Hong Kong govt claims extreme violence justifies mask ban...

Extreme violence justifies #HongKong mask ban https://t.co/YOMj4LYpK7 pic.twitter.com/TZ8I0dMaf5

— Global Times (@globaltimesnews) October 6, 2019

Wow.  I don't know for sure but I'm guessing by Hong Kong standards this is damn near unprecedented outside of war....meaning back to WWII.

I'm guessing but one thing is certain.  The Global Times is a propaganda arm of the Chinese govt.  They're getting their ducks in a row before they launch a crack down.  I'm surprised its taken this long but my assumption is that they're concerned about Western opinion...not public opinion but the opinion of corporations.

A Day in the Life of an Army Ranger

Chinese H-6N Long Range Anti-Ship Strike Aircraft

Thanks to Filippo for the pic!

Haven't talked about this but since Filippo posted the pic in open comments I decide to have a run at it.

Just look at that airplane.  Look at it's loadout.  This thing is aimed at one thing.  US Navy ships.

It kinda makes you realize what the new planning that the Marine Corps is involved in is all about.  Additionally I TOTALLY reject the idea of Anti-Access/Area Denial.  That was a sales gimmick.  The total purpose of that acronym was to sell the F-35 and the B-21.

We're already in the 1st and 2nd Island Chains.

We don't have to fight our way into those spheres...we have bases there.

What's being done in a subtle way.  In a way that makes it appear that we're on the offensive is this new concept that's being developed.  But make no mistake about it.

At its core its all about defense.

Think about the idea of Expeditionary Advance Base Operations.  Then consider what the Japanese Self Defense Forces are doing.  Mix in USMC forces and then expand that out into the greater Pacific.

I believe we have to turn our thinking on it's head.

We aren't having to fight our way into the 1st and 2nd Island Chain.  The Chinese are going to have to fight their way out!

Open Comment Post. 06 Oct 2019

I'm betting most people misidentify this airplane!

Iraq teeters on the edge of collapse...

via Middle East Eye.

As the death toll nears 100 people killed and with thousands injured in a week of intense demonstrations, the Iraqi government on Saturday announced the lifting of a curfew in Baghdad as calls came for it to resign.

In the worst violence seen since the declared defeat of the Islamic State group in March, security forces fired live ammunition into crowds of people protesting across Iraq against corruption, unemployment and a lack of services.

The top UN official in Iraq deplored five days of violence during protests that has killed nearly 100 across the country and wounded thousands. "Five days of reported deaths and injuries; this must stop," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the special representative of the UN secretary general in Iraq, said in a tweet on Saturday.

According to the Iraqi parliament's human rights commission, 99 people have been killed and nearly 4,000 wounded since protests against unemployment and living conditions erupted Tuesday in Baghdad before spreading to the south of the country.

Reuters reported police snipers shooting at protesters on Friday, escalating the death toll. Security sources have also accused gunmen of hiding among the demonstrators, while a number of police officers have been killed.

Demonstrations have taken place in numerous regions across the country in the past week, including Baghdad, Basra, Nasiriya and Mosul.

Concrete barriers have been erected in the capital Baghdad in areas where police clashed with protesters, a significant move in a period when many of the previous concrete barriers erected to prevent IS car bombings were being removed.

The Iraqi government has also imposed a blackout by blocking internet access across the country.

Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi was set to convene an emergency meeting on Saturday to discuss the protesters' demands.

Story here.

If this doesn't look like the Iraqi govt isn't teetering on the edge of collapse then I don't know what does.

The rioting is getting out of hand and even from this far away its obvious that "unseen hands" are at work in this mess.

One thing though.

If it was the Bush or Obama administration I'd bet we'd be seeing calls for US intervention.

Trump is an unusual guy.  His tweets irk.  His style annoys.  But he has held pat on involving the US in other people's fight.

That alone gets him applause.

If Bolton was still the NSA then I'd bet talk of intervention would be rolling all over the White House.  With him and most of the Neo-Cons out I don't think it's happening.

For better or worse (and I'm hoping I'm right) Iraq is on it's own.  Iraqis will determine it's fate.

And that's how it should be.

Hong Kong bans masks and the protesters go full throttle...

WATCH: Hong Kong rioters go on rampage after mask ban pic.twitter.com/0GImUY5KOt

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) October 6, 2019

Yep.

This.

Will.

End.

Well.

And I have some prime swamp land to sell at an affordable price just ready for development into the next six star resort area.

How is this lady still in office?  Seems like the first step toward solving this mess is for her to step down.  Since it hasn't been suggested/accepted/offered (to my knowledge) then she's obviously being set up as a scapegoat.

Sucks to be her.

UH-1Y Venom and AH-1Z Viper Conduct FARP...pics by Cpl. Claudia Nix

FARPs.  Have you noticed that the USMC is doing more of them?  Don't sleep on this development folks.  The Commandant himself has come out and talked about FARPs, Expeditionary Bases as being Service agnostic.  Doesn't matter who shows up.  US Army, US Air Force, of course the US Navy...and I'm assuming our allies.  Whoever shows up needing fuel, beans or bullets will get resupplied.

The interesting thing is that the Army still serves as the main "supplier" for the joint force with the Navy being a huge conduit for them.  I'm assuming that the USMC concept in development will mean that we're gonna be a "forward" hub in supply chain with our EABs serving as distant spokes in the wheel.

This is a bit interesting from my chair.  I guess we're going from robbing the Army to supply certain units. 

That alone will be a huge cultural change.

USMC Sappers lead the way...vid by Cpl. Elijah Abernathy

Italian Army Ariete MBTs, Dardo IFVs and Freccia IFVs in action at Qatar desert as a part of “NASR 2019” exercise

Italian Army Ariete MBTs, Dardo IFVs and Freccia IFVs in action at Qatar desert as a part of “NASR 2019” exercise pic.twitter.com/T7W33tHItK

— Abdulmoiz (@abdulmoiz1990) October 6, 2019

The Ariete MBT is definitely an "uncovered" tank in the West.  The basic design seems solid but I don't know if they've kept pace with updating it to current standards.

I wonder if the Italians should simply abandon the design and go with the M1A2-C (what is the new designation for the Army's latest upgrade) or the Leopard 2A7...hell even the French LeClerc.

Smaller, robotic Marine Corps....we're back to looking at the 150K end strength?

Not much commentary on this one.  Just a thought.  Hovering in the background for almost the last decade has been talk of the Marine Corps going to a 150K man force.

With the latest statements from the Commandant it seems like that ugly bird has reared its head again.

Additionally talk has been about highly dispersed forces that will be able to overwhelm a technologically capable Chinese force that is our PACING threat.  Not a threat that we seek to maintain supremacy over but to maintain pace with (hope I'm misreading the thinking there).

But 150K?

How do you justify any of the current procurement plans at that number?  Everything would essentially be up for a HUGE cut.

If they're thinking of sizing the Marine Corps at that number then we're looking at a much different Marine Corps.  A much smaller footprint.

Dare I say that at that size you could probably shutter San Diego Recruit Depot, Barstow Logistics Depot, probably a few other installations too.  And that's just in the US.

If we're going back afloat then we could probably change the way we're looking UDP to Okinawa and now Australia.

Of course the bigger bear in the room that Berger hasn't hit on is aviation.  Does he keep current numbers if the Marine Corps is changing this way?  Do we push forward with the F-35 numbers?  If we're reestablishing our teaming with the Navy then why not have Super Hornets wearing USMC decals?  How do you get the right number of CH-53Ks?

How do you get the right number if you're talking more drones?

This stuff will get interesting.

Ya know what the most irritating thing is?  We've been on a certain trajectory with our thinking for at least a decade with this new Aviation Centric Marine Corps.  Now even that plan appears to be being modified to take into account unmanned aircraft.

Interesting doesn't describe it.  But one small afterthought.  What if the end strength is actually lower than 150K?  Could they be looking at perhaps 120K? Could we see a Corps where all of the "heavy" stuff is located in the reserves with a true active duty strength composed of two divisions...the 1st and 2nd with the 3rd being the reserves and our "desert storm" element?  Just mudballing but I've heard of stranger stuff being batted around.

VDV's 56th Independent Air Assault Brigade conducted an airborne operation and a water crossing at the Kamyshinsky Training Area

An airborne battalion with a T-72B3 tank company and a 2S9 Nona battery from the VDV's 56th Independent Air Assault Brigade conducted an airborne operation and a water crossing at the Kamyshinsky Training Area to seize an enemy airfield.https://t.co/3VY6m06rMm pic.twitter.com/GidWDbTpWP

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) October 4, 2019

I say again fam...follow Rob Lee.  I have yet to see a better source on the Russian military (outside of my guys here on the blog) than this bubba.

You heard it here first.

You been following Iraq? Protests, bombings and now masked men have taken over media stations...

Gunmen on 3 armed cars attacked the office of the @AlHadath in Baghdad and assaulted journalists https://t.co/PJ3kuK9H97 via @AlHadath #Iraq pic.twitter.com/rqO6WU9AlA

— Liveuamap MiddleEast (@lummideast) October 5, 2019

Another country, another set of protests that are spiraling out of control.  This started off simple enough but as usual its gone from bad to worse.

From what I understand the Iraqi Police started shooting a few demonstrators and then its been downhill from there.

What were they protesting?  Don't know.  What's going on now?  A simple Google search will show that this thing is heading south and probably will end in some type of general uprising that will lead to the obvious end state of this country.

It'll be balkanized.  Oh and I'd bet body parts that Iran has a part in all this drama.

More to come I'm sure.