I await our national conversation about how demonizing others can justify violence in demented or simple minds to stop so-called demons--whether Trump or those in the way. Who am I kidding? Too many will be upset the assassin failed. Enemies don't want this man as our president:
America: Maybe down. Never out.
Huh: "[Ukraine posted video] showing a Ukrainian FPV drone intercepting a Russian Lancet loitering munition in mid-air in the Kharkiv direction. Both Ukrainian and Russian forces appear to be improving their capability to use FPV drones to intercept other FPV drones[.]" I was ahead of my time in Army.
All our bases are belong to us: "Japan and the Philippines signed a key defense pact Monday allowing the deployment of Japanese forces for joint drills in the Southeast Asian nation that came under brutal Japanese occupation in World War II but is now building an alliance with Tokyo [opposing China.]"
FFS: "The air defense malfunctions that plagued the Danish frigate Iver Huitfeldt during its deployment to the Red Sea earlier this year have yet to be fixed, leading Danish authorities to renege their offering of having the vessel serve as the lead ship of a regional NATO force."
Seriously, FFS: "Cost projections have grown once again for the US Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental missile, with the program now expected to cost taxpayers $141 billion, or 81% more than forecast four years ago."
It replaces the Harpoon for anti-ship strikes: "The U.S. Navy is turning its ship mounted SM-6 (Standard Missile-6) air
defense weapon into a multi-purpose missile carried by its F-18E carrier
based aircraft." More on the AIM-174. It's an air-to-air weapon, too. Can it shoot down ballistic missiles?
Romania improves its air defenses and ability to host NATO forces. Russia continues to make the case for NATO rearmament.
America and Europe: "As opposition parties – even sometimes those on the left – take on issues like mass migration and shifting values, they begin to tilt elections in their favor. ... The Euro-American world is thus undergoing a routine but dramatic shift." The "shift" rejects threats to the Euro-American world.
The emperor still seeks an empire to rule. He'll find subjects easier to rule than citizens. Also, that initial author really knows how to fluff a subject.
Some reasonable lessons, including: "Russian leaders have come to the conclusion that ad hoc battalion
tactical groups, with poor cohesion, little in the way of infantry, poor
infantry-armor cooperation, and attachments to small to be effective,
are unsuited for use in the ongoing war in Ukraine war." Yeah. Also.
The author has a point that missile defenses provoke more enemy missiles to overwhelm the defense system. But CONUS isn't a sanctuary and leaving our homeland vulnerable to conventional missiles hurts us, too. We need to reconcile those two issues.
Second thoughts? "The Marine Corps bid farewell to its Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269, known as the 'Gunrunners,' in December 2022 as part of a service-wide overhaul. But the farewell was not so final, lasting just 18 months." Charging into the glorious future is looking risky.
Rigging the game to justify Force Design? "The Marine Corps’ current use of wargames is incomplete, faulty and commandeered by recent military leaders to justify their foregone decisions about how to structure the Corps." I'm seeing more push-back to the Marine charge into the glorious future.
Shiny new weapons still need good troops: "Can the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) fight? And in case, how would they fight? They had the human waves in Korea and they advised the Vietnamese on guerrilla warfare but how would they perform in a modern war?" Still, Russia is fighting ugly and hasn't lost.
Interesting: Russia is salvaging 73mm guns from its old BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles for use as infantry support guns.
Maybe: "Russia claims to have captured the warhead of one of Ukraine’s most destructive weapons and is now studying how it works." Or maybe Russia stole the plans the old fashioned way and is covering its means with this claim. Or it's just an idle boast.
Welp: "An Iranian frigate capsized while undergoing repairs at Bandar Abbas, a coastal city in the Strait of Hormuz." Potemkin warships will do that.
Visiting Canada might soon be no more wise than vacationing in North Korea: "The Online Harms Act states that any person who advocates for or promotes genocide is 'liable to imprisonment for life.' It defines lesser 'hate crimes' as including online speech [against the usual suspects.]" Tip to Instapundit.
Fiery but no doubt mostly peaceful leftist "demonstrators" celebrated their election win in France. Tip to Instapundit.
Australia's Pitch Black exercis draws many participants: "And in a first for the exercise itself, an aircraft carrier will
dedicate its time to the event, in the form of the Italian Navy’s ITS
Cavour." I assume it gets the role of a Chinese carrier.
For NATO countries close to Russia, the end of the war in Ukraine just punches their ticket for the next crisis: "Namely, what will Putin do with his reconstituted army and ramped up industrial capacity when the fighting to the south dies down, one way or the other?"
The SolarWinds hacking crisis kerfuffle: "The president ordered a board to investigate a massive Russian cyberattack. It didn't." Hmmm.
Bravery: "A battle named “Checkpoint Pasta” might seem funny, considering it was fought by Italian troops, but there's nothing funny about being outnumbered and surrounded in Somalia. The story of the Italians who fought their way out of warlord Mohamed Farrah Aidid's complex ambush in July 1993[.]"
Let me add something about the above article: "[Italy didn't use cannons because of] international rules of engagement, which required a proportional response and deference to civilian safety." No. Proportionality is not about limits of response to enemy violence levels, but how much is needed to achieve the mission.
A less dramatic retreat, at least: "The moment marks a milestone in the ongoing effort to withdraw American forces from Niger, where they have conducted key counterterrorism missions from two air bases." No word if the skedaddle will be praised as a victory.
Partisan crap: "A commander in chief with broad immunity from criminal prosecution would have more power and leeway in issuing controversial orders that the military is in most cases obligated to carry out, according to the chain of command." Soldiers are only required to obey lawful orders, as I was taught.
Good, if true: "Ukrainian attacks on Russian supply lines have left Russian units
scrambling for food, water and ammunition, blunting Moscow’s renewed
invasion into Ukraine’s northeast Kharkiv region[.]" But Ukraine can only really exploit that weakness on offense.
Huh: "The fighting in Ukraine made it clear that the French concept of mounting 155mm guns on a truck to rapidly fire a few rounds, then move to avoid return (counterbattery) fire was not only unique but very effective. So far, only ten percent of these truck-mounted guns have been destroyed in Ukraine[.]"
What's the matter with Georgia?
Yeah: "Without American strategic sponsorship, Europe does not have sufficient combat power to protect itself." But they could use less American help if they tried. They are starting to try. Be thankful Russia simultaneously gutted its army in Ukraine and notified NATO of its expansionist intent.
Combat motivation in a navy. It matters. It isn't antiseptic in contrast to ground combat. I'll add that the idea that naval warfare is cheap in loss of life in contrast to land combat should consider the losses if just one carrier task force is sunk in combat, as I noted in this post.
Is this how Russia wants to play this? "US military bases across Europe were placed on a heightened state of alert last week for the first time in a decade after the US received intelligence that Russian-backed actors were considering carrying out sabotage attacks against US military personnel and facilities[.]"
Rearming: "NATO has signed a nearly $700 million contract to have member countries produce more Stinger missiles[.]"
Central Asia: “The region has become an economic and diplomatic battleground for Russia and China, and China is winning. This is something Russia doesn’t like to discuss, but among Russians the real threat is from the east, not the west.” Indeed.
Oh? “The first of 85 American F16 fighters going to Ukraine became operational in Ukraine during May.”
This is viewed as a threat: “Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a joint statement on July 9 about strengthening mutually beneficial political, economic, energy, and military-technical cooperation between Russia and India.” I see opportunity.
Good luck: “The US Navy (USN) has announced that it is set to deploy a torpedo-tube launch-and-recovery (TTL&R) uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) capability onboard an operational submarine for the first time, with the operational deployment set to commence by the end of 2024.”
Huh: “Select US military bases in Europe have instituted increased alert levels in response to intensified Russian sabotage and hybrid operations against NATO allies over the past several months.”
Oh? "[Ukraine's use of USVs] to force the dominant Russian navy away from its shores is an 'arbiter of things in the future' for naval warfare, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe said recently — a notable statement, and one that is gaining traction among naval observers." I refuse to throw panties.
I don't think we are close to replacing infantry closing with and destroying the enemy: "Ukraine is betting on land robots and seeking billions more in investment to boost its domestic weapons manufacturing, Ukraine’s top official in charge of defense production efforts said Tuesday[.]"
Big, if Canada truly takes the final steps of putting them in service: "The Canadian government announced today it is “taking the first steps” towards buying 12 conventionally-powered, under-ice capable submarines[.]"
Guns: "Romania is buying $1 billion worth of artillery from South Korean firm Hanwha Aerospace, the company announced Wednesday." The God of War is pleased.
People swoon over this: “Because of Ukrainian attacks since 2022 with USVs, UAVs, and missiles, the Russian Black Sea Fleet lost 14 ships with several others badly damaged and towed to more distant portions of the Black Sea[.]” That it took 28 months.
Because Israel doesn’t know what to do with Gaza: “The Israeli government has for the past 4-5 months only pretended to try to eliminate Hamas in Gaza.” That does explain a lot.
The U.S. will deploy to Germany missiles that “will include SM-6 and Tomahawk [missiles], and developmental hypersonic weapons, which have significantly longer range than current land-based fires in Europe[.]”
Now do it: “NATO pledged to ramp up its defense industry on Wednesday, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created a vast demand for more supplies in the war-ravaged country and across the alliance that has outstripped NATO’s ability to produce weapons and ammunition." We were warned.
Additional American military aid for Ukraine, including a Patriot missile battery.
The Russians certainly have known about our president’s limitations. I think this introduces a lot of uncertainty to the conclusion that our needless defeat in Afghanistan encouraged Putin to believe he could get away with conquering Ukraine.
WTAF: "Russian authorities reportedly attempted to assassinate leading figures in the European defense industrial base (DIB), likely as part of Russian efforts to disrupt and deter Western aid to Ukraine and Russia's wider efforts to destabilize NATO members.'
Captain Obvious: "How to meet the logistics needs of Marines and sailors in an Indo-Pacific conflict is a major question in how the U.S. could fight in the region[.]" Also, it's from the Well, Duh files.
An enemy: "The FBI dismantled two websites and nearly 1,000 accounts on the X
social media platform that were used by Kremlin spin doctors to run an
AI-powered campaign that sought to spread disinformation within the U.S.
and abroad." I'd respond with obituaries for every dead Russian soldier.
Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s S-400 air defense systems.
Finally! “The US has opened an ‘Aegis Ashore’ site, a ballistic missile interceptor facility, strategically located in northern Poland overlooking the continent and the Baltic Sea.” You may recall the backstory.
The truncated Zumwalt-class destroyers: “the Navy plans to optimise the three ships for conducting surface strike missions, because their priorities have shifted to outmatching China’s seaborne missile capabilities in a prospective conflict over Taiwan.” A long road.
Russia's Black Sea nightmare: "When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, they never expected to lose control of the Black sea along with over a third of the Black Sea Fleet warships."
Not a sign of confidence in their offensive potential: "North Korean soldiers have recently been reinforcing their side of the four kilometer wide DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) with additional anti-tank fortifications, walls and roads." Justifiably low confidence.
Yeah: "If they want peace, for the next 10 years NATO nations and their Pacific allies must spend 3% of GDP on defense. Current U.S. defense spending? About 3%." And as NATO arms up, ditto on Austin's comment about the blindness of our media to basic reality.
New since the last weekend data dump is my new substack site, The Dignified Rant: Evolved. I see it as becoming the longer version of writing, with TDR posts the medium length, and TDR Weekend Data Dump the short form. We'll see how it goes.
I don't think the Secret Service erred by failing to quickly move Trump to his heavily armored vehicle after the first hit. Trump was safe from immediate further fire and moving him might put him in the line of fire. A little caution to make sure other threats weren't poised seems prudent. But what do I know?
