N. Korea is taking things seriously. Warns of massive nuclear retaliation if Kim is targeted for decapitation...

via UPI

 North Korea threatened Tuesday that it would "strike a merciless blow" at the heart of the United States with a "nuclear hammer" -- if the U.S. government ever attempted to remove Kim Jong Un from power in Pyongyang.

A North Korean foreign ministry spokesman made the statement though the state-owned Korean Central News Agency.

"Should the U.S. dare to show even the slightest sign of attempt to remove our supreme leadership, we will strike a merciless blow at the heart of the U.S. with our powerful nuclear hammer, honed and hardened over time," the foreign ministry said. "The likes of [CIA Director Mike] Pompeo will bitterly experience the catastrophic and miserable consequences caused by having dared to shake their little fists at the supreme leadership."

The threat follows remarks from Pompeo last week, in which he said "it would be a great thing to denuclearize the peninsula." He noted that the "most dangerous" variable is "the character who holds the control over them today" -- a reference to Kim.

Story here. 

Didn't even register Pompeo speaking on this issue.  That just adds sauce to the thinking that a decapitation strike is being considered as a viable option.

The idea that they can strike at the heart of the US is just saber rattling but they could seriously mess up S. Korea and Japan.

Yep.  Whether you like it or not, the Middle East is quickly sliding to the backburner.  N. Korea and the threat of war in the Pacific is now the new "hotness".

What the fuck McGregor!

We rocking with Floyd bro not you... take that off bruh @thenotoriousmma

A post shared by Draymond Green (@money23green) on Jul 23, 2017 at 1:22am PDT

via Sun.UK. Com

Green posted the snap of McGregor in the jersey on Instagram with the caption: “We rocking with Floyd bro not you… take that off bruh @thenotoriousmma”

Not one to be spoken to like that, McGregor hit back by replying: “That’s CJ Watson mate.

“I don’t know who the f*** you are. No disrespect tho kid, keep hustling and stay in school.

"Now ask yourself why I'm rocking CJ when I don't know or give a f*** about basketball.

"I dribble heads off the floor. Not a ball. This is no game here kid."

Not content with the subtle use of wearing the jersey, McGregor even clearly points it out to Green, just to make sure he gets under Mayweather's skin.

The American boxer is yet to respond to the attempt to rattle him.

Story here. 

I haven't talked about the fight because I thought I was seeing bizarro world playing out in front of me.

Connor was always the pro, composed unless pushed and then he was ready to scrap.

But this time?

Mayweather is acting like the calm professional and Connor is acting like the madman.

I was gonna cheer for Connor but not now.  Dude has lost it.  You guys won't like it but Mayweather for the easy win and 3rd round knockout.

Some people are gonna lose mad money but the writing is on the wall.  For the first time since Diaz I really think Connor is scared.

Open Comment Post. July 25, 2017

Paratroopers jump into Talisman Saber 2017...vid by Sgt. Jorge Higuera

Per the earlier blog post.  Yeah it was windy!  Oh and the fucker can lead the way!  He's got his tower of power almost full...

So this is the "unknown" Airborne Brigade the US Army has covering the Pacific.  Why in God's name aren't they participating in almost EVERY exercise the Marine Corps does in the region and on the West coast in the US is beyond me but it makes MUCH MORE SENSE to develop a "partnership" between Army Airborne and USMC MEU's than it does to work with some of our less than reliable allies.

Talisman Sabre 2017 and what we didn't cover...4/25 Airborne op...pics by 1st Lt. Allison Egan

This is a Canadian bubba.  Haven't seen anything on their social media...I'll take another look around the web....

Hmm...fucking Colonel out the door first?  Plus he doesn't have that deer in the headlights look so either he's done this before or he's snorting diazepam with his morning coffee?  Good stuff! Lead the way Mother Fucker!...wait...don't see a Ranger Tab...

Ok...this is more of what I expected.  Jump Master is cool as the other side of the pillow but you can start to see the heart levels rise...it's to be expected, ya can't keep the chill pill look when you can see the sky....

Tucked, good and tight, gear ain't flopping...looks like a good exit...I wonder what the landing will be like...gets windy in Australia, especially in the Northern Territory....hope God's with him....

Your Tues "What If"...What if future air warfare is an electronic warfare playground where nothing works?

Thanks to Koh for the thought provoking idea!

Let's do a quick "What if".

Premise.

The US military has embarked on a plan to disperse it's units, and to provide mutual support thru "networked systems".  We see this on the land in the form of Company Landing Teams/Expeditionary Rifle Squads, to operations on the sea in the form of Independent Ship Ops, Disaggregated MEUs and even in command setups by forming MEB Hq as a permanent organization that will deploy to regions to command a wide array of forces.

The "What If".

What if we are headed toward a scenario in which we haven't operated since WW2 (at best...at least on land...maybe the air battles over Vietnam come close) in which the enemy is able to effectively jam our communications, monitoring systems and even break our encryption?

What would happen to that CLT that is more dependent on supporting fires if it can't call for fire once its found and fixed?  What happens to that single US Navy Frigate that is found, fixed and is on the receiving end of a salvo of anti-ship missiles fired by terrorists?  What happens to our aircraft when they have to close to within knife fight range and hook & jab in a telephone booth (if you're too young to know what a telephone booth is then look it up) because there's so much electronic interference that they're forced to rely on their eyeballs?

Conclusion.

I'll leave this one up to you.  Is this a possibility?  Is this a lesson that the rest of the world has learned from the Ukrainian civil war that we've ignored (I'll never forget reading about the Ukrainian Lt that had to escape/evade back to his lines after they had been overrun...I'll try and find it but even in it's "war college" form its chilling)? Are we arrogantly assuming that "it won't happen to us"?

Another indication war drums are beating in N. Korea. China ramps up its defenses along the border.

Thanks to PNWCommando for the link!

via CNBC.com

China has ramped up its defenses along its border with North Korea to ready itself for a potential crisis on the peninsula, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The newspaper reported Beijing has increased surveillance of the border region as well as a "combat readiness-level big data disaster recovery center." The military has also conducted drills and transferred units from other regions, the Journal reported.

The Journal said that these measures parallel President Donald Trump's comments that he is considering military action to curb Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and that Beijing should do more to handle the matter

Story here. 

Consider this another piece of information when you think about whether or not war is being planned for N. Korea.

So let's get this straight.

First the president of the United States comes out and says that military options are on the table...he expresses regret that the Chinese weren't able to solve it...and he holds sidebar meetings with the Japanese prime minister almost constantly but those meetings are overshadowed by the Russia mania.

Second, we have Hawaii throwing a shit fit talking about how they need additional civil defense funding...the Japanese running drills to evacuate their towns and them telling their civilians that in case of a ballistic missile attack they might have minutes to react.

Last, we have the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs pushing back against those that say there can be no war in N. Korea because the casualties would be so horrific.

Step out of your normalcy bias!  War drums are beating in N. Korea and everyone seems to be ramping up.  The S. Koreans will be the last to act because it will affect their society the most.  They're probably taking steps in the military realm but if it became public then you would have panic, Seoul would damn near shutdown and business in the country would grind to a halt.

Take S. Korea out of your indicators.  Look at the other players...the US, China and Japan (Russia is probably laughing their asses off....the Neo-Cons are about to get us into another shit fest....that area is sparsely populated and they can always fly in paratroopers or Marines before it kicks off to control illegal immigration).

This thing might not happen but understand this.  We aren't living in ordinary times.  A war IS possible and we're seeing baby steps toward that nightmare scenario.

MiG-35 can beat USA’s F-35, says Russia

via Financial Express (India)

MiG-35's new version is said to be Russia's most advanced and lethal 4++ generation fighter jet - and India it seems has expressed interest in it. MiG Aircraft Corporation's chief executive Ilya Tarasenko has reportedly said that the company is promoting the aircraft in India and that that latter has expressed interest in it. The new warplane is an upgraded version of the MiG-29 and has been in the works for several years now. The manufacturer claims that the Mig-35 can beat US's latest and most expensive fighter jet, the F-35! 

Slide show here. 

Sorry for the beating on the drum about the F-35 but everything about the plane, the program and even public announcements (not to mention reaction from foreign powers) is screaming that its just not what it's said to be.

Consider the fact that old metrics have been thrown out the window when it's talked about!  When the F-22 was introduced it was compared to the F-15 in all regards.  With the F-35 its "well we're gonna have to use it in a different way".  That's code for the plane isn't meeting performance requirements (dreams?) and they're gonna have to devise new methods of employment to keep it even reasonably competitive.

Even more stunning is the reaction from potential foes and even allies.  Some that are part of the program are taking a wait and see attitude with regard to purchases.  Others are developing new aircraft but they're partial stealth and they're much higher performance airplanes.  My point is this.  No one except the Japanese are following the US lead by trying for an all stealth force.  Most notably the Russians and Chinese are dramatically improving their 4th gen fighters, something we could have done except for leadership's fixation on the F-35.

Let me hit you with a what if.

What if they're right and the code is cracked on the F-35 due to cyber espionage and hacking?  What if they can beat the F-35 with legacy fighters simply because new AESA arrays can detect the plane and future enemy fighters can fly faster, farther and higher?

What happens when the F-35's we have are faced with not only J-20's and PAK-FA's that can kill it but swarms of J-10's, J-11's, SU-30's and MIG-35's?

What do you do then Combatant Commander?

Another subtle hint of war with N. Korea. THAAD missile test in Alaska

via UPI

The U.S. military intends to conduct another missile defense test from Kodiak Island as soon as this weekend, according to an advisory from the U.S. Coast Guard.

The test will be conducted from the Pacific Spaceport Complex -Alaska. The Coast Guard recommended that vessels should avoid areas of oceans between Kodiak Island and Hawaii.

The U.S. Army has soldiers stationed at the launch complex as part of the Missile Defense Agency's testing of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense ballistic missile defense system. A successful flight test for targeting intermediate range ballistic missiles was conducted earlier this month.

The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system is designed to intercept incoming enemy ballistic missiles as they begin their terminal descent phase inside and just outside of the atmosphere.

Story here. 

I could EASILY be wrong but this fits with the slow walk toward some type of military action in N. Korea.

The US Navy's “Next Generation Air Dominance” will emphasize speed and range...

via Defense News.

The Navy is knee deep in an analysis on how best to replace its Super Hornet and Growler aircraft. Though much work is still left to be done, the resulting platform could look a lot different than both those jets, with a much higher priority on range and speed.

The service kicked off its “Next Generation Air Dominance” analysis of alternatives in January 2016 to study potential replacements for the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and E/A-18G Growler. (Confusingly, the Air Force has used the NGAD term to describe its own analysis of alternatives for an F-22 follow-on aircraft, but the services’ efforts are not connected and there are no plans to pursue a joint fighter).

Now, after about a year and a half, the Navy team feels they have a complete understanding of what capabilities the future carrier strike group needs to have and, importantly, what threats it will face, Capt. Richard Brophy, who is working the AoA effort as part of the service’s air warfare division, said during a panel at the Office of Naval Research’s science and technology expo.

Story here. 

This is damning.

We know that the F-35 doesn't meet the requirements for the next gen fighter so it's not only marginalized now but will continue to be into the future.

Speed and range are high priorities?

The F-35 has neither so its obvious that it won't be modified to get there.

Leadership won't admit it but everywhere we look we see backup plans being put in place to get us out of the F-35 as soon as possible.

Russia MiG-35D Multi-Role Fighter Simulation

Hate them if you must but the Russians are building a nice hi-lo mix by upgrading their "legacy" fighters with the latest tech.

The Mig-35D is a great example.  As usual the secret sauce is a basic platform that is inherently high performance, add an AESA array, upgrade the defense suite and there you have it.  A potential F-35 killer!

What the fanboys don't state is that the F-35 is optimized to fly at 25K feet. It's optimized for high subsonic speed. It's a bomb truck not a swing fighter! How do we know?  Because every successful multi-role fighter has as its base being an air superiority platform.  We KNOW without a doubt that the F-35 is NOT optimized toward the air superiority mission!

Every enemy fighter it could face in the future is optimized to fly high, and look down.  The closest analogy for ground guys is having to assault uphill against a dug in enemy, backed by machine guns that have ever possible line of approach covered and crack mortar crews that have the enter area indexed.

UNITAS LVIII (USS Somerset well deck ops)...pics by Petty Officer 2nd Class Jacob Allison