U.S. Strategic Command Commences Annual Nuclear Command and Control Exercise

U.S. Strategic Command Commences Annual Nuclear Command and Control Exercise

By USSTRATCOM PA
OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. –

U.S. Strategic Command will commence its annual nuclear command and control exercise, Global Thunder, April 11, 2023.

Global Thunder 23 (GT23) involves personnel throughout the strategic enterprise including USSTRATCOM components and subordinate units. The purpose of GT23 is to enhance nuclear readiness and ensure a safe, secure, and reliable strategic deterrence force.

This is an annual exercise and is not in response to actions by any nation or other actors.

In addition to U.S. personnel, GT23 will involve key allied personnel and partners, including United Kingdom personnel, who will integrate into senior leadership teams and work across a broad spectrum of areas offering policy support and operational insight.

USSTRATCOM has global responsibilities assigned through the Unified Command Plan that include strategic deterrence, nuclear operations, joint electromagnetic spectrum operations, global strike, missile defense, and analysis and targeting.

As in previous years, Global Thunder 23 will include an increase in bomber aircraft flights throughout the exercise.

For more information, contact the USSTRATCOM Public Affairs Office at 402-912-0020 or USSTRATCOMPA@mail.mil or visit www.stratcom.mil.

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Lockheed loses protest of Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program to Bell's V-280 Valor

By Jen Judson 
WASHINGTON — Textron’s Bell can move forward with building the Future Long-Range Assault

 Aircraft the Army’s largest helicopter procurement in 40 years, after the Government Accountability Office rejected a competitor’s protest.

Lockheed Martin-owned Sikorsky filed a protest late last year. Boeing, Sikorsky’s teammate, also filed a protest.
“In denying the protest, GAO concluded that the Army reasonably evaluated Sikorsky’s proposal as technically unacceptable because Sikorsky failed to provide the level of architectural detail required by the [request for proposal],” an April 6 statement from the office reads. “GAO also denied Sikorsky’s various allegations about the acceptability of Bell’s proposal, including the assertion that the agency’s evaluation violated the terms of the solicitation or applicable procurement law or regulation.”

The FLRAA competition pitted head-to-head Bell’s V-280 Valor, a tiltrotor aircraft with Sikorsky and Boeing’s Defiant X, which features coaxial rotor blades. Both aircraft were designed to fit into the same footprint as a Black Hawk.

video (C) Steve Douglass 

READ GAO's REPORT HERE

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NATO PLANS HUGE MILITARY EXERCISE IN JUNE

NATO’s largest ever aircraft deployment exercise is set to take place in June this year involving more than 200 aircraft.

The German Ministry of Defence has released information on Exercise Air Defender 2023 stating that 210 aircraft will be involved, spanning 23 different types. One hundred of these will come from the US Air National Guard, which will deploy aircraft to Europe from 35 states.

The exercise is expected to bring together 18 nations who will collectively deploy up to 10,000 personnel. The countries participating in Air Defender 2023 are Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey, UK and the US.

The focus of Air Defender is Germany, which the defense ministry press release states is exercising its role as a “collective defence hub” within Europe. Consequently, the majority of main air bases involved are in Germany: Schleswig-Jagel and Hohn in Schleswig-Holstein, Laage in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania, Wunstorf in Lower Saxony, Lechfeld in Bavaria and Spangdahlem in Rhineland-Palatinate. In the Netherlands, Volkel air base will be utilized as will Čáslav in the Czech Republic.

The main training airspace to be used for Air Defender 2023 will be over Schleswig/Hohn, Wunstorf and Lechfeld.

The German press release disclosed that the event is intended to serve as a “challenging training scenario” featuring air warfare operations for friendly and allied air forces.

“The aim will be to optimise and expand cooperation between nations and their armed forces. In addition, the capabilities and cohesion of NATO are to be accentuated,” the statement added.

Germany said the event is intended to “unite and bring together” the air forces of NATO and its allies in one exercise and Air Defender 2023 is “purely defensive” in nature.

The statement adds: “The ability to react and the combined strength in the air should be trained and demonstrated. At the same time, the transatlantic alliance is maintained with Air Defender 2023.”

Planning for the exercise started before the February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia. The Chief of the German Air Force Lt Gen Ingo Gerhartz hosted Lt Gen Michael Loh, Director of the Air National Guard in October 2021 to discuss Air Defender 2023.