Memorial Day parade from Washington, D.C...[ 4738 ]

National Memorial Day Parade

DoD News

Δημοσιεύτηκε στις 26 Μαΐ 2014

The National Memorial Day parade from Washington, D.C. Available in high definition.

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Russian Victory Day parade..[ 4199 ]

Putin hails 'all-conquering' Russian patriotism at Victory Day parade

Russia shows its military might in Victory Day march in Moscow

 

  By Michael Mainville, with Marion Thibaut in Kiev 13 hours ago

Moscow (AFP) - Thousands of Russian troops marched through Red Square on Friday as Moscow put on a powerful show of patriotism and military might following its annexation of Crimea.

As Ukraine's crisis rumbled on with pro-Moscow rebels pushing ahead with independence votes, President Vladimir Putin praised Russian patriotism and loyalty to the state.

"This is a holiday when all-conquering patriotic force triumphs, when we all feel especially strongly what it means to be true to the Motherland and how important it is to be able to stand up for its interests," Putin told massed troops to shouts of "Hurrah! Hurrah!"
Russia's annual parade celebrating victory over the Nazis held special resonance this year amid the crisis in Ukraine, which has seen Russia annex Crimea and fighting in pro-Moscow areas in the east where separatists are threatening to break away.
Similar Victory Day celebrations were planned for later Friday in Sevastopol, with Russian media reporting that Putin could make a triumphant appearance at the Crimean port.
As dozens of helicopters and planes soared in the bright blue sky over Moscow, thousands of troops marched alongside tanks, mobile missile systems and armoured vehicles to the sound of a brass band.

Russian soldiers participate in a Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, on May 9, 2014 (AFP Ph …

 

"I am concerned about Vladimir Putin's statement. It caused a bad feeling. They say one thing and do another. After this statement, I asked law enforcement officers to strengthen security measures on May 9," Yatsenyuk told Ukrainian television.

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow

On Wednesday, the Kremlin strongman stunned the world with an abrupt U-turn on Ukraine, calling on pro-Russian separatists in the east to delay independence referendums planned for this weekend and welcoming a May 25 presidential election.

But the rebels holed up in more than a dozen towns and cities in eastern Ukraine defied his plea and vowed to press ahead with referendums this Sunday that are bound to stoke tensions.

If Putin does head to Sevastopol, it will be his first visit to Crimea since the Black Sea peninsula was annexed by Moscow in March.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday warned Putin against making the visit, saying it would be a "pity" if he went to the region.
The crisis in Ukraine, which kicked off after the ouster of the country's pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych in February, has sunk Russia's relations with the West to their lowest point since the Cold War.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev (2nd left) attend a Victo …

The United States and European Union have imposed a series of sanctions on Putin and his inner circle and EU ministers are to meet on Monday to consider further measures.
Fears of war on Europe's doorstep have been fired by fighting pitting Ukrainian troops against pro-Moscow gunmen in the east of the country, mainly around the town of Slavyansk.
Ukraine has lost 14 troops and three helicopter gunships with 66 servicemen injured in assaults on the rebels. The fighting has also claimed the lives of more than 30 insurgents.

Clashes that resulted in a horrific inferno in the southern port city of Odessa last week claimed another 42 lives, most of them pro-Russian activists, pushing the death toll over the past week to nearly 90.

- 'Fascist' collaborators -

Russian warplanes fly above Red Square during a Victory Day parade in Moscow, on May 9, 2014 (AFP Ph …

The violence has prompted many Western politicians to warn that the country of 46 million people is slipping towards a civil war that would imperil peace in Europe.

The Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany has long been a source of great pride throughout the ex-USSR, which lost some 30 million citizens during World War II.

But this year's celebrations have exposed the deep divisions between Russia and Ukraine.

Ahead of the events, Kiev has cast Russia as an aggressor bent on sowing chaos in Ukraine, while the Kremlin has accused its neighbour's pro-Western authorities of siding with "fascists" and ultra-right groups.

Fuelling tensions is the hugely controversial legacy of the nationalist movement in western Ukraine, which was occupied by the Soviet Union and whose Ukrainian Insurgent Army collaborated with Nazi Germany.

Animosity between the two Slavic nations has reached such levels that Ukraine decided to drop the black-and-orange Saint George ribbon, which Russians cherish as a symbol of Victory Day, instead adopting the red poppy as its symbol of remembrance

Related Stories

• Putin visits annexed Crimea on Victory Day Associated Press
• Russia stages big Victory Day parade amid Ukraine crisis Reuters
• Russia displays its might amid Ukrainian crisis Associated Press
• Russia parades military might amid Ukraine crisis MarketWatch
• Putin hails 'return' of Crimea; fighting kills 3 Associated Press

«Πριν από 18 χρόνια έπεσαν για την πατρίδα στα Ίμια »...[ 3496 ]

Σαμαράς για Ίμια: Κάνουμε το αυτονόητο, τιμούμε τη μνήμη των τριών παλικαριών

Σπύρος Γκουτζάνης// Το Πρώτο Θέμα // 31/01/2014// 16:27

 
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Ο Αντώνης Σαμαράς ήταν ο πρώτος πρωθυπουργός που ασχολήθηκε με το θέμα, δήλωσε ο Ιωάννης Καραθανασης, γιος του κυβερνήτη Χριστόδουλου Καραθανάση
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Κλίμα συγκίνησης στη συνάντηση του πρωθυπουργού με τις οικογένειες των πεσόντων στα Ίμια, Παναγιώτη Βλαχάκου, Χριστόδουλου Καραθανάση και Έκτορα Γιαλοψού - Υιός Καραθανάση: Είναι ο πρώτος πρωθυπουργός που ασχολήθηκε με το θέμα

Με τους συγγενείς των πεσόντων ηρώων στα Ίμια (pρόκειται για τον υποπλοίαρχο Παναγιώτη Βλαχάκο, τον υποπλοίαρχο Χριστόδουλο Καραθανάση και τον αρχικελευστή Έκτορα Γιαλοψό) συναντήθηκε ο πρωθυπουργός Αντώνης Σαμαράς στο Μέγαρο Μαξίμου.

«Κάνουμε το αυτονόητο. Τιμούμε τη μνήμη των τριών παλικαριών που πριν 18 χρόνια έπεσαν για την πατρίδα. Για την ακεραιότητα και για την αξιοπρέπεια της πατρίδας μας. Αυτό είναι χρέος τιμής για την πολιτεία και χρέος ψυχής για όλους μας» τους είπε ο πρωθυπουργός.

Ο Ιωάννης Καραθανάσης, γιος του κυβερνήτη Χριστόδουλου Καραθανάση, ευχαρίστησε τον κ. Σαμαρά.



«Αυτοί οι τρεις άνθρωποι έδωσαν τη ζωή τους για κάποια ιδανικά που είμαι σίγουρος ότι τα συμμερίζεστε και πιστεύω ότι με την προσήλωση σας σε αυτά θα βοηθήσετε τους ανθρώπους και πολίτες της Ελλάδας και θα δώσετε μια ώθηση στη δική μου γενιά και τις επόμενες» είπε στον πρωθυπουργό.



Επίσης, βγαίνοντας από το Μέγαρο Μαξίμου, δήλωσε ότι ο Αντώνης Σαμαράς ήταν ο πρώτος πρωθυπουργός που ασχολήθηκε με το θέμα.

«Σημαίνει πολλά για εμάς» τόνισε, ενώ ο αδερφός του συγκυβερνήτη, Παναγιώτη Βλαχάκου, Νίκος, είπε ότι είναι τιμητική στιγμή για όλες τις οικογένειες. «Η θυσία των τριών αξιωματικών είναι αντίσταση σε κάθε επιβουλο για την Ελλάδα» ανέφερε.

Οι δυο καλύτεροι πιλότοι στο ΝΑΤΟ...[ 3431 ]

Οι καλύτεροι πιλότοι στο ΝΑΤΟ είναι Έλληνες (VIDEO)

Απριλίος 2013

Σπουδαία διάκριση για τα «ελληνικά φτερά» 

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Ο Σμηναγός Θεοχάρης Κατσαρός και ο Υποσμηναγός Ιωάννης Σιάνος της Πολεμικής Αεροπορίας είναι οι καλύτεροι πιλότοι στο ΝΑΤΟ σύμφωνα με ψηφοφορία που πραγματοποιήθηκε κατά τη διάρκεια του Τακτικού Προγράμματος Ηγεσίας (Tactical Leadership Programme).

Ο Επισμηναγός Μαρίνος Μπογατίνης που είναι εκπαιδευτής στο πρόγραμμα ψηφίστηκε για 3η φορά ως ο καλύτερος εκπαιδευτής. Στην αποστολή έλαβαν μέρος συνολικά τέσσερις Έλληνες πιλότοι.
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Το πρόγραμμα διεξήχθη στα τέλη Μαρτίου στην αεροπορική βάση Αλμπαθέτε της Ισπανίας και από την Ελλάδα έλαβε μέρος η 331 ΜΠΚ (Μοίρα Παντός Καιρού) του αεροδρομίου της Τανάγρας με έμψυχο δυναμικό και τέσσερα αεροσκάφη τύπου Mirage 2000-5 τα οποία μεταστάθμευσαν στην Ισπανία.
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Στο νατοϊκό πρόγραμμα συμμετείχαν ακόμα 10 F-16 από τις ΗΠΑ, την Ολλανδία και το Βέλγιο, 6 γαλλικά Mirage 2000, 2 ιταλικά Eurofighter, 4 Tornado από τη Βρετανία και την Ιταλία και 2 ιταλικά αεροσκάφη ΑΜΧ. Επίσης, για την υποστήριξη των αποστολών συμμετείχαν 4 Mig-29 από την Πολωνία, 2 Alphajet από τη Γαλλία, ελικόπτερα και αεροσκάφη Ηλεκτρονικού Πολέμου και AWACS.
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Στόχος του Τακτικού Προγράμματος Ηγεσίας είναι εκπαίδευση των πιλότων του ΝΑΤΟ στη συγκρότηση και την ηγεσία μικτών σχηματισμών, καθώς και η εξοικείωση και η συνεργασία όλου του προσωπικού που υποστηρίζει τέτοιου είδους αποστολές, σύμφωνα με τα Νατοϊκά πρότυπα και διαδικασίες.
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Δείτε τι είπαν οι δύο πιλότοι, οι οποίοι ήταν προσκεκλημένοι στην πρωινή εκπομπή της ΝΕΤ

Read more: http://www.newsbomb.gr/

NASA Center Renamed ...[ 3378 ]

NASA Center Renamed in Honor of Neil A. Armstrong Send

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NASA Center Renamed in Honor of Neil A. Armstrong 

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This photograph shows Neil Armstrong next to the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft after a research flight. President Barack Obama has signed HR 667, the congressional resolution that redesignates NASA's Hugh L. Dryden Flight Research Center as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center, into law. 
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The resolution also names Dryden's Western Aeronautical Test Range as the Hugh L. Dryden Aeronautical Test Range. Both Hugh Dryden and Neil Armstrong are aerospace pioneers whose contributions are historic to NASA and the nation as a whole. NASA is developing a timeline to implement the name change.
Neil A. Armstrong was born Aug. 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
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 He earned an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University and a master's in aerospace engineering from the University of Southern California. He was a naval aviator from 1949 to 1952. During the Korean War he flew 78 combat missions. In 1955 he joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), NASA's predecessor, as a research pilot at Lewis Laboratory in Cleveland.
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Armstrong later transferred to NACA's High Speed Flight Research Station at Edwards AFB, Calif., later named NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. As a research project test pilot over the course of seven years at the center from 1955 through 1962, he was in the forefront of the development of many high-speed aircraft. He was one of only 12 pilots to fly the hypersonic X-15 as well as the first of 12 men to later walk on the moon. In all, he flew more than 200 different types of aircraft.
Image Credit: NASA

Veterans "Lone Survivors" ...[ 3372 ]

Veterans are not just heroes or victims

By Eric Liu

January 16, 2014 -- Updated 1736 GMT (0136 HKT)

Wahlberg: People NEED to know about this 

Editor's note: Eric Liu is the founder of Citizen University and author of several books, including "The Gardens of Democracy" and "The Accidental Asian." He served as a White House speechwriter and policy adviser for President Bill Clinton. Follow him on Twitter @ericpliu

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(CNN) -- "Lone Survivor," based on the true story of an ambushed Navy SEAL team in Afghanistan, was the No. 1 movie in America last weekend. If you haven't seen it, go see it.

The movie reminded me of a phrase, "citizenship on the cheap," which has haunted me since I heard retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal utter it last summer. He was launching the Franklin Project, an ambitious initiative to expand national service in America. But he was talking about something deeper -- the widening divide between civilians and those coming out of the military.

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Because the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have been fought by an all-volunteer force, the great majority of Americans have only passing acquaintance with the sacrifices of national defense. Most Americans have not been asked to do anything more for their country during wartime than to thank the troops.

Eric Liu

That's why McChrystal has called for a rapid expansion of voluntary civilian service programs like AmeriCorps, so more civilians join those who serve in uniform. I couldn't agree more. I'd go further, in fact, and mandate national service, whether military or civilian. That, however, is a pipe dream when our nation can't even fully tolerate mandatory health insurance coverage.

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How, then, can American society aspire to something greater than citizenship on the cheap? Perhaps the answer lies not in trying to make more Americans serve but in enabling more veterans to serve in new ways when they come home.

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There are more than 2.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans today. As our country's longest wars wind down, a million more are expected to return. These are people with leadership skills, professionalism, experiences solving complex problems under high stress while keeping a larger mission in mind. Think America could use a few (million) good men and women like that?

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'

Lone Survivor' rocks the box office

 

Essay: Real story behind 'Lone Survivor'

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Meet two of them, Rodrigo Garcia of Student Veterans of America and Chris Marvin of Got Your 6.

Got Your 6 is military parlance for "got your back" and Marvin, a former Army Blackhawk pilot, founded this national campaign to bridge the military-civilian divide. It activates celebrities, social media, political and cultural leaders, and every other resource available to advance a simple message: Veterans are assets.

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This may seem obvious. But consider the two dominant images of veterans in everyday culture, from movie screens to school assemblies to corporate advertising. One is the hero. The other is the victim.

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The hero narrative portrays veterans as Medal of Honor winners with superhuman courage, amputees undaunted by their disabilities, and, yes, lone survivors of hellish battles. The victim story portrays veterans as sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder, wounded warriors betrayed by bureaucracy, combat leaders now left homeless and jobless.

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To be clear, both narratives have a basis in reality. More veterans than can be counted have indeed been damaged by war, and more than can be counted are indeed heroes of war. They have earned every bit of support, care, honor and gratitude we offer them -- and often more.

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But the hero and victim portrayals emphasize two messages: that vets belong on a pedestal, and that vets need your compassion. The veterans I know are looking for a third message: Vets can be great citizens back home.

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Consider Garcia, from Student Veterans of America, a Marine veteran who in the crowded years since his deployments has gone to graduate school, started businesses, led Student Veterans of America's expansion to many hundreds of campuses nationwide, and helped run a state veterans affairs department.

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The question for civilians is how to create more channels for people like Garcia to continue being contributors and leaders in public service -- not as pilots or infantry commanders but as candidates for office or school principals or heads of nonprofits.

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How we do this is simple. We just do it. We foster relationships between veterans and civilians. We hire, connect, mentor and invest in veterans. We support organizations like The Mission Continues and Team Rubicon that plug veterans into community service. We learn from them about how to show up for others.

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It's often said that "freedom isn't free." That's true. Freedom is dear. So is great citizenship, and so is deep gratitude. If we truly want to thank veterans for their service, let's make sure each one who returns from war is empowered to be an integrated, vital part of their community's social fabric and civic life.

• Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion
• Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion
• The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eric Liu.

Ελληνικοί εξοπλισμοί...[ 3298 ]

Αλλαγές στο σύστημα προμηθειών των Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων προαναγγέλλει ο Δ. Αβραμόπουλος

Από factorx στις 03/01/2014

Ο Υπουργός Εθνικής Άμυνας Δημήτρης Αβραμόπουλος σχετικά με τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις στο πλαίσιο των ερευνών από την ελληνική Δικαιοσύνη, που αφορούν στο σύστημα προμηθειών στις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις, προέβη στην ακόλουθη δήλωση:
«Παρακολουθούμε με μεγάλη προσοχή και  τις τελευταίες εξελίξεις στο πλαίσιο των ερευνών από την ελληνική Δικαιοσύνη, που αφορούν στο σύστημα προμηθειών στις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις. Έχουν, άλλωστε, ήδη δοθεί αυστηρές εντολές προς όλους τους αρμοδίους φορείς του Υπουργείου να συνδράμουν, με τον πλέον ταχύ και αποτελεσματικό τρόπο, στο έργο της Δικαιοσύνης.

 Η θωράκιση του δημοσίου συμφέροντος στον ευαίσθητο  χώρο  των Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, αλλά και γενικότερα, είναι διαρκής προτεραιότητα της Κυβέρνησης του Αντώνη Σαμαρά.

 Αυτό ήταν και το θέμα της χθεσινής μας συνάντησης με τον Πρωθυπουργό.

 Επεξεργαζόμαστε και θα παρουσιάσουμε σύντομα στην αρμόδια κοινοβουλευτική επιτροπή θεσμικές παρεμβάσεις, αλλά και αλλαγές στις πρακτικές συναλλαγών μεταξύ κράτους και εταιρειών, κατά τρόπον ώστε να διασφαλίζεται πλήρως η διαφάνεια και να προστατεύεται το κύρος, η αξιοπιστία και η εθνική αποστολή  των Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων. 

 Τα φαινόμενα που βλέπουμε είναι απόρροια των μεγάλων εξοπλιστικών προγραμμάτων. Μπορεί σήμερα να μην υλοποιούμε εξοπλιστικά προγράμματα, ωστόσο, στόχος μας είναι να διατηρήσουμε και να πετύχουμε τη βέλτιστη απόδοση του υφιστάμενου εξοπλισμού. Μέσα από προγραμματισμό και αποδοτική διαχείριση των πόρων.

 Στο αμέσως προσεχές διάστημα, και αφού  έχουμε διαμορφώσει το σχέδιο των προτάσεων μας για τις αλλαγές στο σύστημα προμηθειών, θα συγκαλέσουμε κοινή συνάντηση της Επιτροπής Εξωτερικών, Άμυνας και Εξοπλισμών της Βουλής, προκειμένου να ενημερωθούν τα μέλη της και να ακουσθούν οι εισηγήσεις τους, με στόχο την διαμόρφωση ενός σχεδίου-πλαίσιο το οποίο θα τεθεί προς έγκριση και ψήφιση από την αρμόδια κοινοβουλευτική επιτροπή, το ΚΥΣΕΑ και βέβαια, επικύρωση από την ελληνική Βουλή.

 Υπενθυμίζω, εξάλλου, ότι έχουμε ήδη δεσμευθεί ενώπιον της Ολομέλειας του Κοινοβουλίου, ότι οποιαδήποτε δαπάνη στον χώρο του εφοδιασμού και της συντήρησης – γιατί δεν υπάρχουν νέες προμήθειες – θα συζητείται στην αρμόδια κοινοβουλευτική Επιτροπή και θα ζητείται η έγκριση της.

 Η διαφάνεια και η αποτελεσματικότητα στις Ένοπλες Δυνάμεις αποτελούν μοναδικές αμετάθετες επιλογές μας και θα τις επιβάλλουμε με κάθε μέσο στο πλαίσιο του Συντάγματος και των νόμων».

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This entry was posted in Επικαιρότητα. Bookmark the permalink.

TOP 20 AIR FORCES IN 2013 ★ ...[ 3256 ]

★ TOP 20 AIR FORCES IN THE WORLD 2013 ★

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Top 10 air forces, the best air forces in the world, future weapons 2013, 2013, global fire power 2013, global firepower 2012.

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POSITION COUNTRY : 

 1               USA

 2               RUSSIA

 5               ISRAEL

13             TURKEY

15             GREECE

Απεβιωσε ο Μ.Καλασνικωφ..[ 3252 ]

Πέθανε ο Μιχαήλ Καλάσνικοφ, σχεδιαστής του διάσημου AK - 47

Ηταν 94 ετών και ζούσε στην πόλη Ιζέσκ στα Ουράλια

ΔΗΜΟΣΙΕΥΣΗ:  πριν 24'

Μόσχα 

Ο Μιχαήλ Καλάσνικοφ, ο σχεδιαστής του πιο δημοφιλούς όπλου στον κόσμο, πέθανε τη Δευτέρα σε ηλικία 94 ετών.
Ο Καλάσνικοφ πέθανε στην πόλη Ιζέφσκ στα Ουράλια, ανέφερε το πρακτορείο ειδήσεων Itar-Tass.
Το Καλάσνικοφ ή ΑΚ-47 όπως αποκαλείται διεθνώς είναι το πιο δημοφιλές όπλο στον κόσμο. Υπολογίζεται ότι 100 εκατομμύρια Καλάσνικοφ χρησιμοποιούνται παγκοσμίως.
Το επίσημο όνομα του όπλου, ΑΚ-47, προκύπτει από τα αρχικά του «Αβτομάτ Καλασνικόβα» που σημαίνει «Αυτόματο του Καλάσνικοφ» και τον αριθμό 47 επειδή άρχισε να κατασκευάζεται το 1947.
Ο Καλάσνικοφ συνέχισε να εργάζεται ως επικεφαλής σχεδιαστής του εργοστασίου που πρωτοκατασκεύασε το ΑΚ-47 έως τα 80 του χρόνια.
Ο Καλάσνικοφ, που πέρασε μεγάλο μέρος της παιδικής του ηλικίας στη Σιβηρία όπου ήταν εξόριστος ο πατέρας του, ονειρευόταν να γίνει ποιητής αν και τον προσέλκυαν κάθε είδους μηχανήματα.
Η αγάπη του για τα όπλα ξεκίνησε στη Σιβηρία, όπου ο χωρικός πατέρας του αναγκάστηκε να κυνηγάει, εκτός του να καλλιεργεί τη γη. Ο Καλάσνικοφ χρησιμοποιούσε συχνά το όπλο του πατέρα του όταν ήταν έφηβος και συνέχισε να κυνηγάει μέχρι τα 90 του.
Πολεμώντας στον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, ο Καλάσνικοφ είδε τα μειονεκτήματα των όπλων που χρησιμοποιούσαν οι στρατιώτες εκείνη την εποχή και αποφάσισε να κατασκευάσει ένα νέο όπλο για τον σοβιετικό στρατό.
Τα κυριότερα πλεονεκτήματα του ΑΚ-47 είναι το απλό του σχέδιο, το μικρό μέγεθος και ότι μπορεί να παραχθεί εύκολα και φθηνά.
Επί δεκαετίες, το ΑΚ-47 παραμένει το υπ' αριθμόν ένα όπλο που διακινείται νόμιμα ή λαθραία σε κυβερνήσεις, αντάρτες, εγκληματίες και άλλους.
Σε ορισμένες χώρες πωλείται πολύ φθηνά στη Σομαλία για παράδειγμα κοστίζει από 30 ως 125 δολάρια. Οι τιμές έπεσαν τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες λόγω της μαζικής αντιγραφής του ΑΚ-47.
Σύμφωνα με την Παγκόσμια Τράπεζα, από τα 500 εκατ. όπλα που κυκλοφορούν παγκοσμίως τα 100 εκατ. είναι Καλάσνικοφ, αν και ο ακριβής τους αριθμός δεν μπορεί να προσδιοριστεί λόγω των αντιγραφών.

Japan seeks more defense force...[ 3208 ]

Japan seeks more limber defense force

Jun Iiyama, Nikkei staff writer // December 12, 2013 6:04 am JST

The Osprey can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like a plane. 

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TOKYO -- Japan's new defense planning will emphasize speed and flexibility, with integrated land, sea and air forces and more maneuverable weaponry.

    Government and ruling bloc officials on Wednesday put together new National Defense Policy Guidelines and an accompanying medium-term plan. The cabinet is expected to finalize them, along with Japan's first-ever national security strategy, next week.

     Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's approach to national security addresses China's widening naval reach and the threat posed by North Korean nuclear weapons and missiles.

     "Dynamic Joint Defense Force," which is what the government is calling its concept, differs little in name from a key principle of the current guidelines, adopted in 2010 under a different ruling party. That idea, called "Dynamic Defense Force," seeks to boost deterrence by mobilizing units as needed anywhere in the country. But many in Abe's Liberal Democratic Party oppose simply copying the Democratic Party of Japan, hence the rebranding.

     The new concept will guide equipment selection for the Self-Defense Forces in the next five years covered by the medium-term plan. The emphasis on maneuverability is apparent in the choice of the Osprey, a vertical take-off and landing transport plane used by the American military that can move personnel and material faster than helicopters. The Global Hawk spy drone is also on the government's wish list.

     The Ground SDF will get new rapid-deployment divisions as well as an amphibious unit. It will also adopt a unified chain of command like the SDF's air and sea branches. A squadron of E-2C early warning surveillance planes will take up residence at the Air SDF's Naha base in Okinawa. The Maritime SDF will get additional small destroyers.

     Abe's government will seek an increase in defense spending compared with the period covered by the 2010 plans. Officials are eyeing upwards of 24 trillion yen ($230 billion) in outlays over the five years starting next April.

F/A-18, 35 years of distinction..[ 3194 ]

Navy honors F/A-18 for 35 years of distinction

Published: Tue December 10th, 2013 via: US Navy

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NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md. — The F/A-18 Hornet community celebrated the 35^th anniversary of the aircraft’s first flight during a ceremony today in the Rear Adm. William A. Moffett building atrium at NAS Pax River.
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Sponsored by the F/A-18 and EA-18G Program Office (PMA-265), the celebration highlighted the accomplishments and continued impact of the U.S. Navy’s longest running tactical aircraft program.
“The F/A-18 and EA-18G program continues to thrive; it is by far the predominant tactical force for naval aviation,” said Capt. Frank Morley, PMA-265 program manager, “and it will continue to be for many years to come.”
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Originally designed to replace the F-4 Phantom and the A-7 Corsair II, the F/A-18 Hornet took its first flight Nov. 18, 1978. Today, the F/A-18 platform, including the Hornet, Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler, operate in 44 Navy and 11 Marine Corps Strike Fighter and Electronic Attack Squadrons worldwide.
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Since its maiden voyage 35 years ago, the F/A-18 family of aircraft has flown 8,692,167 flight hours averaging nearly 250,000 flights hours per year since the historic journey.
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“The success of this program rests on the shoulders of many that have come before us, and many that have spent a lifetime supporting this program,” Morley said during the ceremony.
The ceremony’s keynote speaker, retired Vice Adm. Jeffrey A. Wieringa, shared a number of “sea” stories based on his experience as a past program manager (April 2000 to May 2003).
“I became a naval aviator in 1977 – just one year before the Hornet entered into service,” said Wieringa. “So, you could say that both the F/A-18 and I earned our wings right about the same time.”
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Rear Adm. Donald (B.D.) Gaddis, Program Executive Officer for Tactical Aircraft Programs (PEO(T)), also shared thoughts about his time as PMA-265’s program manager and what he believes has made the F/A-18 and EA-18G program so successful.
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“We have always had very, very good leadership inside the Hornet industry team, PMA-265 and in the competencies,” said Gaddis. “That successful culture is going to keep us flying as a team until probably 2030 or 2035.”
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The ceremony was followed by a luncheon and tours of Hangar 201, home of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23. Four static aircraft displays were on exhibition, each representing an iteration of the F/A-18. Boeing also provided guests the opportunity to “fly” the F/A-18 Super Hornet via its mobile simulator.

Deadly rampage in Afghanistan...[ 3138 ]

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales apologizes for deadly rampage in Afghanistan

'I can't comprehend their loss,' U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales says of his 16 Afghan victims in a sentencing hearing to determine whether he'll ever be eligible for parole.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, pictured in August 2011, said at a sentencing hearing that he accepted full responsibility for the deadly attacks on two villages in Afghanistan. (Spc. Ryan Hallock / U.S. Army) -

By Rick Rojas

August 22, 2013, 8:29 p.m.

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JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. — The U.S. soldier who pleaded guilty to killing 16 Afghan civilians, including women and children, and injuring many more condemned his conduct as an "act of cowardice" Thursday and apologized to the victims' families, his own family and his comrades in the Army.

"If I could bring their families back, I would," Staff Sgt. Robert Bales said in unsworn testimony at his sentencing hearing here. "I can't comprehend their loss. I think about it every time I look at my kids."
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Bales, 40, pleaded guilty in June to the 2012 rampage, avoiding the death penalty in exchange for a life sentence. Once the defense and prosecution offer closing arguments, scheduled for Friday, the six-member military jury will decide whether Bales will be eligible for parole.
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His defense has sought to humanize him as a dependable and upstanding man — a good father, a good soldier, a good friend — who had been tormented by war.
Prosecutors have countered that Bales has a troubled history with his marriage, finances, steroids, alcohol use and authority figures. They have also focused on the toll the rampage took on the families he attacked and on the military's relationships in Afghanistan.
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The defense had been expected to call mental health experts to testify about Bales' psychological state at the time of the attack, including a concussion and post-traumatic stress disorder from multiple deployments to war zones.
But Bales' attorneys declined. His lawyer, John Henry Browne, called it a "tactical decision," noting that doing so would have prompted prosecutors to call rebuttal witnesses. "It would have been the battle of the experts," Browne said.
Instead, the defense called old friends and fellow soldiers, men who could vouch for "Bobby" — as several referred to him — and his character.
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"He really sacrificed his own wants and needs for those of the team," said former professional football player Marc Edwards, who played high school football with Bales. "He was just an unbelievable leader. I looked up to him. I still do."
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Farris counted Bales as a subordinate in Iraq, and eventually as a friend. Farris called him a dependable go-getter who cared about his fellow soldiers. 
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Farris also described the carnage they saw during their time in Iraq: the danger, the bloodshed and the onerous task of cleaning up. He said that collecting a soldier's remains after a bombing, piece by piece, had stayed on his own mind.
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"At the time you're doing it, you're working," he said. "You're on high alert and things are different at that point because there's the threat of the enemy attacking you again.... It's the reflection afterwards, and there aren't many days afterwards that you aren't thinking of stuff."
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After the defense witnesses, Bales took the stand to offer unsworn testimony — a provision unique to military court that allows a defendant to speak but avoid cross-examination.
Bales said he returned from Iraq filled with seemingly irrational anger. Simple things — doing the dishes, running an errand — could send him into a rage.
Another of his attorneys, Emma Scanlan, asked how he readjusted after his first three tours in Iraq.
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"It was difficult, ma'am," Bales said. "It was hard. It didn't feel right. I was angry."
He drank, he said, and became dependent on sleeping pills. Certain sounds and smells could set him off, particularly those, he said, that he associated with combat.
"Nothing can describe the smell," he said. "It just takes you back immediately."
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Initially, he said, he told no one and sought no help for the anger, the drinking or the pills. "I didn't want to be weak. I didn't want to tell anyone. I tried to hide it." Later, he went to counseling for about six weeks but quit because, he said, he didn't think it was helping.
Scanlan didn't ask about specifics of the early morning of March 11, 2012, when Bales set off on a rampage through two Afghan villages. But she asked who he thought was responsible for the massacre.
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"I am," he said. "I'm responsible."
He expressed remorse to his family and fellow soldiers.
"Sorry I disgraced you," he said, turning to look at members of his family, including his wife, mother and brother, who sat in the courtroom.
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He showed the most emotion, however, when it came to the Army.
"I love the Army," he said. "I stood next to some really good guys, some real heroes.... I can't say I'm sorry to those guys enough."
When he finished, he sat back down beside his lawyers, bowed his head and stared at the table.
rick.rojas@latimes.com

Israelis shot down a drone ..[ 3102 ]

Israeli air force shots drone aircraft

Ari Rabinovitch and Amir Cohen
Yahoo Canada! News// Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:00 CDT

Posted 25/4/2013 18Q45 Grk Time

© Reuters
  A still image taken from Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) video footage shows what they say is a small unidentified aircraft shot down in a mid-air interception after it crossed into southern Israel October 6, 2012. 

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The Israeli air force shot down a drone after it crossed into southern Israel on Saturday, the military said, but it remained unclear where the aircraft had come from.

The drone was first spotted above the Mediterranean in the area of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to the west of Israel, said military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich.

It was kept under surveillance and followed by Israeli air force jets before it was shot down above a forest in an unpopulated area near the border with the occupied West Bank.

Leibovich said it was shot down at about 10 a.m. (0700 GMT), after it travelled east some 35 miles across Israel's southern Negev desert.

Defence Minister Ehud Barak praised the interception as "sharp and effective".

"We view with great severity the attempt to compromise Israeli air space and will consider our response in due course," Barak said in a statement.

Soldiers, assisted by helicopters, were searching the area for the remains of the drone, which security sources said most likely did not originate from the Gaza Strip.

Israel's Army Radio reported the drone was not carrying any explosives.

Israeli parliament member Miri Regev, a former chief spokesman of the military, wrote on Twitter it was an "Iranian drone launched by Hezbollah", referring to the Lebanese Shi'ite group that fought a war with Israel in 2006.

Defence officials would not confirm Hezbollah's connection to the drone.

On at least one occasion, Iranian-backed Hezbollah has launched a drone into Israel. And in 2010, an Israeli warplane shot down an apparently unmanned balloon in the Negev near the country's Dimona nuclear reactor.

The Israeli military released a 10-second video clip of what it said was Saturday's mid-air interception. In the video, a small, unidentified aircraft is seen moments before being destroyed by a missile fired from a fighter jet.
Source: Reuters --

Video

The Boston explosions ..[ 3083 ]

Pakistan Taliban deny involvement with Boston explosions

Andrew Buncombe //Tuesday 16 April 2013

The Pakistan Taliban, which claimed responsibility for a 2010 bomb plot in New York, has denied involvement in the Boston marathon attack.

A spokesman for the militant outfit said that while it supported attacks on the US and other nations, it was not behind Monday's assault that killed three people and left more than 140 injured.'

"We believe in attacking US and its allies but we are not involved in this attack," a spokesman for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, Ehsanullah Ehsan, told the AFP.
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Speaking from an undisclosed location, he added: "We have no connection to this bombing but we will continue to target them wherever possible."
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In the spring of 2010, an online video apparently produced by the Taliban claimed responsibility for a failed plot to attack Times Square, though a spokesman subsequently denied it. Pakistani-American Faisal Shahzad was later jailed for life for plotting the attack.
During his trial, Mr Shahzad said he had had received bomb-making training during a 40-day stay with the Pakistani Taliban. He was also shown in a video embracing Hakimullah Mehsud, commander of the TTP, who has on several occasions announced plans to attack major US cities
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Mr Shahzad said that upon his return to the US from Pakistan's tribal areas he planned the bombing and acted alone. He had left a vehicle packed with explosives in Times Square. Street vendors spotted smoke coming from the vehicle and contacted police.
"It's a war. I am part of the answer to the US terrorising the Muslim nations and the Muslim people," Shahzad later told a judge.
While reports suggest investigators in Boston are following various leads, no individual or group has claimed responsibility for the double blast.
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White House officials told reporters the attack was being treated as an act of "terrorism" though President Obama was careful not to use the word or to speculate about who may have been responsible when he spoke.
"We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," he said. "Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."

Dancing Tanks ...[ 2880 ]

Tanks Perform Crash-Bang Stunts outside Moscow

28 Ιούν 2012 // rianews

Shooting, jumping and even dancing military equipment was presented at a rehearsal of the "Invincible and Legendary" show in Zhukovsky outside Moscow. Watch this RIA Novosti video to see these choreographed tanks in action.