Latest news with #AirandSpaceForce
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Department of Air Force, Olive Ann Hotel, GrandSky among latest to cut ties with Bruce Gjovig
Apr. 30—GRAND FORKS — Entities ranging from local businesses to the Department of the Air Force have cut ties with Bruce Gjovig since a Friday report documenting the entrepreneur's email exchanges with convicted former state Sen. Ray Holmberg. A Department of the Air Force spokesperson confirmed Tuesday that Gjovig is no longer an Air and Space Force Civic Leader. Civic Leaders are community members selected by the Air Force Chief of Staff who serve as unpaid advisers and liaisons between the Air Force and communities with a significant military presence. Gjovig, who was appointed to the role in 2016 and most recently held emeritus status with the program, is no longer affiliated with the Civic Leader program as of Monday, the spokesperson said. Gjovig was honored with the department's Distinguished Public Service Award last year. Grand Forks' convention center, its principal health care provider, the nearby aviation park and the operators of the Olive Ann Hotel are also among the entities that have ended their association with Gjovig in the past few days. Gjovig told Mayor Brandon Bochenski he is stepping down from the city's Base Retention and Investment Committee, the mayor shared with the Herald on Wednesday. On Friday, a report from The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead detailed email exchanges between Gjovig and Holmberg in 2009 and 2011 where Holmberg boasted of his sexual exploits and at one point stated "no one is ever (too) young," a phrase referenced by prosecutors during the senator's sentencing hearing. Holmberg, who represented Grand Forks as a Republican in the North Dakota Senate from 1977 until his resignation in 2022, was sentenced to 10 years in prison last month for traveling to Prague multiple times between 2011 and 2016 with plans to sexually abuse children. GrandSky Engagement Director Scott Meyer said Tuesday the aviation park is cutting ties with Gjovig in light of The Forum's report. Gjovig was closely associated with efforts to develop the city's unmanned aerial systems industry and served as an unpaid "strategic adviser" for the aviation park. "The abuse of children is appalling, which makes the recent release of Bruce Gjovig's correspondence so disheartening," Meyer said. "We believe it's best to end any relationship with him in light of these revelations." Gjovig has said through his attorney, Cash Aaland, that he was unaware of the "criminal nature" of Holmberg's sexual activity and was "appalled" to learn of the former state senator's conduct. "As a gay man and a Republican, Mr. Gjovig has been an easy mark for political and media attacks," read a Sunday statement from Aaland. "Holmberg created the biggest political scandal in recent North Dakota history. Mr. Gjovig condemns Holmberg's conduct. However, there are always those who, with rumor and innuendo, attempt to exploit scandals for sensational and political reasons." Since the publication of the Forum story, several Grand Forks businesses that displayed artwork from Gjovig's personal collection have taken down the art or removed public references to their display. Landon Bahl, vice president of 322 Hospitality Group, said that Gjovig's artwork is no longer being displayed at the Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea in the Olive Ann Hotel as of Saturday. "Due to recent news, we decided to make that decision," Bahl said. Sweetwaters previously displayed four pieces of original artwork used in Cream of Wheat advertisements between 1913 and 1924. Wheat millers first manufactured the porridge mix in Grand Forks in the late 1800s. 322 Hospitality Group owns and operates the downtown hotel. Altru Health System spokesperson Ken Hanson wrote in a text message to the Herald that the health care provider had begun the process of returning Gjovig's art "in light of recent, very concerning developments." Art from Gjovig's collection had previously been displayed at the Altru Professional Center at 4440 S Washington St. "Altru is committed to fostering a space of healing and respect for all," Hanson wrote. The Alerus Center, the city-owned event and convention facility, has taken down its webpage promoting the Bruce Gjovig Collection, a gallery of Gjovig's private collection and a rotating gallery of works from local artists displayed at the Alerus Center's conference center. General Manager Anna Rosberg wrote in an email to the Herald that the Alerus Center had an agreement with the Public Arts Commission to display the art and did not have a formal relationship with Gjovig. She said the gallery had previously been scheduled for removal this week in advance of a remodel of the conference center and "the future of the public art gallery will be assessed post-renovation." The Public Arts Commission wrote in a Tuesday evening email to the Herald that Gjovig's art had been removed from the Alerus Center as of that day. It said Gjovig had not served on the commission's board for several years and had not provided financial support since then, "nor has any association with the Public Arts Commission." The commission released a public statement late Wednesday afternoon saying it is working to remove art from Gjovig's collection from its permanent galleries. University of North Dakota President Andy Armacost told UND community members in a Tuesday email that he was "sickened" by Holmberg's actions and "the inaction of those who had direct information about his misdeeds." "Information shared in these recent reports mentions several former UND employees connected to Holmberg," Armacost said. "While they have not been accused of criminal action, we will ensure that they have no connection to our university community." Gjovig founded UND's Center for Innovation in 1984 and served as its CEO until stepping down in 2017. Dakota Venture Group, UND's student-run venture capital fund affiliated with the Center for Innovation, has scrubbed references to Gjovig from its website. Gjovig co-founded the venture capital fund in 2006 with investor Bart Holaday and served until recently on the fund's advisory board. Jim Poolman, a Fargo businessman and former Republican lawmaker, resigned his position as board chair of the UND Alumni Association and Foundation on Tuesday after acknowledging federal agents interviewed him about Holmberg in September 2023. Poolman, who has not been charged with a crime, said he has heard nothing from investigators since that interview. He said he resigned because he doesn't want to be a distraction. On Saturday morning, Grand Forks Herald Publisher Korrie Wenzel ended the newspaper's relationship with Gjovig, who for years had served as chairman of the Chamber of Commerce's Herald Business Advisory Committee. The group meets quarterly to discuss business news and trends in the community and region. Gjovig resigned from the committee on Monday.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French Rafale Fighters Project Power Forward To Sweden
French Air and Space Force Rafale fighters are among the aircraft taking part in a power-projection exercise including operations over Sweden, which joined NATO a little over a year ago. The latest edition of the Pégase (Pegasus) drill comes as European NATO members look at bolstering their deterrence capabilities independent of the United States, with France very much at the center of these discussions. Notably, the maneuvers are also being accompanied by an exercise in which French military aircraft have been rapidly dispersed to alternative airfields, something that would be required in a large-scale conflict with Russia, for example. Far North | PEGASE 25 kicks off combat power deployed to Northern Europe. A concrete commitment to European security, side by side with our allies, to deter and stop: — The Joint Staff – Military operations (@FrenchForces) April 22, 2025 The French Air and Space Force today published details of Pégase 25, which saw aircraft launch from the airbases of Mont-de-Marsan, Istres, Saint-Dizier, and Orléans yesterday. The aircraft involved comprise six Rafales, two A400M transports, and a single A330 Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), known locally as Phénix. The Pégase Grand Nord phase, described by the service as 'an unprecedented edition of our annual power-projection mission,' saw these assets heading for Sweden and 'demonstrating the Air Force's ability to deploy rapidly, far, and autonomously.' Notably, the French Air and Space Force described this as a strategic exercise, designed 'to assert our presence, strengthen our partnerships, and demonstrate our commitment to European security, alongside our allies.' Writing on X, Etienne Marcuz, an associate fellow of the French think tank FRS, who focuses on strategic systems and nuclear deterrence, noted that at least some of the six Rafales deployed on Pégase 25 have been drawn from the airborne component of France's nuclear deterrent. Specifically, this is the 4e Escadre de Chasse (4th Fighter Wing) of the Strategic Air Forces, home-based at Saint-Dizier. It did not take long, we now have the answer, part of the 6 Rafale taking part of #PEGASE25 operation that flew yesterday to Sweden belong to the French strategic air forces And the word "deter" is once again used (though without "nuclear")This is a significant…1/ — Etienne Marcuz (@Etienne_Marcuz) April 23, 2025 As you can read about here, France has around 50 two-seat Rafale Bs assigned to the nuclear mission, armed with ASMP-A supersonic missiles and supported by a fleet of A330 MRTT aerial refueling tankers. These aircraft are dual-role, however, and are capable of a wide range of air-to-ground missions, and air defense onces, in addition to their strategic strike role. At this stage, it's unclear what particular missions the aircraft are taking part in during Pégase 25, and we have reached out to the French Ministry of Defense for more details. As to the Pégase Grand Nord component, it appears that at least some of the French aircraft have landed in Sweden and will be operating alongside Swedish Air Force assets. However, it's not clear if they will remain deployed in Sweden for a period or if they will move on to another country. | The six Air Force Rafales taking part in the PÉGASE 25 mission are part of the French deterrent. — French Aid to Ukraine (@aidefranceukr) April 23, 2025 Reflecting the overall strategic nature of the exercise, Pégase 25 is also being run concurrently with a second set of maneuvers, known as Exercise Jade (standing for Jaillissement d'Escadre, or 'wing burst'). In the Jade drills, the French Air and Space Force is training to disperse aircraft from their home bases to alternative airfields, reflecting the kind of thinking that was prevalent during the Cold War, but which fell out of favor in the years immediately after that. Having aircraft dispersed over a larger number of bases, including ones that don't have a permanent combat aircraft presence, is also key to avoiding the destruction of these assets in any kind of initial attack launched by an aggressor and for sustained operations to keep ahead of the enemy's targeting cycle. These tactics have been critical to the Ukrainian Air Force's survival and are now underpinning U.S. air combat doctrine in the Pacific with the USAF's ACE and Marines' EABO playbooks. In the latest Jade maneuvers, which began yesterday, all the operational Mirage 2000Ds and Mirage 2000Bs assigned to Nancy Air Base were ordered to disperse to five other airfields, without prior notice. These alternative airfields included two training bases that don't normally host fighter aircraft. …le second exercice, JADE pour "Jaillissement d'Escadre"Il s'agit d'un type d'exercice qui était en vogue durant la Guerre Froide et qui vise à s'exercer à la dispersion des appareils d'une ou plusieurs bases aériennes vers d'autres terrains d'aviation pour éviter…8/ — Etienne Marcuz (@Etienne_Marcuz) April 23, 2025 [Notre Défense] Ce 22 avril 2025, la 3e escadre de chasse de la BA 133 #Nancy a reçu un ordre inattendu : dispersion de ses Mirage 2000D et 2000B vers cinq bases aériennes différentes Une manœuvre sans avertissement baptisée « Jade » — Laurent Albaret (@laurentalbaret) April 22, 2025 Although nuclear-capable aircraft don't appear to be involved in the latest Jade drill, the ability to disperse aircraft at short notice is especially important for the Strategic Air Forces. This reduces the risk of nuclear-capable Rafales being knocked out on the ground in a pre-emptive strike, ensuring the credibility of the French deterrent. Potentially, dispersal of aircraft in this way can also make use of civilian airfields, which opens up many more opportunities to ensure the security of French Air and Space Force assets, by making it that much harder for an adversary to target them. At the same time, sending Rafales and support assets to Sweden opens up the possibility of dispersing these aircraft to airfields outside of France. This could have multiple advantages in times of tension. As well as further complicating an adversary's targeting plans, sending combat aircraft to Sweden, for example, puts them closer to potential targets in Russia. It also sends a clear signal that France will be willing to support its NATO allies should these come under attack. It is likely no coincidence that Sweden, which is that much closer to Russia, and which is strategically located in the Baltic region and in proximity to the High North, was chosen for Pégase 25. Taken together, Pégase 25 and Jade indicate that France is increasingly preparing for large-scale military contingencies that might be fought both on its own territory as well as elsewhere across Europe. For Marcuz, it was not a surprise that the French Air and Space Force would send combat aircraft — specifically nuclear-capable ones — to Sweden, in light of broader security issues in Europe. 'At the end of February, I had identified the dispatch of Strategic Air Forces aircraft along Europe's eastern border as a possible first step towards extending our deterrent to our neighbors,' Marcuz said. 'At the time, I imagined a single long flight, but a mission such as Pégase 25 over several days offers the advantage of 'visiting' countries and training in greater depth with our allies.' Depending on how long Pégase 25 continues, airbases in other countries could also be visited, increasing the opportunities for cooperative training as well as sending a deeper message to potential adversaries. 'However, we'll have to wait for further communications, probably at a higher level, to find out whether this mission has an official 'nuclear' character, or whether it's just implied (with a correspondingly weaker message),' Marcuz added. Whatever the specific function of nuclear deterrence within Pégase 25, this is an area in which France is currently looking to expand, to meet the resurgent Russian threat. Last month, TWZ reported on how France will establish another nuclear-capable air base — its fourth — that will be equipped with two squadrons of the latest version of the Rafale. The new nuclear base will be Luxeuil, in eastern France, which will join those already operational at Saint-Dizier, Istres, and Avord. Notably, the nuclear base at Luxeuil is planned to receive the advanced F5-standard Rafale as well as the ASN4G missile, the next-generation standoff nuclear weapon for the French Armed Forces, which will fly at hypersonic speed. The fact that France operates an independent nuclear deterrent has brought this capability to greater prominence in recent months. As TWZ has noted in the past: France, meanwhile, has both submarine-launched ballistic missiles and air-launched nuclear missiles of its own design. More importantly, these weapons are technically independent of NATO nuclear planning, unlike the British nuclear deterrent, which is also closely intertwined with that of the United States. How this would all play out when confronted by the realities of a nuclear conflict involving NATO is unclear, but it does at least provide Paris with more flexibility when it comes to discussions of how its nuclear umbrella might be extended to European NATO allies. Earlier this year, it was reported that France is looking at the possibility of deploying air-launched nuclear weapons to Germany, an idea driven by growing concerns that the United States may no longer guarantee European security under NATO. Before he was appointed German leader, Friedrich Merz meanwhile called talks with his British and French colleagues about European 'nuclear sharing or at least nuclear security.' According to a report in the British newspaper The Telegraph in February, citing an unnamed French official, 'Posting a few French nuclear jet fighters in Germany should not be difficult and would send a strong message' to Russia, which would aim to bolster Europe's nuclear deterrent. More generally, France is currently witnessing an increasing focus on building up Europe's capacity to provide a defensive bulwark against Russia, driven to a significant degree by concerns about U.S. security guarantees. Of course, this includes a wide range of conventional capabilities, underpinned by the nuclear-tasked Strategic Air Forces. The importance of the Pégase 25 drills in the wider European security context is also made clear in the French Air and Space Force's own statement on the maneuvers: 'Pégase 25 is more than an exercise: it's a concrete commitment to European security alongside our allies. Deter, protect, act together.' While we don't know for sure to what degree the Pégase 25 exercise is focused on nuclear warfighting, it's significant that nuclear-capable Rafales and their strategic support assets are involved. More generally, it's notable that the maneuvers are being highlighted as an explicit demonstration of French commitment to broader NATO security in Europe. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
French Fighters Downed 'Nearly A Dozen Drones' In Red Sea Combat
French Air and Space Force Mirage 2000-5F and Rafale fighters shot down 'nearly a dozen drones' in recent combat operations over and around the Red Sea, the head of that service has confirmed. The announcement comes soon after the first French-supplied Mirage 2000-5Fs arrived in Ukraine, where they will be expected to face similar threats, in the form of Russian-operated long-range one-way attack drones. 'In the Air and Space Force, both the Mirage 2000-5 and the Rafale recently demonstrated their effectiveness against Shahed-type suicide drones, against which Ukrainian pilots will have to fight,' Jérôme Bellanger, the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force wrote on LinkedIn yesterday. Bellanger continued: 'I salute our combat crews engaged in operations, who recently destroyed nearly a dozen drones, notably in the Red Sea. The quality of our weapons systems and the expertise of our crews have once again demonstrated their operational effectiveness.' Bellanger also posted a brief video from the head-up display of a French Rafale, showing the close-range interception and engagement of a Houthi drone using an air-to-air missile. (Note that in the caption for the video below, the fighter is misidentified as a Mirage 2000, but the electro-optical sensor characteristic to the Rafale is visible when illuminated by the missile's motor). The exact total of Houthi drones that were downed by the French fighters was not disclosed and TWZ has approached the French Ministry of Defense for more details, including the dates of these incidents. The French Air and Space Force has a permanent detachment of Mirage 2000-5F fighters in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa, from where they would be ideally positioned to intercept drones over the Red Sea. Meanwhile, Rafales have been deployed on a rotational basis at Prince Hassan Air Base in Jordan, as well as at Al Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates, both of these primarily in support of Operation Chammal, the French contribution to the anti-ISIS mission in Iraq and Syria. Both the Mirage 2000-5 and the Rafale are primarily armed with MBDA MICA air-to-air missiles for air defense, with these beyond-visual-range weapons being available with optional radar-homing or infrared seeker heads. Both fighters also have cannon armament, with the Mirage having a pair of 30mm DEFA weapons and the Rafale being armed with a single GIAT weapon of the same caliber. The Iranian-backed Houthis began launching drone, missile, and other attacks against foreign warships and commercial vessels in and around the Red Sea, as well as targets in Israel, in October 2023, and fighters from various nations have been prominently involved in tackling some of these threats. The fact that French fighters had been involved in shooting down Houthi drones over and around the Red Sea had been disclosed before, although the French Ministry of Defense provided very few details. During a large-scale Houthi attack on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden on March 9, 2024, the French Armed Forces stated that one of its warships and undisclosed French fighters shot down four combat drones that were advancing toward naval vessels belonging to the European Aspides mission in the region. A video showing the French Navy class frigate during a Red Sea deployment last year: The drones presented 'an imminent threat to merchant vessels, U.S. Navy, and coalition ships in the region,' the French Ministry of Defense said in a post on social media platform X. Later the same month, the French Armed Forces released a video showing the downing of a Houthi drone over the Red Sea by a French Navy helicopter, using machine gun fire. 'On March 20, while conducting close protection under EUNAVFOR Aspides in the Red Sea, the embarked helicopter of a French destroyer shot down a Houthi UAV threatening the commercial navigation,' the official Aspides account said on X. EUNAVFOR ASPIDES | Interception par l'hélicoptère de la frégate d'un drone aérien en provenance du Yémen menaçant le trafic maritime civil en mer Rouge. La priorité: assurer la liberté de navigation et la sûreté maritime de Suez à Ormuz — Armée française – Opérations militaires (@EtatMajorFR) March 20, 2024 Aside from these actions involving aircraft, the French Navy has also shot down multiple Houthi drones within these same waters since becoming an active player in the Red Sea in December of 2023. For a time, France was part of the international, U.S.-led task force Operation Prosperity Guardian (OPG), launched in that same month to combat the threat of Houthi missiles and drones on commercial shipping. France subsequently said it would not operate under U.S. command, amid possible strains in the relationship, as we reported previously. Since then, France has conducted its mission in the region as part of the Aspides task force. Unlike OPG, Aspides was set up as a purely defensive task force. Returning to fighters being used to counter Houthi drones, TWZ recently broke the news that U.S. Air Force F-16s have been using 70mm laser-guided rockets to down these during operations in and around the Red Sea in the past year. This involves the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets, originally developed to engage targets on the ground, but now also employed as lower-cost, more numerous air-to-air weapons. So far, officials have not confirmed how many of the rockets have been used in this manner, how many Houthi drones have been shot down as a result, or when this capability was first used in combat. The extent of the Houthis' mass drone and missile attacks has, on occasion, seen fighters having to land to reload with missiles while threats were still flying overhead. With primary air-to-air weapons being rapidly expended, the crew of at least one U.S. Air Force F-15E was forced to switch to guns after running out of missiles but did not succeed in downing any targets. For the French Mirage 2000-5F, the combat employment against the Houthi drone threat has provided something of a proving ground for the next stage of the type's career in Ukraine. As you can read about here, the first Mirage 2000-5Fs, taken from French stocks, arrived in Ukraine last week. The delta-winged jet is the second Western-made fighter type for Ukraine, following the arrival of the F-16, the first of which arrived in Ukraine last summer. Three photos showing unmarked Mirage 2000-5Fs over Poland, apparently on their delivery flight to Ukraine: Ex-French Mirage 2000-5 Multirole Fighters spotted recently over Poland, heading towards Ukraine; with the first of several Mirages said to have turned over to the Ukrainian Air Force on February 5th. — OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) February 7, 2025 The Ukrainian Mirages are receiving new air-to-ground capabilities before being delivered, but the aircraft was primarily developed for air defense. The Mirage 2000 can take off in a relatively short distance and has a very impressive rate of climb, as well as a top speed of Mach 1.6 even when carrying missiles and a fuel tank. With a single external fuel tank, the Mirage 2000-5F can also patrol for 1 hour and 45 minutes, provided use of the afterburner is limited. With these qualities in mind, it's expected that the fighters will help contribute to the protection of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure against Russian drone and cruise missile attacks. In these missions, they will face Iranian-designed Shahed long-range one-way attack drones and derivatives, very similar to at least some of the drones that have been used by the Houthis. 'The Ukrainian Air Force has new, combat-proven capabilities to carry out this air combat,' Bellanger, the Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force, commented, in relation to the Mirage 2000-5F transfer. While the Mirage 2000-5F continues to complement the Rafale with the French Air and Space Force and appears to have found something of a niche for itself intercepting drones in the Red Sea region, we surely won't have to wait too long for the first reports of the venerable fighter flying combat missions with the Ukrainian Air Force, too. Contact the author: thomas@
