UK Audit Office Blasts Defense Ministry for Rushing Problem-Ridden F-35 Into Service

A new report by the UK National Audit Office (NAO) severely criticizes the Ministry of Defense for pushing the F-35 through its 2018 initial operating capability (IOC) certification despite dozens of problems, some of which remain unresolved more than a year later.

In December 2018, the MoD gave its Lockheed Martin F-35B fighters the IOC designation for flying from land bases, enabling them to be used in limited capacity by the armed forces while acknowledging there is still some troubleshooting to be done.

However, according to a recent NAO report viewed by Aviation Week, 20 of the 67 exceptions granted for the IOC certification had yet to be resolved by February 2020.

Some of the many problems found include encumbrances placed on missions due to aircraft shortages; major problems with training simulators, including shortages; and an inability to program the British F-35s independently of US programming.

The UK has 15 of the jets, all of which are of the “B” vertical and/or short take-off and landing (VSTOL) configuration. The design enables the stealthy jets to operate from the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers, which lack the launch catapults used by American ships.

Software issues caused by rolling updates - a problem troubling the Pentagon as well - also contributed to delays, with the F-35’s computer unable to “talk” to the weapons pilots wanted to fire. In fact, training opportunities are so short for British pilots that the F-35B squadron slated to be stationed on the HMS Queen Elizabeth next year is actually a US Marine Corps group.

In all, the report found that one-third of the 32 most important MoD projects are behind schedule.

“It is essential that the MoD improves the way it introduces important new defense capabilities into service,” NAO chief Gareth Davies told Reuters on Tuesday. “This includes ensuring that pressure to be seen to deliver quickly does not lead to it accepting incomplete projects.”

The UK plans on buying 138 F-35s, with at least the first 48 being the “B” variant. The Royal Air Force has also debated buying the “A” variant, which only flies from regular runways.

https://sputniknews.com/uk/202003201078647927-uk-audit-office-blasts-defense-ministry-for-rushing-problem-ridden-f-35-into-service/

PMU Clears Vast Areas Of Khanaqin In Eastern Iraq Of ISIS Cells

On March 20, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) cleared more than 100 square kilometers of Khanaqin in the eastern province of Diyala from ISIS remnants.

PMU units launched a large-scale combing operation in the region, which borders Iran, in the morning. The operation was successfully concluded by the eve.

Khanaqin operation was conducted by the PMU’s Diyala Operations Command, the engineer unit and the 4th Regiments of the 23th Brigade and the 2nd Regiments of the 23th Brigade.

“The operation resulted in securing and clearing eight areas: Ain al-Samak, Zallu, Kani Masi, Ali al-Sagheer, Baggha, Tilal Nukht Khan, Wadi Gharb, and Wadi Talab,” a source in the PMU said, according to the Military Media.

The large-scale combing operation targeted ISIS cells in Khanaqin, which have been active in the areas of al-Zur and al-Adghal [forest in Arabic].

Similar security operations are carried out in ISIS’ ex-strongholds on a regular basis. These operations are limiting the movement of ISIS remnants, preventing the terrorist group from reorganizing its members.

https://southfront.org/pmu-clears-vast-areas-of-khanaqin-in-eastern-iraq-of-isis-cells/

Friedman: US, Israel to emerge stronger than ever

The Jerusalem Post checked in on Friedman and found him to be in high spirits and confident about the ability of the US and Israel to pull through the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

US Ambassador David Friedman usually has a very busy schedule, going from one meeting to another with Israeli officials, flying to Washington to meet with US President Donald Trump, or addressing major Israeli or American organizations.

This week, however, Friedman was forced to scale back. After attending the AIPAC Policy Conference at the beginning of the month and returning to Israel after March 5, the ambassador had to self-quarantine for a few days under the Health Ministry’s instructions. He has since been working mostly from home.

The Jerusalem Post checked in on Friedman and found him to be in high spirits and confident about the ability of the US and Israel to pull through the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Jerusalem Post’: It may be too early to ask this question, but how do you think this pandemic will end?

Ambassador Friedman: I have no doubt that the US and Israel will both recover, learn important lessons and emerge stronger. Both countries are taking extraordinary measures to arrest the spread of the virus and they will succeed.

Has the diplomacy business shut down?

Fortunately, no. There are still telephones and email, and I remain in close contact with all my colleagues and counterparts. But public health is everyone’s priority, and we have to get this crisis under control as the first order of business.

Between this current crisis and the upcoming US election, do you think that there is still a chance for the Trump peace plan to get off the ground?

Absolutely. While controlling COVID-19 comes first, the plan remains an important US priority, and we will move forward with it.

With countries closing off their borders, will this have a long-term impact on trade and other international ties?

In most cases, don’t think so. I think the international markets will restore in an efficient manner. But I do expect that some countries may want to minimize their reliance on neighbors for essential items.

Does the US plan to lead the call for China to change poor food safety policies that led to the outbreak of SARS and probably the novel coronavirus?

When this is over, I’m sure there will be a serious and comprehensive effort to learn all appropriate lessons from this terrible experience. Undoubtedly, that effort will include a deep dive into how this virus arose and began to spread.

So when do you think it ends?

I’m no expert, but my sense is that in a few months the trend recedes, immunity grows and eventually a vaccine is developed. That’s how this has resolved in the past. And at that point I think the economy roars back.

But isn’t this an unprecedented risk?

Not really. In just the last two centuries, we’ve confronted everything from the bubonic plague to polio to measles, rubella, typhus and whooping cough. My sister and brother grew up in the mid 1950s when polio killed or paralyzed tens of thousands of Americans per year. My parents were petrified of polio. But the world survived even with the fear and the unfortunate mortality.

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Friedman-US-Israel-to-emerge-stronger-than-ever-621631

UK Government Closes Pubs, Clubs, Restaurants, Theatres, Cinemas, and Gyms From Tonight

The British government has ordered a large range of public businesses to shut their doors from Friday afternoon and to not reopen indefinitely, in a bid to prevent Britons from socialising in pubs, clubs, and other spaces during the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking to the nation in a televised press conference Friday afternoon shortly after he ordered a wide range of businesses to shut their doors immediately, the Prime Minister said: “We are taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub. And I can understand how people feel about that.”

Following the government’s advice given on Monday for the public to avoid public places and pubs and restaurants, Boris Johnson made the instruction official Friday, ordering cafes, pubs, clubs, restaurants, nightclubs, theatres, cinemas, gyms, and leisure centres to shut immediately.

Boris Johnson said: “We are collectively telling cafes, pubs, bars and restaurants to close tonight as soon as they reasonably can, and not reopen tomorrow… they can continue to provide takeout services.”

The Prime Minister continued: “what we’re doing today is enforcing what we set out in our advice on Monday. I think people have made a huge effort in the last four or five days to comply, we saw big reductions in people attending some pubs, a lot of pubs across the country, to reduce unnecessary social contact. But it was becoming clear to… reduce the unnecessary social gatherings by 75 per cent, which is what the science tells us we need to do… we need now to be making it absolutely clear that we’re going to enforce these closures, that’s the pubs, bars, clubs, and so on.”

The Prime Minister said the government hoped it wouldn’t have to use force to ensure the order was followed, remarking that while the government would “enforce it strictly”, he believed people would “see the imperative of doing what is necessary”. He also implied that pubs that opened from Friday would likely be stripped of their licences.

Invited by a journalist to call out individuals who flouted bans as immoral, the Prime Minister declined, but said:

I don’t want to get into moral name-calling and so on. But I do accept that what we’re doing is extraordinary. We are taking away the ancient, inalienable right of free-born people of the United Kingdom to go to the pub. And I can understand how people feel about that.

But I say to people who do go against the very clear advice that we’re giving and getting from our medical and scientific experts, is you’re not only putting your own life, the lives of your friends and family at risk, you’re endangering the community, and you’re making it more difficult for us to get on and protect the NHS and save lives.

And if you comply, then we will not only save thousands of lives, we will come out of this thing all the faster.

While the closure of pubs and other entertainment venues has already led to staff layoffs and businesses are likely to suffer from being forced to close for weeks or months, the government has announced a raft of support measures to keep businesses afloat, even if they aren’t trading for months, and to extend tax cuts and subsidies to employers and employees alike.

Coronavirus has now killed over 11,100 worldwide in little more than four months. In the United Kingdom, 3,297 cases have been reported and 167 deaths are known.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2020/03/20/coronavirus-uk-government-closes-pubs-clubs-restaurants-theatres-cinemas-and-gyms-from-tonight/

Sheep to the slaughter??

>>8492072

>Maybe he should tell Israel

*Maybe he is part of Israel

fixed it for you

Larry Edgeworth: NBC News Staffer Dies From Coronavirus

Larry Edgeworth, an NBC News audio technician, died on Thursday, March 19 after testing positive for COVID-19. While NBC News did not disclose Edgeworth’s age in their statement, they did reveal that he had underlying health issues which could have made him among “the most vulnerable” Coronavirus cases.

In a statement on Friday morning, NBC News President Andrew Lack wrote “I’m deeply saddened to tell you that we’ve lost a longtime member of our NBC News family – Larry Edgeworth passed away yesterday.” Continuing, he said “Larry most recently worked in the equipment room on the fifth floor, but prior to that he spent most of his 25 years at NBC News as a skilled audio technician, often traveling to the most remote locations. Many of you were fortunate enough to work with Larry over the years, so you know that he was the guy you wanted by your side no matter where you were.”

Edgeworth Worked on the 5th Floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Where an NBC Employee Says People Are Still Working

An NBC employee who worked on the same floor as Edgeworth told Heavy.com that they were informed of Edgeworth’s positive Coronavirus diagnosis on Wednesday, and that he wasn’t the only employee who had tested positive. The source told us that all known positive cases were from the 5th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, and pleaded that NBC needs to “Shut the floor down. I know a majority of people are working from home but there are still people there. [It] shouldn’t be an option at this point.”

On Monday, Savannah Guthrie, co-anchor of TODAY, announced on the 9am morning show that a coworker had tested positive for COVID-19, though she did not identify the coworker by name. She said “Last night we learned that a colleague of ours on the third hour of ‘Today’ has tested positive for COVID-19. So out of an abundance of caution, Craig and Al have taken the morning off, so we can trace their contacts, see what is going on with them, we promise to keep you posted, both are fine right now. They feel good, but caution is the order of the day.”

According to a tweet from NBC News Meteorologist Bill Karins posted on Friday morning (announcing Edgeworth’s passing), “Larry left 30 Rock a week ago today saying he didn’t feel well and then tested positive for #COVID19.”

On Thursday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered that 75% of the nonessential workforce must work from home. During a press conference on Friday, shortly after Edgeworth’s passing was made public, Cuomo updated that order to keep 100% of those working nonessential jobs at home in an effort to prevent further spread of COVID-19.

https://heavy.com/news/2020/03/larry-edgeworth-nbc-news-coronavirus-dies/

‘The Purge has begun’: Sirens mark beginning of national quarantine in Argentina in most ominous way possible

A global pandemic is enough to put most people on edge, but authorities in Argentina decided to make matters worse by marking the start of a nationwide lockdown using an ominous siren taken straight from the Purge movie franchise.

As darkly humorous comments on eyewitness videos show, following a televised countdown, Argentinians were warned that the quarantine had officially begun with the spine-tingling wail of sirens.

https://www.rt.com/news/483647-purge-begun-argentina-quarantine-sirens/

>>8492198

>>8491996

Bill Gates: Major coronavirus crisis can still be averted with 'shut down'

Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates believes it's still possible for countries to contain the coronavirus outbreak to a small percentage of its population with the right "shut down" measures.

There are more than 200,000 confirmed cases of the virus across 168 countries and territories, with more than 8700 deaths. Australia has more than 700 confirmed cases of the virus, with six deaths.

Gates has devoted much of his time in recent years studying and funding global health efforts to address inequality through the charity he runs with his wife.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed up to $100 million to help the global response to the pandemic as well as an additional $5 million for his home state of Washington.

On Wednesday, Gates participated in an Ask-Me-Anything Q&A on Reddit, where he answered questions from the public on coronavirus vaccines, social distancing and the United States' response.

When questioned over how many people globally were likely to develop the life-threatening virus, Gates pointed to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore as examples of countries who had successfully contained the virus.

"Even China will stay at a low level of their population (less than .01 per cent so far). Thailand is another exemplar," he wrote.

"If a country does a good job with testing and 'shut down', then within six to 10 weeks they should see very few cases and be able to open back up.

https://www.9news.com.au/world/coronavirus-bill-gates-crisis-aversion-still-possible-with-shut-down/5a5710c7-567e-46df-8025-af33045f0009

Australian MSM. FU BG UR A CUNT OF THE SMELLIEST ORDER

>>8492141

GOD WINS

Concernfagging

What matters here is that we, PATRIOTS WW, have a platform to spread truth.

So it matters not what anyone else does.

This battle is on us to get the truth out.

Whether anyone is legit or not is irrelevant.

TRUTH IS WHAT MATTERS.

GOD WINS

>>8492528

careful anon's could be bait to get us searching for CP on the dark web

Sen. Peters Praises China’s Model For Coronavirus Response

Senator Gary Peters, D-MI, suggested Friday that the U.S. should adopt the China model for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, in an interview with MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski.

“Outside of Hubei province, a lot of the factories continued to work. They separated their employees, they had partitions, they found ways to continue to keep some of the economy going in other parts of the country that weren’t impacted as much as it was in Hubei,” Peters told Brzezinski.

He concluded, “We’ve got to be doing that same kind of thing here. Thinking strategically on dealing with the disease, but also maintaining our economy so that when we do get through it, it can come back up fairly quickly.”

https://saraacarter.com/sen-peters-praises-chinas-model-for-coronavirus-response/