Sunday, October 06, 2019

Women's track and field as seen on Iranian television (sprinting)...



I hope this is just a gag tweet, cause if its real then their culture is totally foreign to the West.

Even worse?

I can understand why assimilation would be such a challenge for those raised under such standards.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not making a judgement call as to whether they're right or we're wrong or vice versa.  Just saying that a being from outer space would probably stand an equal chance at successfully melding into Western society.

Note.  Even my cleansing statement didn't help did it?  Oh well.  Deal with my assessment.
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How long have the Germans been prototyping 140mm cannons on the Leopard 2? Since the 1980's!

Hat tip to A_Emre_S @aemres78 Twitter Page...


140mm cannon work on Leopard 2 in the 80s.

 First Leopard 2 prototypes. 

Leopard 2AV prepared for US tests.

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I thought Brit Apaches had windshield wipers...

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



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.


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A Day in the Life of an Army Ranger

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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!
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Open Comment Post. 06 Oct 2019


I'm betting most people misidentify this airplane!
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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.
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Hong Kong bans masks and the protesters go full throttle...



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

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





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.
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