Radioman

Radioman (RM) was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.
History of the rating.
The rating was created originally in 1921. In 1997, under the direction of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Boorda, the rating merged with the Data Processing Technician (DP) rating to form the Information Systems Technician (IT) rating. Both Radiomen and Data Processing Technicians in the Navy had to undergo general rate training and take a computer-based exam in order to be designated under the new IT rating. In 1996, the Submarine force merged Radioman with Electronics Technicians/ Electronic Warfare Specialist. The Coast Guard rating was renamed Telecommunications Specialist (TC) in 1995, which split in July 2003 to make up the Information System Technician (IT) and Operations Specialist (OS) ratings.
Scope of work.
The Radiomen of the US Navy were responsible for transmitting and receiving radio signals, and processing all forms of telecommunications through various transmission media aboard ships, aircraft and at shore facilities. This was done utilizing various frequencies in the ELF, VLF, LF, MF, HF, VHF, UHF, SHF and EHF spectrums. The type of circuits maintained included voice and data circuits between the ships of a battle group and allied units. Their duties also included message systems for generalized broadcasts and unit specific messages that were handled based on message priority and handling procedures. They were also responsible for the proper handling and destruction of classified material.
Radiomen were also responsible for periodic maintenance of the communications equipment, to include transmitters, receivers and antennas.
Positions.
The positions generally found in the ship's 'Radio Shack' included -


Carabinieri Specialist Units Division

The Carabinieri Specialist Units Division () is the Carabinieri formation, established in 2001, dedicated to the performance of specialist police activities and the support to Territorial Organization and consisting of highly qualified personnel working with Ministries for the safeguard of socially sensitive issues.
The Division, which directly depends on the Mobile and Specialists Units Command "Palidoro", directs, controls, and coordinates its own units, which carry out tasks related to the protection of Italian artistic heritage, to the currency protection, to the protection of Italian embassies abroad, to the health protection, to the labour policing, to Bank of Italy needs, to the Carabinieri forensics police services. In addition, the Division provides Carabinieri air support.
History.
The Division tracks its origins back to the XII Carabinieri Brigade, which until 2001 grouped the specialist police units of the Carabinieri. On 1 February 2001, with the elevation of the Carabinieri to the rank of autonomous Armed Force (i.e. with an equal status to the Army, Navy and Air Force), the XII Brigate was elevated to the rank of Division.
In 2016, due to the merger of the State Forestry Corps into the Carabinieri, the Carabinieri Command of Units for Forestry Environmental and Agri-food protection was established. Therefore, some units until then subordinated to the Carabinieri Specialist Units Division were transferred to the newly-established command: the Carabinieri Command for Environmental Protection ("Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela dell’Ambiente") and the Carabinieri Command for Agricultural and Food Policies ("Comando Carabinieri Politiche Agricole e Alimentari").
Europol provides this summary of the "Specialized Commands'" role: "responsible for safeguarding the primary interests of the community: from the protection of the environment, health, work and national cultural heritage, to the observance of community and agri-food regulations, to the suppression of forgery [of] currency".
Subordinate units.
The Carabinieri Specialist Units Division controls seven Carabinieri units and commands tasked with carrying out specialist police services. These units are:


Mission Data Interface

Mission Data Interface (MDI) is a framework designed by the US Navy to allow mission data to be exchanged between systems within a battle group. MDI implements the FORCEnet (Fn) Functional Concept in accordance with the Navy Open architecture computing environment (OACE) specifications, with an emphasis on Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) design.
History.
Mission Data Interface (MDI) is a spin-off project from the Aircraft Carrier Tactical Support System (CVTSC) system – which is installed on all current deployed US aircraft carriers. MDI was originally intended to extend the CVTSC/SSDS interfaces to share mission data with other remote battle group and theater-level (WAN internet scale) participants configured with the MDI capability. Mission data are all data generated during a mission, including electrical notes, commands, and even operator views. These data can be share among all systems within the battle space in near real-time; as well as recorded for post-mission analysis and training. The proposal to establish the MDI project was submitted to Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport management sometime in late 2004. The project was approved by IWS5 Program Office and work started sometime in 2005.
MDI contains 2 major API libraries: RMI-based API and web services-based API.


Museum of the Marine

The Museum of the Marine is a museum under development in Jacksonville, North Carolina, home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. The museum will provide exhibits on individual Marines, Marine units, Marine families and support to Marines by local communities.
The planned galleries include:


Sector commander

Sector Commander is the position title of the commanding officer of a United States Coast Guard Sector, usually of the rank of Captain (O-6). The Sector Commander's second-in-command is the Deputy Sector Commander. Also reporting directly to the Sector Commander are the Command Master Chief (CMC), the Senior Reserve Officer, and the Sector's Auxiliary Coordinator.
Unless otherwise assigned, the Sector Commander serves as the Captain of the Port (COTP), Federal Maritime Security Coordinator (FMSC), Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection (OCMI), Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC), and maritime Federal On Scene Coordinator (FOSC).
In the event of an emergency, the Sector Commander has broad authority to act as necessary without additional authorization and acts as coordinator among other major Federal agencies in the maritime area of responsibility. However, the Sector Commander must consider federal laws and the Code of Federal Regulations in making decisions in non-emergencies.
Captain of the Port.
Per 33 CFR 1.01-30, Captains of the Port and their representatives enforce within their respective areas port safety and security and marine environmental protection regulations, including, without limitation, regulations for the protection and security of vessels, harbors, and waterfront facilities; anchorages; security zones; safety zones; regulated navigation areas; deepwater ports; water pollution; and ports and waterways safety.
The designation was first used during World War I and was given to the officer responsible for loading munitions aboard ships.
For other uses of the term outside the U.S. Coast Guard, see Captain of the Port.
History.
World War I.
During World War I, the Coast Guard served under the Navy and enforced rules and regulations that governed the anchorage and movements of vessels in American harbors. The Espionage Act, passed in June 1917, gave the Coast Guard increased power to protect merchant shipping from sabotage. This Act vested the Coast Guard with a wide range of responsibilities, including the safeguarding of waterfront property, supervision of vessel movements, establishment of anchorages and restricted areas, and the right to control and remove people aboard ships. In order to be successful in all of these missions, the Coast Guard worked directly with local shipping companies and pilots' associations to ensure that American ports remained safe and secure, but also afforded appropriate avenues for commerce.
The tremendous increase in munitions shipments during World War I, particularly in New York, required an increase in personnel to oversee this activity. The term "Captain of the Port (COTP)" was first used in New York. This officer was charged with supervising the safe loading of explosives. During the war similar posts were established in other U.S. ports.
World War II.
After World War I, the COTP officers were retained to regulate peacetime port activities, and the position continued to be known as the COTP. In the 20 years following the war, the Coast Guard's responsibilities concerning anchorage regulations and vessel movements in American harbors grew. In April 1939, with the outbreak of World War II imminent, the Coast Guard once again was called to enforce new marine safety regulations in the form of anchorage regulations.
During World War II, the port-security mission grew through various laws and agreements to give the service broad wartime responsibilities. In June 1940, President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed that the Coast Guard would assume the functions that other government agencies had previously overseen because the increased traffic in American ports had blurred the authority of the various federal, state, and local agencies responsible for port security and safety. The Coast Guard developed these new waterways management regulations and enforcement strategies through developing working partnerships with local pilots' associations and the shipping industry.
The Dangerous Cargo Act of October 1940 and the restructuring of anchorage regulations during that same month clearly laid out and expanded previous regulations and provisions. The responsibilities of each COTP increased and in November 1940, 29 ports were designated to have Coast Guard Captain of the Port offices. This created a regime for enforcing the laws and regulations which governed the movement of vessels, the loading of dangerous cargoes, and the protection and regulation of anchorages. This also provided a central Coast Guard office for the local shipping industry to interface with the Coast Guard to address local concerns.
Protection of Waterfronts.
Early in 1942, those responsible for port safety realized that the peacetime regulations that governed the movement of explosives would have to be amended to sufficiently handle wartime conditions. One of the more visible duties of the Coast Guard was the protection of piers and docks. The service began this job with the understanding that it could not be solely a Coast Guard operation. To perform this tremendous task, COTPs had to coordinate operations, and their personnel supplemented municipal and private personnel. The protection of waterfront property and facilities was accomplished using military, naval, and Department of Justice intelligence personnel; private organizations and companies; municipal and state police forces; and commercial organizations such as underwriter associations.
To protect vessels and important installations within each port facility, the Coast Guard created security zones around the dock areas. Within these areas the COTPs assigned roving guards and enforced the integrity of the zones with Coast Guard personnel and barricaded streets. The men watching the waterfront generally performed their service on foot but used vehicles in isolated spots.
While pier and facility guards were important, harbor patrols were just as significant as those from shore and consumed much of the manpower of the COTP offices. This particular task used various patrol craft to watch the multitude of vessels and harbors full of vessels. These small harbor craft worked in tandem with offshore patrols and the Coast Guard Beach Patrol to watch the vast shore lines.
Balancing both harbor safety and port security, harbor-patrol craft watched for fires, detected unauthorized persons and pleasure craft with improper papers, reported accidents, removed menaces to navigation, rendered assistance, patrolled anchorages and restricted areas, and escorted ammunition and dangerous cargo ships out of the harbor. Most of this duty consisted of identifying and checking personnel aboard vessels. Coast Guard harbor patrols often questioned the occupants of small craft and checked cargoes for proper documentation. Parties of Coast Guard Personnel also inspected ships' equipment for safety and made recommendations for replacing firefighting equipment or called fire hazards to the attention of owners.
By the end of the war, nearly 200 COTP and assistant COTP offices had been established in the United States and overseas. The COTPs' valuable service to ensure the steady movement of supplies was of inestimable value, and was built upon the ability to address both safety and security requirements in the complex port environment.
Port State Control.
After World War II, the Coast Guard continued to grow and improve its multi-mission capability, while striving to balance the safety and security of American ports. The U.S. Coast Guard became a model marine safety agency for the world, playing a major role in the development of international standards that improve the safety and security of the world's maritime transportation system.
In the 1970s, the Coast Guard, as the lead U.S. agency at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), began an effort that led to significant improvements to the international safety and environmental protection standards for shipping. In addition, the Coast Guard also took action to improve international compliance with IMO standards since not all Flag States were fulfilling their responsibility to ensure their ships met the international standards. IMO standards had improved, enforcement had not.
By the late 1980s, the number of substandard ships entering U.S. ports posed increased threats to maritime commerce and environment. In response, the Coast Guard began a concerted port state control effort in 1994 to ensure ships calling in U.S. ports met international standards for safety and operations. Largely due to the success of what came to be known as the Coast Guard's Port State Control (PSC) program, the IMO adopted new standards to expand the authority of port states when conducting safety inspections onboard foreign vessels.
These inspections were originally intended to supplement Flag State exam programs, but experience taught that port state inspections were essential to ensuring the safety of vessels engaged in worldwide commerce, especially if these exams were organized on a regional basis. Since ships move cargo from port to port and country to country, it was found to be to every nation's advantage if inspections could be closely coordinated. To facilitate information exchange, the Coast Guard developed the Maritime Information Exchange and Port State Information Exchange systems to share vital safety information with fellow port states and shipping companies. The results of safety inspections and ship specific information are still recorded and made public in these systems. This transparency of information helps to ensure that as many ships as possible are inspected while at the same time prevents ships from being delayed by unnecessary, redundant inspections. These information systems were developed jointly with the maritime industry to facilitate safe commerce.
The Coast Guard developed a boarding priority matrix in the 1990s. This matrix is still used today to prioritize ships for port state control inspections based on their relative risk. The matrix was constructed around the past performance of each ship's Flag State, classification society, operating company, ship type, and the ship's prior compliance history. Whenever a substandard ship is detained, the Coast Guard reports the action via an internet based system to alert shippers to potential risks associated with shipping on the substandard vessel. To ensure global alignment against substandard vessels, detailed information on detentions is also reported to an international database shared by PSC regimes around the world.
Post September 11, 2001.
After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the PSC program was immediately expanded to address emerging security concerns for United States ports. The pre-arrival boarding matrix integrated both safety and security background checks. High risk vessels were boarded at-sea and pre-arrival notice requirements were expanded to ensure the Coast Guard could complete adequate safety and security screening prior to a vessel's arrival. The validation of mariners' documents became an integrated security check conducted jointly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents. The PSC exam was quickly expanded to validate vessels for compliance with the requirements of both the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA) and the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS), which was negotiated through the IMO and serves as the international counterpart to the MTSA.
Implementation of the MTSA and ISPS Code was achieved by working closely with the Coast Guard’s industry and agency partners.
Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection.
Per 33 CFR 1.01-20, final authority is vested in the Officer in Charge, Marine Inspection, for the performance, within the area of his jurisdiction, of the following functions:
Federal On-Scene Coordinator.
Per 33 CFR 153.103(n), the Federal On-Scene Coordinator or FOSC is the official predesignated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or Coast Guard to coordinate and direct Federal removal efforts at the scene of an oil or hazardous substance discharge as prescribed in the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (National Contingency Plan) as published in 40 CFR Part 300.
Federal Maritime Security Coordinator.
As stipulated in the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002, the Secretary designates a Coast Guard official to serve as the FMSC in each area to develop an area maritime security plan and coordinate actions under the National Transportation Security Plan.
33 CFR 103.205
gives the Sector Commander, as the Federal Maritime Security Coordinator, the authority to establish, convene, and direct the Area Maritime Security (AMS) Committee which is a group of port stakeholders focused on security. The FMSC will develop and maintain the AMS Plan in coordination with the AMS Committee, and is responsible for implementing and exercising the plan.
Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator.
Each Search and Rescue (SAR) operation is carried out under the guidance of a Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator (SMC). The SMC is usually the District Commander through the District's Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) for offshore SAR, or the Sector Commander, through the Sector Command Center for coastal SAR. The SMC has several duties and responsibilities:


Sri Lanka Volunteer Air Force

The Sri Lanka Volunteer Air Force (SLVAF) is the volunteer reserve element of the Sri Lanka Air Force. Its current mission is to provide trained personnel in support of the Sri Lanka Air Force, specifically No. 3 Squadron, SLAF Regiment and Airfield Construction Squadron. It is very similar to the Royal Air Force's Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the Sri Lanka Volunteer Naval Force of the Sri Lanka Navy.
All officers and airmen who are commissioned or enlisted to the Volunteer Air Force has to undergo a specified training course to suite the SLAF requirements since they are a part of the staff of the SLAF. The duration and the nature of the training is determined by the Commander of the SLAF.
History.
It was formed in 1971 vide Extraordinary Gazette No. 14, 953/18 dated 14 April 1971 by the Governor-general. This was in response to the manpower shortage faced by the air force in face of the 1971 JVP Insurrection that started on 5 April 1971. The purpose of the Volunteer Air Force is to absorb personnel into the organization to fulfill urgent requirements and mobilize in specialized as well as in other areas on a temporary basis to supplement the regular force. Sqn Ldr J.T. Rex Fernando was the first Commanding Officer of the unit with Flt. Lt. Mani Seneviratne as his adjutant.
At its conception the role of the Volunteer Force was essentially to assist the Regular Force in its primary and internal security duties. With more volunteers employed on internal security duties the skilled regular tradesmen were able to concentrate on their specialist technical and other skilled duties.
Apart from internal security duties and general operational tasks Volunteer personnel were employed almost in every field of Air Force activity, on flying duties, Air Field Construction, Mechanical Transport Operations and maintenance, Engineering duties, Logistics and Catering Duties and Administrative, clerical, Medical and other miscellaneous service duties. The Airfield Construction Squadron was organized to undertake major construction projects and maintenance commitments.
Among the officers, specialists recruited were General Duties Pilots who were required to supplement the small number of Regular Pilots who were continuously flying day and night on operational and air transportation commitments since the outbreak of the insurrection. The Volunteer Pilots were intended to provide some relief though it was not possible to immediately employ most of them on flying operational duties. While a very few were experienced pilots, most of the selected pilots held previous experience in light training aircraft only. A rapid course of training on the basic De Havilland Chipmunks and converting them on the De Havilland Doves and De Havilland Herons they were of assistance to the regular pilots. The volunteers were demobilized by 1972 when the insurrection was stopped successfully.


United States Navy Working Capital Fund

The United States Navy Working Capital Fund (NWCF) is a branch of the family of United States Department of Defense (DoD) Working Capital Funds. The NWCF is a "revolving fund", an account or fund that relies on sales revenue rather than direct Congressional appropriations to finance its operations. It is intended to generate adequate revenue to cover the full costs of its operations, and to finance the fund's continuing operations without fiscal year limitation. A revolving fund is intended to operate on a break-even basis over time; that is, it neither makes a profit nor incurs a loss.
United States Navy activities financed through the NWCF perform a wide variety of functions including Supply Management, Depot Maintenance, Research and Development, Transportation, and Base Support. The NWCF continues to pursue some important efforts to improve efficiency and maximize effectiveness. Success in these endeavors is critical to ensuring that the Department of the Navy can afford both the ongoing support costs of fleet operations and the necessary reinvestment in new platforms and weapons systems.
History of the NWCF.
Historically, the U.S. military has had two categories of revolving funds; stock funds and industrial funds.
Stock funds, in use by the Navy since the 1870s, were aimed at financing the procurement of material (spare parts and other items) in volume from commercial sources, to be held in inventory. This material was intended to be sold to customers, in order to achieve weapon systems readiness or to provide personnel support. Industrial funds, in use by the Navy since the 1940s, provided industrial and commercial goods and services such as depot maintenance, transportation, and research and development. The 1949 amendments to the National Security Act of 1947 authorized the United States Secretary of Defense to establish revolving funds as the business model for the operation of these funds.
In 1991, all of DoD's stock and industrial funds were rolled into a single revolving fund, the Defense Business Operations Fund (DBOF), along with five additional defense commercial operations or business areas previously funded with direct appropriations. DBOF was capitalized at a level significantly less than the sum of the stock and industrial funds it replaced. The consolidation of stock and industrial funds caused overall cash levels to be reduced, by allowing funds or capital to be shared across all of the activities, resulting in cash flow problems. The Defense Authorization Act addressed this issue, requiring that DoD conduct a comprehensive study of DBOF and present its findings along with a proposed improvement plan to Congress for approval.
In December 1996, DBOF was reorganized into four working capital funds (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense-Wide). With the addition of a fifth fund—the Defense Commissary Agency in 1999—the new organization was now officially called the Defense Working Capital Fund (DWCF). The five funds and their corresponding business areas provide goods and services to DoD and authorized non-DoD activities.
DWCF and NWCF operations.
The support functions financed through the NWCF, as part of the DWCF, are grouped together at the DWCF level into business areas that are managed within DoD. Business areas receive their initial working capital through an appropriation or transfer of resources from an existing revolving fund. This working capital is called the "corpus" and is used to finance the initial costs of goods and services. Resources to replenish the corpus are generated by acceptance of customer orders. Customer orders are obligations on the appropriations of the ordering activity. The business area delivers the goods or services ordered using the funds in the corpus, and then bills the customer based on the rates set for those goods and services. The fund is replenished when the customer pays the bill to the fund.
Customer orders accepted by the NWCF activities must be either obligations of a federal government activity or cash advances from non-federal government customers. The acceptance of a customer order creates a quasi-contractual relationship between the NWCF activity and its customer. The customers of each NWCF activity are responsible for budgeting for and budgetary control of the cost of end products and services ordered from the NWCF activity. The customer cannot use its appropriated funds to do indirectly (through the NWCF activity) what it is not permitted to do directly. The availability of an appropriation cannot be expanded or otherwise changed by transfer to the NWCF. The customer bears the primary responsibility for the determination of the applicability of its appropriated funds in the orders placed with the NWCF activity.
Stabilized billing rates.
One of the features of the NWCF that allows its customers to accurately plan and budget their appropriated funds for NWCF support requirements is the rate stabilization policy adopted by the NWCF. For each budget year, the NWCF establishes customer rates on an end product basis whenever feasible. These rates are set at levels estimated to recover the cost of products or services to be provided. This stabilized rate policy protects appropriated fund customers from unforeseen cost changes, and also minimizes fluctuations in planned NWCF work levels, permitting a more effective use of NWCF resources.
In conjunction with the stabilized rate policy, the NWCF uses a cost recovery, or breakeven policy. With stabilized rates, gains or losses in operations may occur as a result of variations in program execution. To maintain full cost recovery and thereby to break even over the long term, NWCF activities generally adjust their rates each year to reflect such realized gains and losses.
NWCF requirements.
To be included in the NWCF financial structure, a proposed business area must meet four criteria:
Revolving funds.
The funding of the NWCF is based on a revolving-fund concept of operations, under which the NWCF activities received their initial working capital through an appropriation or through a transfer of resources from existing appropriations of funds and used those resources to finance the initial cost of products and services. Financial resources to replenish the initial working capital and to permit continuing operations are generated by the acceptance of customer orders.
Revolving funds operate in a fashion similar to a personal checking account. An individual deposits income into their account. In order to maintain themselves as a "continuing operation," necessary goods and services must be purchased, reducing the fund total. In order to keep the fund balanced, expenditures must not exceed income. By keeping a positive account balance, and by looking for ways to stretch capital further, revolving fund activities are exercising sound financial management.
A revolving fund gets its name from the cyclic nature of the cash flow. Income from customer purchases is used to finance a service providers' continuing operations, i.e., the business areas in a working capital fund sell goods or services with the intent of recovering the total cost incurred in providing those goods and services. Income from sales is then used to buy or replace inventory and finance the production of future goods and services.


LVTP-5

The LVTP-5 (Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel) is a family of amphibious armored fighting vehicles used by the Philippine Marine Corps and formerly, the United States Marine Corps. It was designed by the BorgWarner company and built by FMC (Food Machinery Corporation) along with a few other companies. It was first accepted into service in 1956. Some 1,124 basic units were produced, plus the specialist variants, and many saw action in the Vietnam War.
History.
It was an evolution of the LVT-1 to LVT-4 World War II era Landing Vehicle Tracked series, but was considerably larger and could carry 30-34 combat-armed troops. A smaller design based on the M59 APC was also produced as the LVT-6, but only a handful built.
The LVTP-5 was replaced in service by the LVT-7 family.
The most common type was the LVTP-5, an armored personnel carrier, with mine-sweeper, command, recovery and fire support variants, the latter mounting a 105 mm howitzer. An anti-aircraft version was prototyped, but never saw service.
As of the mid-2010s, the sole remaining state user of the LVTH-6 was the Philippines, who used 4 of them for their naval infantry force. As of 2013, Philippine LVTH-6s came in a "digital"-style camouflage pattern.


HSM-73

Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM-73) is a United States Navy Maritime Strike helicopter squadron based on Naval Air Station North Island, California.
HSM-73 is the home of the Battlecats. They fly the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter in a variety of missions and are capable of operating from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers.
HSM-73's primary mission is to conduct sea control operations in open ocean and littoral environments as an integral part of a Carrier Air Wing. HSM-73's missions include:
History.
HSM-73 was formerly Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 43 (HSL-43). HSL-43 was established in October 1984 and was the Navy's first operational Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK III squadron. HSL-43's primary mission was to provide fully mission-capable detachments aboard cruisers, destroyers, and frigates assigned to U.S. Pacific Fleet. Helicopters aboard these detachments were an integral part of the ship's weapon system, extending the ship's under-sea and anti-ship warfare capabilities beyond the horizon. Secondary missions included search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), vertical replenishment (VERTREP), and communications relay (COMREL).
HSL-43 first deployed in February 1985 and subsequently conducted three to four deployments per year. HSL-43 was the first LAMPS MK III squadron in the Navy to demonstrate direct operational support of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and its parent Amphibious Readiness Group. HSL-43 was also the first LAMPS squadron in the Navy to field a Night Vision Goggle (NVG) capable detachment, resulting in an increase in safety, mission effectiveness, and aircrew situational awareness.
Aircraft.
Crews from HSM-73 operate the MH-60R Seahawk, also referred to as the "Romeo." The MH-60R is the Navy's primary maritime dominance helicopter, replacing the SH-60B and SH-60F aircraft. The MH-60R helicopter features capability as an airborne multi-mission naval platform. The MH-60R Seahawk is manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft and is the U.S. Navy's primary anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface weapon system for open ocean and littoral zones. It is the world's most advanced maritime helicopter, and is the most capable naval helicopter available today, designed to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers, and aircraft carriers. It replaces the SH-60B and SH-60F helicopters in the U.S. Navy's fleet. The MH-60R helicopter features a glass cockpit and significant mission system improvements, which give it capability as an airborne multi-mission naval platform. These improvements include:
Mission.
Primary missions.
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW) is one of the primary missions of HSM-73. Battlecat aircrews utilize the MH-60R's RADAR, Electronic Support Measures (ESM), sonobuoys, and ship sensors to localize, classify, track, and if necessary, attack when a submarine has been detected. Aircraft can be equipped with various types of torpedoes for this mission.
Anti-Surface Warfare (ASUW) is another primary mission of HSM-73. Battlecat aircrews observe, identify, and localize surface threats using RADAR, ESM, and FLIR. When a suspected threat is detected, an MH-60R aircraft equipped with Hellfire missiles may conduct independent or coordinated attacks.
Secondary missions.
Vertical Replenishment - The MH-60R aircraft is able to transfer material between ships, or between ship and shore.
Search and Rescue - The MH-60R aircraft is capable of searching and locating a particular target, object, ship, or aircraft and rescue personnel using the rescue hoist.
Medical Evacuation - The MH-60R aircraft is capable of providing medical evacuation of patients.
Communications Relay - The MH-60R aircraft is capable of relaying communications between units.
Naval Surface Fire Support - The MH-60R may serve as a platform for spotting and controlling naval gunfire from surface ships.


USS Pontus (AGP-20)

USS "Pontus" was a Motor Torpedo Boat Tender in service with the United States Navy during the Second World War. Commissioned in March 1943, during the war she was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater.
Following the war, USS "Pontus" was assigned to Occupation service in the Far East from 8 to 20 November 1945. She was decommissioned in 1946 and struck the same year after just 3 years of service. She was transferred to the Maritime Commission for disposal on 26 November 1947. She earned three Battle Stars for World War II Service. Her current status is unknown, most likely scrapped.


Robert Gordon Teather

Robert Gordon Teather (1947–2004) was a 28-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (R.C.M.P.) who was awarded the Cross of Valour, Canada's highest award for bravery, for a rescue he performed in 1981.
Cpl. Teather was born in Hamilton, Ontario where he joined the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in September 1967. Upon graduation he began and ended his service in British Columbia RCMP "E" Division. During Cpl. Teather's 30-year career with the RCMP he worked in Uniform Patrol and as a Hostage Taker-Barricaded Person Negotiator. He was also a RCMP Diver and Diving Instructor who lectured to police officers, firefighters, doctors and others throughout Canada and the U.S.A., on diving techniques, underwater crime scene photography, ice diving procedures and many other topics that are diving related. Cpl Teather was also the driving force behind getting a dive team up and operational within "E" Division. It was as a result of his persistence and dedication that the "E" Division Dive Team (known today as the Underwater Recovery Team) was formally recognized on April 1, 1977.
Cpl. Teather died at the age of 57, on November 15, 2004 at Surrey Memorial Hospital of natural causes after a battle with diabetes.
Rescue.
On 26 September 1981, Corporal Robert Teather, a member of the Surrey Detachment Diving Team of the R.C.M.P., rescued two fishermen trapped in the overturned hull of a boat. Early that morning, the boat "Respond" collided with a freighter near the mouth of the Fraser River, in British Columbia. The boat capsized with the two crewmen stranded on board. Cpl. Teather and a colleague arrived on the scene and an exploratory dive proved that only one could enter the hull at a time. Teather was inexperienced in this type of rescue, but was aware that the boat was sinking and that qualified help was miles away. Despite the lack of personnel support and unaware if the two crew members were alive he entered the companionway. As visibility was limited to a few centimetres inside as he made his way into the engine room. Most of the way through the ship was done by touch. When he reached the galley, he opened the door, and made his way to front of the vessel. In an air pocket fouled by diesel fumes he found the two men, one of them a non-swimmer, and their pet dog. He instructed both on the use of underwater breathing equipment, and then took the non-swimmer on his back to safety. The door to the galley that Teather had opened shut on him, and he managed to feel his way around to the handle to open it. During that time, the seaman panicked and knocked his rescuer's mask off, but Teather managed to pin the man against the wall of the galley, put the man's goggles and rebreather back on, get the man to the surface where the other diver took over. Teather then retrieved the other survivor.
While at the surface, Teather strongly suggested that he go back down to the vessel with a bucket filled with air, put the dog's head in the bucket, and assist the dog in reaching the surface. Senior officials frowned upon the idea, stating the dog's life is not worth his own with the possibility of being trapped in the vessel. Consequently, he was relieved to find the next day when the ship was towed to shore and up onto the dock, the dog somehow managed to stay alive and came out of the ship.
Had Teather not undertaken the rescue, the two fishermen would likely have drowned or succumbed to asphyxiation.
Recognition.
For his efforts, Teather was awarded the Cross of Valour, the highest ranking of the Canadian Bravery Decorations. Currently, there have been only 20 recipients of this award; he was Canada's 13th recipient.
On February 10, 2011, Gail Shea, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans announced that the nine new vessels in a new class of midshore patrol vessels would be named the Hero-class patrol vessels, and would each be named after a Canadian hero.
One of the new vessels has been named CCGS "Corporal Teather C.V.".
Author.
Cpl. Teather was a published author whose works included "On Patrol with the Royal Canadian Mounted", "Mountie Makers", "The Scarlet Tunic", and "Encyclopedia of Underwater Investigations"; which is now part of the course training standards for police divers.


Lazarus Sittichinli

Lazarus Sittichinli was a First Nations elder of the Gwich'in people, who was the last surviving member of the man-hunt for the Mad Trapper of Rat River.
Oral histories he recorded have proved valuable in tying his people to their past.
Stephen Takfwi, Premier of the Northwest Territories, recorded a song celebrating Sittinchinli's life and example to his people.
When Rudy Wiebe interviewed Sittichinli for his 2011 book "River of Stone", he wrote he was the only participant in the manhunt who was still alive.
Wiebe wrote that Sittichinli and his wife had been married for 67 years, and that 12 of their 14 children had predeceased them.
Cynthia Chambers Erasmus offered Sittichinli's testimony before the Berger Commission as an example of a key speech pattern of First Nation's elders, in a journal article entitled "Ways with Stories: Listening to the Stories Aboriginal People Tell". She spent two pages deconstructing Sittichinli's testimony.


USCGC Tampa

USCGC "Tampa" has been the name of four cutters of the United States Revenue Cutter Service and United States Coast Guard:


USCGC Munro

USCGC "Munro" has been the name of more than one United States Coast Guard ship, and may refer to:


Sri Lanka Armoured Corps

The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the VT1A, T-55AM2, and ZTZ88 main battle tanks, the BMP infantry fighting vehicle and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers. It comprises six regular armoured regiments and a volunteer (reserve) regiment. It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp, Colombo.
History.
With formation of the Ceylon Army, a cavalry arm was considered and to this end the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron was established on October 10, 1955 under the command of Major (later General) D. S. Attygalle, LVO who would go on to become the commander of the Sri Lankan Army. With its expansion to a formation reconnaissance regiment in 1958, thus becoming the Ceylon Armoured Corps and the first armoured unit of the Ceylon Army. The 1st Reconnaissance Regiment became allied to and inherited the traditions of the Queen's Dragoons Guards of the British Army. The regimental headquarters was moved from Echelon Barracks to Rock House Army Camp in Colombo in 1957, which it still occupies.
The CAC was deployed on several occasions in the 1950s and 1960s on flood relief and internal security operations. It was deployed for combat operations during the 1971 Insurrection against the JVP first in Kurunegala and thereafter in Anuradhapura. When Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972, the CAC became the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps.
Since the 1980s with escalation of the Sri Lankan civil war the SLAC has taken part in almost all the major combat operations in the northern and eastern provinces of the country as well as being stationed in the southern parts of the country. To meet the threat of terrorism the SLAC increased its strength of both personnel and armoured vehicles. This resulted in the Armoured Brigade being raised, in 1988 under the command of Brigadier (later Major General) Y. Balaretnarajah, USP who became the first Armoured Brigade Commander, he would later become Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. The other components of the armoured Brigade, namely the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment was raised in 1988 (converted to the 3rd Armoured Regiment in 2009), the first tank regiment, the 4th Armoured Regiment was raised in 1991 followed by the 5th Regiment raised in 1994 and four reinforcement regiments were formed in 1997, 1998 and 2008. The commander of the armoured brigade/director armour is always an officer of armoured corps holding the rank of Brigadier.
The first volunteer (reserve) unit of the SLAC, the 2nd Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was formed in 1979 under the command of Lt. Col Eustace Jayasekara with troops from the Ceylon National Guard. It was redesignate in 1989, as the 5th (Volunteer) battalion, Sri Lanka Light Infantry. However a new volunteer unit, the 7th(v) Sri Lanka Armoured Corps has since been reformed.
In recent years the corps has developed its own assault troopers to provide close combat support in the form of mechanized infantry. It operates the army's armoured recovery vehicles and armoured vehicle-launched bridging units. In 1998 the SLAC was presented with the President's Standard in recognition of the service it has rendered. At present the SLAC has six regular regiments, one volunteer regiment and a regimental band.
Equipment.
At its inception the 1st Recce Squadron was equipped with British Ferret Mk I Scout Cars along with BSA M20 with side cars that were armed with LMGs. By the end of the 1950s BSA M21 motorcycles, Ferret Mk II Scout Cars and Daimler Armoured Cars where added to the Ceylon Armoured Corps.
Following the 1971 Insurrection, British Alvis Saladin armoured cars and Soviet BTR-152 armored personnel carriers (APC) were added. With the start of the norther insurrection in 1980s, British Alvis Saracen APCs and Alvis Stalwarts amphibious vehicles were added.
As the norther insurrection blew out into a full-scale civil war the Sri Lankan Army turned towards new sources of heavier weaponry such as the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, China and the Czech Republic.
In 1991, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps received Chinese T-80 light tanks, Type 85 APCs, command vehicles and Type 84 armoured recovery vehicles. That year the SLAC introduced tanks for the first time in Sri Lankan Military history, deploying T-55 A medium tanks and T 55 ARVs brought down from the Czech Republic. In 1992, SLAC deployed Chinese Type 86 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV).
In 1994, Russian BMP-1 IFVs, followed by Chinese Type 63 II APCs and Czech T 54 AVLB bridge-layers were added in 1995. In 1998, BTR-80 APCs and BTR-80 A IFVs were added to the 'A' vehicle fleet.
In 2000, Czech T-55 AM II MBTs, BMP-2, BMP-3 IFVs were added followed by the BMP-2 command vehicles in 2002. In 2009 Chinese WZ551 APCs were added.
The APCs enabled the Armoured Corps to have their own assault troopers to provide close combat support.
Main battle tanks
Light tanks
Armoured recovery vehicles
Armoured vehicle-launched bridges
Infantry fighting vehicles
Armoured cars
Armoured personnel carriers
See also.
Sri Lanka Army


Coast Guard Station Belle Isle

The United States Coast Guard Station Belle Isle is located on Belle Isle, Michigan, in Detroit and near the mouth of the Detroit River. The property where Station Belle Isle sites was purchased on April 6, 1881 from the city of Detroit for the sum of $1.00. Belle Isle Lighthouse was constructed and a light was first shown on May 15, 1882. That lighthouse occupied the site continuously until construction of the present facilities. During those first years, the land was very swampy and the only way to reach the lighthouse was by boat. The station was completed in 1942 and at the time the station was the most modern on the Great Lakes.


Croatian Air Force Legion

The Croatian Air Force Legion (), or HZL, was a unit of the Luftwaffe, composed entirely of volunteers drawn from the nazi puppet-state, the Independent State of Croatia. Many of them had previously served in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force in April 1941 during the Nazi Invasion of Yugoslavia.
The legion fought on the Eastern Front between 1941–1943 during the Second World War. The unit was sent to Germany for training on 15 July 1941, the fighter group to Fürth near Nüremberg and the bomber group to Greifswald, before heading to the Eastern Front. Some of them also had experience in the two main types that they would operate, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Dornier Do 17, with two fighter pilots having actually shot down Luftwaffe aircraft.
The Legion's first commander was "Obertsleutnant" Ivan Mrak. During operations over the Eastern Front, the unit's fighters scored a total of 283 kills while its bombers participated in 1,332 combat missions. It was disbanded on 21 July 1944 and transformed into the Croatian Air Force Training Group. It was then absorbed by the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia and its surviving members fought back on Croatian soil. The legion had approximately 360 officers, NCOs and men.
Organization.
The Legion was organized into a fighter wing and a bomber wing:
The 4. Fighter Wing was attached to the Jagdgeschwader 52. It originally served as part of the III./JG 52, while later it became known as the "15(Kroat.)/JG52". It was led by Franjo Džal.
The 5. Bomber Wing was originally attached to Kampfgeschwader 3 as part of the 10/KG3 and later as the "15.(Kroat.)/KG 3".
Fighter operations over the Eastern Front 1941-44.
One squadron of the Fighter Wing was sent to the area of Furth, Germany, for training, the other to Herzogenaurach Airfield, nearby. Training commenced on July 19, 1941, on Arado Ar 96 and Messerschmitt Bf 109D aircraft, and lasted to the end of September 1941 at which time the Legionnaires were deemed ready for the Eastern Front and were equipped with various models of the Messerschmitt 109 fighter. During the course of their training, the men had been issued Luftwaffe uniforms adorned with the Croatian armshield and the Croatian Airforce Legion badge on the right breast pocket.
The Squadron received the official designation '15.(Kroatische)/JG 52', and arrived to its first Eastern Front airfield on October 6, 1941, near Poltava. On 9 October 1941, the Squadron has its first taste of action, when, in the Ahtijevka-Krasnograd area, a Soviet R10 was shot down. The kill was given to the German liaison pilot to the Squadron, Lt. Baumgarten. The Squadron was transferred at the end of October 1941 to Taganrog, and stayed in this area till 1 December 1941. The first kill by a Croatian pilot occurred in this time period by Captain Ferencina, and the second by Lt.Colonel Dzal.
On 1 December 1941, the Squadron transferred to Marinpol. Attacks were made on Soviet armoured columns around Pokorovskoje, Matvejeva, Kurgan, Jeiska and Uspenskoje, and on the railway line Marinpol-Stalino. As well, the Squadron escorted German bombers on their missions. By the end of January 1942, the Squadron had shot down 23 Soviet airplanes (of this, four were MIG-3 fighters). At the end of March 1942, the Squadron received a telegrams from the Commander of 4.Fliegerkorp, General Flugbeil, and the Commander of 4.Luftflotte, Colonel-General Lohr, congratulating them on their successes. In April 1942, the Squadron flew escort missions for Stuka bombers, guarded the Marinpol airfield, and strafed Soviet troops in the Azov Sea area. Nine more Soviet airplanes were shot down in this period.
In May, the Squadron was transferred first to the Crimea, and shortly thereafter, to the Artemovka-Konstantinovka region. From this base of operation, the Squadron flew escort missions for bombers attacking Sevastopol and patrolled the Azov Sea area. Four more Soviet planes were downed, and a Soviet patrol boat was also sunk. From the end of May, till 21 June 1942 (the date of the Squadron's 1000 flight), 21 more Soviet planes were shot down. From this date till the end of July 1942, 69 more aircraft are shot down.
At the end of 1942 the unit was given a three-month rest, returning to Nikolayev on 21 February 1943. Although the unit continued to score kills, there was a spate of defections from 15./JG 52, with pilots flying to Soviet airfields. The remaining pilots were questioned by the Luftwaffe, the Staffel was withdrawn from the front, and the commander of the HZL was replaced. This was the end of the second tour of 15./JG 52 on the Eastern Front. The Luftwaffe decided to replace most of the remaining pilots of 15./JG 52 with newly trained men, and several veterans of the Staffel joined them during their fighter training at Fürth. Twelve graduated on 1 October 1943 and they arrived with two other pilots at Nikolayev on 21 October 1943, where they were equipped with eight Bf 109G-4s and G-6s. They deployed to their airfield at Bagerovo and commenced combat missions on 26 October. By late 1943 the Squadron had tallied 283 kills, and had 14 pilots who had gained flying ace status.
The Squadron continued with its fine performances until March 1944 when the Luftwaffe decided that attempting to maintain 15./JG 52 was futile, and the men were sent home to the NDH to help to combat the increasing air activity over the Balkans by the Allies. During its three tours, the Staffel had accounted for a total of 297 Soviet aircraft when it was re-deployed to Croatia.
At least part of the unit returned to the Eastern Front when, at the beginning of July, the Luftwaffe reconsidered its decision. They were transported to Romania and then the Slovak Republic, but no aircraft were provided, and on 21 July the pilots were advised that the HZL was to be disbanded. Despite this, in August they were moved to an airfield in East Prussia, where they took delivery of ten Bf 109G-14s. At the beginning of September they flew to Lithuania in preparation to rejoin the fray, but the defection of squadron leader Mato Dukovac led to the cessation of Croat aerial operations on the Eastern Front.
Bomber operations over the Eastern Front 1941-42.
Officially designated '15.(Kroatische)/KG 53'., the bomber squadron was equipped with Dornier Do 17Z aircraft. It arrived on the Eastern Front on 25 October 1941, after training at the Grosse Kampfflieger Schule 3, in Greifswald, Germany. Their first area of operations was near Vitebsk. The rest of the Bomber Squadron's assignments were in the Northern Sector of the Eastern Front, including the bombing of Leningrad and Moscow. On 9 November 1941, the Squadron was congratulated by Fieldmarshall Kesselring for its actions thus far. After flying some 1,500 sorties on the Eastern Front, the Squadron and its aircraft were re-deployed to Croatia in December 1942, to help combat the growing Partisan threat to the Axis forces in occupied Yugoslavia.
Fighter operations over Croatia 1944-45.
In early 1944 the squadron was redesignated "1./(Kroat.)JG" but remained in the Crimea on the Eastern Front. Around the same time two new units were formed to defend the airspace over Croatia. The crews for 2. u. 3. Staffel were drawn from Croatian pilots who had recently completed an A/B course at a German flight school in Bohemia followed by a Bf 109 fighter school in France. They returned to Croatia in early January 1944 and were assigned to Velika Gorica where the two Staffeln were to be formed. Plans to outfit the Staffeln with Bf 109s were canceled, and at the end of January the pilots of the 2. Staffel ("2./(Kroat.)JG") went to Italy to collect around a dozen Macchi C.202s and Fiat G.50s. The 3. Staffel was an operational training squadron, also known as "3./(Kroat.)JG" and equipped with Macchi C.200 and Fiat CR.42 Falco fighters. All these aircraft retained their Luftwaffe markings whilst in service with the unit.
After a period of operational conversion, the squadrons commenced operations against the frequent incursions over Croatia by USAAF and RAF aircraft. By April 1944 "1./(Kroat.)JG" had been withdrawn from the Eastern Front and its crew returned to NDH. During a period of intensive activity over the summer of 1944, the squadrons claimed some 20 Allied aircraft shot down, while at the same time receiving further Macchi C.202s, as well as several brand new Macchi C.205s.
By the end of 1944 the squadrons had handed in their remaining worn-out Macchis for brand new German Messerschmitt 109G & K fighters. Over 50 Messerschmitts were delivered to the squadrons and the Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, with the final delivery taking place on 23 April 1945.
Bomber operations over Croatia 1943-45.
Upon its return the Legion's bomber squadron was redesignated "1./(Kroat.)KG" after having flown its nine Dornier Do 17Z bombers from Russia back to Croatia. The Dorniers proved a welcome addition to the strike power of the Axis forces fighting the Partisans in occupied Yugoslavia right up to the end of July 1944, when it was incorporated into the ZNDH. In late 1943, a second squadron, "2./(Kroat.)KG" was formed to provide operational training. It was equipped with Italian designed and built CANT Z.1007 and Fiat BR.20 bombers.


Marine Corps Installations Pacific

Marine Corps Installations Pacific (MCIPAC) is the single, regional authority for accountability of regional installation management resources and services within the Pacific area of operations. MCIPAC was established to increase regional installation management effectiveness. MCIPAC implements policies, develops regional strategies and plans, prioritizes resources, and provides services, direction, and oversight to all Marine Corps installations in Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Hawaii.
MCIPAC includes approximately 2,600 service members, 1,200 civilian employees, and more than 3,500 Japanese and Korean workers in the Pacific Region. Whether participating in operations or training exercises, MCIPAC supports units before, during, and after each deployment. The command is responsible for ensuring installations provide a number of services like training areas, work facilities, utilities and housing.
MCIPAC remains committed to enhancing operational readiness, from the individual service member to every echelon of the Marine Air Ground Task Force, while at the same time, cooperating, coordinating and communicating with our regional communities, partners, and allies. MCIPAC regularly engages in bilateral planning to ensure strong, long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships with our neighbors in the region. These continually developing relationships define MCIPAC's community relations effort.
Mission.
Marine Corps Installations Pacific is commanded by a major general, with its headquarters residing aboard Camp Foster. Its mission is to provide the operating forces and tenant commands with the highest quality of continuous, effective service and support to meet present and future operating force requirements.


James Rankin (lighthouse keeper)

James Rankin (February 20, 1844 – January 5, 1921) was a lighthouse keeper in the United States.
A native of Killashee, County Longford, Ireland, Rankin emigrated to the United States in 1867. He served in the U.S. Lighthouse Service as the keeper of East Brother Island Light in California from 1877 to 1878. He then transferred to Fort Point Light in San Francisco, where he remained for 40 years, until retiring in 1919. During his tenure he was credited with saving the lives of 18 people.
Rankin died in Antioch, California, where he had moved soon after retiring.
In 1997, the United States Coast Guard named a buoy tender USCGC "James Rankin" (WLM-555) in his honor. Its homeport is Curtis Bay, Baltimore.


Naval Support Facility Anacostia

Naval Support Facility (NSF) Anacostia was a United States Naval Base in Washington, D.C., close to where the Anacostia River joins the Potomac River. On 1 October 2010 the base was conjoined with the adjacent Bolling Air Force Base to form the Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling in accordance with congressional legislation implementing the recommendations of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission. NSF Anacostia fell under the command of Naval Support Activity Washington.
History.
Prior to European colonization, the area where the Naval Support Facility Anacostia was located was inhabited by the Nacotchtank, an Algonquian people. The largest village of the Nacotchtank was located just north of Bolling Air Force Base, south of Anacostia Park. Two ossuaries (burial grounds) have been discovered at Bolling Air Force Base. Other Nacotchtank archaeological sites have been found at Giesboro Point on the Potomac River, close to where the Naval Support Facility was once located. The two burial mounds, which included Nacotchtank bones and skulls, were discovered in 1936 by crews working at Bolling Air Force Base. The burial site was also likely once a Nacotchtank village.
The Navy began testing seaplanes at this facility in 1918, and eventually it became a naval air station, supporting conventional aircraft. Located immediately north of Bolling Air Force Base, NAS Anacostia remained in service as an active naval air station until 1962, when its runways were deactivated along with Bolling's due to traffic pattern conflicts with the nearby Washington National Airport.
Redesignated as a naval support facility, NSF Anacostia served as the headquarters for Commander, Naval Installations, Navy Office of the Chief of Information and continued to maintain a large heliport facility, primarily used by Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) in support of "Marine One" presidential transport operations with VH-3D and VH-60N aircraft. These activities remained when the base was incorporated into the larger Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling.


Polish Home Army Museum, Orchard Lake, Michigan

The Polish Home Army Museum in Orchard Lake, Michigan is dedicated to the memory of the brave men and women of the Armia Krajowa during World War II. The Museum tells the story of the struggle for the freedom and independence of Poland during World War II. On September 1, 1939, without declaring war, the Nazi German Army, Navy, and Air Forces invaded Poland from the north, west and south. Sixteen days later, on September 17, the Soviet Union also attacked Poland from the east. For Europe, the Nazi invasion of Poland marked the beginning of World War II; for Poland, the Soviet invasion also marked the beginning of a 50-year struggle against communism.
Dedication of the museum.
The Polish Home Army Museum was dedicated on November 12, 1989. It was founded by members of the Michigan Chapter of the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) Association in the United States and the Detroit chapter of the Polish Resistance (AK) Foundation, with the generous support of the National Executive Committees of these organizations, and of the Polonia. Space for the Museum was provided by Monsignor Stanislaw Milewski, the Chancellor of the St. Mary’s Seminary and College in Orchard Lake, Michigan and Rev. Roman Nir, Director of Archives.
The rooms were completely renovated and adapted for display purposes, including the installation of a new lighting system. The Museum Committees and a few dedicated members donated much of their time to make this ambitious project a reality. Exhibits were donated by many veterans of the Home Army and their families. The Master plan for the display of the exhibits was developed by Dr. Thaddeus Malinski, the curator and implemented under the leadership of Julius Przesmycki, former chairman of the Museum Committee.
The Poles in World War II.
The Poles were beaten, but not conquered. The fight against the Germans continued, uninterrupted, for almost six years. After the war, when Poland was abandoned by her western allies and left under Soviet domination, resistance against communism continued for another 45 years. Finally, largely because of the Solidarity movement, freedom for Poland was regained in 1989.
The entrance.
Facing the entrance to the museum is the symbol of ‘Polska Walcząca’: Fighting Poland, as seen in the title above. It was the mark of the Armia Krajowa, emblazoned on walls throughout German occupied Poland. Symbol of resistance, sign of defiance, emblem of freedom, and declaration of unwavering intent - an important part of Polish history. Behind the ‘Polska Walcząca’ is displayed the standard of the Michigan chapter of the Polish Home Army (AK) Veterans Association.
The first room.
The first room contains exhibits from the beginning of World War II, including the front pages of the Detroit newspapers dated September 1, 1939, with the headlines crying out: “War!”. The first room also depicts the history of the secret Polish Underground State and its fighting forces, the Home Army (Armia Krajowa). The Polish Home Army organized the most effective partisan and espionage forces of any allied nation. At its peak, in 1943, the AK numbered over 380,000 men and women. All were volunteers. One of the major accomplishments of the Home Army was the capture of an entire V-2 rocket, which was disassembled and flown to Britain.
Examples of the Secret underground press, which continued publishing almost until the day the Soviet Army marched into Poland, are also displayed, as are the numerous memorabilia donated by veterans of the AK and their families. All descriptions are in English.
The second room.
The second room of the museum is dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 and the suffering of the Polish people under the German and Soviet occupation of Poland. The Nazi concentration camps built by the Nazis on Polish territory were first occupied by Christian Poles, many of whom perished and later by the Jewish population, most of whom perished. The work of ‘Zegota’, a secret department of the Polish Underground State, dedicated to saving thousands of Jews, especially children, from the Nazi persecution, is described.
The Warsaw Uprising.
On August 1, 1944, the Home Army in Warsaw rose against the Germans as they were retreating under pressure from the Soviet offensive. The Red Army was only 15 miles away at the time. However; a few days after the uprising started, Joseph Stalin ordered his armies to stop and wait until the Germans had brutally suppressed the uprising and destroyed the city. Stalin wanted the Home Army and Polish leadership destroyed in order to make it easier for the Soviets to set up a planned puppet communist regime. After 63 days of fighting with insufficient arms against three German Divisions, including the elite Hermann Göring SS Panzer Division and the German Luftwaffe, the Home Army was forced to surrender. After the surrender and evacuation of POWs, as well as the remaining civilian population, the Germans blew up or burnt whatever buildings were left standing.
Exhibits.
The exhibits include several photographic displays, examples of arms and uniforms used by the Home Army, many documents and decorations, a few 1944 street plans of Warsaw showing Home Army and German positions at various stages of the battle, and many other sorts of memorabilia. There is also a display of memorabilia from POW and Nazi concentration camps.
Location.
The Polish Home Army Museum in Orchard Lake, Michigan is located in the St. Mary's Preparatory Ark Building (#9), 3535 Indian Trail, Orchard Lake, MI 48324. To make an appointment or for information, contact 248-683-0412.


USCGC Boutwell

USCGC "Boutwell" (WHEC-719) was a United States Coast Guard high endurance cutter based out of San Diego, California. Named for George S. Boutwell, United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Ulysses S. Grant. Boutwell engaged in many CG missions, including Search and Rescue, Law Enforcement, Maritime Security, and National Defense.
"Boutwell" was decommissioned on March 16, 2016 at Naval Base San Diego, California. She was then sold to the Philippines as Excess Defense Article (EDA) and rechristened the , becoming the third Hamilton-class cutter to be transferred to the Philippine Navy.
History.
USCGC "Boutwell" was the fifth of the Coast Guard's fleet of 378-foot high endurance cutters. She was built in 1967 in the Avondale Shipyards in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was launched on 17 June 1967, and her launching sponsor was Mrs. Douglas Dillon. After she was commissioned in 1968, she proceeded to her first home port, Boston, Massachusetts. In 1973 she moved to Seattle, Washington, where she remained until she entered the Fleet Renovation and Modernization Program in 1990. Once her renovation was complete she moved to Coast Guard Island in Alameda, California. In 2011 she relocated to San Diego, California, to replace the decommissioned high endurance cutter .
In 1980 "Boutwell" conducted the largest at-sea rescue ever achieved, when she rescued more than 500 people from the burning cruise ship in the Gulf of Alaska. When the halibut-fishing vessel "Comet" sank in the Bering Sea approximately northeast of Dutch Harbor, Alaska, after her engine room flooded, "Boutwell" rescued her crew of four after they had been in the water for only four minutes. In 1998, "Boutwell" made the largest high-seas drift net arrest in Coast Guard history.
"Boutwell" participated in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. She defended the oil terminals off the coasts of Iraq and Iran. For her many accomplishments and continued excellence, "Boutwell" received the Admiral John B. Hayes Award for Unit Excellence. In 2005, she seized of cocaine over US$900 million using the newly developed Go-Fast Response Team. With the help of a helicopter from the new Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron (HITRON), "Boutwell" demonstrated a capability to stop and seize drugs from every go-fast boat she pursued.
"Boutwell" was recognized as the 2013 Forrest O. Rednour Memorial Award Large Afloat Dining Facility and as the second-place winner for the 2014 Large Unit Afloat MWR [Morale, Welfare, and Recreation] Program of the Year. In October 2014, "Boutwell" completed a noteworthy counterdrug deployment in support of the U.S. Coast Guard's Western Hemisphere Strategy; this deployment was cited by Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukunft as an example of how better integration of operations and intelligence can have an impact on smuggling in the Western Hemisphere.
After U.S. President Barack Obama announced during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting meeting in November 2015 that concluded the 2015 APEC summit in Manila that the United States would make a U.S. Coast Guard high endurance cutter and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography research vessel available to the Philippines, "Boutwell" was decommissioned on 16 March 2016 at Naval Base San Diego, California, and sold to the Philippines as an excess defense article (EDA). "Boutwell" was the third to be transferred to the Philippine Navy.


Strategic sealift ships

Strategic sealift ships are part of the United States Military Sealift Command's (MSC) prepositioning program. There are currently 17 ships in the program, strategically positioned around the world to support the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Defense Logistics Agency. Most are named after Medal of Honor recipients from the service they support. The ships are assigned to two Military Prepositioning Ship (MPS) squadrons located in the Indian Ocean at Diego Garcia and in the Western Pacific Ocean at Guam and Saipan.
The MPS ships in each squadron have sufficient equipment, supplies and ammunition to support a Marine Air-Ground Task Force for 30 days. The MPS ships are self-sustaining, with cranes to unload at sea or pierside. MSC chartered the first two ship classes in the MPS role (the "Corporal Louis J. Hauge Jr." and "Sergeant Matej Kocak" classes) from civilian shipping lines and converted them. Later ships were purpose-built.
Ships.
"Sergeant Matej Kocak" class.
The "Sergeant Matej Kocak" class, the second class of MPS ships chartered by MSC, also gained amidships and a helicopter deck after conversion. These ships, delivered to MSC in the mid-1980s, built at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Chester, Pennsylvania, and converted at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company, San Diego. They were previously owned by Waterman Steamship Corporation but recently sold to MSC and now operated by Keystone Shipping Company.
"2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo" class.
The "2nd Lieutenant John P. Bobo"-class ships are new construction ships delivered to MSC in the mid-1980s from General Dynamics Quincy Shipbuilding Division, Quincy, Massachusetts They were owned by American Overseas Marine (AMSEA) but have been recently sold to MSC and are now operated by Crowley Technical Management.
Large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ships.
"Watson" class.
The of LMSR built at National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego
Activated Ready Reserve Force ships.
The following are part of the National Defense Reserve Fleet but have been activated and are pre-positioned.
"Wright" class.
Dedicated to USMC aviation logistics support
Former ships.
"Corporal Louis J. Hauge Jr." class.
Named for Medal of Honor recipient Louis J. Hauge Jr. USMC, the "Corporal Louis J. Hauge Jr." class is the original class of MPS ships chartered by Military Sealift Command. The five ships are Maersk Line ships converted by Bethlehem Steel. During conversion, the ships gained an additional amidships and a helicopter landing pad, among other things. They have since been returned to Maersk for commercial use and are no longer part of the MPS program.


2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade

The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade (), based in Livorno, is the Carabinieri formation dedicated to the military missions abroad, including the military police tasks. It employs the 7th Carabinieri Regiment ""Trentino-Alto Adige", the 13th Carabinieri Regiment "Friuli-Venezia Giulia", the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" and the Gruppo di intervento speciale.
History.
While history of the 1st Carabinieri Mobile Brigade can be wholly traced back to the 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade, in the latter's various organizational assets, the 2nd Mobile Carabinieri Brigade has its origins in both 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade (for what amounts to 7th and 13th Carabinieri Regiments) and in the Paratroopers Brigade Folgore (for what regards the modern-day Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania"").
11th Mechanized Brigade.
In 1963, with the 1960s Army and Carabinieri reorganization, the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade was established directly under the General Command, in order to cope with the internal territorial defence needs. The establishment of the new Brigade was in order to adjust the organization of the Battalions and of cavalry units both for strictly military tasks, and those related to the protection of public order. The aim was to ensure Carabinieri Battalions the availability of all elements necessary to be in a position to act in isolation and overcome considerable resistance without having to rely on the competition of other Army Corps or other Armed Forces, to ensure Battalions speed of movement and concentration in large sectors of foreseeable use and a constant high training level.
Overall, the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade consisted of about 5,000 men with 80 tracked vehicles, 200 other military vehicles, 130 M47 tanks and a paratroopers battalion. However, the brigade never had responsibility for actual unitary operational command, lacking supports due to a political choice, but exercised the tasks of instruction and preparation for the riot control activities.
In the reorganization, Mobile Battalions were renamed simply Battalions and were marked with a sequential number, while remaining administratively dependent on the relevant Legion; the Battalions Groups were renamed Carabinieri Regiments, and were given the conceptual role of a resolution unit in both riot and tactical tasks; According original resolutions, Regiments were to have only disciplinary, training and deployment functions, while general management rested within the relevant Legion. The newly formed Mechanized Brigade exercised its operational and training authority on:
The command structure of the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade consisted of:
Each Carabinieri Battalion was led by a Lieutenant Colonel or a Major and consisted of: 1 Command Company (1 Command Platoon, 1 Services Platoon, 1 Scouts Platoon), 2 Rifle Companies (command platoon, 3 rifle platoons, 1 company weapons platoon each), 1 Mortars Company and 1 Tanks Company (Command Platoon, 3 Tanks Platoons). It was therefore a robust tactical complex. The Carabinieri Battalions had to be used only when the police and the local organization of the Carabinieri they had found insufficient, in order not to deprive the General Command of a valuable combat tool. Within the VII Battalion, based in Laives, the Counter-terrorism Special Company was established in 1960s to counter South Tyrolean terrorism.p. 187 Both VII and XIII Battalions were to be always maintained at their full wartime force.
However, the 1963 reorganization did not mark the end of the organizational shifts. In 1964, 1st Carabinieri Helicopter Section was established.
Between 1967 and 1968 it was set up the Inspectorate of Mechanized and Training Units (led by a Divisional general), with responsibility on the X Carabinieri Brigade (including schools) and XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade. In 1971 it was established the Inspectorate Schools and Special Carabinieri Units; it controlled the X Brigade (dedicated to training) and XI Brigade.
In 1969, Battalions framed within Carabinieri Regiments were reorganized. The new structure consisted of Battalion Command Unit, Command and Services Company (Command and Services Platoon, Scouts Platoon, Transmissions Platoon, Tanks Platoon, Transportations Platoon), 2 Mechanized Rifle Companies (Command and Services Platoon, 3 Rifle Platoons, Mortars Platoons).
Between 1973 and 1976, the 5th Carabinieri Regiment (HQ Mestre) also existed, including IV, VII and XIII Battalions. On 1 September 1977, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Carabinieri Regiments were disestablished and their Battalions were transferred under the direct operational and training authority of the 11th Mechanized Brigade; the 4th Mounted Carabinieri Regiment was renamed Mounted Carabinieri Regiment. In 1975 the XI Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade changed its name in 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade (with Arabic numerals) and in 1976 the formation was renamed 11th Carabinieri Brigade; at the same time, the Brigade Command was tasked to exercise only training and logistical authority.
Overall, Carabinieri Battalions were divided into two groups, according to the main type (motorized or mechanized unit) of unit the unit deployed.
Even during Years of Lead 7th and 13th Battalions maintained their military capabilities and were transferred under direct Army operational control.
In the 1976 Friuli earthquake, the XIII Carabinieri Battalion ""Friuli Venezia Giulia", IV Carabinieri Battalion "Veneto" and VII Carabinieri Battalion "Trentino Alto Adige"" intervened paying rescue and providing police and utility services. In the 1980 Irpinia earthquake Carabinieri Battalions from Bari, Naples and Rome also intervened.pp. 203–204
Paratroopers Brigade Folgore.
While both 7th and 13th Regiments origin from the 11th Carabinieri Mechanized Brigade, the history of the Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" can be traced from the Paratroopers Division Folgore.
After the end of the World War II, the Carabinieri did not immediately re-establish a Paratroopers unit; however, in 1951 the Army, on the basis of a specific Carabinieri proposal, formed a Parachute Carabinieri Unit in Viterbo, under the direct authority of the General Command, for riot emergencies.
In 1958 the Unit was transferred in Livorno ("Vannucci" Barracks) and then in Pisa, the same city of the Parachute School, until 1962, when it was moved back in Livorno.
On 1 January 1963, within the general Army reorganization, the Paratroopers Brigade Folgore of the Italian Army was formally established; the Parachute Carabinieri Unit was renamed Parachute Carabinieri Company. In the same year the Company was expanded and reorganized as Parachute Carabinieri Battalion ""Tuscania" within the Folgore Brigade; in 1975 the Battalion was renamed I Parachute Carabinieri Battalion "Tuscania"".
Elements of the Parachute Carabinieri Battalion "Tuscania" served in Alto Adige in 1960s against South Tyrolean terrorism.p. 20
The Battalion was officially recognized as the legitimate heir of the 1st Parachute Royal Carabinieri Battalion in 1976, when its War Flag was awarded with the Silver Medal for Military Valour for the North African campaign. In the same year, the Parachutism Section of the Carabinieri Sports Centre was established within the Battalion.
In 1978, the Special Intervention Group was established as counter-terrorist unit; the personnel was selected from the ranks of the Battalion. From 1982 to 1984 the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Battalion was part of UNIFIL with the task of provide protection to Sabra, Chatila and Burj el-Barajneh refugee camps. From 1991 to 1994 the Battalion was part of UNITAF and in UNOSOM II missions in Somalia, where it was involved in several combat situations.
The current designation of "Regiment " was awarded on 1 June 1996, and it has been subordinated to the 2nd Brigade Mobile Carabinieri since 15 March 2002, having been moved from Folgore Brigade. Despite the status of an autonomous Armed Force being assigned to the Carabinieri on 5 October 2000, the "Tuscania" remains closely connected to the Folgore Parachute Brigade, with which it shares the maroon beret.
2001-present.
In 2000 the Carabinieri were separated from the Italian Army and were established as autonomous Armed Force and the Mobile Units Command was elevated from Brigade to Divisional level. On 15 September 2001, all Carabinieri units designed to carry out duties related to military missions abroad were grouped in the 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade.
The Brigade was established in order to contribute with organic assets to perform the military and special tasks assigned to the Carabinieri, representing an absolute novelty because of the fact of being able to express assets with both military and police capabilities to be used abroad.
The following year, on 15 March 2002, the 1st Parachute Carabinieri Regiment "Tuscania" was moved from Folgore Brigade to 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade.
Mission.
The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade is the tactical and operational component of the Carabinieri responsible for:
The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade has the task of training, preparing, staffing and coordinating the operations of dependent units, whose different capabilities are reflected in a great flexibility of use for both military and police and security needs.
The 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade may deploy force assets inside and outside the national territory, up to a maximum of three light force complexes. However, the 2nd Mobile Brigade cannot replace the Italian Army Brigades, because it does not possess the peculiar capabilities of fire, protection and logistical autonomy.
Riot control.
The 7th and 13th Regiments provide riot control in missions abroad, but also at home: their deployments include riot control in sensitive areas and in those areas requiring the prolonged presence of homogenous units: Susa Valley (Piedmont), in immigrants' accommodation centres (Sicily) and in sensitive rallies in Rome.
Military operations abroad.
Since its establishment in 2001, the 2nd Carabinieri Mobile Brigade provide training and certification, as well as logistical support, to Carabinieri personnel sent abroad. The Brigade provides Military Police in support of Italian contingents and provide MSU (Multinational Specialized Unit) and IPU (Integrated Police Unit) Regiments. Current missions are carried out on behalf of the United Nations, NATO, European Union and on behalf of other international agreements.
UN missions
NATO missions
EU missions
Within the European Union, Carabinieri participate (through the Division) in:
Other missions:
Organization.
The Brigade has both operational units and support organizations: the Commander, a Brigadier General (currently Gen.B. Sebastiano Comitini), is supported by the Brigade Staff, which operates a Training Centre, an Administration Service and a Supports Unit. Four operational Units depend on the Brigade:
Its units constitute the axis of the Multinational Specialized Unit. Other two support units are based in Livorno:
The Training Centre is tasked with the conditioning and certification of all Carabinieri personnel for missions abroad, while all logistical support abroad is managed by the Supports Unit. The Brigade command, differently from subordinate units, is not deployable abroad.


Spiritwood Incident

The Spiritwood Incident occurred on 7 July 2006. The shooting which occurred during a police pursuit began in the town of Spiritwood, Saskatchewan, Canada, a community of about 1000 people located approximately 92 miles (148 km) northwest of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and ended near Mildred, Saskatchewan, approximately 27 kilometres away.
Incident.
On July 7, 2006, two officers from the RCMP detachment in Spiritwood, Constables Robin Cameron and Marc Bourdages, responded to a complaint at a home close to the detachment. A man later identified as Curtis Dagenais fled the scene in a pickup truck. The officers followed, and the ensuing pursuit lasted 27 kilometres. During the chase, gunfire was exchanged between RCMP officers and Dagenais, resulting in both constables being shot in the head through their car windshield. Dagenais abandoned his car and escaped on foot. A massive manhunt failed to find Dagenais, who turned himself in without incident to the RCMP's Spiritwood detachment on July 18, after being hunted for twelve days.
The officers later died of their wounds, Cameron on July 15 and Bourdages early the next morning, on July 16.
Trial.
During his trial, Dagenais argued he had not intentionally shot the officers. He claimed that he feared for his life and shot in blind panic out in self-defence and that the officers fired first after ramming his truck. The Crown argued that it was Dagenais who had fired first and intentionally shot the officers.
After two days of deliberations, on March 12, the jury found him guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
On September 17, 2012, Dagenais was granted an appeal date for October 25. After less than 10 minutes of deliberation the appeal was dismissed on all 3 points.


USS LST-20

USS "LST-20" was a United States Navy used exclusively in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater during World War II and manned by a United States Coast Guard crew. Like many of her class, she was not named and is properly referred to by her hull designation.
Construction.
"LST-20" was laid down on 5 October 1942, at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by the Dravo Corporation; launched on 15 February 1943; sponsored by Miss Anne B. Sylvester. She was floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and entered commissioned service on 14 May 1943, with Lieutenant Charles W. Smith, USCG, in command.
Service history.
During the war, "LST-20" served exclusively in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater from November 1943 until November 1945.
On 27 July 1943, "LST-20" departed with six other LSTs escorted by , , and for Adak Island in the Aleutians.
"LST-20" participated in operations in the Gilbert Islands during November and December 1943.
In October 1944, "LST-20" moved to the Philippines to participate in General Douglas MacArthur's promised liberation of the islands from the Japanese occupation. "LST-20" participated at the Leyte landings and the Battle of Luzon Lingayen Gulf landings in January 1945.
"LST-20" finished her combat career with the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto in April 1945.
Postwar career.
Following the war, "LST-20" performed occupation duty in the Far East until early November 1945. She returned to San Diego on 23 December 1945. She departed San Diego on 11 January 1946, for Galveston, Texas, via the Canal Zone, arriving there on 1 February 1946, and was decommissioned on 3 April 1946. She was struck from the Navy list on 19 June 1946, and was transferred to the Maritime Administration (MARCOM) on 8 October 1947.
Merchant service.
On 8 October 1947, MARCOM sold "LST-20" to Southern Shipwrecking Company that in turn resold her to Pan Ore Steamship Company who reflagged her for Panama, her final disposition is unknown.
Honors and awards.
"LST-20" earned four battle stars for her World War II service.
External links.


Instructor of Musketry

In the British Army, the Instructor of Musketry was a position within infantry battalions that existed from 1857 until 1883, with the position being held by a single officer from two to five years. In 1887 the position was brought back into use, with the new name of 'Assistant Adjutant'.


Precision measurement equipment laboratory

A Precision Measurement Equipment Laboratory (PMEL) is a United States Air Force (USAF) facility in which the calibration and repair of test equipment takes place. This practice is also known as metrology: "the science of measurement". Metrology is defined as the science of weights & measures, while a PMEL is the place where technicians perform all of the metrology for the U.S. Air Force. Air personnel in this career field are primarily responsible for the repair, calibration, and modification of test, measurement, and diagnostic equipment (TMDE), including precision measurement equipment laboratory standards and automatic test equipment. They also supervise the process and use of TMDE to perform voltage, current, power, impedance, frequency, microwave, temperature, physical-dimensional, and optical measurements. They perform these functions in a strictly controlled laboratory environment where the temperature and humidity are constantly monitored. The Air Force Specialty Code (AFSC) of air personnel trained to work in the PMEL is 2P0X1 replacing 324X0 where "X" represents a variable number which denotes the level of expertise of the individual. There are also defense contractors and government civilians who perform this job. The Air Force's PMELs are governed by AFMETCAL (Air Force Metrology and Calibration Program)
Calibration sections.
Typically Electronic test equipment is maintained in different calibration sections (K-Sections). The technicians who work in the PMEL will often specialize in one of these sections. The K-Sections are derived from the primary function of the TMDE (Test Measurement and Diagnostic Equipment). This is based upon the calibration authority.
Most labs have three calibration sections divided into K1/K8, K5/K6 and K3/K4 that specialize in like test equipment.
For example, the K3/K4 section would maintain Frequency counter, Oscilloscope, Synthesized Signal Generator and power sensor. While K1/K8 would maintain digital multimeter, high voltage probe and resistance standards. Lastly K5/K6 would deal with truck scales, pressure gauges, optics and micrometers.
The sections are as follows:
K1,K2,K8 DC/Electrical Standards Section
K3,K4 Frequency/RF Section
K5 Temperature/Humidity
K6, Physical Dimensional Test Equipment
K7, RADIAC
K9 Automated Test Equipment
Roles of PMEL technicians.
The roles of technicians may vary from various locations but typically are divided by skill level. The 2P0X1 AFSC is broken down by skill levels. The five skill levels are 1,3,5,7,and 9. This skill level is determined by qualifications, rank and experience. In addition, this AFSC feeds into Chief Enlisted Manager code of 2P000. The following are typical roles for the various skill levels. More information can be found in the PMEL CFETP .


Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen

Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is a United States Coast Guard Air Station located at the Rafael Hernandez International Airport (formerly Ramey Air Force Base), in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico.
History.
United States Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is the direct descendant of the former Coast Guard Air Station San Juan, which was located at the former Naval Air Station Isla Grande. In November 1971, the Air Station relocated to its present location at what was then Ramey Air Force Base, a Strategic Air Command (SAC) B-52 bomber and KC-135 aerial refueling aircraft base in Aguadilla, and became known as Coast Guard Air Station Puerto Rico. Two years later the United States Air Force discontinued its operation at Ramey AFB, turning the facilities over to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the United States Navy Naval Station Roosevelt Roads West Annex. The Coast Guard assumed the host role in July 1976, when the Navy vacated the station. It was then that the unit was designated Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen. The Air Station originally utilized three HU-16E Albatross amphibious seaplanes and two HH-52A Sea Guard helicopters to effect its search and rescue missions. In March 1973, three HH-3F Pelican helicopters replaced these aircraft.
The need for increased range for law enforcement and search and rescue resulted in the addition of four HU-25A Falcon jets to the Air Station's inventory in late 1983 and early 1984. In 1985, four new HH-65A Dolphin short-range rescue helicopters replaced the three HH-3F Pelicans, giving the Air Station a shipboard deployment capability. The HU-25A Falcons were replaced in 1987 by three HC-130H Hercules aircraft that provided long range search and surveillance capability until their departure in June 1996. Due to the increased tempo of operations in the Caribbean, the Air Station again added four HU-25A Falcons to the inventory from July 1999 until September 2001. The Air Station currently operates with 4 MH-65D Dolphin helicopters while also supporting a variety of other forward deployed aircraft.
Operations.
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is under the operational control of Commander, Coast Guard Sector San Juan located in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Its main operation is search and rescue missions, Secondary missions include: law enforcement, aerial support for ATON, and logistic support. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen also provides support for U.S. Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, and other United States Department of Homeland Security agencies such as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the United States Border Patrol Ramey Sector nearby the Air Station Borinquen.
The number of personnel at U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen is made of 170 enlisted personnel, 35 officers and 150 civilians.


List of equipment of the Swedish Army

This is a list of weapons used by the Swedish Army.


Air Force Combat Ammunition Center

The Air Force Combat Ammunition Center (AFCOMAC) is a United States Air Force training course developed to provide the Air Force munitions community with advanced training in mass combat ammunition planning and production techniques. It uses a combination of in-depth classroom instruction combined with a four-day intensive practical exercise (IRON FLAG) using live munitions in a realistic, bare-base scenario. AFCOMAC was established in 1985 at Sierra Army Depot, California, as a response to a perceived degradation in the USAF's ability to rapidly produce ammunition for air combat operations during combat. AFCOMAC's intensive training effort from 1986 through 1991 helped prepare USAF munitions personnel for their role in the first Gulf War. Later AFCOMAC moved to Beale AFB, California.
AFCOMAC offers three courses:
This squadron also provides day-to-day munitions support to the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB, CA and associated units.


List of current ships of the United States Navy

The United States Navy has approximately 490 ships in both active service and the reserve fleet, with approximately 90 more in either the planning and ordering stages or under construction, according to the Naval Vessel Register and published reports. This list includes ships that are owned and leased by the U.S. Navy; ships that are formally commissioned, by way of ceremony, and non-commissioned. Ships denoted with the prefix "USS" are commissioned ships. Prior to commissioning, ships may be described as a "pre-commissioning unit" or PCU, but are officially referred to by name with no prefix. US Navy support ships are often non-commissioned ships organized and operated by Military Sealift Command. Among these support ships, those denoted "USNS" are owned by the US Navy. Those denoted by "MV" or "SS" are chartered.
Current ships include commissioned warships that are in active service, as well as ships that are part of Military Sealift Command, the support component and the Ready Reserve Force, that while non-commissioned, are still part of the effective force of the U.S. Navy. Future ships listed are those that are in the planning stages, or are currently under construction, from having its keel laid to fitting out and final sea trials.
There exist a number of former US Navy ships which are museum ships (not listed here), some of which may be US government-owned. One of these, , a three-masted tall ship, is one of the original six frigates of the United States Navy. It is the oldest naval vessel afloat, and still retains its commission (and hence is listed here), as a special commemoration for that ship alone.
Current ships.
Ready Reserve Force ships.
Ready Reserve Force ships are maintained by the United States Maritime Administration and are part of the United States Navy ship inventory. If activated, these ships would be operated by Military Sealift Command.
Future ships.
Under construction.
Note: Ships listed here may be referred to as "pre-commissioning unit" or "PCU" in various sources including US Navy webpages. While 'PCU' might be used informally as a prefix in some sources, it is not an official ship prefix. Ships listed here may be delivered to United States Navy but are not actively commissioned

On order.
The following ships have been ordered but have not yet had their keel laid down, and therefore have not reached 'under construction' status.
Fleet totals.
Commissioned (USS) – 254
Note
Non-commissioned (USNS) – 106
Support (MV, RV – "") – 64
Ready Reserve Force ships (MV, SS, GTS) – 51
Reserve Fleet ships (USS, USNS) – 10
Ships under construction – 51
Ordered ships – 42
Totals
Commissioned: 254, Non-commissioned: 106, Support: 64, Ready Reserve Force: 51, Reserve Fleet: 10. Grand total:485<br>
Note