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Saturday, March 07, 2020
Martlet LMM on Wildcat remains on schedule to enter service in 2021
Coronavirus is hammering Iran & will this change buying behavior forever?
Iran says 21 more people have died from the coronavirus, bringing the country's death toll to 145. More than 1,000 infections were also confirmed overnight totaling some 5,823 cases nationwide. https://t.co/9T26C6AhcS— The Associated Press (@AP) March 7, 2020
Iran is getting hammered and we can pretty much assume that its just the tip of the iceberg.
Question.
Will this virus change buying behavior forever? We're seeing (as predicted) the acceleration of "avoiding crowds" which means that malls and major sporting events are taking a hit (have you seen reports of empty soccer fields in Europe and in the US basketball games without spectators happening) but will it extend to big boxes like WalMart?
My guess is that the thrill has already faded with regard to those places anyway. You can get a better viewing experience at home when it comes to sporting events and as far as the malls are concerned they should have died long ago.
As far as big boxes I kinda expect a return to neighborhood stores to rule the day.
Not really sure because I don't study consumer spending behavior but I can't imagine that something like this will hit (and I think it will comeback fiercer than ever this fall) and not affect society. Sept 11th did in a major way and I believe this will be just as important in our nation's history (maybe even more because more Americans will be affected...this ain't gonna be a spectator event).
Friday, March 06, 2020
The US Army and NORTHCOM is WELL PLACED (much to my surprise) to deal with the Coronavirus...
Thanks to UtahBob62 for the links.
Full disclosure.
I like to chest thump because I fully believe that SNAFU! was one of the first military blogs to grab hold of the coronavirus story in China and sound the alarm.
Additionally I believe we were among the first to predict that this thing would go worldwide and that it would be declared a pandemic. We made the call a couple of weeks ago and continue to marvel that the WHO hasn't (although the economic considerations are most definitely the reason why....I've seen a few conspiracy theories that if this were declared a pandemic that the world could actual tip over into a depression).
What I got wrong was the fact that I didn't think the US military was properly positioned to deal with an incident of this magnitude. I truly believed that they were as unprepared as the rest of the govt agencies/public.
Thankfully I was wrong. Check out these links that UtahBob62 posted....
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563326/usnorthcom-prepares-for-possible-pandemic/
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563108/northern-command-tests-homeland-defense-civil-assistance-capabilities/
https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-849
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563938/us-army-north-indiana-dhs-announce-exercise/
https://www.usamriid.army.mil/
https://www.usamriid.army.mil/newsroom.htm
We hear the slogans and give them a slight chuckle. Ready to fight tonight. America's force in readiness. Most ready when the nation is least ready.
Well for the first time in a long time I'm actually encouraged. The Army has been working on this for a long time (oldest link goes back to 2003). NorthCom has picked up the mantle and I'm sure Navy and Air Force medicine are in on the game too. It goes beyond the Docs though. This type of planning means that a portion of the total force is ready to lend a hand.
There is much danger in the coronavirus threat.
But there is also opportunity. Not only for local govt/first responders to step up (as usual for first responders) but also for the US military to demonstrate their value to everyday citizens.
It's morbid to say but if this thing goes south it could be the biggest recruiting/budget boost the US military ever saw....if they perform to my expectations that is.
Full disclosure.
I like to chest thump because I fully believe that SNAFU! was one of the first military blogs to grab hold of the coronavirus story in China and sound the alarm.
Additionally I believe we were among the first to predict that this thing would go worldwide and that it would be declared a pandemic. We made the call a couple of weeks ago and continue to marvel that the WHO hasn't (although the economic considerations are most definitely the reason why....I've seen a few conspiracy theories that if this were declared a pandemic that the world could actual tip over into a depression).
What I got wrong was the fact that I didn't think the US military was properly positioned to deal with an incident of this magnitude. I truly believed that they were as unprepared as the rest of the govt agencies/public.
Thankfully I was wrong. Check out these links that UtahBob62 posted....
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563326/usnorthcom-prepares-for-possible-pandemic/
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563108/northern-command-tests-homeland-defense-civil-assistance-capabilities/
https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-849
https://www.northcom.mil/Newsroom/Article/563938/us-army-north-indiana-dhs-announce-exercise/
https://www.usamriid.army.mil/
https://www.usamriid.army.mil/newsroom.htm
We hear the slogans and give them a slight chuckle. Ready to fight tonight. America's force in readiness. Most ready when the nation is least ready.
Well for the first time in a long time I'm actually encouraged. The Army has been working on this for a long time (oldest link goes back to 2003). NorthCom has picked up the mantle and I'm sure Navy and Air Force medicine are in on the game too. It goes beyond the Docs though. This type of planning means that a portion of the total force is ready to lend a hand.
There is much danger in the coronavirus threat.
But there is also opportunity. Not only for local govt/first responders to step up (as usual for first responders) but also for the US military to demonstrate their value to everyday citizens.
It's morbid to say but if this thing goes south it could be the biggest recruiting/budget boost the US military ever saw....if they perform to my expectations that is.
Massive blow to the UK Tempest Fighter Project...Japan's next-gen fighter to be built with US, not UK
via Nikkei
Japan plans to choose the U.S. as its partner for developing the successor to the F-2 fighter jet, while taking on most of the R&D costs to avoid leaving essential design information solely in American hands again, Nikkei has learned.Not sure how much I buy the part about not being able to freely upgrade the F-2. Maybe it was part of the push to sell the F-35 but the way the US govt is allowing F-16s to still be sold I'm just not buying it (at least until I get more info).
Tokyo was weighing the U.S. offer against a U.K. proposal that would have guaranteed it the freedom to update the new planes at will. But ultimately, it decided to stick with its top ally given that their security ties have significantly expanded in scope in recent years. An official decision will made within this year.
"Ensuring we can freely modify and upgrade [the new jets] in the future is extremely important," Defense Minister Taro Kono said. Japan's inability to freely update the F-2 has limited the usability of much of its fleet.
Regardless this is a massive blow to the UK's Tempest Fighter Program. Understandable though. The UK can make moves to get involved in the Pacific but at the end of the day they're a European power and have a natural bias toward the Atlantic, not the Pacific.
Coronavirus death rate is 3.4%, World Health Organization
The World Health Organization reported this week that the death rate for the coronavirus increased to 3.4% and is more lethal than the flu, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year.This is stunning!
But President Donald Trump, citing only a "hunch," called the number provided by world health leaders "false."
Asked about WHO's coronavirus fatality rate findings during an interview Wednesday, Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity: "Well, I think the 3.4% is really a false number."
He added, "now, this is just my hunch ... based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this, because a lot of people will have this, and it's very mild."
Trump later put the number at less than 1%.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, announced the new fatality rate, which increased from the previous estimate of around 2%.
"Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died," he said. "By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected.
I've eased back on coverage of this thing because I still believe that just like the Spanish Flu this is just round one. I think this thing will mutate and comeback an even bigger monster this fall/winter.
But 3.4% is just plain insane. That makes this thing nasty as hell RIGHT NOW!
The article is focusing on the current fashion (maybe justified) of Trump downplaying this thing but I really don't see any other option for the man.
He's kinda damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. If he was taking my stance and saying its bad, everyone should get ready etc...the media would say that he's fear mongering. Since he's not doing that they're saying that he's an idiot.
Kinda sucks to be Trump.
Back on task. My prediction is that by summer everyone will forget. The fall will arrive and so will seasonal shopping and that's when the world gets throat stomped.
If I'm right then this summer is when you get your house in order. If I'm wrong then I'll be happy as hell.
Ship Killing Missile Is The Marine Corps Top Priority?
To combat the China threat, US Marine Corps declares ship-killing missile systems its top priority https://t.co/UuYAKcP4Wq pic.twitter.com/qYe2tbOLqI— Defense News (@defense_news) March 5, 2020
Fear God And Dread Nought...
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31st MEU HIMARS strike from the sea...pics by Lance Cpl. Joshua Sechser
Island hopping using missile trucks? Landing MLRS to attack ships? Do they stay and reload for continuous firing in support of the sea battle or do they conduct "anti-ship raids"?
Don't know where the Marine Corps is going with this but it looks big. Bears watching even though I'm not quite sure what I should be looking for....
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