Military communications
Messages within armed forces
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We include updates on NATO phonetic alphabet, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, Stan Lee, John Huston, Ed Asner, Enigma machine, DEFCON, Sidney Lumet, Doomsday Clock, Marshall Applewhite, Ten-code, Tony Randall, Claude Akins, Frank Capra, Howard Hawks, Westinghouse Electric Corporation ... and more.
| 2025 |
Skynet
Planned launch of Skynet 6A satellite using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with enhanced communication capabilities and electric orbit raising technology.
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| 2025 |
Skynet
Amazon's Kuiper Systems contracted to study an advanced communications architecture using 'translator' satellites to bridge between military, government, and private satellites.
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| May 10 2025 |
Islamabad–New Delhi hotline
Military hotlines between India and Pakistan were activated in association with the ceasefire of the 2025 India–Pakistan conflict.
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| 2024 |
Skynet
BBC reported that there is no record of who moved Skynet 1A to its current location at longitude 105° W, 36,000 km from its original position, or why the relocation occurred.
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| 2024 |
Skynet
Airbus awarded an 18-year contract for design, manufacture, and support of capability enhanced ground modems for Skynet communication, including a software-defined radio system.
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| 2024 |
SMS language
A research study revealed that using text message abbreviations can make the sender appear less sincere and potentially reduce the likelihood of receiving responses.
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| 2024 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
The Meeropols received a copy of a hand-written memo by Meredith Gardner, suggesting Ethel Rosenberg knew about Julius' espionage but did not actively participate due to ill health.
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| March 1 2024 |
Air Force Network
Ministry of Defence signed a contract with Larsen & Toubro to replace the Indian Air Force's long-range radars with advanced High-Performance Radars (HPRs). These new phased array-based radars will enhance surveillance capabilities and improve terrestrial air defence by detecting small radar cross section targets.
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| February 22 2024 |
Air Force Network
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) cleared the procurement of High Power Radars (HPRs) for the Indian Air Force, which will replace the existing THD-1955 3-D radars with new radars having a maximum range of 600 km
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| February 2023 |
Skynet
Babcock International wins the Service Delivery Wrap support contract to operate and manage Skynet for six years starting March 2024, at a cost of £400 million.
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| December 30 2022 |
USA-292
TDO-1 satellite deorbited after completing its experimental mission in space.
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| October 4 2022 |
Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt
Space Surveillance Telescope entered initial operational capability at North West Cape, operated by the Royal Australian Air Force, 1 Remote Sensor Unit.
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| August 2022 |
Skynet
Funding programme for the Skynet 5 system ended, with the Ministry of Defence beginning specifications for a new Skynet 6 architecture.
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| 2021 |
Skynet
UK Space Command was created, with plans to take over responsibility for Skynet from Strategic Command, likely in 2023.
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| 2021 |
Radiation hardening
Market size for radiation hardened electronics in space applications estimated at $2.35 billion.
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| 2021 |
Identification friend or foe
DOT&E developed a new Mark XIIA Mode 5 Test Methodology with updated evaluation criteria, test procedures, and integration strategies to resolve persistent system issues.
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| 2021 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Ethel's sons restarted their campaign to pardon her, hoping President Joe Biden would consider it favorably. Anne Sebba's book 'Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy' was published.
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| October 2021 |
Skynet
Manufacture of Skynet 6A satellite begins.
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| June 2021 | CIS Corps deployed 'ethical hackers' to combat the Health Service Executive ransomware attack, sending personnel to hospitals and HSE offices to decrypt devices affected by the cyberattack, with reservists playing a crucial role due to their private sector cybersecurity skills. |
| 2020 |
Communications and information systems of the British Armed Forces
Additional Skynet communication units were purchased, including Vislink NewSwift ground terminals to further enhance the military satellite communication capabilities.
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| 2020 |
People's Liberation Army's Combat Readiness Levels
In response to the Galwan Valley skirmishes and border tensions, the People's Liberation Army raised its combat readiness level to level 3 in the Xinjiang and Tibet Military Districts.
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| July 2020 |
Skynet
Contract for over £500 million agreed for Skynet 6A, including launch, testing, and ground operations improvements.
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| July 3 2020 |
Skynet
UK Government acquires a 45% stake in OneWeb low Earth orbit satellite communications company for US$500 million, with a golden share to control future ownership sale.
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| 2019 |
Robert Stevenson
Old Yeller was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.
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| 2019 |
USA-292
U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center launched an experimental 12U cubesat named TDO-1 (Technology Demonstration Orbiter) as part of a military communications satellite constellation, with COSPAR designation 2019-051B and SATCAT 44482.
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| August 8 2019 |
USA-292
USA-292 military communications satellite was launched by United Launch Alliance using an Atlas V 551 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch occurred at 10:13 UTC, placing the satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).
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| 2018 |
Skynet
UK Ministry of Defence begins specifying replacement for Skynet 5 satellite system, with Airbus Defence and Space contracted to build Skynet 6A satellite planned for launch in 2025.
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| 2018 |
Air Force Network
Indian Air Force established five Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS) nodes in strategic locations: Barnala (Punjab), Wadsar (Gujarat), Aya Nagar (Delhi), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), and Ambala (Haryana), enhancing the network's communication and air defense capabilities.
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| January 2017 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to President Obama requesting consideration of Ethel Rosenberg's exoneration.
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| 2016 |
Skynet
New Australian ground station opened at Mawson Lakes, Adelaide, managed by Airbus in partnership with SpeedCast, expanding Skynet's global ground station network.
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| 2016 |
Identification friend or foe
NATO member states began upgrading their Mark XII systems to Mark XIIA Mode 5, initiating a transition from legacy Mode 4 to the new system.
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| 2016 | Establishment of the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) in DFHQ CIS Company was revealed. |
| 2016 |
Air Force Network
Indian Ministry of Defence released a Request For Information (RFI) to purchase 12 High Power Radars for the Indian Air Force
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| October 2016 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Michael and Robert Meeropol spoke with Anderson Cooper in a 60 Minutes interview about their parents' case.
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| March 2016 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Michael and Robert Meeropol launched a petition campaign calling on President Obama and Attorney General Loretta Lynch to exonerate Ethel Rosenberg.
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| 2015 |
Skynet
Skynet 5A satellite moved from 6° East to 95° East near West Sumatra to extend Skynet coverage eastward in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean.
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| 2015 |
Skynet
Astrium Services merged to become Airbus Defence and Space, continuing Skynet satellite operations.
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| 2015 |
Skynet
Skynet satellite coverage was extended eastward, providing near global coverage in conjunction with an Anik G1 satellite module over America.
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| 2015 |
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
Michael and Robert Meeropol called on President Barack Obama's administration to acknowledge Ethel Rosenberg's wrongful conviction and execution.
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| July 2015 | Leaked email correspondence revealed discussions between Irish CIS Corps members and Hacking Team, a private Italian spying software company, about potential surveillance and intrusion technologies for lawful communication interception. |
| October 2014 |
Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre
The National Terrorism Threat Level (NTTL) was first formalized, with the threat level raised in Canada in anticipation of potential terrorist incidents.
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| October 2014 |
Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre
Canada's National Terrorism Threat Level was set to 'Medium', indicating that terrorist groups and individuals both have the intent and capability to carry out an act of terrorism in Canada.
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| October 2014 |
Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre
Two significant terrorist incidents occurred in Canada: the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu ramming attack and the shootings at Parliament Hill, which validated the raised threat level.
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| July 2014 |
Identification friend or foe
DOT&E published the Mark XIIA Mode 5 Joint Operational Test Approach (JOTA) 2 Interoperability Assessment, evaluating the performance of interrogators and transponders through a joint operational test off the U.S. East Coast.
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| 2013 |
Communications and information systems of the British Armed Forces
New Skynet terminals were delivered, including Vislink Mantis terminals and Snapper baseband equipment for land forces, SCOTPatrol terminals for small vessels, and transportable IP Domain nodes for large land forces or air bases, utilizing the new Internet Protocol (IP) based modular infrastructure.
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| December 6 2013 |
Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt
Announcement that the Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) would be relocated to the Harold E. Holt Naval Communication Station from White Sands Missile Range.
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| April 16 2013 |
Skynet
Anik G1 satellite launched, leased by Paradigm to complement Skynet system coverage with X-band module over the Americas and Pacific Ocean.
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| December 19 2012 |
Skynet
Skynet 5D satellite launched at 21:49:07 UTC from Centre Spatial Guyanais, Kourou, French Guiana, aboard an Ariane 5ECA launch vehicle. This satellite provides more than double the UHF channels of previous satellites and has larger fuel tanks for more frequent repositioning.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Robert Stevenson (filmmaker), Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, Communications and information systems of the British Armed Forces, Air Force Network, Radiation hardening, Islamabad–New Delhi hotline, Identification friend or foe, SMS language, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, USA-292, Skynet (satellite), Integrated Terrorism Assessment Centre, Communications & Information Services Corps & People's Liberation Army's Combat Readiness Levels, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.