Marine Corps jet crashes in California desert; pilot safe
A Marine Corps jet fighter crashed and burned Oct. 25 in the Southern California desert, but the pilot ejected safely, a spokesman said.
The twin-engine F/A-18C Hornet crashed around 6 p.m. near the end of a training flight at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center.
“Initial reports say that he had touched down and after he touched down, he needed to eject,” said First Lt. John P. Roberts, a Marine spokesman.
The pilot appeared to have no major injuries, but he was taken to a local hospital as a precaution, Roberts said. “He’s OK and doing well right now,” he said.
The aircraft burned, Roberts said.
There was no immediate word on what caused the crash.
The Hornet was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 31 from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort in South Carolina, Roberts said.
The sprawling air base, 140 miles east of Los Angeles in the Mojave Desert, trains pilots from around the country.
In July, another F/A-18C warplane went down during a training mission at the base, killing the pilot.
In August, an F/A-18D made an emergency landing after a warning light alerted the pilot to a possible fire. The problem was traced to a seal failure that tripped on-board sensors. AP
New Mexico National Guard launches probe into bonuses
The New Mexico National Guard is investigating whether soldiers received improper enlistment bonuses like those paid to some soldiers in California who have been told to give them back, New Mexico National Guard Joseph Vigil said late Oct. 23.
Vigil did not say whether officials have uncovered examples of New Mexico guard members receiving improper enlistment bonuses but said in a statement that “we here in New Mexico are doing our due diligence to determine if any of our members are affected by this matter,” Vigil said.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter Oct. 26 ordered the Pentagon to suspend its effort to seek repayments of enlistment bonuses given to thousands of California National Guard members who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The announcement does not end the reimbursement process but postpones collection efforts while the Pentagon and Congress look for a long-term solution.
Vigil said recovery of bonuses given to guard members is a routine matter when “a soldier or airman fails to live up to his or her enlistment contract.”
He added, “We will work to identify and resolve any issues related to this matter to ensure that we fulfill our commitment to our Guard members as well as our taxpayers.”
Carter’s decision followed angry reaction from congressional Republicans and Democrats who demanded he relieve the burden on Guard members following a Los Angeles Times report last weekend that California soldiers were being asked to repay debts that in some cases totaled more than $25,000.
The White House said earlier this week that President Barack Obama had warned the Defense Department not to “nickel and dime” soldiers who were victims of wrongdoing by overzealous recruiters. AP
Philippine, Japanese leaders sign military, economic deals
The leaders of Japan and the Philippines agreed Oct. 26 to cooperate in promoting regional peace and stability and endorsed Japan’s provision of patrol boats and military training aircraft to bolster Philippine maritime security, without discussing their alliances with the U.S., whose relationship with Manila has quickly become strained.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he expected Japan to continue playing an important role in maritime security in the region, including the South China Sea, where Manila has territorial disputes with Beijing. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said South China Sea disputes affect peace in the entire region and that he welcomed Duterte’s recent efforts to improve ties with China.
Japan and the Philippines signed agreements including Japan’s provision of two coast guard boats and T-90 military trainer aircraft as part of its contribution to step up Philippine maritime security capability. Japan also agreed to support infrastructure and agricultural promotion projects in the Philippines to help economic development.
The two leaders did not mention the Japan-U.S. security alliance, or one between the Philippines and Washington. Japan is a staunch U.S. ally and hosts 50,000 American troops, while Duterte, who took office this summer, has repeatedly spoken of distancing his country from Washington, often in crude terms.
The presence of U.S. troops in five Philippine military camps was established under a security deal signed under Duterte’s predecessor as a counterbalance to China’s growing military assertiveness in the region.
Earlier Oct. 26, Duterte said that he wants his country to be free of foreign troops, possibly within two years. “I want them out,” he said. AP
Iran Revolutionary Guard unveils maritime ‘suicide’ drone
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has unveiled a new drone for use by its naval units, suggesting it could be a “suicide drone” that would crash into ships.
The unveiling comes as Iranian forces have had a series of tense encounters with the U.S. Navy.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency published photos of the drone Oct. 26, saying it has a range of 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) and a flight time of four hours.
Tasnim says the drone, powered by two small propellers, “can collide with the target and destroy it, (whether) a vessel or an onshore command center.”
Iran’s Guard and the military already have drones but the announcement of a maritime “suicide” drone comes amid what the U.S. says is an uptick in provocative naval acts by Iran. AP