Latest news with #MarineCorps'
Kyodo News
10-05-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 10, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 09:03 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan PM rules out consumption tax cut amid inflation, tariff relief TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has no plans to reduce the consumption tax rate to help soften the blow from inflation and U.S. tariffs, sources with knowledge of the matter said Friday, brushing aside calls for relief from the opposition and even some ruling party lawmakers ahead of a national election. Ishiba has already informed senior government officials of his intentions, the sources said, apparently reflecting concern that a tax cut would constrain the government's fiscal space. ---------- Trump says lowering tariffs on China to 80% "seems right" WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that lowering his administration's hefty tariffs on China to 80 percent "seems right" ahead of a high-level trade meeting this weekend in Switzerland. Trump also wrote on social media that China should open up its market to American products as senior officials of the two countries are set to meet in-person for the first time since he raised U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to at least 145 percent. ---------- U.S. military, Okinawa hold 1st safety forum after sex assault cases NAHA, Japan - Representatives of U.S. forces in Japan and Okinawa authorities held their first meeting Friday under a new forum to discuss joint safety measures, following alleged sexual assault cases involving American service members in the southern island prefecture. In closed-door talks at the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Foster, the U.S. military outlined its existing preventive measures, while both sides agreed to work toward holding a regular joint community patrol, like the one conducted in April in the city of Okinawa, and expanding it to other parts of the prefecture, according to a local government official. ---------- Trump has no plans to change 10% baseline tariff for all countries WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump has no plans to change his new 10 percent baseline tariff rate for imports from all countries, the White House said Friday. "The president is determined to continue with that 10 percent baseline tariff. I just spoke to him about it earlier," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing. ---------- Senior N. Korean military officers greet Putin on WWII anniversary MOSCOW - Senior North Korean officers greeted President Vladimir Putin following a military parade at Red Square in Moscow on Friday to celebrate what Russia observes as Victory Day, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Kim Yong Bok and Ri Chang Ho, deputy chiefs of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, embraced Putin and shook hands with him. The two close aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are believed to have previously visited Russia to supervise the Asian country's troops dispatched to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine. ---------- Myanmar junta chief meets with China's Xi, 1st time since 2021 coup YANGON - The chief of Myanmar's military-led government held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in Moscow, the junta said, marking their first meeting since the coup occurred in the Southeast Asian country in February 2021. Xi told Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing that Beijing will continue to provide aid to help those affected by a major earthquake in Myanmar in March, and the general expressed his gratitude, according to the Myanmar authorities. ---------- Panasonic to lay off 10,000 employees globally amid restructuring OSAKA - Panasonic Holdings Corp. said Friday it will lay off 10,000 domestic and overseas employees, or just under 5 percent of its total workforce, as part of restructuring its business. The firm said the job cuts will target 5,000 workers in Japan and 5,000 overseas, with some employees to be offered early retirement. As of March, Panasonic had a workforce of 207,548 people. ---------- 2 arrested in Tokyo for fake residence IDs, may have made thousands TOKYO - Two Chinese men have been arrested for allegedly making and selling fake residence cards for foreigners, Tokyo police said Friday, suspecting the pair may have been involved in producing thousands of counterfeit identity documents. Du Jingjiang, 35, and Li Long, 36, both living in Tokyo's Ota Ward, allegedly conspired with other individuals to create 30 counterfeit residence cards around April 8, using computers at home. They took orders via social media. Video: Osaka Week performances at 2025 World Expo
Kyodo News
10-05-2025
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: May 10, 2025
KYODO NEWS - 22 minutes ago - 09:03 | All, Japan, World The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan PM rules out consumption tax cut amid inflation, tariff relief TOKYO - Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has no plans to reduce the consumption tax rate to help soften the blow from inflation and U.S. tariffs, sources with knowledge of the matter said Friday, brushing aside calls for relief from the opposition and even some ruling party lawmakers ahead of a national election. Ishiba has already informed senior government officials of his intentions, the sources said, apparently reflecting concern that a tax cut would constrain the government's fiscal space. ---------- Trump says lowering tariffs on China to 80% "seems right" WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that lowering his administration's hefty tariffs on China to 80 percent "seems right" ahead of a high-level trade meeting this weekend in Switzerland. Trump also wrote on social media that China should open up its market to American products as senior officials of the two countries are set to meet in-person for the first time since he raised U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods to at least 145 percent. ---------- U.S. military, Okinawa hold 1st safety forum after sex assault cases NAHA, Japan - Representatives of U.S. forces in Japan and Okinawa authorities held their first meeting Friday under a new forum to discuss joint safety measures, following alleged sexual assault cases involving American service members in the southern island prefecture. In closed-door talks at the U.S. Marine Corps' Camp Foster, the U.S. military outlined its existing preventive measures, while both sides agreed to work toward holding a regular joint community patrol, like the one conducted in April in the city of Okinawa, and expanding it to other parts of the prefecture, according to a local government official. ---------- Trump has no plans to change 10% baseline tariff for all countries WASHINGTON - U.S. President Donald Trump has no plans to change his new 10 percent baseline tariff rate for imports from all countries, the White House said Friday. "The president is determined to continue with that 10 percent baseline tariff. I just spoke to him about it earlier," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing. ---------- Senior N. Korean military officers greet Putin on WWII anniversary MOSCOW - Senior North Korean officers greeted President Vladimir Putin following a military parade at Red Square in Moscow on Friday to celebrate what Russia observes as Victory Day, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Kim Yong Bok and Ri Chang Ho, deputy chiefs of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army, embraced Putin and shook hands with him. The two close aides to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are believed to have previously visited Russia to supervise the Asian country's troops dispatched to support Moscow in its war against Ukraine. ---------- Myanmar junta chief meets with China's Xi, 1st time since 2021 coup YANGON - The chief of Myanmar's military-led government held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday in Moscow, the junta said, marking their first meeting since the coup occurred in the Southeast Asian country in February 2021. Xi told Myanmar's Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing that Beijing will continue to provide aid to help those affected by a major earthquake in Myanmar in March, and the general expressed his gratitude, according to the Myanmar authorities. ---------- Panasonic to lay off 10,000 employees globally amid restructuring OSAKA - Panasonic Holdings Corp. said Friday it will lay off 10,000 domestic and overseas employees, or just under 5 percent of its total workforce, as part of restructuring its business. The firm said the job cuts will target 5,000 workers in Japan and 5,000 overseas, with some employees to be offered early retirement. As of March, Panasonic had a workforce of 207,548 people. ---------- 2 arrested in Tokyo for fake residence IDs, may have made thousands TOKYO - Two Chinese men have been arrested for allegedly making and selling fake residence cards for foreigners, Tokyo police said Friday, suspecting the pair may have been involved in producing thousands of counterfeit identity documents. Du Jingjiang, 35, and Li Long, 36, both living in Tokyo's Ota Ward, allegedly conspired with other individuals to create 30 counterfeit residence cards around April 8, using computers at home. They took orders via social media. Video: Osaka Week performances at 2025 World Expo
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hegseth orders sweeping force structure changes for the military
Happy Friday! You may have noticed there was no Pentagon Rundown last week. That's because I was at the Modern Day Marine exhibition in Washington, D.C., writing about various topics, including the Marine Corps' efforts to repair and refurbish its barracks. As always, it's been busy, and some of the biggest news has been Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's recent announcements about reshaping the military. On Monday, Hegseth announced that he had ordered a cut of at least 20% of active-duty four-star positions and National Guard general officers. The second phase of Hegseth's plan calls for an additional 10% reduction of general and flag officers throughout the Defense Department as part of changes to the Unified Command Plan, which assigns missions and responsibilities to the combatant commands, Hegseth said in a video posted on X on Monday. 'We're going to shift resources from bloated headquarters elements to our warfighters,' Hegseth said in the video. Reducing the number of general and flag officers was one of the recommendations in Project 2025, a policy blueprint released by the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C., prior to last year's election. The project's chapter about the Defense Department says that although the military currently has more generals and admirals than during World War II, 'the actual battlefield experience of this officer corps is at an all-time low.' It also claimed that previous presidential administrations had promoted officers 'for reasons other than their warfighting prowess.' The Pentagon has implemented several other proposals in Project 2025, including reinstating troops who were separated for refusing to get vaccinated for COVID-19 with back pay, trying to separate transgender service members, and abolishing diversity equity and inclusion offices and staff. In a separate move, Hegseth has directed the Army to restructure itself, and that includes consolidating commands. The force structure changes that Hegseth ordered in an April 30 memo include merging U.S. Army North and U.S. Army South into a single headquarters, combining Army Futures Command and Training and Doctrine Command into a single entity, and divesting 'outdated formations, including select armor and aviation units.' The memo did not specify which units. In my nearly 20 years as a defense reporter, I've seen the military expand rapidly during the Iraq war, only to undergo draconian personnel and funding cuts as part of sequestration. Once again, the military is in a state of flux, this time as it prepares to deter and — if necessary — fight China. As things currently stand, change is the only constant, so it's a safe bet that more efforts to transform the military are coming. And on that note, here's your weekly rundown. Truman loses another Super Hornet. An F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed into the Red Sea on Tuesday after a failed attempt to land on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Both aviators aboard were rescued after safely ejecting. This is the third Super Hornet from the carrier that has been lost since December. Yemen strikes on hold. President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement on Tuesday that the U.S. military would cease its air and missile strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen under a ceasefire agreement brokered by Oman. Between March 15 and April 29, U.S. forces struck more than 1,000 Houthi targets, according to the Pentagon. As of Thursday, the ceasefire appeared to be holding, but it was unclear for how long. Military daycares not telling parents about suspected abuse. A recent Defense Department Inspector General report found a lack of 'uniform requirements' across the military services for notifying parents and legal guardians about suspected abuse and neglect at military childcare centers. Task & Purpose reporter Patty Nieberg takes a look at the problem and what the Defense Department plans to do to fix it. Gaza pier injuries. A total of 62 service members were injured during efforts last year to deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza using the Joint Logistics Over The Shore, or JLOTS system, which was only operational for roughly 20 days, a recent Defense Department Inspector General report found. 'Based on the information provided, we were not able to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred during the performance of duties or resulted off-duty or from pre-existing medical conditions,' according to the report, which found many problems that ultimately doomed the JLOTS effort. Army Sgt. Quandarius Davon Stanley died on Oct. 31, months after being injured while supporting the mission. Chechen strongman wants to step down. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said publicly that he'd like to be relieved of his post, but that decision ultimately rests with Russian President Vladimir Putin. After meeting with Putin on Wednesday, it looks like Kadyrov is staying put, at least for now. Maybe he can make use of his remaining time in office to work on his push-up form. Thank you for reading and have a great weekend! Jeff Schogol
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Marine Aviator Describes Historic F-35 Combat Sortie in Mission Against Yemen's Houthis
After Maj. Zachary Sessa launched his F-35C Lightning II's payload at Houthi weapons storage facilities in Yemen last year, the historical significance of the flight dawned on him. Nearly a year ago, Sessa deployed with the Marine Corps' first F-35C unit aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln bound for the Pacific. But with less than a month out of port, the Pentagon ordered the carrier strike group to the Middle East as Iran-backed Houthis continued to attack shipping vessels in the region. The physical redirection also constituted a mental one for the troops aboard the strike group. Having spent their pre-deployment expecting to train in the Pacific amid escalating tensions with China in the region, air-to-surface combat near contested Middle Eastern waterways quickly settled in as the new reality as they steamed westward. Read Next: Tricare West Region Patients Get Another Extension on Specialty Care Authorizations By early November, just four months after the group left the West Coast, Sessa was in the air leading the first combat missions the Marine Corps' stealth fighter had ever participated in -- missions that would lead to top aviation awards for him and his squadron. Sessa, 33, of Butler, Pennsylvania, comes from a long line of aviators, with his father having flown the A-7D Corsair for the Air National Guard and his grandfather, a Marine veteran, flew commercial aircraft. He reflected on the November combat sorties in an interview with last week, not initially expecting to complete them when he first left port from California last summer. As the Marine Corps' first F-35C weapons and tactics instructor, or WTI, Sessa found himself as a keystone for the mission, helping train 15 critical aviation personnel over the course of a year. But soon after they left San Diego's port in July, Sessa was on the Lincoln preparing to launch under cover of the dark night. He was moving around the tight flight deck, "praying that everyone's aircraft starts up properly" and connecting with his wingman as they readied their machines headed for Houthi territory and a notch in aviation history. It started out feeling like any other training mission, he said, "but there's obviously a transition at a certain point where it's like, 'OK, we're executing real-world combat operations now; there's no room for errors at this point.'" The Houthis have used missiles and drones to attack shipping vessels in areas such as the Red Sea. The group has shot down upward of a dozen or more U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones since Hamas' deadly surprise attack on Israel in 2023, which plunged the region into chaos and emboldened the Yemen-based Houthis. While Sessa did not specify the threats he might encounter on the sortie, he said accompanying intelligence departments briefed him on the number and locations of said threats and was confident in those assessments amid the "unknowns" common to any combat flight. He remembered saying: "We understand what the threats are, we have a solid plan to mitigate it, and we can meet mission success within the exceptional level of risks that we've been given." Those elements, as well as the safety of his wingman, were on his mind as he launched into the dark sky, his ordnance bound for Yemen where Houthi weapon storage facilities were and continue to be a common target for American military operating in U.S. Central Command. After he released his payload, he saw his target explode. He saw his wingman's target explode. It was then that he allowed himself a "very fleeting moment" of self-reflection, knowing the mission was not complete until the aircraft was back on deck. "This is a pretty significant piece of Marine Corps history that we're executing right now. And we made it here. So let's get the job done. Let's get our aircraft back to the ship safely," he remembered thinking. "This is pretty surreal," he continued. "We're so far away from home and just doing something that most people probably don't even know is going on. Most Americans don't know what's going on." Back on deck, there was no "Top Gun"-level fanfare. For the most part, it was business as usual: post-mission maintenance, chow, "tape review" of the targeting. But there was indeed a buzz as the other mission commander congratulated Sessa and ordnance Marines rushed excitedly to open the weapon bay doors to see whether the munitions they had loaded onto the jet were still there -- they weren't. The unit redeployed on Dec. 14 after five months at sea and before President Donald Trump's administration launched an "intense and sustained" targeting campaign against the Houthis in March of this year under codename Operation Rough Rider. Since then, the scope and scale of this new, ramped-up operation has been unclear, with U.S. Central Command offering rare details throughout and often citing "operational security." Sessa said his squadron, Fighter Attack Squadron 314 out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California -- also known as "the Black Knights" -- nominated him during the deployment for the Alfred A. Cunningham Award, named after the service's first aviator and is a recognition for the Marine Aviator of the Year, the service said in late April. He will be honored in a ceremony in Dallas, Texas, this month and said: "I would not have received this award had we not had the squadron that we did, the Marines that we did, the fellow aviators that we did." The Black Knights were named Marine Fighter Attack Squadron of the Year as well. Lt. Col. Jeffrey Davis, who served as the commanding officer of VMFA-314 until March, said in an emailed statement that Sessa's participation in the sorties was historic. "Maj. Sessa's integral role in unprecedented combat strikes, and his contribution to mission success is a testament to his leadership, experience, and proficiency, forever etched in Black Knight history," he said. Related: Marine Corps Drone Team Competitions Are Coming to a Unit Near You Soon
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
MARSOC is fusing traditionally rugged Marines with tech-curious ones
The Marine Corps' stand-in forces need to possess physical toughness and a natural inquisitiveness in order to succeed, Marine Corps Special Operations Command leaders said Tuesday at an annual defense conference. Maj. Gen. Peter Huntley, commander of Marine Corps Special Operations Command, spoke at a Modern Day Marine panel in Washington about how a changing military landscape requires multifaceted Marine Corps Raiders who possess both a grittiness synonymous with the Marine Corps and an eagerness to learn and adapt to evolving information systems. 'It's gonna be nasty, it's gonna be brutish, it's still gonna take tough, rugged people,' Huntley said of what the global military landscape requires of the Marine Corps Raider. But he said that environment would also drive the need for MARSOC personnel with the cognitive ability to adapt to new technologies and the desire to adapt. Marine Corps stand-in forces, outlined in the Marine Corps' plan to prepare for future conflicts, dubbed Force Design, are defined as small but lethal forces designed to operate within a contested area and disrupt the plans of an adversary. MARSOC fits the definition. The proliferation of unmanned defense systems and adversarial technological advancements, as observed in the Russia-Ukraine war, has served as a driving factor for MARSOC's modernization efforts, which have included acquiring leading defense technologies and recruiting physically tough, naturally curious Marines, leaders said at Tuesday's panel. Col. Shane Edwards of MARSOC G-8, who also spoke at the panel, said MARSOC's current fleet of technologies includes unmanned surface and underwater vessels and more than 45 aerial drones. He said artificial intelligence and small robotics, especially first-person view drones, are the biggest game changers for MARSOC. These systems are pivotal for contested environments in which adversaries are ramping up their own modernization efforts and eclipsing the sophistication of their previous systems. 'We're going up against enemies that have way better tech,' Edwards said. Panelists reiterated that a military landscape evolving at breakneck speed doesn't alter the basic necessity for exemplary Marines. Marines want to add counter-drone weapon to amphibious vehicle What makes MARSOC unique, Huntley said, is that their personnel are constantly deployed forward, providing Raiders the opportunity to consistently set the theater for partner forces and be a key solver of problem sites. 'It allows us to do the things that are uniquely soft,' Huntley said. 'Whether it's to help our partners fend off aggression by adversaries or to set conditions.' That way, he said, if conflict does potentially arise, the Raiders will be prepared. They wouldn't be starting on game day, because they will have done their homework. Panelists said MARSOC aims to support joint forces by providing information to help them achieve their objectives. In order to do that, the component is leveraging new technologies to provide Marine Corps Raiders with as much valuable information as possible. MARSOC is experimenting with unmanned systems — autonomous and semi-autonomous — that possess an increased range of movement that would allow MARSOC to navigate larger geographical swaths, Huntley said. Those might include surface maritime types of platforms that could travel long distances from shore to sea, or airborne ones as well, he said.
