"No one understood better than Stalin that the true object of propaganda is neither to convince nor even to persuade, but to produce a uniform pattern of public utterance in which the first trace of unorthodox thought immediately reveals itself as a jarring dissonance."
-- Alan Bullock, British historian
The Oxford English Dictionary's 2016 "Word of the Year" is "post-truth". which is defined as "relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief."
"Education should implant a will and a facility for learning; it should produce not learned but learning people. In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists."
- Eric Hoffer
20 years ago we were watching the Philippine Air Force effectively employ these aircraft in support of the Philippine Army and Marine Corps. Ground forces even used cell phone text messages to call for fire.
The Bronco is Back! Blue Air Training Acquires Seven OV-10 light attack aircraft to support JTAC training missions - The Aviation Geek Club
The versatility and reliability of the Bronco make this aircraft an ideal JTAC training platform, with in-theater endurance topping five hours.
Blue Air Training, a global leader in Close Air Support training, adds powerful new training aircraft to the fleet. Blue Air Training recently acquired OV-10 Broncos to further support their mission to train America's warfighters.
On Mar. 27, 2020 in fact,
Blue Air Training announced in a news release that is integrating the highly reliable, cost effective, multi-purpose light attack OV-10 Category E "jet class" into training missions. The versatility and reliability of the Bronco make this aircraft an ideal
Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) training platform, with in-theater endurance topping five hours.
The iconic OV-10 was initially conceived in the early 1960s and designed for rugged, simple,
close air support (CAS), integrated with reconnaissance and forward ground operations. The Bronco's missions included observation, forward air control, helicopter escort, armed reconnaissance, gunfire spotting, utility and ground attack.
The OV-10 was used for decades and flew with three branches of the military, the US Air Force, US Navy and
US Marine Corps, along with several
allied militaries. Besides the military, other US agencies who flew the OV-10 include NASA, State Department Air Wing, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to name a few. Most recently, US Special Forces have used the OV-10 in several operations in active theaters
combating ISIS.
"As a career
A-10 Pilot, I've always had a tremendous respect and appreciation for the OV-10 Bronco. Its unique look and mission focused design rings true to my heart. In our configuration of 8 bombs, 7 rockets, 2000 rounds, FLIR and LINK-16 there is no wonder why this aircraft was recently selected to take the fight to ISIS. For those very reasons the seven OV-10D+ and OV-10G Broncos we are adding to the Blue Air Close Air Support fleet are undeniably the best JTAC training platform in the air, anywhere." - Founder and CEO, James "Chef" Barlow.
FDD is a Washington-based nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.
If you do not read anything else in the 2017 National Security Strategy read this on page 14:
"A democracy is only as resilient as its people. An informed and engaged citizenry is the fundamental requirement for a free and resilient nation. For generations, our society has protected free press, free speech, and free thought. Today, actors such as Russia are using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies. Adversaries target media, political processes, financial networks, and personal data. The American public and private sectors must recognize this and work together to defend our way of life. No external threat can be allowed to shake our shared commitment to our values, undermine our system of government, or divide our Nation."
