1,000th F-35 Flight.

Lt. Col. Leonard Kearl was at the controls for the 1,000th F-35 flight on 20 June 2011. The 1.8-hour flight, completed in F-35A AF-6, originated from Edwards AFB, California.

Wow.

Do I hear cries of agony from certain parts of Australia? 

Is a certain "Think Tank" (Air Power Australia) rethinking its positions???

Doubtful, but they should.

F-35B undergoes NERF testing.

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- F-35B test aircraft BF-4 rests the evening of June 21 after a day of testing at the Naval Electromagnetic Radiation Facility. BF-4 is undergoing testing which simulates the shipboard electromagnetic environment to identify any potential issues prior to at sea testing this fall on USS Wasp (LHD 1). The F-35B is the short take-off, vertical landing variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and international partners and is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet.

Pics of the day. June 30, 2011.

LA(Phot) Luis Holden won the Navy News Award in the 2011 Peregrine Trophy Photographic Competition with this image.
A Joint Force Harrier jet is pictured high over RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly before the iconic aircraft was decommissioned.
Photographer: LA(Phot)Luis Holden

The Commandant General Royal Marines' Prize in the Peregrine Trophy 2011 competition went to LA(Phot) Si Ethell fora portfolio including this image.
The FSG (Fire Support Group) of Charlie Company 40 Commando Royal Marines, at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Jackson in Afghanistan engaging insurgents following contact at PB (Patrol Base) Paylae.
Photographer: LA(Phot) Si Ethell

Boy that was quick...

Haqqani leader who supported Kabul attack killed in precision airstrike

ISAF Joint Command- Afghanistan 2011-06-S-104 For Immediate Release KABUL, Afghanistan (June 30, 2011) – The International Security Assistance force confirmed today a top Haqqani network leader suspected of providing material support to the Kabul suicide bomb attack June 28, was killed in a precision airstrike in Gardez district, Paktiya province, yesterday. Ismail Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan. Jan and several Haqqani fighters were killed in strike. The Haqqani network, in conjunction with Taliban operatives, was responsible for the Tuesday night attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel which killed 12 people, including a provincial judge. Jan also served as an insurgent leader in the Khost-Gardez Pass area, along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and moved into Afghanistan from Pakistan in late 2010. During this time he led approximately 25 to 35 fighters in conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces. In addition to the hotel attack, the Haqqani network is responsible for several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of a long standing governor, Taj Mohammad Wardak. Wardak was assassinated in a massive explosive-device attack as he left his compound in September 2008. The security force tracked his location after receiving several intelligence reports from Afghan government officials, Afghan citizens and disenfranchised insurgents. After planning to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, the precision airstrike was conducted, killing Jan and several other insurgents. Afghan-led security forces have captured or killed more than 80 Haqqani leaders and facilitators since January, primarily in the Paktika, Paktiya and Khost areas. Initial reports indicate no civilians were harmed in the airstrike.

Anyway you slice it, its pretty darn impressive.

The attack was carried out on Tuesday and they track down the guy responsible already?

But one thing troubles me (and I admit that I haven't been paying attention to the players in Afghanistan) is this Haqqani network.  They seem to be more of a factor everyday.  Additionally they appear to be a bigger threat than the Taliban.

Is this a 3 way civil war with 2 sides teaming up to fight the central government??

Russian Marines.

English Russia has a fantastic photo spread on the Russian Marine Corps.  Check it out!

ISAF answers the OPSEC/Force Protection question.

The above photo has been circulating all over the internet after the recent attacks in Afghanistan.

In some of the photos the faces of the operators are blurred in others they're visible.

I was curious.  Were the images that weren't blurred wildcat...meaning unauthorized...or does ISAF not have any kind of prohibition on the images and its just something that a few bloggers are doing?

I wrote ISAF public affairs and got an answer.  The whole e-mail will follow but I want to break it down...

It started out very pleasantly...

Sol,
The photograph in question was taken by a member of the media at apublic location. As such ISAF has no control over how the picture waspublished. Some media outlets chose to blur the faces, others did not.That decision was made by individual editors with no input from ISAF.

Wow.  So in a nutshell we have our answer.  Its an individual decision by certain bloggers.

Now on the next part I have to admit that I was trying to be a bit clever and dropped the name of the rumored unit to see if the guy would bite and either confirm or deny it.

I can see him leaning back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear saying (cause I think he's British) "Not bloody likely you silly wanker"  and "You're barmy if you think that you can get me to slip up on classified material you silly berk"....

Anyway, I'm not up on British insults but you get the idea.  Here is the actual response.

As policy ISAF does not comment on Special Ops troops or operations.Additionally, any photos taken by the media while working with themilitary community are always checked before publication to ensureoperational security is not compromised.  
Regarding this specific photo, we have nothing further to comment.  
Regards,
Tim
TP JAMES - UK AOF-3Press Desk ChiefISAF JOINT COMMANDCOMBINED JOINT OPERATIONS CENTER

So long story short.  Operational Security/Force Protection is not violated by the posting of these heroes faces on the internet.

Until a valid reason to do so comes up then pictures like the ones above should be visible to everyone.  In the future these will be historic images of a forgotten war.  They shouldn't be saved for posterity with obliterated faces.

Just my opinion.

101st Airborne...hookin & jabbin & on patrol...

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Currahee, pull security from the top of a mountain in Paktika Province during Operation Surak Basta III on June 23. The operation was to infiltrate near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in order to stop enemy fighters from entering into Afghanistan. (Courtesy Photo)

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Currahee, pull security from the top of a mountain in Paktika Province during Operation Surak Basta III on June 23. The operation was to infiltrate near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in order to stop enemy fighters from entering into Afghanistan. (Courtesy Photo)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Schumacher, an infantry from Dubuque, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of Soldiers from the town of Gomerai, Afghanistan, back to Combat Outpost Najil June 15 in Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan. It was one of the final patrols of the deployment for Schumacher, who is wrapping up his fourth deployment. (Photo by Capt. Jason Beck, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. ArmyPfc. Elisha Bottleman, a machine gunner from Edgewood, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of Co. A Soldiers down a hill in Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan, outside Combat Outpost Najil. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff. Sgt Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs Office)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army 1st Lt. John Dundee, foreground, a platoon leader from Waterloo, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of his Soldiers up a hill June 15 outside the town of Dumlum, Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan, outside Combat Outpost Najil. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff. Sgt Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs Office)