//The Wire//2200Z December 23, 2024//

//ROUTINE//

//BLUF: U.S. NAVY SHOOTS DOWN OWN AIRCRAFT IN FRIENDLY-FIRE INCIDENT. SUBWAY ATTACKS IN NYC CONTINUE.//

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-International Events-

Red Sea/HOA: Over the weekend a friendly-fire incident resulted in one F/A-18 Super Hornet being shot down over the Red Sea. Both crew members ejected successfully, with one suffering injuries. The aircraft was downed by the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), which engaged the aircraft with an as yet unidentified weapon system.

-HomeFront-

New York: A woman was murdered on the subway as a result of an arson attack. The murder was carried out by a Guatemalan immigrant, who was arrested following the extremely graphic attack. As of this morning, the victim has not yet been identified.

In Queens, this morning two thieves were stabbed by an elderly man who they were attempting to rob. One of the thieves was stabbed in the chest, and died later at a local hospital. The other thief remains hospitalized with lacerations to his face. The elderly man was unhurt during the incident, and has not been prosecuted as the DA has stated he was acting in self-defense.

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Analyst Comments: As the shootdown incident in the Red Sea constitutes a cascading series of exceptionally grave mistakes, the investigation into the downing of this aircraft is very serious. Prior to this incident, the last time a U.S. Navy vessel shot down one of their own aircraft was June 17, 1968, involving an F-4 Phantom and the USS Long Beach. This is the only other known incident where a U.S. Navy ship shot down a military aircraft from their own strike group (though this other Vietnam-era incident took place during the era where Identification, Friend-or-Foe (IFF) systems were in their infancy). This incident has further caused concerns regarding the risks to commercial aviation due to the observation that if the U.S. Navy cannot identify one of their own aircraft despite having a plethora of identification means, the risks to commercial aviation in the region are very likely elevated.

Analyst: S2A1

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