Latest news with #TheArmy
American Military News
7 hours ago
- American Military News
Video: Fmr. Delta Force operator shares dangerous hostage rescue story
Larry Vickers, a U.S. Army veteran and a former Delta Force operator, shared an account on Thursday of the Delta Force's Operation Acid Gambit hostage rescue of Kurt Muse from a prison in Panama in December of 1989. During a Thursday interview with podcaster Shawn Ryan, Vickers explained that Muse's rescue as part of Operation Acid Gambit was a dangerous hostage rescue attempt due to a prison guard threatening to kill the hostage if the United States attempted to rescue him from Panama's La Comandancia prison. According to The Army's website, Muse was imprisoned in Panama for leading opposition against Manuel Noriega, the former dictator of Panama. 'There was a guard that had told Kurt if there was a rescue attempt, he was going to kill him,' Vickers said. 'Because Kurt, I think, asked him, 'Hey, if there's a rescue attempt for me, what are you going to do?' And he goes, 'I'll kill you.'' 'This guy was in the room right across from Kurt,' Vickers added. 'So the priority was to get down to Kurt as soon as possible to beat this guy. You know, before this guy gets a situational awareness, figures out what's going on, goes over to Kurt's cell, and kills him.' READ MORE: Video/Pic: Last living American hostage released by Hamas During Thursday's podcast interview, Vickers shared details about how he was almost killed by his team's own 'C6 charge,' how the Delta Force Team entered the building after snipers disabled the prison's power, and how the team encountered one of the prison guards before reaching Muse's location. 'He was in a room across, and the G team went in and killed him. Yep, he's armed with a pistol,' Vickers told Ryan. 'I think the guy, I think he was in a shower, if memory serves me correct. G team found him in the shower. I think the guy went for his pistol, already had a pistol in his hand. They killed him.' 'Yep, they got Muse out. They brought in a little, you know, kit, aviator kit bag, and had body armor and a helmet, you know, a body armor and a Kevlar helmet. Peeled him out. I remember seeing him go up the stairs,' Vickers added. 'Couple things. We get up. We tell him, 'Hey, you know, PC secure to get the extraction birds out.' The reason the book's called 'Six Minutes To Freedom' was because from when we touched down to when we called, you know, PC secure, called for EXO was six minutes.'
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Time of India
Encounter in J&K: Soldier killed, 3 terrorists trapped
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Army on Thursday said that one soldier was killed and another injured in an ongoing operation in Chatru area of Kishtwar in Jammu and White Knight Corps of the Indian Army informed that contact was established with the infiltrators in the forest area of Singhpora of Chatru on Thursday morning and the operation continued till late evening. The officials said two to three infiltrators were trapped in the cordon the armed forces had laid in the forest area between Shari and Mandral Dhok. "Additional troops have been inducted, and operations are ongoing to neutralise the terrorists," read the official statement of the White Knight a few hours of the operation, they said fierce gunfight was continuing. "One of our bravehearts sustained grievous injuries in the exchange of fire and has succumbed despite best medical efforts. Operation is in progress," they said. The officials informed that another army man was also injured in the initial exchange of April 12, three foreign infiltrators were killed in the same area and the army informed that an AK rifle, an M4 Rifle and other equipment were recovered from the spot. The officials claimed that a top Jaish-e-Muhammad commander was killed in that encounter."We had recovered seven backpacks from the encounter spot and three were killed on April 12. It seems that this group is part of that larger group whose backpacks we had recovered. We have been following the leads regarding this group since then," a senior army official said.
Boston Globe
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Here's what to expect at the Army's 250th anniversary parade on Trump's birthday
It will include concerts, fireworks, NFL players, fitness competitions and displays all over the National Mall for daylong festivities. The Army expects as many as 200,000 people could attend and that putting on the celebration will cost an estimated $25 million to $45 million. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Here's what to expect during the all-day festival and 6 p.m. parade: Advertisement The tanks and armored vehicles The Army was putting 28 M1 Abrams main battle tanks onto rail cars at Fort Cavazos in Texas on Wednesday. The tanks weigh more than 60 tons apiece and will take about nine or 10 days to travel by rail to Maryland, where they will be loaded onto trucks to be driven into Washington, D.C. and offloaded at a staging area near the Lincoln Memorial. On the day of the parade, those tanks as well as 28 tracked Bradley Fighting Vehicles, 28 wheeled Stryker combat vehicles, four tracked M-109 Paladin self-propelled howitzers and other towed artillery will maneuver to the start of the parade route just off the National Mall. They will travel toward the White House, driving over thick metal plating to protect the streets at some parade points where the vehicles make a sharp turn. Advertisement The Army said it's also planning some additional asphalt work and putting new rubber padding on the tanks' metal tracks to try to minimize street damage. The influx of soldiers More than 6,700 soldiers will travel from bases around the country to participate in the parade and festival and spend June 11-15 housed in two nearby federal buildings, sleeping on cots and having packaged military meals ready-to-eat, or MREs, for breakfast and lunch. They will get a hot meal for dinner and a $69 per diem to buy additional food as they want, Army spokesman Steve Warren said. They will be forming units that represent each of the nation's major conflicts, starting with the Revolutionary War. For each conflict, 60 soldiers will wear period uniforms supplied by an event company representing that war and be followed by 400 soldiers from their same base in present-day uniforms. Not all of the soldiers participating will be in the parade — or even on the ground. For instance, Col. Anne McClain, an Army astronaut currently serving on the International Space Station, will participate. At the end of the parade, the Army's Golden Knights parachute team will jump over the White House, landing near Trump to present him with a folded flag, and 250 new recruits or reenlisting service members will be sworn in to the Army by Trump. The aircraft and helicopters buzzing overhead More than 50 helicopters and aircraft representing different wars will fly over the city — pairing up with the units on the ground as they pass the president. Advertisement For example, as units marching in World War II uniforms pass Trump, a P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft and a B-25 Mitchell bomber aircraft are expected to fly overhead. As units representing more recent conflicts pass, Army H-1 Huey, AH-1 Cobra, AH-64 Apache and CH-47 Chinook helicopters will appear in the sky. The helicopters are flying at a time when sharing D.C.'s airspace is still a sensitive issue after a January collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet killed 67. Warren said the Army has worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration on routes, and the helicopters will take off from Andrews Air Force Base to fly toward the Capitol. It's likely D.C.'s airspace may be temporarily closed to airline traffic as the sky parade occurs, the Army said.
Time of India
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Morning news wrap: Sirens, drones in cities overnight after Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi targetted by India
Border tensions continue to escalate as the Army launched a strong response to multiple ceasefire violations by Pakistan on the night of May 8-9. The Pakistani forces attempted to target military installations with drones and other munitions along the western border and Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. In a counteraction, Army's air defence units neutralised over 50 drones using advanced counter-UAS technologies. Here are the top 5 stories of this morning: Air siren warning sounded in Chandigarh, residents advised to stay indoors Air raid sirens echoed across Chandigarh on Friday morning after the Air Force Station issued a warning of a potential aerial attack. Operation Sindoor Air siren warning sounded in Chandigarh, residents advised to stay indoors J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan on high alert after Pak's failed drone attacks Conflict widens, India targets Lahore, Pindi, Karachi after foiling multiple Pakistani attacks Residents were urged to remain indoors and avoid balconies, as confirmed by a public advisory from the city's deputy commissioner. The alert followed an emergency blackout imposed late Thursday night, during which sirens blared and power was cut across the city around 9.30 pm. Read full story India strikes back, targets Lahore, Rawalpindi, Karachi after foiling multiple Pakistani attacks India launched strikes on multiple air defence systems and strategic targets inside Pakistan following a series of missile and drone attacks from across the border that targeted military bases and civilian areas early Thursday and again later that night. These included the forward movement of Indian warships in the northern Arabian Sea and a complete collapse of the LoC ceasefire. Read full story What happened overnight in Jammu, Punjab and Rajasthan Loud explosions rocked Jammu city early Friday morning, triggering a total blackout, just hours after India successfully foiled Pakistan's attempt to target military installations near the border. The explosions, which took place between 3.50 am and 4.45 am, followed the activation of warning sirens. Army Air Defence units acted swiftly, targeting and neutralising drones in key areas including Udhampur, Samba, Jammu, Akhnoor, Nagrota and Pathankot. Read full story Army releases video of its strong response to Pakistan amid multiple drone attacks The Army released footage giving a "befitting reply" to Pakistan's numerous ceasefire violations on the night of May 8-9. The retaliation came after overnight attacks by the Pakistani forces involving drones and other munitions along the western border and Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. Over 50 drones were neutralised by the Army's Air Defence units, with extensive use of L-70 guns, Zu-23mm cannons, Schilka systems, and advanced counter-UAS technologies. Read full story PIB busts fake claims of attacks on Indian soil as online misinformation surge The Press Information Bureau's Fact Check Unit has been actively debunking a wave of fake videos and misinformation circulating on social media. False claims included alleged attacks on a port in Gujarat, a drone strike in Jalandhar, and suicide bombings in Jammu and Kashmir. One widely shared fake video falsely claimed that a Pakistani strike destroyed a military post. Read full story
The Independent
08-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Army adjusts tracker policy and flight training following January collision with passenger jet
The Army has made changes to how its helicopters use a safety system that broadcasts aircraft location and has reduced the number of flights over Washington following a collision with a passenger jet that killed 67 people, the head of Army aviation told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Investigators are still determining why the Army helicopter and the American Airlines jet collided near Ronald Reagan National Airport on Jan. 29, but the Federal Aviation Administration has data showing an alarming number of close calls around the airport. The safety system, called ADSB, short for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, has become a flashpoint as some have pointed to the likely lack of use by the Black Hawk helicopter that night as a potential cause of the crash. The ADSB-out part of the system is designed to help air traffic controllers and nearby planes better track an aircraft's location with position updates every second. But it can also allow anyone — including a plane enthusiast on the ground — know precisely where a helicopter or airplane is located. Army helicopters in the past have turned off the system for many missions because they were deemed sensitive. The Army's head of aviation, Brig. Gen. Matthew Braman, said there now will be fewer flights with the ADSB-out data turned off. And also fewer VIP flights In the months since the crash, the Army has halted the vast majority of flights it was conducting for general officers ranked three stars and above, to ferry them from the Pentagon's helipad to regional locations. It has only resumed limited flights for the defense secretary, deputy defense secretary and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, while a limited number of other senior military leaders can fly from Virginia's Fort Belvoir, Braman said. The Army's 12th Battalion is one of 28 agencies that used the low-altitude helicopter routes around Ronald Reagan National Airport. That includes the Department of Defense, individual military services, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, the National Guard, Coast Guard and others. Changes to ADSB-out policy Before the collision, the Army was exempt from broadcasting ADSB-out data during sensitive missions, according to an August 2024 memo obtained by the AP. Those missions could include ferrying a senior leader or training for an emergency where transmitting a landing location could expose sensitive tactical information on reaction plans. The Army still has that exemption, but is making changes to how it flies so the exemption won't be used as often, Braman said. In past training and evaluation flights — such as on the night of the crash — crews combined normal flight routes with practice landings at sensitive locations. That meant they had to fly with ADSB-out switched off for the whole flight, according to the memo. Now crews are separating normal training and evaluation flights from flights that rehearse the classified continuity of government mission, Braman said. That reduces the number of flights where ADSB-out data will be turned off. 'If they are not going to one of those sensitive locations it should 100% be on,' Braman said. It's assumed the three Army crew who were killed in the crash were flying with ADSB-out turned off, but crash investigators have not concluded that yet, he said. The other part of the system, ADSB-in, pulls in location data from nearby planes and helicopters. Few Army aircraft had ADSB-in, due to the cost, and were not required to have it. The Army has now authorized the purchase of 1,600 ADSB-in systems for its helicopter fleet. Army says the helicopter's location was still known Even if ADSB-out was off, the Black Hawk's transponder was in use and transmitting its position, Braman said. The FAA says ADSB-out data is more precise than the radar data communicated by a transponder, which depending on the mode in use can shield some aircraft information. The night of the crash, the Black Hawk was transmitting in three transponder modes — A, C, and S — which combined gave the helicopter's identity, location and altitude. 'There was no question where that aircraft was,' Braman said. There was 'no point' during the flight where the jet and the airport control tower could not see the Black Hawk, he said. 'I think there's still a perception out there — I know there is — that the aircraft with ADBS-out in that segment around DCA were invisible. And that is so far from the truth,' Braman said. As a result of the crash, the FAA has permanently closed a route along the Potomac River that directly intersected the flight path for the runway where January's collision took place.
