At 10:04am local time, Thursday, during a training exercise, a South Korean fighter jet, a KIA KF-16 dropped 8 bombs on the town of Pocheon in South Korea, near the border with North Korea.
Some of the damage shown as well as a quick snap of the aftermath of the explosion.
While only one of the bombs is thought to explode the damage destroyed a church and several other buildings. Thankfully although a reported 7 that were injured, some in critical condition and were hospitalized, there were no fatalities. All injured remained conscious, many involved had bone fractures and breaks and one man caught shrapnel in his neck while driving.
A South Korean Air Force official said ” Our KF-16, abnormally dropped 8 shells of MK-82 bombs, it landed outside of firing range.” The Air Force continued that they would be investigating the incident and apologized for the damage cause.
Korean KF-16 the licensed South Korean version of the F-16. MK-82
Rumors were pretty heavy across social media last night, most people were trying to push a narrative that the U.S. accidentally bombed a South Korean town which isn’t true. The U.S. and South Korea havent trained together yet since the new presidential administration and will be conducting their first drills on March 10-20 as reported several days ago by AP. Ever since twitter did away with the old way it used to do verifications, you very often will see supposedly verified blue check mark accounts, lying for clicks. Just something to be aware of.
On February 23rd US Central Command (US- CENTCOM) forces carried out a targeted airstrike on an automobile driven by Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay, a military leader of the terrorist organization Hurras al-Din (HaD), an Al-Qaeda affiliate operating in Northern Syria.
Video shows the airstrike on a vehicular claimed to be occupied by Muhammed Yusuf Ziya Talay.
The airstrike took place in Northern Syria on February 23rd while the video was not released until yesterday. The attack was carried out with a Hellfire AGM-114 R9X “Flying Ginsu” or “knife missile”. The AGM-114 R9X is a regular hellfire missile with the
AGM-114R9X
As we have said in the past, we will continue to relentlessly pursue these terrorists in order to defend our homeland, and U.S., allied, and partner personnel in the region,”
Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander, U.S. Central Command
The strike was the 3rd strike in February that targeted a member of one of the groups located in Northern Syria and the 4th strike of this nature since U.S. President Trump took office. During the Biden administration the group, made up of about 2,500 soldiers at best estimate, was given the designation as a terrorist outfit and strikes were carried out periodically that would target upper leadership. The group made a standby after the fall of Assad that they would be disbanding however US surveillance drone flights have increased in the northern Syria and Idlib region to make sure that the groups members don’t migrate to other theaters of conflict.
Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships, first spotted last week according to Australian officials, have carried out a military drill in the Tasman Sea, the area between Australia and New Zealand. The drill, carried out on Friday, consisted of ship maneuvers as well as a live-fire component. Air traffic in the region was warned only moments before the live fire drills started and were forced to divert to other routes.
“We haven’t been given a reason as to why they’re here in this configuration with this set of ships, with these different set of capabilities, and we don’t really have a sense of, you know, we haven’t been told where they’re going and why.”
Said New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. He continued
“They are in international waters, they are completely within the balance of international law and the UN Convention on the law on the sea, which is important, it is important that all countries have freedom of navigation, it works for us when we are out and about in the world as well.”
The task force of Chinese ships was led by Type 055 destroyer Zunyi. Also was the Type 054A Frigate Hengyang, and Type 903 replenishment ship Weishanhu.
February 17 concluded a 24 hour flight for a number of US aircraft that went on a “show of force” mission. Also called a “force projection” demonstration through the Middle East.
Flying out of RAF Fairford, South of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, 2 US B-52 Stratofortress long range bombers made their way south over Europe and into the Mediterranean and then on to the Middle East.
The Bombers were joined by a number of escorts from 4 regional partner nations at various points during its mission as well as at least 2 U.S. F-15 Strike Eagles.
B-52s flying with 2 US F-15 Strike Eagles as well as two unknown partner nation F-16s Vipers.
“Bomber Task Force missions demonstrate U.S. power projection capability, commitment to regional security, and ability to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the CENTCOM region”said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, CENTCOM commander.
While being mainly a power projection mission the bombers also took part in dropping live munitions on several target ranges located in partner nations.
Live fire range bombing (location unknown released by US CENTCOM)
These bombers are apart of the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron that just started the U.S. Air Forces first European bomber deployment for the year. They will fly out of RAF Fairford and are under command of U.S. Air Forces in Europe-Air Forces Africa (USAFE-AFA).
Some of the B-52s in Europe had already been photographed earlier this week when a picture was released by USAFE out of the cockpit of a B-52 showing them flying alongside French Dassault Rafales, Swedish Saab JAS-39 Gripens, and Finnish F/A-18 Hornets,other photos were later released of the the flight. (shown below)
Operation APEX COMMANDER shows the U.S. Bombers operating with European allied fighters.
“Bomber Task Force missions reinforce our ability to rapidly project combat power, demonstrating U.S. lethality and readiness in a dynamic security environment,” Maj. Gen. Joseph Campo, U.S. Air Forces in Europe–Air Forces
While the U.S. has shown a desire to back away from European security it’s likely that the bomber deployments will, at least for the moment remain. US Allies do not, for the most part, have the ground attack capabilities that aircraft like the B-52, the B-1 and the B-2s can bring (as well as the new B-21 Raider. and interest in training alongside these bomber forces remains high.
Yesterday at around 11:46pm local time the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) collided with the M/V Besiktas-M, a merchant vessel at the Egyptian port of Said near the mouth of the Suez Canal.
Position of the ships at the time of writing. (2:25PMEST) Both ships seems to be moving under their own power. Highlighted vessel is the Truman, the other goverment vessel shown to the south of it is the Guided Missile Destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) a part of its Strike Group.
Statements from navy officials say that no flooding occurred because of the collision and that the Truman was undamaged and her nuclear power plant was safe and secure. The status of the Besiktas-M is unknown at this time.
M/V Besiktas-M
The Truman was most recently deployed to the Red Sea and Mediterranean to combat the threat from Iranian backed Houthis in Western Yemen, as well as projecting power in the region and supporting other US and allied forces in the area. Recent Iranian actions have made maintaining a force in the Middle East increasing only important.
The Truman will likely continue or already has continued on its journey back to the Red Sea area. It was returning from a port call in Souda Bay, Crete Greece. NSA Souda Bay provides logistical and operational support to the components of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group
BWhile it might seem absurd to think a merchant vessel could get close enough to a carrier to collide with it in the first place because of the almost absurd amount of security around a U.S. Aircraft Carrier. However, in a restricted space such as close to the Suez Canal there isn’t room for everybody to maintain a distance from the carrier strike group and from how I understand it, all anybody can do is follow the international maritime “rules of the road” which have no requirements that merchant vessels make way for a carrier. All the U.S. can legally do is ask them to keep their distance. That’s how I understand it but if I’m wrong I welcome corrections.
Update
(5:00PM EST)
Some more info has come on the merchant ship Besiktas-M. It is a Panamanian-flagged bulk cargo ship. The ship has been heading north through the Suez canal heading to its destination states as being Constanta in Romania on the Black Sea. The Truman was heading south at the time when the mishap took place. The bulk carrier is said to have moderate damage above the waterline but continued under its own power.
Several updates on the war in Ukraine. Expect more coverage on this war from this point on. Im shooting for daily or at least every other day.
Ukrainian Armed Forces launch a renewed attack on territory in Russia’s Kursk region.
In an audacious assault Ukraine has managed to launch a surprise offensive from its controlled Russian territory in Kursk, Russia. Russian sources say that Ukraine launched their assault from southeast of Sudzha, pushing towards Fanaseyevka and Ulanok. Russian military bloggers estimate 500 soldiers and 50 armored vehicles (some of which are tanks).
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who confirmed the offensive with a statement, said “ “In the areas of the Kursk operation, new assaults have taken place…Russia has once again deployed North Korean soldiers alongside its troops.”
Russias Ministry of Defense on Saturday had repelled an attack was defeated in the town of
The Ukrainians seem to have taken advantage of an operational pause from Russia and North Korea and advanced around 3 miles to the village of Fanaseevka, east of the original lines. The forward element has taken position around the Fanaseevka for the moment.
Ukraine utilized a tactic often employed by Russia for this small advance, proving the Russians lines for weaknesses and then using small fast moving teams supported by small groups of armor to push in and shuttle infantry to new positions further past the original line of contact. This tactic was refined by Russia during the second year of the war, and has been useful since then.
French Supplied Dassault Mirage-2000 jets operating in Ukraine.
Images reportedly taken in the skys above Poland show the Dassault Mirage in the sky’s above Poland.
Ukraine has received the first of its French supplied Mirage-2000-5 multirole fighters according to the French and Ukrainian goverment. Ukrainian pilots that were trained in France for the past several months have also arrived with the planes.
These single-engine 4th generation aircraft have reportedly been upgraded as so they can utilize munition like the SCALP/StormShadow cruise missile and other guided munitions. Developed in 1991 these jets are comparable with many of the older munitions that Ukraine has been sent. The SU-24s currently filling Ukraines Air to ground attack needs can finally rest.
A Mirage 2000 with a SCALP EG/StormShadow cruise missile attacked underneath (in the center).
Sébastien Lecornu, the French minister of the armed forces said on Twitter “They will now participate in defending the skies of Ukraine.”
The Mirage-2000 5 received by Ukraine, are configured as an advanced air supremacy fighter however it has been modified to also carry out air to ground attacks making this a potent multirole fighter.
Ukraine also received a batch of multirole F-16s from the Netherlands that were reported yesterday. The F-16s received in the past were set up strictly for air to air but it’s unclear how these will be configured. The F-16 is a capable multirole fighter, maybe one of the best. All of the aircraft’s capabilities will be put to the test in the next couple months as the war continues. Ukraine will want to use these assets sparingly as they only have a handful at the moment and losing even one trained pilot could hurt them more than the plane itself . That being said video footage has already circulated which is claiming to be a strike on the Russian held town of town of Selydove, Donetsk Oblast in Eastern Ukraine.
Reported to show a US-supplied GBU-61/62 1000/2000 lb bomb being dropped on a Russian command post in Selydove, Donetsk Oblast. Likely carried out with a SU-25.
While the video is unconfirmed by either side I wanted to include it to show that Ukraine is actively using its air assets already, and will continue to do so.
Ukraine disputed claims that Russia has complete control over the remains of the city of Toretsk.
Fighting inside Ukraine the past 6 months has mostly been focused on the Donetsk Region. One of the reasons Russia desires the eastern part of Ukraine specifically is that areas like Donetsk Oblast are heavily industrialized and very valuable. One of these places being fought over is the city of Toretsk (Pop: 30,000).
Toretsk’s industry, before the war revolved around its coal mines and coke material plants. Coke is made from coal and is used as a fuel in fireplaces and stoves.
Like Bakhmut and Avdiivka and too many other city’s this war has taken a toll on the city with most of its inhabitants being replaced by soldier from the warring sides. The city skyline is filled with bombed out apartments and rubble. The city is essentially dead, like Avdiivka and Bakhmut.
The city of Toretsk as seen today.
Toretsk sits North of Dontesk city and Avdiivka and south of the former fortress town of Chasiv Yar. While Russia has claimed to control the city Ukrainian forces are still contesting it daily. In fact a sort of who can keep their flag up the longest contest has broken out between the two sides.
Screenshot from the UA Control Map showing the location of the different units that have been geolocated using video footage from the war.
The Russians have several different units that have been spotted operating in the area. Some of the notable ones are listed here.
The 9th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. Part of the DNR forces that were folded into the Russian Army to supplement all of the men lost to the fighting. The 3rd Spetsnaz Brigade. Special Forces Brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) Russia does its Special Forces a bit different than western armies. Their purpose is a mixture of what somebody in the west would normally think of when you say “Special Forces” like reconnaissance and counter insurgency but also able to do political warfare closer to what the CIA field agents do such as training guerrillas army’s and supporting regime allies. Using them as frontline soldiers is a good way to get a bunch of highly trained soldiers killed. At one point several years ago these guys had burned through 50-70% of their fighters.
Ukraine is defending with several motorized infantry battalions supported by several other battalions whose main focus is on drone warfare which has been highly effective on the frontline. While the city is a loss the Russian army is still determined to push forward and Ukraine is determined to meet them with force, and wipe out as many Russian soldiers as it can in a perfect example of attrition warfare.
Several days ago a Russian SU-25 was lost when it was downed by elements of the 28th brigade.
SU-25 frog foot shoot down and crash.
Expect more reports like this every couple days. As I get more researched on the current state of the war these reports will contain more information, this was just a plave to start and what’s been going on recently. Thank you for your support.
Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyer, USS Preble (DDG-88) utilizing its High Energy Laser with Integrated Optical-Dazzler and Surveillance (HELIOS) Weapons System.
USS Preble (DDG-88) firing its HELIOS system.
Helios is apart of a larger program aimed at the development of Solid State Lasers (SSL). Some of the other lasers being developed include the
-Ruggedized High Energy Laser (RHEL);
-Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN); -Solid State Laser Technology Maturation (SSL-TM)
-High Energy Laser Counter-ASCM Program (HELCA), for shooting down anti-ship cruise missiles.
All of these I’ve listed are in varying states of development and wont be fielded until a future date however HELIOS has been in a testing phase since 2021 and now has been fully integrated into the combat systems of at least the USS Preble (DDG-88) where it will be used to counter drones, small boat threats and missiles.
The main advantage of the direct energy weapons is the price. Lasers cost about $1 to fire compared to some missiles getting into the tens of millions of dollars.
Russias losses in Ukraine for the month of January reached almost 50,000, the second highest since the early days of the war.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the month of January 2025, the Russian armed forces lost 48,240 soldiers and 573 Russian armored vehicles and 230 tanks. In the Russian order of battle this is roughly equivalent to 3 motorized rifle divisions. In that time the Russian army has managed to take roughly 500 sq. kilometers (193 sq miles) in the Kursk Region as well as Ukraine. These numbers are almost identically to December of 2024 numbers except they took 100km more territory.
The situation in Ukraine remains much as it has the past couple months. Ukrainian forces continues to reinforce defensive points while Russia has kept its army’s pushing into enemy territory. Ukrainian forces have stepped up the intensity of attacks on Russian oil and gas infrastructure, with the Ukrainian security services (USB) targeting the regions of Volgograd and Astrakhan.
Astrakhan Gas Processing Plant
Future daily briefs will have more Ukraine reporting as I reconnect with my sources and find new ones.
Iraqi airstrike kills 5 ISIS operatives in Iraq.
On January 31, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF), supported by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted an airstrike near Kirkuk, Iraq. The attack killed 5 ISIS fighters according to CENTCOM.
“An initial post-strike clearance found multiple explosive suicide belts and other materials,”
CENTCOM confirmed in a statement, underscoring the strike’s role in weakening the group’s operational capabilities.
“ISIS remains a threat to the region and beyond, and CENTCOM, along with partners and allies, will continue to aggressively pursue these terrorists to protect the homeland,”
This operation was backed by Coalition Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CTF-OIR), which provided intelligence and technical support for the strike.
U.S. forces have recently stepped up strikes against ISIS targets since the fall of the Assad Regime in Syria. With the state being weakened it was a possibility that Daesh could attempt a comeback.
On the same note….
US Africa Command carries out airstrikes on ISIS in Somalia.
On February 1st, 2025, US president Donald Trump, in his first major U.S. Strike overseas since he took office, ordered US forces to carry out airstrikes on ISIS targets in Northern Somalia in the Golis Mountains. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that “multiple operatives” were killed in the strike.
F/A-18 Super Hornet
The strikes were carried out by planes from the navy and Air Force. FA-18 Super Hornets took part from the USS Harry S. Truman currently stationed in the Red Sea.
While the main threat in the area has been Al-Shabab, ISIL has been involved in attacks in Southern and Central Somalia. Even while facing the threat of US bombings as well as the policing actions of the Somolian Security Forces, and a fierce rivalry with Al-Shabob ISIS (ISIL) continues to grow and gain a strong foundation in the country.
US Forces kill senior operative of Terror Group Hurras al-Din in Syria.
The aftermath of the airstrike that killed Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir in Northwestern Syria.
On January 30th US CENTCOM (Central Command) forces conducted an airstrike in northwestern Syria targeting a senior operative of the US classified Terror group Huertas Al-Din (HaD) an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. The target was Muhammad Salah al-Za’bir a former ISIS member who later went on to become a member of the Syrian At-Qaeda branch. Not much else is known about him besides that CENTCOM describes him as a “Senior member” in the group.
A statement from CENTCOM on the strike:
“The airstrike is part of CENTCOM’s ongoing commitment, along with partners in the region, to disrupt and degrade efforts by terrorists to plan, organize and conduct attacks against civilians and military personnel from the U.S., our allies, and our partners throughout the region and beyond”
It ends with a warning from commander of CENTCOM, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla.
“CENTCOM will continue to hunt and kill or capture terrorists and defend our homeland against groups that plot to attack U.S. and allied personnel,”
Hundreds of thousands are currently fleeing the city of Goma and the surrounding area as M23 militia have reportedly commenced a large-scale assault on the area. The United Nations has said that M23 control the airport but that some pro-government militia and the Congolese army are still holding out.
Rwanda backed M23 Rebels take over a UN post in Goma.
Learning the past to better understand the present.
M23 or the March 23rd Movement and also known as the Congolese Revolutionary Army, is a Congolese majority Tutsi rebel army backed by Rwanda. They mainly operate out of North Kivu province which borders Rwanda and Uganda in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. A United Nations report in 2013 found that M23 was essentially created and led by the Rwandan government, headed by President and former revolutionary leader Paul Kagame since after the 1994 Rwandan Genocide.
To understand this current conflict we have to go all the way back to the genocide which was kicked off in ‘94 when the plane carrying President Juvénal Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu, was mysteriously shot down on its approach to the capital, of which the plane was Kigali. This sparked the 100 day murder spree that became known as the Rwandan genocide. An estimated 800,000 people, mostly of the Tutsi minority, were killed in that time frame by the instigation of Hutu extremists. At the end of the hundred days Kagame’s army had control of the country, and hundreds of thousands of Hutu extremists as well as normal people fled to the neighboring country of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (called Zaire until it was changed during the first Congo war in 1997).
Statement from new U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
The U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was sworn in the day before yesterday. This is some of what he had to say today in a messages to the forces.
“…The President gave us a clear mission: achieve Peace through Strength. We will do this in three ways – by restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding our military, and reestablishing deterrence.
-We will revive the warrior ethos and restore trust in our military. We are American warriors. We will defend our country. Our standards will be high, uncompromising, and clear. The strength of our military is our unity and our shared purpose.
-We will rebuild our military by matching threats to capabilities. This means reviving our defense industrial base, reforming our acquisition process, passing a financial audit, and rapidly fielding emerging technologies. We will remain the strongest and most lethal force in the world.
—We will reestablish deterrence by defending our homeland — on the ground and in the sky. We will work with allies and partners to deter aggression in the Indo-Pacific by Communist China, as well as supporting the President’s priority to end wars responsibly and reorient to key threats.
We will stand by our allies – and our enemies are on notice.
All of this will be done with a focus on lethality, meritocracy, accountability, standards, and readiness.
I have committed my life to warfighters and their families.
Just as my fellow soldiers had my back on the battlefield, know that I will always have your back. We serve together at a dangerous time. Our enemies will neither rest nor relent.
And neither will we. We will stand shoulder to shoulder to meet the urgency of this moment.
Like each of you, I love my country and swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will do that each and every day,”
-End statement
Pete Hegseth during his confirmation hearing.
Hegseth, a veteran and former Fox News personality only narrowly won his confirmation for SecDef with a Vice President tie breaker after the 3 republicans in the Senate joined with every democrats to vote no. His confirmation hearing was filled with allegations of past misconduct( that he denies) and claims that he is too inexperienced in leading a large organization like the U.S. military.
Russian oil refinery struck by a wave of Ukrainian drones.
Ukraines most effective strategy throughout the war has been the destruction of Russian logistics on the frontlines and behind the lines using missiles and drones. This constant picking away at the Russian war machines supplies has kept Russia pulling for stockpiles nobody thought would ever be needed. Supplies that went untouched for decades are now being pulled from occasionally (especially with regard to armored vehicles). This strategy worked so well that Ukraine decided to expand on it with unrelenting attacks on Russian oil production. The thought is simple: try to make fighting the war too costly to continue to fight.Russia is supposed to be an oligarchy and no matter how many of their rich and powerful Putin has thrown out of windows they do still hold some power in the country and can cause him problems.
Overview of the Ryazan Oil RefineryLoading and storage area, both of which sustained damage in the attack.
The refinery targeted was the Ryazan oil refinery almost 300 miles from Ukraine. It has been targeted by drones multiple times in the past 72 hours and has suspended all operations. The most recent attack took place on January 26th at 1:00AM (Russia time) Video discovered of one of the attacks shows a massive fireball as a result.
The full extent of the damage is yet unknown but we do know that among the damaged equipment that the oil storage was set ablaze as well as equipment used to load the product into rail cars.Russian media claims that the plants AVT-4 unit, which processes the crude oil into fuel distillates, was heavily damaged.
The Ryazan oil refinery is one of Russia largest with the capacity to process 17 million metric tons of oil a year.The profit from this oil is used to fund Russia’s war in Ukraine which is growing costlier as the years go by. Neither side can keep this up forever but with these attacks on important and valuable Russian targets Ukraine hopes to tip the scales in their favor.
Andriy Kovalenko, a reporter in Ukraine said on his Telegram channel ” The refinery plays an important role in providing fuel for both the civilian and military-industrial complex of Russia,”.
Global Conflict Reporting 
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