Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Syria is forever a Russian client...



I get the idea behind the intervention in Syria.  Knock off Assad, install a friendly govt, Westernize them (although they were pretty darn secular and modern before the war) and then turn them into an ally of the US in particular and the West in general forever.

The opposite has occurred.

Even if Assad were killed tomorrow we would still see Syria in the clutch of Russia.

From my chair this has gone beyond the head of the Syrian govt and has spread to the people.

I just get the impression that this is now personal for them (and how could it not) and they're totally grateful to the Russians.

The question we should be asking is this.  We screwed up and pushed them toward Russia.  Is there anyway that we can mitigate the damage and PERHAPS get them to at least talk to us in the future?  Is there anyway we could POSSIBLY establish relations?

Anything less than a declaration of withdrawal (with the guarantee of safety for the Kurds to be provided by Russia and Syria...got to get another dig into Turkey) I think just won't work.

But does Trump have the courage? 

If he can somehow muster up the strength to get us out of the Middle East and Afghanistan and to limit our exposure in Africa I think it would help him politically.

Failing that it would help his legacy.

Time will tell.
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The terrorist collapse continues in Syria. Will Turkey act more forcefully?



I find this stunning.  The Syrian Army is really moving on terrorist positions and appear to have a strength that I didn't know they had.

Quite honestly Turkey appears to be headed toward being forcefully expelled from Syria.

Will they act to prevent that?  Can they credibly do so if they have the desire?

I'm no longer sure.  Make no mistake about it.  This isn't about substandard equipment, this is about substandard soldiers.  For better or worse the terrorist started acting like a nation state army and its obvious they just can't hold ground.

Which leads to the solution to their problem.  If they were smart they would seek to melt back into the population.  Unfortunately (for them) they can't because so many are foreign fighters.  The same applies in Libya.

Turkey is about to get gut punched...and that doesn't include the damage that the Coronavirus will do to their economy.
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Great image of a PLA Army Aviation Z-8G.


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I said big cities would get slammed in the US...



Wow.  Sucks to be in New York, that monstrosity known as the Eastern Seaboard, Los Angeles, San Fran, Atlanta, Baltimore etc....you guys are all about to be sick!
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Soviet experimental Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21I (A-144) fighter jet





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Small Rant. I was right about Coronavirus...

Been away for a bit cause life jumped up and bit me in the ass but I can't let another day go by without chest thumping.

Remember me calling the current outbreak a pandemic?  They still haven't done it but I believe they're laying the groundwork.  Slow and steady drumbeat of the news so that the public isn't freaked out when its declared.

Next I think I was right when I asked if we shouldn't start getting our preps in order.  The US Govt has already called on individuals to prepare and if you're in this crowd you should already be making steps to ensuring you and yours are ready.  Afterall you heard it here first.

Lastly I don't believe the mortality rates one bit.  But even if they're right they're similar to the Spanish Flu.  This thing is gonna be intense if they can't get it solved.

Chest thumping over.

Question.  What should a family do to prepare for this outbreak?  What would be prudent steps?
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Late Open Comment. 26 Feb 2020


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Monday, February 24, 2020

Russia says Turkey hasn't honored Sochi agreement...



Uh oh.  Turkey has just found themselves between a rock and a hard place.  They turned their back on the US and EU, saddled up to Russia and felt good enough to give us all the middle finger.

Now their savior is apparently destroying well laid plans to annex part of Syria.

Even worse?

They apparently can't win a straight up fight against Russian air power and Syrian ground forces.

The worst case scenario is playing out for Erdogan.  No friends.  No annexation.  No revived Ottoman Empire.  The adventure in Libya is turning into a stunning defeat.  The adventure in Syria is faltering.

Add to all this craziness you have France backing Greece in their dispute with Turkey.

2020 is turning into an awful year for Erdogan.
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The Coronavirus keeps spreading...S. Korea has the largest outbreak outside of China...





Now its only a matter of time before the Coronavirus affects the world economy.  With S. Korea being hard hit they're going to have to take measures to keep it from spreading...which means an economic slowdown which will affect others.

For the first we're seeing a major weakness of globalization.  This won't end it but it might alter it going into the future.  Time will tell.
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Open Comment Post. 24 Feb 2020.


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The low hanging fruit that the Marine Corps/Commandant is missing in the drive to synchronize with the Navy...


I've sat back and watched with anticipation some of the moves that the Marine Corps is making to "get back" to its Naval roots.

We're hearing talk of Medium Amphibious Assault Ships for a more dispersed force.  Talk of a new type of Marine Defense Battalions that can launch missiles against enemy vessels.

Emphasis is being placed on forward arming and refueling points to make sure that aviation and small units can operate far from our fleet that might be involved in the battle at sea.

But we're missing the low hanging fruit.

What about Marine Air?  What about the mix of F-35's that we're buying?

It's past time to keep Marine Air from gobbling up the rest of the Marine Corps. The solution is simple and obvious.

Dump the F-35C.  Buy Super Hornets and most especially E/A-18 Growlers!

Electronic Attack is going to be huge in future fights.  Even if you think that the F-35 can provide a modest attack capability in this realm you can't ignore the fact that the Growler is purpose built for this fight.

Even better is the fact that the joint force doesn't seem to be able to get enough of them.  Additionally it would allow Marine Air to not only integrate with NAVAIR but it would also allow the Corps to provide a valuable asset to the joint force.  No matter where the fight takes place E/A-18's would be welcome to jam, collect intel and attack enemy sensors.

The Navy is just buying a few F-35Cs.  As things stand the USMC is buying the bulk of them.  That's just unsat.  A mix of Super Hornets and Growlers would give us the airplane we need to become part of the sea battle.  Even better, both would be valuable in supporting efforts ashore.

It's really a no-brainer.  The Commandant should be bold.  Keep the F-35B if you must but the F-35C needs to go.  It just doesn't fit in with the plan laid out.
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Sunday, February 23, 2020

Erdogan admits the truth....He admits to sending terrorists to Libya!

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