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Impressive: "A Ukrainian intelligence operation carried out a surprise attack on a Russian air base near the Arctic Circle. This is 1,800 kilometers from Ukraine and was apparently carried out by Ukrainian operatives who, pretending to be Russian truck drivers, transported the drones to northwest Russia."
Disloyal minority groups in Russia? And the Russia-Norway border region. Strategypage is really mashing together topics in their posts lately.
Interesting: "China will send samples of bricks [using simulated Moon "soil"] to its space station in the coming months to test their durability in extreme conditions and potential use in building moon bases." Tip to Instapundit.
Throttling China with a naval blockade and holding the perimeter. Worry about who's on the wrong side of the blockade line. And if a blockade is successful, wouldn't China resort to nukes to prevent regime collapse?
Learning from the Winter War of 2022: "The U.S. Army is planning to ask for more flexible funding for unmanned aircraft systems, capabilities to counter them and electronic warfare tools in its next budget[.]"
Complaining that Ukraine wants to drag America into the war to defeat Russia. Obviously Ukraine wants help--and America in particular--to defeat the larger and brutal Russia. The Allies wanted American help in World War I and II. I don't blame Ukraine. That doesn't mean we have to join unless in our interest.
We're going to need the F-22 longer than the Air Force planned.
Can't have Air Force cadets seeing the fortitude needed to violently defeat foes: "No longer will the full cadet wing be required to attend home football games. The two exceptions will be the opening game on parents’ weekend, which took place this past Saturday, and the Oct. 5 contest vs. Navy."
Nice: "Soldiers will soon train on fewer systems and haul less gear downrange thanks to the Army’s adoption of an advanced new shoulder-launched munition." But no effort ever reduces the load our infantry must shoulder as they walk to battle.
Big mistakeski: "China’s Defense Ministry on Monday announced joint naval and air drills
with Russia starting this month, underscoring the closeness between
their militaries as Russia presses its grinding invasion of Ukraine." I've warned Russia to never ever let China see its military up close.
This seems at least prematurely way too optimistic over Ukraine's Kursk salient: "Russia is now in a situation where they will have to surrender all their occupied Ukrainian territory to end the war and hope that NATO and Ukrainian demands for restitution do not become another economic problem for them."
Tail: "The invading Russians forces had few or none of the support services Ukraine provides for its own troops. This has provided Ukrainian troops with a major advantage. Unlike Russian troops in Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers suffer less from malnutrition, cold weather, untreated wounds and supply shortages."
Interesting that with updates the old girls can still be effective at some jobs: "Originally deployed by the U.S. Army in 1959, the HAWK system, despite its age, has proven highly effective in protecting Ukrainian cities and strategic infrastructure."
When the Army abandons the traditional message of "defend America" why join? "To combat a growing apathy toward the military and a hot job market, the U.S. Army continues to seek recruits by offering large signing bonuses and launching expensive advertising campaigns." No slogan can obscure that absence.
If not in Lithuania and Romania, where should NATO resist Russia? And how much more will it cost to stop Russia farther west. More--like in the Cold War--or less? I say keep Russia as far east as possible. And yeah, if you understand our defense needs, you'd honestly design American strategy to do that.
How could a report on our retreat withdrawal from Afghanistan be anything but critical? Pretend all you want, but we needlessly lost the war.
Yeah: "For two and a half years the Biden Administration has had a policy of not letting Kyiv win lest Russia escalate. At the same time, it clearly does not want Russia to win as it has often stated." Invading Ukraine was patient zero of escalation. I say if we aren't trying to win, we're more likely to lose.
The jihad in Europe. Sadly, the nuanced leadership believes Islamist terror is just a fact of life to beaccepted. They worry more about a victim backlash than the actual jihadi lash. I ask yet again, why do we hate us?
France recognizes Morocco's claim to Western Sahara nearly fifty years after Morocco took it. So what? Not like Western Saharans are the Queen of the Victim Prom, or anything! And France wants a win somewhere in its stretch of former northwest Africa colonies. So Morocco is in the win column. Huzzah.
A long war does that: "CNN spoke to six commanders and officers who are or were until recently fighting or supervising units in the area. All six said desertion and insubordination are becoming a widespread problem, especially among newly recruited soldiers." Russia faces worse. But has the initiative.
Russia uses chemical weapons a lot: "The Ukrainian Support Forces Command stated that Russian forces are using K-51 and RG-VO gas grenades to deliver munitions containing banned chemical agents and are also using unidentified chemical compounds."
Subliminal ultimatum? "China called on the Philippines to 'seriously consider the future' of a relationship 'at a crossroads' in a Monday commentary published by the People's Daily, the newspaper of the governing Communist Party, amid tensions in the South China Sea."
Change: "Cyprus and the United States have signed a defense cooperation framework agreement that outlines ways the two countries can enhance their response to regional humanitarian crises and security concerns, including those arising from climate change." It's Incirlik 2.0 in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.
Sigh: "Germany is rearming too slowly to counter Russia and will need as long
as a century to build up parts of its military inventory to the level of
20 years ago, according to a think tank report released Monday." Germany keeps shifting between Hulk modes. At least the worrying can stop.
I'll note that the Netherlands actually fought at our side in Afghanistan: "The Netherlands plans to bolster its armed forces by reconstituting a tank battalion, buying more F-35 fighter jets and adding anti-submarine frigates"
An Army tactical resupply SMET ground drone.
Attrition: "For more than two decades China has been increasing the use of its warplanes to enter the ADIZs (air defense identification zone) of Japan and Taiwan and force those two nations to send up warplanes to confront the intruders." Remember, an ADIZ is not territorial air space. Just sort of?
It is actually horrifying to see people blame Israel rather than Hamas for the deaths of Israeli hostages captured on October 7, 2023 and eventually murdered/killed. Music to Hamas ears.
Strategic warfare: "Over 140 Ukrainian drones targeted multiple Russian regions overnight,
including Moscow and surrounding areas, killing at least one person,
officials said Tuesday[.]" This gains resources as the front remains static.
Hezbollah and the Iran connection.
Talking about not talking any more: "A senior US military official warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing's 'dangerous' moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders."
The Army still wants to offer the God of War the Extended Range Cannon Artillery.
So? "Warnings from U.S. military officers about the Taliban's swift advances as American troops withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 went unheeded in Washington, D.C.[.]" We knew that. The responsibility is on civilian leaders, of course, but no military leader resigned before or after in protest.
Huh: "Iran will be hit with new sanctions Tuesday for supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced." What part of unrequited love has been unclear?
Russia proves in Ukraine that if it wages war on Turkey--yet again--it will bombard you: "Turkey has finalized key plans for its Çelik Kubbe – Steel Dome – air defense system, a project designed to enhance the nation’s airspace security with advanced, multilayered defense capabilities." Be a good NATO ally!
Drone fighters: "Raytheon is working with the Air Force to integrate the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) onto its first increment of loyal wingman drones known as collaborative combat aircraft (CCA)[.]" The Army needs to do small fighter drones for the brown skies.
Good: "Networking capability upgrades are allowing Army units to fight in a
more dispersed manner and at lower levels of classification." Firepower/targeting advances have led to lower troop density over time (tip to TDI):
The Army had a physical-training short camp for those who failed initial push-up test when I went to basic training: "The Army has graduated nearly 25,000 recruits from its Future Soldier Prep Course who have gone on to become soldiers." I went to a MI National Guard weekend mini-boot camp that clued me in.
Big Commie Han Brother is Watching! "China's government said on Wednesday it would carefully review email tipoffs it has received about Taiwan 'separatist' activity, adding that 'good people' have nothing to worry about, drawing a rebuke from Taipei that Beijing was simply lying."
The F**k-Up Fairy guides the Palestinians. Hence my compare-and-contrast suggestion for "post-war" Gaza.
Yeah: "Ukrainian leaders are trying to make their NATO supporters understand
that the only way to end the current and future Russian aggression
against Ukraine is to support Ukrainian efforts to regain Ukrainian
territory the Russians have seized since 2014." Ukraine is right. Distance from Russia is good.
History didn't end after the USSR fell. We acted like it did: "the modern NDS is insufficiently equipped to meet the challenges of great power competition – a 2023 NDS estimate found that the current stockpile [of critical raw materials] would meet 6 percent of essential shortfalls in a national security crisis."
Closing Iran's ballistic missile barn door after deliberately leaving the door open in 2015. Smart Diplomacy® continues to impress.
Is Ukraine's Kursk incursion a "distraction" from what it should be doing? Defending? I worry if Ukraine tries to hold their salient too long in the face of serious Russian counter-attacks. But the distraction complaint could have been made about the Doolittle Raid, too.
Good: "Doug Bush, assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, said the Army is now 'on a path' to producing 70,000 to 80,000 rounds per month by the end of 2024 or early 2025." We're up to 30,000. We aim for 100,000.
Dispersed Army units and command posts; longer-range fires; and the armored "penetration" division.
We're failing: "Merchant ships in the Red Sea are still being attacked by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen."
For our reconnaissance cavalry: "Lighter, more lethal units, equipped with state of the art technology, are being seen as the way forward for the service." I fear armies have wrongly believed high-tech lethality can be achieved before. A lightly protected burning hulk can't scout.
The U.S. supports permanent UN Security Council seats for African states and Pacific island nations collectively? This may support our efforts to rally Pacific states to resist China. But how does letting African foes vote against us over Gaza gain America support from hostile states? Smart Diplomacy!®
Drones? "This month in the sky over Yuma Proving Ground, the US Army is testing out a slew of drones in an effort to help decide just what the future force needs and pave a path towards acquiring it, according to a pair of one-star generals."
Playing with fire: "America’s top Marine pledged this week to help the Philippine military develop capabilities to monitor its sea territory amid ongoing coast guard clashes with China, according to a state-run media report."
Mines: "More than 100 mines have been spotted by U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft and allies in the Black Sea since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than two years ago, the commanding officer of U.S. 6th Fleet said this week."
The Air Force is disbanding a dedicated close air support unit as it retires the units A-10s. So no new planes with dedicated CAS missions for the unit? Just delete it? Yeah, my issue has always been about the mission and not the aircraft. Are both being retired?
AUKUS continues: "In 2021 Australia decided to abandon diesel-electric subs for nuclear-powered ones."
Is Russia staggering? Russia hides it, of course. So it would be a mistake to believe any Potemkin Villages we see. But I hate to assume what I hope is true is fact.
We're giving Iraq to Iran: "The United States will withdraw most troops from Iraq over the next two years but leave a small residual force in the northern Kurdistan region under a plan negotiated by American and Iraqi officials, who disclosed some details of the deal this week." Is our government really trying to stay?
In theory it is good for the Army to help the Air Force with anti-aircraft missiles as the Air Force disperses aircraft to smaller bases to avoid Chinese missile attacks. But more units make the bases far less agile and more difficult to supply.
Drawing a supply line in the South China Sea .
Despite the claims that Arabs are all-in on the Palestinian issue, 11 months of war haven't led Arab governments to abandon the Abraham Accords.
The Chinese Communist Party promised prosperity to its people in exchange for a monopoly on political power. That deal is fraying. Will China return to brute force to keep the monopoly on power? Tip to Instapundit.
Defending against China's ballistic missiles. This is timely.
SEAL Team 6 is in Taiwan to train them to resist a potential Chinese invasion.
Will Iraq really ask America to remove its troops? "Iraqi forces and American troops have killed a senior commander with the Islamic State group who was wanted by the United States, as well as several other prominent militants, Iraq’s military said on Friday."
This is Chinese extortion without limits--not an alliance: "The United States has accused China of providing Russia with extensive military support to fuel the war in Ukraine. In return, Moscow is reportedly handing over critical military technology on submarines and missiles." It's self-defeating.
It's dangerous to minimize nuclear deterrence because Russia made non-credible threats to use nukes if anyone stepped on their territory as Ukraine did in Kursk. The three shaken "truths" were never "truths".
Ukraine doesn't recognize limits to the theaters of war to fight Russia's invasion.
