US Northern Command Intensifies Surveillance Along US–Mexico Border
U.S. Northern Command soldiers deployed near Rio Grande City, Texas, are using radar systems to monitor activity along the southern border, amid a 'massive increase in drone use for reconnaissance' by illegal immigrants and drug smugglers, according to a Northern Command statement May 29.
Soldiers operate two radar systems, the AN/TPQ-53 rapid reaction radar that tracks rockets and mortars, and the AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel, which tracks aircraft and drones. Originally used on the battlefield, the systems have been adapted for domestic defense.
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USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Pentagon to make change to military oversight of Greenland: report
Pentagon to make change to military oversight of Greenland: report The Pentagon's move to shift military oversight of Greenland to U.S. Northern Command aligns with Trump's desire to take control of the Danish territory. Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump pledges to get Greenland "one way or the other" President Donald Trump pledged to get Greenland "one way or the other" in his speech to Congress. ILULISSAT, Greenland − The Pentagon is planning to put its military oversight of Greenland under U.S. Northern Command, according to a report, a largely symbolic gesture that comes as President Donald Trump continues to press for the world's largest island to break from Denmark. Greenland is currently the purview of U.S. European Command, which is headquartered in Germany. U.S. Northern Command is in charge of defending the U.S. homeland and the shift more closely aligns with Trump's pledge to take control of the Danish territory. Politico first reported the planned redrawing of the Pentagon's command map. Trump talked about acquiring Greenland during his first term. But since winning reelection he has repeatedly riffed on the strategic importance of Greenland for U.S. national security including, missile defense programs and keeping tabs on Russian and Chinese naval activity in the Arctic. Greenland is also rich in natural resources such as oil, gold and rare earths minerals. 'One way or the other': Five ways Trump's Greenland saga could play out Denmark and the semi-autonomous Faroe Islands will remain under U.S. European Command, according to Politico, effectively creating a symbolic and operational split between those territories. The Pentagon's move is sure to anger Denmark, which has repeatedly stressed that Greenland is not for sale and Trump's stated position does not amount to serious discussion. The Danish Embassy in Washington, D.C. did not return a request for comment. Nor did the Joint Arctic Command, Denmark's Greenland-based Arctic security mission that consists of units such as inspection ships, patrol vessels, aircraft, helicopters and the Sirius Dog Sled Patrol. 'Buy us!': Greenlanders shocked, intrigued, bewildered by Trump zeal for Arctic territory A U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson said there were no announcements to make and deferred all questions about the move to the White House, which declined comment. The Pentagon has 11 combatant commands – four functional, such as U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Cyber Command, and seven based on geography.
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Satellite images show Russian bombers destroyed in Ukraine attack
New satellite images and drone footage show serious damage inflicted on aircraft at several Russian airbases during Ukraine's surprise drone strike on Sunday. The images of two Russian airbases in north-western and central Russia, taken on Wednesday morning, show 12 aircraft damaged or destroyed. Meanwhile, drone footage, released by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Wednesday, showed attacks on these two bases as well as two more targeted elsewhere. Ukraine claims that it targeted 41 strategic bombers in the operation, adding that "at least" 13 were destroyed. Security officials say the shock incursion took 18 months to plan and saw many drones smuggled into Russia. The SBU video is almost five minutes long and consists of edited footage taken by drones in the process of conducting attacks on Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo and Belaya airbases. In each shot the feed cuts out before any explosion, but in some instances we see other planes on fire in the background. At no point do we see any indication of defensive measures from Russian forces, even after the attack was clearly well underway. Many of the aircraft are covered in tyres - a Russian tactic said to be aimed at mitigating against drone strikes. Some of the aircraft are seen apparently loaded with cruise missiles and well fuelled - judging by the extent and spread of fires. This suggests they were prepared to conduct strikes. The clearest satellite imagery covers Olenya and Belaya and shows five damaged or destroyed planes at the former and seven at the latter. Olenya is a major Russian airbase in the north-west of the country. The SBU footage shows smoke pouring from three aircraft, identified as Tu-95 strategic bombers and an approach to a fourth. Video footage also shows a drone approaching a Tu-22M strategic bomber sitting on the runway in this very same position. Satellite imagery from Maxar clearly shows a destroyed aircraft sitting beside a row of Tu-22M type aircraft. Manufacturing of both the Tu-95 and Tu-22 ended at the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, which will make repair difficult and replacement near impossible. Elsewhere in the SBU video, an AN-12 Transporter can be seen being approached. The Maxar satellite image does not show the aftermath of this, but other imagery reviewed by BBC Verify from AviVector - a satellite image analyst on X - suggests that it too was destroyed. Imagery provided by Planet Labs from this morning shows the entirety of Belaya airbase in Irkutsk Oblast, nearly 3,000km from the Ukrainian border. It shows three damaged Tu-95s and four Tu-22s and in various parts of the base. The SBU footage shows many of the same aircraft being approached. In two instances we see the drone carefully position itself on the wing of a Tu-95 - next to one of its fuel tanks. The final shot of the footage shows smoke rising from numerous sites across the base. At Ivanovo airbase two A50-AWACS planes are seen being targeted. The aircraft serves as an early warning and control asset - or spy plane - and is identifiable by the sizeable radar system on its fuselage. Ukraine previously shot down two of these aircraft in January and February 2024. As yet we have not seen any imagery or footage that captures any damage to these aircraft at Ivanovo. While satellite imagery from the site does show wreckage, BBC Verify has confirmed that the damage was present at the site before Sunday's attack and is likely from another incident. The SBU footage from Dyagilevo in Ryazan region shows three Tu-22s being approached, but there is no clear indication of damage sustained in either the footage or available satellite imagery. Additional reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh What do you want BBC Verify to investigate? How Ukraine carried out daring 'Spider Web' attack on Russian bombers Ukraine drones strike bombers during major attack in Russia Video appears to show Ukraine drone attack in Russia
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Satellite images show the unusual tire tactic and fake decoy aircraft that failed to save Russia's bombers from Ukrainian drones
Satellite images show Russia tried using deceptive tactics at the airbases Ukraine attacked Sunday. These tactics included placing tires on wings and painting fake decoy planes on the ground. It's a playbook that Moscow has used throughout the war to try to protect its airbases. Satellite imagery of the four Russian airbases that were attacked by Ukraine on Sunday shows how Moscow attempted to use deceptive tactics to protect its strategic bomber fleet. The images, captured by US commercial satellite imaging company Maxar Technologies and obtained by Business Insider, show that Russia had many of its bombers covered with tires and other objects in the days and weeks before the Ukrainian operation. Moscow's forces also painted fake aircraft on the tarmac and used debris to create decoy planes. Ukraine's SBU, its internal security agency, said it used small quadcopter drones to hit 41 Russian aircraft in the daring operation, more than 18 months in the making. These aircraft include A-50 airborne early warning and control planes, An-12 transporters, Il-78 refueling tankers, and Tu-95, Tu-22M3, and Tu-160 bombers. The drones struck airbases across Russia, specifically Belaya in the Irkutsk region, Olenya in the Murmansk region, Dyagilevo in the Ryazan region, and Ivanovo in the Ivanovo region. Ukrainka in the Amur region was reportedly targeted but not hit. Different types of deception tactics can be seen in satellite imagery of all five sites at various points in time before the attack. Brady Africk, an open-source intelligence analyst, told BI that since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Moscow's forces have "added flat decoy aircraft to many air bases and placed tires on top of parked planes in an effort to confuse the targeting systems of Ukrainian weapons." Africk said the new satellite imagery shows that Russia also "placed debris on top of flat decoys and positioned solid objects on the ground in the rough shape of aircraft" in what looks like an "apparent attempt to increase the chances of misleading Ukrainian weapons." Africk said that Russia's flat decoy aircraft — in some cases, they are just simple silhouettes; in others, they are painted to look like the planes they're intended to resemble — aren't easily seen in the radar-based satellite imagery that the Ukrainian military is understood to use. "It is clear from the number of aircraft destroyed that Ukraine's attack on these bases was very successful, despite Russia's attempts at deception," he said. New video footage from the attack shows drones striking aircraft with tires in place. The Ukrainian attack was complex and very different from any other deep strike in scope and scale. The SBU said that planning began more than a year and a half ago. The agency smuggled the explosive-packed quadcopter drones into Russia and then sent wooden containers to house them. In Russia, operatives hid the drones in the containers, which were placed on trucks and driven to positions near the airbases. On Sunday, the tops of the containers were opened remotely, allowing the drones to fly out simultaneously and attack their targets. The SBU said the attack took out a third of Russia's strategic cruise missile carriers, causing more than $7 billion in losses. Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malyuk, the agency's chief, called it a "devastating blow" to Moscow's aviation and a "serious slap in the face" to the Kremlin's power projection. BI could not independently verify the reported details of the operation, including how many aircraft were damaged or destroyed, and the cost of the losses. Russia's defense ministry has acknowledged but downplayed the attack. The bombers that were targeted have been used in devastating strikes against Ukraine throughout the conflict. These aircraft can travel long distances and carry heavy payloads. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 117 first-person view (FPV) drones and as many operators were involved in the massive attack. He said the planning and organization "was perfectly executed" and called it "an absolutely unique operation." The attack underscores the increasing role that cheap drones and surprise play in modern warfare. One of the airbases that was hit, Belaya, is over 2,500 miles from the Ukrainian border, demonstrating Kyiv's long reach and its ability to slip past Russian defenses. Read the original article on Business Insider
