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: Building a Russian Strategic Reserve
In case you missed it on Substack: America: Leader of the Mullah Protection League?
In case you missed it on Substack: The Pack of Dogs That Did Not Bark in the Night
In case you missed it on Substack: Pretending There are Tame Jihadis in Syria
American F-35As exercised in the Philippines for the first time.
Oh, FFS. How many more of these "oopsy" mistakes are there?
Joint U.S.-Japan disaster response is a soft introduction to joint combat operations.
Iran hasn't given up trying to kill us with his Arab proxies despite recent setbacks.
Corruption kills: "The oil-rich west coast African nation of Nigeria continues to have problems with Islamic terrorist groups Boko Haram and especially the local Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/ISIL faction known as Islamic State West Africa Province/ISWAP."
The F-16 can carry six pods of cheap APKWS guided rockets to deal with drones. The Air Force is building the A-Whacks one fighter at a time.
Yes, it is long past time the "Martyr's Fund" that rewarded terrorism is ended. Insist on it. Verify it. Although I suspect ending a lot of USAID programs has a lot to do with any progress.
How much do China's official economic statistics exaggerate its GDP? "Growth figures have always been political rather than economic in China ..."
I suspect not nearly enough State Department employees were fired: "State is a bloated, corpulent, insular, risk-averse, academically inbred, stifling, overly bureaucratic, back-stabbing, stodgy, mid-20th century institution that lost its mojo after the Cold War ended[.]"
I noted the assessment of the American strike on Iran that minimized the impact without dismissing it. Way outside my lane. But others say it's nonsense.
Russia is learning anti-drone tactics from the Ukrainians.
Seeking updated combined arms solutions to use and exploit tank capabilities.
Russia's Chechen troop contingent prefers to make Russians fight rather than fight in Ukraine. They and Dagestan civilians are resisting military service: "Russia needs more men, not another Caucasus rebellion. So far Russia is pushing its forceful efforts to get troops despite the rebellion threat." Interesting.
China is willing to arm Iran to be a source of oil a potential distraction for the West, but isn't willing to die for Iran. China sees them as vassals and vassals can make no demands on the master.
I don't know what to make of Japan's election results. But just as foreigners get nervous over American elections, I instinctively worry about change when the status quo seems to serve American interests well enough. But things will likely work out just fine. Or fine enough.
Going big in INDOPACOM: "According to the U.S. Pacific Air Forces, the Department-Level Exercise series involves about 400 aircraft and over 12,000 personnel across more than 50 locations spanning 3,000 miles."
It is sad and tragic that Israel accidentally hit the last Christian church in Gaza. Say, I wonder why that became the last church? And I wonder about the wider Islamic world, too. Will there be outrage at?
BOOM: "Bulgaria has initial clearance to buy a $620 million coastal protection system and related support from the U.S." Preparing for the Black Sea Turkey Shoot.
Neutral since after World War II, Austria will double its defense budget as it worries about Russia.
The U.S. will operate armed Reaper drones near China and North Korea. Yawn. Even the Houthi shoot them down. Still, a useful recon asset near China before a war starts.
11th Airborne Division troops took off from Alaska and dropped in Australia. Well, as long as the Marines crippled their forcible entry capabilities ... .
From B-17s to B-21s. Australia would like to buy some of the latter.
Hopefully soon enough to matter: "Eventually Putin will have to pay attention to the increasingly dire state of the Russian economy. The Russian people are becoming more outspoken about the economic sacrifices they have been forced to endure so the Ukraine War can continue."
Russia adapts to battlefield problems. In its own way.
Is Putin intimidating oligarchs to fund the invasion of Ukraine? Or provoking resistance?
One experiment for stopping Russian drones: "an FPV armed with four 12-bore shotgun barrels." The prophecy continues.
There must be consequences for actions seemingly going well beyond dirty tricks. Big if true, as the expression goes. I long held the collusion accusations were BS and didn't make sense. I won't assume the allegations of wrongdoing are as damning as they appear.
Iraq was apparently key in getting the Kurdish PKK to disarm and end its fight against Turkey. Does this bode well for Iraqi resistance to Iranian influence? Possibly with Turkish help?
Turkey designed a hypersonic missile that rivals Russia's Kinzhal. Faint praise, eh? I assume Ukraine gave Turkey access to wreckage of the missiles shot down in Ukraine.
France has an Indo-Pacific strategy. I'd rather they had an eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea strategy. Because their rationale boils down to being distinct from America. FFS.
Well: "The Department of Homeland Security was affected by a broad intrusion into "on-premises" versions of Microsoft SharePoint, according to multiple people familiar with the matter."
It could take 3-8 years to replace the 14% of the Army's THAAD stockpile used to defend Israel from Iran in the 12-Day War. I noted this problem generally in the month before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Overseas presence has not stopped: "Six Army units will deploy to Europe and the Middle East in the fall as part of regular unit rotations, the Army announced." They are two armored brigades, to combat aviation brigades, one artillery brigade, and one sustainment brigade.
It's safer to display them to remind themselves of being the Big Bad than keeping them too close to Ukraine to fight: "Russian warplanes conducted a flight off the coast of Alaska on July 22, prompting an intercept from U.S. Air Force fighters assigned to [NORAD.]"
HAL, unleash the fire support: "The Army is pushing industry to develop capabilities that support 'decision dominance' on the battlefield, utilizing artificial intelligence tools to better make sense of data." I suggest the capability be called Hybrid Army Leadership.
CCAR: "A slimmed-down, more nutrient-dense, individual field ration is now available for order for all troops." Army cargo pocket buttons rejoice.
Tapping the breaks on F-35 buys until upgrade issues resolved.
Oh no: "For weeks, fires and explosions have been reported almost daily in Iran. Officials are investigating what they think is a coordinated campaign." Anyway. Iran says the war isn't over, so ...
America to sell weapons to Ukraine, to "include $150 million for the supply, maintenance, repair and overhaul of U.S. armored vehicles, and $172 million for surface-to-air missile systems." I knew we'd find a way.
Remaining stationary too long is deadly for Ukraine's F-16s, too.
Sh*t got real: "Following the latest clashes in Syria, the Syrian regime has officially requested support from Turkey."
Protesters in Ukraine are worried anti-corruption legislation is really about supporting Zelensky. Ironically a couple EU Commission allies express worries, too. I don't know about the narrow issue. But it indicates that the war isn't the only concern now. Still, no idea how many Ukrainians oppose this.
The UN holds on to aid as false accusations of starvation in Gaza flow. Never forget that Gazans are human shields to attack Israel for more than Hamas. Tip to Instapundit.
Or ... and I'm spitballing here ... the UN could ef itself. Tip to Instapundit.
As a history and political science major who worked in the political/legislative world, Fascism Panic offends me: "Those celebrities and academics fleeing Trump’s ‘far right’ US betray a total ignorance of history." Historians hyping a fascism threat should be embarrassed. Via Instapundit.
Tehran may not be livable without water. Perhaps investing in nuclear weapons instead of desalinization--or even towing an iceberg to Iran's coast--would have been a better idea the last few decades.
Cause, meet effect: "Russia accused German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Thursday of pursuing a path of 'militarisation' and said this was a cause for concern." I don't want to hear another damn word about Putin's chess-playing brilliance.
Thailand is an ally of America. Cambodia is cozy with China: "On Thursday, simmering tensions between Thailand and Cambodia exploded into a deadly battle at the border."
Sustaining America willingness to supply weapons to Ukraine by having Europeans buy them is vital. And it helps the West and America in the long run.
I will say that Ukraine's corruption-related moves do worry me. But I won't jump to harsh conclusions, as the Russians are eager to do.
A Russian soldier now a POW: "Our commanders saw us as expendable. They didn’t care whether or not we survived." That attitude is only significant if it is widespread in Russian ground forces.
For the first time, China and Vietnam will hold a joint army exercise. To be fair, China has a land border with Vietnam. But there are learning opportunities that keep America out of the firing line.
Iran appears to have fabricated a confrontation with the Navy--that Iran naturally won.
Basically an Army microwave shotgun to knock down drone swarms.
Further assessments of the status of Iran's nuclear weapons program indicates severe damage taking years to restore. Tip to Instapundit.
Mullahs can still slaughter Iranians: "The June Israeli airstrikes [and] American B2 bomber strikes that destroyed their nuclear weapons program, have left Iranian weapons manufacturing devastated. The Iranian economy has, over the last thirteen years, seen a GDP decline of nearly 50 percent."
Having the best Air Force in the world doesn't mean the air space over the Army is protected from aerial attack: "The US Army is planning to add up to four new Patriot battalions, with one of them assigned to support the Guam unit in the Western Pacific."
Power mad: "With its latest budget, the EU Commission shows off its creeping super-state agenda. If this budget is passed, only a full-fledged tax system remains to complete the project." The project is to strip away the prefix of their proto-imperial EU state. The EU must die. Don't say we weren't warned.
Sectarian strife is "jeopardizing" forging a new national identity? Really? You give the "tame" jihadi rulers that much credit? I think destroying minorities is the national Sunni Islamist identity.
Hamas could end the war at any time by surrendering: "Hamas has been interfering with Israeli and foreign efforts to bring food to the starving Gazans." Will hungry Gazans kill Hamas? Foreign supporters of Hamas find Gazan hunger a useful club to hit Israel.
Russian troops in Ukraine can't be suppressed: "This visibility for what Russian soldiers face in Ukraine will, more than anything else, force the Russian government to consider ending its war effort." Or maybe the cogs will remember they are people.
You can never check out of Hotel CCP. How Western countries--including America--let this continue is beyond me.
Is civil war coming to the West? Maybe in Europe. Natives might resist Islamic invaders who refuse to assimilate. The question is whether governments that brought in the invaders will side with the invaders or natives. In America? No. I remember the 1970s here. We have a social media civil war. Yawn.
What is France's major malfunction? "A French leader is appeasing fascists again. This time it’s Emmanuel Macron and the beneficiary of his pusillanimity is Hamas." Hamas finally gets its reward for killing, raping, and capturing Jews; and using Palestinians as human shields. Yet burning cars won't stop.
So how bad will the Thailand-Cambodia clashes get?
Commies are for crushing--not rescuing: "In a complete rebuke of Biden-era appeasement, President Trump slammed the brakes on America’s thaw with Cuba, signing a presidential memorandum to isolate the island’s communist regime once again." What about Venezuela?
To be fair, Britain isn't sure it can control the North Sea and Channel: "Britain is about to withdraw its last frigate from the Middle East, leaving the region without a major Royal Navy warship for the first time in 45 years and possibly since the mid-19th century."
China bizarrely claims to be a "near-Arctic" state that requires their voice in the region: "A China-flagged research vessel was detected Friday off the coast of Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard said."
Ukrainian drones ruined Russia's Navy Day fleet parade in St. Petersburg.
Brits to Yanks: "We don't need a written Constitution like you chaps." Wait. What? Tip to Instapundit.
Bizarrely, the sainted international community is too busy trying to save the murdering bastards of Hamas to spare much attention to the death and suffering in Sudan.
