Auditors Say EU ‘Lacks Transparency’ in NGO Funding

The report criticises the Commission forfailing to clearly disclose information about advocacy activities carried out by NGOs using EU funds.(that’s easy Color Revolutions that the EU pays to get rid of anti-EU leadership in countries, that want to change)

Zolta Győri — April 7, 2025

In a report on Monday, April 7th, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) labelled EU funding of NGOs “too opaque.”The body investigated the €8 billion handed to several non-governmental organisations between 2021 and 2023. After concluding their work, the report’s lead auditor Laima Andrikiene said, “EU funding for NGOs is too opaque andsuffers from a lack of transparency”. This is cause for great concern, especially considering the amount of money involved, according to Andrikiene.

In its report, the ECA criticized theEuropean Commission for failing to clearly disclose information about advocacy activities carried out by NGOsusing EU funds. It highlighted theabsence of active monitoringto verify whether funded organizations were independent NGOs. The report also pointed to a lack of a “reliable overview” of the total amount of EU funding directed to NGOs.

“Transparency is key to ensuring credible participation by NGOs in EU policymaking,” said Andrikiene.

The ECA report brings up the case of LIFE, the Commission’s fundingprogram for environmental NGOs that has reportedly funded lobbying efforts. LIFE survived a narrow vote last week when EU representatives called for a tighter overview of funds awarded through the program, but eventually, the vote did not go through, sparking political debate.

Patriots for Europe, the third largest party group in the EU, has called for establishing a new committee responsible for handling corruption and tackling transparency issues within the Union. Conservative representatives have repeatedly called out the bloc for its shady practices when it comes to back-channel funding for political NGOs. With recent corruption scandals involving the EU and its high-ranking officials, there is a clear need for better oversight of the Union’s inner workings.

https://europeanconservative.com/articles/news-corner/auditors-say-eu-lacks-transparency-in-ngo-funding/

“It’s Been A Long Time Since We’ve Seen American Assertion.” Kassam Previews DoD Panama Canal Visit

18:17

https://rumble.com/embed/v6pl617/?pub=4

Appeals court blocks Trump from firing federal board members, tees up Supreme Court fight

The 7-4 ruling reverses a decision from the same US appeals court just 10 days earlier, all but ensuring the case will be heard by the Supreme Court

By Breanne Deppisch Fox News Published April 7, 2025 11:12am EDT

A federal appeals court voted en banc Monday to block President Donald Trump’s firings of two federal board members, reversing an appellate court ruling and clearing the way for the Trump administration to appeal the case to the Supreme Court.

Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit voted 7-4 Monday to restore the positions of National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) member Gwynne Wilcox and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) member Cathy Harris – two Democratic appointees who were abruptly terminated by the Trump administration earlier this year.

The majority cited Supreme Court precedent in Humphrey’s Executor and Wiener v. United States as the backing for their decision, noting that the Supreme Court had never overturned or reversed the decades-old precedent regarding removal restrictions for government officials of "multimember adjudicatory boards" – including the NLRB and MSPB.They noted that the Supreme Court has not yet overturned these precedents, or instructed lower courts to act otherwise. (That makes one wonder, why the SC is being so disrespectful of the President of the US)

"The Supreme Court has repeatedly told the courts of appeals to follow extant Supreme Court precedent unless and until that Court itself changes it or overturns it," judges noted in their opinion.

Monday's ruling from the full panel means that both Wilcox and Harris can return to their positions, at least for now. It is likely to spark intense backlash from the Trump administration, which has lobbed accusations of so-called "activist judges" that have slowed or halted some of Trump's executive orders and actions.

Also on Monday, the appeals court rejected the Trump administration's request for an administrative stay, which would have allowed their removals to remain in place while the challenge continued to play out in federal court.

The panel found that the administration had not demonstrated a strong likelihood of success on the merits of its appeals, nor did it show irreparable injury if they did not grant the stay – the legal requirements needed to satisfy an emergency court intervention.

The en banc ruling reverses a decision reached just 10 days earlier by a three-judge panel for the same appeals court.That panel ruled 2-1 in favor of the Trump administration and allowed the firings to proceed, prompting plaintiffs to file a request for the appeals court to hear the case again en banc, or with all appellate court judges present.

The appellate court's decision to hear the case again, even after a three-judge appellate panel from the same court ruled on the issue late last month, is likely to be met with intense scrutiny by Trump and his allies.

It also all but ensures that the Trump administration will move quickly to appeal the matter to the Supreme Court for emergency review.

Since taking office, Trump has signed more than 300 executive orders and actions, including sweeping personnel moves, the restructuring of federal agencies, and the creation of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE – a temporary agency that has drawn scrutiny for its broad oversight powers and access to sensitive government data.

Critics argue that the flurry of early executive actions warrants an additional level of legal scrutiny, and judges have raced to review a crushing wave of cases and lawsuits filed by terminated employees or brought on behalf of agency employees.

The Trump administration has appealed its early losses to the Supreme Court – a strategy it appears poised to continue in the NLRB and MSPB terminations.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/federal-appeals-court-blocks-trump-firings-wilcox-harris-nlrb-mspb

7 Apr, 2025 18:41

Kiev should give up territory – Ukrainian-born US lawmaker

Ukraine is in no position to make demands, Congresswoman Victoria Spartz believes

Ukrainians must accept ceding territory to Russia and demand Vladimir Zelensky’s resignation if they want to survive as a nation, Ukrainian-born US congresswoman Victoria Spartz has told The Telegraph.

Kiev currently cannot make demands, including about retaining control over the territories it lays claim to, the Indiana congresswoman stated in an interview published on Monday.“I just don’t see how they can be positioned to demand to keep the land. If they would be winning the war, that will be very different,” she said, referring to the situation on the battlefield, where the initiative has long been in Russia’s hands.

The Republican lawmaker, who used to be an ardent supporter of US military assistance to Kiev, is now endorsing President Donald Trump’s peace efforts.

“President Trump inherited it, so now he has to deal with that,” she told The Telegraph, maintaining that “there are no easy solutions” and pinning the blame for Kiev’s setbacks on Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden.

“As I said two years ago, the best thing is to win wars as fast as you can. ‘As long as it takes’ usually doesn’t end very well for democracies,”she said, referring to Biden’s pledge to support Kiev with weapons and other forms of aid potentially indefinitely.

Spartz, who sees Vladimir Zelensky as the biggest threat to the country’s future, called on Ukrainians to vote him out if he ever runs for president again.

“They will have an election, and then if they elect him, they’re going to lose the rest of the country,” the lawmaker warned.

Zelensky remains in power despite his term in office officially expiring last May. He continues to insist on NATO membership for Ukraine despite strong opposition from Washington.

Russia cited Kiev’s ambitions to join the US-led military bloc as among the main reasons for launching its military operation in February 2022 and named Ukrainian neutrality one of the key prerequisites for a settlement of the conflict.

Spartz has criticized Zelensky before. In November 2024, she accused him of failing his nation by not addressing corruption among other things. Following a contentious meeting between Trump and Zelensky at the White House this past February, she said that the Ukrainian leader had done a “disservice to the Ukrainian people” by insulting the US president.

Spartz was born in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1978, emigrated to the US in 2000, and became a citizen six years later. She has served in Congress since 2021.

https://www.rt.com/news/615362-kiev-give-up-territory-spartz/

(There's no way that Zelensky and Team cares what she says, neither do I)

7 Apr, 2025 18:47

German car giant to suspend deliveries to US

Audi is holding back vehicles that fall under the new tariffs, according to a report

German carmaker Audi is halting deliveries of its vehicles to the US due to the new tariffs on automobiles imposed by US President Donald Trump, the newspaper Automobilwoche has reported.

Trump’s 25% levy on car imports took effect last week as part of a series of “reciprocal” measures that have rattled global markets.

A spokeswoman for Audi told the outlet on Monday that a letter had been sent to dealers instructing them to withhold all vehicles that arrived after April 2.

Dealers were also urged to focus on reducing existing inventory.

Audi currently has more than 37,000 vehicles in stock in the US that are not affected by the new tariffs and can be sold, the spokeswoman said, adding that this inventory should last about two months.

The company does not operate its own production facility in the US and imports all of its vehicles. Its US bestseller, the Q5, is produced at Audi’s plant in Mexico==, while other models are sourced from factories in Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia.

Audi’s parent company, Volkswagen, has also warned US dealers of additional costs, according to a Wall Street Journal report last week. Volkswagen has reportedly halted the deliveries by rail from Mexico and from US ports. Clarity on pricing is expected by mid-April.

On April 3, Trump slapped tariffs on nearly all of America’s trading partners, including the EU, arguing the measures were needed to protect US manufacturers. In addition to the 25% levy now applied to car imports, 150 categories of auto parts will also become subject to the surcharge starting in May.

The German Association of the Automotive Industry called the tariffs“a disastrous signal for free, rules-based trade.”(It’s not free trade, it’s supposed to be “fair trade”, get that through your heads)

Analysts warnthe German auto industry could be among the hardest hit, with Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz facing significant challenges in the US market. Rising production costs and factory closures have already put pressure on parts of Germany’s manufacturing sector.

On Monday,European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who has called Trump’s tariffs a “major blow to the world economy,” offered to scrap duties on all industrial goods as part of trade talks.

“We stand ready to negotiate,” she said.“We have offered zero-for-zero tariffs for industrial goods as we have successfully done with many other trading partners.”(It’s not your tariffs, its your non tariff barriers, like vat tax, price manipulation, currency manipulation, regulations that penalize and anything else you hide to steal more)

Von der Leyen noted the EU has “repeatedly” proposed a zero-tariff agreement for the automotive sector in the past but received “no adequate reaction” from Washington. She warned that the bloc is prepared to impose countermeasures to defend its interests.

Trump on Monday defended the tariffs, claiming on social media they delivered significant economic benefits

https://www.rt.com/business/615354-germany-audi-supply-suspension-us/

7 Apr, 2025 19:00

EU looking to replace Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine – Politico

The tech tycoon has previously threatened to shut down the communications system that Kiev’s forces depend on

Kiev’s European backers want to replace Elon Musk’s Starlink in Ukraine but no local provider can take its place, Politico reported on Monday, citing French-British satellite operator Eutelsat. Brussels is concerned that the tech tycoon could shut down the service and disrupt Ukrainian military communications, according to the outlet.

Musk, a major ally of US President Donald Trump and CEO of SpaceX, which operates Starlink, has donated more than 40,000 satellite internet terminals to Kiev since 2022. Ukrainian troops have come to depend heavily on the system in combat operations. SpaceX has also provided access to Starshield, a more secure, military-grade version of the network.

While Vladimir Zelensky’s government initially viewed Musk as a key supporter, the relationship soured as the tech tycoon grew more critical of Kiev’s war effort.

Tensions deepened after Musk denied Ukraine’s request to activate Starlink over Crimea, Russia, reportedly thwarting a drone attack against Russian ships. Last month, Musk wrote on X that “the Starlink system is the backbone of the Ukrainian army,” warning that “their entire front line would collapse if I turned it off.”

Politico reported that EU officials now view Musk’s growing criticism of Ukraine as a threat to Starlink’s reliability. Brussels is reportedly in talks with several companies to find alternatives, including French-British satellite operator Eutelsat. CEO Eva Berneke confirmed to the news outlet discussions over EU funding for shipping user kits to Ukraine and expanding satellite launches to boost capacity.

“[Working with Starlink] is a dependence that can be decided in the White House or Mar-a-Lago. It’s good to have multiple options,” Berneke told the outlet.She acknowledged, however, that no provider is close to matching Starlink’s scale. It operates around 7,000 satellites, compared to Eutelsat’s 600. Depending on the scenario,Starlink offers 23 to 490 times more capacity over Ukraine.

“If we were to take over the entire connectivity capacity for Ukraine and all the citizens, we wouldn’t be able to do that,”she said.

European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier confirmed the initiative, telling Politico that “discussions are indeed ongoing at [the] EU level, with the member states and with the industry.”

Starlink operates through low-Earth orbit satellites, which offer high-speed, low-latency connections essential for battlefield coordination and drone warfare.

Since 2019, Starlink has dominated the satellite internet market, launching more satellites than any competitor.While rivals such as Eutelsat, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, and Canada’s Telesat have recently stepped up investment, they remain far behind, making it unlikely the EU could offer a realistic substitute, the news outlet said.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615346-starlink-musk-eu-alternatives-ukraine/

(I hope once this is over, we never hear about Ukraine, the EU or any of the DS over there again.)

7 Apr, 2025 15:23

Kremlin responds to Kiev’s claim of civilian casualties in Krivoy Rog strike

Moscow only hits military-related facilities in Ukraine, Dmitry Peskov has said

The Russian military does not strike civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.

Peskov’s comment followed claims by Kiev that 18 civilians were killed, including nine children, and 56 others were wounded in a Russian attack on the city of Krivoy Rog in central Ukraine on Friday.

The spokesman was asked by journalists on Monday if it was possible that “there was a mistake on the Russian side, that maybe the intelligence was not accurate” ahead of the strikes.

Peskov replied by saying, “we should rely entirely on the statement of our Defense Ministry,” adding:“Our military strikes exclusively military and military-related targets. No strikes are carried out on social infrastructure facilities.”

The Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it hit “a meeting place of commanders of [Ukrainian] military units and Western instructors in one of the restaurants” in Krivoy Rog.

Up to 85 Ukrainian and foreign troops and officers were killed, and up to 20 vehicles were damaged in the strike, according to the statement.

On Monday, the Defense Ministry said Ukraine was continuing its violations of a 30-day truce on attacks against energy infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, agreed to the pause during a phone call on March 18. Later, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky also agreed to the pause.

Within the past 24 hours alone, Ukrainian forces have used drones and artillery to target six energy facilities in the Russian regionsof Voronezh, Bryansk, Kherson, and the Donetsk People’s Republic, causing damage to infrastructure and disrupting the electricity supply for some customers, it said.

https://www.rt.com/russia/615347-ukraine-krivoy-rog-peskov/

>>22880373

Didn't Musk give them to Ukraine for free, or very cheap? These people are hateful, jealous and retaliatory creatures.

>>22880387

They have a 20 other ways to get money that are not tariffs, they use tariff because most people don't know the manipulations they've perfected over 40 years.

>>22880358

I like that report. It's only been a couple of days, and all the car manufacturers are going bankrupt. They can ship the cars, but they won't. Its revenge. The US can live without Audi's, BMWs and Volkswagons for a while. Who can afford one at this point except the Stock market creatures.

>>22880375

they are mixing up the NWO "rules based order", the very fact that they can steal more from us means there are no set rules.

>>22880375

PS, it's supposed to be Fair Trade, NOT Free Trade, free trade is they will do whatever they want. It has to be Fair.

Top US admiral at NATO removed amid Trump’s growing military firings

By Noah Robertson Apr 7, 2025, 03:27 PM

Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, a top U.S. military official at NATO, has been fired as the Trump administration continues its widespread removal of senior uniformed officers, according to multiple U.S. and European officials.

It’s unclear whether the firing originated from the Pentagon or the White House, which last week removed several national security officials— including Gen. Timothy Haugh, head of the NSA and Cyber Command — after President Donald Trump met with far-right activist Laura Loomer. Loomer later took credit for Haugh’s dismissal in a post on the social media platform X.

Chatfield served as America’s representative to the NATO Military Committee, the alliance’s group of top uniformed officials. The body advises NATO’s two most senior military leadersand helps guide long-term strategy.

Brig. Gen. Sean Flynn, the deputy representative, will serve on an acting basis until a successor is named, said a U.S. official, like others, permitted to speak on background to discuss the removal.

Chatfield was previously the first woman to lead the U.S. Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. Her tenure there later made her a target of conservative advocacy groups, one of whomclaimed she was overly concerned with diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, initiativesin a December letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Pentagon did not respond to questions about why Chatfield was fired, who made the decision and whether other officers were affected. Reuters first reported Chatfield’s firing.

In its opening months, the Trump administration has overseen the swift removal of officers at the top of the U.S. military, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, and the Air Force’s Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Jim Slife.

So far, the firings have prompted public criticism from mostly Democrats in Congress, though lawmakers from both parties called Brown’s firing “unfortunate” last week at a confirmation hearing for retired Gen. Dan Caine,

The removal of a senior U.S. officer in NATO concerned multiple European defense officials, who worry America is retreating from its role in the alliance. Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the head of European Command and Supreme Allied Commander-Europe, is set to retire this summer. (NATO is paranoid, and psychotic.)

https://www.militarytimes.com/pentagon/2025/04/07/top-us-admiral-at-nato-removed-amid-trumps-growing-military-firings/

Hegseth to visit Panama as Trump says US is ‘reclaiming’ its canal

By Noah Robertson Friday, Apr 4, 2025

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to Panama next week, the second senior U.S. official to visit the country in as many months, asPresident Donald Trump says America is “reclaiming” the country’s eponymous canal.

While there, Hegseth will meet with the country’s president, Jose Raul Mulino, and attend a meeting of regional chiefs of defense. He will also visit military sites and the Panama Canal itself.

In a statement Friday, Pentagon Press Secretary Sean Parnell wrote the meetings “will drive ongoing efforts to strengthen our partnerships with Panama and otherCentral American nations toward our shared vision for a peaceful and secure Western Hemisphere.”

The U.S. has a small military presence in Panama, though the Pentagon has reportedly been planning options to increase that number, in line with the president’s goal to take control of the canal.America is currently participating in a military exercise inside the country.

“To further enhance our national security, my administration will be reclaiming the Panama Canal, and we’ve already started doing it,” Trump said in a March address to Congress.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the country in early February, where he also met with Mulino. In a post on the social app X after Trump’s speech, Mulino said ownership of the canal wasn’t being transferred and that he and Rubio didn’t discuss the topic.

“I reject, on behalf of Panama and all Panamanians, this new affront to the truth and to our dignity as a nation,” Mulino wrote.

Congress voted to transfer the canal to Panamanian ownership in 1978, deeming U.S. control unpopular and impractical. The process concluded more than two decades later. (Jimmy Carter signed it away, did they just make up that Congress voted on it.)

Hegseth spoke with Panama’s president and minister of public security in early February. During the latter call, according to a Pentagon summary, Hegseth “emphasized that his top priority is to safeguard U.S. national security interests under President Trump’s leadership,to include ensuring unfettered access to the Panama Canal and keeping it free from foreign interference.”

The Trump administration has warned broadly that China is growing too involved in the Panama Canal through the country’s Belt and Road Initiative, a foreign aid scheme U.S. officials say is exploitative.

The last U.S. defense secretary to visit Panama was Donald Rumsfeld in 2004. More than a decade earlier, the U.S. led a short war in the country to remove then-President Manuel Noriega, later indicted for drug trafficking and racketeering.

https://www.militarytimes.com/pentagon/2025/04/04/hegseth-to-visit-panama-as-trump-says-us-is-reclaiming-its-canal/

Trump’s pick to lead Joint Chiefs denies MAGA hat story in hearing

By Noah Robertson Tuesday, Apr 1, 2025

Retired Lt. Gen. Dan Caine, President Donald Trump’s pick to be the nation’s highest-ranking military officer, sought to reassure lawmakers Tuesday that he would avoid political interference and was qualified for the job, despite having a resume unlike anyone previously tapped for the position.

“I acknowledge that I am an unconventional nominee,”Caine said.“These are unconventional times.”In a confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the general faced repeated questions over his fitness to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff and how he was even nominated.

Trump tapped Caine in February after firing the previous chairman, Gen. CQ Brown, who was little more than a year into a four-year term. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also fired other top officers, including Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff James Slife.

The mass dismissals had no precedent and have worried many Democrats that the president was forcing politics into the military. Hegseth previously suggested both Brown and Franchetti, the first Black and female officers to hold their respective posts, were overly concerned with diversity or unqualified for their positions.

“With all due respect to you, we should not be here today. This hearing is happening only because of the unprecedented dismissal without cause of General Brown,” Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said Tuesday.

Senators from both parties described Brown’s firing as “unfortunate,” though they acknowledged that Caine had no role in the decision.

Adding to those concerns was Caine’s own nomination. The general had previously held top posts leading U.S. special operations and advising the Central Intelligence Agency’s director on military affairs.But he had since retired and lacked the seniorityrequired by law to be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs,which the president can waive in cases of pressing national security need.

Even more concerning to some senators was a story Trump previously related about Caine donning a red hat branded with Trump’s “Make American Great Again” campaign slogan and expressing political support in front of U.S. troops during a 2018 visit to Iraq. Caine denied the story in his hearing Tuesday,suggesting the president may have been referencing someone else.“I’ve never worn any political merchandise or said anything to that effect,”Caine said.

Senators asked repeatedly whether he would remain candid while providing the best military advice to the president, the chairman’s most important function. Democrats, in particular, pressed the general about whether he would do so in the face of displeasure from the president, which caused friction with past chairmen in Trump’s first term…

Caine also faced multiple questions about the administration’s use of Signal, a commercial messaging app, to plan military strikes on Yemen. Top national security officials discussed the attacks while mistakenly including a journalist on the chat. Hegseth also sent highly sensitive attack plans to the group, detailing U.S. strikes before they occurred.

Caine avoided commenting directly on the chat, which he described as “political.”But he said that he would avoid sharing classified information on improper formats if confirmed.

“We should always preserve the element of surprise,”Caine said.

https://www.militarytimes.com/pentagon/2025/04/01/trumps-pick-to-lead-joint-chiefs-denies-maga-hat-story-in-hearing/

Lithuanians bid farewell to 4 US troops who died in training accident

By Liudas Dapkus, The Associated Press Thursday, Apr 3, 2025

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania’s political and religious leaders joined thousands of people on Thursday to bid farewell to four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation.

President Gitanas Nausėda and other dignitaries were among those who stood in respect as hearses carried the bodies of the four young Americans to Vilnius airport before being flown to the United States for burial.

Many of the onlookers were in tears, and Nausėda said that the reaction of the population and the military to the disappearance of soldiers was rooted in Lithuania’s own difficult history.

“For us, it is more than a duty, it is an emotion. We have experienced trials in our history and therefore we understand well what loss is, what death is, what honorable duty is,” Nausėda said in a speech to those gathered.

Schoolchildren accompanied by teachers waved Lithuanian and U.S. flags to honor the soldiers, who died in an accident along NATO’s eastern flank, a region that is on edge due to Russia’s aggression in nearby Ukraine.

Leading one group was Justin Boyd, the secondary school principal of theAmerican International School(CIA school for children, hence CIA mission) in Vilnius, who said his group was there “to honor the fallen soldiers from the United States and to honor the relationship between Lithuania and America and the defensive pact that represents.”

“It’s important for us to give dignity to the fallen and to let the families know that we are with them and we support them in this time,” Boyd said. The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle went missing a week ago, the Army said.

Lithuanian, Polish and U.S. soldiers and rescuers searched through the forests and swamps at the Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė, 6 miles west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was pulled from a peat bog Monday and the final body was recovered Tuesday.

“I feel sorry for these young men,” said one mourner from the town of Pabradė as he watched the hearses make their way towards the airport.“I live nearby, and I know that swamp. Dangerous places for anyone who enters that area.”

The U.S. Army has identified the soldiers asStaff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan;Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois;Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; andPfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

About 3,500 soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team deployed in January to Poland and the Baltic states for a nine-month rotation as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which supports NATO allies and partners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2025/04/03/lithuanians-bid-farewell-to-4-us-troops-who-died-in-training-accident/

Lithuanians bid farewell to 4 US troops who died in training accident

By Liudas Dapkus, The Associated Press Thursday, Apr 3, 2025

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Lithuania’s political and religious leaders joined thousands of people on Thursday to bid farewell to four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation.

President Gitanas Nausėda and other dignitaries were among those who stood in respect as hearses carried the bodies of the four young Americans to Vilnius airport before being flown to the United States for burial.

Many of the onlookers were in tears, and Nausėda said that the reaction of the population and the military to the disappearance of soldiers was rooted in Lithuania’s own difficult history.

“For us, it is more than a duty, it is an emotion. We have experienced trials in our history and therefore we understand well what loss is, what death is, what honorable duty is,” Nausėda said in a speech to those gathered.

Schoolchildren accompanied by teachers waved Lithuanian and U.S. flags to honor the soldiers, who died in an accident along NATO’s eastern flank, a region that is on edge due to Russia’s aggression in nearby Ukraine.

Leading one group was Justin Boyd, the secondary school principal of theAmerican International School(CIA school for children, hence CIA mission) in Vilnius, who said his group was there “to honor the fallen soldiers from the United States and to honor the relationship between Lithuania and America and the defensive pact that represents.”

“It’s important for us to give dignity to the fallen and to let the families know that we are with them and we support them in this time,” Boyd said. The soldiers, part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, were on a tactical training exercise when they and their vehicle went missing a week ago, the Army said.

Lithuanian, Polish and U.S. soldiers and rescuers searched through the forests and swamps at the Gen. Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė, 6 miles west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was pulled from a peat bog Monday and the final body was recovered Tuesday.

“I feel sorry for these young men,” said one mourner from the town of Pabradė as he watched the hearses make their way towards the airport.“I live nearby, and I know that swamp. Dangerous places for anyone who enters that area.”

The U.S. Army has identified the soldiers asStaff Sgt. Troy S. Knutson-Collins, 28, of Battle Creek, Michigan;Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, of Joliet, Illinois;Staff Sgt. Edvin F. Franco, 25, of Glendale, California; andPfc. Dante D. Taitano, 21, of Dededo, Guam.

About 3,500 soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team deployed in January to Poland and the Baltic states for a nine-month rotation as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which supports NATO allies and partners following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2025/04/03/lithuanians-bid-farewell-to-4-us-troops-who-died-in-training-accident/