US Army plans major aviation exercise ahead of Project Convergence January 28 A drone ascends for operational testing during Project Convergence 20 at Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., on Sept. 15, 2020. (Spc. Jovian Siders/U.S. Army) WASHINGTON The U.S. Army will head out west to conduct an intricate, aviation-focused exercise called Edge 21 ahead of the service’s second Project Convergence event, Brig. Gen. Walter Rugen, who is in charge of Army aviation modernization, told Defense News in a recent interview. Edge 21 which stands for Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise will be held at Dugway Proving Ground, Utah, in May, Rugen said, and will serve as a gateway event for Project Convergence 21.
The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) paved the way in night-vision flying nearly four decades ago, but as with any organization, versatility and growth is the metric by which relevance is judged. The concept of “owning the night” carried Army aviation through countless global conflicts and provided a significant advantage over enemies. Near-peer adversaries now possess comparable night-vision technology, narrowing the advantage provided by zero-illumination tactics.
With this in mind, the 160th is developing new advancements in technology, tactics, techniques and procedures that will once again establish dominance over America’s adversaries. The regiment’s innate desire to innovate has led it to introduce a cutting-edge rotary-wing training pipeline known as Special Operations Aviation-Advanced Tactics Training (SOA-ATT).
Are California Wildfires Worsening The Water Contamination At Military Bases?
By Miguel Leyva
Sixty-two. This is the number of California military facilities with a known or suspected per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) release, according to the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Among the PFAS chemical family that includes thousands of substances PFOS and PFOA are the two most notorious members. These substances have been linked to several types of cancer, thyroid disease, and weakened childhood immunity at fairly low doses (measured in parts per trillion). PFOS and PFOA were traced to the firefighting foam (AFFF) that was used for tens of years at military facilities and contaminated the water resources on the bases and in surrounding communities. The chemicals from firefighting foam stay and spread in the environment for decades, even centuries, and have become a major contributor to drinking water contamination across the country.
By BRENT CRANE | Bloomberg | Published: December 19, 2020 John Conaway has lived in and around the town of Ridgecrest since before it was much of a town. In 1967, when he moved his young family to the remote Southern California community, Ridgecrest had been incorporated for only a few years. It was all dirt roads, he says. No stop signs, no nothing. Mostly, the town was there to support the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, an arms-testing base built nearby during World War II. The military contractor Grumman, which employed Conaway as an engineer, had given him a bonus to relocate from New York. Like many of his colleagues and their families, he and his lived on base.
Kern County Board of Supervisors bid farewell to Supervisor Mick Gleason
and last updated 2020-12-15 16:44:50-05
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) â Today, the Kern County Board of Supervisors bid farewell to Supervisor Mick Gleason.
Gleason, a former Navy Captain and base commanding officer at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, has served as District 1 Supervisor since 2013. Now after eight years of service, Gleason is retiring.
Phillip Peters will begin his term as 1st District Supervisor in early 2021.
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