Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: United States of America

  • China and the U.S. clash over US patrol in South China Sea. (Video Included).

    By. Scott Jackson

    08/15/2025

    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.

  • US THAAD missile supply down 20% globally after Middle East engagement.

    By. Scott Jackson

    06/29/2025

    A recent report released by the DoD has annonced that the U.S. has burned through around 15-20% of its global stockpile of interceptor missiles used in the THAAD system, while shooting down Iranian ballistic missiles, defending Israel from attack. THAAD only had its first combat interception last year but its effectiveness has already been well proven and with the data from its recent interceptions its performance will only improve.

    THAAD, or the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense is a U.S. air defense system that can engage and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate- range ballistic missiles, inside the earths atmosphere or outside of it.

    The U.S. currently has Seven THAAD batteries. Each are made up of at least six truck-mounted launchers with eight interceptor missiles each. The launcher can be reloaded once every half hour. The system is capable of supporting up to 9 launchers.

    THAAD mounted on a 4 axle heavy expanded mobility tactical truck (HEMTT)

    The battery also consist of a ground based radar. The Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance or AN/TPY-2. The AN/TPY-2 consist of 4 elements: an antenna unit, electronics unit, power and cooling, all on independent trailers. The X-band radar is capable of tracking targets out to between 500 and 1900 miles depending on mode and conditions. The radar is what gives THAAD its impressive accuracy. Note that the launchers can also utilize other radar if problems arise, such as any of the ship based Agis platforms.

    THAAD AN/TPY-2 and supporting systems..

    There is also the THAAD Fire Control and Communications (TFCC) which controls the overall operation of the system and also relays fire control informations to other systems like Patriot and other elements in the joint force. The TFCC includes two main stations: the Tactical Operation Station (TOS) and the Launch Control Station (LCS) . TOS and LCS incorporate wireless datalinks, networking equipment, and fiber optic cable interfaces.

    With near permanent THAAD batteries deployed to South Korea, Israel, and Guam, one can see its importance on some of the most high stress potential future and current conflicts. Finding a solution to a munition shortage problem in this area should become a high priority for the US as well as some of its partners who have bought the system. Defending the airspace during any conflict is paramount and could mean the difference between victory or defeat especially for the U.S. who doctrinally, look to maintain control of the airspace they are operating in.

    With near-permanent US operated THAAD batteries deployed to South Korea, Israel, and Guam, one can see its importance in some of the most high-stress potential future and current conflict zones. Finding a solution to the munition shortage problem in this area should become a high priority for the US and its partners who have purchased the system. Defending airspace during any conflict is paramount and could mean the difference between victory and defeat, especially for the US, which doctrinally aims to maintain control of the airspace it operates in.

    To combat the shortage in the weapon systems munitions Lockheed Martin has invested in streamlining the process for the production of these highly technical missiles, up to 500 missiles a year for the U.S. ,instead of the current number that hovers around 300. South Korea has chosen to invest more in its own domestic systems hoping to be able to reduce the reliance on the system. The UAE will likely be getting a replenishment of their stock from the U.S.’s stockpile. Overall the U.S. is pushing its NATO allies to develop their own domestic systems as to take some of the pressure off of the THAAD system, and create a more multi-layered threat protection. THAAD works best when supported by other counters to different types of air threats. One example of this is the MIM-104 Patriot system.

    Diagram showing a layered air defense plan where each system complements and enhances the other’s abilities.

    THAAD will continue to be an important part of the United States overall missile defense strategy.

  • B-2s head to Guam amid Middle East tensions

    By. Scott Jackson

    Updated.

    06/21/2025

    As the US president Donald Trump is set to meet with his NSC National Security Council tonight (Saturday) Six US long range strategic stealth bombers, the B-2 spirit are being moved to a U.S. base in the Pacific. At least 6 of them were spotted by flight tracking software along with their refueling planes. They took off from Whiteman AFB in Missouri and refueled soon after leading some to believe that the planes were carrying a considerable amount of weight at takeoff.

    Reuters spoke to several unnamed officials who said that no forward orders beyond Guam had been given yet.

    These bombers were recently positioned at the joint British/US base in the Indian Ocean, Diego Garcia. That location is the likely destination if these assets are to be moved closer to Iran. Currently at least two B-52’s are located at Diego Garcia.

    Assets like this are put in place ahead of time, even if they aren’t ultimately utilized to give the President options in case he decides to go forward, joining Israel and carrying out US offensive actions on Iran.

    The B-2 Spirit is a stealth, long-range bomber that can carry an assortment of munitions. For its likely intended purpose in destroying underground nuclear sites in Iran the B-2 is suspected to deploy one or more of the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator, or MOP. The GBU-57 is a 30,000 pound, GPS guided, bunker busting bomb capable of penetrating deep into the earth before exploding. The GBU-57 can penetrate up to 200ft of earth or 59ft of reinforced concrete. No there is some debate on whether or not the bomb could penetrate far enough down to destroy Iran’s site at Fordow.

    A mock-up of the GBU-57, shown in a B-2 Spirit simulator weapons loading training station At Whiteman AFB.

    The Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) also known as Shahid Ali Mohammadi Nuclear Facility is a partially underground, uranium enrichment facility that is located twenty miles North of the city of Qom. The base is mostly buried under a mountain making attacking the target difficult, maybe even impossible, even for the always impressive B-2 Spirit. It’s possible that cracking this nut could require the use of something less stealthy and more conventional. Possibly ground forces sent in to plant explosives. Either way the task of destroying the site gets harder every day that Israel (and the U.S.) wait. Iran has a chance to move the valuable scientists and equipment to another base, possibly the nuclear base Israel has an agreement with Russia not to attack because of a reported number of Russian scientists.

    What are your thoughts? How should the Iranian nuclear base be handled?

    Update.

    Instead of being moved to a preposition thr B-2’s bombed three of Irans nuclear sites. Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan were all struck.

    Per. Trump via Truth Social

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  • US Air Force F-22s and F-35s deploying to the Middle East.

    US Air Force F-22s and F-35s deploying to the Middle East.

    Four F-35’s and a tanker spotted over Italy

    By. Scott Jackson

    06/17/2025

    In connection to the sudden large wave of aerial refueling tankers spotted leaving the continental US and heading East over the Atlantic and into Europe, the US has announced it is deploying several fighter squads into the Middle East.

    According to reports the fighters have already left and likely have already arrived.

    Statement released on social media from SECDEF Pete Hegseth
    The tankers as they left the US and headed across the Atlantic.
    Final landing position.

    The tankers were previously spotted on the publicly available ADS-B where their location can be tracked so long as the military pilots leave it on. The capability to turn it off is included for missions of a more secret nature. The fact that the locations are turned on is an indication that US military leadership knows people are watching and is attempting to deter any potential enemy’s (Iran). Around 39 tankers total have left from the U.S. since July 15th.

    Tankers location as of an hour ago.

    The F-22 are reported to have been launched or are preparing to launch from Langley AOR force base in Virginia. Langley houses 3 F-22 squadrons, the 1st Fighter Wing and 192nd Fighter Wing. We don’t yet know if the F-22s have left yet but we do know that a l C-17 Globemaster III landed at RAF Mildenhall rhat had departed from Langley.

    The C-17 Globemaster III that landed at RAF Mildenhall on Jun. 17, 2025

    While the C-17 isnt a tanker these massive general cargo planes are used when a squadron or similar moves to a new location. It would be hauling weapons and some of the other administrative equipment needed. More of these flights are likely on the way.

    The F-35’s are believed to be either the Vermont Air National Guard or the 48th FW at RAF Lakenheath, in the UK. The 48th is the only F-35 squadron currently foward deployed so their proximity means they would arrive much sooner and be available for mission tasking as soon as you can load them up.

    I don’t have much more than that for now but it looking more likely that the U.S. is going to get involved in Israel and Irans fighting. Well more so than they already are. It’s a fact that Israel has already had US military support in this conflict but up until this point that support has been purely defensive. U.S. assets have assisted in downing drones and missiles coming from Iran.

    Reuters put out an article about this as well, their writer claimed to have talked to 3 defense department officials, 2 of them stresses the defensive nature of sending these fighters.

    I’ve reached out to several of the squadrons mentioned as well as the pentagon for a statement, however nobody has got back to me, I’ll update if they do.

    One other thing I’ll mention is the rumor of f-16s also being moved to the Middle East out of Italy but I have less info on that.

    The U.S. currently has around 40,000 soldiers in the Middle East. That’s combined everybody from air force to infantry and all the logistics and support crew jn between . 

    Thank you for reading! I’m always available for questions or comments and can be reached by email or through any of my social media pages.
    Your support helps grow this page as well as supports independent journalism and reporting. I’d also like to thank the people who send me tips and heads ups, as well as other reporters who I sourced to help write this any many other articles. Journalism is a team effort in the end. I’ve always felt it’s not about being first it’s about being right. 
    Any spelling mistakes are there to give the article character.

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  • Political violence in America as Minnesota speaker and her husband are slain in there home.

    Flyers found in suspects fake police SUV

    By. Scott Jackson

    06/14/2025

    Minnesota Representative and Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband were both killed in their homes early this morning in what seems to be a targeted political killing. Also shot in their home was Senator John Hoffman (D) and his wife, although fkr now they both remain in critical condition and are recovering from a life saving surgery.

    Police are searching for a suspect they have identified as Vance Luther Boelter, 57. Boelter was appointed by Gov. Walz to the bipartisan workforce development board in 2019. His term expired in 2023. Police say the gunman who they believe to be Boelter was dressed as a police officer when he assassinated and attacked his victims.

    Here is a rough timeline of the events.

    At around 2am on June 14, rhe police were dispatched to Minnesota Sen. Hoffman and his wife’s house where both had been shot.

    At around 3:45am police proactively” went to the home of Rep. Hortman, authorities say. It was there that they encountered the suspect, who was dressed up as an officer with a fake police vehicle. The suspect and officers exchanged gunfire but the suspect fled.

    “When our officers confronted him, the individual immediately fired upon the officers who exchanged gun fire,”Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said during a press conference on Saturday he also noted that the suspects car looked exactly like one of their squads SUV’s.

    The shooter escaped by running out the back of the house.

    At 5:30am a shelter in place order was given for a 3-mile radius around the Edinburgh Golf Course.

    At 9:45 it was announced by Governor Tim Waltz that that Hortman and her husband had died after being shot. He also said they’re “cautiously optimistic” about Hoffman and his wife’s recovery.

    Later around 11 the governor urged people not to attend planned “No king” rally’s as they believed the suspect would attempt to target protesters at these events. A manifesto was found which named other democrat lawmakers and Governor Waltz as well as well as abortion rights activist and abortion clinics, according to CBS news.

    Currently local and state police as well as the FBI are investigating and carrying out a state wide manhunt for Bolster.

    Vance Luther Boelter,

    The suspect here. Vance Boelter. I’ve yet to be able to find anything about him but I’ve got people digging. I’ve seen people already trying to paint him as a Democrat which I honestly very much doubt, given his anti- abortion views and who he targeted.

    So beware of people trying to pin this guy down without solid proof. The facts to me seem as of right now have me thinking he was Republican.

    That being said I’m more interested in seeing him caught and brought to Justice.

  • 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.

  • United States and Ukraine to sign a mineral deal today

    United States and Ukraine to sign a mineral deal today

    By. Scott Jackson

    04/20/2025

    Today after many weeks and several false starts the U.S. and Ukraine have signed a mineral deal giving the US access to Ukraines large swath of natural resources as well as acting as an implied security guarantee for Ukraine. While the U.S. has provided support through the course of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were times when that support was seen as lacking or even pulled completely this deal should see the U.S. as having a stake in the future of Ukraine. This comes as US president Donald Trump attempts to negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

    A map showing the vast mineral deposits in Ukraine.

    “this partnership allows the United States to invest alongside Ukraine, to unlock Ukraine’s growth assets, mobilize American talent, capital and governance standards that will improve Ukraine’s investment climate and accelerate Ukraine’s economic recovery.”

    Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

    From Ukraine

    “Together with the United States, we are creating the Fund that will attract global investment to our country.”

    Ukraine’s Economic Minister Yulia Svyrydenko

    This deal gives the US some stake in Ukraine’s future which will likely translate into other trades and deals down the road.

    While this deal doesn’t stop the way it does cause a problem for Russia, as does anything that strengthens the ties between US and Ukraine.

    This deal was announced earlier this year but was put on hold after a blow up in the Oval Office the two presidents, Donald Trump and Ukraine President Zelenskyy, got into an argument over the war essentially boiled down to Ukraine wanted a security guarantee and the U.S. didn’t want to commit under those terms. There is more but it’s been talked about enough elsewhere.

    This is a developing story and will be updated later. 

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  • Moscow report 69 drones shot down in massive Ukrainian drone wave attack (Videos)

    Moscow report 69 drones shot down in massive Ukrainian drone wave attack (Videos)

    By. Scott Jackson

    March 11th, 2025

    Early on Tuesday morning Ukraine targeted the Moscow region with its largest drone attack on the Russian capital since the start of the war, damaging high rise buildings and leaving at least 2 dead and 20 wounded including several children. Additionally, air traffic at all 4 of Moscow’s airport and the city’s train system was suspended and delayed.

    The drones approved the city in several waves according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin who put out a statement to local and international media.

    I‘ve added some videos of the attack taken by locals and local news.

    The scene from around the city as hundreds of drones attack Moscow and the regions around it.

    All of this comes after Ukrainian President Zelenskyy’s failed meeting with US president Donald Trump in which the two plus the Bice President JD Vance argued on live tv about the state of the war. After that meeting all US aid shipments to Ukraine were canceled along with all US supplied intel. The cancelation of the intel and supplies has been reversed but not before Russia made large gains taking back dozens of settlements that were held by Ukraine for months inside of Kursk. Tomorrow I’m going to do an overall update on the date of the war in Ukraine on all fronts, so stay tuned for that.