Monday, April 20, 2020

USS America (LHA 6) Conducts Flight Operations April 18, 2020 (Mega Thread - Bandwidth Killer!)...pics by Seaman Jomark Almazan


























It occurs that the US Navy is flexing the America into a full blown carrier mission (I guess) with the Theodore Roosevelt going down.  That simple affair had lasting ramifications that the unknowing still don't want to acknowledge.

That affairs showed tremendous weakness and the Chinese noticed.

If that bubba gets command of that ship after his actions then the entire Navy leadership needs to be purged then fast marched to a federal prison.

Open Comment Post. 20 Apr 2020




What's going on here? Amphibious assault ship USS America sailing at high speed in the South China Sea today, heading to West Capella drillship

Thanks to Donno for the link!



Are we actually seeing the wake from that ship?  Ok.  You can throw out the bullshit of those things having a max speed of 20 knots can't we?

Interesting.

I hope the Navy and Marine Corps don't take the wrong lessons from this action.  I have NO VISIBILITY on what's going on but if this is the standard Chinese intimidation technique then we're looking at the Chinese Coast Guard trying to bully other nations.

Sending an L-Class Carrier (CONGRATS USMC...you got me using that term!) to deal with it is kinda overkill in my opinon.

We'll see what we'll see.  More to come.

Sunday, April 19, 2020

U.N. warns economic downturn could kill hundreds of thousands of children in 2020

via Reuters
Hundreds of thousands of children could die this year due to the global economic downturn sparked by the coronavirus pandemic and tens of millions more could fall into extreme poverty as a result of the crisis, the United Nations warned on Thursday.
Here. 

The economy is about more than just wall street.  The morality play we're involved in has consequences.  Either the old, weak and infirm lay by the wayside or children suffer.

The wording I used is blunt but the choice is clear.

The cure to this disease will (by way of the actions of a majority of the world's population) cause more suffering than the disease itself.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Many (including quite a few people here) are emoting and trying to virtue signal moral superiority on an issue where cold, hard logic is required.

In short?

We do the hard thing now and take some pain or we virtue signal/emote/moralize and take even more pain later.

Open the fucking economy and save lives.

Exercise: Man's most faithful companion...

View this post on Instagram
Picture for a moment a man out running in the cool evening air. He appears to be alone. But he is not. He once ran cross-country in high school. He runs still as a middle-aged man, though no longer for prizes or for time. Simply for the physicality of it, the visceral enjoyment. He has run weekly, sometimes daily for most of several decades now. Running was there for him when it was the activity which best channeled and reflected the heart-racing excitement of first falling in love. Running was also there when it was the activity which best managed his depression when that love imploded. . Running was always available to lend a listening ear, to help him process his exultations and griefs; hopes and disappointments; plans for the future, and for vindication; sketches of what he would say and how he would say it; intimations of opportunities to come. Running was invariably one of the first to greet him in a new place when he traveled. Running was the first friend he made when he moved across the country, and became his tour guide to getting to know his unfamiliar hometown. Years have passed away; friends have come and gone; jobs have changed; children have progressed from diapers to blue jeans; even old Fido has gone the way of all the world. But running has been a constant through every season, location, and stage of life. Running has remained by the man’s side through it all. As it is with running, so it is with every physical practice, be it walking, lifting, biking, swimming, and so on: exercise is our steadfast companion, comrade, sidekick, therapist, and, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say, protector. Always a step away, always ready to bear our joys and burdens, always faithful.
A post shared by Art of Manliness (@artofmanliness) on


Gotta get after it boys and girls.  Health is the new wealth.

T-14 MBT on Armata heavy universal tracked platform. Afganit active protection system on display...



Police in Italy are having an "interesting" time with citizens during the coronavirus...



Translation...
Translated from Italian by GOOGLE
Two carabinieri find a half-naked woman lying on their car. Expressionless face
#coronaitaly#covid_19italia

Anti-lockdown protests aren't just in America...



People are sheep.  They'll follow the popular position until it doesn't become popular anymore.  The news media will follow suit to match the passions of the mob.

Mark my words.

Being against these lockdowns might appear fringe now but in a couple of months they'll be not only obvious to the masses but the same people deriding those of us that have issue with them will be leading the charge stating that they went on for far too long and did unnecessary damage to our economy.

Not only will the political class have to pay a price for this but so will the people that are cheering these lockdowns on.

The hit to the world's economy will be severe.

The blowback will be intense.

I predict you'll see nothing but political surprises worldwide once the dust is settled.

Of course that will do us little good.

We'll be trying to muddle thru shortages of certain items (to include food), possibly hyper inflation on goods that are available.  A shattered housing and car market along with savings/retirement funds being either devalued (because of increasing costs for basic items) or even taxed at a higher rate (to allow the govt to recoup the money they're handing out like candy).

People in the free world are waking up but I fear its a bit late.

India's 4 PARA (Special Forces) amazing close quarters fight on a snowy mountain side...


via LiveFist
On April 4/Saturday, two squads of the 4 Para (Special Forces) — with six men each — were deployed for a forward staging to the nearest battalion headquarters, and from there to Rangdoori, Guguldara and Teen Behak areas of Jumgund. They needed to chopper it in as the battalion remains cut off by winter snow. The Dhruv helicopter dropped them off on a hill feature in waist deep snow. The intention was to conduct a search operation from top down. The SF troops used quadcopter drones at this point to try and pinpoint precise locations of the 5-6 terrorists.
--------------------------------
 In the words of an officer familiar with details, “As luck would have it, where they fell, the militants were sitting right there. This led to a firefight at virtually point blank range. I have to give it to the training standards of the SF guys. Inspite of the fall, all five terrorists were killed. The squad was almost wiped out.”
Here. 

If Bollywood doesn't make this a movie then something is wrong.  If they DO make a movie I'll be sure to watch it.

Why I agree with the anti-lockdown protests ....


You've seen the protests against the lockdown this week and some of you can't seem to wrap your head around why anyone would do such a thing.

Let me try and explain it to you again..via ModernSurvivalBlog.
The Gov’t over reacted, Two states, have 46% of the confirmed cases and more than half the deaths, but make up only 9% of the nation’s population. That means in the other 48 states less than 0.1% of their population has a confirmed case. And for that our so-called leaders shut down the country and purposely manufactured a 2nd Great Depression.
A simple statement but alot to unpack.

Two states have 46% of the confirmed cases. 

TWO!

Those two states have more than half the deaths.

TWO!

Yet we're locking up the entire country?  Now check this out via The Washington Post.
More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment aid since President Trump declared a national emergency, a staggering loss of jobs that has wiped out a decade of employment gains and pushed families to line up at food banks as they await government help.

The United States has not seen this level of job loss since the Great Depression, and the government is struggling to respond fast enough to the deadly coronavirus health crisis and the widespread economic pain it has triggered.
Drink that in.

22 Million Americans are now unemployed (probably MORE!).

Let's be honest too.

Many won't get their old jobs back.  Many small businesses will close forever. Many big businesses will also go the way of the dinosaur.

But the above issue is just a blip on a MUCH bigger issue I see coming down the track.

 

We're looking at a disruption of our supply chain that will leave basic necessities lacking.

I'm talking about food.

I'll leave off the table the exercise of extraordinary, unconstitutional power by many state executives around the US (and around the world). 

I'll ignore how reluctant they appear to want to give up that power.

Unsaid will be how law enforcement is being used to basically "control" the US population in ways that we would never do in a foreign land.

Even worse?

The runaway spending unleashed by this pandemic will comeback to bite not only us but our children's children.

The entire world, to include the US, is gonna be in a hurtlocker for at least 5 years and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

Which leads to the conspiracy theory.

The last time we faced a financial calamity this big we had WW2.  I don't think we'll see that, but the break from war that I was hoping for is off the table.

Nothing stimulates spending and gets the people distracted like a hot war.  Just add in that we're fighting for freedom, stir in a little apple pie and flag waving and get both sides of the congressional isle to talk up how necessary it is.

That'll distract the public while they raid your retirement funds.

Russia upgrades it's heavy artillery...the 2S7M Malka


via Sputnik
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Uraltransmash (a subsidiary of the Rostec corporation's Uralvagonzavod) has delivered the first modernised 2S7M Malka self-propelled heavy artillery canon to the Defence Ministry. The weapon is considered to be one of the most powerful in the world, Rostec has told Sputnik.

and objects in the tactical depth behind the front line. The delivery of modernised weapons in the interests of the Defence Ministry has started. Uraltr"This is one of the world's most powerful self-propelled canons designed for destroying important enemy targets ansmash faces a serious task of conducting batch modernisation of this product as part of state order for 2020-2022 implementation", Rostec Director General Dmitry Semizorov said, as quoted by the company's press service.

The modernised artillery canon has received new running gear and electronics, which has significantly improved its tactical and technical features. Malka has passed a full cycle of tests, aimed at checking its mobility, resistance, loading and reliability of its fire control mechanisms, and 2A44 gun strength.

The 2S7M Malka is a modernised version of the 2S7 Pion, a Soviet self-propelled heavy artillery gun.
Well at least they're consistent.  We know the Russians love artillery and they prove it once again.

I think they have just about all bases covered.  Missiles (of differing sizes), heavy, medium and light cannon artillery and of course the same with mortars.

Is our reliance on airpower the reason why we seem to have forgotten the power of the "King Of Battle"?

Navy Matters on the ACV versus the LTV-4 & AAV....



Oooh.  The numbers are shocking.  But it's got to be more than just numbers in making this comparison right?

I think so.

No preview.  Just head over to Navy Matters (here) and check out the article.  Then come back and let's talk it out.

5th Marine Brigade update

According to source the 5th Marine Brigade is all wheeled while the 1st, 2nd and 6th are all track based.  Now do you get the force of connection?  Our 2030 Force is gonna be light as hell, basically missile based and our Chinese competitors are gonna be zooming around the battlefield in either motorized or mechanized formations.  The future USMC is gonna get skull fucked unless we change course.  By chance the Navy MIGHT win the battle at sea (with their current setup) but the Marines will be filling body bags and trying to dig into the center of the earth to avoid the massed fires that are incoming....the reality is that the US Navy needs to get 110% back into the ship killing business...the ship killing business!  The USMC can't make up for that deficit. Make no mistake.  The Bush Admin with its focus solely on the war on terror and not future fights (which birthed the LCS to fight small boats...a stupid concept if I ever heard one!) did the Navy a disservice, but the USMC shouldn't be forced to make up for that mistake.









Open Comment Post. 19 Apr 2020


Chinese FTC-2000G gets its first customer....



via Alert 5.
Chairman of Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation, Wang Wenfei, has revealed that the company had secured an order for the FTC-2000G advanced jet trainer this year.

The company’s wechat channel said the order was place in January and delivery will start in two years time.

Wang added that it was a South East Asian customer that placed the order.
Hate to say it but that's a clean looking airplane.

It's been totally off my radar but that will probably change.  Let's hope the new USAF trainer from SAAB/Boeing can prove superior in the light fighter/attack role.

If not then we're looking at the successor to the BAE Hawk as the plane I consider the former ultimate trainer/attack jet plane.

AAVs @ 24th MEU exercises command and control of amphibious forces....Photos by Staff Sgt. Mark Morrow











U.S. Marine Corps M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle exits a U.S. Navy Landing Craft Utility on Camp Lejeune, N.C....Photos by Staff Sgt. Mark Morrow






24th MEU exercises command and control of amphibious forces....Video by Cpl. Gumchol Cho


Marines and Sailors with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct Type Commander Amphibious Training at Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 18-19, 2020. The purpose of TCAT is for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and participating elements to exercise expeditionary command and control and rehearse amphibious operations. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Gumchol Cho)