82nd airborne put on alert for deployment. One battalion in route to Kuwait .

a reply to: RexKramerPRT

Character length is not important. There's no way to tell what the actual message is, but I've heard as short as 5-6, and as long as 130. There have been several E-6Bs flying post maintenance check flights in the last few days. PLOP19 was broadcasting over their TWA last night.

a reply to: Zaphod58

were hearing now that Iraq wants us out, so im wondering if all this traffic is for build up, or to start pulling out equipment, whats your take?

a reply to: Zaphod58

Cheers

a reply to: SailorJerry

Iraq wants us out, but there's a lot more to it than just leaving. It has to go through parliament, get signed, and then there's a year long waiting period before it becomes binding. So it's not like we have to rush to get everything out. Most of what's there will probably just go into storage in Kuwait or Qatar for when we have to go back.

The EAM is most likely just a systems check by one of the Mercury aircraft. They had a rough year and had several aircraft damaged, including two by on board fires. They have to check all the systems after putting them back together, including the TWA transmitter.

Looks like the air bridge is still hopping. Four C-17s over Europe. Two over Romania, one over Germany, and one over the UK. Several RCH aircraft heading up the east coast as well.

Speaking of E-6Bs, SORT25 just went off the west coast.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Yea they had 2 up yesterday looked like they were flying a track near NTTR I figured they had a part in the nights red flag. Might have been 2 birds 1 stone though.

Edit: 1 was flying under the Tacoma handle.

a reply to: RickyD

They're based at Tinker in Oklahoma City. So you'll see them in that area.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: SailorJerry

Iraq wants us out, but there's a lot more to it than just leaving. It has to go through parliament, get signed, and then there's a year long waiting period before it becomes binding. So it's not like we have to rush to get everything out. Most of what's there will probably just go into storage in Kuwait or Qatar for when we have to go back.

The EAM is most likely just a systems check by one of the Mercury aircraft. They had a rough year and had several aircraft damaged, including two by on board fires. They have to check all the systems after putting them back together, including the TWA transmitter.

www.marinecorpstimes.com... ng-middle-east-tensions/

The U.S. has ended a planned exercise with the Moroccan military to send roughly 2,500 Marines into the Mediterranean Sea as tensions between the U.S. and Iran rise, a defense official confirmed on background to Marine Corps Times.

The risk of a new conflict between the U.S. and Iran increases in the fragile region, many experts say, after the killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the revered leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Quds Force.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit aboard the amphibious assault ship Bataan, amphibious transport dock New York and the dock landing Ship Oak Hill, canceled its planned participation in Exercise African Sea Lion, the defense official confirmed.

Also Trump says : townhall.com...

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, the U.S. president said: “If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis, we will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever. It’ll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.”

“We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pay us back for it.”

He added that “If there’s any hostility, that they do anything we think is inappropriate, we are going to put sanctions on Iraq, very big sanctions on Iraq.”

MYTEE51 and 52 launched heading to the Middle East. Fairford is open as a divert base but they'll probably go straight through. MYTEE53 is an airborne spare.

Six B-52s going to Diego Garcia for possible operations. MYTEE51 and 52 today, with 53 as a spare. Two more flights of three tomorrow with one in each flight operating as a spare and returning home.

a reply to: Zaphod58

The U.S. is also building up a special operations capability in the region. According to Politico, a company of 150-200 U.S. Army Rangers is deploying to the region. This matches a series of flights observed on January 2, including two giant C-5M Super Galaxy and one C-17 Globemaster III transports taking off from Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia.

link

Keep moving pieces into place.

a reply to: pavil

There were multiple flights from Hunter. That's also home to the 3rd of the 160th.

A lot of the data for MYTEE flight is blocked, but they were able to take on fuel, and one aircraft is now heading back south along the east coast.

SPUR51 and 52, KC-10s meeting someone off Nova Scotia.

Fort Campbell has begun moving. Probably 160th again.

One of the C-32Bs is over Colorado.

a reply to: Zaphod58

We getting busy early tonight? They just had a readiness excercise in Utah with the first 2 units to have a full switch to the F-35s. 78 total there now...wonder when we will see them deploy.

a reply to: RickyD

They already are. The 388th and 419th Fighter Wings deployed for 6 months, returning November 1st, then turned around and deployed again November 20th.

Interesting. There's a C-32B that came out, went over Philly, got out just short of Cleveland and made a 180.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Thats like me when I forget my coffee before work

Damn...the air bridge is popping off hard now...tankers up and traffic flowwing both ways. I would have thought the 82nd has moved with what we saw already. Are we seeing other units move now?

a reply to: RickyD

One of the two went through the airport in Hawaii my buddy works at. They were supporting them while they quick turned. He said they got the stairs to the aircraft, and six guys come off the aircraft. First thing they said was, "where's the nearest Pizza Hut". They came back with about 40 pizzas.