SNAFU!

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Denel launches new RCG30 remotely operated turret

Story here.

Cobra Gold 19...US, Thai & ROK Marines conduct amphibious assault...vid by Sgt. Timothy Valero

Calidus Wahash 8x8 Amphibious IFV...

Can't lie, I'm intrigued. Would love to know more about it.

Manufacturer's site here.

Shepard Media story here.

Saturday, February 16, 2019

T-90M on test track...

Thanks to Drinas for the link!

Ok. What is that big cylinder behind the TC's copula?

IDF conducts massive drill to ‘simulate conditions of war with Hezbollah’

via Times Of Israel.

The army conducted a massive drill over the last week which was designed to train soldiers for combat operations in topographical conditions similar to those in Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday.

The exercise was the largest one carried out by the 401st Brigade of the Armored Corps in recent years, according to Channel 12 news. The soldiers carried out drills in coordination with the Israeli Air Force, as well as the engineering and intelligence corps.

Story here.

I know its just me. I know I'm probably being stupid. But when I take a look around the world via the internet I keep hearing one thing.

Wars drums beating everywhere.

I can't help but think that we had a period of peace. Squandered it by conducting military operations instead of attacking it as a police problem and now we're about to resume the natural course of human history.

Warfare affecting all.

I think future generations will think we had it easy and we did was whine.

But back on task.

Israel is telegraphing their punch. There will be fighting in Lebanon soon. I can't give a date but this is obviously a prelude to war.

Since I'm a supporter of Israel I'm hoping they do well.

But confidence is not high. Hope I'm wrong.

German Motorized Scouts hunting IEDs in Mali...

via BMVG.De

The goal of the three-day operation is the village of Gossi, located about 150 kilometers west of Gao. In Germany, a trip for this route would take just under two hours. Here in Mali, Sergeant Christian R. needs almost five hours for this. "There are potholes everywhere. There are hardly any paved roads here that allow for fast driving. In addition, we have to reckon with booby-traps, which are particularly suitable here, "says First Sergeant Christian R. After arrival, he goes to his actual job. In Gossi organized crime is suspected. On site he gives further orders to his soldiers. He talks to them, makes them aware of the job again. He knows that the heat and the long drive demand everything from his soldiers. He and his men have been in Mali for three months now and have done countless operations. He can rely on his men.

Story here.

Even thru Google Translate you can get a feel for their operations. A drive 3 days out. Figuring 30 miles at least a day they're at least 90 miles out? Don't seem far till you realize that any help coming is what.... figure 30 mins away if the pilots are flying fast (counting a quick QRF)?

3 vehicles? Can probably figure that the insurgents are clocking you as you leave the gates?

Pretty interesting. They're doing work over there.

Canadian Army dabbles in politics and gives the TAPV new roles...

via Edmonton Journal.

There seems to be some revisionism underway in the Canadian Army about the Tactical Armoured Patrol Vehicle (TAPV) program as well as changes to the role of the wheeled vehicle.

When it was originally announced part of the stated goal of the TAPV was to take on the role of reconnaissance, with 193 of the vehicles being a reconnaissance variant that would replace the Army’s Coyote vehicle. The remaining 307 TAPVs would serve as armoured personnel carriers for battlefield troop transportation, according to the Army.

In addition, the $1.2 billion project, when it was announced in 2012, was clearly part of the Conservative government’s defence program (The original TAPV plans also emerged under the Conservatives in 2008/2009).

The situation has changed in the meantime. The Army says it is expanding the role of the vehicle. The TAPV is being assigned to headquarters and military police units for use as protected and mobile transport. It will be used as well for command and control, VIP transport and patrolling.

As for the more sophisticated reconnaissance capability fielded by the Coyotes, the Army notes that it has the new LAV 6 and its Reconnaissance Surveillance System (LRSS) Project.

Story here.

Interesting. Don't know why the Canadian Army would dabble in politics so openly but to see them giving the TAPV a few new roles is good news. I've always liked the vehicle, thought it had outstanding mobility and have been looking for it to get seriously upgunned.

I'm still waiting for the 50mm cannon but the recon kit is a great start.

Pakistan's proxy war in Kashmir against India got bloody...

via DW.com

At least 41 police paramilitaries were killed and many others wounded in an attack on their convoy in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said on Friday. The bombing is believed to be the single deadliest terror attack in the region's history.

Muneer Ahmed Khan, a senior police officer, said the attack occurred on a key highway on Thursday, as the convoy reached the town of Lethpora on the outskirts of the disputed region's main city, Srinagar. He said one bus was destroyed and at least five other vehicles damaged by the blast.

Sanjay Sharma, a spokesman for India's paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force, said many of the injured were in critical condition. "The blast was so powerful that one cannot recognize whether the vehicle was a bus or a truck. Just pieces of mangled steel remain of the vehicle," he said.

A paramilitary official said the bus was carrying at least 35 soldiers. Khan said soldiers and counterinsurgency police reinforcements had been deployed in the area.

Story here.

This thing is getting messy.

First the Indian govt is under fire for the lack of armor on the bus carrying the paramilitary police. It had a then layer of steel that didn't even pause the bullets fired by terrorists. These are the same buses that the Indian govt claimed had been armored for the protection of the troops.

Second is the issue with the deployment itself. Kashmir has been a hotbed of drama for a long long long time. If we can decry the length of the war in Afghanistan then the people of India are practically anguished by how long the fighting in Kashmir has dragged on. It's almost India's Vietnam!

Last is the retaliation that's been promised. The Indian govt is promising, to paraphrase, eye watering retaliation for this attack...while naming and blaming Pakistan.

Pakistan vs. India. It should be an interesting fight....as long as it doesn't go nuclear.

Blast from the past. The Sack Of Baghdad In 1258 – One Of The Bloodiest Days In Human History

via War History Online.

When we think of the darkest, most bloody days of human history, our minds inevitably turn to the horrors of modern warfare. We think of battles like The Somme in WW1, or Stalingrad or Leningrad in WW2, or murderous regimes like Pol Pot’s or Hitler’s.

As bloody and brutal as these events were, they were often spread over periods of weeks, months, or years. Their huge death tolls accumulated over time.

However, when talking about the biggest loss of life through violence in a single day, the 13th of February 1258 surely ranks as one of the bloodiest days in human history. This was the day on which Hulagu Khan’s Mongol army entered Baghdad after a 12-day siege.

The city had approximately one million residents, and the army massacred many of them. It was a horrendous act that, in one fell swoop, brought an end to the Islamic Golden Age.

Story here.

Open Comment Post. 16 Feb 2019

It's coming. US Debt is on the verge of wrecking our defense budget...

via Breaking Defense.

A senior Pentagon official said Thursday he expects some belt tightening in upcoming defense budgets as the national debt eats up more and more of Washington’s money.

Alan Shaffer, deputy under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said at the WEST conference here that he’s “not terribly optimistic” about future growth. Some hard choices lay ahead, he warned, on what programs will push forward and which ones die off.

“We’re going to have enormous pressure on reducing the debt which means that defense spending — I’d like to tell you it’s going to keep going up — [but] I’m not terribly optimistic,” he said.

Federal debt payments are expected to be larger than the entire defense budget by 2025, the Congressional Budget Office estimated just last month. As a result of that pressure, the Pentagon will have to make a “stronger effort” to identify which programs it simply cannot cut or scale back, while making hard choices elsewhere.

Story here.

This.

This is why!

This is why I post stories about the economy!

Defense guys. Guys interested in the military and all things with regard to the military, international affairs etc....MUST BECOME AT LEAST a bit associated with economic issues.

What does this mean? It means hard times ahead for our defense procurement and even our force structure.

That 6th gen jet to replace the F-35? Expect that to be pushed out because there will be no money. The F-35? Expect numbers to be cut. The CH-53K? 200 is a joke. we'll be lucky to get 150 to replace the CH-53E on a one for one basis. The list goes on.

Tough times ahead...and the Pentagon (even though this has been shouted about since at least 2010) isn't ready.

USS Green Bay (LPD 20), 31st MEU conduct AAV Ops during Cobra Gold 2019....Pics by Petty Officer 2nd Class Anaid Banuelos Rodriguez

Friday, February 15, 2019

Eating out of garbage trucks is the new reality in Venezuela...

Venezuelan students don't have meals to come home to and are forced to eat garbage. pic.twitter.com/jrX0MmWsep
— Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) February 11, 2019

Warning! Conspiracy Theory Ahead!

Do you remember the build up to Gulf War 1 and the Iraqi Invasion? Do you remember the build up to the operation in Afghanistan?

It all started with a massive effort to explain to the public why it was necessary for us to get it done.

Now let me show my age.

Do you remember the buildup to landing troops in Somalia? This one is unique because the whole basis of the thing wasn't to defend us from possible threats or to defend allies. That op was based on the optics of starving Somalians.

It was humanitarian.

I don't know if the above pic is real or not. I hope it isn't. But whether it is or not isn't the point. The point is I'm getting whiffs of the same buildup in Venezuela that I remember from Somalia. Heart wrenching scenes of people doing things that we would deem beyond belief in order to eat. Cries of outrage from experts that the US must lead. Explanations to the public that if we don't do X then we face the ramifications of our inaction and will deal with a worse Y.

I really do hope that this is all nonsense and I need some sleep but think about it before you punt the idea into orbit.

FNSS -- Protected Mobility at Your Service for 30 Years

I'm a huge fan of the big boys...BAE, Rhienmetall, General Dynamics, Patria, Nexter...the list goes on.

But I'm also a fan of those middle guys that are moving up fast and doing it the right way.

FNSS is one of them.

Have any view you want of their govt but this company is rocking. Even better they're buying designs and improving them (PARS) or they're doing smart team ups to get better.

If you hate Chinese theft then you should love FNSS' approach. They're doing it right and I'm a fan.

Did McCabe (Former Acting FBI Director) admit to considering a coup?

via CNN

Former acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe is confirming for the first time publicly that there were high-level discussions at the Justice Department about recruiting Cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office in the aftermath of former FBI Director James Comey's firing.

The discussions also included speculation about which Cabinet members could be on board with the idea, McCabe said in an interview with CBS's Scott Pelley. According to Pelley on "CBS This Morning" Thursday, McCabe confirmed the discussion among Justice Department officials. This segment of the interview, which was taped for "60 Minutes," was not aired Thursday morning.

McCabe, who was fired from the FBI last March, also said he ordered an investigation into whether Trump obstructed justice as a way to preserve ongoing inquiries into Russian election meddling in case there was an effort to terminate them.

Story here.

By now you've all heard this story but to me this is stunning.

First. I'm not a fan of Trump. I do like some of his policies. I do not like the idiotic tweeting, the inability to form a complete sentence and his tendency to vacillate on issues to the point of confusing everyone in the room.

Having said all that.

This is proof of a deep state. They can roll out whatever evidence they want at this point and I will still believe that this was a coordinated campaign by people that were philosophically opposed to a duly elected president of the United States.

This threat came from within.

It does not come from Russia.

A few advertisements and trolling various factions inside our country couldn't be 1/1000's as damaging as this is.

The reality?

We're all serfs. There are certain officials that feel that they know better, are better and must lead we the sheep.

It's offensive on every level. But forget me. What do you think?