The British Labour Party's appeal at the local level has eroded. A year of the Xi Jinping Flu hasn't revived their fortunes, it seems.
Iran tightens its grip on the Houthi faction in Yemen and orders an intensification of the war effort. Iran is using every point of pressure to get American sanctions lifted. As I've noted, Iran is willing to fight to the last dead Arab. It always amuses me that many decades ago South Yemen was an ally of the Soviets and North Yemen was a Saudi ally. Now it is reversed, with Iran taking over the support role of the USSR.
I suppose it isn't too shocking that the Chinese looked at biological warfare. I imagine a lot of countries have, if not for offensive options then for protective measures. Still, it puts my early post during the Xi Jinping Flu in a different light. I assume this pandemic wasn't deliberate. The ineffectiveness of the Chinese vaccine indicates that (assuming China didn't use an effective vaccine at home while sending a crappy one abroad). And China's boasting about their ability to cope with the COVID-19 virus doesn't make them look good. But have the Chinese learned from this what they'd need to do to launch a biological warfare attack in the future?
Leftist accusations that conservatives are Nazis aren't just outrageous because they are completely and totally false. The false accusations are dangerous because many people who don't know what Nazis really were may think that Nazism isn't so bad. If the people accused of being Nazis obviously aren't bad at all, maybe Nazis are fine, they may reason. The same is true of people who accuse liberals of being communist. Although to be fair BLM and Antifa are communist groups. Although many members of the former are not actual communists and are fooled by the name, the leadership and objectives of the group are communist.
Britain is establishing a ranger unit. This will extend British capabilities to support allies across the combat spectrum globally, especially in support of British intelligence operations that hopefully keep problems from going conventional.
The left screamed that Trump would invade Venezuela. He didn't. And so Venezuela is still a socialist Hell hole ruled by the cruel clown Maduro and his cronies. Oh, and it is a source of drug and terrorism exports. In related news, it took many decades to score a win in Colombia. Let's defend that win, shall we?
The Chinese Communist Party claims that taking Taiwan, much like ethnically cleansing Tibet and Xinjiang, is part of ending their "century of humiliation" at the hands of the West (and Japan). Whether or not that is true or whether it is just a way to keep Chinese people in line behind the CCP control of China is beside the point. If China acts on that, we have problems. Nobody talks much about the huge problems Russia will have if the Chinese revive another front on the war on humiliation.
Democrats have long been a party built on anointing victims to be rescued while Republicans have boasted of assimilation and the American dream. As long as America remains a land of opportunity, minorities will shift to Republicans as they succeed or envision success. Unless Democrats manage to destroy that enduring feature of America. Which seems to be their plan in practice if not intent. Tip to Instapundit.
American heavy, medium, and light forces are to get secure and mobile communications gear able to defeat enemy jamming. That is very much needed against peer military foes.
How useless is our media? So useless that I found out on Australian news that the idea that the Xi Jinping Flu might end with summer warm weather came from China. That's what Xi told Trump in a phone call! It wasn't some magical thinking on the part of Trump. The people who we wrongly trusted to give us accurate information told us.
Russian cyber-criminals are apparently responsible for the pipeline hack that has that fuel transport source shut down. Russian cyber gangs work with the Russian government. Biden says "there was no evidence that the Russian government was involved" but that's not how it works. The Russian government wouldn't participate in the hack. But it would let it be known that nothing bad will happen to the gang if it did it. And really, given the capability this gang has, is it better or worse if Putin isn't somehow involved? The Department of Transportation issued an emergency declaration to bolster alternate fuel transportation means. Does Russia get away with this? Or will American hackers seek revenge?
So is this oil field fire in Kuwait an accident?
I'm disappointed that "dogecoin" is pronounced "doje-coin" and not "doggy-coin".
I remain confused about our dire shortage of icebreakers when all the cool kids tell me the Arctic ice cap will soon be gone because of global warming. Hell, they've been saying that for decades so it must be right. So will there be ice that needs breaking? Or not?
Friends in need: "U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Biden administration will consider Ukraine’s expected request to buy American missile defense systems and other weaponry in the wake of a Russian military buildup on its border."
I really don't care what happens to Portland any more. They're getting what they want or accept.
This is amusing but it is a parody account. So don't fall for it as news as much as you might like it to be true.
Our pre-friends the Iranians: "A U.S. Coast Guard cutter fired two volleys of warning shots Monday as a group of 13 Iranian fast boats sped toward U.S. Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz[.]"
I'm confused: "As the Army looks to preserve its budget and advance modernization priorities in the Indo-Pacific region, it tested firing rockets at targets from long distances during exercises near Russia on Wednesday amid tensions with the Kremlin." Long-range fires are useful against Russian land targets without even considering their use against Chinese targets.
Shipbuilding. China does it and America doesn't. Perhaps we could have European and Asian allies build the hulls? And we put in the systems. And modularized auxiliary cruisers might work, too.
The "Snake" Plisskens of the non-skeletal coral and crinoid world.
The Army has abandoned plans to increase the Army beyond 485,000 active troops. But can it hold that line against reductions? Yes, the troop strength is the inadequate number of troops that we had on September 11, 2001. But the Army shed a lot of Cold War-suited units since then. Does this mean the Army has enough troops for its current force structure, unlike 20 years ago? Or has the Army's needs for new types of units eaten up that troop savings?
Right now the Chinese value their little rogue psycho regime North Korea because it threatens countries China would love to feel threatened. China may not control North Korea. But its influence is good enough for little pet psycho work. But if that country of one fat guy and 25 million skinny people becomes a country of one fight guy with nukes and 25 million skinny people, North Korean hostility toward China might be more freely expressed. Especially if North Korean nukes actually prompt Japan and South Korea to open up relations with North Korea a bit.
Apparently Biden can't find a Democrat who doesn't hate Israel to be the ambassador there.
Journalists are still in a trust death spiral. I recently read an article that addressed this. In a part on Mueller's failure to find Trump-Russia collusion, a famous reporter objected. He said the report showed Russian interference and Trump-Russian "agent" contacts. THOSE ARE THREE DIFFERENT THINGS! Yes, Russia interfered. As they've done since they were Soviets. When they helped Democrats and Democrats didn't mind one bit. As to the tiny and laughable propaganda Russia seeded, Russia clearly worked to sow division rather than help Trump. Mission accomplished thanks to the subsequent Resistance. And "contacts" with Russians are to be expected for a presidential campaign. But the point of the lengthy and well-funded investigation is that there was no actual Trump campaign collusion with the Russian government at all. Yet still, the so-called journalist refuses to see that.
You know how you shake your head in bewilderment when somebody says something blindingly stupid? Well, what do you do when somebody acts on that blindingly stupid statement? May Baltimore enjoy what they voted for. Tip to The Morning Briefing.
The Chinese communists have crushed Hong Kong and likely killed the goose that laid the golden eggs.
Let's hope Biden doesn't have to spring into action when getting that 3:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. phone call.
French intervention in Mali just held the line against jihadi advances. And nearly a decade later French and allied forces are still trying to hold the line against jihadi advances. But what's the alternative. Giving jihadis a sanctuary and a country to abuse and warp?
The only time I hear about a supposed racist "dog whistle" is when liberals tell me about them. Where on Earth do they hear about them?
Being crushed by an uncaring government. My sympathy for these victims of the government exceeds my frustration that the city residents voted for this uncaring government. This is just the most blatant recent example of how civil infractions are more about generating revenue for cities than enforcing public safety. "Systemic looting" is the problem. Tip to Instapundit.
I find it hard to believe that our diplomats are being subject to "beam" attacks. There is doubt about it. And the discussion certainly makes it seem like a side effects of surveillance, if it exists, rather than a weapon. I know I was warned not to stand in the path of microwave transmitters when I was in the Signal Corps. But perhaps I underestimate the evil of our foes and perhaps enemies.
America should not be interested in preventing a "power vacuum" from developing in Central Asia. One, there is no power vacuum. Russia and China are competing heavily for the former Soviet republics. And two, we should encourage that competition. Now if we are just talking about Afghanistan, I'm all in favor of preventing hostile actors from filling the vacuum created by our withdrawal.
This week my computer is periodically unusable. I assume various software is being updated to prevent hackers from making my computer unusable. I'm hoping that is a good bargain because I have no choice in this deal.
The Biden administration's early decision to be nice to the Houthi to encourage reasonable negotiations has not worked. I noted turning against the Saudis to do this was stupid. It does not bode well for Yemen or dealing with the Houthi paymasters the Iranians on nuclear weapons. God help us, but I think the administration is determined to have a deal with Iran no matter what Iran demands.
While many on the left blame Trump for this, remember that the 2015 nuclear deal didn't prevent Iran from gaining the skill and equipment to reach this nuclear weapon milestone: "Iran has enriched uranium to slightly higher purity than previously thought due to 'fluctuations' in the process, the United Nations' atomic watchdog said Wednesday."
It is shocking how long things like this take: "A new commander has taken charge of a new Marine Corps base on Guam, where 5,000 members of the III Marine Expeditionary Force are set to move over the next five years from Okinawa." I believe I was blogging about the planned move over 15 years ago. And in only five more years it will be done!
Interesting: "The Pentagon has awarded Israeli company Xtend a contract to deliver dozens of small unmanned aerial systems for use indoors and in urban environments by special forces in the Navy, Marine Corps and Army." It will certainly be safer for civilians if you don't have to toss a grenade into a room before entering, just in case.
Perhaps I underestimate Biden. Could inflation and stagnation in America's economy be his plan to convince Central American migrants not to come to America illegally?
The military wants cheap, hand-held anti-drone weapons to defeat small enemy drones. As I argued for in Army magazine, I think we should have aerial drone fighters to free up combat troops for their primary mission of closing with and destroying the enemy. And such a thing exists: "the Skylord Griffon UAV meant to destroy other drones — a capability recently demonstrated at Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The system is already operational with Israeli special forces."
More MAGA territory self-identifies? "Antisemitic Attacks Spike in NYC as COVID-19 Fades: A string of violent incidents targeting Jews points to a breakdown in public safety across the five boroughs[.]"
So ... that couple just proved that they think all Asians look alike? Huh. Tip to Insanity Wrap.
Being within reach of Russia naturally breeds worry: "Romania’s president told U.S. counterpart Joe Biden on Monday that more NATO troops are needed on the alliance’s eastern flank given Russia actions that are perceived as threatening by many in the region." Among other things, I think the Black Sea should be a turkey shoot for NATO forces hunting Russian ships there. The Romanians will join in, of course.
Holy f*ck! When did the 1984 Newspeak Dictionary become a how to manual for the left?
The German company Rheinmetall opened a facility in Michigan in preparation for competing to build the replacement for the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
At least in the Middle East, Biden seems to have inherited the Obama view that the only way to get negotiated settlements is to balance the forces on either side. That was evident in Syria as I noted here and here as Obama tried to pressure--not defeat--Assad with "calibrated" support for rebels. That seems to be American policy again. Even if it means weakening allies like Israel and the Gulf Arabs to enable a grand bargain with Iran.
The media could focus on Israeli-Palestinian fighting or Russian hacking of a major pipeline. But that would reflect poorly on Biden and put the pressure on him to act. So instead the media focuses on relatively minor leadership scuffles in the Republican Party. Those clowns in the media can't go bankrupt soon enough for my tastes. We need to figuratively break them up--by not buying their product--and sell them for parts.
Perhaps I "suffer" from not being in those hate circles, but I think the idea that white supremacists are the top security threat to the United States is insane. Whatever threat that represents surely aligns more closely with local gang threats best dealt with by state and local law enforcement. Honestly, I think our government should be embarrassed to inflate the threat that way. And the idea that Antifa/BLM violence last year (and extending into this year) is insignificant because that was such a small percentage of the protests relies on the vast number of protests to dilute the violence. There was perhaps $2 billion in property damage reported to insurance companies and a couple dozen dead from the riots, if memory serves me. If white supremacists were a threat, I'd support harsh measures. But law enforcement under our system will be fine with this problem.
I don't think retired high-ranking military officers should do this any more than I thought they should have urged the ouster of Trump: "A group of retired U.S. military admirals and generals signed a letter released Tuesday questioning President Biden’s fitness for office and seemingly challenging the outcome of the 2020 presidential election." But the question is will the media welcome this latest letter as much as they did the Trump-era opinions? Of course not. Opposing Trump was patriotic and in defense of democracy. Opposing Biden is treasonous and dangerous to democracy. Mind you, the generals make some good points. But civilians should make those points. And if you don't like their take on the last election, maybe support making the process more secure and transparent, eh? Tip to Instapundit.
Perhaps with the prospect of reduced American support for them, the Saudis are looking to cut a deal with Iran. Iran pulls out of Yemen and Saudi Arabia supports removing American sanctions from Iran. The Saudis are placing a bet that this gets them a win in the Yemen civil war and that a revolution in Iran will save them from strengthening the finances of the Iranian government.
The men behind the curtain: "For the third time in the last month the Guardian Council has changed the rules for who can run for election to parliament. The next vote is June 18th and determining candidate criteria or blocking any potential candidate is a key tool for the Guardian Council to exercise their dictatorial control over Iran while still pretending Iran is a democracy." It's funny. Many say America shouldn't impose Western-style democracy on other countries. But Iran sure does go out of its way to simulate this "alien" form of government, doesn't it? And in fact countries around the world take great pains to have highly visible democracy forms without having actual rule-of-law democracy. Why don't those countries just proudly have whatever "authentic" governance their culture provides?
Welcome to the air defense party, pal: "The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale to Canada of 4 AEGIS Combat Systems made by Lockheed Martin in a deal valued at up to $1.7 billion, the Pentagon said on Monday."
It is wise to build up counter-mine capabilities--and mine laying capabilities for that matter--as we prepare to contest foes for command of the seas.
Russia really, really needs Western help to build ship engines.
Smart Diplomacy: "Since President Biden announced the United States would leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, violence has soared. But it isn’t only Afghans who’ll suffer. With the return of the Taliban, a rejuvenated and dangerous al Qaeda will enjoy the same sanctuary it had over two decades ago." I wouldn't claim that a bad outcome is assured. I'll only claim the odds of a bad outcome are higher without American and NATO troops assisting our local allies who fight the jihadis. And just because I issued the same caution about leaving Iraq in 2011 doesn't mean I'll claim certainty now.
Taiwan will build a semi-conductor plant in America--but not in China despite China's wishes. Taiwan is a global leader for semi-conductor design and production.
The Army can now easily upgrade tank software.
Democrats say that a tiny Russian social media ad campaign decisively altered the results of the 2016 election in favor of Trump. But four years of almost universal relentless turn-the-dial-to-11 American media propaganda didn't alter the 2020 election in favor of Biden. Okay.
The Russian hackers who disabled a gas pipeline did a great service to America by reminding a lot of Americans that gasoline doesn't get shipped to gas stations by Unicorns.
Replacing knowledge of cause and effect with "we're smarter and more virtuous, and we want it".
Huh? "US Air Force loads up F-15E fighter jet with a lot of cruise missiles to see if it could be used like a bomber[.]" The F-15E is a bomber. With secondary fighter capability. That's why that version is called a Strike Eagle. That said, good. With limited airfields close to China, each plane should be able to do more.
Don't panic about the Xi Jinping Flu variants.
Republicans pounce! "Conservatives seize on gas crunch to blame Biden, stir base[.]" Wow. "Conservatives seize!" Remember in left-wing news world, if Republicans had been in power when there was a gas crunch, the story would be about the gas crunch. But because Democrats are in power, the story is about Republicans attacking Biden for the gas crunch. Effing amazing.
The Russians need forces 360 degrees with a regional power military. Why Russia insists on pretending NATO is a threat--and so provoking NATO military preparations in response--is beyond me.
China will attempt a landing on Mars. [And it worked, with a rover in the payload.] Sadly, America's FOB Jezero Crater is only at initial operating capability so can't go meet the Chinese lander and photograph it.
Laugh. But then cry at the reality of it:
Apparently it is "smearing" communists to accurately describe their violence. You learn something new every day.
China is not a "paper dragon" we can dismiss as a threat. This is a reaction to an article claiming just that which I commented on last week: "Is China a "paper dragon"? Certainly they aren't as strong as their shiny weapons portray. Much must go right behind that facade to make it real military power. So sure, don't panic. The author relies on Beckley to reject the scope of the China threat. I addressed that author who made a lot of good points. But Japan caused us enough grief from 1941-1945 despite having a GDP of 1/8 to 1/10 of America's. So no, I would not say that China is a paper dragon. Especially when China gets to initiate war at a time and place nearby of their choosing. Work the problem. And who knows when China's deep internal problems will push the Chinese Communist Party to use its new and shiny military to generate nationalist support. The CCP might believe that not only are they not a paper dragon, but that they are unstoppable.
The eastern front of NATO is weakly held. Reducing Russia's temptation to take advantage of that is wise: "National governments, the EU, and NATO are considering how to expand their individual and joint military mobility (MM) efforts across Europe during the next decade, with a broad emphasis on speeding up procedures for transit movement across national borders."
Ford's shock trial is going forward despite broken weapons elevators. Maybe they'll be ready in time. Perhaps. If past performance is not an indication of future results. The Navy has one shot at this kind of test short of war to see what happens to the systems when a major hit shakes the Hell out of the ship. Tip to Instapundit.
Armenia wants more Russian help to hold off Azerbaijan. Can Russia afford to do that?
Did we reach the tipping point for defeating the Xi Jinping Flu? Tip to Instapundit.
Soldiers need to survive in the Arctic before they can fight there.
That's gotta hurt their social credit score for the rest of their lives, right?
United States, Japan, France, and Australia held naval and amphibious exercises. It's interesting that France is involved.
In my view, Israel isn't "over-reacting" to Hamas rocket attacks as long as Hamas is still firing rockets at Israel.
All that talk of AI, quantum computing, hypersonics, unmanned systems, and cyberwarfare sure sounds so "beyond" mere armies. But when the country needs boots on the ground--even in INDOPACOM--the Army will be the one our leaders call. Just remember that the Army we will have that day is the Army that today we wish to have then.
The Greek defense minister said Greece is modernizing its naval and air power as well as the defense agreement with America. And "[the minister] described Greece as the United States’ and NATO’s 'anchor state' in the Eastern Mediterranean." I did mention that.
The Russians really must have competitions amongst themselves to see who can be the biggest annoying bastard toward America, right? Tell me it just isn't a natural talent widespread in the Russian government.
Yet he's fine with people thinking he is a moron, apparently.
The Russian and Chinese armies adopt the American-pioneered high tech infantry equipment. If you need more proof that they are no longer the side that prioritizes quantity over quality. Which means that they no longer intend to overwhelm with numbers of troops who die in human wave attacks.
I agree to an extent with the idea that conventional versus irregular warfare/COIN is a false choice. I think well-trained troops can do both as long as the officers know how to use them appropriately for the missions. There is a lot of overlap at the pointy end of the stick. The differences appear more at higher levels of action. Perhaps the Vietnam War should be studied more to learn how our forces had to switch back and forth between COIN and conventional warfare within the same war.
I'm worried that America is more committed to financially supporting the Palestinians fighting Israel than it is to supporting the Afghan government fighting the Taliban: "The Biden administration notified Congress this week that it will send millions of dollars in U.S. assistance to the Palestinians aimed at promoting peace with Israel even as violence between the two sides rages."
Say, which side gets misinformation from their preferred news sources? On issues relating to pandemic risk, police shootings, and global warming, those who watch left-wing news are way more inaccurate.
Liz Cheney deserved to lose her leadership position in the House Republican caucus. She acts more like she wants a leadership position in the Democratic caucus. This isn't a matter of conservatives defending Trump. It is about a Republican repeatedly attacking Trump. The election is over. She couldn't let it go to focus on what the Democrats in the House are doing right now. That is a lack of leadership ability.
The increasingly influential left within the Democratic Party is increasingly (and, without opposition within the party more vocally) anti-Semitic. And if American Jews think they can avoid that hate by being more leftist than Jewish, they are totally confused about what irrational racial hatred entails. Tip to Instapundit.
Wow! Iran could only turn out crowds that small to defend Iran's proxies? "Hundreds of demonstrators have gathered in cities across Iraq to stand in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and Jerusalem." Iran's influence is weaker than I thought, apparently. Far more significant is that a sizable number of Israeli Arabs are out in the streets supporting Hamas despite being attacked by Hamas rockets.
OMG! I finally figured out how to copy and paste illustrations from military publication PDFs! How was I ignorant of this for so long! Somehow my near-random mouse clicks that simulated a room of monkeys with infinite time typing achieved that.
El Salvador is on the road to self-destruction. And the people seem thrilled with that. For now.
Xi Jinping Flu rages (thanks Xi Jinping!) and now India may face a cyclone.
Some people are upset that Israel tricked the media into saying Israeli troops were invading Gaza? Which may have helped Israel strike Hamas terrorists in underground shelters. But Israel just said they were attacking Gaza. The media assumed this meant crossing the border. And didn't the media essentially act as an early warning system by quickly saying Israel was invading? I'm just satisfied that for once the media worked against the terrorists. Also, I'm unclear about what happened. Did Hamas fighters go into shelters where they were bombed or did they go into fighting positions where they were bombed? Seems like conflicting information out there.
WTactualF? "Military.com reports that Lt. Col. Matthew Lohmeier has been relieved of his duties pending an investigation after he appeared on a podcast and criticized the rise of Marxism in the United States military." Everybody should be appalled at the rising influence of evil Marxists. Give Lohmeier a medal, for God's sake.
Just when you thought Hamas couldn't be more hate filled because of their jihadi-twisted faith. Tip to Instapundit. Sadly, an increasingly vocal leftists portion of the Democratic Party sides with Iran-backed Hamas over Israel.
To kill the enemy you have to find the enemy. Israel may think it can avoid sending ground troops in to clear out Hezbollah's rocket arsenal and deal a real blow to the Iran-backed terror organization. If so, that Oron capability will be key to letting the air force try again. We need an update to the old JSTARS and Israel provides hope for that: "The main problem is that while [JSTARS] was very popular with the ground forces, the air force puts priority on aircraft needed to maintain control of the air and deliver attacks on surface targets. The Israeli Oron may change their minds because Oron is equipped to detect all sorts of ground targets and instantly pass that data on to airborne or surface-based units that can launch a guided missile at the targets."
The "Indian variant" of the Xi Jinping Flu will likely become dominant in the United Kingdom. Why was it only racist hate to call the original Covid-19 virus the "China" or "Wuhan" virus? Maybe for the same reason Trump was racist for banning travel from China more than a year ago; but Biden is listening to science! when he recently banned travel from India. It's all so complicated.
British and Canadian troops endured much higher casualty rates than American troops? And so America didn't really carry the burden there? The story is BS and the British defense ministry statement added to the article nullifies the point of the article. The fact is, the British and Canadian--and all other contingents--were basically combat units. America supplied the combat support and combat service support that allowed them to fight. The American denominator was much larger, as a result. I never dismissed the Canadian and British efforts. Just as much as the American combat troops, they fought. As did the Dutch, if memory serves me. They all have my thanks. And even the non-fighting elements did useful jobs as much as the restrictions on their use annoyed me.
Germany hopes to spread out the cost for a new European tank. Who knew Germany wanted new tanks?
China is siding against Israel against Hamas, and demanding a "two-state solution"--as if the Palestinians haven't been offered that for twenty-plus years now. Perhaps we should call for a "five-state solution" for China--Communist China, Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
This scares the Hell out of me: "Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers said Friday that inflation is going up even faster than he predicted, pushing back against the more rosy economic outlook of the Federal Reserve and the Biden White House." Inflation is the middle class killer. And I don't know if the assurances or warnings are correct.
As if Ukraine doesn't have enough grievances against Russia, the USSR's lovely parting gift keeps on giving.
Israel struck a military target in Gaza. The AP was probably just fine being human shields for Hamas.
The Russian cyber-attack on the Colonial Pipeline system highlights vulnerabilities in our energy infrastructure. This is exactly why I opposed selling Uranium stocks to Russia: "We are improving cyber-war focus but more needs to be done. Supply chain security is one area. Honestly, that is the aspect of the Hillary Clinton-approved uranium deal with Russia that worried me--not putting 20% of our uranium supply under Russian corporate rule. What could Russia do with the inside knowledge of that vital supply chain?" Now we have an idea what Russians could do.
American special forces are looking at Arctic scenarios? That's interesting.
