U.S. military says 2 American soldiers killed in Iraq
Two American soldiers have been killed while conducting combat operations in Iraq, the U.S. military said Aug. 13, adding that “initial reports indicate the incident was not due to enemy contact.”
Five other soldiers were wounded, it said in a statement, without providing further details. It did not identify the soldiers.
Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the commander of U.S. forces battling the Islamic State group in Iraq, said the coalition “sends our deepest condolences to these heroes’ families, friends and teammates.”
More than 5,000 U.S. troops are taking part in the war against IS in Iraq, according the Pentagon. The vast majority operate within heavily guarded bases, collecting and sharing intelligence with Iraqi forces and providing logistical support.
But as the fight has evolved over the past three years, more and more U.S. troops are operating close to the front lines. In addition to the two troops killed Sunday, five other U.S. troops have been killed in Iraq in the fight against IS, including two in the battle to retake the northern city of Mosul.
More than 1,200 Iraqi forces were killed in the battle for Mosul and more than 6,000 wounded, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said earlier this month.
Iraq’s prime minister declared victory against IS in Mosul in July, and Iraqi forces are now preparing to retake the IS-held town of Tel Afar, to the west. AP
U.S. fighter jet crash lands at Bahrain International Airport
A U.S. F-18 fighter jet suffering an engine problem crash landed Aug. 12 at Bahrain International Airport and its pilot ejected from the aircraft after it ran off the runway, authorities said. The pilot escaped unharmed.
The crash disrupted flights to and from the island nation off the coast of Saudi Arabia that’s home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. Images on social media showed the grey fighter jet’s nose tipped into the air but largely intact after what the Navy described as an “uncontrollable” landing.
The F-18 took off from the USS Nimitz, an aircraft carrier now in the Persian Gulf, said Cmdr. Bill Urban, a fleet spokesman. While in flight, the plane suffered an engine malfunction, forcing the pilot to divert, Urban said.
The pilot initially tried to land at Sheikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain, but instead ended up at the island’s commercial airport, Urban said.
“Due to the malfunction, the aircraft could not be stopped on the runway and the pilot ejected from the aircraft as it departed the runway,” the commander said in a statement.
Naval officials began an investigation into the crash and were trying to help the airport resume operations, Urban said. Bahrain’s Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry called the crash landing a “minor incident” in a statement and said flights resumed at the airport several hours later.
Bahrain hosts 8,000 U.S. troops, mostly sailors attached to a sprawling base called the Naval Support Activity. Officials at that facility oversee some 20 U.S. and coalition naval vessels in the Gulf providing security and others running anti-piracy patrols.
Bahrain is also home to an under-construction British naval base. AP
Navy: Only woman in SEAL training pipeline drops out
The only woman in the Navy SEAL training pipeline has dropped out, a Navy special warfare official confirmed Aug. 11.
The female midshipman voluntarily decided to not continue in a summer course that’s required of officers who want to be selected for SEAL training, Naval special warfare spokesman, Lt. Cmdr. Mark Walton, told The Associated Press. The Navy has not released the woman’s name, part of a policy against publicly identifying SEALs or candidates for the force.
No other women are in the process required to become a Navy SEAL, Walton said.
Another woman has set her sights on becoming a Special Warfare Combatant Crewman. They often support the SEALs but also conduct missions of their own using state-of-the art, high-performance boats. She has started the long process of going through various evaluations and months of standard Navy training.
Officials have said it would be premature to speculate when that Navy will see its first female SEAL or Special Warfare Combatant Crewman.
The entry of women in one of the military’s most elite fighting forces is part of ongoing efforts to comply with then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter’s directive in December 2015 to open all military jobs to women, including the most dangerous commando posts.
That decision was formal recognition of the thousands of female servicewomen who fought in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars in recent years, including those who were killed or wounded.
The woman was participating in the SEAL Officer Assessment and Selection program. It is open to Naval academy and Navy ROTC midshipmen and cadets during the summer before their senior year.
The three-week-long program in Coronado, across the bay from San Diego, tests participants’ physical and psychological strength along with water competency and leadership skills. The program is the first in-person evaluation of a candidate who desires to become a Navy SEAL officer, and it allows sailors to compete against peers in an equitable training environment. AP
Raytheon’s manufacturing operations add jobs in New Mexico
New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says Raytheon’s manufacturing operations in Albuquerque is adding 60 new high-tech manufacturing jobs.
Martinez’s office says Raytheon’s expanded operations will support the development and production of directed energy systems, range monitoring systems, and telemetry systems for U.S. and coalition partners.
The newly created jobs will include program management positions, engineering and other technical jobs.
Acquired by Raytheon in 2011, the Albuquerque site currently supports the production of high-powered microwave directed energy technology and aircraft range monitoring systems.
Nearly 200 employees currently work on site.
Massachusetts-based Raytheon specializes in defense, civil government and cybersecurity solutions.
Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration, sensing, effects and mission support for customers in more than 80 countries. AP