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Sherman A1's JournalJapan-US Marine Combat Drills Held amid China, Russia Worry
15 Mar 2022
Associated Press | By HARUKA NUGA and MARI YAMAGUCHI
GOTEMBA, Japan -- Japanese and U.S. Marines had their first airborne landing and combat training together on Tuesday near Mount Fuji as the two allies strengthen military cooperation amid growing maritime activity by China and Russia in the regional seas.
Japan has been expanding its defense budget and capability for about a decade and is now revising its key national security strategy in the face of threats from China, North Korea and now Russia.
On Tuesday, 400 troops from Japan's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade and 600 U.S. Marines based on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa jointly practiced landing and combat operations in a scenario of an enemy invasion of a remote Japanese island, using tilt-rotor Ospreys, amphibious armored vehicles and artilleries such as M777.
The exercise comes at a time when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has intensified worries about what could happen in East Asia, where China’s growing assertiveness has escalated tension around Taiwan.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/headlines/2022/03/15/japan-us-marine-combat-drills-held-amid-china-russia-worry.html
Texas Replaces National Guard Chief After String of Reports about Border Mission Problems
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has replaced the top officer of the Texas National Guard amid the state's troubled border security mission that has seen troops face pay issues and turn to alcohol abuse and self harm, as well as prompting some to try to unionize.
In a news release Monday, the governor's office announced that Maj. Gen. Thomas Suelzer is replacing Maj. Gen. Tracy Norris as the adjutant general of the Texas Military Department.
"I thank General Norris for her exceptional service to the State of Texas and am honored to appoint her successor, Major General Thomas Suelzer, as the Adjutant General of Texas," Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement. "General Suelzer brings a wealth of military experience to this new role, and I am confident that he will uphold the integrity of the Texas Military Department and exemplify servant leadership throughout every aspect of this position."
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/15/texas-replaces-national-guard-chief-after-string-of-reports-about-border-mission-problems.html
Nearly 50 Years of Navy History Is on Its Way to Become Scrap
15 Mar 2022
Military.com | By Konstantin Toropin
The storied aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk -- a ship that served from Vietnam through the second Iraq war -- is heading for the scrapyard. The ship, which began its final sea voyage in January, will arrive at a Texas shipbreaking facility in May.
Throughout the carrier's 48 years of service, it not only saw countless battles and missions but also a collision with a Soviet submarine and a race riot. But the ship was also a relic of a bygone era: Fueled by oil instead of nuclear power, the carrier was the last of its kind in the Navy's arsenal.
Toward the end of the ship's life, the Kitty Hawk Veterans Association tried to get the carrier turned into a museum. Despite the fact that the Navy noted the Kitty Hawk was "eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Place" in its evaluation in 2010, the veterans association said it was told the ship was not available for a "donation hold," the first step a decommissioned ship takes in becoming a museum.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/03/15/nearly-50-years-of-navy-history-its-way-become-scrap.html
A NASCAR race in Madison could bring in $60 million to the St. Louis region
MADISON — A NASCAR cup race this June at World Wide Technology Raceway could bring in as much as $60 million to the St. Louis region, state and local officials said Monday.
It’s the first time the racetrack will host one of the country’s top racing series, which regional leaders expect will attract about 83,000 people to the area June 3-5.
“This track breeds excitement,” said World Wide Technology Raceway owner Curtis Francois. “It’s going to be an amazing race, like a Super Bowl and a World Series happening at the same time in the same place.”
During a visit to the track on Monday, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said the race is a prime opportunity to bolster Illinois tourism, especially in Metro East communities. The state’s tourism bureau is sponsoring the race, named the Enjoy Illinois 300.
https://news.stlpublicradio.org/economy-business/2022-03-14/a-nascar-race-in-madison-could-bring-in-60-million-to-the-st-louis-region
Galway community repurposes old building as hub for Ukrainian refugees
A disused school building in Newbridge, Co Galway, has been converted into a hub to receive Ukrainian refugees.
The communities of Newbridge and Ballygar came together to prepare the building, which closed 11 years ago.
A new kitchen was fitted and heating and electricity systems were reinstalled, and the building was also repainted.
It is hoped that the building will provide temporary accommodation to Ukrainians arriving in the area, as well as a space for people to meet and socialise.
https://www.rte.ie/news/connacht/2022/0315/1286504-newbridge-galway/
Working group calls for full decriminalisation of abortion
Over 20 civil society organisations and healthcare providers led by the National Women's Council have called for full decriminalisation of abortion in Ireland.
It is part of a submission by the Abortion Working Group ahead of a review of Ireland's legislation on abortion.
The group says full decriminalisation is in line with Word Health Organization guidance to remove "the chilling effect" on healthcare providers.
It says the mandatory three-day wait period needs to be scrapped to ensure timely access to abortion.
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2022/0315/1286468-abortion-legislation/
Inside Afghanistan: Girls just want education as a right not a privilege
RTÉ's Foreign Editor Eimear Lowe is in Afghanistan, where she is visiting UNICEF-run community schools in Herat province where girls, desperate to go to school, appeal to the international community to help them.
The Internally Displaced People (IDP) camp that the Bismullah family calls home is by a main road in Afghanistan's Herat province.
It's one of the more permanent camps, populated by single-storey, mud buildings rather than tents.
We visit on a dry, warm spring day and clouds of dust rise as we move. In the rain this place must be even more miserable.
The Bismullahs welcome us into their small yard and Mr Bismullah politely answers our questions as his neighbours peer curiously over the walled boundary of his tiny holding.
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2022/0315/1286444-afghanistan-education/
Russia Dropped from Ship Certification Body as Sanctions Bite
The world's top association of ship certifiers has withdrawn membership from the Russia Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) due to the impact of sanctions on Moscow after its invasion of Ukraine, in another blow to the country's vital shipping sector.
Classification societies provide services such as checking that ships are seaworthy, and this certification cover is essential for securing insurance and entry into ports.
In recent days, Britain's LR and Denmark's DNV, have both announced they were stopping or winding down their business ties with Russia.
The International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), which had 12 members previously including LR and DNV and forms the top tier of ship certifiers globally, said late on Friday it was withdrawing RS' membership with immediate effect, which it said was "no longer tenable", citing UK sanctions on Russia where IACS is domiciled.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/russia-dropped-ship-certification-body-494992
Port NOLA Names Montroll Harbor Police Chief
The Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) has named Assistant Chief Melanie Montroll as Chief of its Harbor Police Department (HPD), following a rigorous national search that included a number of highly qualified candidates. She is a 21-year veteran of the force and will serve as the department’s first woman Chief of Police. Montroll succeeds Chief Robert Hecker, who will retire after having led HPD for more than 26 years.
“The Port, our tenants and the region rely on our strong, ethical, and professional Harbor Police Department,” said Brandy D. Christian, Port NOLA President and CEO. “Assistant Chief Montroll has progressed through the leadership ranks of HPD and the law enforcement community due to her work ethic, integrity and commitment to the community and the maritime industry. Montroll brings the experience and leadership qualities necessary to accomplish her goals of recruiting, retaining and continuing to train an exemplary and progressive law enforcement agency uniquely specialized in maritime and homeland security.”
Montroll has served as HPD’s Assistant Chief since 2017. She is a second-generation police officer, following in the footsteps of her father who also served with Port NOLA HPD. Over the course of her career, Montroll’s progression has included Captain of all Platoons, Commander of the Criminal Investigations and Internal Affairs Division, Director of Training, Academy Director and Commander of the Marine Division and day to day operations. Since her graduation from the Harbor Police Department Police Academy, she has been regularly recognized for her leadership skills and steadily progressed through the ranks, becoming Corporal in 2003, Sergeant in 2008, and Lieutenant in 2015.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/port-nola-names-montroll-harbor-police-495016
Russian Coal, Crude, LNG Exports Slipping as Self-sanctioning Starts
The voluntary shunning of Russian commodities by Western buyers, or self-sanctioning, was expected to start hitting exports of crude oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal from April, but there are already signs that flows are weakening.
Russia's invasion of neighbouring Ukraine has prompted numerous Western companies to withdraw from their investments in Russia and scale back or halt their purchases of energy commodities, the mainstay of Russia's economy.
While Western governments haven't directly sanctioned energy commodities, many companies are pulling back from buying from Russia due to a combination of fear of public opposition and difficulties in securing financing, insurance and a reluctance of ship owners to load from Russian ports.
This self-sanctioning was expected to largely hit Russia's exports from April, as most March cargoes would have been arranged prior to Moscow's first attack on Ukraine on Feb. 24.
https://www.marinelink.com/news/russian-coal-crude-lng-exports-slipping-495031
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