Navy Matters Blog nailed it. Why cluster munitions for Ukraine? Because we've run out of other ammo...

Thanks to Cogitans Iuvenis for the link!

Navy Matters: “We’ve Run Out Of Ammunition” https://t.co/1c0CBnbTp8

— Solomon (@SnafuBlogspot) July 9, 2023

Greatness isn't defined many times by coming up with some bolt out of the dark. Greatness comes from being observant and picking up on what later becomes obvious to all.

Navy Matters Blog is great and you should follow the dude!

The issue?

Everyone is wondering why we're giving them cluster munitions.  I missed it but to my credit I have been harping on the fact that we've been putting our own security at risk with our lavish supplying of Ukraine.

The "why" is because we've run out of other munitions to send them.

Its scrapping the bottom of the barrel and we found this nugget but everything else is has run out.

Like NMB said.  We are no longer the arsenal of democracy.  Why?  Because of policies picked up by the Pentagon years ago.  You remember that MBA thinking that they could do just in time logistics.  That stockpiles of ammo wasn't business effective because you had to pay for storage.  That business turned military mindset that years after Rumsfeld has left the stage (and the planet...he's dead but he's still fucking the US...another Bush hire failure for SecDef).

This is another example of arrogance leading to our inevitable downfall.  We seriously need a back to basics movement. 

The entrenched liberal cabal is still pushing its memes...

 

This you? https://t.co/jLC4hgeHRJ pic.twitter.com/7P17FWP6Hy

— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) July 9, 2023

The audacity of this woman. Somehow, someway she became a talking head on MSNBC. She pushed the Russia gate hoax. She pushed the idea that the laptop was Russia disinformation. NOW SHE HAS THE UNMITIGATED GALL to be publishing a book on disinformation? AMAZING! There is only one unifying policy/concept in Washington. Arrogance! Unfortunately its extends to all branches of the govt. Arrogance will be considered one of the underlying reasons for the fall of the West, not just the US or EU but the WEST!

Something is going horribly wrong at 11th Airborne via Reddit.

 I don't know if this is legit or not but I follow the Army and Marine Corps Reddit just cause so many Soldiers and Marines post on there.  Hopefully the Officer class will stay the fuck away.  This ain't for them.  Anyway I ran across this cry for help this morning and something is terribly wrong at 11th Airborne.  So bad that this Soldier is gonna post an anonymous  note to the fucking Commanding General to get aid.

via Reddit

Morale in the toilet and I need helpful ideas.

We are on 6 day work weeks, soldiers on gate guard are getting fucked out of the full time of block leave, we just had a soldier commit suicide two weeks ago, a soldier killed their wife after she reached out to the chain of command for help to escape the abuse, next month is team / squad / platoon / company FTX’s back to back and E3B participation is mandatory. I have soldiers who are going to roll right out of E3B train up / testing / proctoring later this month and into gate guard.

We had NO safety stand downs for the suicide or the murder, my soldiers are hanging on by a thread. I’m witnessing platoon sergeants just barely making it through a day, PL’s are in full blown “objective: survive” mode, my 1SGT recently assumed his position and is just trying to make sure we, his subordinates, live to see another sunrise. My CO is just flying by the seat of his pants it seems trying to make it out of life alive.

I need some genuine help here gang.

Taking any and all recommendations. Local IG has proven time and time again to be utterly useless. I’m a team leader and I just try to get my guys to come over once a week for a BBQ and lawn games like cornhole or whatever for some decompression but that can only do so much. I’m on my way out with a med board and I just want to make sure my soldiers don’t make a drastic decision that they can’t take back. And all of the above issues have happened in less than 30 days and prior issues not even listed beyond that.

I’ll order just a water, I haven’t slept much and need to stay hydrated.

Edit: I also forgot to mention we have been on QRF for the last year.

Edit 2: after some urging I have tweeted anonymously for help to General Eifler. Here’s hoping we can get some kind of help up here. The soldiers are just beat down.

Australian redback dining on a common/eastern brown snake. Second most venomous land snake in world. via Reddit

I can deal with "rise of the machines". You hit me with human sized insects and then things get loopy. Think Aliens but worse.

Chinese People's Armed Police Drone Operator is damn good...that's the ONE thing Force Design got right...

Okay, I can see a refined form of this sort of FPV drone as useful even for modern military forces in some environments (like urban).

A short range, man in the loop drone with a small munition can be useful against opposition established in cover.

(Note, this is PAP, not PLA) pic.twitter.com/RvP07UnN8x

— Rick Joe (@RickJoe_PLA) July 9, 2023

Maybe I'm missing it but the only people I see demonstrating this type of drone skills are the Australians with their drone school. Force Design got it mostly wrong but this is the one area they got right but aren't pushing it hard enough. Definitely need to push drone flying skills. Probably need an MOS for it. Oh and its got to be something that a grunt gets to specialize in.

Late Open Comment Post. 8 July 23

Ukrainian President Zelensky arrived in Lviv together with the Azov commanders released today.

Zelensky and Azov commanders in Lviv. pic.twitter.com/Y5fcROaY7y

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 8, 2023

Turkey released these guys and Russia is saying that they were to remain in Turkey till the end of hostilities. I wonder if this will cause them to lose a bit of credibility when it comes to help brokering peace talks?

Indian scientist (worked on Brahmos) ensnared in a Pakistani Intel Agency honey trap...

#BreakingNews

A senior #Indian AF officer named Nikhil Shende found HONEY TRAPPED by #Pakistani intelligence. Shende, currently stationed in Bangalore, is undergoing interrogation.
Previously on March 15th, PRADEEP KURULKER, a senior DRDO Director had been arrested in Pune. pic.twitter.com/gx9Bg2uFbB

— Conflict Watch PSF (@AmRaadPSF) May 16, 2023

Arrested DRDO Scientist Called #Pakistani Spy 'Babe', Revealed Missile Secrets To 'Zara Dasgupta'.
To win over his girlfriend's trust, 59-year-old Kurulkar happily gave away whatever SENSITIVE INFORMATION she sought.

About the Agni-6 launcher, he told Zara, "The launcher... pic.twitter.com/FOJNwh0XrL

— Conflict Watch PSF (@AmRaadPSF) July 8, 2023

The oldest vice is the easiest to exploit on weak men. The US has been and is looking to get even sloppier with its intel. Berger (thank god he's gone) even talked about more intel sharing. This will bite us hard. Luckily India was able to catch this clown but the damage has already been done. If the Chinese get the specs on the Brahmos (if they don't already have them) then the issues for our warships will double.

FNSS PARS Scout 8x8 Armored Vehicle

 

🔴🇹🇷FNSS PARS Scout 8x8 Armored Vehicle to be exhibited in IDEF'23

📎 @FNSS_Global pic.twitter.com/pQEhEbK04u

— Defence Turk English (@Defence_Turk_EN) July 8, 2023

If this is true then it confirms two things...1. the happy talk about micro advances are lies & 2. corruption is keeping munitions from reaching the Ukrainian front lines...

 

🚨No movement at Bakhmut confirmed:

“The truth is, we didn't expect such a strong reaction from the Russians. They are very well entrenched … Colonel Iandulski confirms that his men have not advanced by one meter since June and have not even received any new weapons” — Corriere pic.twitter.com/PgFL7FAtzO

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 8, 2023

If this is true then this should be mega disturbing to the readers of this blog.

1.  We are not being told the truth about how the war is actually going in Ukraine. I've known this for quite some time but there are "true believers" in happy talk over facts on this blog.

& 

2.  Despite massive aid, the weapons/munitions aren't reaching the frontline.

The second is more concerning than the first.  Where is all that gear going?  If they aren't getting it to the front then WTF!

We're already getting reports of weapons ending up in the hands of criminals, gangs and widespread reports of corruption, but this could pose a problem for decades after this thing is finally over.

We need firm accounting of where the aid is going.  Zelensky should make that a top priority instead of asking for more aid.  As things stand I have to wonder if some of the critics aren't right.

Are they pocketing it all and making the troops suffer for nothing?