the Mirage 2000 F-5.
DCA missions vary greatly but may be broadly categorized as area defence, point defence, and HVAA protection. These missions can be staged on ground alert or may be airborne, which is more resource intensive but also more reactive to threats:
- Ground alert. Aircrew and aircraft are brought to and maintained in a state of launch readiness tailored to the situation. Alert aircraft will be launched (scrambled) by their controlling agency based on triggers determined by the area air defence commander. Where possible, fighters will remain under the control of air surveillance and control systems. Alert postures vary principally according to the threat but also in accordance with other factors such as aircraft type, crew experience, location, weather and resources; readiness postures can be tailored from minutes to hours.
- Airborne alert. Interceptors are airborne and either proceed to a point where a threat is anticipated or are assigned specific patrol tasks. DCA assets may also be ordered airborne to provide gap coverage should another air defence sensor or weapon system become unavailable or inactive. Airborne alert enables the most rapid reaction to adversary intrusion or otherwise unauthorized entry into a designated airspace.
Area defence missions are conducted for the defence of a defined area of operations, theatre, or even continent. Interceptors conducting wide-area air-defence DCA missions are normally staged on ground alert but, as in the case of an established no-fly zone, may also be airborne. In the ground-alert model, DCA aircraft are launched at a predetermined time, cued by intelligence or surveillance, to intercept a known or anticipated threat. In the airborne model, interceptors are assigned to patrol along predetermined routes (notably along or adjacent to political borders) or in a defined FAOR. This may be used to maintain a desired level of control of the air or enforce no-fly restrictions over friendly territory. This mission is akin to OCA sweep; however, it occurs in friendly airspace and is reactive to an adversary's operations, intent, or capabilities. Air policing interceptors will ordinarily have tight restrictions on their use of force and will generally operate overtly (presence being one of the desired effects).
Point defence missions are undertaken for the protection of a defined area or location (normally a specific installation, facility, or concentration of friendly forces). Point defence DCA missions involve interceptors either on ground alert or established airborne as a CAP in a fixed orbit. Interceptors remain proximal to the protected area in space or time and will not normally be available for other missions. Regardless of specific employment, maintaining a continuous CAP is very resource intensive. When CAP assets are committed to a target, replacements may be required to launch if available. CAPs operate in fixed orbits or along a route when the area or force being defended is large or dispersed. Interceptors operating in fixed orbits fly legs of a determined distance or time, anchored in a tactically relevant location and oriented to the anticipated threat axis. Point defence assets may operate covertly or overtly as determined by the threat.
Point defence is often executed with a combination of GBAD and interceptors using defence in depth and separate missile and fighter engagement zones (FEZ). Highly accurate combat ID, disciplined execution, a dynamic C2 framework, and clearly defined engagement criteria are necessary to both protect the facility and reduce the possibility of fratricide.
HVAA Protection. Airborne interceptors are assigned to protect HVAA assets which are so important that the loss of even one could seriously impact friendly warfighting capabilities or have broader strategic consequences. While any aircraft could be declared an HVAA and assigned DCA protection, typical HVAAs include specialized airframes such as C2, AAR, EW, ISR, and air-mobility assets carrying designated special persons. The interceptors are ordinarily tied to the HVAA for the duration of its mission and remain proximal in space, time, and effectiveness. HVAA protection missions place significant resource demands on enablers as well as interceptors and require detailed tactical and operational planning and coordination. The lines between OCA and DCA blur with respect to the HVAA protection mission; the principal differentiation being where the HVAA protection occurs (in friendly or hostile airspace). The aim, however, remains the same: defend the designated platform against air attack.
Control of the air is vital to achieving the JTFC's objectives. The level or degree of control of the air that can be realistically achieved depends on many factors including resources, relative military capabilities, and the physical environment. The JTFC must accurately articulate control of the air objectives and then apportion resources accordingly. The degree of control of the air achieved may be categorized as unfavourable, parity, air superiority, or air supremacy.
Control of the air allows for friendly freedom of movement, friendly freedom to execute operations, and friendly freedom from air attack; it denies an adversary the same. Control of the air shapes the physical, moral, and informational domains in favour of friendly operations.
The control-of-the-air capability is divided into two roles, namely OCA and DCA. The two are complementary and draw upon similar resources and aerospace capabilities. They must be fully integrated and synchronized at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.
OCA operations are intelligence driven. The aim of OCA is to seek out and destroy an adversary's aerospace capabilities as close to their source as possible, preferably before launch. OCA has air-to-surface and air-to-air missions and draws upon resources across the joint force. The air-to-surface portion of OCA includes surface attack and suppression of enemy air defence. The air-to-air missions include escort and sweep missions. In cases where an adversary has a credible aerospace capability, the OCA campaign will be the JTFC's first priority. OCA missions are pre-emptive, conducted at friendly initiative, and take place principally in non-permissive or hostile environments.
DCA operations are surveillance driven and resource intensive. The aim of DCA is to detect, identify, intercept, nullify, and/or destroy adversarial aerospace threats in order to protect friendly equipment, operations, interests, and installations; in other words, to minimize the damage done by an adversary's aerospace power and maximize attrition. DCA draws upon air, space, and surface-based capabilities. DCA is reactive in nature and demands centralized, streamlined, flexible command and control procedures as well as agile force application means. DCA fixed- or rotary-wing interceptors may operate independently or as part of a larger IADS and may be staged from ground alert or established as airborne patrols. They may be used to defend defined areas (area defence) or specific locations (point defence) or to protect HVAA. DCA is a no-fail mission which must be resourced appropriately.
1. Richard M. Langworth, ed., Churchill by Himself: The Definitive Collection of Quotations (United Kingdom: Ebury Publishing, 2008), 205. (return)
2. See Canadian Forums "Fighter aircraft: Characteristics and roles," http://www.canadaka.net/forums/canadian-militaryf23/fighter-aircraft-characteristics-and-roles-t94954.html (accessed August 20, 2013). (return)
3. This chapter is based, to a large extent, on information found in the NATO Allied Joint Publication (AJP) 3.3.1(B), Allied Joint Doctrine for Counter-Air, July 2010. (return)
4. This categorization of the control-of-the-air missions is presented from the doctrinal perspective in order to link concepts logically and generate learning. These missions do not necessarily equate to the aircraft mission management codes as used by 1 Canadian Air Division (1 Cdn Air Div) in the coordination and tracking of Air Force flying activities. See 1 Cdn Air Div Orders, Volume 1, 1-617, "Mission Management Codes," http:// winnipeg.mil.ca/HQSec/1cadordr/cadvol1/1-617.doc (accessed August 20, 2013). This applies equally to the missions identified under both the air attack and information operations aerospace capabilities. (return)
5. For additional information on this conflict see T. N. Dupuy and P. Martell, Flawed Victory: The Arab-Israeli Conflict and the 1982 War in Lebanon (Fairfax, VA: Hero Books, 1986). (return)
6. Air sovereignty operations, DTB record 44195. (return)
7. DTB record 44191. (return)
8. Aerospace control is synonymous with this DTB record 3422 definition for airspace control. (return)
9. DTB record 44196. (return)
10. DTB record 44192. (return)
11. One should note that the degrees of control of the air do not apply exclusively to friendly forces, and these terms are simply measurements of the level of control within the air battle and not objectives. Control-of-the-air situations could exist where an adversary may, either temporarily or on a continuing basis, have air superiority. The negative impact that this would have on friendly surface operations is clear; ergo, establishing friendly air superiority (at a minimum) should be a fundamental priority. (return)
12. DTB record 44208. (return)
13. DTB record 3364, modified. (return)
14. DTB record 3366. It must be understood that achieving air superiority or air supremacy does not imply that an adversary's aerospace power and counter-air capability will be completely impotent, nor that friendly land, sea, or air operations will be unopposed by adversarial aerospace power. Rather, these terms describe an adversary's ability to use their aerospace capabilities to influence or interfere effectively with friendly operations. Friendly air and surface losses to adversarial aerospace capabilities can still be anticipated in conditions of both air superiority and air supremacy. (return)
15. For additional reading, see B. S. Lambeth, The Transformation of American Air Power (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2000). (return)
16. See "Military-Quotes.com," http://www.military-quotes.com/database/r.htm (accessed August 20, 2013). (return)
17. See Peter Fleming, Operation Sea Lion (London: Macmillan, 2002). (return)
18. Richard Evans, "Immoral Rearmament," The New York Review of Books 54, no. 20, (December 20, 2007): 76–79. (return)
19. DTB record 5469, modified. (return)
20. While the SEAD mission could include any aircraft engaging a surface threat with conventional weaponry, dedicated SEAD platforms are fitted with sensors purpose-built to detect and identify threat systems and optimized to feed such information to specialized weaponry. One example is the high-speed anti-radiation (anti-radar) missile (HARM) targeting system (HTS) and the AGM-88 HARM fitted to the F-16CJ. SEAD aircraft may develop, perfect, and employ distinct flight profiles that have been designed to reduce threat effectiveness. (return)
21. This position and role are further explained in Chapter 5 of this manual and in B-GA-401-000/FP-001, Canadian Forces Aerospace Command Doctrine. Throughout this document, the terms JFACC, CJFACC, and ACC are used. The intent in each instance is to refer to the senior aerospace authority within the context of the setting (domestic, expeditionary, joint, or combined). (return)
22. Electronic attack operations involve the use of electromagnetic energy for offensive purposes (see DTB record 30833). For further explanation of this term and electronic warfare (EW) in general, refer to B-GA-403-002/FP- 001, Aerospace Electronic Warfare Doctrine. (return)
23. For additional reading, see Lambeth. (return)
24. It should be noted that "escort" or "armed overwatch" of a surface formation (such as a naval surface group or vehicle convoy) is not escort in the OCA context; this is a counter-surface mission and will be expanded upon in Chapter 3. (return)
25. See Canadian Forums "Fighter aircraft: Characteristics and roles." (return)
26. C. L. Symonds, The Battle of Midway (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011). (return)
27. Passive air defence measures are expanded upon in B-GA-405-001/FP-001, Aerospace Force Protection. (return)
28. CH124 Sea Kings were used in the DCA role during the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, and CH146 Griffons were used during the 2002 G-8 Summit in Kananaskis, AB, and 2010 G-20 summit in Toronto. CP140 Auroras have also been used for DCA intercepts in the Arctic. While not equipped for traditional air-to-air force application, these aircraft were effective in visually identifying slow-moving or compliant targets of interest (TOIs). In the case of the Griffon examples, in particular, both door guns and snipers provided the ability to engage other aircraft. (return)