[RYAN ROBERTSON]
UNAVAILABLE AND OUTDATED. WHAT A GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG HAS TO SAY ABOUT COMBAT VEHICLES IN THE AMERICAN ARSENAL.
PLUS, MORE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS IN THE PACIFIC. WHY AMERICA’S NEAR PEER ADVERSARIES ARE TEAMING UP FOR A CONFRONTATION..
AND, A DRONE SWARM SWATTED. SEE HOW AN AMERICAN COMPANY IS PAVING THE WAY FORWARD IN COUNTER DRONE DEFENSE.
HELLO AND WELCOME TO WEAPONS AND WARFARE. A SHOW MADE FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE.
OUR MISSION IS TO ARM YOU WITH INFORMATION ABOUT AMERICA’S WARFIGHTERS AND WHAT THEY’RE DOING TO KEEP YOU SAFE.
FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, I’M YOUR HOST, RYAN ROBERTSON, AND WE START THIS WEEK WITH A LOOK INSIDE THE AIR FORCE’S AIR MOBILITY COMMAND AND HOW THEIR LEADERSHIP IS NAVIGATING BUDGET CONSTRAINTS, AGING AIRCRAFT, AND AN EVER-CHANGING LIST OF POTENTIAL THREATS.
FRESH OFF SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AMC’S COMMANDER, GENERAL JOHN LAMONTAGNE MET WITH THE MEDIA IN A ROUNDTABLE SESSION AT THE AFA’S AIR, SPACE AND CYBER 2025.
DESPITE THOSE WINS, THOUGH, HE MADE IT CLEAR HE’S UNDER NO ILLUSION ABOUT WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO BUILD ON THAT SUCCESS GOING FORWARD.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“If you look at what we just did, whether it was facilitating the B-2s going out to Yemen, or the B-2s hitting Iran a relatively safe environment, all things being equal, but that’s not what we’re going to be expected to do in the future. So we’ve got to be able to go into much higher threat environments.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
A LITTLE MORE THAN A YEAR AGO, LAMONTAGNE TOOK COMMAND OF AMC’S NEARLY 600 AIRCRAFT, PRIMARILY RESPONSIBLE FOR CARRYING OUT THE DOD’S NEEDS FOR AIRLIFT, AND AIR REFUELING.
ON THE AIRLIFT SIDE OF THE EQUATION, THE GENERAL SAYS HE WANTS AMC IN A POSITION TO TRANSITION SEAMLESSLY FROM THE C-5 AND C-17, TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF HEAVY LIFTERS.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“The C-17 and C-5 have served us well for decades, but they’re not going to fly forever. And so we’d like to recapitalize those on our timeline. … You know, we’ve got a competition already going, a source selection driving that towards the mid-2040s, timeline. It’s basically a two-for-one to replace both the C-17 and the C-5.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
LAMONTAGNE ENVISIONS A NEW AIRLFTER THAT HAS THE RIGHT DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS, IS TACTICALLY AGILE, AND EASIER TO SERVICE.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“We’re obviously at a lot of risk on the ground, sitting on the ground somewhere, so don’t want to sit on the ground for three hours if we could refuel in a lot faster timeline than that. Not that it takes three hours to refuel a C-17. But, you know, three minutes would be better than 30 minutes.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SPEAKING OF FUELING, AMC GOT A DOSE OF GOOD NEWS THIS PAST JULY WHEN CHIEF OF STAFF, GENERAL DAVID ALLVIN, ANNOUNCED A PLAN TO BUY AN ADDITIONAL 75 KC-46 PEGASUS AERIAL REFUELERS FROM BOEING, WHICH WOULD ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR A “BRIDGE” TANKER TO REPLACE THE AGING KC-135 FLEET. BUT THEY WON’T BE SAYING GOODBYE TO THE STRATOTANKER ANYTIME SOON.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“We will be flying the KC-135 into the 2050s, and so that is a long time to maintain a legacy platform. Of course, it’s not the same KC-135 that came into the inventory in the 1950s, and you know, as we sit here today, we will, don’t want it to be the same platform in the 2050s or 2060s, however long we’re going to need to fly.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OF COURSE, TIME IS A COMMODITY.
SOMETHING GENERAL ALLVIN MADE CLEAR IN HIS KEYNOTE ADDRESS TO THE TROOPS.
[Gen David Allvin, Chief of Staff, USAF]
“Last time I checked our mission says ‘Fly, fight and win. Air power, anytime, anywhere. So if you want to know what the pace is, that’s the pace, we have to move at the pace to win. If we’re not getting there, then we need to find another gear. ”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
WHEN WE ASKED GENERAL LAMONTAGNE IF THESE PLANS FIT WITHIN THAT MINDSET, HE POINTED TO TWO HURDLES AMC NEEDS TO NAVIGATE TO DELIVER ON THAT MISSION STATEMENT. EQUIPPING HIS FLEET WITH CUTTING-EDGE SENSORS TO OPERATE IN A CONTESTED ENVIRONMENT, AND THE ABILITY TO DEFEND AGAINST POTENTIAL THREATS.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“I would say the first step is being able to sense and make sense of the environment. If you can’t make sense of the threat environment, you got no chance. That’s what we’re trying to do on connectivity, and that money’s starting to flow. And then the next step is having defensive systems, or an ability to actually defend the team.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
FOR THAT, THE GENERAL SAYS THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS: HAVING SOMEONE ELSE PROVIDE THOSE DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES, LIKE A FIGHTER ESCORT. OR AN ONBOARD SOLUTION SO HIS CREWS CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES.
[Gen John Lamontagne, Commander, Air Mobility Command]
“We’re trying to get to a place where we don’t need somebody else to do it for us, and we can bring a lot more capability to the joint force in a deep, much deeper threat environment.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AS FOR HOW THEY’LL GET THAT DONE, LAMONTAGNE SAYS ALL OPTIONS ARE ON THE TABLE.
I’M JOINED NOW BY SENIOR PRODUCER, AND AIR FORCE VETERAN, BRETT BAKER.
FOR SOME HEADLINES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
AND BRETT–HERE’S A HEADLINE–WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTENT THAT WE’RE WORKING ON RIGHT NOW–SHOULD WE GIVE THE FOLKS A SNEAK PEAK?
[BRETT BAKER]
I’LL DEFER TO YOU ON THAT ONE. I MEAN, THEY KNOW WE WERE IN UKRAINE, SO OBVIOUSLY WE’RE GOING TO BE BRINGING SOME STORIES BACK FROM THERE, BUT, YEAH, I’LL DEFER TO YOU ON THAT ONE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
YEAH. SO WE HAVE SOME UKRAINE STORIES, BOTH FROM THE DEFENSE EXPO THAT WE WENT TO, AND WE ALSO WENT AROUND LVIV AND GATHERED SOME STUFF, BUT WE’RE PUTTING TOGETHER SOME STUFF FOR STRAIGHT ARROW. SO IF YOU’RE A FAN OF THE SHOW, ALSO BE A FAN OF STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS, AS OUR YOU KNOW, UMBRELLA ORGANIZATION, BECAUSE WE HAVE SOME GOOD CONTENT COMING THAT WAY. BUT WE ALSO WERE AT THE AFAS AEROSPACE AND CYBER EVENT. WE’RE GETTING READY TO HEAD TO A USA. SO OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, FOLKS, WE MIGHT DO A LITTLE BIT OF A PULLBACK ON SOME OF THE CONTENT WE’RE PUTTING OUT, BUT THAT’S JUST BECAUSE WE’RE WORKING ON SOME REALLY GREAT CONTENT IN THE BACKGROUND THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WANT YOU TO SEE. SO ALL RIGHT, THAT’S ENOUGH OF THE BEHIND THE SCENES STUFF. LET’S GO AHEAD AND TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE HEADLINES.
SOOOO….THERE’S THIS GOVERNMENT WATCH DOG SAYING 80% OF THE ARMY AND MARINES’ COMBAT VEHICLES AREN’T ACTUALLY READY FOR COMBAT.
THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVEALED IN A NEW REPORT SOME SIGNIFICANT READINESS ISSUES IN THE MOTOR POOL.
GET THIS–OF THE 18 ARMY COMBAT AND SUPPORT VEHICLES ANALYZED, 16 WERE NON-MISSION CAPABLE BECAUSE OF PART SHORTAGES AND A DECLINE IN QUALIFIED MAINTAINERS.
THE MARINE CORPS IS FACING SIMILAR CHALLENGES, WITH FIVE OF ITS SEVEN VEHICLES TESTED SHOWING DECREASED READINESS. THE INVESTIGATION LASTED FROM 2015 TO 2024 AND SHOWED AS MAINTENANCE DEMANDS WENT UP, REPAIRS AND OVERHAULS WENT DOWN, IMPACTING OPERATIONAL AVAILABILITY.
BRETT–YOU GO TO WAR WITH THE FORCE YOU HAVE, NOT THE FORCE YOU WANT–CAN’T IMAGINE THIS IS GOOD NEWS TO INDOPACOM COMMANDERS.
[BRETT BAKER]
CERTAINLY, IT IS NOT. IT WOULD SEEM TO BE THE WORST VERSION OF THE PERFECT STORM WHEN YOU CAN’T GET THE PARTS YOU NEED. AND EVEN IF YOU WERE TO GET THOSE PARTS, YOU MIGHT NOT HAVE ENOUGH MAINTAINERS TO PUT THEM TO GOOD USE AND GET THOSE VEHICLES BACK UP AND ROLLING. IT’S JUST KIND OF ANOTHER SIGN OF WHERE I THINK THE DOD IS IN A LOT OF PLACES WITH BUDGET CONSTRAINTS AND MANNING. IT COULD, YOU KNOW, I HOPE IT’S A ONE-OFF. I DON’T THINK IT’S A ONE-OFF, BUT YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD LIKE TO THINK THAT THIS IS NOT A TREND OF THINGS TO COME.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ABSOLUTELY. BECAUSE IF, I MEAN, IF THIS IS A TREND, AND MORE OF YOUR VEHICLES DON’T WORK THAN DO WORK, HOW BATTLE EFFECTIVE CAN YOU REALLY BE? SO, YEAH, TO YOUR POINT, HOPE IT’S HOPE IT’S A ONE-OFF. DOESN’T SOUND LIKE IT IS, BUT HOPEFULLY THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE CAN FIGURE IT ALL OUT.
SPEAKING OF THE PACIFIC– A RECENT ARTICLE IN DEFENSE NEWS DETAILS HOW SOME BRITISH ANALYSTS FOUND EVIDENCE RUSSIA IS SUPPLYING MILITARY EQUIPMENT AND TECHNOLOGY TO CHINA, POTENTIALLY AIDING PREPARATIONS FOR AN INVASION OF TAIWAN.
THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICES INSTITUTE BASED ITS FINDINGS ON LEAKED RUSSIAN DOCUMENTS OUTLINING CONTRACTS AND EQUIPMENT, INCLUDING HIGH-ALTITUDE PARACHUTE SYSTEMS AND AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT VEHICLES. ANALYSTS BELIEVE THIS SUPPORT COULD ENHANCE CHINA’S AIRBORNE CAPABILITIES BY 10 TO 15 YEARS AND IMPROVE ITS COMMAND TRAINING FOR PARACHUTE FORCES.
AND WHILE THE CONTRACTS MAY BE IN PLACE–BRETT, MY QUESTION IS WILL THE KREMLIN BE ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THOSE CONTRACT DEMANDS–GIVEN THE WAR WITH UKRAINE IS DRAINING A LOT OF RESOURCES
[BRETT BAKER]
YEAH, I THINK MY INITIAL REACTION TO READING THIS STORY WAS THEY HAVE STUFF TO GIVE AWAY OR TO DEAL AWAY AND BARTER WITH. YEAH, IT’S INTERESTING, GIVEN THE PINCH THAT RUSSIA IS IN AND THAT CHINA IS NOT IN, THEY’VE GOT ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD. THEY’VE GOT ALL THE MANPOWER IN THE WORLD. SO IT IS AN INTERESTING ARRANGEMENT. I CERTAINLY THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE’S PART OF IT THAT JUST, YOU KNOW, YANK UNCLE SAM’S CHAIN AND GET HIM TALKING ABOUT IT. BUT IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THIS WOULD BE A SUSTAINABLE THING FOR THE RUSSIANS, GIVEN THEIR CURRENT SITUATION IN UKRAINE.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
YEAH. I MEAN, WE DID A STORY A FEW MONTHS AGO. NOW, AT THIS POINT, RUSSIA WAS USING DONKEYS TO SUPPLY THEIR FRONT LINES, WHICH, YOU KNOW, SOME TERRAINS THAT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN, YOU KNOW, GETTING YOUR VEHICLE STUCK IN THE MUD. BUT NO ARMY WANTS TO GO TO WAR WITH DONKEYS IN THEIR LOGISTICS LINE. I KIND OF THINK THAT THIS MIGHT. BE MORE LIKE RUSSIA MIGHT BE GIVING SOME PIECES OF EQUIPMENT, LIKE DEMONSTRATORS, YOU KNOW, LIKE, HERE’S, HERE’S AN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT VEHICLE. CHINA, COPY IT. GO BUILD A BUNCH AND GIVE US SOME MONEY SO THAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, KEEP FIGHTING UKRAINE. THAT’S KIND OF HOW I SEE THIS. NOT REALLY SURE HOW IT’S ALL GOING TO PLAY OUT TO YOUR POINT.
AND FINALLY A PIECE OF VIDEO YOU HAVE TO WATCH A COUPLE TIMES TO REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT’S HAPPENING. AT FIRST GLANCE, IT LOOKS LIKE IT’S ON PAUSE. BUT IT’S NOT. IT’S AN:08 CLIP OF 49 DRONES DYING SIMULTANEOUSLY AND FALLING RIGHT OUT OF THE SKY. THE CLIP FROM OUR FRIENDS AT EPIRUS SHOWS THE RESULTS OF A RECENT LIVE-FIRE DEMONSTRATION, WHERE THEIR LEONIDAS PLATFORM WAS 100% SUCCESSFUL AGAINST A 49-DRONE SWARM CONSISTING OF TWO DRONE TYPES—ALL WITH ONE INSTANT AND LOW-COLLATERAL PULSE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC INTERFERENCE…AND IN HONOR OF LEONIDAS–WHICH IS NAMED AFTER THE SPARTAN KING–LET ME JUST SAY THIS IS AWESOME!
[BRETT BAKER]
NICELY DONE. I SEE THAT NO, I THE FIRST TIME I SAW THE CLIP, OUR EDITOR SHARED IT IN OUR SLACK CHANNEL, AND I’M LIKE, WHAT AM I? WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? LOOKED LIKE IT WAS ON PAUSE. BUT THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU SEE 49 DRONES JUST DROP OUT OF THE SKY. THIS ISN’T NEW. WE’VE SEEN LEONIDAS WORK IN ONES AND TWOS AND THREES AND FOURS, BUT AT THIS SCALE, AT 49, THAT’S A DIFFERENT BALL GAME. SO DEFINITELY IS AN IMPRESSIVE TEST, TO BE SURE, AND I THINK ONE THAT YOU KNOW TROOPS WHO ARE ON THE GROUND HAVE TO APPRECIATE THAT, HEY, WE’RE HEADING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION ON THIS.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ABSOLUTELY ON THE GROUND AND AT SEA. WE KNOW THAT LEONIDAS HAS SOME MARITIME APPLICATIONS AS WELL. IT’S A SOFTWARE DEFINED PULSE, IS WHAT THEY CALL IT. SO THEY CAN DO, YOU KNOW, SWARMS AT A TIME. BUT THEY COULD ALSO KIND OF NARROW IT DOWN AND DO CERTAIN FREQUENCIES, OR KIND OF POINT IT AT CERTAIN DRONES, SO THAT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU DO A GIANT SWATH PULSE, YOU’RE GOING TO KNOCK DOWN YOUR OWN STUFF TOO, RIGHT? SO IF YOU CAN PUT YOUR FREQUENCY STUFF AT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT FREQUENCY THAN YOUR ENEMY STUFF, THEN THE IDEA IS, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY YOUR STUFF CAN KEEP FLYING WHILE THEIR STUFF FALLS DOWN. SO, YEAH, GOOD JOB TO THE FOLKS AT EPIRUS, FOR SURE. ANYTIME I GET TO MAKE A SPARTANS 300 QUOTE, I THINK IT’S A GOOD STORY.
[BRETT BAKER]
WELL, YOU’RE WELCOME, BECAUSE I PICKED THAT ONE.
UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES HAVE REALLY KIND OF CHANGED THE GAME ON THE BATTLEFIELD, BUT THE NEW ITERATION OF THOSE ARE GONNA BE BOMBERS, RIGHT? SO TO HERE, TALK TO ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. IS DANILO PAVLICHENKO, DID I SAY THAT? RIGHT?
[Danylo Pavlichenko, Sales Manager, JET Company]
“Yes. Thank you.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
AWESOME, AND YOU’RE WITH A COMPANY CALLED JET. SO TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS BOMBER THAT WE HAVE RIGHT HERE.
[Danylo Pavlichenko, Sales Manager, JET Company]
“The bomber is our new initiative that we have created ourselves because we have our own R and D. It is a solution that provides up to 20 kilograms of payload capacity. It can fly, technically, up to 60 kilometers without the payload. With the payload, it is oriented for 15 kilometers one way and back. And it’s something that is well used on the battlefield, and it’s a game changer. Basically, it’s something that is very reliable in usage.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
IS IT REMOTE CONTROL, IS THERE ANY AI COMPONENT TO IT?
[Danylo Pavlichenko, Sales Manager, JET Company]
“No AI component in remote control. Do we have our ground control stations that come with it? We use sign, link and other modules for the connection, and it’s fully controlled. The whole station has to be controlled by two people for its usage.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
OKAY, YOU ALSO HAVE SOME OTHER PRODUCTS BEHIND YOU HERE, SOME MORE FPV DRONES. ONE OF THEM THAT CAUGHT MY EYE IS THIS ONE RIGHT HERE WITH THE FIBER OPTIC CABLE ON THE BACK OF IT. FIBER OPTIC IS UNJAMMABLE. AND THAT’S EVERYONE’S KIND OF SAYING, THIS IS THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
[Danylo Pavlichenko, Sales Manager, JET Company]
“It definitely is. And if you look at the battlefields of Ukraine, everything is filled with fiber optic. It’s obviously for a reason, because with the electronic warfare that we have to fight, this is definitely the way to go. What we represent. We have fiber optic on a frame of 10 inch and 13 inch flying 15 to 20 kilometers. We’re also representing starting to create other modifications in the future to make it go in further. We also have represented jet 10 LR, which is for long range. It can fly for 40 kilometers, plus carrying up to one kilogram of payload.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ARE YOU HOPING TO GET FROM THIS? YOU KNOW THIS SHOW, RIGHT? BECAUSE I KNOW THAT YOU DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE CONTRACTS YET. YOU’RE HOPING TO SIGN SOME?
[Danylo Pavlichenko, Sales Manager, JET Company]
“We do have contracts. We work directly with the different military units, a lot of organizations. Just a way to show up a portion of us, our heart and what we do, get new relationships going collaborations with other companies, and to progress and put roots into other places as well.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
ALL RIGHT, FOLKS FOR COMMS CHECK THIS WEEK, WE ARE CHECKING IN WITH THE GOOD FOLKS AT JOBS OHIO, AND HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT IS JP NASIF WITH JOBS OHIO. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY,
[JP Nauseef, CEO, JobsOhio]
“Thank you for having me.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
SO THE LAST TIME WE TALKED TO YOU, THE BIG NEWS WAS ARSENAL ONE HAD JUST BEEN ANNOUNCED BY ANDURIL.. OBVIOUSLY, THAT IS NOT THE LAST THING THAT JOBS OHIO HAS BROUGHT INTO YOUR STATE. SO KIND OF TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THOSE PROJECTS.
[JP Nauseef, CEO, JobsOhio]
“Well, you know, we’re really focused on advanced aerospace and defense industry. That’s why we’re here at the Air Force Association. It’s really turned into quite a trade show. The environment is changing very, very fast, and how the Department of War, Department of Defense, acquires weapon systems. Anduril and the Arsenal program is a great example of that. And so with our heritage in Ohio of aviation, going dating back to the Wright brothers, and our heritage in space, you know, Neil Armstrong’s from here, we have NASA Glenn and NASA Armstrong, we’re really focused on this sector that’s a trillion, multi trillion dollar economic opportunity, and we’ve got the workforce and the facilities and the diversity of our industry sectors to build a base here, basis for that in Ohio, and that’s what we’re doing. So Anduril is busy implementing their factory, massive factory in central Ohio. We’ve got Joby aviation building evtols And com systems close to Wright Patterson in Dayton, Ohio, Sierra Nevada, modifying aviation and airframe systems and doing maintenance on an airport and airfield in Dayton, Ohio, near Wright Patterson. I think what we’re finding is the intersection of where the customer, this large customer at Ray Patterson Air Force Base, intersects with this amazing heavyweight manufacturing capability, number three in the nation, the number one most productive workforce and labor force in the Midwest. And the confluence of those things. And then when you combine affordability of the workforce, higher education institutions that can upscale and train and produce the workforce. The confluence of all those things becomes a very powerful value proposition, and it all goes to what’s important for the country, and making sure that America has the systems it needs to deter aggression from our adversaries and make sure the men and women that serve and their families have the best they can have at an efficient and effective cost basis for the American taxpayer, and that’s what Ohio has to offer.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
A LOT OF STATES IN THE MIDWEST ARE EXPERIENCING THE BRAIN DRAIN RIGHT NOW. DOES OHIO HAVE THAT? OR, BECAUSE OF ALL THESE INDUSTRIES, ARE YOU ABLE TO KIND OF COUNTERACT THAT? WHERE OTHER STATES BRAIN DRAIN IS YOUR BRAIN GAIN?
[JP Nauseef, CEO, JobsOhio]
“Well, it’s an interesting phenomenon, right? You know, back at the World War Two era, the Midwest, Ohio was the center of the Industrial Age. Then after World War Two, transportation technologies, the Interstate Highway System, air conditioning gets invented. People migrate south and west. Trade Agreements take our industry base south of the border, over oceans. You know, we all know what happened and what’s happening now, and you can see it. Those great states on the coast, which I used to live in California, had place in New York for quite a while. Those are wonderful states, but they’ve become a victim of their success and everything they have that’s great, and people are actually fleeing those states now. So you know, after decades of out migration of population and brain drain, as you call it, we’ve got the first net positive population in migration to our state since the 80s. Between 2019 and 2024, we had significant population in migration. 85% of the people that came back or came to Ohio were coming seeking one of those new jobs. And so, you know, it’s good. We’re not back to where we want to be, but we’re definitely on our path and leadership in this sector, so important to our heritage, important to the country, the people in Ohio care about it, and we’ve got capability that these industries need. We’re on our way to leadership in this sector, for sure.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
JP, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. APPRECIATE IT.
[JP Nauseef, CEO, JobsOhio]
“Thank you for your time. Thank you very much. Appreciate it.”
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
ALRIGHT, FOLKS…FOR MY WRAP THIS WEEK–I’M GOING TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING I KNOW IS GOING TO MAKE SOME OF YOU MAD…THE U-S GOVERNMENT DEPLOYING THE NATIONAL GUARD AND OTHER TROOPS TO AMERICAN CITIES.
BUT BEFORE YOU GET ANGRY AND GO OFF ON ME IN THE COMMENTS SECTION–HEAR ME OUT.
SINCE TAKING OFFICE–PRESIDENT TRUMP DEPLOYED THE GUARD TO SEVERAL AMERICAN CITIES–WITH THE MISSION OF PROTECTING FEDERAL WORKERS AND FACILITIES…WHICH IS WITHIN HIS SCOPE OF POWER AS THE HEAD OF OUR NATION’S EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
JUST LIKE IT’S WITHIN THE SCOPE OF POWER FOR FEDERAL DISTRICT JUDGES TO PUT TEMPORARY HOLDS ON PRESIDENTIAL ORDERS–TO MAKE SURE THERE ISN’T AN ABUSE OF POWER.
IF YOU’VE BEEN PAYING ATTENTION, YOU KNOW OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS–PRESIDENT TRUMP AND HIS ADMINISTRATION TOYED WITH THE IDEA OF EXPANDING THE TROOP DEPLOYMENTS EVEN FURTHER.
THE MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE REPORTED ANTHONY SALISBURY–
A TOP DEPUTY TO WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL STEVEN MILLER–
WAS EVEN CAUGHT USING THE SIGNAL MESSAGING APP TO TALK ABOUT SENDING THE 82ND AIRBORNE TO PORTLAND. PRESIDENT TRUMP HIMSELF TALKED ABOUT USING AMERICAN CITIES AS TRAINING GROUNDS FOR THE U-S MILITARY.
WHEN A TRUMP APPOINTED JUDGE PUT A HOLD ON THE PRESIDENT’S PLAN TO FEDERALIZE THE OREGON NATIONAL GUARD AND SEND IT TO PORTLAND–
THE PRESIDENT TRIED TO GO AROUND THE ORDER BY SENDING IN GUARD MEMBERS FROM CALIFORNIA AND TEXAS…A MOVE WHICH JUDGE KARIN IMMERGUT ALSO BLOCKED.
BUT THE JUDGE’S DECISIONS DO NOT REPRESENT A LEGAL INSURRECTION AS WHITE HOUSE AIDE STEVEN MILLER PUT IT. THEY REPRESENT OUR SEPARATE-BUT-EQUAL BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT PERFORMING THEIR CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED DUTIES.
AND THIS ALL COMES AFTER ANOTHER DISTRICT JUDGE IN CALIFORNIA RULED THAT THE JUNE DEPLOYMENT OF GUARD TROOPS AND MARINES TO LOS ANGELES WAS IN FACT, ILLEGAL…THE JUDGE SAID THE ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS REPRESENTED A CLEAR AND WILLFUL VIOLATION OF THE POSSE COMITATUS ACT–
SINCE THE MILITARY WAS BEING USED TO PERFORM LAW ENFORCEMENT DUTIES.
I HOPE WE CAN ALL AGREE–AS AMERICANS–THAT OURS IS A NATION OF LAWS. THAT UPHOLDING THOSE LAWS, AND ABIDING BY THEM ARE IMPORTANT…BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT HOLDS OUR SOCIETY TOGETHER. THAT’S WHAT KEEPS OUR REPUBLIC INTACT
AND THAT’S GOING TO DO IT FOR US THIS WEEK ON WEAPONS AND WARFARE–
AS ALWAYS IF YOU LIKE WHAT YOU SAW AND OR HEARD–PLEASE LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE TO OUR SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS–AND DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP TODAY.
LIKE BRETT AND I WERE SAYING EARLIER–WE HAVE A PRETTY BIG BACKLOG OF CONTENT TO ROLLOUT FROM UKRAINE AND A COUPLE OF DEFENSE EXPOS IN D-C…SO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ALL THOSE STORIES HEADED YOUR WAY.
IN THE MEANTIME–FOR SENIOR PRODUCER BRETT BAKER, VIDEO EDITOR BRIAN SPENCER, AND MOTION ARTIST DAKOTA PITEO–I’M RYAN ROBERTSON FOR STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS–SIGNING OFF.
