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Images taken when Amnesty's South Sudan researcher and Crisis Response team's arms and military operations investigator visited 12 military training sites in South Sudan in early 2020 to document violations of the UN arms embargo. They also witnessed evidence of child soldiers being used and diversion of arms.
 
This image shows a Mi-24 attack helicopter, one of four that South Sudan purchased from Ukraine in 2015. When the arms embargo was instituted in July 2018, these helicopters were in disrepair and unserviceable, unable to fly. However, during the embargo the helicopters underwent maintenance and repairs, using components imported in violation of the embargo. This one is pictured at Juba International Airport (JIA) in early 2020. Credit: Amnesty International

By Brian Castner
JUBA, South Sudan, May 21 2020 (IPS)

Earlier this year, just before the coronavirus virtually shut down international travel, I sat under a mesquite tree and listened to a rambling speech by a South Sudanese general at a military base outside of the capital, Juba.

I was in that war-weary country to investigate violations of the arms embargo, which is up for renewal by the United Nations Security Council this month. The embargo is about two years old, and though it hasn’t solved every problem, violence and human rights abuses have significantly decreased in the country since the main torrent of guns and ammunition was choked off.

That day, I had come to see the commander of the dusty improvised camp at Gorom brief a party of diplomats and international ceasefire monitors on his progress training South Sudan’s newly established VIP Protection Force.

But instead, the general rattled off a litany of complaints – not enough supplies, not even bedding to sleep on. He said this while seated in front of a wall of unopened cardboard boxes, ten feet tall and forty feet long, all stuffed with sleeping mats donated by Japan.

There was a certain “which do you believe, me or your lying eyes?” quality to the presentation.

I wasn’t there for logistical gripes, though. I was there to find out if their weapons were newly shipped in, and thus broke the embargo, and so when the general said he had four shipping containers full of small arms that he had collected from his soldiers as part of the disarmament process, I was interested.

I made it to twelve military and training camps in South Sudan, and this was the only one with a nominally established armory. This was my best chance yet.

But when one of the general’s officers opened the four containers for me, they weren’t filled with guns. Instead they were stacked to the ceiling with bags of rice and durra, a kind of grain. These units weren’t disarming. They were hedging their bets against a return to war.

The general was unapologetic. “These are the forces that will impose the peace in Juba,” he said. “These soldiers are the backbone of this peace.”

He said out loud what many fear: that even after so much bloodshed in South Sudan’s civil war, when given the chance at a negotiated settlement, the generals will still search for peace at the end of a rifle.

Images taken when Amnesty’s South Sudan researcher and Crisis Response team’s arms and military operations investigator visited 12 military training sites in South Sudan in early 2020 to document violations of the UN arms embargo. They also witnessed evidence of child soldiers being used and diversion of arms.
 
Amnesty’s investigators observed that several South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) soldiers were armed with Mpi-KMS-72 rifles manufactured in the former East Germany. Credi: Amnesty International

On March 23rd, in the face of a mounting global health crisis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for a global ceasefire. Suffice it to say it was not heeded.

As the coronavirus spreads around the world, South Sudan is not the only place where a pandemic disease is poised to run rampant through a state of endemic conflict. Officially, South Sudan has only a few dozen cases. So too places like Syria, though as we have come to know, this is mostly a function of testing.

Meanwhile, in Yemen the number of cases is skyrocketing, and in Somalia, gravediggers in the capital can’t keep up with the surge in demand and the number of cases in Shabab-controlled territory is unknown.

Adding the coronavirus to these ongoing conflicts will only increase human suffering, and yet, at a time when the world could join together to confront COVID-19, so many wars continue to take their toll on civilians.

The Syrian government and Russian air force have in recent months continued to bomb schools and hospitals around Idlib. In the civil war in Libya, outside powers from Turkey to the United Arab Emirates have pumped in enough mercenaries and materiel that civilian casualties, from artillery and airstrikes, have actually increased since the start of 2020.

Across the Sahel, from Mali to northern Nigeria and Cameroon, and elsewhere in Africa, as far south as Mozambique, armed groups who have pledged allegiance to the group calling itself Islamic State are burning villages and beheading civilians.

And in western Myanmar, where the government’s crimes against humanity forced more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, the military and Rakhine rebels continue to fight; in April, a World Health Organization worker driving coronavirus samples was killed in the crossfire.

And violence continues in South Sudan as well, as a fringe rebel group continues their fight against the government and longstanding inter-communal rivalries breed abductions and gunfights. Meanwhile, victims and survivors of mass atrocities during the conflict continue to be denied justice.

Fueling this instability and impunity are continued violations of the UN arms embargo. During our investigation, we found recently manufactured Chinese ammunition in the hands of the feared National Security Service.

We found the government’s fleet of heavily armed Mi-24 attack helicopters, broken before the embargo was established, newly fixed and flying, ready to be used again to attack civilians as they had during the civil war. We found Kalashnikovs from Eastern Europe, some even made in the old East Germany, newly imported and in the hands of government forces and opposition alike.

The civil war in South Sudan was decidedly low-tech, and featured horrific atrocities, including hundreds of people gathered up and gunned down in mass executions, often along ethnic lines.

But while the arms embargo has proven no panacea, since its adoption in July of 2018 there has not been a single documented large-scale massacre of civilians, certainly not of the scale seen in the early days of the conflict.

Some fighting and human rights violations continue, but nothing compared to what we saw before the embargo in 2014, back when tens of millions of rounds of ammunition where being shipped in at a time.

The fight against COVID-19 has been described as a war. I don’t think that framing is accurate or helpful at all; I bet most of us who have experienced the chaotic messy violence of human beings killing each other would agree.

Wars destroy, but the response to a pandemic requires the opposite; an act of building, creating a resilient society where we take care of each other. And we have a common inhuman foe outside ourselves to mobilize against: a grotesque ball of goo covered in spikes.

Unfortunately, at the UN, the old divisions threaten this unifying opportunity. The rift between China and the United States has stalled a resolution on a 90-day humanitarian ceasefire that would allow for COVID medical aid to reach civilians.

And the question of arms embargoes gets wrapped up in discussions of dropping sanctions generally. Though they are considered by the same council, the arms embargo should not be seen as punitive in nature.

It is not a targeted sanction, it is a necessary tool for curbing human rights violations by all parties, and could not possibly be misconstrued as impeding a country’s ability to treat COVID-19.

We face an uphill battle to get the South Sudan arms embargo, but there is still space for hope. The UN Security Council can move with purpose and good will and see the obvious truth: guns don’t vanquish a disease.

At the start of the coronavirus outbreak, South Sudan was a place that had more attack helicopters than ventilators. It makes no sense to lift an arms embargo on a fragile country with a legacy of impunity for war crimes and a looming public health challenge.

The UN Security Council should vote to renew the embargo and give the South Sudanese the space and chance to build a peace founded on justice and respect for human rights.

 

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The post As COVID-19 Burns, World’s Forgotten Wars Continue to take Toll on Civilians as Well appeared first on Inter Press Service.

Excerpt:

Brian Castner is the weapons expert on Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Team.

The post As COVID-19 Burns, World’s Forgotten Wars Continue to take Toll on Civilians as Well appeared first on Inter Press Service.

A Csorba-tó térségében nem kerül sor olyan építkezésre, amely veszélyeztetné a Magas-Tátra természeti kincseit és egyediségét. Ezt Ján Budaj (OĽaNO) környezetvédelmi miniszter jelentette ki szerdán, miután találkozott Michal Sýkorával, Csorba (Štrba) polgármesterével.

La Tribune - Onze ans après son entrée dans la flotte d'Air France, le géant des airs d'Airbus ne revolera plus pour la compagnie tricolore....

Der EU-Verhandlungsführer für den Brexit, Michel Barnier, entrüstet sich über de Forderungen und den Tnn Großbritanniens. Die britische Regierung hatte unter anderem nach dem Ende der Übergangsphase ähnliche Vorteile wie Kanada gefordert.

Harminckét évnyi keresés után talált rá elrabolt fiára egy kínai pár: a ma már 34 éves férfi kétéves volt, amikor 1988-ban elvitték egy szállodából.

A család újraegyesülésére egy hétfői rendőrségi sajtótájékoztatón került sor – adta hírül a BBC News. A hatóságok szerint az elrabolt fiút annak idején hatezer jüanért – ez ma 261 ezer forintnak felelne meg – adták el egy gyermektelen párnak.

Mao Jin 1986 februárjában született. Kétéves volt, amikor édesapjával, Mao Csen-csinggel hazafelé tartottak a bölcsődéből a Senhszi tartománybeli Hszianban és megálltak egy szállodánál, mert a kisfiú szomjas volt. Az apa lehűtött egy kis forró vizet a gyereknek, és néhány pillanatig nem figyelt oda, ami elég is volt ahhoz, hogy a fiút elrabolják.

A család egész Hsziant és környékét átkutatta, plakátokat helyeztek ki mindenhol. Az édesanya, Li Csing-cse felmondott a munkahelyén, hogy minden idejét fia keresésének szentelhesse: az évek során számos kínai televíziós műsorban feltűnt, csaknem százezer szórólapot osztott szét több mint tíz tartományban, ám hiába.

2007-ben önkéntesnek jelentkezett az eltűnt gyerekek felkutatására szerveződött csoporthoz. Azóta 29 gyermeket segített hazajuttatni családjaikhoz. A kínai állami média szerint idén áprilisban aztán a rendőrség kapott egy fülest egy Szecsuan tartományban élő férfiról, aki még évekkel ezelőtt fogadott örökbe egy kisgyermeket. A hatóságok megtalálták a ma már 34 éves adoptált személyt, akiről a DNS-vizsgálat igazolta, hogy Mao Csen-csing és Li Csing-cse rokona.

Mao Jin, akit Ku Ning-ningre neveztek át, egy lakásdekorációs üzletet vezet. A család újraegyesülése után a férfi elmondta, “nem tudja biztosan”, hogy mit hoz a jövő, de szeretne időt tölteni a szüleivel. Az 1988-as ügyben tovább folyik a nyomozás.

A csecsemőrablás és -kereskedelem évtizedek óta probléma Kínában. Hivatalos adatok ugyan nincsenek, de a az eltűnt gyerekek felkutatására szerveződött csoport weboldalán jelenleg 14 893 bejegyzésben keresnek eltűnt fiúkat és 7411-ben eltűnt lányokat. 2015-ben úgy becsülték, hogy évente húszezer gyermeket rabolnak el Kínában.

Bundesaußenminister Heiko Maas erwartet, dass sich die EU-Staaten in den kommenden Wochen auf Regelungen für den Sommerurlaub in der Coronakrise einigen.

Americas

Viasat and Data Link Solutions each won a $998.8 million deal for the production, retrofits, development and sustainment of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals.  Currently, there are three variants of MIDS JTRS terminals:  the Concurrent Multi-Netting-4, the Tactical Targeting Network Technology and the F-22 variant. The MIDS JTRS terminal is a line-of-sight radio system for collecting and transmitting broadband, jam-resistant, secure data and voice across a variety of air, sea and ground platforms. These terminals will continue to be procured, sustained and updated for future growth, including JTRS advanced networking waveforms such as:  multifunction advanced data link, intra-flight data link and other advanced networking waveforms. The MIDS JTRS terminals make use of high-speed jam-resistant Link-16 tactical data exchange network. The Link 16 allows for real-time transfer of combat data, voice communications, imagery, and relative navigation information between dispersed battle elements, using data encryption and frequency hopping to maintain secure communications. The system facilitates the exchange of data over a common communication link, allowing participants to obtain and share situational awareness information and interoperate within the battlespace. Viasat will perform work in Carlsbad, California. Data Link Solution will perform work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Expected completion is by May 2025.

The Air Force announced that its Nuclear Weapons Center is breaking up the Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Systems Directorate into two new directorate teams: the Minuteman III Systems Directorate and the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, or GBSD, Systems Directorate. “This restructuring is a natural progression of the Air Force’s increasing focus on the modernization of the ICBM, the third leg of our strategic nuclear triad,” said Maj. Gen. Shaun Morris, AFNWC commander and Air Force program executive officer for strategic systems. The NWC synchronizes all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of Air Force Materiel Command in support of Air Force Global Strike Command, with more than 1,300 personnel assigned to 18 locations around the world. The Minuteman III Systems Directorate will be led by Col. Luke Cropsey, currently the ICBM Systems director. The GBSD Systems Directorate will be led by Col. Jason Bartolomei, who is currently the system program manager for GBSD and will continue to serve in that role.

Middle East & Africa

Elbit Subsidiary Cyberbit won a $70 Million Investment from US firm Charlesbank Capital. The investment is seen as recognition of Cyberbit’s leading market position and the growth potential of the company’s platform that provides training on how to effectively mitigate cyberattacks and improve team performance. As a result of the investment and sale of equity holdings, Elbit Systems became a minority shareholder in Cyberbit. Claridge Israel L.P., an existing shareholder of Cuberbit, which invested $30 million in Cyberbit in June 2018, also participated in this round of investment. The Cyberbit Range product is said to deliver a hyper-realistic experience that replicates a real-world cyberattack by immersing trainees in a virtual security operations center, where they use commercial security tools to respond to live, simulated attacks. The platform delivers over 100,000 training sessions annually on 5 continents.

Europe

France’s Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly disclosed that the replacement for aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will start sea trials in 2036 and enter service in 2038. The ship will be built at Saint-Nazaire. Parly was there for the steel cutting ceremony for new replenishment ships for the French Navy. The characteristics of the future successor to the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier have not yet been defined. “Let’s not limit our horizon or our imagination. We must not re-do the identical but seek the most ingenious, the most useful and the most effective capacities. Let us make this aircraft carrier a real forward base for our navy”, asked Minister Florence Parly at the last Euronaval exhibition. It however seems accepted that this future aircraft carrier could be more imposing than the current Charles-de-Gaulle.

Lithuanian, German and Norwegian Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTAC) carried out training with Royal Air Force Eurofighters and Spanish F/A-18s at Kazl? R?da training ground on May 11. The German and Norwegian JTACs are part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup in Lithuania. The British and Spanish air force contingents operate from Šiauliai Air Base and help guard the skies over the Baltic region as part of NATO’s Air Policing mission. NATO’s battlegroup in Lithuania is composed of around 1,200 personnel from Germany, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and Norway. The battlegroup is part of the biggest reinforcement of the Alliance’s collective defense in a generation.

Asia-Pacific

India announced Saturday that global companies can now invest up to 74 percent in the country’s defense manufacturing units, up from 49 percent, without requiring any government approval. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman expressed hope that the new policy will attract foreign companies with high-end technologies to set up their manufacturing bases in India in collaboration with Indian companies. Sitharaman’s announcement came as part of reforms Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is implementing to revive India’s economy, which has been shattered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Today’s Video

Watch: Indian Defence Updates : 114 Rafale Confirmed,BrahMos To Indonesia,1st Dhruv-MK3 Test,150 Micro RPAS

PRC-154 with 75th RR
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The Pentagon’s JTRS (Joint Tactical Radio System) aimed to replace existing radios in the American military with a single set of software-define radios that could have new frequencies and modes (“waveforms”) added via upload, instead of requiring multiple radio types in ground vehicles, and using circuit board swaps in order to upgrade. Trying to solve that set of problems across the entire American military meant taking on a very a big problem. Maybe too big. JTRS has seen cost overruns and full program restructurings, along with cancellation of some parts of the program.

JTRS HMS (Handheld, Manpack & Small Form-Fit) radios, for use by the individual solder, have survived the tumult, and are now headed into production. They offer soldiers more than just improved communications, and have performed in exercises and on the front lines. Now, production is ramping up.

JTRS HMS: The Radios

AN/PRC-154 Rifleman
(click to view full)

JTRS HMS’ AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radios are jointly developed and manufactured by Thales and General Dynamics. These software-defined radios are designed as successors to the JTRS-compatible CSCHR (PRC-148 and PRC-152) handhelds, securely transmitting voice and data simultaneously using Type 2 cryptography and the new Soldier Radio Waveform. General Dynamics touts it as being more than 20% smaller than current tactical handhelds, with battery life of over 10 hours. It weighs 2 pounds, with battery and antenna.

The Rifleman radio can create self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks. What’s even more significant is that they also enable any leader at the tactical level to track the position of individual soldiers who are also using the radio. That’s a big deal in urban environments, which can force a squad or platoon to split up.

For vehicles that may not have a JTRS HMS radio or a base station, the Rifleman Radio also mounts to a ‘Sidewinder’ accessory that provides power for recharging and/or longer-range transmission. To use it, just slide your PRC-154 radio in. The Sidewinder’s hardware assembly includes the 20w power amplifier from the AN/PRC-155, and connectors that work with the vehicles’ existing intercom systems. Sidewinder is compatible with many US standard military mounting trays and vehicle intercom systems: MT-6352/VRC; SINCGARS VRC-89, 90, 91, 92; and SINCGARS AM-7239 VAA.

JTRS HMS set
(click to view full)

The program’s Small Form Fit (SFF) configurations also include embedded variants that serve in Army host platforms. The 0.5 pound SFF-A/D offers communications for UAVs and the tracked SUGV robot. The 3.4 pound SFF-B can serve as a communications relay; it allows bridging from unclassified to classified networks, and is expandable with the broadband WNW. SFF-B can be carried in vehicles, helicopters, or as an airborne relay by UAVs.

JTRS HMS’ AN/PRC-155 Manpack is a larger 2-channel networking radio that allows battlefield commanders to talk to their team on one channel, and exchange information with other forces or headquarters on the second channel. There are many times on the battlefield when having to choose one or the other is a lousy choice to make, and the fact that it has been that way for a long time doesn’t make fixing it any less beneficial.

The 14-pound PRC-155 is the only JTRS radio to successfully demonstrate all 3 new waveforms: the Soldier Radio Waveform, the Wideband Networking Waveform, and the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite-communications waveform. That last option comes in very handy in urban environments, mountains, and other terrain that can block straight-line radio communications. The PRC-155 is also interoperable with older systems, of course, including the current frequency-hopping SINCGARS standard. Planned enhancements would extend that backward compatibility, and include: HF, IW, VHF/UHF LOS, AM/FM, and APCO-25.

Unfortunately, the radio’s 17 pounds makes it twice as heavy as previous SINCGARS radios, its effective range is less than half as far (3 km vs. 7 km), its 2 batteries last less than 20% as long (6 hours vs. 33 hours), and its user interface is an impediment. The US Army has deferred its planned Lot 3 purchase.

Phase 2 of JTRS HMS will produce Manpack radios with stronger NSA-certified Type 1 cryptography.

Both the JTRS HMS AN/PRC-154 Rifleman and the 2-channel AN/PRC-155 Manpack networking radios are planned for inclusion in the Army’s Capability Set 13, which is to be delivered to Infantry Brigade Combat Teams beginning in October 2012.

Contracts & Key Events

May 21/20: MIDS JTRS Viasat and Data Link Solutions each won a $998.8 million deal for the production, retrofits, development and sustainment of the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals.  Currently, there are three variants of MIDS JTRS terminals:  the Concurrent Multi-Netting-4, the Tactical Targeting Network Technology and the F-22 variant. The MIDS JTRS terminal is a line-of-sight radio system for collecting and transmitting broadband, jam-resistant, secure data and voice across a variety of air, sea and ground platforms. These terminals will continue to be procured, sustained and updated for future growth, including JTRS advanced networking waveforms such as:  multifunction advanced data link, intra-flight data link and other advanced networking waveforms. The MIDS JTRS terminals make use of high-speed jam-resistant Link-16 tactical data exchange network. The Link 16 allows for real-time transfer of combat data, voice communications, imagery, and relative navigation information between dispersed battle elements, using data encryption and frequency hopping to maintain secure communications. The system facilitates the exchange of data over a common communication link, allowing participants to obtain and share situational awareness information and interoperate within the battlespace. Viasat will perform work in Carlsbad, California. Data Link Solution will perform work in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Expected completion is by May 2025.

June 17/15: Following on from a $478.6 million contract in May awarded to ViaSat for Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS), the Navy handed Data Link Solutions LLC a contract for the same amount on Tuesday. The contract principally covers Navy and other US service requirements, as well as some Foreign Military Sales.

May 29/15: California-based ViaSat Inc. was awarded a contract with a potential value of $478.6 million on Thursday for Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Joint Tactical Radio Systems (JTRS) terminals. These will give commanders the ability to communicate by voice, video and data links to forces via a line-of-sight, jam-resistant channel across ground, air and naval assets.

April 30/15: The Army awarded an up-to $3.89 billion firm-fixed-price and cost reimbursable, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Thales Defense & Security and Harris Corp for rifleman radios, beating out two other bids. Thales was previously awarded a US Army contract in 2012 for its AN/PRC-154 radios, jointly developed with General Dynamics.

April 3/15: SANR RFP to come. The Army is expected to release a RFP in 2016 for the Small Airborne Networking Radio (SANR), with the program included in the President’s proposed 2016 budget. The SANR will enable better helicopter-soldier communication through a software-defined dual-channel system capable of relaying both voice and data information.

January 12/15: HMS RFP. The U.S. Army issued an RFP for full rate production, with plans to test units over 2015-1016, “off-ramping” multiple vendors who do not meet requirements and going into full production in 2017.

FY 2013 – 2014

 

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June 16/14: PRC-155 backtrack. The US Army cancels a May 30/14 sole-source decision to buy more PRC-155 radios. This proposed LRIP-3 order is undone:

“U.S. Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) intends to solicit on a sole source basis under the statutory authority permitting Other than Full and Open Competition 10 U.S.C. 2304(c)(2), as implemented by FAR 6.302-2, Unusual and Compelling Urgency to General Dynamics C4 Systems… for the procurement of Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) Manpack Radios (AN/PRC-155).”

Sources: FBO.gov, “58–Manpack Radio, Solicitation Number: W15P7T14R0027”

June 13/14: Manpack problems. The PRC-155 radios didn’t win a lot of fans in recent trials. Where to start? The radio’s 17 pounds makes it twice as heavy as previous SINCGARS radios, its effective range is less than half as far (3 km vs. 7 km), its 2 batteries last less than 20% as long (6 hours vs. 33 hours), and its user interface is an impediment. Adding to the fun, overheating is hazardous to the carrying soldier if it’s taken out of the case against recommendations. Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, in Fort Benning, Georgia:

“The Maneuver Center of Excellence considers the dismounted HMS manpack radio unsuitable for fielding to brigade combat teams…. A radio that is heavier and provides less range while creating a higher logistics demand does not make our units more operationally capable. Additionally, any radio that places our soldiers at risk of being burned is unacceptable.”

Most manpack radios are actually placed in vehicles, where all concerns save their short range vanish. Even so, the Army has a problem. Congress has been able to make things worse, by demanding that it spend about $300 million in appropriated radio funds, even if the best technical course of action is to wait. Now throw in the usual corporate welfare/ industrial base arguments, which are further complicated by Harris Corp.’s contemplation of a lawsuit to have JTRS HMS compatible manpack radios competed – something BAE might also want. Regardless of how the political and contractor games play out, the bottom line is that the front-line soldiers are losing. Sources: NDIA National Defense, “Army Tactical Radios in the Crosshairs After Scathing Review”.

April 17/14: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Dec 31/13 Selected Acquisitions Report. For Joint Tactical Radio System Handheld, Manpack, and Small Form Fit Radios (JTRS HMS):

“The PAUC [which includes amortized R&D] increased 20.0 percent and the APUC increased 19.2 percent above the current APB, due to a revision in the acquisition strategy for full rate production (including a change from a single vendor per radio to multiple vendors per radio), vehicle integration requirements not previously identified as a funding responsibility of the program, and a change in the Army fielding strategy that fields fewer radios per year.”

Aug 19/13: Manpack. The US Army is also preparing a competition for the larger JTRS HMS Manpack radio in FY 2014. General Dynamics and Thales lost one potential incumbent advantage when schedule slippages sent 10th Mountain Division soldiers to Afghanistan with Harris’ earlier-model Falcon III 117G radios, instead of JTRS HMS AN/PRC-155s. The division’s 3rd and 4th Brigade Combat Teams did take the AN/PRC-154 Rifleman radio with them. Sources: Defense News, “Army Preparing For a Slew of Critical Radio Contracts”.

Aug 16/13: Rifleman. The US Army’s JTRS HMS Rifleman solicitation takes longer than they thought, as the draft RFP is issued for comments. The Army still intends to conduct an open competition for a 5-year firm-fixed-price follow-on, and is hosting a Rifleman Radio Industry Day on Sept 5/13. The goal is an award in FY 2014.

It’s possible for the Army’s base radio type to change as a result of that competition, and General Dynamics’ PRC-154 will face competition from Harris’ RF-330E-TR Wideband Team Radio, among others. FBO.gov #W15P7T13R0029 | US Army ASFI | Harris RF-330E-TR.

Oct 22/12: Rifleman. The US Army prepares to open JTRS HMS to competition for full rate production, via a sources sought solicitation:

“Project Manager Tactical Radios is seeking industry comments and feedback to the draft Statement of Objectives, draft Statement of Work, draft Performance Requirements Document, draft Contract Data Requirements List, and questionnaire for Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit (HMS) Rifleman Radios (RR)… NO SOLICITATION EXISTS AT THIS TIME. It is currently anticipated that Solicitation W15P7T-12-R-0069 regarding this requirement will be released later in 1QFY13.”

Sources: FBO.gov.

Oct 22/12: BAE’s Phoenix. The Lexington Institute’s Loren Thompson offers a quick rundown of the JTRS concept, and spends a fair bit of time talking about the Phoenix radio that BAE has developed with its own funds, as a future JTRS HMS Manpack competitor. Its anti-jam feature may help remove an issue encountered when counter-IED devices are broadcasting, and during Israel’s 2006 war in Lebanon when its SINCGARS radios were jammed with Iranian assistance. He says that likely JTRS HMS competitors include BAE Systems, Harris, ITT Exelis, and Northrop Grumman, alongside the existing GD/Thales team. Sources: Forbes, “Army Resets Radio Plans As Demand Signal Shifts” | BAE Systems Phoenix Family.

Oct 11/12: PRC-155 LRIP OK. The PRC-155 Manpack radio is also cleared for low-rate initial production now, after the Pentagon issued a memo accepting that flaws with SINCGARS performance and difficulty of use had been fixed.

The May 2011 entry covered Milestone C for the entire program, but the PRC-155’s progress was conditional. The memo authorizes 3,726 HMS Manpack radios, under a 2nd LRIP order to follow. That order will also support future test events, development up to a Full Rate Production decision, and potential fielding as part of the US Army’s Capability Set 13. Beyond that, however, the memo also directs the service to conduct a “full and open” competition for full-rate production JTRS HMS radios, starting no later than July 2013. US Army | Bloomberg.

Manpack to LRIP

FY 2010 – 2012

 

Sept 17/12: LRIP-2. The U.S. Army awards a $53.9 million Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract for 13,000 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios and associated gear, with production to be split between prime contractor General Dynamics C4 Systems, and their partner and 2nd-source supplier Thales Communications.

Each contractor produces 50% of the ordered equipment, and the LRIP-2 contract brings AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio orders to 19,250 so far. Thales Rifleman Radios are manufactured at the company’s Clarksburg, MD, facilities. US Army | GDC4S | Thales Communications.

LRIP Lot 2

May 16/12: WNW Test. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces that they have demonstrated wireless high definition video and data transfer on the JTRS HMS AN/PRC-155 two-channel networking manpack radio, using the new high-bandwidth Wideband Networking Waveform (WNW). With so many UAVs, robot UGVs, and other sensors roaming around the battlefield these days, that kind of local high-bandwidth networking is really helpful.

May 16/12: AOL Defense reports that General Dynamics tried to get an amendment to the 2013 defense budget that would affect the JTRS HMS competition, but the amendment’s wording was somewhat confusing, and it failed. The House Armed Services Committee seems pretty intent on full and open competition.

March – May 2012: The US Army 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade uses the Rifleman Radio in the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 12.21 exercise, alongside other equipment that comprises WIN-T Phase 2. GDC4S.

March 30/12: SAR. The Pentagon releases its Selected Acquisition Reports summary, and JTRS HMS is on it. It’s reported as a significant program change, since:

“Program costs increased $3,493.3 million (+60.1%) from $5,811.4 million to $9,304.7 million, due primarily to a quantity increase of 49,224 radios from 221,978 to 271,202 radios [DID: +22.2%].”

That’s only a 22.2% quantity increase, which leaves 37.9% of the cost increase unaccounted for. At least HMS did better than the JTRS GMR for ground vehicles, whose costs declined 62.2% because the program was cancelled. The army says the vehicle-mounted GMR radars were just too expensive, and they’ll look for JTRS-compatible off-the-shelf alternatives.

SAR – more JTRS HMS, no JTRS GMR

Feb 17/12: MUOS test. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces that they’ve successfully run their 1st test of the AN/PRC-155, suing the MUOS satellite-communications waveform to transmit encrypted voice and data. Development of the MUOS waveform remains on track for completion in the third quarter of 2012, with expected production availability or software upgrade by year-end.

The PRC-155 manpack radio will be the first MUOS communications terminal used by soldiers. Its twin channels mean that a soldier can use 1 channel for line-of-sight SINCGARS and SRW waveforms, and bridge to the 2nd channel using the MUOS satellite system for global communications reach.

Jan 23/12: It’s announced that the US Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment special forces in Afghanistan have deployed with the PRC-154 the Rifleman Radio, and General Dynamics Itronix GD300 wearable computer. The Rifleman Radio is for intra-squad communications, while the GD300, running the Tactical Ground Reporting (TIGR) tactical “app,” will be used to send text messages, situation reports and other information to individual soldiers.

The equipment reportedly gets good reviews in theater. CDC4S | Inside the Army [PDF].

Jan 17/12: DOT&E testing. The Pentagon releases the FY 2011 Annual Report from its Office of the Director, Operational Test & Evaluation (DOT&E). JTRS HMS is included, and a number of the DOT&E’s conclusions appear elsewhere in the timeline. Their core concern is that:

“The JTRS HMS program is schedule-driven and has reduced developmental testing to support an aggressive operational test schedule. Therefore, operational testing has and will likely continue to reveal problems that should have been discovered and fixed during developmental testing.”

Dec 14/11: IOT&E done. The AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio has finished its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) with members of the 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division (2/1 AD), during the U.S. Army’s Network Integration Evaluation at Fort Bliss, TX. The IOT&E is the last formal test required by the military before the radios enter full-rate production. US Army | GDC4S.

Oct 10/11: WNW. General Dynamics C4 Systems announces a 5-year, maximum $64.5 million contract to support, maintain, and further develop the high-bandwidth JTRS Wideband Networking Waveform.

This Software In-Service Support contract was awarded by the U.S. Navy’s Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR), which oversees JTRS. The award is separate from, but related to, GDC4S’ role as the prime contractor for the JTRS Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit radio program.

WNW support & development

July 7/11: LRIP-1. The U.S. Army awards the 1st Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract. It’s a $54.4 million order for 6,250 AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radios, plus 100 AN/PRC-155 Manpack radios for continued testing, and expenses for one-time production startup costs, accessories, training, related equipment and supplies.

Technically, General Dynamics receives the LRIP contract, and the Rifleman radios will be manufactured in a 50/ 50 split by both Thales Communications and General Dynamics. JTRS HMS’ contract structure, from System Design and Development through LRIP, has been designed to provide competition from multiple qualified sources.

The JTRS HMS networking radios are the first ground-domain radios that will be fielded by the U.S. military that meet the full suite of JTRS requirements. At this point, the Army plans to purchase more than 190,000 Rifleman and approximately 50,000 Manpack radios. GDC4S | Thales Communications.

1st Production Lot

July 2011: Manpack testing fail. During the Army’s Network Integration Eexercise (NIE), they test the JTRS HMS Manpack. The Pentagon’s DOT&E testing report says that it demonstrated poor reliability, short range of the Soldier Radio Waveform and Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveforms that significantly constricted the operational area of the cavalry troop, and Inconsistent voice quality. Overall, the Army decided that the Manpack’s Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) waveform was not ready for test and did not test it during the truncated formal Government Developmental Test. Source: DOT&E.

May 2011: Milestone C. The JTRS HMS program received a Milestone C decision from the U.S. Department of Defense, clearing the radios for low-rate production. The Defense Acquisition Executive approved up to 6,250 Rifleman Radios, and up to 100 Manpack radios.

Milestone C

January 2011: The US Army conducts a Verification of Correction of Deficiencies (VCD) test with a redesigned version of the Rifleman Radio.

That full redesign stemmed from the 2009 Limited User Test, where the radio was deemed ok during movement and preparation, but didn’t perform well in combat. The redesigned Rifleman Radio featured improvements in size, weight, battery life, radio frequency power out, and ease of use. Source: DOT&E.

Sept 8/10: Crypto cert. General Dynamics announces that its AIM II programmable cryptographic module has been certified by the US National Security Agency (NSA) to secure classified information up to and including Top Secret, Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).

The AIM II module uses a secure hardware foundation with embedded software-based cryptographic algorithms. It’s certified for the JTRS HMS and Airborne Maritime Fixed (AMF) radios alike.

Crypto cert

Additional Readings

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – AN/PRC-154 Rifleman Radio

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – Sidewinder Vehicle Mount

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – Small Form Fit Radios

• General Dynamics C4 Systems – AN/PRC-155 2-channel Manpack Radio

Vadászfegyverből kilőtt lövedék ölt meg egy férfit a Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg megyei Újfehértón – közölte a megyei főügyészség sajtószóvivője.

Szilágyi László a közleményben azt írta: az eddig beszerzett bizonyítékok alapján a férfit pénteken kora este, családi házának udvarán találta el egy ismeretlen lőfegyverből kilőtt lövedék. A lapockáján megsérült áldozatot kórházba vitték, de életét már nem tudták megmenteni.

A rendőrség megállapította, hogy a férfi testében talált lőszer egy helyi vadásztársaság tagjának a fegyveréből származik, és ezzel a fegyverrel a lakóháztól mintegy két kilométerre adtak le “úgynevezett vétlen lövést a kérdéses időszakban” – ismertette a szóvivő.

A Szon.hu írt arról, hogy múlt pénteken három helyi vadász azért ment ki az erdőbe, hogy kipróbálják egyikük új, több millió forintot érő vadászpuskáját. Feltehetően egy próbalövés során kilőtt golyó találhatta el két kilométerrel távolabb a kertjében beszélgető férfit. Mivel a seb nem vérzett, először azt hitték, hogy a férfi infarktust kapott, csak később vették észre a golyó ütötte lyukat a ruháján.

Az ügyben gondatlanságból elkövetett emberölés vétségének gyanúja miatt indított nyomozást a megyei rendőr-főkapitányság.

(Amelyik vadász nincs tisztában azzal, hogy nem szabad lakott terület felé lőni, mert a golyós fegyverek biztonsági lőtávolsága akár öt-hat kilométer is lehet, az nem vadász. A-szerk- megj.)

Der Deutsche Gewerkschaftsbund (DGB) und fünf grosse französische Gewerkschaften haben in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung den deutsch-französischen Hilfsplan in der Corona-Krise als unzureichend kritisiert.

Der Wirbelsturm «Amphan» hat in Indien und Bangladesch mindestens 15 Menschen das Leben gekostet. Mindestens zehn Menschen starben in Indien, mindestens fünf weitere im östlichen Nachbarland Bangladesch.

A börtönzsúfoltsági kártalanítások felfüggesztésének meghosszabbításáról szóló kormányzati előterjesztés általános vitájával, majd napirend utáni felszólalással ért véget az Országgyűlés aktuális ülésének második napja.

Hajas Barnabás, az Igazságügyi Minisztérium igazságügyi kapcsolatokért felelős államtitkára ismertette a kormány azon törvényjavaslatát, amely a koronavírus-járványra tekintettel június 15-ről december 31-re tolná kifizetések felfüggesztését a börtönzsúfoltsági kártalanítási eljárásokban.

Az előterjesztés indoklásában emlékeztetnek: a felfüggesztés oka az volt, hogy elegendő idő álljon a bűncselekmények áldozataira, illetve a fogvatartottakra vonatkozó kompenzációs rendszerek közötti megbomlott természetes egyensúly helyreállítására. A járvány miatt kihirdetett veszélyhelyzet és az azzal összefüggő országos védekezés azonban nem tette lehetővé a börtönzsúfoltsággal kapcsolatos új kártalanítási rendszer kidolgozását, így annak határidejét meghosszabbítanák.

Hajas aláhúzta, a kártalanításokkal kapcsolatban kialakult igazságtalan gyakorlat jogosan sérti a társadalom igazságérzetét. A kormány továbbra is mindent megtesz azért, hogy az áldozatok, a sértettek és hozzátartozók érvényesíthessék jogos igényeiket és ne kelljen végignézniük, hogy az őket bántalmazó bűnözők milliókat tesznek zsebre – tette hozzá.

Az általános “vita” lezárása után Hajas azt elhangzottakra válaszolva azt felelte, mindig is az volt a cél, hogy hatékonyan lehessen érvényesíteni az áldozatok igényeit. A törvényjavaslat nem akarja megváltoztatni a férőhelybővítés korábban kitűzött határidejét, ugyanis továbbra is épülnek a börtönök – közölte.

Amphan ist der schwerste Sturm seit Messbegin. Nun hat der Super-Zyklon in der Nacht auf Donnerstag Indien und Bangladesch erreicht.

Japans Exporte haben wegen der Coronavirus-Pandemie im April den stärksten Rückgang seit der globalen Finanzkrise 2009 verzeichnet. Daten des Finanzministeriums zeigten am Donnerstag einen Einbruch im Aussenhandel um 21,9 Prozent im Jahresvergleich.

Le parti Bloc Républicain (BR) est bien parti pour contrôler le prochain Conseil communal de la ville de Bohicon.
Sur un total de 29 sièges à pourvoir, le parti du cheval gagnant arrive largement en tête avec 20 sièges contre 09 pour le parti Union Progressiste (UP), et 00 siège pour les Forces cauris pour un Bénin émergent (FCBE).
Ce qui lui permet de porter le prochain maire de la ville carrefour après le départ de Luc Atrokpo pour la municipalité de Cotonou.

F. A. A.

Japan hat ein unbemanntes Frachtraumschiff auf den Weg zur Internationalen Weltraumstation (ISS) gebracht. Eine Trägerrakete vom Typ H-2B hob am frühen Donnerstagmorgen (Ortszeit) vom japanischen Weltraumbahnhof Tanegashima in der südlichen Provinz Kagoshima ab.

Au terme des résultats provisoires proclamés par la Commission électorale nationale autonome dans la nuit de ce mercredi 20 mai 2020, le parti des Forces cauris pour un Bénin émergent (FCBE) arrive en tête avec la majorité des conseillers municipaux dans la commune de Parakou.

Sur les 33 sièges à pourvoir, la plus grande formation politique de l'opposition arrive en tête avec 17 conseillers municipaux.
Les FCBE sont suivis du parti Bloc Républicain (BR) qui obtient 12 sièges et l'Union Progressiste (UP) 04 sièges.
Etant majoritaire, les FCBE pourront prendre le contrôle du prochain conseil municipal de Parakou.

F. A. A.

Elections communales et municipales de 2020

Les résultats dans l'Atacora

Communes Partis politiques et Nombres de sièges
Boukoumbé (19 sièges)
UP : 12
BR : 06
FCBE : 01
Cobly (17 sièges)
UP : 09
BR : 08
FCBE : 00
Kérou (25 sièges)
UP : 11
BR : 04
FCBE : 10
Kouandé (25 sièges)
UP : 09
BR : 10
FCBE :06
Matéri (25sièges)
UP : 12
BR : 13
FCBE : 00
Natitingou (25 sièges)
UP : 12
BR : 13
FCBE : 00
Ouassa-Péhunco (19 sièges)
UP : 06
BR : 08
FCBE : 05
Tanguiéta (17 sièges)
UP : 08
BR : 07
FCBE : 02
Toucountouna (11 sièges)
UP : 07
BR : 04
FCBE : 00

RFD - "Ô toi, âme apaisée, retourne vers ton Seigneur, satisfaite et agréée, entre donc parmi Mes serviteurs, et entre dans Mon...

Commune de Cotonou 49 sièges à pouvoir
BR : 19 sièges
FCBE : 0 siège
UP : 30 sièges