End Of Days News
The Army faces a $18 billion shortfall this fiscal year that will delay training for soldiers deploying to Afghanistan in 2014, the Army’s chief of staff said Tuesday.
The shortfall also could force the Army to cut 40 percent of its Brigade Combat Teams and as many as 100,000 active duty and reserve soldiers, ArmyGen. Raymond Odierno said after a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
Under automatic spending cuts set to begin March 1, soldiers readying to go to Afghanistan would “fall behind” in training, which would delay their deployment until mid- or late 2014, Gen. Odierno said.
“I know what is required to send soldiers into combat. And I’ve seen firsthand the consequences when they are sent unprepared,” he told the committee.
“I began my career in a hollow Army. I do not want to end my career in a hollow Army,” said Gen. Odierno, who began his service in 1976.
The Pentagon is operating under a continuing resolution that holds military spending to 2012 levels. Automatic spending cuts set to begin March 1 would require the Pentagon to cut at least $42 billion from its budget by Sept. 30 and as much as $500 billion from its 10-year spending plan.
Already, the Army is laying off 3,100 employees, imposing a hiring freeze and planning to furlough up to 251,000 civilians for one day a week for 22 weeks.
The Army is planning to cancel third and fourth quarter vehicle maintenance, which will result in laying off 5,000 employees.
Gen. Odierno said there also will be a significant delay in equipment readiness for six divisions and an estimated $3.36 billion impact to the communities surrounding the bases affected by the cuts.
Educational courses, training and certifications also will be curtailed, he said.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Death from a swarm of tiny drones: U.S. Air Force releases terrifying video of tiny flybots that can can hover, stalk and even kill targets
End Of Days News
The Air Vehicles Directorate, a research arm of the Air Force, has released a computer-animated video outlining the the future capabilities of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The project promises to revolutionize war by down-sizing the combatants.
'MAVs will become a vital element in the ever-changing war-fighting environment and will help ensure success on the battlefield of the future,' the narrator intones.
'Unobtrusive, pervasive, lethal - Micro Air Vehicles, enhancing the capabilities of the future war fighter.'
The project, which is based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was revealed in the March issue of the National Geographic magazine.
Air Force officials said they have already produced tiny remote-control prototypes - but they consume so much power that can only operate for a few minutes.
Researchers estimate that it will take several years of advances in battery technology to make the designs feasible.
Still, the Air Force has a clear concept of what it hopes to accomplish with the program.
The promotional video begins with a swarm of tiny drones be dropped on a city from a passing plane.
The drones will work in concert to patch together a wide, detailed view of the battlefield - singling out individual targets without losing sight of the broader scene.
'Data will be communicated among the MAVs to enable real time, reliable decision-making and to provide an advanced overall picture for other platforms or operators,' the Air Force says.
As the drones fall, they begin to fly - not like planes, but like insects. High frequency flapping wings allow the drones to hover and maneuver in tight spaces.
The military has already produced a drone patterned after a hawk moth that can flap its wings 30 times a second. However, the activity exhausts the drone's tiny battery in just a few minutes, according to National Geographic.
Another drone type soars like a pigeon and perches unobtrusively on a power line to observe a surveillance target with a camera.
The Air Force is working on technology that will allow the drones to steal electricity from power cables and other sources - so they can continue to operate for days or weeks on end.
The Air Force training video shows a winged MAV following a target as he drives through the streets of a dense city.
Advanced sensors will enable 'optic flow,' which will allow remote pilots to fly by 'sight' - rather than flying by GPS, which can be disrupted by buildings or deliberately jammed by enemy forces.
The video depicts three drones following the target into a house, where they maneuver hallways and rooms undetected.
'Small size and agile flight will allow MAVs to covertly enter locations inaccessible by traditional means of aerial surveillance,' the narrator says.
The video follows the drones as they fly through an open door and sneak up behind a man who is aiming a sniper rifle.
'Individual MAVs may perform direct attack missions and can be equipped with incapacitating chemicals, combustible payloads or even explosives for precision targeting capability,' according to the video.
On screen, a small, hovering vehicle pauses before shooting the man directly in the back of the head.
Death from a swarm of tiny drones: U.S. Air Force releases terrifying video of tiny flybots that can can hover, stalk and even kill targets
- Air Vehicles Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, is already developing prototypes of tiny drones that can hover
- The Micro Air Vehicles will work in swarms to provide complex surveillance of a battlefield
- They can also be armed with incapacitating chemicals, combustible payloads or even explosives 'for precision targeting capability'
The Air Vehicles Directorate, a research arm of the Air Force, has released a computer-animated video outlining the the future capabilities of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs). The project promises to revolutionize war by down-sizing the combatants.
'MAVs will become a vital element in the ever-changing war-fighting environment and will help ensure success on the battlefield of the future,' the narrator intones.
'Unobtrusive, pervasive, lethal - Micro Air Vehicles, enhancing the capabilities of the future war fighter.'
Hovering: Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) are the future of the unmanned drones program, according to a new video from the Air Force. The Air Force has already developed a drone capable of hovering like a moth
Perching: The video, released by the Air Vehicle Directorate, shows a pigeon-like drone that can draw power from an electrical wire while its camera watches a target
Crawling: The drones will be equipped with legs so that they can crawl through tight spaces like an insect
Air Force officials said they have already produced tiny remote-control prototypes - but they consume so much power that can only operate for a few minutes.
Researchers estimate that it will take several years of advances in battery technology to make the designs feasible.
Still, the Air Force has a clear concept of what it hopes to accomplish with the program.
The promotional video begins with a swarm of tiny drones be dropped on a city from a passing plane.
The drones will work in concert to patch together a wide, detailed view of the battlefield - singling out individual targets without losing sight of the broader scene.
'Data will be communicated among the MAVs to enable real time, reliable decision-making and to provide an advanced overall picture for other platforms or operators,' the Air Force says.
Killing: The video demonstrates how MAVs could be used to sneak up behind unsuspecting targets and kill them with a single, lethal shot
Lethal: The drones could be equipped with incapacitating chemicals, combustible payloads or even explosives 'for precision targeting capability'
The military has already produced a drone patterned after a hawk moth that can flap its wings 30 times a second. However, the activity exhausts the drone's tiny battery in just a few minutes, according to National Geographic.
Another drone type soars like a pigeon and perches unobtrusively on a power line to observe a surveillance target with a camera.
The Air Force is working on technology that will allow the drones to steal electricity from power cables and other sources - so they can continue to operate for days or weeks on end.
Swarming: The drones couple be dropped en masse over a battlefield or a city and would work together to create a complex surveillance network
Working together: The drones would use advanced software to navigate by 'sight,' rather than GPS - which can be blocked by buildings or by jamming from the enemy
Advanced sensors will enable 'optic flow,' which will allow remote pilots to fly by 'sight' - rather than flying by GPS, which can be disrupted by buildings or deliberately jammed by enemy forces.
The video depicts three drones following the target into a house, where they maneuver hallways and rooms undetected.
'Small size and agile flight will allow MAVs to covertly enter locations inaccessible by traditional means of aerial surveillance,' the narrator says.
The video follows the drones as they fly through an open door and sneak up behind a man who is aiming a sniper rifle.
'Individual MAVs may perform direct attack missions and can be equipped with incapacitating chemicals, combustible payloads or even explosives for precision targeting capability,' according to the video.
On screen, a small, hovering vehicle pauses before shooting the man directly in the back of the head.
President Obama holds off-record meeting with top White House reporters
End Of Days News
President Barack Obama held an off-the-record meeting with top White House reporters on Thursday afternoon, POLITICO has learned.
The meeting, with reporters from major print and television outlets, comes days after the White House Correspondents Association complained publicly about their lack of access to the president during a golf outing in Palm Beach, Fla., and one day after Obama met with local television reporters.
White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to comment on the meeting.
"Potus has meetings all the time. I don't comment on all of them," he told POLITICO in an email.
WHCA president and Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the meeting.
On Sunday, Henry released a statement on behalf of the White House press corps expressing "extreme frustration... about having absolutely no access to the President of the United States" during his vacation in Florida and promised to fight for greater transparency. POLITICO followed that news on Monday night with an extensive report about the president's media relations strategy, noting that Obama's careful "limiting, shaping and manipulating" of the media had left reporters "scrambling for access." The president held one-on-one, on-the-record interviews with reporters from local television affiliates on Wednesday.
In a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Carney said he was "completely sympathetic" to the press corps' concerns about access.
POLITICO was not invited to the meeting, though it has been invited to similar off-the-record meetings in the past.
President Barack Obama held an off-the-record meeting with top White House reporters on Thursday afternoon, POLITICO has learned.
The meeting, with reporters from major print and television outlets, comes days after the White House Correspondents Association complained publicly about their lack of access to the president during a golf outing in Palm Beach, Fla., and one day after Obama met with local television reporters.
White House press secretary Jay Carney declined to comment on the meeting.
"Potus has meetings all the time. I don't comment on all of them," he told POLITICO in an email.
WHCA president and Fox News White House correspondent Ed Henry did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the meeting.
On Sunday, Henry released a statement on behalf of the White House press corps expressing "extreme frustration... about having absolutely no access to the President of the United States" during his vacation in Florida and promised to fight for greater transparency. POLITICO followed that news on Monday night with an extensive report about the president's media relations strategy, noting that Obama's careful "limiting, shaping and manipulating" of the media had left reporters "scrambling for access." The president held one-on-one, on-the-record interviews with reporters from local television affiliates on Wednesday.
In a White House press briefing on Wednesday, Carney said he was "completely sympathetic" to the press corps' concerns about access.
POLITICO was not invited to the meeting, though it has been invited to similar off-the-record meetings in the past.
DHS, FEMA, POLICE USING CIVILIAN SHOOTING POSTERS FOR TRAINING. WHY?
End Of Days News
Why would DHS be using civilian target posters for training their officers? If this had happened 20 years ago the outrage would have been sufficient to have disbanded DHS and probably tried those responsible for treason – but not now because treason is in and true patriotism is out. However, these target posters for rifle and handgun training shows us the real plans of FEMA, DHS and the New World Order – and that is, they are not going to come for your guns, they are coming to kill you, plain and simple. These posters are an outrage, but it does also show just how far our so-called American companies will go to make a buck.
Please also notice what these posters say – “NO HESITATION”. That means you shoot to kill with no questions asked – and this is one more proof of how late the hour really is. Now that the cat is out of the bag, people need to know that they have every right to defend themselves, because the Bill of Rights was given by God, not man, and not government. Therefore only God can take it away. So no matter what laws are passed, and no matter how belligerent the government may get, their so-called laws and edicts mean nothing, and are not worth the paper they are written on. How stupid and how insane our government has become but also how dangerous. If the American people do not rise up and impeach these traitors, then serious mayhem will begin and civilian American blood will flow. The real terrorists are now those of the New World Order. They will stop at nothing to obtain their goal, and they do not care how many they have to murder in cold blood to obtain it. These posters say it all as to what FEMA and DHS are all about. It has nothing to do with safeguarding the American people, but it has everything to do with governments own security because they are afraid of you. That is why they want the guns; there is no other reason. They can kill you far easier if you are unarmed and they know it. BE WARNED, IT IS NOW HERE. Are you listening? Are you willing to go silently to your grave or do you have the guts to fight back when they knock on your door? You have to decide
For all you scoffers!!!! You always have an explaination what is a good reason for this?
Please also notice what these posters say – “NO HESITATION”. That means you shoot to kill with no questions asked – and this is one more proof of how late the hour really is. Now that the cat is out of the bag, people need to know that they have every right to defend themselves, because the Bill of Rights was given by God, not man, and not government. Therefore only God can take it away. So no matter what laws are passed, and no matter how belligerent the government may get, their so-called laws and edicts mean nothing, and are not worth the paper they are written on. How stupid and how insane our government has become but also how dangerous. If the American people do not rise up and impeach these traitors, then serious mayhem will begin and civilian American blood will flow. The real terrorists are now those of the New World Order. They will stop at nothing to obtain their goal, and they do not care how many they have to murder in cold blood to obtain it. These posters say it all as to what FEMA and DHS are all about. It has nothing to do with safeguarding the American people, but it has everything to do with governments own security because they are afraid of you. That is why they want the guns; there is no other reason. They can kill you far easier if you are unarmed and they know it. BE WARNED, IT IS NOW HERE. Are you listening? Are you willing to go silently to your grave or do you have the guts to fight back when they knock on your door? You have to decide
The Great Shiite Fleet
End Of Days News
Iran is significantly expanding its naval capabilities as the U.S. Navy removes one of its two aircraft carriers from the Persian Gulf due to budgetary constraints.
As the U.S. Navy cuts its fleet to account for impending cuts to the defense budget, Iran has significantly boosted the regional deployment of advanced warships capable of carrying armed unmanned drones and other types of firepower.
The U.S. Navy announced recently that budgetary constraints forced it to cut in half the number of aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. The reduction comes despite an official Defense Department directive ordering no less than two carriers be present in the region due to concerns about Iran.
Iranian military leaders are now declaring naval supremacy in the gulf while mocking America’s presence in the region. Additionally, Iran has launched a weeklong series of military drills dubbed “Great Prophet 8” across its southern region.
“Today we have powerful navy, and also very good commercial fleet, and we should strive to accelerate coast line infrastructure developments,” Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s Navy, was quoted as saying in Iran’s state-run media earlier this month. “We can confront any enemy anywhere.”
The rhetoric is apparently being supported with aggressive action unseen in decades. Iranian leaders view the navy as its primary deterrent to attack and are moving more ships into the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and elsewhere, according to reports.
The Islamic Republic’s 24th fleet of warships was sent on a three-month deployment that will reach as far as southeastern Asia, according to Iran’s Press TV.
“The Navy’s 24th fleet of warships will patrol the north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea for three months and will even sail as far as southeastern Asian countries,” Sayyari was quoted as saying last month.
An Iranian presence in these regions would enable it potentially to disrupt critical shipping lanes such as the Straits of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil supply passes.
It also enables the rogue regime potentially to carry arms to terrorist forces in Sudan and other African countries.
“While the international community focuses on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, the Iranian government has been investing heavily in both its regular navy and its corollary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N),” according to a recent report written for the U.S. military.
Additionally, Iran announced that it is building new naval bases as far away as Pakistan, according to Iranian military leaders.
Sayyari announced earlier this week that a new naval base is being constructed near the Pakistan port city of Gwadar, an economically important area located near the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
Sayyari said the base would help Iran “better control movements in the region,” an ominous warning as Western nations continue to warn Iran against disrupting global trade routes.
Iranian warships have also begun travelling to the Strait of Malacca, one of Asia’s most important shipping lanes.
“This fleet of warship will definitely traverse through the Strait of Malacca in the very eastern point of the Indian Ocean and will then return to Iran,” Sayyari was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.
Iran will also build sea bases on its southern coast “in a bid to strengthen the country’s line of defense,” according to Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi.
“With its powerful presence in Makran coasts, the [Iranian] Army’s Navy can push back enemies from the coasts and prevent them from exercising their strategy,” Vahidi was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency.
Western experts warn that Iran is serious about boosting its naval expertise, particularly as it ramps up the production of uranium that could be used to fuel a nuclear weapon.
“Iran’s navy is its insurance against [nuclear] containment,” said Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser on Iran and Iraq. “The more active its navy, the less willing Arab states concerned about [President] Obama’s lack of reliability will be to defy rather than fold to Iranian threats.”
Iran has performed an increasing number of naval drills over the past months aimed at showing the U.S. and other Western nations that its military prowess has improved.
Iran unveiled a new stealth submarine earlier this year that it claims can evade Western radar technologies.
The U.S. Navy announced it was reducing the size of its fleet from 313 to 306 to Congress last month and reduced its active carrier fleet to 10 vessels.
Further reductions “will leave the Navy unable to surge a large number of ships and strike fighters to a hot spot like the Persian Gulf,” the Washington Times reported Wednesday.
These reductions leave the force incapable of responding to multiple regional threats, experts say.
“On one hand, Iran is expanding its navy to give Iranian sailors their greatest operational range since the 10th century,” Rubin said. “Obama’s defense? Cut carriers, lay off Marines, and send the Senate’s two greatest defeatists to reassure American allies.”
As the U.S. Navy cuts its fleet to account for impending cuts to the defense budget, Iran has significantly boosted the regional deployment of advanced warships capable of carrying armed unmanned drones and other types of firepower.
The U.S. Navy announced recently that budgetary constraints forced it to cut in half the number of aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf. The reduction comes despite an official Defense Department directive ordering no less than two carriers be present in the region due to concerns about Iran.
Iranian military leaders are now declaring naval supremacy in the gulf while mocking America’s presence in the region. Additionally, Iran has launched a weeklong series of military drills dubbed “Great Prophet 8” across its southern region.
“Today we have powerful navy, and also very good commercial fleet, and we should strive to accelerate coast line infrastructure developments,” Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, commander of Iran’s Navy, was quoted as saying in Iran’s state-run media earlier this month. “We can confront any enemy anywhere.”
The rhetoric is apparently being supported with aggressive action unseen in decades. Iranian leaders view the navy as its primary deterrent to attack and are moving more ships into the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and elsewhere, according to reports.
The Islamic Republic’s 24th fleet of warships was sent on a three-month deployment that will reach as far as southeastern Asia, according to Iran’s Press TV.
“The Navy’s 24th fleet of warships will patrol the north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab-el-Mandeb, the Red Sea, Suez Canal, and the Mediterranean Sea for three months and will even sail as far as southeastern Asian countries,” Sayyari was quoted as saying last month.
An Iranian presence in these regions would enable it potentially to disrupt critical shipping lanes such as the Straits of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s oil supply passes.
It also enables the rogue regime potentially to carry arms to terrorist forces in Sudan and other African countries.
“While the international community focuses on Iran’s nuclear and missile programs, the Iranian government has been investing heavily in both its regular navy and its corollary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGC-N),” according to a recent report written for the U.S. military.
Additionally, Iran announced that it is building new naval bases as far away as Pakistan, according to Iranian military leaders.
Sayyari announced earlier this week that a new naval base is being constructed near the Pakistan port city of Gwadar, an economically important area located near the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf, according to Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
Sayyari said the base would help Iran “better control movements in the region,” an ominous warning as Western nations continue to warn Iran against disrupting global trade routes.
Iranian warships have also begun travelling to the Strait of Malacca, one of Asia’s most important shipping lanes.
“This fleet of warship will definitely traverse through the Strait of Malacca in the very eastern point of the Indian Ocean and will then return to Iran,” Sayyari was quoted by Fars News Agency as saying.
Iran will also build sea bases on its southern coast “in a bid to strengthen the country’s line of defense,” according to Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi.
“With its powerful presence in Makran coasts, the [Iranian] Army’s Navy can push back enemies from the coasts and prevent them from exercising their strategy,” Vahidi was quoted as saying by the Fars News Agency.
Western experts warn that Iran is serious about boosting its naval expertise, particularly as it ramps up the production of uranium that could be used to fuel a nuclear weapon.
“Iran’s navy is its insurance against [nuclear] containment,” said Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon adviser on Iran and Iraq. “The more active its navy, the less willing Arab states concerned about [President] Obama’s lack of reliability will be to defy rather than fold to Iranian threats.”
Iran has performed an increasing number of naval drills over the past months aimed at showing the U.S. and other Western nations that its military prowess has improved.
Iran unveiled a new stealth submarine earlier this year that it claims can evade Western radar technologies.
The U.S. Navy announced it was reducing the size of its fleet from 313 to 306 to Congress last month and reduced its active carrier fleet to 10 vessels.
Further reductions “will leave the Navy unable to surge a large number of ships and strike fighters to a hot spot like the Persian Gulf,” the Washington Times reported Wednesday.
These reductions leave the force incapable of responding to multiple regional threats, experts say.
“On one hand, Iran is expanding its navy to give Iranian sailors their greatest operational range since the 10th century,” Rubin said. “Obama’s defense? Cut carriers, lay off Marines, and send the Senate’s two greatest defeatists to reassure American allies.”
Temporary tattoos could make electronic telepathy and telekinesis possible
End Of Days News
Temporary tattoos could make electronic telepathy and telekinesis possible
Temporary electronic tattoos could soon help people fly drones with only thought and talk seemingly telepathically without speech over smartphones, researchers say. Electrical engineer Todd Coleman at the University of California at San Diego is devising noninvasive means of controlling machines via the mind, techniques virtually everyone might be able to use.
Temporary electronic tattoos could soon help people fly drones with only thought and talk seemingly telepathically without speech over smartphones, researchers say. Electrical engineer
Commanding machines using the brain is no longer the stuff of science fiction. In recent years, brain implants have enabled people to control robotics using only their minds, raising the prospect that one day patients could overcome disabilities using bionic limbs or mechanical exoskeletons.
But brain implants are invasive technologies, probably of use only to people in medical need of them. Instead, Coleman and his team are developing wireless flexible electronics one can apply on the forehead just like temporary tattoos to read brain activity.
"We want something we can use in the coffee shop to have fun," Coleman says.
The devices are less than 100 microns thick, the average diameter of a human hair. They consist of circuitry embedded in a layer or rubbery polyester that allow them to stretch, bend and wrinkle. They are barely visible when placed on skin, making them easy to conceal from others.
The devices can detect electrical signals linked with brain waves, and incorporate solar cells for power and antennas that allow them to communicate wirelessly or receive energy. Other elements can be added as well, like thermal sensors to monitor skin temperature and light detectors to analyze blood oxygen levels.
Using the electronic tattoos, Coleman and his colleagues have found they can detect brain signals reflective of mental states, such as recognition of familiar images. One application they are now pursuing is monitoring premature babies to detect the onset of seizures that can lead to epilepsy or brain development problems. The devices are now being commercialized for use as consumer, digital health, medical device, and industrial and defense products by startup MC10 in Cambridge, Mass.
Electronic telekinesis? Digital telepathy?
In past studies, Coleman's team found that volunteers could use caps studded with electrodes to remotely control airplanes and flew an unmanned aerial vehicle over cornfields in Illinois. Although the electronic tattoos currently cannot be used to pilot planes, "we're actively working on that," Coleman says.
These devices can also be put on other parts of the body, such as the throat. When people think about talking, their throat muscles move even if they do not speak, a phenomenon known as subvocalization. Electronic tattoos placed on the throat could therefore behave as subvocal microphones through which people could communicate silently and wirelessly.
"We've demonstrated our sensors can pick up the electrical signals of muscle movements in the throat so that people can communicate just with thought," Coleman says. Electronic tattoos placed over the throat could also pick up signals that would help smartphones with speech recognition, he added.
Invasive brain implants remain better at reading brain activity, Coleman notes.
But neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University Medical Center says there is a need for noninvasive technologies such as these for the brain. "People will want to navigate environments just by thinking, or play games just by thinking," says Nicolelis, who did not take part in this research.
Coleman detailed his group's most recent findings in Boston on Feb. 17 at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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