I post at The Dignified Rant: Evolved on Substack. Help me out by subscribing and by liking and sharing posts. I continue posting here on TDR seven days a week, including Weekend Data Dump and Winter War of 2022. I occasionally post short data dump-type items on my Substack "Notes" section.
In case you missed it on Substack: The Collapse of the Soviet Empire.
In case you missed it on Substack: America is Not Abandoning Europe.
In case you missed it on Substack: War is Combined Arms Hell.
In case you missed it on Substack: Can Taiwan Learn from Russia's Invasion of Ukraine?
The North Korean expeditionary force.
This was a good movie and his point on procurement gold plating true. But to be fair, the Bradley turned out to be an excellent combat vehicle. The Ukrainians love them. And saying the Bradley wasn't good for counter-insurgency (flat bottom vulnerable to mines) ignores it wasn't designed for that.
Russia can pound sand. Macron is right. Annoying. But right.
GLSDB: This time, for sure! The update cycle is too long.
Medvedev threatens war against NATO if it deploys peacekeepers to Ukraine. TDR has exclusive video:
Be careful what you wish for, China. VOA 2.0 might not be as funny.
War on terror continues in Iraq: "ISIS’s chief of global operations, the second in command for the terrorist group, was killed on Thursday in an American airstrike, U.S. Central Command said."
Recalling the Falklands War. In a college poli sci class during the war, a fellow student proclaimed the British had no chance on land because they didn't have 3:1 advantage. I said if the British landed, they'd smash the Argentinians because the 3:1 "rule" works with combat power--not numbers.
Another power outage in Cuba. Tip to Instapundit.
Is Xi's authority over the PLA eroding? Uh oh.
The accusation has always been lazy analysis.
Germany sends a frigate to support UNIFIL. How much time before it reverts to UNIFAIL?
Some nominally French guy in the EU "parliament" wants the Statue of Liberty back? I say compromise is in order. Send the crappy poem affixed to it that seeks to make Lady Liberty the Statue of Unrestricted Immigration. Good luck with that. Tip to Instapundit.
The Army's XM-7 rifle intended for combat troops can penetrate body armor. What we have our enemies will get, too.
2,500 Marines and sailors from 1 MEF rotated into northern Australia.
The Army is preparing to deploy another Typhon long-range missile battery for the Pacific.
The foreign volunteers who go to help Ukraine stop Russia.
Russia creates a drone regiment.
Russia expanded its war on the West by targeting IKEA.
Syria's HTS-led government hit Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Germany decides to do what is needs to do, notwithstanding rule of law. Huh. Critics often say tyranny of descending on America. But it always seems to land elsewhere.
Rebuilding a pluralistic Syria too keep ISIL down is folly as a Western objective. If Syrians manage that--and there is no evidence the Islamist victors seek that--good on them. Offering Christians refuge should be the limits of our effort.
A "relatively" inexpensive anti-drone missile. Only auto-cannons can really be cheap enough, IMO. Unless one missile launcher is cheaper than numerous auto-cannons protecting the same area.
How to build a "European" defense force. To be fair, a proto-empire needs an army to strip away the prefix. "Growing doubts" about America's commitment is one more faux excuse to replace NATO.
I seriously doubt North Korea has a SSBN. I have doubts that it has usable nuclear weapons rather than nuclear devices requiring thousands of scientists and technicians to detonate.
When Russia is on the hunt, signaling you aren't to be effed with is more important than signaling your virtue. Tip to Instapundit.
I don't have to believe Hamas propaganda to have my heart broken by the plight of Gazan children. Lay the blame on Hamas for launching a rape and murder invasion. And blame Hamas for using the children as human shields rather than surrendering and ending the horrors of war inflicted on the children.
At the intersection of psychological warfare and preparation for invasion.
Too little and too late to save the wreckage of the LCS class?
The Army "Force Design" unit. I say sell the needed equipment to the Marines and get back to basics.
I listened to a podcast with an author discussing how difficult it is to really pinpoint the end of a war, with the American Civil War cited. This fits my view of Phase IX of the Iraq War that is raging now. And I've noted the Civil War as an example for judging victory in Iraq.
This is well beyond perfectly lawful boycott. It is getting closer to terrorism. Which is a step to insurrection. Let's keep this a law enforcement problem by squashing it now. Tip to Instapundit.
America builds surface and submarine unmanned vessels. There are apparently means nobody talks about to prevent enemies from boarding and capturing them. That addresses a concern of mine.
"Russia is conducting a disruptive clandestine operation against NATO countries in an effort to create disunity and eliminate any willingness to continue supporting Ukraine." Indeed.
Indistinguishable from actual bastards: "Russian efforts to destabilize Africa are supposed to divert attention and resources headed to Ukraine."
I keep seeing disapproving stories that the military is purging photos and stories of women and minorities in its efforts to get rid of DEI material. But I expected initial broad wipes to result in eventual restoration of stories of bravery by military personnel as Americans--not as sub-category representatives.
Refusing to help Ukraine win contributes to "inevitable" stalemate, Russia is not destined to win a war of attrition, and America has an interest in preventing Russia from absorbing Ukraine. Endorsed. I'm not siding with Democrats. I'm welcoming them to the party.
The Ohio SSGN returning to duty absolutely does not have more firepower than all the bombs dropped in World War II. That measure applies to the boat when it was a nuclear armed SSBN before conversion to a conventionally armed SSGN.
As a small, new, and inherently technological service, Space Force is inherently better able to discard legacy systems to embrace market-ready solutions.
Is France at risk of civil war? Has France fixed the factors promoting civil war?
Is breaking up the Pentagon's Office of Net Assessment for part to rebuild it a cause for alarm? I'm ... concerned. Or is the existing ONA coasting on reputation and deserving of a rebuild?
So far, stories about Israel's major strike on Hamas has focused on Hamas claims of massive civilian casualties. What about the actual targets destroyed, which seem to be very important?
"Step 1. Co-- .... uh ... operate fully with the invaders."/NOTHING FOLLOWS/ Hey, I'm only human.
Israel followed up its air strikes with ground operations to expand a buffer zone in Gaza.
A cheaper APKWS-based rocket for fighter aircraft anti-drone defense. How about using them on an A-Whacks?
Coastal defense gets a second destroyer. Sheesh. In the Cold War our high-end Coast Guard cutters were very similar to our warships. No more.
It's interesting that China practiced fighting American destroyers using an unrealistic scenario.
China is best buddies with Russia, so Russia has nothing to worry about there.
Macron wants to be France's protector-in-chief? No, he is auditioning for his next job.
Planning to meet threats by developing the Navy tomorrow and up to fifteen years from now.
However much Ukraine values the often soon-to-be obsolete weaponry we send, we over-value them in discussing costs.
The Army wants the Viper vertically launched 180-mile cruise missile. The Army doesn't trust the Air Force will prioritize Army fires requests.
Interesting article, but America's debt problem is hardly imperial over-stretch. Defense spending as burden on the economy is much lower now than in Cold War. It is domestic spending over-stretch on one side of ledger. And regulatory over-reach on the other.
God help the Gazans that Hamas hides behind.
My Infantry article "Reachback for the Squad" has emerged intact from the change from Fort Moore back to Benning.
Russia will train Ethiopia's navy. What navy? In what port?
Ukraine hit Russia's Engels Airbase quite hard. Big explosions. Damage unclear.
Sh*t got real. Just leave some lanes through the minefields facing Kaliningrad, okay?
One problem with saying Ukraine could replicate how Finland saved itself from the USSR after the Winter War of 1939-1940 by trading land for peace is that the USSR almost immediately got preoccupied with a bloody Nazi invasion and then the Cold War before it could reload and invade again.
This is Resolve Theater. Europe barely works up the energy to resist Russia in Europe. Europe won't come to Canada's rescue. America will do that.
Italy, for one, will not welcome its new insect overlords.
Red Storm writhing on the Kola Peninsula. Putin rejects the gift from God.
NATO makes post-war plans to sustain Ukraine's ability to defend itself. I always worry that a focus on post-war plans is either for the objective of inaction or dangerously assumes victory.
I know Russia wages war on NATO. But Putin wouldn't go this far in his repeated specific threats to attack Britain, would he?
The Bradley IFV can fire a new missile of unknown capabilities.
I'm glad Taiwan has sense of urgency. But assume China will invade tomorrow.
Should Poland and South Korea have tactical nukes? Not so fast. Well, precision weapons can do most of what old tactical nukes did. So I can't see Poland benefiting. Tactical nukes that could reach Pyongyang would help South Korea. But that's a strategic effect.
The UN "happiness index" is a sham. All such "studies" are designed to let Europeans believe their sad standards of living are okay because Americans aren't really happy with all that wealth. I wouldn't be shocked if the Definitions Section defined bug cuisine as a source of happiness.
CDR Salamander favors reforming the regional unified commands. He throws shade on Joint Doctrine. He's not against jointness itself, but how it is put in practice. I hear that. Services must work together. But as I wrote in this LWP, true joint synergy is built on the foundation of each service winning their domain.
Is Bangladesh the next Afghanistan? India had best double the guard. I've had recent alarming Weekend Data Dump entries on that "model" Moslem country that once had little Islamist extremism. #WhyIslamCan'tHaveNiceThings
China's propaganda campaign to alienate Okinawans from Japan and America's troop presence.
Should the Coast Guard have special forces? I'd rather upgrade its cutters to Cold War standards of armament.
"While sensor-rich environments make operational concealment harder, they also create opportunities to exploit adversaries’ cognitive biases." Exactly!
Be careful of a military tech revolution if it focuses only on the low end of a high-low mix of weapons. This sounds like a bargain basement version of the old Revolution in Military Affairs movement. Infinite numbers of cheap weapons won't have all the capabilities of a single expensive weapon. Buy both.
Using AI to defeat enemy drone swarms. I say add AI to fighter drones, which I advocated in Army.
The newly dominant Sunni Arab majority in Syria is seeking revenge on their former oppressors, the Alawites, who were the base of Assad's support. Either the Alawites successfully secede from Syria in their coastal region or the majority commits genocide on this path.
Taiwan's opposition is criticizing government efforts to stop PRC "coercion and malign influence targeting the Taiwanese government, military, and people." You wonder why I doubt Taiwanese are an island Israel--or Ukraine?
Germany is paving the way to borrow more to spend on defense. Given personnel shortages, we'll soon see stories about new weapons being carried around by broom sticks.
SpaceX set a 9-day turnaround record for re-using a Falcon 9 rockets. Which isn't nearly as good as the time I assumed to reject Starship Trooper fantasies. Tip to Instapundit.
I fear the countryside is too Islamist friendly for the city protesters to be a threat to Erdogan. Will this get media coverage?
Israel hammers Hamas. Have Israel and America issued an ultimatum to Iran on nukes? Tip to Instapundit. Hmmm. If Iran does not back down, would punishing Iran serve double duty as a warning to Russia?
May 9, 1945 expired in Russia.
The collapsing Russian rail network. Sabotage, accidents, and (from prior posts) sanctions--like ball bearings--are finally eating into the ability to cope.
The Houthi are the new Barbary Pirates. I had thoughts about that on Substack.
Bing seems to be blocking my perfectly reasonable requests for post illustrations more often lately. I guess a defense orientation is inherently dangerous according to their parameters. Has Bing tightened its limits?
