The UK has massive aspirations but little budget to back the plans. Now they want a Global Response Force...

A packed Commons chamber for @BWallaceMP statement on the Defence Command Paper

Announces multi-domain capable "Global Response Force" pic.twitter.com/07GU6ARVAV

— Navy Lookout (@NavyLookout) July 18, 2023

The UK has billion dollar dreams on a McDonald's budget.

I know they want to be a major player on the world stage but the reality is a bit simpler in my opinion.

If the UK would simply optimize its Army & Air Force to fighting in Europe and the Med, with its Navy & parts of the Air Force doing SOME worldwide ops then I think things would balance nicely.

Of course that means that only light forces would be available for out of area operations, meaning the task would fall to their Royal Marines & Paras along with their aircraft carriers/amphibious ships but it would make more sense while the heavier main force Army units covered Europe.

Choices have to be made.  The UK needs to make them.  Doing it all just ain't possible anymore.

XM1304 Infantry Carrier Vehicle, Double V Hull A1-30 Millimeter (ICVVA1-30MM)

XM1304 Infantry Carrier Vehicle, Double V Hull A1-30 Millimeter (ICVVA1-30MM), formerly known as the Medium Caliber Weapon System (MCWS), is the latest variant of the Stryker Family of Vehicles and features customized SAMSON PRO 30mm remote turret provided by Rafael and Oshkosh. pic.twitter.com/OnXC1Vc0s8

— Ronkainen (@ronkainen7k15) July 18, 2023

Is this part of dispersion? Individual vehicles operating on the battlefield?

#Russia’s National Guard obliterates Ukrainian #NATO-supplied Bradley

A kamikaze drone was used to take out an armored vehicle identified by the agency's special forces during an aerial reconnaissance operation pic.twitter.com/EmUKVSOEPp

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) July 18, 2023

I know individual warships are part of the dispersion concept. Disaggregate and reaggregate and all that jazz. But single vehicle operations? Is that part of that concept too? You have wide open plains with narrow tree lines with dirt roads dotting the landscape and someone thinks you can run an individual vehicle out there without it sticking out like a sore thumb? I don't get it and I wish SOMEONE would explain it to me. As things stand I see a bunch of guys throwing away their lives.

Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel gets 8 Hero Loitering Drones...

The USMC has added 8 Hero-120 loitering munitions to the Long-Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) built by Metal Shark. The LRUSV is intended to contribute to longrange precision fires (LRPF) & conduct recon for distributed maritime operations (DMO) 🇺🇸https://t.co/Fxs5QGcxPR

— Naval News (@navalnewscom) July 18, 2023

The Riverines should have adopted this mission. Bigger better budget, direct funding from the Navy and no interservice duplication. Sidenote on this story and not a slam. They showed this to some under sec in the defense dept awhile ago I believe.

Great vid on drone swarms from 6 YEARS ago!

 

#Navy #Drones A very interesting video about maritime drones. In light of recent events, I would have thought it was filmed the other day, but it was filmed 6(!) years ago!
Does this remind you of anything?🤔 pic.twitter.com/p198B57Kbm

— Capt(N) (@Capt_Navy) July 18, 2023

Our military and defense contractors innovate their asses off. Somewhere in the Pentagon all these great ideas get crushed. Then they're picked up by allies and enemies and our world is shook. We've got to do better!

SU-25 went down off the coast of a Russian beach and NO ONE HELPED!

 

Russian Telegram military sources are indignant that not a single Russian helped the military pilot who drowned after his Su-25 crashed into the sea yesterday in Krasnodar, Yeysk.

“He drowned alive for 8 minutes while the men were splashing & chicks were drinking cold beer” pic.twitter.com/VcGBmY54SF

— Clash Report (@clashreport) July 18, 2023

Jesus!

As jacked up as I think American society is, I can't imagine everyone and his mother trying to help a downed airman in the Gulf Of Mexico, off the Atlantic or even by the tree huggers off our West Coast.

This is crazy.  I can't wrap my head around some of this shit.

Damn.  Such a terrible way to die.  You know he was thinking, probably begging while fighting for his life that someone would help.

Total mind fuck.

NATO develops new defense plans, modernises forces and up number of high readiness troops to 300K.

 

#Highlights of the week:
3⃣ Approved at the #NATOSummit in Vilnius, NATO’s new defence plans will strengthen and modernise our force structure, providing up to 300,000 troops at high readiness.#WeAreNATO pic.twitter.com/RK8XCz5hC7

— NATO ACT (@NATO_ACT) July 16, 2023

I'll believe it when I see it.

It'll take years for NATO to even get its forces to maintenance levels much less modernise them.  Additionally while 300K might sound easy with 32 nations providing them you have to remember that equals about 10K each.  TWO BRIGADES worth of troops per nation?  I don't see that happening.

I mean think about it.

These are gonna be mostly mech troops so they won't be able to tap into their Airborne, Marine or Special Ops troops that are generally the highest readiness.  Even if they did it would be one deployment and then recovery time till they're ready to go.

The terrible thing about an alliance is that it removes the responsibility of individual defense.  

I see a bunch of nations running to mutual defense because they're not willing to invest in their own national defense.

500 J-20s by 2025?

 

The J-20 production rate !

I have to admit, although I've now accepted a much higher production rate of the J-20, this sounds almost too good to be true:😮"120 J-20 production per year. at least 500 j-20s by 2025"

Both Shilao and Ayi have claimed J-20 production was in 3 digit. pic.twitter.com/qgwoiyxUDe

— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) July 17, 2023

Note. This isn't a worldwide thing either. Its just in the 1st Island Chain.

War/Trade always returns to money. Apparently the Ukrainians don't like the overland routes for their goods...

The corruption of the grain deal explained:
- 🇺🇦 transferred 63,000,000t agricultural products to 🇪🇺
- 🇺🇦 received $26 billion from the 🇪🇺
- 🇪🇺 has sent 23,000,000t back to 🇺🇦 in solidarity
- 🇺🇦 has paid $48 billion to the 🇪🇺 for the solidarity
-> Ukraine has lost $22 billion! pic.twitter.com/NuTH3Nx549

— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) July 17, 2023

I could easily be wrong on how I'm reading this so let me put that up front.

A little background.

I wondered why the Ukrainians would attack the bridge in Crimea when this issue was looming over their heads.  On a personal note I've been hanging my hat on the fact that so many worldwide depend on Ukrainian/Russian grain/cooking oil that it would force the UN to step in (at the behest of China's pushing) to turn the war off.

Having said all that.  

This is just another widget into the insane decisions that are being made in Kyiv.

If you hate the overland route and the way that trade is going with the EU (that is a totally different set of issues...Ukrainian grain has tilted markets so badly that farmers in the EU are being hurt, they even had protests over this) then I ask again, why would you commit such a provocative act when you need Russians to sell your goods worldwide, not just in the EU?

This explains why Russia bolted on the deal. I think its pure retaliation for the strike on the bridge though.

⚡️Kremlin says Russia's military believes Ukraine used grain corridor for “military purposes” — Reuters

— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) July 18, 2023

Germany's Marder Mechanised Infantry Vehicle @ NATO eFP Battlegroup Lithuania

 

Germany´s mechanised infantry vehicle " MARDER" is a allrounder. Besides shooting SPIKE missiles, it also can operate with its powerful 20mm gun and carry up to six Infantry soldiers. #NATOstrong pic.twitter.com/gZcRzLnIiV

— NATO eFP Battle Group Lithuania (@efp_lithuania) July 18, 2023