Final Update:
To see more than one hundred fascinating photos of what out troops did in 2015, such as the ones below, including people-to-people relations and wounded warrior sports activities, please click here.
U.S. soldiers shake hands with Afghan children while patrolling through a village near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, March 24, 2015. The soldiers are assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class David Wheeler
Army Sgt. Stefan Leroy runs a 1,500-meter event during the Army Trials on Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, April 1, 2015. Athletes competed for a spot on the Army’s team in the 2015 Department of Defense Warrior Games. DoD photo by EJ Hersom
Update:
The 2015 Military Year in review (below) included a progress report on the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and a video of the Navy’s F-35C which can take off and land vertically from aircraft carriers.
The review also mentioned that the Marine Corps received eight F-35Bs designed for short take off and vertical landing (STOVL), making the aircraft capable to “operate from quickly-prepared landing strips close to the front and away from the fixed airfields that would rapidly come under attack during wartime.”
Please watch the cool video below taken in May 2015 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma showing F-35Bs from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 practicing short take off and vertical landings.
Original Post:
The Department of Defense and several of the Military Services have published reports, videos and compelling images describing and depicting the most important achievements, issues and problems our military faced in 2015 — also the sacrifices they made and “everyday” acts and tasks they engaged in.
It is not practical to publish here all or even a small part of the texts and hundreds of images released. The following are selections by the author which will hopefully whet the interest of readers to browse through the year-end reports and view more excellent photography using the links provided.
I know our readers will join me in expressing our gratitude to our men and women in the military for what they have done for our country — for us — in 2015 and in wishing them all the best in 2016. To those in harm’s way, above all, a speedy and safe return home.
In addition to the ongoing fight against ISIL, military budget uncertainties, new initiatives to build the force of the future including incorporating “breakthrough technologies,” one of the most significant developments — one that that goes to the core of military tradition, standards and organization — was opening opportunities to women.
Women in the Military:
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, in a historic and controversial December announcement that came after three years of intense study, declared that all military occupations and positions would be open to women beginning in January 2016, with no exceptions. This means that women will be eligible for an additional 220,000 jobs — including combat, armor and some “Special Ops” jobs.
“They’ll be allowed to drive tanks, fire mortars and lead infantry soldiers into combat…They’ll be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers, and everything else that was previously open only to men,” Carter said.
“We must ensure that everyone who’s able and willing to serve has the full and equal opportunity to do so. And we must start from a position of inclusivity, not exclusivity. Anything less is not just plain wrong; it’s bad defense policy, and puts our future strength at risk.”
Defense Secretary Ash Carter
June 9, 2015
The Fight against ISIL:
Carrier Harry S. Truman launching its first strikes against the ISIL militants since arriving in the region two weeks earlier. (Photo: MC2 B.B. Petkovski/U.S. Navy)
Operation Inherent Resolve continued with accelerated efforts and increased participation by allies after the November terrorist attacks in Paris. It included increased emphasis on destroying ISIL oil facilities, weaponry and staging areas in both Iraq and Syria and targeted strikes that have killed numerous ISIL leaders.
Those killed include “several external attack planners, some of whom are linked to the Paris attacks [and] others [who] had designs on further attacking the West.” U.S. assets also aided Iraqi and Kurdish ground offensives” and the successful effort to retake Ramadi, the important capital of Iraq’s Anbar province.
The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman recently joined the fight against ISIL in the Persian Gulf and has now been joined by the French carrier Charles de Gaulle, fresh off strikes in Syria, validating the ability of the two strike groups to “successfully operate as an international coalition while conducting very dynamic operations,” according to Rear Adm. Bret Batchelder, the Truman CSG commander.
“The reality is, we’re at war. That’s how our troops feel about it, because they’re taking the fight to ISIL every day.”
Defense Secretary Ash Carter
Dec. 9, 2015
Afghanistan Mission:
CH-47 Chinook and UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters transport senior leaders from the Resolute Support mission and Afghan army to Tactical Base Gamberi in Laghman province, Afghanistan, July 30, 2015. U.S. Army photo by Capt. Jarrod Morris
In October, President Obama announced the United States would maintain its current level of 9,800 troops in the country through most of 2016 and stay and remain focused on two critical missions: training Afghan forces and supporting counterterrorist operations against the remnants of al-Qaida. The NATO-led Resolute Support mission, which began Jan. 1, 2015, includes a force of more than 13,000 troops from 42 nations.
“Over 14 years have passed since the 9-11 attacks and we haven’t forgotten why we first came to Afghanistan and why we remain. Since 2001, the exceptional efforts and courage of our forces have ensured that another terrorist attack originating from Afghanistan and directed against the U.S. homeland has not occurred.”
Army Gen. John F. Campbell
Commander of Resolute Support Mission
Oct. 8, 2015
European Security:
U.S. Army Pfc. Daniel J. Ackerman (left) and Cpl. Frank P. Perretta, both assigned to Lightning Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, observe for enemy activity during a situational exercise with the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas Mechanized Infantry Battalion, as a part of Operation Atlantic resolve in Pabrade training area, Lithuania, March 4, 2015. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Pablo N. Piedra)
Russia’s destabilizing actions in Ukraine and Syria remain one of the dominant concerns for U.S. defense leaders going into 2016. The United States responded to Russia’s destabilizing actions in Europe by conducting numerous military exercises with its NATO allies across Europe as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Trident Juncture, NATO’s largest military exercise in more than a decade, involved more than 36, 000 troops and 30 nations. Carter also asked allies “to increase their participation in cyber exercises, and encouraged them to work toward meeting NATO’s cyber defense targets to enable all to meet the highest standards for cyber security.”
“Given the complexity of challenges we face globally, it remains critical that we continue to work together with our allies and partners. This has been true for 60 years in [U.S. European Command], and it is true today.”
Air Force Gen. Philip M. Breedlove
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Commander of U.S. European Command
Oct. 30, 2015
Tech Outreach:
Talking about cyber security, pushing the high-tech envelope was a top Defense Department goal in 2015 which included the creation of Defense Innovation Unit-Experimental, or DIUx, to scout breakthrough technologies in the Silicon Valley region and build relationships with innovators.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter also announced its new cyber strategy in a speech at Stanford University to protect the department’s own networks and to defend the nation against significant cyber attacks.
In August, Carter announced the department’s investment of $75 million into a partnership with a large-scale consortium to produce hybrid electronics. In addition, the department expanded a program to allow service members to serve in top companies so they could bring back what they learned to keep the department on the cutting-edge.
“We’re looking and thinking outside of our five-sided box to forge new partnerships with America’s private-sector and tech communities.”
Defense Secretary Ash Carter
Sept. 30, 2015
Disaster Response:
U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Jessica Gomez-Hickman holds a young earthquake victim before placing her in an ambulance at a medical triage area at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, May 12, 2015. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Gunnery Sgt. Ricardo Morales
Responding to the massive, 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Nepal that killed almost 10,000 people, Defense Department launched Operation Sahayogi Haat, which means “helping hand,” involving hundreds of U.S military personnel and delivering more than 120 tons of humanitarian aid to displaced Nepalese citizens.
The tragic crash of a helicopter during a support mission killing six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers was mentioned here.
Closer to home, the National Guard responded to a blizzard that buried parts of the Northeast in January. About 1,000 Guardsmen battled wildfires in five Western states in August, and at least 1,000 Guardsmen responded to historic flooding in South Carolina in October.
Defense Department personnel have an “important role to play in bolstering our preparedness for hazards of all types — from hurricanes to wildfires — to strengthen our collective security and resilience.”
Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work
March 20, 2015
Major acquisition programs:
The much-maligned and controversial F-35 Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter made significant progress in 2015.
Lockheed Martin and the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Program Office announced that delivery of F-35s for 2015 has been completed, “increasing their yield from last year by 25 percent.”
A spokesman with the F-35 office said “45 F-35s were delivered, which met Lockheed and the program office’s delivery goal for the year and exceeded last year’s deliveries by nine jets”
Of the 45 jets delivered in 2015, the lion’s share has gone to the Air Force, which has received 26 F-35As. The Marine Corps received eight F-35Bs and the Marines and the Navy each accepted four F-35Cs, which can take off and land vertically from aircraft carriers.
To-date 154 operational F-35s have been delivered to the U.S. military and partner nations. The fleet has more than 45,000 flight hours.
The multirole fighter will eventually replace the Air Force’s entire fleet of F-16 Fighting Falcons and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.
The Navy took the first steps in integrating the fighters on its carrier force in early October when a detachment from Navy’s Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 “Salty Dogs” landed the first carrier capable JSF on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Watch the aircraft perform a perfect “slow-motion landing” below
Talking about acquisitions and videos, the most watched U.S. Navy Facebook video was one of the future USS Zumwalt for the first time conducting at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean, Dec. 7.
The multi-mission ship will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces.
Click here to watch the video.
For technical specifications and capabilities of this unusual ship, please click here.
Among the most viewed 2015 Air Force news stories is one about Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone being recognized for his “actions in saving countless during a terrorist attack aboard a train headed toward Paris Aug. 21. Stone and his two friends, Aleksander Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, were on vacation and headed from Amsterdam to Paris when an armed man entered their cabin.”
Below is a nice video of a Service we do not often hear of, but one that can frequently make the difference between life and death for our military and others all around the world.The doctors, nurses and technicians of the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS), comprise of almost 32,000 AFMS active duty personnel, almost 7,000 Air National Guard medical service personnel, almost 10,000 Air Force Reserve medical service personnel and 6,850 AFMS civilians.
Finally, a unique video by another Service not often in the headlines, the U.S. Coast Guard. The video below is about “any given day aboard Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell” performing a variety of Coast Guard duties through the Bering Strait up the Northern Alaska Outer Continental Shelf.
Lead image: U.S. sailors perform ground turns on an unmanned aircraft system aboard the littoral combat ship USS Fort Worth in the South China Sea, May 1, 2015. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Conor Minto
Click here to view the special DOD year-end report.
