I post at The Dignified Rant: Evolved on Substack. Help me out by subscribing and by liking and sharing posts. I also post 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 Army Must Not Sell Its Role Short
In case you missed it on Substack: Exporting Nuclear Pain
In case you missed it on Substack: Keep Your Potential Enemies Close and Your Friends Closer
In case you missed it on Substack: Thank God We Didn't Make Syria Worse!
Shortly after I published an article about converting container ships to power projection platforms in Military Review, our special operations people converted a RO/RO ship into a platform for the narrow mission of special forces operations. But my original auxiliary cruiser proposal pre-dates the SOC vessel.
I've suggested the build up of American forces to hit the Houthi could well evolve into a campaign against their sponsors, Iran. But it could be intended to push Iran to negotiate their nuclear program.
Recommending "establishing information as a core warfighting function, equal in status to mission command, movement and maneuver, intelligence, fires, sustainment, and protection." I think that's right if technology is to create maneuver rather than just strengthen fires on a static front.
Damn: "President Yoon Suk Yeol’s martial-law decree in early December, then weeks of investigative hearings into the matter—livestreamed to the public—added up to what South Korean military officials, lawmakers and security experts described as an unprecedented intelligence leak."
Will there be pressure to extend Golden Dome protection to allies? Hmm. If we get it for homeland defense that would make our extended nuclear deterrence for allies more solid, no?
Our high-stakes ship tests of anti-ballistic missile capabilities ignore real world circumstances.
That's an interesting means to detect objects entering the atmosphere. How precise and timely can it be determined?
I heard the Warsaw Pact described as an alliance. It was not. It was formed to provide camouflage for the USSR's total control of its vassals' military forces.
Desperately seeking parity: "Arch-enemy China has created a world-class arms development and manufacturing industry. India has not and overcoming this shortcoming has been a major goal[.]"
Enemy success in their drone attack on America's Tower 22 outpost was helped by American "complacency and indecisiveness to outright negligence[.]"
Panama sides with America against China. Assuming the canal is secure is over.
Ukraine tests fiber optic-controlled ground drones. Seems like area artillery fire would end that.
Norway wants more K9 armored, tracked artillery to guard their border with Russia.
The French-German tank (and derivative vehicles) project is fleshed out.
Israel captures more land in Gaza to squeeze Hamas into isolated pockets.
Can the U.S. settle down the Middle East with the Abraham Accords and economic growth? Within certain definitions of "settle", I suppose. But jihadis on a Mission from Allah hate both. Nor do I trust Iran's mullahs and Turkey's "tame" Islamists.
Geopolitics and subsidies already warp trade making it less than the free trade ideal. Can the dollar and American military power defend an adjusted trade world?
Ukraine battles corruptions. Russia is worse. But as I've long noted, Ukraine needs to be a lot better than Russia.
Adding baskets in INDOPACOM to protect our eggs.
Trying to make the Paladin 155mm artillery system shoot farther and faster. If the new tech works.
Given the Marines' abandonment of tanks and related equipment, it's interesting it is deploying a Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion to a rotation in INDOPACOM.
Regional and global powers maneuver for the important Somaliland port of Berbera. Indeed.
South Korea offers its capacity to greatly expand American destroyer construction. Great! Although can the Navy provide the trained crews and missiles to operate them?
"Japan formally activated on Sunday a new joint maritime transport unit geared towards improving troop deployment capabilities in Japan’s southwest islands." I'd prefer Japan not race to their own islands.
Coast Guard Force Design 2028.
Arming Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Rebuilding the defense base is job one before expanding American force structure.
Are tariffs undermining Russian oil sale revenue?
Will the US have a $1 trillion defense budget? I hope that includes big cuts in BS spending to get more bang for the buck. Don't just throw money at the existing system.
Ukraine is routinely using its F-16s for air defense and ground attack.
Russia subcontracts sabotage against NATO. It's still a war.
Three years of aid to Ukraine's war effort.
The U.S. is alarmed at Russian and Chinese defense production capacity because it understands math. We need to react to the FLASH OVERRIDE message that Russia sent us.
Japan wants to join the NATO group supporting Ukraine.
The Army and Marines publish a joint Arctic warfare manual. The first in over fifty years.
Marines practice coastal defense and amphibious warfare with Philippine troops.
Practicing joint warfare in INDOPACOM. The vast scale is good. But it's really joint anti-ship warfare. True joint warfare would include the missing element.
The EUCOM commander recommended maintaining the American troop level in Europe. Endorsed.
Is Russia beginning a broad offensive against Ukraine? Are there resources other than men to expend?
Russia has defense in depth now: "A Ukrainian vice admiral said Russia is learning quickly how to counter sea drone attacks." The USV craze is unjustified.
The U.S. will deploy long-range Triton surveillance drones on Japan's Okinawa.
Ukraine captured a couple Chinese subjects fighting for Russia. Funny, I had just read that Chinese individuals fought in the Russian civil war, drawn in from their labor roles prior to civil war.
Hegseth speaks about security for the Western Hemisphere.
Prince of Wales prepares for a tour of the Pacific. The ship is stuck between strategic reviews. The inertia of a large carrier is enormous.
France may recognize a Palestinian state in June. That won't pacify Macron's restive suburban "no-go zones".
Could the Patriot PAC-3 replace the SM-2 on Navy ships?
Providing details on the new Marine operating concept in the Pacific, the 12th MLR commander said "logistics will be a key challenge that Marines will have to overcome[.]" Thank you, Colonel Obvious.
If the F**k-Up Fairy continues to be a plank owner, the Constellation class won't survive budget oversight.
Can a Maritime Action Plan help get American shipyards back in shape for building warships?
Refusing to reinforce Pentagon procurement failure.
If you don't go to war by jumping out of a perfectly good plane, you don't need jump status.
Can Ergodan maneuver through domestic resistance to forge new influence in Turkey's old Ottoman expanse? Will Israel accept a hostile Turkey on it northern border?
Huh: "Taiwan prosecutors on Friday for the first time charged a Chinese ship captain with intentionally damaging undersea cables off the island in February[.]"
The Philippines gets a guided missile frigate.
The commander of U.S. forces in South Korea defends his existing troop levels.
What is going on in Russia's business ecosystem outside of Putin's hyper-focus on his invasion of Ukraine? Tip to Instapundit.
Wondering if the European Union will crumble under the assault by American tariffs: "Trump loathes the EU and he would like nothing more than to break it beyond repair." Oh, please be true.
Is Putin buying support with a feudal structure? Are loyal generals plundering Russia? How long can the former coping mechanism hold Putin up? How long will the troops endure the latter?
Is NATO a corpse? No. And it should not be killed. But if it dies, Russia and the EU will quietly celebrate even as some Americans loudly celebrate the "victory". America will rue the day. One day.
Palau sides with America against China.
America threw European militaries into the deep end of the pool to cope with securing Ukraine. But their swimming skills have atrophied.
Sh*t got real: "The U.S. military shifted a Patriot battalion from the Indo-Pacific to the Middle East, requiring at least 73 flights, according to one commander." Fully pivoting away from the region is impossible as long as its main exports are jihadism and oil.
Is Africa's Sahel the new center of global Islamism? "The West" is nowhere to be seen, it says. But our role is limited. The real question is where is the Islamic world?
I hear some complaints that Trump didn't tariff Russia and tariffed allies. But I don't think we have any trade with Russia now. Sanctions trump tariffs, no? So why bother when not adding tariffs is a cost-free (to us) inducement to get Russia to negotiate in some semblance of good faith?
Israel may be about finished with shaping the battlefield: "Israel's defence minister has announced the military will soon "expand vigorously" its offensive throughout most of Gaza."
Iran is buying time to get nukes: "Iran and the US have concluded a first round of talks in Oman over Tehran's nuclear programme - the highest-level meeting between the two nations since 2018." But perhaps we are buying justification for strikes on Iran's nuclear weapons development infrastructure.
The civil war in Sudan has been raging for two years. Famine and disease are growing in its wake.
Information wars in the Middle East.
I have to watch my TDR post lengths, which crept up this week. They are getting larger than I want yet too short for what I generally want for TDR:E. Which eats up time I should really be using to write for publications. First World Problem, I know. Boo hoo.
I was on a nice vacation. Anything exciting happen in the news?
