The Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government buildings and the sprawling U.S. Embassy, will be open every day for 14 hours starting at 5 a.m., Maj. Gen. Jassim Yahya told The Associated Press. During that period, Yahya said, “all the Green Zone will be open for the public.”
The 4-square mile (10-square kilometer) zone with its palm trees and monuments has been mostly off limits to the public since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq to topple President Saddam Hussein. It was opened for the first time in 2019, then closed and opened again several times since.
[December 2 2020 Embassy and missions drawing down ]
As many as half of the American staff at the U.S. embassy and other diplomatic facilities in Iraq would be leaving, characterizing that as “dozens” of people.
[February 10 2015 Blimps in Iraq anchored near outposts for eye-in-the-sky surveillance, now transferred to Iraqis ]
A Raytheon Rapid Aerostat Initial Deployment tower, which is part of the Base Expeditionary Targeting System of Systems-Combined, is raised on a base.
aerostat 17M – TCOM
“Additional surveillance equipment used successfully overseas, such as aerostats” could at large reaches of the Mexican border. Three companies have blimps in the border trials: Lockheed, the largest U.S. contractor, No. 4 Raytheon Co. and closely held Technology & Supply Management LLC.
Lockheed’s is the biggest — 117 feet (36 meters) long and able to hover at 5,000 feet. As many as 65 Lockheed blimps flew in Afghanistan and Iraq, anchored near U.S. outposts for eye-in-the-sky surveillance. Soldiers brought back stories of Afghan mothers letting children play in sight of the “big balloon” because it meant they would be safe. Being with the troops in forward operating bases was a very good fit, and now looking at large reaches of the border is a very good fit.”
Lockheed’s aerostat can stay up for 30 days, lifted by inert helium. It’s anchored by special fiber-optic and copper cables that send power and receive data from L-3 Communications Holding Inc.’s Wescam MX-20 electro-optical and infrared cameras. Layered composite-fiber material gives the balloons strength and filters out damaging ultraviolet radiation.
Raytheon’s system “is proven technology with a distinguished service record,” according to a fact sheet from the Waltham, Massachusetts-based company, which declined requests for an interview. Fairfax, Virginia-based Technology & Supply Management also declined to comment.
Crescent Shift 