• Panetta restricts F-22 flights due to oxygen system complaints

    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered all F-22 flights to remain near an airfield in case the pilot suffers from oxygen deprivation due to the aircraft's oxygen system. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News writes

    Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the Air Force to restrict flights of its new F-22 stealth fighters because of continuing problems with the aircraft's oxygen system.


    At least 22 pilots have suffered from oxygen deprivation while in flight since April 2008.

    Panetta on Tuesday ordered that all F-22 flights remain within a "proximate distance" of an airfield in case a pilot should suffer from a hypoxia event and be forced to land. That will force an immediate end to F-22 patrol missions over Alaska.

    Panetta also ordered the Air Force to accelerate installment of a backup oxygen system in all F-22s and provide monthly progress reports on efforts to identify the problem with the current oxygen system.  The Air Force does not expect to begin installing automatic backup oxygen systems until December of this year.

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    Handout / U.S. Air Force via Reuters file

    A F-22 Raptor fighter jet flies in a training mission during Red Flag 12-3 over the Nevada Test and Training Range.

    The Air Force has been unable to determine the cause of the 12 incidents of hypoxia suffered by pilots of the F-22. Pilots have reported wooziness while flying the supersonic jet, considered the most advanced fighter plane in the world.

    Some of the military’s top aviators have refused to fly the radar-evading planes because of the oxygen system problems.

    The supersonic plane has also been criticized in the past for its high-maintenance costs. 

    The Air Force reports that each of the aircraft costs $143 million. The U.S. Government Accountability Office, however, estimates that each F-22 cost taxpayers $412 million, if upgrades and research and development expenses are included.

    Jim Miklaszewski is the chief Pentagon correspondent for NBC News. Courtney Kube, NBC's Pentagon producer, and msnbc.com reporter Jeff Black contributed to this report.

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  • Entertainment industry unites around 'Got Your 6' to help veterans return to civilian life

    With combat operations beginning to wind down, more than 1 million veterans will be returning to their communities, looking to reclaim their lives and livelihoods. A new campaign wants to help returning veterans and their families. NBC's Brian Williams reports.

    Joe Myxter writes

    In an effort to show support to veterans returning to civilian life, a new campaign, called “Got Your 6,” was launched Thursday by heavy hitters across the entertainment industry, including actors, newscasters, broadcast and cable news networks, studios and talent agencies.

    “On behalf of the entire entertainment industry, we are proud to be engaging with our veterans through the Got Your 6 Campaign,” Ron Meyer, president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said in a statement. “Together, we are uniting to bring awareness to this incredibly important issue of bringing our country’s trained leaders home to be a valued part of our communities across the nation.”

    (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.)

    The campaign focuses on six pillars -- jobs, education, health, housing, family and leadership.


    “Got your six” is a military expression meaning “I’ve got your back.”

    The campaign debuted with a public service announcement that features, among others, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Tom Hanks, Sarah Jessica Parker and Bradley Cooper.

    “Over the next five years, more than 1 million service members will return to civilian life,” said Chris Marvin, director of civilian-military partnerships for ServiceNation, a unit of the non-profit organization coordinating Got Your 6. “As we welcome this generation of veterans home, it is crucial that we view them and their families as leaders and civic assets, said Martin, a former Army Blackhawk helicopter pilot wounded in Afghanistan.

    Hollywood, the major television networks and non-profit organizations are joining forces for the campaign, "Got Your Six." Managing Director Chris Marvin joins NewsNation to discuss.

    For more information, visit the campaign’s website here.

  • China wary as US, Philippines stage war games

    American and Philippine troops waded ashore in a mock assault to retake the island of Palawan against a background of rising tension in the South China Sea.  NBC's Ian Williams reports. 

    Reuters writes

    ULUGAN BAY, Philippines - Hundreds of American and Philippine troops waded ashore on Wednesday in a mock assault to retake a small island in energy-rich waters disputed with China, a drill Beijing had said would raise the risk of armed conflict.

    The exercises, part of annual U.S.-Philippine war games on the western island of Palawan, coincide with another standoff between Chinese and Philippine vessels near Scarborough Shoal in a different part of the South China Sea.

    China has territorial disputes with the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan across the South China Sea, each searching for gas and oil while building up their navies and military alliances.

    China said last week the drill would raise the risk of confrontation. On Wednesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai said China was committed to dialogue and diplomacy to resolve the dispute.

    "We are certainly worried about the South China Sea issue," Cui told a news briefing in Beijing, saying "some people tried to mix two unrelated things, territorial sovereignty and freedom of navigation."

    Historical records
    The comments come before high-level talks with the Obama administration. China, which claims the South China Sea based on historical records, has sought to resolve disputes bilaterally but its neighbors worry over what some see as growing Chinese assertiveness in its claims in the region.

    "Location (of the drill) is irrelevant," Ensign Bryan Mitchell, spokesman for the U.S. Marines, told reporters.

    "These exercises take place on a regular basis. This year it happens to be in Palawan. The planning for this took place months ago prior to any events that are currently in the headlines."

    China, Russia begin naval war games

    President Barack Obama has sought to reassure regional allies that Washington would serve as a counterbalance to China in the South China Sea, part of his campaign to "pivot" U.S. foreign policy towards Asia after wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Philippine military officials sought to play down the exercise. Lieutenant General Juancho Sabban, military commander for the western Philippines, said the drill "simply means we want to work together, improve our skills."

    Romeo Ranoco / Reuters

    U.S. Marines and Filipino troops participate in a joint military exercise in Ulugan Bay on the western coast of the Philippines on Wednesday.

    Sabban's area of command includes Reed Bank and the Spratlys, a group of 250 mostly uninhabitable islets spread over 165,000 sq miles west of Palawan.

    The Spratlys are claimed entirely by China, Taiwan and Vietnam and in part by Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines.

    Huge oil reserves
    Proven and undiscovered oil reserve estimates in the South China Sea range as high as 213 billion barrels of oil, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in a 2008 report. That would surpass every country's proven oil reserves except Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, according to the BP Statistical Review.

    A Philippine exploration firm, Philex Petroleum Corp, said on Tuesday its unit, Forum Energy Plc, had found more natural gas than expected around Reed Bank, where Chinese navy vessels tried to ram one of Forum Energy's survey ships last year.

    The Philippines is due to open oil-and-gas exploration bids in Reed Bank on Friday.

    NYT: Signs of an Asian arms buildup in India missile test

    Vietnam reasserted its claim to the Spratlys and the Paracel islands, known in Chinese as the Xisha islands, further west of Scarborough Shoal in what it calls the East Sea.

    Self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province, reiterated its claims over territories in the South China Sea and urged "countries concerned to exercise self-restraint so that peaceful resolutions can be reached through consultation".

    Sabban said the military drill was not focused on China.

    "Never was China ever mentioned in our planning and execution," he told reporters. "China should not be worried about Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises."

    Amphibious assault
    Nearly 7,000 American and Philippine troops were launched from U.S. and Philippine ships in the simulated amphibious assault to recapture an island supposedly taken by militants.

    Commandos came ashore from U.S. and Philippine ships in a simulated amphibious assault to recapture an island supposedly taken by militants.

    Jumping from rubber boats as they hit the shore, the commandos engaged in a mock firefight, making their way inch by inch from the beach to a navy facility to rescue "hostages" and recapture the base.

    Read more China coverage on our Behind The Wall blog

    Four days ago, commando teams rappelled from U.S. helicopters and landed from rubber boats in a mock assault to retake an oil rig in northern Palawan, 11 miles off the town of El Nido on the South China Sea.

    The annual war games come under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, part of a web of security alliances the United States built in the Asia-Pacific region during the Cold War.

    The drills are a rehearsal of a mutual defense plan by the two allies to repel any aggression in the Philippines.

    Hundreds of kilometers to the north, a Philippine coast guard ship patrols near Scarborough Shoal, a group of half-submerged rock formations 124 nautical miles west of the Philippines' main island of Luzon.

    Philippine and Chinese ships are often in the same areas of the South China Sea, with two Chinese maritime surveillance ships a few miles away from the coast guard vessel and five Chinese fishing boats working the waters nearby.

  • A lasting legacy

    By Ginny Harris
    NBC News

    Antoinette Kolesnikov, a first generation American of Russian parents, wanted to give back to her country and serve it well. A chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, she is based at Ft. McGuire Air Force base in New Jersey. Her rank is coveted, as there are very few women who have held that position. Only 2 percent ever attain this rank. When she joined the Air Force 37 years ago, only 7 percent of service members were women, and now there are 18 percent.

    Kolesnikov is a single parent who made sacrifices. Because of her dedication to her job, she had to juggle motherhood with her responsibilities to the Air Force. Kolesnikov's daughter is now a lieutenant in the Engineering Corp of the U.S. Air Force. Once again, Kolesnikov led by example.

    Each year around Christmas time, AK (as she is known) cooks omelets for a special holiday breakfast for her troops and her community. It started 23 years ago, in her office, when it was just about 20 people who had nowhere to go. It has now grown to more than 300. This year she'll cook her last breakfast before she retires. AK pays for the breakfast herself. In the last few years, she placed donation jars on the table, and the money goes to someone in need. This year, some of it will go to an enlisted member., Michelle Duffanti, who is single and recently adopted 6 children, some of them with special needs.

    In the past, AK has donated money to service members who have suffered personal tragedies. Two airmen had  houses that burned down and she donated the money to them. In addition, a battered women's shelter has been a recipients of AK's kindness and generosity.

    Eunique Scales-Brown, a resource advisor for the 135th Squadron has been mentored by AK. She saw her potential, then encouraged and helped Scales-Brown to advance into the position. When Scales-Brown's mother died suddenly and she couldn't afford a funeral, AK was there to help with the funds for a burial. 

    "She helped me when I didn't know what to do," Scales-Brown said. "I was on active duty and didn't even know my mother was sick. It's stuff like this that has made me a better person.

    "I know I can strive to be like her she is such a blessing, with her busy life, she never forgets you."

    Tarun Patel is an only child, born in India to a working class family with a business in medical distribution. When Patel was very young, his father was pushed off a building and the injuries led to memory loss. The family business failed and they lost everything. The Patels moved to Delhi. They were so poor that Patel's mother saved money for eight years just to buy her son a bicycle for his ninth birthday. When he was 11, his family sent him to live with his uncle in New Jersey. She gave him a $20 bill and told him, "Here's enough money for one night's meal and make sure you always do the right thing."

    Patel had a passion for aviation and that's how AK came into his life. He got a full-time scholarship at Rutgers University but struggled with English. He secretly joined the Air Force reserves in 1998 when he was 18.

    With AK's help, Patel traveled to Qatar and worked there for 90 days. But before he set out for Qatar, Patel dropped out of Rutgers. When he returned, AK nominated him for awards, and he won Airman Of The Year. AK believed in Patel and knew he wouldn't make it without an undergraduate degree. She also gave him a part time job, so that he could work in the morning and go to school at night. He graduated in 2003 and AK hired him full time.

    AK and Patel's mother both attended the graduation.

    "If AK weren't there in 2000 for me, my life would have been so different," Patel said. "We believe in nine lives and I hope she is in every one of mine. She nurtured me and transformed me into the person I have become."

    Patel is now the head ff engineering for the U.S. Navy.

    "I am blessed to have AK in my life. Because of her dedication, there is hope," Patel said. "She has been my mentor and my mother rolled into one." Patel gives back to his co-workers by donating 100 hours of work each year.

    Watch more of our Making A Difference reports here.

  • For these military families, a special homecoming from Iraq

    Thousands of U.S. troops are returning home this month - many sooner than expected, to the delight and sometimes surprise of their families. At Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, about 3,400 soldiers are making the long journey home. NBC's Janet Shamlian reports.

    Janet Shamlian writes

    FORT BLISS, Texas -- The auditorium-style room at Fort Bliss is full of families and heavy with anticipation.

    Everyone here has a mother or father, son or daughter they haven't seen in months ... about to come home.

    With the drawdown of US troops from Iraq, these welcome home ceremonies are happening every few days at Fort Bliss as some 3,400 soldiers from the 4th Brigade head back to Texas. To attend one, as I did Tuesday, was a reminder of the sacrifice made by our military families.

    Byron Isler sat by himself with a bouquet of flowers, both nervous and full of excitement. Even though he and wife Thomasine were both stationed in Iraq, they never once saw each other there. Byron returned to El Paso last month. They have a 7-year-old son who has been without his parents for far too long.

    Cynthia Medrano sat nearby, surrounded by her mother, her sister and her three young daughters. Carlos Medrano is returning from his fourth and final deployment to Iraq. He's missed so many of the girls' birthdays and school performances, but at least this year he won't miss Christmas.

    And then there is Ashley Hopkins, who told her 6-year-old Lillian and 3-year-old Kaitlyn that they'd come to the event to welcome someone ELSE'S father home. The truth would be revealed to the girls in just a few minutes, when Brian Hopkins would step off the plane and into their arms.

    PhotoBlog: As US exits, Iraqis tell how their lives have changed

    For many of these families, there will be future deployments and more time away from loved ones. But at least this Christmas, mommy or daddy will be home. How will they spend the holidays, I wanted to know. It was heartbreaking to hear one mom of a toddler explain that her family is tight on cash and wasn't going to decorate or get a Christmas tree until they learned Dad was coming home.

    Most poignant from the afternoon with these families was one young woman's comment. She said she knew her husband would come home from Iraq, but now she knew he would be coming home alive.

    The reunions were as you'd expect: tearful and joyous. Bearing witness from the corner of a room, I felt the same. The holiday is just short of two weeks away. But for these families, Christmas came today. 

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