You go, girl! "President Vladimir Putin reviewed a parade of warships and nuclear submarines in his native St Petersburg on Sunday and announced that the Russian Navy would receive 30 new ships this year." Drive that red sports car! You look fabulous in it!
I don't believe the UFO stories. And renaming them UAPs doesn't add credibility. And if we have "non-human biologics" from crashed craft? I assume that means dogs or monkeys. Which means they are simply human-built experimental craft that crashed. Compartmentalization of information may allow people without the clearance to know the reality to speculate outlandishly. Or the "phenomenon" are mostly systems glitches or tricks of light.
Seven-day deadline from ECOWAS to restore the removed president given: "West African leaders have threatened military action against Niger's military junta after it took power in a coup last week"
Medvedev: "Blah blah blah nuclear weapons blah blah blah." Putin's fluffer is a piece of work.
Bad idea jeans:
Recruit for 11 months and then in the 12th month draft the difference
between the number recruited and the number the military needed that
year? Why will military recruiters bust a gut if the military gets its
numbers regardless of their effort? And how unfair is it to impose military duty
on a small number of available young people who aren't interested in
volunteering? The deferment categories will divide Americans and put the
burden on the poor and politically weak. This is seriously a bad idea. The answer is to do a better job or recruiting and to make military service seem like a worthy place for fulfilling your duty to your country.
I mentioned this last week: "The United States will expand its military industrial base by helping Australia manufacture guided missiles and rockets for both countries within two years[.]" It will be better to build missiles there than build them in America and transport them to Australia.
Rising sun: "Japan will spend more than double on defense over the next five years compared to the previous five amid a host of security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region, according to the country’s latest defense whitepaper." China effed up.
I'll guess this is a more challenging proxy for deploying to Norway, Sweden, or Finland: "The German Air Force kicked off what it called a 'lean and mean' operation on Friday to demonstrate its ability to quickly deploy to Iceland as part of a two-week exercise dubbed 'Rapid Viking.'"
This is not a shock: "Americans are now less likely to express 'a great deal' or 'quite a lot' of confidence in the U.S. military, with a noticeable decline that has persisted for the past five years." I know I've justifiably lost confidence in much of our senior officer class.
Marines practice aerial EABO in Australia.
Israel designs a replacement for the Patriot missile.
The Iran-Israel quasi war in third countries rages. Also, Arab resistance to Biden administration desires to create a new Iran nuclear deal that would somehow be worse than the original.
I know I mentioned this before: "US officials found suspected Chinese malware across several military systems — and unlike previous attacks, experts say the intent is likely to disrupt rather than to surveil, The New York Times reports." Clearly I'm ahead of my time worrying about self-targeting.
FFS: " Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s lawmakers boycotted an extraordinary meeting of parliament that opposition parties had called to ratify Sweden’s accession to NATO." They are waiting for Turkey to go first.
Yep: "It is two years since the United States withdrew its troops from
Afghanistan and ceded power in the land to the Taliban. Yet the
Taliban’s control of the country remains fragile, and if its
administration were to break up, there is a danger Afghanistan would
become a failed state of feuding warlords and a crucible for terrorism.
The international community is doing little to support a potential
opposition to Taliban rule, something that should now become an urgent
priority." I thought we could circle back. We haven't.
Russia cut natural gas imports to Europe after invading Ukraine. Now Europe is getting other suppliers. And can see that Russia is an unreliable supplier. Russian finances are suffering. I doubt Russia will get many European customers back. And honestly, if China buys more, China might have a motive to make Russia more of a vassal to ensure those supplies--which China knows can be cut. Ah, Putin the master chess player.
Other than heat waves, which aren't that bad, "the most recent (2021) report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does not support the common claims about drought, floods, hurricanes and other severe weather events. Not only does the last IPCC report find no clear trends, it offers 'low confidence' in predictions of future trends." The panic is harming people more than the climate.
But being 7 years late and $17 billion over budget makes this no trendsetter: "The first new U.S. nuclear reactor to be built from scratch in decades is sending electricity reliably to the grid, but the cost of the Georgia power plant could make it a dead end instead of a path to a carbon-free future."
The cheap strategic bombing campaign: "Ukraine brought the war far from the front line into the heart of Russia again Sunday in drone penetrations that Russian authorities said damaged two office buildings a few miles (kilometers) from the Kremlin and a pig breeding complex on the countries’ border." The minor damage isn't the point. The campaign's existence is the point.
Good Lord: "Kremlin-appointed Children’s Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova confirmed on July 31 that Russia has transferred 4.8 million Ukrainians, including over 700,000 children, to the Russian Federation since the beginning of the war, very likely violating the Fourth Geneva Convention."
Xi Jinping is making sure its top military leaders are loyal to him. Thank God China is undermining its military effectiveness the same way America is.
The Army urgently wants LASSO tank-killing suicide drones for its infantry.
Space Command headquarters will remain in Colorado rather than going to Alabama. This has been a very politicized battle.
Last week: "In the Black Sea, an Israeli cargo ship defied the Russian naval blockade and entered Ukrainian waters, followed by four other cargo ships. An American P8 maritime surveillance aircraft flew overhead searching for any Russian naval activity." Prototype for an International Grain Flotilla?
LOL! "Russia was alarmed that [Turkey] was allowing NATO personnel to examine
Russian air defense systems delivered to Turkey. This occurred because
Turkey recently decided their membership in NATO was more important than
maintaining good relations with Russia." Taking a break in the relationship may be working. And as an aside, this is one reason I'm wary about sending our most advanced weapons to Taiwan. If Taiwan doesn't have the heart to fight even when things look bad, China may capture our advanced weapons intact.
Prudent: "France is preparing to evacuate its citizens from the West African nation of Niger because of anti-French sentiment following last week's coup."
Thoughts on Japan arming up, as I noted in an earlier entry. Tip to Instapundit.
It seems like we should know this: "A mysterious investment company is buying up large tracts of land around a California Air Force base, raising questions about who is behind the firm — and its intentions — amid growing fears about Chinese businesses acquiring land near American military sites."
I've mentioned many times that despite the hype surrounding Western armored vehicles, the heavy lifting for Ukraine's counteroffensive will be old--but modernized--Soviet stuff: "While the Ukrainians had some new German Leopard 2 tanks and more numerous American Bradley and Stryker IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), most of the Ukrainian armored vehicles were the older Russian models that both Ukrainian and Russian troops use." NATO has supplied many more updated Soviet tanks than Western models.
Sure, Russia has displayed competence in its war against Ukraine. It does, after all, hold a good chunk of new Ukrainian territory since the 2022 invasion. I've noted the good decisions for abandoning the Kiev thrust and the Kherson withdrawal, as well as the defensive belt construction. And I've even noted that a firepower-heavy offensive can overcome some disadvantages of poor morale. But praising Russia for a press release on a planned big expansion of Russia's military is a bit much. And I'll wait to see if Russia's defensive belt is as good as it appears. Corruption may have undermined what was built. And Ukrainian weaknesses may account for their apparent success. The author consistently writes that Russia will win. He could be right. But I think Russia consistently tries to cast a giant shadow.
Lying with statistics. But they only have to get away with it through the 2024 election cycle. There will always be new media-supported lies for the next finish line. Tip to Instapundit.
Wargaming to teach. I had a class on World War II in high school (luckily I took every history class before the sad transition to generic "social studies" classes). Before the European theater exam (or was the class limited to Europe?), my studying was basically playing the commercial wargame Third Reich.
Our cities are being sacked by barbarians. And our leadership thinks we deserve that. Tip to Instapundit.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards staged a surprise exercise to defend Persian Gulf islands claimed by the UAE. I thought all three islands were claimed by the UAE, but the article says only two are.
Lukashenko may be trying to get on Putin's good side after hosting Wagner troops: "Poland has rushed troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia’s closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters."
The Netherlands wants its new submarines to be able to carry Tomahawk cruise missiles. You never can tell where the Dutch might need them.
On top of Russia kidnapping 700,000 Ukrainian children from occupied territories, Ukraine is suffering from a major drop in birth rates. This makes sense since a lot of women are refugees now. This is a problem for resisting a Russian invasion in another generation. More incentive for Ukraine to win this war solidly enough to deter Russia.
The Army is looking at the Winter War of 2022 for lessons in artillery needs. Even before the Russians invaded, the God of War wanted more guns.
The intolerance we dare not name. We have to hope the more tolerant win their civil war. Because what doesn't anger the fanatics?
Macguyvering rocket artillery to cope with Western sanctions.
MEDIA YESTERDAY: Biden had nothing to do with Hunter's legal business dealings. MEDIA TODAY: There's nothing illegal about Biden's interactions with the partners of Hunter's illegal dealings. Yep, Hunter was thrown under the bus by his loving, loyal father. Tip to Instapundit.
The U.S. wants the UN to authorize a peacekeeping mission for Haiti: "Kenya has offered to lead a police force to help restore order to Haiti, where gangs that control vast parts of the country’s capital have fomented violence."
The United States is failing to increase ammunition requirements in light of the Winter War of 2022 consumption evidence. To be fair, we plan to use air power to supplement artillery. To be accurate, we'll still underestimate how much artillery ammunition we'd use. This is no way to be the arsenal of democracy.
Ukraine is starting to adapt its helicopters to fire American 70mm rockets. A number of types are available, including a guided version that Ukraine doesn't seem to have yet.
Prosecute the election deniers:
So the American government is going to spend nearly a trillion dollars on our interest payments in a year. FFS. Gosh, I wonder why America's credit rating was recently downgraded?
Swoon, damn it! "Two attacks by Ukrainian drone ships against Russian warships have been thwarted, according to Moscow. Ukraine's navy has denied any involvement." Two attempted attacks! It's great Russia has something to worry about. But I'm not overly impressed. Just stop throwing panties at suicide USVs.
So it's a crime to try to "overturn" an election you think was invalid? Huh. Tip to Instapundit.
On the other hand, the Chinese are willing to fire senior commanders: "The shake-up in the rocket force indicated that the force’s expansion has been accompanied by serious problems in its top ranks. Suspicions of corruption or disloyalty to Xi may slow or complicate China’s upgrade of its conventional and nuclear missiles, several experts said." I'm jealous.
The British escaped Europe with Brexit. But the Euro-Brit elites still prefer to rule like autocrats.
The Russians have assigned old T-62s and T-55s to infantry units to use them like old assault guns tied to supporting the infantry. They're really only handicapped fighting modern tanks. Infantry, light armored vehicles, and even modern tanks outside of a frontal arc are vulnerable.
Reaction: "Germany has agreed to permanently station a mechanized infantry brigade in Lithuania. This requires Lithuanians to build a base for the brigade and contribute to its support. The Lithuanians agreed." Eastern Europeans don't want to be next on Russia's to-do list after Ukraine.
And now for something completely different:
Tar. Feathers: "The climate official who spearheaded a Biden administration rule boosting electric vehicles at the expense of gas-powered cars wants you to live a 'simpler life' to combat climate change, behavior she acknowledges 'most people' will not engage in 'unless forced.'" The progression for getting people to adopt leftist stupid ideas is always "education" then "incentives" and finally "use of force". I despise these petty dictators. But enough of them add up to misery. Tip to Instapundit.
What is Putin? Rain Man with nukes and a "serious injury notebook"? "Russia has added Norway to its list of 'unfriendly countries' for allegedly targeting Russian diplomats abroad, further worsening its relations with the West."
Interesting: "More than 75 countries will 'commit to take action to end the use of food as a weapon of war and the starvation of civilians as a tactic of warfare' by backing a U.S.-drafted communique at the United Nations on Thursday, senior U.S. officials said." Is this drawing a line in the Black Sea to keep the grain flowing?
Prudent: "The United States has ordered the partial evacuation of its embassy in Niger following last week's coup." Other foreigners are leaving, too.
The four-count indictment of Trump without an actual underlying crime is really a three-count indictment:
Count 1: Orange
Count 2: Man
Count 3: Bad
You don't even have to like Trump to be horrified at this political prosecution. Bad things will happen to America when control of the federal government isn't important just for getting your policy preferences, but for staying out of jail for your non-crimes pursued by a politicized and corrupted federal justice department. As I observed:
America's trade terms with China are still clearly tilted toward China.
China's rulers like to boast about the country's rise to global power. But: "But among the Chinese people — and increasingly in the chancelleries and boardrooms of Europe — a different story is beginning to be told: Beijing’s march toward global economic domination may not be invincible after all." I've never swooned even as I worried about how their proximity to targets gives China opportunities.
Oh, please, this is purely self interest: "As a US shift to China is inevitable, France seems to be the only state that is vocalizing the importance of ‘strategic autonomy.’" One, while China is the priority threat, America won't walk away from Europe. Two, "strategic autonomy" is Macron's lever to make himself emperor of Europe.
What's wrong with the American women's national team in the World Cup competition? Wait. What? America has a team in the World Cup? It isn't apparent from the number of players who disrespect America during our national anthem before games. To Hell with the team.
Japan's samples from the Ryugu asteroid: "Embedded in the clasts were tiny grains of rock made from stars that died before the Sun ever existed." Neat.
Not that suicide USVs can't score hits: "A Russian warship was seriously damaged in an overnight Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk, two sources said on Friday, after Russia said it had fended off the attack." Russia has been using their amphibious ships for logistics and not amphibious warfare, I believe. The strike took place in a port east of the Kerch Strait.
A new Army Multidomain Task Force has taken part in Pacific exercises. I worry these long-range fires units--with non-fires baubles tacked on to be "multidomain"--detract from developing the Army's core competency in Asia to complicate China's war plans.
I really didn't expect to cry at this story. Thank you Anna. Tip to Instapundit.
It isn't even 2024 yet. Tip to Instapundit.
Another theater of violence gets demoted from post-Cold War trends.
Your squad's own air force. But it's expensive.
They got what they said they wanted. And don't like it.
Bad things will happen because of this: "Thanks to a combination of culture war issues, fresh reports of sexual assaults and suicides within the ranks, and a disastrous end to the Afghanistan War two years ago, Americans’ perception of the armed forces has taken a hit, according to experts and recent polls." Indeed. Alienating the recruiting base and the people who traditionally support funding the military and rally to it in war seems unwise. In my opinion, the military isn't "caught up in" the culture wars, it is being forced to be an actor in them by the left. It should have one job and one job only: winning wars.
France and Italy will update their Horizon-class frigates: "The new system will be designed to defeat capabilities including missiles (hypersonic, ballistic, supersonic sea-skimmer, high velocity cruise), unmanned aerial systems, and highly maneuverable aircraft, said Thales in a press release."
Well, great: "Two U.S. Navy sailors have been arrested on charges related to allegedly spying for China, federal prosecutors announced on Thursday."
Assessing Ukrainian and Russian chances.
The Army AMPV, the replacement for the old M-113, was authorized for full-rate production.
Saying we should not have nuked Hiroshima and Nagasaki is an expression of false compassion. If we had to invade to get Japan to surrender, a lot more Americans and Japanese would have died. If we had blockaded Japan into submission, a lot more Japanese would have slowly died. The Japanese were not ready to surrender before we dropped atomic bombs. And as I've noted, using the small early versions made it clear how awful they are. Which almost certainly helped us avoid using the tens of thousands deployed since then.
Understand your enemy. Like I've said, I've lost confidence in our senior civilian and uniformed military leadership. All of the military is at risk. But because of China's greater aero-naval power, the Navy is currently my most urgent concern.
"Bidenomics" is just the latest name for stupid economic policies.
Because running into North Korea isn't the same as being captured: "The United States has declined to classify Army Pvt. Travis King as a prisoner of war, as he continues to be held in North Korea after crossing into the repressive state last month." Let's not make the mistake of doing another Bergdahl trade. by all means, work to get King back. His stupidity doesn't deserve a life sentence in that socialist paradise. But no concessions should be made.
American support for Ukraine is clearly influenced by partisan domestic concerns: "People who call themselves liberals (69%) support more funding, while people who call themselves centrists (56%) and conservatives (69%) oppose more funding. It is a war effort supported by liberals and opposed by everyone else." Liberals are generally not supportive of wars that defend American interests. Clearly, liberals own more Ukrainian than American flags. And conservatives are likely angered that Biden family-Ukraine corrupt deals are being swept under the rug. I am at least not letting partisanship affect me. Stopping the Russians is good. Even if Democrats are mysteriously on board.
It is probably good as a general rule not to let a hostile power own so much farmland in America. But China does this around the world to supply it during peacetime. I fail to see how we won't simply cut off the agricultural export during a war with China and make sure it goes to America or our allies.
Ah, clean Green electric cars! Would the result be any different for the workers who provide the raw materials if they were chopped up and burned to propel the cars? Also, a major problem is "artisanal mining"? WTF?
Ukraine nailed a Russian fuel tanker with a USV. The logistics war continues. I'm calling BS on this "shipping expert" assessment of the attack: "'Every time anything happens to Russia, you see Putin in retaliation mode … therefore, you may see further attacks on other parts of Ukraine,' Krishna said." Russia attacks. And on some days it can claim it is "striking back" if Ukraine interrupts the continued Russian attacks.
CRS report to Congress on Niger situation.
Mobilizing Western hemisphere nations to stop China's Fentanyl assault.
There is intra-Palestinian fighting going on inside Lebanon: "Bahrain called on its citizens Saturday to leave Lebanon "for their own safety" hours after Saudi Arabia did the same without giving a reason."
Does France invite coups by working closely with autocrats in its former colonial states? Maybe. But that isn't unique to France. Recall that there is a strong strain of thought that America should not encourage democracy in the Arab world and should work with autocrats who can keep Islamists under control. They don't--except on the surface--but that's the argument. My footnote is that rule of law is a necessary part of democracy.
Ukraine declared the Black Sea near Russian ports a zone where ships trading with Russia are vulnerable to attack. I bet the two USV attacks were mostly to make that declaration real. As I recall, to be legal a blockade has to be more than a paper blockade. It must be enforced. So now this will cost Russia money even if Ukraine is incapable of consistently interfering with that trade going forward.
