Russia might be about to invade Europe? Russia hysteria is at max level!

Note!  Read the entire article.  The buildup and rationale for the action below is "interesting".  I highlighted this portion to show how the hysteria is reaching max level.


via Washington Examiner.

Another complication is that NATO's force disposition against a Russian surprise attack remains weak. While NATO would intercept Russian communications in the immediate buildup to an attack, if those orders were sent from Moscow on short notice, there wouldn't be much NATO could do. In addition, as I've explained, NATO's rapid reaction forces in Europe are patently incapable of defeating a Russian invasion. This is a symptom of Europe's pathetic defense investment, and its consequences in rendering that continent one of largely impotent militaries. Putin also loves the fact that many EU populations oppose their government's support for NATO article 5 treaty obligations. Remember, where Germany leads, other NATO states like Italy and Spain might follow.

All of this demands decisive U.S. leadership.

First, the U.S. must lead reliable NATO allies into defensive action. Britain and France should deploy their respective rapid response forces, 16 Air Assault Brigade and 11th Parachute Brigade, into Poland. Simultaneously, Germany and the Netherlands should put their Airborne rapid forces division on short notice standby. The U.S. should deploy the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment's ready reaction battalion to join the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy. These units are orientated to disrupt enemy advances and defend critical targets. The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), now at sea, should also be sent to the Mediterranean. Finally, each capable NATO state should send one fighter or bomber wing to the Baltics or Poland.

Alongside these deployments — which should be made public — Trump should again demand that NATO members speed up their plans to spend 2 percent of Gross Domestic Product on defense. He should state that if they do not, the U.S. will have to relocate major military formations in Europe out of states like Germany and Italy and into 2 percent states like Poland and Britain.

Story here. 

Just plain wow.

This is how wars start.  Question.  What if the Russians had responded in the way this author recommends during Sabre Strike 17, Sabre Guardian 17, Noble Partner 17 or BALTOPS 17?

Someone seriously needs to turn down the temperature on the madness.

Cop tells White Woman during DUI traffic stop "We only kill black people"...

via Heavy.com

Georgia police officer is under fire after dash-cam video surfaced where you can hear him tell a white woman that police officers “only kill black people.”

The Cobb County officer, Lt. Greg Abbott, was seen standing outside of the nervous woman’s vehicle after a DUI traffic stop from July 2016.

Abbott can be heard telling the woman “use your phone, it’s in your lap right there.” The woman replies “Ok, I just don’t want to put my hands down…I’m really sorry I just…I’ve just seen way too many videos of cops…”

“But you’re not black, remember we only shoot black people,” Abbott replied. “Yeah, we only kill black people, right? All the videos you’ve seen, have you seen black people
get killed? You have.”

Story here along with a video. 

The dept and the cops attorney is saying that this was only sarcasm and he was using it to de-escalate tensions.

I don't know.  It sounds light hearted, but evil intent can hide behind a smile and kind words.

I'll simply leave it for you to decide.

Was this an attempt on the President?

Thanks to Kinetics for the link!



Well that was weird.

A vehicle suddenly comes out the tree line?

Even better?  I see the Secret Service still guns up.  You could just make out the sweep and the grab for weapons much larger than just a pistol.  PDW's are still the rage for the USSS!

Note:  I don't know if this is real or not but I have heard that the President's convoy has several "decoys" attached.  What I mean is scuttlebutt says that they send an identical vehicle with similar LOOKING protection on different routes to confuse potential attackers.  Is that real?  Have no idea.  Scuttlebutt also says that to look for overhead air cover.  Guys in black to jump out of helicopters to spot the real convoy.  Just rumors from a lifetime ago.  Probably all full of shit.

We've seen tons of BlackHawks but where are the UH-72 Lakota

Remember when the Army National Guard out of the blue made a demand that they needed a lightweight helicopter to handle missions inside the continental United States?

Well I've been watching all kinds of helicopters making rescues today but no Lakotas?

Why?

This should be the time that they shine and prove their worth.

So I ask again.

Where are the UH-72's?

26th MEU stands by to support hurricane relief efforts (with a small rant from SNAFU!)

via Press Release.

 Approximately 690 Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, embarked aboard USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) as part of prudent preparatory measures in anticipation of future tasking to support relief efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Aug. 30, 2017.

If requested, the MEU’s aviation and lift capabilities will include (8) MV-22B Ospreys, (3) CH- 53E Super Stallions and (3) UH-1Y Hueys. Additional capabilities include water purification and storage, engineering, aerial reconnaissance and aid distribution.

In anticipation of future tasking, II MEF also alerted the Camp Allen Logistics Command team, which bolsters the II MEF logistics capability, and deployed a liaison/ planning team to Expeditionary Strike Group-2.

The Marine Corps can rapidly respond with air, ground and logistics assets when requested for Defense Support of Civil Authorities. The 26th MEU stands ready and capable to provide assistance, in support to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Northern Command, and state and local response efforts. If tasked with DSCA, the MEU’s efforts will be in support of the lead federal agency and coordinated closely with state and local officials.

OK.  First the good.

Glad to see that they're up and moving.

Now the bad.

The Marine Corps has become so aviation centric that they can't see the forest for the trees!  More aircraft is gonna be welcomed.  Is this the right mix of aircraft has to be called into question.  The rotor wash from the MV-22 is gonna be tough on civilians not experienced with rotor winged aviation much less the blast from the MV-22.

Next you have to question what these people are thinking.  Many of the people affected are in rural areas (at least those in Galveston).  Batteries will be running low and cellphone service spotty.  They're gonna need vehicles that can swim to houses in the boonies to check on people and deliver supplies.

Before they've even hit ground this "new" Marine Corps is less effective than the old.

This is good but disappointing.  I expected better.  Instead they're still pushing the aviation centric Marine Corps while people are in need.  This is not the time to try and prove the hot new thing.

Pic of the day. 173rd Airborne Brigade Elevator Ride.

Paranoia expands with regard to Zapad 17...via Reuters.

via Reuters.

A total of around 12,700 servicemen will take part in the war games, code named Zapad 2017, which will be held on Sept. 14-20 in western Russia, Belarus and Russia’s exclave of Kaliningrad. These will include around 5,500 Russian troops.

Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the U.S. Army’s top general in Europe, told Reuters last month that U.S. allies in eastern Europe and Ukraine were worried the exercises could be a “Trojan horse” aimed at leaving behind military equipment brought into Belarus.

This week Russia’s Defence Ministry rejected what it said were false allegations it might use the drills as a springboard to launch invasions of Poland, Lithuania or Ukraine.

Story here. 

I really and truly don't understand the stance being taken with regard to these exercises.  This is milk toast at best and HARDLY represents any kind of threat.

If you want to understand the silliness of the stance being taken by General Hodges then check out the pic below (taken from the SHAPE website).  That's the number of exercises LEFT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE YEAR!  It doesn't show the exercises that have ALREADY OCCURRED!

These complaints are bullshit on a stick.  Click on pic to enlarge.

Now do you get the force of connection.  We're wearing out the force because a Combatant Commander wants to be seen as doing something and MAYBE big Army has found a theater where it can claim it's viability even though no one is questioning it.

"God save us from stupid politicians and glory seeking generals!"

Houston flooding. Addicks reservoir release to continue till the middle of Sept.

Wow.

The hits just keep coming for Houston.  Watching the morning news and they're saying that the Addicks reservoir will continue to release water till the middle of Sept.

Can you say downtown Houston flooded?  Can you say Buffalo bayou trashed beyond recognition?

I said that this could be a hit to the economy and I had some fruit loop call me crazy.

Well heads up sport fans.

How do you deal with serious incidents?

You start with worse case scenario planning and work backwards.  If you plan for the worst, or at least expect the worse then you won't be caught off guard.

THAT'S WHAT I DO ON THIS BLOG!

Whether its military concepts, actual warfare, economic circumstances, crime, and even natural disasters, I start at the worst possibility and work backwards.  Worst case scenario planning folks!  No normalcy bias here.

Bad shit happens everyday and you better get your mind ready to meet that challenge.

Public service rant over.

Remember the US Special Ops raid where 3 children were killed? It's causing major friction in Somalia...

via Reuters.

A raid involving U.S. troops in Somalia has caused a rift between the precarious U.S.-backed government and a powerful clan that says innocent farmers were massacred, months after President Donald Trump approved stepped-up operations there.

The U.S. Africa command, Africom, has acknowledged that U.S. forces participated in a ground operation in support of Somali troops in the village of Bariire last week, and says it is investigating reports of civilian deaths.

It did not reply to further questions from Reuters about the incident, the second mission in Somalia this year in which it has acknowledged the participation of U.S. ground troops. A Navy Seal was killed in a raid in May.

Last week’s raid took place in an area that had been occupied by al Shabaab Islamist militants but was recaptured by government forces earlier in August.

Residents from the Habar Gidir clan, a powerful group spread across southcentral Somalia, said some villagers had weapons, but only to protect themselves from a rival clan. They said the villagers had nothing to do with militants, who had been driven away before the government forces and U.S. troops launched their raid on Friday.

Story here. 

I thought that the bubbas in SOCOM would understand the people in those far off lands that live under tribal rules.

I was wrong.

Making a guess here but I'm betting SOCOM got fooled.  They probably have a "partner" in the Somali Army that is a member of the rival clan who wanted to get a little blood lust satiated and weaken a competitor so he pushed for the raid.

SOCOM being raid happy bit like a shark on steroids and the rest is history.

We keep getting involved in what was once called civil wars, think that a little "civic action" (ie building roads, schools, hospitals etc..) will win hearts and minds and end up hip deep in quagmires.

Our strategy is wrong.

Open Comment Post. Aug 31, 2017

Chemical plants in Houston threaten explosions...could we face a Bopal India scenario?

via Fox News.

Officials in Harris County early Thursday reported two explosions and black smoke billowing from a flooded chemical plant about 25 miles northeast of Houston.

Fox 26 Houston reported that officials evacuated a 1.5-mile radius around the Arkema Inc. plant in Crosby. The plant lost power Sunday and its backup generators amid Harvey's days-long deluge, leaving it without refrigeration for chemicals that become volatile as the temperature rises.

One deputy was reportedly taken to hospital after inhaling fumes. Nine others drove themselves to hospital as precaution, the report said.

There was "no way to prevent" the explosion, CEO Rich Rowe said earlier Wednesday.

Story here. 

This is the current worry.

Houston is a pertro chemical powerhouse and they have tons of plants down there.  Now?  Harvey trashed the place, the power is out and cooling systems aren't working.

Like the CEO said.  There is no way to prevent an explosion and if the chemicals are toxic then we could be looking at a Bopal India scenario in the Southern United States.

So what's the butchers bill from this hurricane?

1.  The 4th largest city in the US under water.

2.  Hundreds of thousands cars destroyed beyond repair.

3.  Thousands of houses essentially destroyed.  Repairing them after the flood will take months.

4.  The economic engine for that region has been silenced and its citizens displaced.

Yeah.

This thing is gonna be a sucker punch to the US economy.

Charlie Co. 4th AABn doing GREAT work in Houston and Beaumont!

Thanks to Costas TT for the link!

You want an old skool Marine Corps recruiting ad?  You show Marines in combat overseas and then these bubbas doing GREAT work in Houston and Beaumont.

You get someone with the right voice doing a narration a little like this...The United States Marine Corps, winning battles abroad and saving lives at home...do you have what it takes to become one of us?

That would sing and would tell the Marine Corps story in 30 seconds!