Canada is focusing its meager defense efforts: "The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities to Canada and Canadians." Not that this isn't vital.
Is America's Iran policy really in ruins? Well, it is clearly and spectacularly failing to turn mullah-run Iran into a responsible regional power. But I don't think the people who run our policy will end the policy.
Russians are using golf cart-style "small vehicles [that] offer little protection for Russian infantry, however, and footage published in recent weeks shows Ukrainian forces extensively targeting small vehicles transporting infantry and supplies with first-person view (FPV) drones." LOL! Wait. What?
It's been over a month: "Five rockets were launched from inside Iraq at a U.S. base inside
northeastern Syria, Iraqi security forces announced Sunday night." No American was hurt. Actions were taken. We should always retaliate hard--covertly or openly--and not have a "no harm, no foul" approach.
Sadly, this sounds useful: "Albanian Defense Minister Niko Peleshi has announced that the country’s
government aims to relaunch its three dormant weapon and ammunition
production facilities amid military conflicts in Europe and the Middle
East." Albania has three dormant facilities.
We can't even keep up with peacetime needs: "The two dry docks large enough to accommodate a big deck amphibious
warship in San Diego, Calif., are currently occupied, complicating the
repairs of USS Boxer (LHD-4)[.]" This is a problem.
The last 100 yards of a FPV drone: "Many FPV UAVs have a backup system for ... completing an attack on a target that has been sighted and the FPV UAV is already headed for." Also, active protection systems can be modified to react to FPV drones.
Yeah, no matter how bad you think Trump is: "Former Attorney General Bill Barr is backing his old boss in the November election despite their very public fallout — because he believes the 'far left' is an even greater threat to the US." The choice we have is the choice we have. Cowboy up. Tip to Instapundit.
A Democratic Congressman reacted to the vote for Ukrainian aid: "Die MAGA die. You lose." The Left swooned over the USSR when Republicans opposed it. Would Democrats support Ukraine if MAGA supporters did, too? Maybe Ukraine should thank MAGA. Via Instapundit.
Wikipedia isn't going broke. But it is funneling money to left-wing causes. Tip to Instapundit.
Keep in mind that radical Marxists are jumping in front of the parade of anti-Israel protests to turn it into an anti-America movement. They want to be the vanguard of the proletariat and don't care what the issue is.
The outpost on Antigua island sounds like sovereign Chinese territory, in practice: "China, its state-owned companies and aligned private businesses are expanding rapidly in the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda and in other Caribbean countries in this strategic region[.]"
I see pro-Hamas leftists in America have gone from denying Hamas raped anybody on October 7, 2023 to enthusiastically pledging 10,000 of those days for Israel. Tip to Instapundit.
I replaced a faucet. It had two more problems than I anticipated. It took twice as long as I hoped. Plus a trip to a store for new pipes that would fit my existing J-pipes. Two hours later I fixed a pooling water problem I'd been prepared to live with--by removing plastic protection from the drain ring. Oops.
I've been warned about the "Arab street" for several decades now. I think that threat is waning. I just wish they worried more about our anger.
Interesting times: "In China, economic fumbling can create desperate citizens and launch the country into uncharted territory. The government is working hard to contain unrest, and it seems to have now adopted a strategy of honesty – a rarity for any government." For the CCP, it's the last resort.
Saw Marie Harf on The Five. As soon as she started speaking I turned off the show. She's awful. I like the show. But will not suffer her presence.
I want America to protect its border and restore rule of law at home. But keeping Russia from dominating or taking Europe is a vital American interest. And letting Russia defeat Ukraine will harm--not help--efforts to restore rule of law at home. We should be able to fix all these issues.
When dealing with autocratic friends, we must choose one: "U.S. officials are starting to accept that their strategy of pressing
Niger and other war-battered African countries to break off ties with
Moscow and embrace democratic norms is no longer working." We did not choose and got neither objective.
The U.S. isn't too worried about China's H-20 long-range, stealth bomber. China hasn't mastered stealth. But we can't afford to assume China won't be as good as their shiny new weapons portray.
Can a shrinking Air Force win its objectives in war? Sure. But keeping the weapons in action with maintenance and ammunition until victory is achieved is key in large-scale war. Planes that can't fight sitting on the ground win no wars. On numbers, get back to me when we can sustain what we have.
The backbone of Israel's navy.
Norway steps up: "Norway is working towards nearly doubling their defense spending through 2036, when annual defense spending will almost double its military budget and reach 3 percent of GDP by 2036." I object to saying Norway didn't participate in World War II. It resisted the Nazi invasion.
We'd control the nukes. Poland would launch them: "Polish authorities are in talks with the United States about the possibility of including the Polish Air Force in NATO’s nuclear sharing program, according to Polish President Andrzej Duda." Other NATO allies have this arrangement.
Tanks: "The Israel Defense Forces are expanding the number of regular army tank companies in each battalion of the armored corps, a direct result of lessons learned from six months of war in Gaza — and one taken with an eye towards future conflicts." Just in case.
BS: "For some time, the US Army’s Infantry Brigade Combat Teams – or light ground forces – have lacked a vehicle capable of providing armoured, mobile, direct fires. This enduring gap in the Army’s capability will be filled by the M10 Booker." Abrams don't count? The gap is filled by flaming coffins.
Yeah, a ceasefire in Ukraine won't provide peace any more than any past agreement Russia has signed regarding Ukraine has provided peace. Anything Putin signs will just be time to reload.
LOL! China's Ministry of State Security considers the 1.4 billion Chinese people to be the threat the agency was designed to infiltrate--not part of a 1.4 billion people effort to defeat foreign agents.
Yeah: "The Corps’ situation is largely self-inflicted, as an intellectual civil war within the Marine Corps has entered its fourth year. At issue is the current leadership’s effort to reduce Marine Corps amphibious attack capabilities in return for anti-ship missiles to fight the Chinese Navy." Why not a focused effort?
ISW thinks Russian success is unlikely if Ukraine gets military aid: "Kremlin mouthpieces are seizing on concerns about a future Russian offensive operation against Kharkiv City to conduct a likely coordinated information operation in an effort to create outsized panic among Ukrainians."
Britain steps up: "The Prime Minister unveiled £500 million in extra equipment, including
air defence missiles, to thwart Russia’s bombardment of power stations." Plus hundreds of armored vehicles, small boats, and small-arms ammunition. Storm Shadow long-range missiles are included.
Via Instapundit, Unintended consequences? What are those? Experts know far less than they admit and don't accept that some knowledge is outside their lane.
The war in Gaza goes on. If Hamas surrendered, the war would end quickly. Until they do I support Israel waging war on actual rules of war rather than imaginary rules that deny Israel the right to fight as hard as it can.
In case you think Europeans haven't stepped up. Our committed aid will shoot up soon. But Europe will have time to catch up:
As I've noted: "The prospect of the US restarting ammunition supplies means Ukraine could start using more artillery shells from its stocks, says Justin Crump, of risk intelligence company Sibylline."
Expel students, keep non-students off campus, and make arrests. Problem addressed: "Pro-Palestinian protests continue to rock major American universities on
Tuesday, prompting school officials across the country to take
extraordinary steps to confront the growing crisis." Until then, officials support hate.
I had high confidence that America would renew military aid to Ukraine. I did not suspect it would take this long. But I never guessed Biden would hold Ukraine hostage in order to keep our southern border open. Stalling aid would have lost Ukraine without winning our border. Keep fighting for our border.
NASA plans to send a flying drone to explore Saturn's moon, Titan. Tip to Instapundit.
Jews are just the easiest first target for the Left's current hate and violence. Note both the red A+Hole Anarchist symbol and the signature American ANSWER Marxists black-on-yellow signs of the usual suspects at a pro-Hamas rally at Columbia University. And now for something completely different:
Small drones threaten us at home and threaten our troops in the field. I'm not sure what to do about defending the vast America from small drones launched from inside America if intelligence and police can't handle it. But I'd like to see fighter drones for our troops, as I proposed in Army.
Sky Shield: "In 2023 a coalition consisting of Germany, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia and Latvia and the Netherlands agreed to jointly select and purchase enough air defense systems to protect all of them from missile attacks by Russia. Now Switzerland wants to join."
Iran has a anti-UAV weapon, the 358 UAV. Also, "Loitering near airbases, 358 can attack aircraft that are landing or taking off. That fits with my fighter drone idea (in Army) and my airbase ambush idea. Is my anti-ballistic missile drone far behind? Strategypage also notes the 358 threat to helicopters.
EU officials warn of war but European people aren't that concerned: "The question remains: is a European war a genuine possibility, or simply a tactic to garner support for Ukraine?" The healing power of "and" applies. Although it may be the proto-imperial EU tactic to garner support for removing the prefix.
I don't believe that most "rescue pets" are real. There is too much demand from the well off and these pets are too difficult to take care for the concept to be real these days. It's mostly just marketing to support a sense of moral superiority. IMO, of course.
The Prussian 7 Years' War example for Ukraine: "Henry carefully husbanded the lives of his outnumbered troops, dragging out the war until circumstances turned in Prussia’s favor, and then counter-attacking to win a key battle that helped bring peace." I've long said preserve the army. And a counter-attack is needed.
Huh: "General Atomics' Mojave short take-off and landing drone armed with a pair of Dillon Aero DAP-6 Minigun pods shredded several static targets in a first-of-its-kind live-fire demonstration earlier this month." Get back to me when it can shoot down other drones.
Am I the only one to be amused by Angus beef hot dogs? I mean, the scrap parts of Angus cows are supposed to be special?
Sure: "Some scholars now argue that the world is witnessing 'peak China' and that the country’s accelerating decline may lead it to lash out." I don't mean "peak China" literally. Except for population. But the economic surge was not infinite. I don't assume war but China remains powerful. But do read it.
Huh (tip to Instapundit): "White House bobs and weaves through questions on Gaza campus protests[.]" Would it be appropriate to say Biden is giving "dog whistles" to his Jew-hating, pro-Hamas supporters? Asking for a friend.
Via Instapundit, the "twilight of the wonks"? "Impostor syndrome isn’t always a voice of unwarranted self-doubt that you should stifle. Sometimes, it is the voice of God telling you to stand down." I addressed this recently. Narrowly focused expertise is vital. But outside those lanes, unintended consequences ...
We have not driven Russia into China's arms by resisting Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Putin took that step long ago.
Protest Republicans at their homes and in public? That's what democracy looks like, you fascist! "But do the same to Chuck Schumer? You get arrested. He is the good guy, and he deserves peace and quiet." Totally different because shut up. Tip to Instapundit.
President Ron Burgundy in action. Again.
I'm getting a good number of hits from Hong Kong recently. Wonder why? Although with VPNs I don't know if any location data is reliable anymore.
Ouch: "At publishing time, the Columbia administration had put forth plans to load Jewish students onto train cars and transport them to special camps to help them concentrate." It's satire--for now. Tip to Instapundit.
You think you distrust and hate our media enough. You do not. Tip to Instapundit.
Cannon fodder: "Russia has mobilized more troops for duty and now has 470,000 soldiers in Ukraine, compared to the original 360,000. This increase was achieved despite Russian forces suffering over a half a million soldiers killed, disabled, or missing since the invasion of Ukraine began in early 2022."
Hmmm: "Russian dead, missing and wounded too severely for further service are at least six times those of Ukraine’s, while the Russian population only outnumbers Ukraine’s by 3.5 to one." I have no idea if this is accurate. I would like to believe it. But my hope is not evidence.
Iran's Houthi hired gunmen are still out there: "Early Thursday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said a coalition
warship shot down [a ballistic] missile likely targeting the MV Yorktown, a
U.S.-flagged, owned and operated vessel [.]" As much as I worry about Navy leadership, ship crews still perform.
Better late than never: "Western media reported that senior US officials stated that the United States secretly shipped an unspecified number of ATACMS with a range of roughly 300 kilometers to Ukraine in March 2024." They are used against targets in occupied Crimea and Zaporizhia Oblast.
That's six times the pre-Winter War of 2022 American 155mm shell monthly volume: "'With the supplemental that just thankfully passed last night, we’ll be at 100,000 rounds by next summer,' Lt. Gen. James Mingus said at an event hosted by think-tank CSIS." Europe struggles with expansion.
Yeah: "Putin's invasion of Ukraine sobered Europe west of Ukraine, spurred European rearmament and solidified the collective resolve of their free, intelligent citizens to combat Moscow." Russia has lost already in one sense. The question is whether Ukraine loses, too, and if Russia's defeat is larger.
The statistics are bad and the media eagerly uses it: "News reports fail to take into account that many victims aren’t reporting crimes to the police, especially since the pandemic." Police de-funded, imprisoned released early, arrested aren't prosecuted, criminals aren't arrested, and victims don't report crimes. Voila!
Our rotted Navy ship repair infrastructure. That author brings more subject knowledge (and I noted the Boxer issue in an earlier entry) to the issue I whine about.
We're getting more talk about abandoning Ukraine to Russia to pivot to face China; as well as reassurance that Europe can handle Russia. One, we've already greatly pivoted to Asia. What more do you want? Shall we dig up our military cemeteries? And good Lord, don't trust Europe to defend our interests!
Don't be silly! I see no tiki torches: "The Russian word 'pogrom' refers to an organized effort to displace
Jewish populations from the spaces in which they reside by force. That
is precisely what we’ve seen on far too many college campuses since the
October 7 attack." And now for something completely different:
I never see data on this claim: "The growing number of Russian soldiers deserting the army are an obvious sign of the unpopularity of the war in Ukraine. ... Soldiers in the Russian army or men eligible to be mobilized into the army want the Ukraine War to stop."
The U.S. has allocated $6 billion in contracts to American defense industry to build weapons and ammunition (which collectively are "munitions") for Ukraine. This is a different path than sending our own stuff and replacing them later (which we also do).
Russian weapons are flowing into Africa to stoke chaos: "Eastern Libya is becoming a significant way station into Africa for Russia, and it comes after the U.S. seriously misplayed Haftar." I thought we should have backed Haftar. But we stiff-armed him early in the civil war. Later U.S. outreach was rejected.
Belarus remains divided between Lukashenko on one side and jailed or exiled dissidents on the other. With a large middle unsure of which way to turn, if they should move at all. What happens matters.
Back to the future: "The U.S. Army’s aviation force structure will move away from modular Combat Aviation Brigade designs needed during heel-to-toe rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan and return to a model that tailors those units for specific divisions[.]"
Europeans are panicking over a Trump win in November: "how can the continent’s leaders keep the sharp turn in U.S. foreign policy from driving their countries apart?" But Europeans felt that way about Biden. Any American president is a reason for the proto-imperial European Union to strip away the pesky prefix.
The Army Science Board notes this: "Preparation for eventual land combat is fundamental to defense in the Pacific theater, particularly as China’s interests expand beyond the Western Pacific." That's what I argued in Military Review and supported with this Land Warfare Paper.
And now for something completely different:
I really have my doubts about an economist when the assessment is that Russia's best course economically is to keep the invasion of Ukraine going indefinitely.
Is Putin beginning a purge that will eventually get rid of Defense Minister Shoigu and his minions?
Second Thomas Shoal: "The Philippines on Saturday denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda."
Countering UAVs with EAGLS and APKWS in CENTCOM.
As Black Sea trade has become more difficult for Ukraine, it has worked to accelerate rail movement despite the different railroad track gauges in Europe and the Russian-sized gauge Ukraine inherited. As an aside, NATO Baltic states should convert their gauge to European standards as a defense measure.
Still in an American century despite our doubts and divisions. I've mentioned the former and the latter will resolve. I am an optimist at heart. Given long enough time frames. But really? "Economic and political sclerosis, then Brexit, killed the promise of a united and revived Europe in the post-Cold War era." NOPE.
Lockheed Martin has protested Textron Bell's win in the competition: "The U.S. Army’s plan to field its Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft with an initial unit is delayed by one year[.]"
European NATO states are already rebuilding their military strength in reaction to Russia's revived threat. So saying "Europe" must do more really means the European Union. Be careful what you wish for.
Saying Russia doesn't have enough troops to pacify a conquered Ukraine--and so we should not worry about Russia gaining strength from victory--neglects that Russia will recruit Ukrainians. Victors always have allies. This is like Iraq where I frequently despaired that war critics only counted American troops.
Lord, there are American isolationists who still say Georgia provoked Russia's invasion in 2008. On the face of it, that's absurd. And Russia planned it. Georgia was stupid to give Russia a pretext. But Russia would have manufactured one if Georgia had been passive. Also, the territory is lawfully Georgia's.
Now go and emit no more. Because of course he did.
Does a networked army reduce the effect of destroyed/degraded headquarters? "A force in the field without a command post or headquarters can operate on strategic purpose or on their last orders, or it can be organized beneath another battle flag." Huh. If true, how much can span of command expand to cope?
To be fair, a ruler with far more intelligence than Putin displays would have fallen for this diabolically clever Western plan to undermine and weaken Russia. Will Russians wonder why Putin is effing up so badly?
Okay, that's bad if true: "Nearly 30% of children in northern Gaza are showing signs of severe malnutrition," per a senior Biden official. Hamas could end this overnight by surrendering. Sadly, Israelis and Westerners care more about those malnourished children than Hamas. But Egypt does nothing?
Executive summary: "India is largely at peace and prospering while neighboring Pakistan continues struggling with the Islamic terror groups it created and supported for so long, plus the internal corruption and mayhem that policy created." And nukes, of course. Also, it goes into this issue.
The Russian Kh-69 cruise missile. Effective but rare.
The PLAN is intensifying submarine training and the crews are stressed: "Though stressful on submarine equipment and crews, these changes
to training may ultimately yield a more combat-capable submarine fleet
operating throughout the western Pacific." That's how you get better.
I'm having another bout of "Jesus, I hate commenting on politics." Despite my concerns over rule of law, media bias, freedom of speech, global warming hysteria, free markets, and woke Peak Stupid issues, I resolve to let others take those on and stay in my national security lanes in Weekend Data Dumps.🤞
