Monday was 9/11. I don't forget the date, whether the original here in America or the Benghazi sequel. After losing the Afghanistan war--needlessly--the jihadis still want to kill us. Our government is more worried about Trump supporters. So I assume the jihadis are plotting to kill us, figuring they can pursue us out of Afghanistan. So yeah, I remember 9/11. Because our Islamist enemies haven't forgotten.
Well it's not as if Brandt murdered someone with an evil gun! Ah, justice.
Got back from a fun trip to Vegas with a couple friends and apartment-mates from college. Nice restaurants, Mad Apple show, much gambling and drinking. My gambling is a Vegas only thing, but I do enjoy it with the glitz of the Strip. And I can say that introducing Blackjack after fully learning the rules made it a better experience. Maybe I'll try to figure out the mysteries of Craps--which to me looks like a Black Hole for money--for next year.
Australia a provider of security and not only a consumer: "The [U.S.] Navy recently rearmed a warship with a missile at a port in southeast Australia, a sign of its increasing logistics options Down Under."
I assume the vast majority of the operations were recon or support for local allies: "U.S. troops have conducted 308 missions against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria so far this year, including 36 missions in both countries during August, according to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM." Still, the war on terror isn't over, is it?
Just in case things get hairy in post-coup Niger, America is moving "personnel and assets from Air Base 101 in Niamey, Niger’s capital, to Air Base 201 in Agadez, a facility in the central part of the country[.]"
G20 to counter China's Belt and Road trade routes. Italy pulls out of B & R; and India and Saudi Arabia back the new initiative. But it is just a plan. We'll see. But so much for the notion that China "flipped" the Saudis. Tip to Instapundit.
I assume Biden will declare it a national park and end that hope: "A world-beating deposit of lithium along the Nevada–Oregon border could meet surging demand for this metal, according to a new analysis." You doubt me? Tip to Instapundit.
I imagine the whales would rather take their chances with oil production than offshore wind farms. Tip to Instapundit.
Remainer throne-sniffers pine for imperial glory--within someone else's empire. Yeah. The proto-imperial EU yearns to remove the prefix. That is not in America's interest.
Factional fighting inside Lebanon's largest Palestinian "refugee camp". It's a city. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who fled there. And it is a base to dominate the host, Lebanon.
Trying to integrate space-, cyber-, and electronic warfare in ground combat operations. Let's hope the Army assets integrating, analyzing, exploiting, and distributing all that information aren't missile magnets.
Will the M1E3 be lighter without losing protection?
This author, for one, welcomes arguments with "Europe." Don't worry, he says! Appreciate the differences! Feh. Europeans are fine. Let them disagree and make their case. But as I always say (and I know it gets tiresome), always check the Definitions Section where "Europe" means the anti-American, proto-imperial European Union.
Of course, the major difference is that 22 years after Pearl Harbor, the Japanese were our ally and not trying to murder us. God help us all. I mean, what the actual F. And now I find out he already added injury to insult. The Taliban can only conclude Biden is paying reparations after losing the war, no? I can't argue with the Taliban on this issue. Tips to Instapundit.
Britain is upgrading its tiny tank fleet to the Challenger 3 model.
That sounds belatedly prudent: "NATO nations have agreed to a new action plan for bolstering the
alliance’s industrial base, as governments scramble to restock their
weapon arsenals while simultaneously sending military aid to Ukraine." This need was apparent early. Well before the war, in fact. And I'm glad it is a NATO rather than an EU project.
Spongeworthy: "The Swedish government said Monday it wants to increase its defense
budget by 28%, putting it on track to reach the military spending target
2% of gross domestic product set by the NATO alliance, which the
Scandinavian country is preparing to join." Sweden is meeting (tip to Instapundit) my requirement to be a producer and not just a consumer of alliance security.
The entire "fleet": "New Zealand’s Defence Ministry has issued a request for information to replace nearly the entire naval fleet, which currently includes nine ships in six different classes." The fleet's flagship is a replenishment vessel. Still, good.
Interesting: "The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported on September 11 that Belarus plans to create its own private military company (PMC) out of Wagner Group fighters who remained in Belarus."
Ukraine took control of the Boiko Black Sea offshore oil platforms that Russia had taken in 2015.
Xi wants power above all else. Maintaining the CCP monopoly of political power is the primary objective. And Xi is the party. This structure could help us if Xi is risk-averse abroad to maintain power--or hurt us.
The actual assault on "our democracy". Remember, our democracy requires rule of law. Fauci in prison orange would be a good start to upholding the latter. Tip to Instapundit.
Shockingly unclear on the concept of public relations stunt. PRO TIP: Long EV trips are easier with armed federal agents to get to the head of the recharging line. Tip to Instapundit.
I never dreamed that our own government would twist and expand powers intended to protect us from foreign enemies into an assault on Americans: "The government wants to collect tens of millions of tweets and cross-reference them with geolocations and credit scores, not so that it can protect Americans from Islamic terrorism or domestic extremism, but in order to exercise power." And worse, private entities willingly serve as accomplices for the assault on Americans. That was a failure of imagination--or perhaps common sense--on my part. When jihadis strike us at home, will the thug bureaucrats who decided our freedom is the enemy pay a price? Tip to Instapundit.
Will Russia defy Chinese concerns and trade nuclear missile technology for North Korean ammunition?
Ukraine will produce the Swedish CV90 which can be made in a lot of variants.
China is weakening. It's past strategy hit its limits, including: "Over the last 40 years, and particularly in the two decades straddling the turn of the millennium, China built its economy by exploiting its massive labour force." I noted some time ago that putting the most efficient peasant into the least efficient factory will dramatically increase GDP.
Not gonna lie. I'm not at all upset with Senator Tuberville holding up flag officer promotions to support rule of law. Heck, that's one way to get a needed purge. If Biden wants to promote them, I'm suspicious. Civilian oversight is a bitch, eh.
The planned M1E3 Abrams weight "might" be reduced by 10-15 tons with a smaller turret using an auto-loader. It's still an evolutionary design. Will the eventual Abrams replacement continue that path? And is that really the right choice? We'll see if my thoughts on the issue get published.
Taliban 2.0 have waged a "systematic assault" on the Afghan people. Why the article would say "including women and girls" if they mean "especially" is beyond me. Also, the Taliban 2.0 hate the West: "Two years after Joe Biden’s botched withdrawal from Afghanistan and 22 years after 9/11, top Taliban leaders are still encouraging jihad – even as the White House continues to send pallets of cash to the country." Tell me this jihadi hate doesn't shock you.
Forward line of defense: "Australia and the Philippines agreed to joint patrols in the South China Sea on Friday as the two countries elevated their ties to a strategic partnership."
One problem with debating now and declaring that we will defend Taiwan is that Taiwan may use that kind of clear guarantee to do things that provoke or tempt China to attack Taiwan.
No doubt this kind of predictive tool has advanced greatly from the days when you could predict war based on pizza deliveries to the Pentagon. But it can lull you if the enemy knows what you are measuring.
Good: "The U.S. Air Force is finding ways to increase the number of airfields
it can take off from in the Pacific—and wants more money to build out
airfields and rebuild overgrown WWII airfields." Add baskets!
Th F**k-Up Fairy has a vacation home in Yemen.
The F-15EX will have continental air defense missions duties; conduct high-volume strike missions; and be able to carry hypersonic missiles. I wonder if the plane has frontal stealth that the Silent Eagle proposal used.
Russia's defenses could collapse at some point on the front. But it is difficult to predict when or if that will happen. It could happen. Russia's army has cracks. But Ukraine has to hit them hard enough to shatter them. And soon. I worry Russia may run out the clock on the time Ukraine has to break some defenders and fully exploit it before Russia's army can recover. I don't know how long Ukraine's troops and people will be willing to start over from scratch in new offensives. I had hoped Russia's ground forces were ripe for collapse last autumn. But Ukraine lacked the ability to launch a big strike after the small but successful Kharkiv and Kherson counteroffensives. Pity.
Will Russia's regions declare independence? Yes, Russia is an empire--with largely contiguous conquests rather than the classic overseas colonies. I guess it depends on how Russified the regions are.
Good Lord: "More than 5,000 people are known to have died and thousands more are missing after devastating floods swept through the Libyan port city of Derna." Flooding is the last kind of disaster I expected in Libya.
Tar. Feathers: "An outraged parent and gun rights groups are speaking out against an Alabama elementary school that suspended a first-grader, reportedly for making a finger gun." In elementary school my neighborhood looked like an urban warfare training center in use. We had lots of purchased (I had an M-16) and created weapons (nobody sold light machine toy guns, so I built one complete with bipod). We built a wooden M-113. We had shooting rules and used homemade smoke bombs to cross gaps without being seen and shot. What the Hell has happened? Tip to Instapundit.
Mere border walls are for wussies: "Two land mines exploded early Wednesday along the Lebanon-Syria border wounding three Syrians trying to illegally cross into Lebanon, the Lebanese army said in a statement Wednesday."
Truth in advertising: “Beware of Democrats, the enemy of the working people.”
Part of this depends on how quickly Sweden can replace donated planes with new planes: "The Swedish government is considering donating Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine to help it fight Russia, Swedish public radio (SR) reported on September 12, citing unnamed sources."
White House: Lovely little news organization you have there. It would be a shame if it was throttled for peddling "disinformation." The funny thing is, certain media didn't need to be told to support the White House.
We can't possibly be allowed to hear arguments that there is no climate crisis. After all, how can governments justify "climate emergency" lockdowns and powers to radically restructure our economies and indeed societies (at great cost to the plebes while the wealthy carry on as usual) without stoking crisis-induced mass hysteria? Climate activists demand we obey them and admonish us to "Go and emit no more."
The retreat was allegedly panicked and in chaos: "At least 27 Russian soldiers in Donetsk attempting to retreat from their positions were killed by friendly fire from their comrades, according to a Ukrainian lawmaker." But clearly there was no collapse of the front. This is only significant if this reflects a lot of Russian units on the edge of doing the same.
From the "Well, Duh" files: "The main ingredient in popular over-the-counter decongestant found in pharmacy aisles under familiar brands like Sudafed PE, Vicks DayQuil, Theraflu and others isn’t effective, according to advisers to the Food and Drug Administration." That was apparent the first time I tried it. I stopped wasting money on it early on.
A U.S. Navy mine warfare ship visited Japan's Ishigaki Island which is quite close to Taiwan. The Okinawa government protested the first visit from a Navy ship since 2009.
The Dutch Navy is adding Tomahawk missiles? When did it lose them? Because I thought it had them before.
And now for something completely different:
I get annoyed with Democrats for suddenly and fervently opposing Russia. And I get the quest for Republican legislative leverage. But I don't get conservatives seriously trying to undermine Ukraine's ability to defeat Russia's invasion. Will enough do to Ukraine what Democrats did to South Vietnam just because a Republican was president then? I say welcome the Democrats to their belated conversion to stopping the Russians and get on with winning. Don't be the party that loses Ukraine.
China worries Taiwan could cripple its invasion logistics like Ukraine hammered the Russian invasion. China is looking at this and hopes to win quickly before its logistics can be hammered. Is that a fantasy plan? Or do we have to go to the Definitions Section for what "win" means?
This is a major reason the original 2015 Iran nuclear deal is toothless: "The U.S. and three European allies have threatened Iran with another resolution at the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board demanding action on issues such as explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites, but left open whether or when they might follow through." Iran can stretch out any questions for years. How is this preventing Iran from making progress toward nuclear weapons? Spoiler Alert: It isn't and was predictable. Although even I underestimated how long Iran could play these games.
Whenever doubts about the F-35 creep into my mind I remind myself that the Israelis like them: "Israel recently ordered another 25 F-35s. Israel already has fifty, organized into two squadrons." Of course, the Israelis confirmed that the networked, massively computerized F-35 could be hacked. That worried me. I hope that is fixed. And that we never get complacent, assuming it is fully secure.
Discussing Ukraine's strike on Russia's navy in Sevastopol. This is good. But unless it helps Ukraine's army march into Crimea, it will in the end just be an embarrassment for Russia that doesn't matter.
Was Xi Jinping too worried about what might happen if he leaves the country for the G20 meeting? "There are signs of turmoil in Chinese domestic politics." It's the first time he's missed the high-profile gathering. Before the G20 there was a meeting of actual and retired CCP leaders. Xi faced an unusual pre-planned "reprimand" from the "retired elders".
Interesting: "The U.S. military has resumed counterterrorism missions in Niger, flying drones and other aircraft out of air bases in the country more than a month after a coup temporarily halted all those activities there, the head of U.S. Air Forces for Europe and Africa said Wednesday."
China's defense budget is more like $700 billion per year rather than $300. The earlier estimates never seemed plausible to me.
Ukraine's suicide-drone war against the Russian Black Sea fleet. Some people are overly impressed. FFS, this is not a Dreadnought Moment. That arrived with networked-anti-ship missiles. Anti-ship missiles are better than what are basically slow, surface, guided torpedoes. Stop throwing panties at USVs, people! Heck, wouldn't missile-carried torpedoes do a better job?
Keep out: "A joint U.S.-Swedish military exercise this week in Sweden’s archipelago in the Baltic Sea sends a strong signal of NATO’s resolve in the face of Russian aggression, defense officials from the two countries said."
Again, don't try to tell me the Iraq War created the Iranian threat to Iraq: "Iran continues to be the main threat for neighboring Iraq. There are many reasons for this, some of them quite ancient." The Iraq War has helped Iraq resist Iran by empowering the Shia majority. If you are that worried about Iraq--and not just to score political points for last decade--defend Iraq.
Starlink. And Starshield is coming.
The Navy is edging toward seeking more base access in the Philippines.
Russia's war to capture Ukraine's natural resources. Add in Ukraine's people given Russia's bad demographics (yes, Ukraine's demographics are bad, too; but adding Ukraine--and not Russia's mass kidnapping of Ukrainian children--resets the decline to a higher level).
AOC (D-Ditzville) was unavailable for comment weeping.
Is a new war between Armenia and Azerbaijan imminent? Could Iran pounce, too? Uh oh: "Azerbaijan’s military is building up its forces near Armenia and has painted its vehicles with “war markings” similar to ones used by the Russian army before it invaded Ukraine." Unless Russia is willing to nuke Azerbaijan to protect its client, Armenia, war is coming. I suppose Russia could try using its air power, which is little used in Ukraine. We'll see if Armenia has an answer to Azerbaijan's 2020 effective use of aerial drones.
Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska will get a small nuclear reactor to power it.
Is America sleepwalking through a BRICS-led change in geopolitics? I think the author is using old information: "As regards China and the U.S., there is today approximate equilibrium, but the relative trajectory is clear: China is ascending and the U.S. is declining." Is China still rising?
Assessing China's new 054B frigate.
Is Putin going to throw masses of mobilized men into the meat grinder to win the Winter War of 2022? Or he's going to send future POWs to the front when they surrender en masse, I suppose.
We've already seen that the demand for white hate crimes far exceeds the supply. Now we see that the demand for "systemic racism" exceeds the supply. But trust the science! Two decades of "extreme negligence," “incompetence” and “false results” in Eric Stewart's research. Hey, it paid well. Tip to Instapundit.
In regard to Ukraine's successful attack on Russia's navy in Sevastopol harbor, are my worries really out of line? the Russians have been at war for more than a year and a half! It's not like it was a Sunday morning attack during peacetime. I mean, when missiles in shipping containers are a thing and civilian traffic is routine? And let's not even get started on hypersonics.
I keep hoping we are living through Peak Stupid and that things will get better. But sadly, Democrats--"dangerous zealots with titles before, and letters after, their names"--think they are brilliant.
This isn't actually piracy. It's grand theft: boat. But perhaps the headline is just premature the way things are going in California. Tip to Instapundit.
At the very least there are grounds for an impeachment inquiry. Tip to Instapundit.
For the life of me I have no idea why the White House would put its fingerprints on what it would get anyway: "Biden White House spokesperson Ian Sams sent out a letter to news organizations Tuesday, giving instructions on how they should cover (or non-cover, as it were) the Republican impeachment inquiry[.]" Via Instapundit.
I had assumed the Russians deliberately missed that British recon aircraft flying in international airspace over the Black Sea a year ago. Good grief: "An unarmed RAF surveillance aircraft, operating in international airspace over the Black Sea, was fired on by an incompetent – or deranged – Russian pilot. The first missile failed to achieve target lock; the second fell harmlessly into the sea." But for faulty missiles, we would have had a very dangerous direct Russian attack on a NATO military asset. While NATO doesn't want war. Russia can't handle a larger war. Has Russia corrected potential communications and personnel problems that led to a shooting incident?
Good Lord, Libyan flood deaths could be 20,000.
INDOPACOM air commander: "Compared to the capabilities of the U.S., and those of its allies and partners, the general says that the J-20 does not constitute a 'dominating aircraft at this point' — a statement which is broadly in line with insights he made on the type last year." The J-20 is a frontal-only stealth plane, if my understanding is correct. Along with other weaknesses.
Having a common potential enemy does wonders for relationships: "India will be serving as a future maintenance hub for U.S. Navy assets in the Indo-Pacific, according to a joint U.S.-India statement issued last week on the sidelines of G20 in New Delhi."
Turkey is gaining strength in the Black Sea. Turkey has a long history of losing wars against Russia when Russia dominated the Black Sea and bordered Turkey. Will this development lead Turkey to re-embrace NATO or reinvigorate its efforts to restore a soft Ottoman Empire?
Russia and China look at future war. Although Russia might want to spend a little more time on next month's war under the circumstances. I haven't read it yet but don't want to forget the link.
I recently found an old draft post that I have no idea why I did not publish. So I scheduled it for publishing. [HERE] I should go through the 100+ draft posts I have to see if any other ones could be published.
I suppose that's good: "The U.S. Air Force has developed a method of launching AGM-158 JASSMs (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) from C-130 transport aircraft." I guess we ended that persistent shortage of air transportation our power projection needs require. Woo.
No new mask mandates. I agree with this: "Yes, well-fitted, high-quality masks appropriately worn can decrease the spread of respiratory viruses, but that doesn’t mean mandating them is important or that they don’t cause accompanying harm." If you want to wear a mask, wear it. But don't pretend a mandate will stop the spread in the general population. I don't need or want to wear one at this point. Tip to Instapundit.
The Abraham Accords still have a chance for making the Middle East a less violent region. Or at least focusing the violence on real threats to the peace.
What happens if Ukraine becomes a nuclear state again. Ukraine had nukes when the USSR broke apart, and gave them up for Russian promises not to invade and American and British promises to prevent Russia from conquering it. Unlike North Korea and Iran, Ukraine has demonstrable need for nukes to survive. If Ukraine doesn't enter NATO--and if Russia doesn't recognize the real threat to Russia--Ukraine will have tons of incentive to become a nuclear-armed state again. Although the risk is that the prospect of Ukraine going nuclear will give a myopic Russia incentive to mobilize and conquer Ukraine before it can go nuclear.
Journalism dies in wokeness. Tip to Instapundit.
I think an indicator of adulthood is the ability to avoid yelling out or even reacting when your cat is puking up her food on the carpet because you know any commotion will just get her to move and puke in multiple places.
Spare parts: "You can add 'industrial-size' 3D printers to the list of items the U.S. has provided Ukraine to help it combat Russian forces."
Interesting: "Two cargo vessels were headed to Ukrainian ports on September 16, the first to use a temporary corridor to sail into Black Sea ports and load grain for African and Asian markets[.]" Will an international escort flotilla be needed for the "humanitarian corridor"?
Idiocracy: Credentialed Morons Edition: "the damage has been remarkably self-inflicted, reflecting the reckless
growth of a set of progressive dogmas, tough on police and permissive
toward criminals and vagrants while imposing ever more burdens on what
is left of the middle class." Effing up a wet dream since the 1990s [ADDED:]
Lemonade: "North Korea is converting 400 of its 1950’s era MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters into cruise missiles." I suggested Israel do this with their ancient A-4s and other old planes to generate sufficient strike sorties to hit Iran's nuclear weapons infrastructure.
The awful 2015 Iran nuclear deal suffered from the complete inability of the West to compel Iran to even pretend to follow its provisions, as the Iran-IAEA agreement compliance illustrates: "The United Nations nuclear watchdog on Saturday condemned the 'disproportionate and unprecedented' move by Iran to withdraw accreditation from several of its most experienced inspectors." The IAEA will yell "halt" again (a new resolution), even more loudly.
So editing for length is white supremacy? Face it, if the essay length was a minimum, that would be racist, too. Actual racism can escape consequences in the fog of BS racism charges. Tip to Instapundit.
