Today the U.S. Navy confirmed the suspected launch of one of its Submarine launched Trident II Life Extension Program (D5LE) Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) from an Ohio-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine off the east coast of Florida.
On Sunday September 19th, the night sky in Puerto Rico were lit up as the launch could be seen from the Caribbean island.
This launch was apart of a preplanned set of launches to evaluate and ensure the continued reliability and accuracy of the system. The navy statement also added that this launch was not done as a response to any ongoing world events. It’s likely the proximity to Venezuela prompted that last part of the statement.
On Wednesday night, September 17,2025, a helicopter crashed near the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
“Joint Base Lewis-McChord confirms that a helicopter crashed on the evening of Sept. 17 in a rural area near the installation,” said Scot Keith, JBLM Garrison Public Affairs Officer. “The incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m.PDT. This remains a developing situation, and no additional details are available at this time.”
Civilian and military search and rescue crews responded to an area around Summit Lake, about 35 miles west of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, near to where the military said they lost contact with their helicopter and.
“Deputies have located what is believed to be the scene. We have been advised that the military lost contact with a helicopter in the area, and we are working closely with JBLM to deploy any resources needed to assist.” wrote the Thurston County Sheriff’s Department on its Facebook page.
Later on Wednesday night, in a separate post, the sheriff said that deputies that had first responded and found the crash site had to stop rescue efforts because of the heat from the scene melting their shoes.
Joint Base Lewis-McChord is a combined Army/Airforce base about 10 miles south of Tacoma. The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade operates out of Gray Army Airfield on the south end of the base. The unit is part of the 7th Infantry Division and I Corps, both of which have their headquarters at the base. While we don’t for sure know what kind of helicopter crashed. We know that the brigade flies the AH-64E Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and UH-60 Black Hawk. Civilians in the comment section of the sheriff’s department’s facebook post mentioned that at the stated time of the crash, that they had seen either a Blackhawk or an Apache.
This is an ongoing situation still however it’s not looking good for the crew. The crash is the suspected cause of a several acre fire that the rescue crews had to battle.
New information received as I was finishing this article reveal that the helicopter involved was a MH-60M “Black Hawk”with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), also known as the Night Stalkers. The Night Stalkers are some of the best of the best in helicopter aviation and are the guys called when the Seal Teams or Delta or any of those black ops guys need a lift. If this wasn’t a mechanical issue it could probably be attributed to the type of flying required by these guys. Low flying at high speeds comes to mind when I think of the kind of training being done by these guys, so as sad as it is, these things are bound to happen sometimes. People often forget about how dangerous training can be even when carried out far away from a battleground.
The U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon has been in service with the United States Navy since 2012 when it replaced the fleets aging and legendary P-3 Orions. The P-8 is a heavily modified version of a Boeing 737-800 passenger airliner. Swapping out the passengers and the passenger comforts with the equipment needed to preform the arduous and often overlooked task of Maritime Patrol and Anti- Submarine Warfare (ASW).
United States Navy P-8A Poseidon dropping one of its Mark 54 torpedo.
Featuring advanced sensors for tracking surface ships and submarines, including air-dropped sonar bouys and its AN/APY-10 surface search radar. In addition to detection and tracking systems, the P-8 can carry several weapons. Mostly the MK-54 airdropped torpedoes for ASW work but also the AGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missile. That was until the navy released the photo below showing something new. But back to that in a minute.
U.S. navy P-8 Poseidon shown with the AGM-158 LRASM. United States Navy P-8A Poseidon with a AGM-84D-1 Harpoon missile. The 84D-1 is an upgraded an extended range version of the Harpoon.
While the Harpoon’s almost 5 decades of service and extensive use in combat shows it is still a very capable weapon, it is outmatched in range by the air defense systems of some of the U.S. adversaries, especially the older models which are mostly if not all being phased out in favor of the II and II +.
The original Harpoon Block 1 missile has a range of around 80-100 miles.
The Block II has less range improvements at around 81 miles but was made me for combat around littoral waters so not as much range was needed.
Block II+ER, the newest generation of the Harpoon in use has a range of around 190-200 miles.
The Block II and Block II+ER have advanced capabilities added in like improved GPS guidance, and protection from Electronic interference. It’s possible that the Harpoon will still be used in some cases where the range and stealth of the LRASM isn’t needed.
While the harpoon isnt the United States only anti-ship missile it is the one that was specifically designed for that role. Some other choices include the AGM-84H/K SLAM ER which is kind of a sibling offshoot of the Harpoon and is an air launched land attack missile that can be used to target maritime targets. It has a range of 170 miles.
Enter the Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158C LRASM.
A display showing a LRASM and a JASSM
The AGM-158C is a derivative of the AGM-158B JASSM ER (Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range), a low detection air launched cruise missile designed by Lockheed Martin. The JASSM first entered combat striking Syrian government alleged chemical weapons targets in 2018 and more recently striking targets in Yemen.
The AGM-158C LRASM is a stealth launched anti-ship cruise missile. This integration has been planned for several years now and is giving the P-8 an effective surface weapon that better keeps the aircraft and crew out of harms way. The LRASM can also be used on the B-1 Bomber, the Navy F/A-18’s, and on any non internal pylons on the F-35.
F-35 test flight with the LRASM. Note, Neither LRASM Or JASSM can be carried internally by the F-35, it has to go on an outside pylon, which takes away some of the stealth of the jet. The Rockwell B-1 Lancer carries out an integrated test with the LRASM. Capable of carrying 24 internally, an announced pylon could add 6 more externally.
The LRASM has an incredibly advanced targeting and navigations suite and even more so for planned upgrades for this missile. The range of the LRASM depends on the block number. These numbers are also mostly estimates and going off of what public data is available, which is limited. The C-1 variant is listed as having a range of greater than around 200 nautical miles, the C-2 is said to be in the +500 miles range and the new C-3 they are working on is rumored to be in the 1000 mile range but is still in development. The C-3 of the future is supposed to be being developed with Artificial Intelligence integration which will allow data links between the missiles and allow them, according to John Keller from Military Aerospace Electronic, `advanced autonomous mission planning, target discrimination, and attack coordination, adjust flight paths based on real-time data, identify and track moving targets, and adapt to changing conditions like jamming and interference.
Adding this capability to the P-8 allows them to not only detect the enemy but to also engage them with the safety that range gives you.
Map put together by Ian Ellis Jones over on Twitter shows the ships currently moving into the South American region. Some of the locations are true, as of when the image was posted, others are approximate.
By. Scott Jackson
08/30/2025
A look at the recent increase in U.S. forces already in or heading to the Caribbean.
The U.S. is increasing its presence in the region in an effort, they say, to deal with drug trafficking. This has been a big issue for Washington and is currently causing some tension as the White House called Venezuelan leader Maduro a “Narco-Terrorist” and have made him the main focus of these efforts. Is this a regular drug operation, or something more? For now nobody’s sure.
So far eight ships and a submarine have been deployed to the 4th fleet/Southern Command [SOCOM] AOR. Making this the largest confrontation between Venezuela and the U.S. in years.
For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, this attention only strengthens his goverment hold on the country. The U.S. feels Maduro’s election back in 2013 and 2024 was due to election interference and say his victory was only assured because of ballot stuffing and other types of election fraud. Currently Washington has a $50 million dollar bounty for his arrest on charges of drug trafficking. Maduro’s response to the threat of the U.S. warships steaming towards southern waters was to declare that Venezuela would respond with the activation of 4.5 million militiamen.
“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro announced on state television.
Most believe that this move by Washington is aimed more at a show of force over actual U.S. intervention in the region, but in case it’s not just a well armed navel stroll around the block let’s go over some things.
Who is Nicolás Maduro?
Nicolás Maduro speaking to his supporters about the American forces heading towards Venezuela.
Maduro was born in 1962 and before he was a president he made his money as a bus driver for a long time before rising to become a trade union leader. In 2003 he was elected to the National Assembly and frim there appointed to a number of positions under the then president Hugo Chávez. He served as the president of the National Assembly in 2005-06, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006-2012. From then on he was Vice President under Hugo Chávez until his death in 2013. After Chávez’s death Maduro assumed the role of president and has stayed in the role ever since. Since then, Maduro has managed to stay in office, consolidating power along the way. The elections the country has run show Maduro winning, however claims of election rigging have run rampant.
Since Maduro rise to power Venezuela has been forced to endure widespread authoritarian rule marked by rigged elections, human rights abuse and economic hardship. Maduro’s goverment can be characterized by its mass allegations of corruption, the suppression of critical information and poor leadership. Widespread shortages have plagued the country and inflation of its currency, the Bolivar, has skyrocketed, tripling in the last several years. For a country as resource rich as Venezuela is, having one of the largest oil deposits in the world, these problems are inflicted mostly by the actions and policy of their government.
Demonstrators clash with members of Venezuelan National Guard during a rally demanding a referendum to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in San Cristobal, Venezuela October 26, 2016. Photo: Carlos Eduardo
What U.S. assets are being sent to Venezuela?
For now it seems that the bulk of the forces being mobilized for this operation -whatever it ultimately ends up lmbeing, are from the USS Navy with some help from the Air Force.
Earlier today radio calls from a USAF RC-135 ‘Rivet Joint’ were recorded as they communicated with the Mcdall tower out in Tampa Fl. The RC-135 was refueling “somewhere over the Caribbean”. This means that the Air Force is doing ELINT missions and gathering data from the region. The Rivet Joint is capable of picking up radar signals from hundreds of miles away as well as other types of electronic surveillance and reconnaissance.
ABATE07 (KC-135) is somewhere over the Caribbean right now fueling a RC-135.
We also have reports of Navy P-8 Poseidon’s out of San Juan patrolling around the Caribbean several days ago. These planes are mostly used for anti-submarine work but can still be used as spotters for surface ships as well.
Venezuela has one submarine that might or might not be operational so I don’t see the ASW assets getting all that much use here.
Ticonderoga-Class launching one of its standard missiles.
On to the ships. So far 9 ships have been ordered to the area. The most recent of the bunch is the Ticonderoga-Class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and the Los Angeles-Class fast attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750).
Los Angeles class submarine operating at periscope depth.
Three of the ships are Arleigh Burke-Class guided missile destroyers. USS Gravley (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102). These ships along with the Lake Erie provide the bulk of the firepower. All of the ships listed so far, including the submarine are capable and likely carrying a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles, among others.
Arleigh burke-Class destroyers intercepting targets during an exercise
Last but not least we have the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) a Freedom-Class littoral combat ship. These ships were, according to the navy “envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access and asymmetrical threats in the littorals.” Littorals refers to an area of the sea close to shore. Basically these ships are comparable to what other navies call corvettes.
Each of the freedom class comes with a hanger for the SH-60 or MH-60 Seahawk, as well as a ramp in the stern for launching smaller boats. These ships are capable of transporting and launching a small assault force with troops and fighting vehicles.
Image shows the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
Next is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) classified as a Wasp-Class amphibious assault ship and landing helicopter dock.
USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in the Atlantic sometime in 2008.
This ship carries various aircraft- mostly helicopters, and a lot of Marines as well as their equipment. This ship is essentially a floating marine base of operations capable of transporting them and their equipment into hostile territory and supporting them the AV-8B Harriers until 2027 when most of the assault ships are switching to F-35B’s. I don’t know if the Iwo Jima currently employs harriers or The F-35 currently.
USS Iwo Jima hiding in the fog.Marine Vertical take off F-35B coming in for a landing.
Moving on to the last two ships on our list we have the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) both of which are San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock’s. These ships are similar to the Wasp-class in that they are filled with marines and can be used as a launching point for their operations. They have a hanger for helicopters (or Ospreys) but lack the topside deck for planes.
Cut-away view of the San Antonio class. Artist concept of the San Antonio class.
These ships are designed as survivable and stealthy transports for ground forces. As shown in the image above they are also designed around the idea of launching the marines hovercraft to quickly transport massive amounts of marines and their equipment to the shores.
At 12:29PM on January 28th, 2025 a United States Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Video released of the incident shows that while on a training flight, the pilot, flying with the 354th Fighter Wing, lost control of his jet and was forced to eject while the jet crashes into the ground moments later.
Video of the incident. F-35 tail number 19-5535
The report going over the investigation into this crash came out today and fully explained the cascade of events that caused the crash. The culprit was water that had contaminated the hydraulic fluid for the nose landing gear. This water caused freezing in the hydraulic system and caused the nose gear to not retract properly and left it cantered 17 degrees to the left.The pilot initially on a call with Lockheed Martin engineers and together over the course of an hour efforts were made to fix the nose gear by doing touch and go landings. After the second touch and go landing the struts on both left and right landing gear had ice form around them causing them not to extend after the takeoff. Because of this, the aircraft’s “weight on wheels” sensors showed the aircraft as being on the ground and the plane automatically flipped to on the ground flight controls, while the plane was airborne. The pilot lost control at this point and made the decision to eject as the jet became uncontrollable . The jet crashed to the grounds of Eielson Air Force immediately after the ejection.
The pilot was treated at the time for minor, non life threatening injuries.
A fire aboard the San Antonio-class amphibious transport ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18) has, after 12 hours, been extinguished according to the U.S. Navy 7th fleet. The ship was anchored in the harbor at Okinawa at the time of the fire and it at least appears that the marines were not currently on the ship, however 2 sailers received minor injuries during the incident and were treated on board.
Video during the efforts to control the fire as tugboats cool down the metal of the hull with water.
The crew fighting the fire was assisted by sailors from another San Antonio-class amphibious transport ship, USS San Diego (LPD-17) which was moored at the White Beach Navel Facility. The crew was also assisted by the Japanese Coast Guard and military.
At this time the cause of the fire is still under investigation. The ship remains in Nakagusuku bay.
The New Orleans is apart of the Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious forces based in Japan.
The fire began at 4:00 PM on August 20th. Judging by where the tugs are spraying it appears the fire started near the living spaces and stores of the ship.
The navy overhauled how it fights fires after a 2020 fire on the big deck amphibious warship, USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) burned for four days and resulted in the total loss of the ship.
Yesterday, the Chinese PLAN (People’s liberation, Army Navy) claimed that they expelled a U.S. Navy Destroyer that entered its territorial waters near the Scarborough Shoals in the South China Sea.
Here’s the facts we know. The U.S. Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG-76) previously located at Cebu City in the Philippines sailed near the disputed territory around the Scarborough Shoal during a freedom of navigation patrol. This was two days after a Chinese coast guard cutter collided with a Chinese guided missile destroyer while chasing a ship from the Filipino coast guard. USS Higgins came within 12 miles of Huangyan Island (another name for Scarborough Shoal) , a highly disputed territory claimed by China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. It should be noted that the Philippines coast guard said that an Independence-class Littoral combat ship , the USS Cincinnati was also nearby.
The Chinese say that they forced the patrol to leave the area. The U.S. disputes this saying nothing thr Chinese said or did affected them in any way.
“China’s statement about this mission is false,” a spokesperson for U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement. “USS Higgins (DDG-76) conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and then continued on to conduct normal operations. The operation reflects our commitment to uphold the freedom of navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle. The United States is defending its right to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as USS Higgins did here. Nothing China says otherwise will deter us.”
The spokesperson for U.S. 7th Fleet said that the Freedom of Navigation Operation challenged the prior requirement of a notification and authorization that China and Taiwan seek before a warship makes an innocent passage in their territorial sea.
A FONOP or Freedom of Navigation Operation is a naval operation carried out by the U.S. to assert the right of free transfer through an area. usually, heavily disputed area. “The unilateral imposition of any authorization or advance-notification requirement for innocent passage is unlawful,” the spokesperson for the Japan-based fleet said in the statement.
This video which I believe is filmed by a PLA helicopter or drone shows a Chinese Type-055 guided missile destroyer shadowing the USS Higgins (DDG-76) a U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-Class destroyer. We also see the USS Cleveland (LCS-31) a Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ship that was also in the region.
A Chinese SU-27 is also briefly shown in the footage.
On July 20th, Airman Brayden Lovan, 21, stationed at F.E Warren airbase in Wyoming was killed. His tragic death has led to an investigation into the Sig Sauer M18, the Department of Defense recent procurement for its forces which replaced the aging and well worn Beretta M9’s among others used by the Marine Corps. Now, another airmen is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, making a false statement, and obstruction of Justice.
While no official report was released on the death of Lovan, the cause was unofficially attributed and reported as being caused by the un-commanded firing of his sidearm while in its holster and being tossed onto a table, which is believed to be the statement that the other airmen (unnamed for now) told to investigators.
“An individual has now been arrested on suspicion of making a false official statement, obstruction of justice, and involuntary manslaughter,”
-Spokesman with the Air Force.
The Air Force called the gunshot an “isolated incident that does not pose a threat to the base or community.”
In the aftermath of airmen Lovan death the M18 sidearms were pulled from service by the Air Force Global Strike Command until further notice. Since then a force wide review of the weapon has been ordered. The DoD has purchased around 125,000 of the M-18 in 2020.
“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure the safety and security of our personnel, the pause will remain in place pending the completion of comprehensive investigations by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the AFGSC Safety office,” Air Force Global Strike Command said in a press release in July. “During this period, Security Forces Airmen will be equipped with the M4 rifle, ensuring no lapse in AFGSC’s security posture.”
Image of the Sig Sauer P320 M18.
Sig Sauer also put out a statement, offering assistance in any investigation. Normally a weapons manufacturer wouldn’t involve itself a military investigation voluntarily but Sig has recently been combating allegations that their P320 handgun, as well as the military M18 version, having un-commanded discharges. The jury is still out on that allegation, but the allegations alone have hurt the company leading to lawsuits and a spat of online debate.
“SIG SAUER has ALWAYS and will continue to put the safety and security of the U.S. Military, the law enforcement community, our consumers, and the public first,”
Sig Sauer said in a statement.
Airmen Brayden Tyriq Lovan
Airmen Brayden Tyriq Lovan, 21, from Greenville, Ky joined the service in November 2023. His obituary described him as a “remote targeting engagement system operator,”a job running the bases security towers with the 90th Security Forces Squadron.
The Francis. E Warren airbase in Cheyenne, Wyoming is the oldest continuously used airbase in U.S. military service, and is the home of the 90th missile wing, tasked with maintaining and operating the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missiles.
SPC Taylor Adam Lee accused of trying to sell secrets Russia.
By. Scott Jackson
08/07/2025
On Wednesday August 6th, the FBI reported the arrest of Spc. Taylor Adam Lee, an American soldier who is accused of allegedly trying to steal and share classified information with Russia.
Taylor Adam Lee is a 22 year old, active member of the US Army, most recently stationed at Fort Bliss In Texas as a tanker with the 1st Armored Division. According to prosecutors and the military he was arrested on Wednesday and charged under the Espionage Act with attempted transmission of national defense information to a foreign adversary. Additionally, he was charged under the Arms Export Control Act. The government has requested that Lee be held without bond.
According to the US Justice Department, Lee “transmitted export-controlled technical information on the M1A2 Abrams Tank online and offered assistance to the Russian Federation.” He was attempting to trade the information he possessed on the Abrams to get citizenship in the Russian Federation. It’s unclear how it was revealed to investigators that Lee was looking to trade US secrets on its tanks to Russia.
The M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank.
Writing earlier this year Lee said online that “the USA is not happy with me for trying to expose their weaknesses,” and, “At this point I’d even volunteer to assist the Russian federation when I’m there in any way.” (CBS News)
During a meeting in July Spc. Lee met with somebody who he believed was a representative of the Russian federations intelligence services. At this meeting he handed over an SD card with technical data and other information regarding the Abrams Main Battle Tank. A discussion took place where Lee offered to give a physical piece of tech from the tank to the Russian “agent”.
After the meeting Lee messaged the agent “Mission accomplished.” He was later arrested by the FBI’s El Paso field office.
Lee at the time held a Top-Secret security clearance. This would have given him access to sensitive information on many of the US military’s systems.
GCR has reached out to the US Army and will update if a response is received.
The adversaries of the US regularly attempt to get active duty military members to share secrets, the widespread use of the internet has increased the risk of this happening greatly. In 2024 US officials warned that there was a large uptick in foreign spies targeting American’s through social media.
Update
As of this morning, I received back a response from the army as well as a statement from the first armored division. No new information but it helped me fill some things in
Early reports are coming out about a US Navy F-35C that has crashed in the area. The jet was out of Naval Air Station Lemoore in Central California and was apart of VFA-125, The ‘Rough Riders’. VFA-125 is a navy training squadron teaching pilots how to fly the F-35.
Report from California Highway Patrol indicating the jet thag crashed was an F-35.
Details are still coming in but CBS news reports that the crash happened sometimes around 6:30 PM in a small field near the NAS. Fire fighters announced later that 10 acres of grass had been burned because of a small fire caused by the crash.
The area being reported as the site of the crash.
We have no info on what caused the accident but we do know that the pilot safely ejected. The Navy will launch its investigation as soon as possible.
Analysis
The F-35 with all of its stealth and technical advancements is certainly a wonder of modern engineering. It’s basically a supercomputer that flys. That being said, it’s also highly distracting to fly, according to current and former pilots with experience with the airframe. The F-35 is capable of presenting a large amount of data to its operator. Pilots have reported that the overload of data can cause some distraction and a feeling of being overwhelmed. This is a completely personal opinion, but I’ve long pondered how much the F-35 would have benefited from being a two-seater and implementing a Weapons/Systems Officer to help with the workload.
The multi-mission and networked super speed information transferring capabilities of the jet gives you so much data, that pilots can become distracted trying to take it all in. We don’t know that this is what’s happened, it probably wasn’t, but I wanted to mention it. More than that, the jet has also had mechanical and software problems that have contributed to issues in the past. I won’t try to say for sure what happened but keep it mind that, sometimes, student pilots crash airplanes. We will know more after the investigation.
F-35 Cockpit
Update
“NAS Lemoore can confirm an aviation incident on the Operations side of the installation. At 1830, an F-35C attached to the VFA-125 “Rough Raiders” went down not far from NAS Lemoore. NAS Lemoore can confirm the pilot successfully ejected and is safe. There are no additional affected personnel. The cause of the incident is under investigation.”
I know I’ve been radio silent for a little while now. I’ve been filling for my boss at work as she recovers from a knee surgery so I haven’t had a lot of time during the day to write as I usually would. But things are clearing up and you’ll be hearing more from me.
Global Conflict Reporting 
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