Senate Intel Chiefs refute Trump's wiretap claim....My take. UPDATED!!!

By now you've heard that in a joint statement the Dem and Rep Senate Intel Chiefs refuted Trump's wiretap claim.

I call bullshit.

It's been 12 days since these allegations were first made.  If this was a simple matter of just saying no then it could have been done in a few days at most.  The FBI Director could have told the gang of 8 this from the start.  But what did we see yesterday?  The FBI Director gave a brief and the Senators walk out with grave looks on their faces.

I don't know what's going on but this isn't as cut and dry as the Trump haters would have us believe.

If you have an explanation for the bureaucratic delay in simply giving the American people a simple yes or no on this issue then I'm all ears.  But for now I'm convinced that there is MUCH more to this story than we're being told.

UPDATE!  I just read (and not listened) to the statement from the Senators.  The wording is that neither before or after the election there is no evidence that the Trump Tower was under surveillance.  NOTICE THEY DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE TRUMP CAMPAIGN!!!!  They have gotten on Trump for NOT using precise language and these critters were VERY precise in their verbiage!  They talked about Trump Tower but NOT THE CAMPAIGN!!!

via Bloomberg.

“Based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016," the panel’s chairman, Richard Burr of North Carolina, and vice chairman, Mark Warner of Virginia, said in a joint statement Thursday.

Tata Power SED - Futuristic Infantry Combat Vehicle Combat

Just a reminder. M1 Tank Test Bed!

Check the specs boys!  Nothing is new under the sun!  We had an Armata - like tank too, but never pulled the trigger!  Did you guys forget about the M1 Tank Test Bed????

Bonus Coverage!  Below is a pic of the Falcon turret mounted on a Challenger MBT chassis made and sold by KADBB!  Same concept but no one has bit on it yet!   On a personal note, long time followers of mine will note that this was a subject that Sean Meade over at Aviation Week let me publish on his site.  His encouragement helped me to start this blog.  I wonder how he's doing?

What is my point?  The concept that the Armata is following has been out there a while now.  The difference is that the Russians had the courage to see a concept and pull the trigger on it.  We have tons of "blasts from the past" that would serve us well today. We just haven't followed thru.

The Pentagon is planning for a mega city fight? They're out of their minds!

Thanks to Filippo for the link!

 An image of Deir ez-Zor's devastated city centre 

The above image is from Oryx Blog.  I don't know how Filippo found it but this is a must follow photo essay on hillbilly armor in the fight in Syria and a general overview of urban fighting.  Check it out here.

When I saw this pic the first thing I thought is what a meat grinder that is.  The next thought is that the Pentagon is crazy to be planning a fight in a mega city if a relatively small Middle East city looks like this!

I've flippantly said that you could send entire Divisions into mega cities and they'd become "lost".  Not lost as not having their bearings but lost as in not knowing what happened to them.

I can actually see a 15,000 man Army Light Infantry Division being gobbled up never to be heard from again.

The next thing that occurred to me is this.  How are you gonna fight armor in this can of environment?  You would wear out your combat engineers before you even went a mile into a mess like this!  How is your air support gonna provide fires in this mess?  I'm not even talking about massive skyscrapers that you would find in a major city!  Simply multi-story buildings would render them ineffective.  Same applies to artillery.  Maybe mortars could be of some help....but I have my doubts.

A mega city fight?  The Pentagon is on crack!

Side note:  We're working hard on counter UAV technology but I'm wondering if we're gonna see Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosive Devises showing up around the world on various battlefields and eventually on city streets in the west.  Below is a pick of an IFV converted to VBIED use and all I can think of is Oklahoma City or the truck attacks in France and Germany.  What if they had used big rigs to crash into the lower floors and set off their bombs?  When will some terrorist get the bright idea to use an armored car or fashion hillbilly armor onto a big rig and load it full of fertilizer bombs to take out a school or mall?  I don't have a very active imagination so if I can think of this trash then so can the bad guys.

Pic of the day. Armata MBT in the wild! Updated!

Thanks to s300v4 for the link!

The Armata MBT is a good looking vehicle but I really expected it to be lower profile.  That turret almost looks large enough to be manned.  I don't know if anyone has done a size comparison but it seems that by going with a big gun RWS and an armored capsule for the crew, the size of their vehicles have actually increased (we know that to be true from pics during the last May Day Parade).  Have the Russians added that much more armor to their new tank?

Note:  It just occurred to me.  Could this turret be optionally manned? From reading  the comments, it seems that the Russians would have to know the dangers of a blind and dumb crew if all the electronics were knocked out.  It would only make sense to have the option to man the turret if things went bad due to combat action or a simple malfunction.  Just a thought.

BAE Systems AMV35 creeping through scrub

Everyone talks about how big the Boxer is but the AMV ain't exactly small either!  Never realized how big it is.

Open Comment Post. March 16, 2017

A recap of election night USA...Thursday Funny (at least to me!)

You lived thru a significant moment in US history.  Dewey beats Truman pales in comparison!  Even better is the reaction from the news media.  A reader from Canada always asks who do I trust when it comes to news.  I always tell him no one.  That the Main Stream Media is biased.  Of course since he's liberal beyond description he scoffs at that notion.

The above video shows how wrong he is.  Take a few minutes to check it out and laugh at the idiocy, and marvel at the drama queens.

2nd Cavalry Regiment with UK Army's Mustang Squadron - Light Dragoons @ Troop Validation Exercise

This is for my British Army experts.  What role does the Jackal fill?  I thought it was only for long range patrol for Special Ops forces but even general purpose forces are using it?  Is the Fox Hound already being sidelined?  Is this the vehicle of the future for them?  Side note.  It's kinda big isn't it?

5th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (pics)

Latest US Army buzzword? Cross Domain Maneuver!

Everyone's all abuzz about General Perkins talking about an ally using a 3 million dollar Patriot Missile to shoot down a 200 dollar Radio Shack (are they still around) drone.

They're missing the real headline though.

Take the time to watch the video and you'll see the US Army's latest concept that they're rolling out.

Cross Domain Maneuver.

Funny isn't it.  A little joke about a missile and everyone misses the big news.  Typical.

US Marines are to report online posting that don't reflect on Marine values????

Check this out.  It's from a Pacific Marines Facebook Post....

Take a minute to check out the social media guidance -- ALMAR 008/17 -- released by U.S. Marine Corps and pass the word about appropriate online activity concerning Marine Corps-related topics. If you see something online that doesn’t jive with our core values, or that brings discredit upon our Corps, report it!

Wow.

Just plain wow.

One scandal that involves a handful of Marines is going to turn into a freaking witch hunt?  The Marine Corps has lost its way!  I am at a loss.  The 7th Fleet has officers that are going to the brig or plea dealing, Marines are hookin' and jabbin' in Syria, the Wing is in disarray, we have Marines about to head to Afghanistan to take over from the Army and this is the headline news?

Overreaction much?

I thought I had seen it all when the Commandant sat looking like a whipped little boy while a female Senator berated him but now this? Simply amazing.