Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: News

  • North Korea’s new warship capsizes on launch.

    North Korean Destroyer under construction.

    By. Scott Jackson

    05/22/2025

    Yesterday, North Korea’s leader, Kim Jung Un along with a group of military and state leaders were present for the launch of the countries newest warship from the shipyard in the northeastern port of Chongjin.

    The ship is the 2nd of the yet officially unnamed class of guided missile ships launched in the past two months. The first in the series was called the Choe Hyon.

    Choe Hyon diagram.

    That launch was an absolute disaster as the guided missile destroyers stern slipped off the transport cradle that was to carry it into the water. The stern of the ship was thus stuck while the rest of it kept moving causing an as of yet unknown amount of damage to the destroyer as it capsized.

    In a shocking turn, the North Korean state run news were quick to confirm what happened and KCNA put out this statement

    “Due to inexperienced command and operational carelessness, the parallel movement of the bogies could not be guaranteed, resulting in the launching sled in the stern detaching first and causing the ship to capsize. The ship’s balance was destroyed due to a rupture in the hull in some sections, and the bow section was unable to detach from the keel.”

    This is a sharp contrast to the North Koreans love of secrecy with all things involving their military. Washington analyst have speculated this indicates a shift in North Korean thinking as they move forward with their attempt to build a blue-water capable fleet to extend their maritime presence into the pacific and beyond. Adding in the idea that the country likely wanted to get ahead of the news cycle before the satellites had a chance to do a fly over.

    Kim himself was more than displeased as he threw fury and accusations out in the aftermath. According to NK state run media Kim accused the military and the shipbuilders of incompetence. He called the incident as followed

    “…serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricism.”

    -North Korean leader Kim Jung Un

    Further, KCNA reported

    “Kim Jong Un made [a] stern assessment, saying that it was a serious accident and criminal act caused by absolute carelessness, irresponsibility … and could not be tolerated,”

    He has called for a meeting of the ruling Workers party in June where the “irresponsible errors” can be delt with.

    Satellite image showing the aftermath of the destroyer launch accident. NK has covered the ship in tarps to hide as much from view as possible.

    Satellite footage was released showing the current condition of the ship. Tarps were used to hide specific information. This type of side launch is a more difficult way to launch a ship requiring grater skill than simply sliding it in bow first.

    “The urgent restoration of the destroyer is not a simple practical issue, but a political issue directly related to rhetoric authority kd the country”

    Kim Jung Un.

    Kim has called for the ship to be repaired and operational within a month which is unlikely. The damage caused is likely to be severe.

    While North Korea has a small Navy building a missile destroyer is not something North Korean shipyards have done more than once, launching the Choe Hyon last month in April. However many have wondered just how North Korea managed to build a ship like the Choe Hyon so quickly. One reason is the new military cooperation between Russian and North Korea, Russia is able to offer help and advice on shipbuilding to North Korea and North Korea has given soldiers, missiles and other support. Another reason the ship was built so quick is because the ship has zero propulsion as of when it was photographed during some live fire weapons testing. A sign of corners being cut during its production in an effort to rush a destroyer program, a program that Kim Jung Un knows will give his country more renown.

    A shot of North Korean guided missile destroyer Choe Hyon during its live fire weapons testing. We can see a large open spot where the
    propulsion machinery for the ship would usually be.

    Without propulsion the Choe Hyon was almost certainly towed out of the harbor for its weapons testing.

    Choe Hyon and its unlucky sister ship carry an impressive arsenal of weapons that were seen during the before mentioned weapons demonstration. A large amount of Vertical Launch System (VLS) cells. One of the main missiles loaded will likely be a before, unknown air defense missile that we have little info on. Other missile include a supersonic cruise missile and extra large launch cells for ballistic missiles. In total these destroyers have 76 VLS cells broken up into 4-5 different sizes for different munitions.

    While the different size launch cells have some advantages, having your missile stock made up of that diverse of a stock also has its drawbacks, especially if you want these ships to focus on air defense as has been reported.

    The launch of an apparent surface-to-air missile from the foward set of 32 VLS cells.
    Launch of a Hwasal-2 (or a similar)Long Range Cruise Missile.
    Another shot of Hwasal-2 taken from the flight deck.
    Close up of the missile.

    The ships are also equipped with the 127mm caliber main gun on the bow as well as 2 AK-630 CIWAS (Close in weapons system).

    The ability of these destroyers to be utilized as long range missile platforms is the most interesting and strongest assets for this set of ships. Analysts have questioned whether this ability, even on what probably only amounts to a token capability for North Korea is enough to put it high on the list of targets should hostilities break out with the U.S. or other western powers. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    F-15s deployed to protect Diego Garcia.
    
			
    

    Picture of an F-15E
    




    By. Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/20/2025
    




    The U.S. Air Force has sent several F-15 fighters to the base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. The fighters are being deployed to help protect the isolated base as well as the important strategic asserts currently deployed there.
    




    In recent months the base has been the subject of many talks as the arrival of a number of long range strategic bombers was noted by analysts. Satellite imagery taken in late March shows at least 4 B-2 Spirit long range stealth bombers.
    




    Image taken in late March showing some of the B-2s as well as the refueling aircraft.
    




    The bombers were used to strike targets in Yemen before the White House announced thag the U.S. had completed its mission in the region (to the dismay of Israel and several other American partners in the region).
    




    The B-2s have reportedly since left the base but for a time their presence overlapped with that another titan of American air power, 4 B-52H’s that are currently still stationed at the base as of writing. 
    




    At the time this article was started their was believed to be 4 F-15’s that had been moved to the Indian Ocean to help protect the island base and the bombers however TWZ (Who originally broke this story) have since wrote another article and added two more fighters bringing the total to six. While official sources decline to state where the F-15s were moved from, open source trackers believe the jets came from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. This belief comes from watching the flight tracking data. While fighter jets don’t usually broadcast their live position through ADS-B, the refueling aircraft often do and can be tracked. 
    




    




    




    Kadena airbase in Japan is located 4,000 miles away from the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. 
    




    Last month Kadena received a contingent of F-15E’s forward deployed from the 336th Fighter Squadron (FS) (Also called the Rocketeers) at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina. Their relatively close proximity to an otherwise remote island makes them ideal candidates for this ACE force protection mission. 
    




    

    “As the Keystone of the Pacific, Kadena is a pivotal hub for Agile Combat Employment (ACE),” from an Air Force press briefing on the deployment of the 336th to Kadena.“The 18th Wing will continue to receive rotational units that strengthen capabilities, such as ACE, and project combat power in concert with allies and partners.”
    

    




    From The War Zone on ACE (From the article that originally broke this story). 
    




    ‘ACE is a term that currently refers to a set of concepts for distributed and disaggregated operations centered heavily on short notice and otherwise irregular deployments, often to remote, austere, or otherwise non-traditional locales.’
    




    Diego Garcia is one of the most “Austere or otherwise non traditional locales” while still being critically important to Department of Defense operations in the region. While remote the base is used for multiple different DoD needs such as hosting space force activities, being an important navy port(Especially to the nuclear submarine fleet) and using its lagoon as a shelter for the Sealift Command Prepositioning Ship Squadron. 
    




    While the bases remote location protects it from attack, some have suggested that Iran would be capable of hitting the base using missile carrying smaller warheads. Besides Iran, other peer and near-peer adversaries and potential adversaries have the ability to carry out longer range strikes using bombers, drones or missiles, making the presence of these fighters a welcome sight. 
    




    




    The War Zone originally broke this story, go check them out, their articles have always been a huge inspiration and they do some really amazing work.

    Thank you for taking the time to read and for your constant support. I wouldn’t be here without you all. To further support my work I would invite you to sign up for my Patreon, where I will be releasing some podcast episodes very soon. Membership and access to the podcast is $1 a month. I wanted to keep it cheap as a thank you for joining me on this adventure and allowing me to do what I love. 

    -Scott

    




    

    Patreon
    




    Buy Me a Coffee
    




    Everything Else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    A number of Mexican sailers injured after training ahip crashes into Brooklyn bridge. (Video Included)
    
			
    

    The masted Mexican training ship, the 
    Cuauhtémoc, sits after it was crashed into the Brooklyn bridge. 
     
    




    By. Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/18/2025
    




    Earlier today a Mexican Navy training Vessel carrying 277 people crashed into the Brooklyn bridge in New York. The ship, the ARM Cuauhtémoc, is a training vessel for the Mexican Navy.
    




    According to New York Police Department Chief Wilson Aramboles, who spoke in a press conference The ship lost power to its propulsion around 8:20 PM as the ship was being maneuvered by the captain. Moment before this the ship had been being assisted by a tug boat. The reported loss of power forced the vessel towards one of the pillars of the bridge and the mast struck the bridge smashing much of the upper mast of the ship.
    




    The ship is a training ship with both a mast for utilizing the wind as well as a more modern screw propulsion.
    




    New York Mayor, Eric Adams has said in a statement that 277 people were on board and of the 19 injured ,2 lost their lives and another 2 remain in critical condition.
    




    The bridge was shut down for a time but is back open now. 
    




    


    




    




    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    NATO carries out several large navel exercise across multiple theaters.
    
			
    

    




    By. Scott Jackson 
    




    




    05/14/2025
    




    Over the past several days the North Atlantic Treaty organization or NATO has carried out a series of large navel focused exercises across the Baltic, North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Norwegian Seas.
    




    For those who don’t know NATO is a military alliance between 32 member nations. Formed in 1949 as a way to provide collective defense to its members from the then perceived threat posed by the Soviet Union. It remained in place after the fall of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact.
    




    The fighting forces of of NATO are made up of the military’s of the nations that make up the treaty by rotating voluntary forces. However NATO keeps several permanent navel fleets standing as apart of NRF- NATO’s Response Force.  The fleets are made up of mostly destroyers and frigates from rotating in from member nations with the supply ships used by the fleet being the only constant. 
    




    Some of rhe ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2). 
    




    The past weeks exercises not only focused on their specific goals (which I’ll get to below) but showcased the just massive amount of firepower and capabilities that NATO and its combined nations can field. Let’s take a closer look. 
    




    




    Dynamic mongoose 25
    




    




    

    “Dynamic Mongoose is NATO’s largest and most intensive annual anti-submarine warfare exercise in Northern European waters. This year’s version, Dynamic Mongoose 25, has come to an end. It was both a great success and a memorable experience. With over 10 countries participating—with submarines, frigates, support ships, helicopters, Maritime Patrol Aircraft, and coast guard vessels—we have truly shown we are stronger together.”
    




    Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Arjen S. Warnaar, Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1)
    

    




    Brining together frigates, submarines, support ships and aviation maritime patrol craft Dynamic Mongoose is the largest ASW exercises conducted annually by NATO. The event was hosted by the Icelandic Coast Guard and involved personnel and equipment from more than 10 member nations all led by NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM). Carried out in the waters of the North Atlantic the forces would carry out different scenarios all designed around Anti Submarine Warfare and all of its complexities. The event teaches the crews how different crews and assets with very different abilities can work together to solve problems. 
    




    Dynamic mongoose had the participating sides rotate through hunting and evading in complex undersea warfare scenarios in the challenging conditions of the North Atlantic waters. 
    




    The GIUK-N Gap was a big focus for the event and is a key maritime corridor between Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom/Norway. This event focused on an area that would be one of the most important areas should the capabilities become necessary. In a war between NATO and Russia for example, thag corridor would likely be a hot spot for submarines and has been considered strategically important since the beginning of the 20th century. 
    




    A map showing the GIUK-N Gap. 
    




    Images from a previous year’s Dynamic Mongoose.
    




    




    Formidable shield 25
    




    Belgian navy frigate BNS Louise-Marie fires off a Sea Sparrow missile.
    




    Participating nations include crews, ships from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, U.K., and U.S. with the Australians providing a radar sensor for data collection only.
    




    Formidable Shield is the biennially (During the odd numbered years) occurring largest live fire exercise carried out in Europe. This year the event was carried out from Norway and the United Kingdom and the North Sea and Atlantic.
    




    This exercise focuses on Integrated air and missile defense among the different nations focusing on interoperability and the different procedures. In an overall defense plan, knowing your allies capabilities and their procedures and process is a positive. Learning what they can do, how do they do it, and how can everybody come together to strengthen everybody else.
    




    This years event was carried out with the ships of the U.S. 6th Fleet and executed by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO (STRIKFORNATO) and with participation from 11 member nations.
    




    NATO’s SNMG1 fleet taking part in Formidable shield 25. 
    




    

    “There is simply no substitute for the training and learning that occurs when we operate in these intensely realistic scenarios…Training as a collective using NATO command and control reporting structure forges the bonds of interoperability and strengthens the alliance as a whole. Exercises like ASD/FS are critical for refining our collective integrated air and missile defense capabilities, ensuring we can respond effectively to any threat from any direction and maintain a credible deterrent posture.”
    




    Capt. Michael Dwan, Commander, Task Group 154.64 and STRIKFORNATO’s U.S. Maritime Ballistic Missile Defense Assets Advisor
    

    




    Netherlands Navy HNLMS De Ruyter (F804) De Zeven Provinciën-class guided-missile frigate served as the command ship for the event which will last for 3 weeks. During that time the participating ships will conduct live fire drills against unmanned drone and surface targets as well as subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets. Multiple nations ground based air defense systems will also be involved with the exercise. 
    




    The event is in part put together by UK defense company QinetiQ who supply alot of the targets that will be used as well as helps with range measurements.
    




    Mediterranean strike 
    




    Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales (RO9), left and Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Cavour (550), right, lead the Mediterranean fleet. 
    




    Med strike is a large exercise ptaking place in the Mediterranean. It’s brought together one of the largest military navel fleets seen in decades  and includes, 21 ships from the UK and Italian navy’s. 3 submarines, 41 aircraft( half of which are F-35B’s) 19 helicopters and 10 maritime patrol aircraft and more than 8,000 crew and sailers. 
    




    Like most of these events this one has a large focus on multi-national cooperation between the different nations involved. Canada, France, Italy, Portugal, Norway, Spain,Turkey, UK and the United States. The participants will work together on several drills including, live fire exercises, air defense exercises, anti-submarine warfare, and drill covering defense against hostile drones. Also one drill will focus on cross deck flying between some of the F-35s utilizing both carrier decks for takeoff and landing.
    




    Some images from the exercise. 
    




    




    




    




    Open Spirit
    




    Ships from 11 nations come together in the Baltic for Open Spirit. 
    




    Open spirit is less of an exercise and more of a yearly operation however I thought I would mention it as well since it is happening now. 
    




    During the world’s two great wars, WW1 and WW2 the waters of the Baltic were heavily mined. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania rotate yearly on leading this NATO event which see ships coming in to attempt to locate and destroy these “Historic weapons”. Last year’s event found around 40 weapons in the waters off of Estonia and was joined by a ship from the Finnish Navy for their very first NATO operation. 
    




    This year the focus will be on Lithuania and success is already at hand as the first of the years weapons have been found and disposed of. An explosive device was located some 38 nautical miles from Klaipėda port gate, in Lithuania by French minesweeper FS Andromeda which is currently sailing with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCG1) 
    




    

    

    




    An image from Open Spirit 24 showing the destruction of a historic weapons on the seabed.  
    




    This operation makes the waters of the Baltic much safer for general maritime activities. Since 1997, just in Lithuania more than 200 mines, bombs, torpedoes, the remains of 17 sunken ships and two aircraft have been discovered. 
    




    




    All of these exercises have one major theme in common which I think is important. All of them focus mainly on how to accomplish the task while utilizing every nations strengths and working together. The working together part is a big one. NATO would crumble if these very different nations didn’t share a common focus. I suspect that the early days of the treaty were filled with a lot of communication breakdowns. 
    




    




    I want to thank each and every one of you for being here and reading. It’s through the support I’ve received that has brought GCR to where it is today. While I feel we have accomplished some major goals I still want to do more and with you all behind me it’s not a question of if but when. I have some major projects in the works right now and a good number of you will already have access to those when they drop on Patreon. 

    I can finally say that the plan is to do a big weekly recap show and possibly another if I can find some people interested in being interviewed. I’m looking to talk to people who are knowledgeable about the regions we cover or people who have interesting stories related to conflict or geopolitics. That will all drop for the members on Patreon, they have been patient long enough and I think they deserve something special. If you want access to that when it drops as well as other future benefits I’ll link to the Patreon below. It’s $1 dollar a month.
     
    Anyway I just wanted to let everybody know about what I have going on and what I’d like to accomplish this week. I’m excited to do something new. I love writing but this will have me outside of my comfort zone and that will be good. If people like it maybe I’ll make it a daily or every couple days kind of thing. 

    -Scott 

    




    

    Patreon 
    




    Buy Me a Coffee
    




    Everything Else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    India and Pakistan so far.
    
			
    

    




    By.Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/07/2025
    




    While Kashmir is rife with violence, this attack against tourist is against the unwritten rule between the militant groups and the local population who rely so heavily on the tourism industry.
    




    On Wednesday, India launched Operation Sindoor, utilizing fighter launched missiles to attack 9 targets in Pakistan and the Pakistani controlled region of Kashmir. The m strikes destroyed multiple locations used by terror groups Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), two of the largest Kashmir focused terror groups operating from Pakistan.
    




    The missile attacks were launched by India as retaliation for the April 22nd, 2025 attack in Pahalgam that left 26 people dead and injured a dozen more. The attack had been carried out on a tourist sightseeing destination in Kashmir and is one of the largest attacks on the region. The sightseers were ambushed on a path only accessible by foot or by horseback, in a meadow near a cliff, making escape during the attack unlikely. There were no car roads for miles.
    




    India claimed Pakistani goverment involvement had been discovered during the course of their investigation which Pakistan denies.
    




    Survivors tell of the horrors they witnessed that day, as gunmen opens fire from close range hitting one father in the head as his family watched.
    




    One survivor, Asavari Jagdale, told PTI that the gunmen came into the tent where they were hiding and accused them of being supporters of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The gunmen then killed all the male members of her family before her eyes.
    




    A local resident, Abdul Waheed told CNN that he jumped on his pony to help transport the wounded to areas where they could be transported by car. He even called others to help in this task. 
    




    

    “I saw people crying, screaming, just lying in the aftermath of the attack. There were children, women, men, everyone,” Abdul said. “It was a massive trauma. I did not sleep all night.”
    

    




    That brings us to today. On Monday India launched a “Operation Sindoor“, a strike involving SLAM-ER (Storm Shadow) Cruise missiles and AASM HAMMR bombs being launched at targets believed to be associated with Pakistani terrorist. 
    




    Map showing the locations of the strikes, most along the border. 
    




    India launched strikes on 9 targets with a reported 24 strikes. In the course of these attacks Pakistan claims it responded with air defense and Chinese made fighters and shot down 4 Indian fighter jets. One confirmed DeAssault Rafale, although Pakistan claims three more Rafale’s along with a MIG-29 and an SU-30 were also shot down.
    




    




    Vertical stabilizer of the above Indian Air Force Rafale jet. 
    




    

    Pakistan’s Air Force….” engaged with the Indian fighter jets in self-defense” and shot down five aircraft and a number of drones. 
    




    Ishaq Dar, Pakistan’s foreign minister and military spokesman
    

    




    Ishaq also claimed that Chinese-made J-10C fighters were responsible for the shoot down using the (also Chinese-made) PL-15E air-to-air missile. 
    




    Pakistani J-10C
    




    A Pakistani PL-15E found in Hoshiarpur, India..
    




    Video footage alleging to show an Indian Rafale crashing outside Bathinda Air Force base was also released. While a plane was reported to have crashed there by credible sources we don’t yet know if it was another Rafale. Will verify if possible. 
    




    

    

    




    




    Today (May 8th), has seen the continuation of violence as Pakistan responded to yesterday’s missile attack with a round of artillery and a drone attack stretching across several regions of India across much of the border region, as shown in the map below. 
    




    An updated look at where attacks have occurred.
    




    Both the Pakistan and Indian Navy’s issues NOTMAR’s (Notice to Mariners) warning maritime traffic of simultaneous navel weapons firing. 
    




    




    While this has escalated to slightly more than a border skirmish, it hasn’t yet spiraled out of control, however with both countries being nuclear powers it seems like all eyes are on India and Pakistan for the time being. 
    




    More later. 
    




    




    Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. Audio content very soon. 

    Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.  

    -Scott 
    




    

    Patreon
    




    Buy Me a Coffee
    




    Everything Else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    Second US Navy Jet lost from USS Harry S. Truman in a week.
    
			
    

    




    By.Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/06/2025
    




    Today according to the U.S. Navy an F/A-18 Super Hornet was lost overseas from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75). The jet and its two aviators were attempting to land when an “arrestment failure” occurred. The plane failed to catch it wire or the wire broke, either way the plane went off the end of the ahip causing the pilot and weapons officer to eject into the Red Sea.
    




    Both pilot and weapons officer were picked up by a rescue helicopter from the Truman. They suffered minor injuries but are alive. The jet was not recovered.
    




    This is the second loss of a Super Hornet this week. The first was caused by an accident during a high speed turn where the hanger crew lost control of the jet and a towing trailer. No injuries reported there. 
    




    Super Hornet and towing tractor. 
    




    The Truman was also reportedly fired upon earlier on Tuesday according to CNN. This was in the hours before the ceasefire was announced. I don’t believe the two events from today are related. 
    




    




    The F/A-18 cost around 70 million dollars. 
    




    Reached out to centcom for a statement, I’ll update with a response if received. I’ve had good luck when emailing them but it’s hit or miss with the DoD.
    




    




    Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.

    Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.  

    -Scott 

    




    

    Patreon 
    




    Buy me a Coffee
    




    Everything Else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    India launches precision missiles strike into Pakistan. Preliminary report
    
			
    

    




    By. Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/06/2025
    




    Today in what India calls a retaliation for the brutal Kashmir attack carried out in Pahalgam that killed 25 people on April 22. There is no love lost between the two countries but this attack stuck at the hearts of the people of India and the government who called for revenge. India launched missile attacks on 9 targets located in Pakistan and on Pakistans side of the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistan reports 5 targets had been struck in Punjab province.
    




    

    “Our actions have been focused, measured and nonescalatory in nature,” said the  Indian government after the strikes. “No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.”
    

    




    While India claims that all the targets were terrorist locations Pakistan is threatening that the strikes “will not go unanswered”. 
    




    

    “The temporary pleasure of India will be replaced by enduring grief.” -A statement from the Pakistani goverment. 
    

    




    Pakistan’s government has also announced that a “measured but forceful” response was already underway without sharing any details. 
    




    Videos from some of the strikes have circulated on social media which I will share below. 
    




    


    Bahawalpur, Pakistan
    




    




    


    I believe this is from the same strike. The target was a mosque run by Maulana Masood Azhar, leader of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) a terror group focused on India. 
    




    


    




    That’s all I have for now. I would urge caution. Both sides have been throwing misinformation into the works to confuse the situation. There is a rumor of an Indian F-16 being shot down that is so far unconfirmed. Be carful of pages posting unverified claims, they only care about the engagement they get, not actual facts. I’ll have more later on  when things become more clear and I can work through some of the images and videos. 
    




    




    Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.

    Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.  

    -Scott 
    




    

    Patreon 
    




    Buy me a coffee
    




    Everything else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    President Trump orders US forces to stop striking targets in Yemen; effective immediately.
    
			
    

    




    By. Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/06/2025
    




    After a months long bombing campaign against the Iranian backed Houthi terrorist in western Yemen, the White House has today announced that those strike will stop immediately.  This was announced after Houthi leadership made contact with the U.S. leadership and according to trump agreed to stop striking ships in the Red Sea. This puts a close to “Operation Rough Rider” under president Trump as well as hundreds of strike carried out by the former Biden administration. 
    




    The announcement was made during Trump’s meeting with Canadian PM Mark Carney. The conversation with the Houthis had been had the night before.
    




    

    “They have capitulated, but more importantly … we will take their word,” Trump said. “They say they will not be blowing up ships anymore.”
    

    




    It’s very likely Iran played a part in this turn. Possibly telling the Houthis to cease their actions against shipping following threats from the U.S. during the ongoing negotiations. 
    




    Trump wouldn’t say specifics on who he talked to only that the k do that the Houthis would be backing down came from “a good source”. The Houthis, reeling from yesterday’s attack by Israel released this statement yesterday. 
    




    

    “The operations of our armed forces will continue and the support by Yemen to Palestine will only end with the end of the aggression and siege against Gaza,” -Houthi statement from Al Masirah TV.
    

    




    While the U.S. has agreed to stop bombing the Houthis, Israel is another matter and have carried out more strikes since what was reported yesterday. Locals in Yemen as well as the IDF report the bombing of Sana’a airport as well as various power stations, and another concrete factory.  Videos included below.
    




    

    

    Video showing the full footage of the aftermath of the attack on Sana’a international airport. 
    




    

    

    




    US forces in the region.
    




    The U.S. has brought in a large amount of military assets to carry out its attacks against the Houthis.  Currently from the navy two aircraft carriers are operating in the region, the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75), these ships are both escorted and supported by numerous destroyer squadrons and several cruisers, not to mention their air wings. Several other destroyers have been ordered to the region and are operating separately of the carrier strike groups. Also USS Gettysburg (CG-64) and USS Princeton (CG-59) both Ticonderoga class guided missile cruisers have also been ordered to the region as apart of Operation Prosperity Guardian and have been used to strike Houthi targets as well. At least one Ohio class submarine USS Georgia (SSGN-729) has been spotted in theater as well. The Air Force has sent a large number of planes to the region included F-35s and F-22s as well as B-2 Spirit bombers stationed at Diego Garcia. As of several hours ago a pair of B-52s were heading towards the region from the continental US. It’s likely at least some of these assets will remain in the CENTCOM area of responsibility as negotiations with Iran over their nuclear program continue. The White House and Trump have threatened to use military force if the negotiations fail. 
    




    Image from USNi news shows the current general location of the U.S. aircraft carriers. 
    




    The Truman just several days ago had its deployment to the Middle East extended by another week, to continue to keep up a high tempo of attacks against the Houthis. This could possibly be extended further if negotiations are unsuccessful. 
    




    After writing this it was announced that Oman had carried out the negotiations between the Houthis and the US. They had been the go between in the conversation which led to the U.S. ceasing it’s military strikes. 
    




    




    I’d like to thank everybody for the constant support I’ve received. These last 5 years have flown by but I feel like GCR continues to grow and improve in its reporting and analysis. I’m always open to comments and questions and can be reached on Facebook or through my email which is listed on the website. 

    I’m currently looking for guest for a future podcast series I’m planning on running. If you have an interesting military story to tell contact me and let’s talk. I want to hear your stories. 

    If you would like to go the extra mile and further support me and the work being done here, you can sign up for my Patreon through the button below for only $1.00 a month. Future video and audio projects to be released there soon. 

    -Scott 

    




    

    Patreon
    




    Buy me a coffee
    




    Everything Else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    Largest Houthi port bombed by Israel
    
			
    

    Israeli F-15I Ra’am
    




    A large Israeli air attack was carried out today on several targets in Yemen. The port of Hodeidah along with the Bajil Cement Factory in western Yemen were both hit with multiple 2000 pound bombs dropped from a wave of F-15I Ra’am  of the Israeli Defense Force. 
    




    




    These images were taken and released by the IDF earlier today, only hours before the strike. We can see the Israeli F-15 variants loaded with extra fuel and a number of 2000 pound GBU’s. 
    




    The attack was in response to ballistic missile attacks that have been carried out in the past several days. One such attack miraculously managed to evade shoot down by the Israelis defense network as well as the number of US air defense systems in the area like THAAD which is specifically designed to shoot down involving ballistic missiles. That missile struck within 400 meters of the Ben Gurion international airport southeast of Tel Aviv. 
    




    The response was carried out by 20 fighter jets aided with support and refueling planes. The fighters dropped a reported total of 50 munitions across both targets. Israel has claimed that the cement factory targeted as well as the port were both important economic assets for the Houthis who control the territory and that the cement plant was being used to build underground tunnels used by the terrorist group. 
    




     
    




    

    

    Post from twitter showing the aftermath of the attack.
    




    

    

    More videos.
    




    




    Thank you for reading and as always thank you for the support. Doing this work is its own reward but I’m always looking to grow and expand my operations. If you would like to contribute to that I would ask you to sign up for a Patreon membership at only $1.00. Will be adding audio and video content there in the future. 

    -Scott
    




    

    Patreon 
    




    Buy Me a Coffee
    




    Everything else
    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    Ukraine’s new Magura V7 surface drone shoots down two Russian jets over the Black Sea.
    
			
    

    By. Scott Jackson
    




    




    05/05/2025
    




    Using American supplied AIM-9 sidewinder air-to-air missiles, Ukrainian forces have shot down two Russian fighter jets sent to intercept the drones as they patrolled the Black Sea. 
    




    First image released of Ukrainian Magura V7 Surface Drone. 
    




    On May 2nd, early  reports said that a Ukrainian Magura V5 drone had shot down a Russian SU-30 Flanker over the Black Sea however statements from LT. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, chief of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence Directorate (HUR), as well as president Zelenskyy show that it was in face the largest Magura V7. The V7 is a brand new version not seen before by the public. It is very similar to the former versions that were used to ram Russian ships while packed with explosion. Essentially from how it was explained the V7 is the air defense version of the Magura line of drones. 
    




    While it was initially reported that the V7 carried out the task of shooting down the Russian flankers with a modified R-73 (AA-11 Archer) we now know that American AIM-9 has been installed on ukra ian drones since around January according to a statement made by Budanov. 
    




    

    “We use a couple of models [of missiles] on our Magura-7, but the best results [come from] the AIM-9,” he noted
    

    




    


    Video shows the shoot down of one Russian SU-30 Flanker over the Black Sea. 
    




    Ukraine has made the Russian air superiority over the Black Sea come come into question as more than these two fighter jets have been downed. Last year Ukraine used an R-73 fired from a USV to down an Mi-8 Hip. 
    




    The AIM 9M sidewinder is similar to the R-73 previously used with some added capabilities. The Sidewinder has defense against infrared countermeasures , and a reduced-smoke rocket motor making it harder to spot and defend against. Usually used as a close range weapon on fighter jets it’s find new uses in the war in Ukraine.
    




    The U.S. as well as other allies have sent Ukraine an undisclosed amount of AIM-9M sidewinders that are used in several systems, including a SAM system that uses Sidewinders as well as Ukrainian F-16s. 
    




    




    Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.

    Thank you for all the support over the years and as we continue to grow and evolve.  

    -Scott 

    




    

    Patreon
    




    Buy Me a Coffee
    




    Everything Else