Tag: Mark Kelly

Navy probe prompted by suicides condemns conditions at shipyard: ‘We let our people down’ + The Brandon Act

Ms. Cat

Navy probe prompted by suicides condemns conditions at shipyard: ‘We let our people down’

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Service members and veterans can call 988 and then press “1”. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

Related:

Their Son Died of Suicide in the Navy. They’re Honoring His Final Wish by Saving Lives

If you or someone you know in the military needs help, contact the Veterans Crisis Hotline at 800-273-8255, on veteranscrisisline.net, or by texting 838255. Civilians can text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

[2019] US military begins testing flying surveillance balloons across the country to TRACK people’s movements

Ms. Cat
Screenshot from YouTube.

US military begins testing flying surveillance balloons across the country to TRACK people’s movements

The tests were carried out by U.S. Southern Command, or Southcom, which is part of the Department of Defense and is responsible for intelligence operations, security cooperation and disaster response in Central and South America. It’s a joint effort by the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Army and other forces whose main task is finding and intercepting drug shipments that are destined for the U.S. According to the Guardian, as many as 25 unmanned solar powered balloons were launched from rural South Dakota and made their way 250 miles across the neighboring states in tests.

Related:

Worldview Stratollites are commercial high altitude balloons like Google Loon – Worldview had an explosion December 2017

Stratollites can maintain position over specific areas of interest for days, weeks, and eventually months on end. This allows for more sustained measurements and monitoring capabilities over a targeted area. Stratollites can carry a wide variety of commercial payloads (sensors, telescopes, communications arrays, etc.), launch rapidly on demand, and safely return payloads back to earth after mission completion.

Some interesting ‘coincidences’:

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PRC Could Starve US Military-Industrial Complex of Ability to Build Weapons With One Move: Report

Ms. Cat

The United States is the world’s largest exporter of armaments, accounting for more than 38 percent of international weapons sales between 2017 and 2021. The Pentagon is also the US military-industrial complex’s single largest buyer, with its $801 billion in military spending dwarfing that of all of Washington’s major adversaries combined.

PRC Could Starve US Military-Industrial Complex of Ability to Build Weapons With One Move: Report

Congress and Pentagon seek to shore up strategic mineral stockpile dominated by China

Ms. Cat

Congress has repeatedly authorized multimillion-dollar sell-offs of the U.S. strategic minerals stockpile over the past several decades, but Washington’s increased anxiety over Chinese domination of resources critical to the defense industrial base has prompted lawmakers to reverse course and shore up the reserve.

…

The stockpile was valued at nearly $42 billion in today’s dollars at its peak during the beginning of the Cold War in 1952. That value has plummeted to $888 million as of last year following decades of congressionally authorized sell-offs to private sector customers. Lawmakers anticipate the stockpile will become insolvent by FY25.

“A lot of what happened is Congress just getting greedy and finding politically convenient ways to fund programs that they weren’t willing to raise revenue for,” said Moulton.

Congress and Pentagon seek to shore up strategic mineral stockpile dominated by China

Blame China for their greed?! 🙄

Koch network pushes private-sector health-care agenda to counter Biden’s public option

Ms. Cat

Koch network pushes private-sector health-care agenda to counter Biden’s public option

Called the “personal option,” the plan is a collection of policy proposals geared toward the private sector that focuses on tax breaks, expanding health savings accounts and slashing regulations. The plan’s name and messaging are intended to contrast with Democrats’ push for a public option, which would give people a chance to buy in to a government-run health-care program that would compete with private insurers.