We live in a busy world with a lot of information being thrown at you. Don’t feel overwhelmed. OpsLens will give you a weekly briefing on the major stories you need to know about and cut out all the extra information that isn’t important. Here’s your weekly briefing on what’s going on in national security and military news.
Hurricane Michael Damages Tyndall Air Force Base
Hurricane Michael slammed into Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida on Wednesday and caused extensive damage to the base and many of its aircraft. Tyndall sustained a “direct hit” from the category-four storm, bringing down power lines and ripping roofs off buildings. The base remains closed until further notice.
An unknown number of F-22 Raptors were unable to fly out before the storm impacted the base and several are believed to have sustained damage.
“We anticipate the aircraft parked inside may be damaged as well, but we won’t know the extent until our crews can safely enter those hangars and make an assessment,” Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said in an email.
According to the Air Force, Tyndall’s runway was reopened on Thursday by airmen from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, allowing humanitarian support needed in much of Florida to come through Tyndall.
All U.S. F-35 Jets Grounded Following Crash
The entire fleet of U.S. F-35s have been grounded worldwide, according to a Pentagon statement released on Thursday.
“The U.S. Services and international partners have temporarily suspended F-35 flight operations while the enterprise conducts a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube within the engine on all F-35 aircraft,” the F-35 Joint Program Office announced in a statement Thursday morning. “If suspect fuel tubes are installed, the part will be removed and replaced. If known good fuel tubes are already installed, then those aircraft will be returned to flight status. Inspections are expected to be completed within the next 24 to 48 hours.”
The announcement of the grounding comes after a United States Marine Corps F-35B from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501, known as the “Warlords,” crashed in South Carolina near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort on September 28. The pilot safely ejected from the aircraft.
The F-35 joint strike fighter is the most expensive program in the Pentagon’s history and became operational in the Marine Corps in 2015 and in the Air Force in 2016. The Navy plans to have their own version of the F-35 flying from aircraft carriers by February 2019.
To date, the U.S. military has purchased 245 F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin. The Air Force has 156, the Marine Corps has 61 and the Navy has 28.
Some Air Force and Navy F-35s have resumed flying.
Turkey Insists that Saudi Arabia Killed Jamal Khashoggi
The Turkish government has told the U.S. it has audio and video recordings that prove Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.
The recordings appear to show a Saudi security team detain Khashoggi as he walked into the consulate on October 2nd, the day he disappeared. Turkish police have claimed that Khashoggi was detained, interrogated, murdered, and then his body dismembered by the Saudis and removed from the consulate discreetly.
Jamal Ahmad Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and author, has been critical of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammad bin Salman, and the country’s king, Salman of Saudi Arabia.
Regardless of exactly what happened, the incident has brought attention to U.S-Saudi relations. President Donald Trump has ruled out cutting off arms sales to Saudi Arabia, saying they help the U.S. economy and the move “would be a very, very tough pill to swallow for our country.”
Soyuz Rocket Emergency Causes Abort During Launch
A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut to the International Space Station had to abort during a launch emergency on Thursday over Kazakhstan.
During the launch, a rocket booster failed around two minutes into the flight. The capsule in which the American and Russian were in was jettisoned from the rocket and a parachute deployed to control their descent back to Earth. The capsule landed near the town of Dzhezkazgan, about 250 miles from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
“NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin are in good condition following today’s aborted launch,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted from Kazakhstan. “I’m grateful that everyone is safe. A thorough investigation into the cause of the incident will be conducted.”
Russian recovery crews dispatched aboard helicopters from Baikonur reached Ovchinin and Hague at the landing site and reported that both crew members were uninjured.
U.S. Pastor Released After Being Detained in Turkey
Amid rising tensions with the United States, Turkey released American pastor Andrew Brunson on Friday. Brunson had been held in confinement in Turkey for nearly two years.
Brunson returned to the United States aboard a military jet and appeared to be in good health and good spirits. He met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Saturday and prayed with the president.
“From a Turkish prison to the White House in 24 hours, that’s not bad,” President Trump said.
Brunson was arrested in Turkey in 2016 and was accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He was one of many swept up in a wave of arrests after a failed coup in Turkey.
A Turkish judge ordered Brunson’s release as part of a deal in which President Trump will “ease economic pressure” on Turkey. The charges against him have not been dropped.
