Latest news with #containment
CBS News
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Containment grows on Smiley Fire burning in San Bernardino County
Firefighters have gained the upper hand on a brush fire burning near the Riverside and San Bernardino county line that was ignited on Saturday. It was first reported at around 2:30 p.m. near San Timoteo Canyon Road and Smiley Boulevard, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. By 5:45 p.m, crews said that they had halted the forward rate of spread, and by 8:15 p.m. they said that they had gained 30% containment. On Sunday afternoon, they said that containment had grown to 65% and that after walking the perimeter of the fire, determined it had scorched about 83 acres. At its peak, firefighters had dispatched two water-dropping helicopters and two water tenders, along with 10 fire engines to assist. No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged. Both Cal Fire Riverside County and and San Bernardino County firefighters were joined by Redlands Fire Department crews as they battled the blaze. Another fire erupted in San Bernardino County on Saturday, torching nearly 500 acres and forcing evacuation orders near the Silverwood Lake recreational area south of Hesperia.
Fox News
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Containing Iran means crushing their nuclear ambitions before it's too late
President Donald Trump said in Canada on Monday that he "doesn't want to talk about" U.S. military options. And as Secretary of State Marco Rubio so carefully stated at the start of Israel's complex campaign, the U.S. is not participating in offensive strikes on Iran. But make no mistake. The U.S. military is deeply involved, with defensive operations helping Israel ride out attacks, and with new, major force deployments. As of Monday, U.S. Air Force aerial refueling tankers are surging into position for intensified air operations, which could include long-range bomber strikes by the B-2 stealth bombers and their 30,000-lb. massive ordnance penetrator weapons. That's on top of the 40,000 U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East, from the garrison in Syria to the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Gulf and at many points in between. America has no choice. The world balance of power is on the line. Preventing a nuclear Iran is crucial to the entire U.S. global military strategy of containment. Yes, containment. That Cold War strategy, devised in 1947 to hem in Stalin and the Soviet Union, is about the only long-term U.S. national security policy that's worked. Isolation is a no-go in the 21st Century when thugs like Iran have ballistic missiles and China has anti-satellite weapons. Here's a sampling of what it takes to contain Iran right now. Missile defense. The hundreds of ballistic missile attacks by Iran are too big for Israel to handle alone. At last count, over 400 missiles have been launched by Iran, in nearly a dozen waves. The U.S.-made Patriot air defense system and the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system have contributed to the 90% intercept rate. However, assistance from the U.S. military, including the U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Force, and other forces deployed to Central Command, has also been instrumental. Space detection. To counter massed barrages, missile defenders need warning time. Satellites of the United States Space Force pick up the heat flare from Iran's missile launches. Space force operators see when Iran fires missiles, and can usually determine the class of missile and its heading. Space-based detection stays on 24/7 to guard U.S. forces and allies. These tactics were first revealed in January 2020, when units like the 2nd Space Warning Squadron in Colorado detected Iran's night attack with ballistic missiles against U.S. forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq after the death of Qasem Soleimani. "It was a lot of missiles quick, and we could see where they were trying to impact," then-First Lieutenant Mariano Long told C4ISRNet Magazine. Missiles from Iran flew for only 6 minutes from launch to impact in that night attack, according to the Space Force. Israel would have barely more time to form the target track and fire interceptors. Enter the U.S. Navy. U.S. sailors with Aegis radar systems have become experts at sea-based missile defense, using the Standard Missile family and particularly the SM-3 Block 1B and Block 2A interceptors made in Arizona. On Friday, the USS Thomas Hudner intercepted an Iranian missile, taking an impressive nose-on shot from the eastern Mediterranean. These missiles launch vertically from tubes carried by U.S. destroyers. They don't explode – instead they use a technology called hit-to-kill, where the sheer kinetic force of the interceptor warhead shatters in the inbound missile. And oh, by the way, this hit takes place 65,000 feet up in the exo-atmosphere. The U.S. Navy fired more than a dozen Standard Missiles in 2024 during Iran's attacks on Israel in April and October and their presence is vital now. Aircraft carriers. Speaking of the Navy, President Trump has ordered the USS Nimitz from patrol in the Pacific to the Middle East region. Having two carriers in place will give Trump the option to continue day and night operations. Remember these are what the Navy calls "sovereign options." No host nation permission is needed to launch strikes, or defensive patrols from the carriers. Iran's drones motoring along at 15,000 feet are no match for U.S. carrier-based aircraft and Air Force units deployed to the region and patrolling their zones. All these forces and more are essential to containing Iran. Now imagine the scenario with Iranian nuclear bombs in the mix. The demand for more deployed U.S. forces would skyrocket, becoming intolerable as a long-term strategy; containment of Russia and China could crumble, with America's economic primacy soon to follow. And this is why, for the U.S. no less than Israel, the denuking of Iran must succeed.
Independent Singapore
02-06-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
America vs China: An avoidable war despite Thucydides' Trap
American soft power extends even to Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping's family. His daughter, Xi Mingze, his only child, did not study at Tsinghua University like him but graduated from Harvard in 2014. He visited the United States several times, most notably in 1985, when, as a young provincial official, he spent two weeks in Iowa learning about American farming methods and stayed with an American family for three days. Yet, under his leadership, US-China tensions have escalated to the highest level since the early 1950s Korean War, when American soldiers fought the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). As during the Korean War, America is urging other countries to contain China. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth appealed to Asian nations to increase defence spending. However, it was not a call to arms. As noted by Singapore's Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, Hegseth specifically said: 'We do not seek war … we do not seek to dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke. We do not seek regime change, nor will we instigate or disrespect a proud and historic culture.' Indeed, what the Americans are trying to do is contain China without confronting it militarily. From strict export controls on advanced technology to attempts to diversify supply chains, Washington is trying to curb Beijing's economic power and reduce dependence on China. Beijing may see it as an act of hostility. But its own actions – from expanding its naval presence to wooing other nations with investments under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) — are challenging the status quo, undermining Pax Americana. See also China's Path Not Taken In Kevin Rudd's view Former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd worries the tensions between the two countries may spill into bloody hostilities in what he calls an 'avoidable war'. That is the title of his book: The Avoidable War. The 2020s are 'the decade of living dangerously', he writes, the fallout unimaginable if the two countries go to war. According to him, 'armed conflict between China and the United States, while not yet probable, has become a real possibility'. He urges the two countries to take steps to avert war, like America and the former Soviet Union did after the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. Indeed, as the Cold War demonstrated, superpower rivalry does not inevitably end in war. America and the former Soviet Union waged proxy wars, backing warring nations and rival leaders, but refrained from all-out war. There were military confrontations in Cuba and Berlin, but not gory battles. See also Australia says Xi's caring rhetoric does not match actions Will America and China follow the same course – geopolitical rivals but not warring enemies? Thucydides' Trap The danger that could trip them into full-scale war is called Thucydides' Trap. Named after the ancient Greek historian and Athenian general Thucydides, Thucydides' Trap is a concept popularised by the American political scientist Graham Allison. Discussed by Rudd and the animating idea behind an entire book by Allison, Thucydides' Trap is the hostilities unleashed when a rising power tries to displace a ruling power. Thucydides mentioned the phenomenon In his History of the Peloponnesian War. 'It was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable,' he wrote. The fifth-century BC Peloponnesian War was fought between Athens and Sparta and their allies, which included virtually every Greek city-state. It was the result of the then-dominant Sparta's fear of the growing might of Athens. Sparta eventually vanquished Athens after two decades of warfare. Thucydides' Trap is central to Allison's book, Destined for War, about America and China. The Harvard political scientist compares China's growing power to that of Athens before the Peloponnesian War. As Athens grew in importance, Sparta reacted with 'fear, insecurity, and a determination to defend the status quo'. The ensuing Peloponnesian War 'brought ancient Greece to its knees'. War is not inevitable between America and China, says Allison, but only if their leaders alter course. According to Allison, 'If Hollywood were making a movie pitting China against America on the path to war, central casting could not find two better leading actors than Xi Jinping and Donald Trump. Each personifies his country's deep aspirations of national greatness.' But a collision could be averted. 'If Xi and Trump listened to Lee Kuan Yew, they would focus first on what matters most: their domestic problems,' says Allison. Yes, Singapore's founding father, according to the Harvard scholar, could still mentor global leaders from beyond the grave. Featured image is from the Destined For War book cover
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Cortaro Fire extinguished after 100 acres burned in the Tucson metro area
The Cortaro Fire reached 100% containment after burning through vegetation in the Santa Cruz riverbed in Marana near Tucson, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. After pillars of dark smoke were sent into the sky midafternoon the day before, state firefighters fought alongside the Northwest Fire District to extinguish the fire by May 25. Tiffany Davila, spokesperson for the forestry department, said the fire had burned through about 111 acres in the Santa Cruz riverbed, near Silverbell and Cortaro roads. Crews remained on scene and continued to patrol the fire area, monitoring for any activity. The state returned command of the fire to the Northwest Fire District in Marana. Davila said the cause of the fire remained under investigation but believed it may have been human caused. In addition to the state forestry department, local firefighters received support from the Tucson Fire Department and the Golder Ranch Fire District, according to Anne-Marie Braswell, spokesperson for NWFD. Here's what we know about the fire in the Marana metro area and what closures were lifted. Davila said the fire was fueled by a mixture of salt cedar, cattail reeds and mesquite trees dried by recent hot temperatures. The fire started between Cortaro Farms and Ina roads, according to Davila. Just after 3:45 p.m., the NWFD reported the fire "declared under control" and that no structures were threatened. The Arizona Department of Transportation said both directions of the I-10 in Marana were open near the burn area, about 15 minutes north of downtown Tucson. Smoke could be seen from ADOT traffic cameras as the fire saw its most activity midafternoon May 24. ADOT reminded drivers to help prevent wildfires by keeping lit cigarettes in a vehicle, securing tow chains to prevent them from dragging and not parking near dry vegetation. Real-time traffic conditions could be found on Law enforcement had reopened nearby Cortaro Road and Crossroads Park after the fire caused a temporary closure. The library, which is closed every Saturday, closed early May 24 when the fire had spread to nearby portions of the Santa Cruz River, according to the town of Marana. Reach reporter Rey Covarrubias Jr. at rcovarrubias@ Follow him on X, Threads and Bluesky @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about the Cortaro Fire near Tucson
