Thursday, March 10, 2022
Wednesday, March 09, 2022
US, Pakistan Air Forces strengthen partnerships during bilateral training exercise
Note. WHY ARE WE TRAINING WITH PAKISTAN??? Am I the only one that remembers they harbored Bin Laden? Am I the only one that realizes that these are the same people that are aligned with China? Took delivery of J-10s? Why are we alienating India while pursuing PAKISTAN??? This is another bad look for our "looming fight" in the Pacific. Who in the Pentagon comes up with this shit?
Airmen from the U.S. and Pakistan Air Forces conducted their first bilateral training event in three years during Falcon Talon 2022, an Agile Combat Employment operation, at a Pakistan air force base from Feb. 28-March 4.“Celebrating the 75th anniversary of U.S. and Pakistan relations, our militaries were happy to increase our interoperability and partner capacity during Falcon Talon,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. James Sindle, Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché-Pakistan. “Engagements such as live flying with PAF and U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons, as well as exchanges with our maintenance and security forces professionals, ensured our militaries are ready to fight to win today and postured for tomorrow.”Falcon Talon 2022 was Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central)’s first major training event in Pakistan since 2019.The large-force ACE operation included live flying events and activities to strengthen interoperability across multiple capabilities, including maintenance, security forces and support functions.Participants also highlighted the U.S. Air Force’s multi-capable Airmen to PAF partners by demonstrating how each Airman serves their primary role and additional tasks outside of their career field. The ability to perform duties outside of an Airman’s Air Force Specialty Code is essential in the execution of the ACE warfighting concept.AFCENT works with regional partners during training events and real-world operations to strengthen theater security cooperation efforts against aggressors within the region.
Corporations abandoning business in Russia is ... interesting
Am I the only one that is concerned about the bandwagon effect we're seeing on the part of American corporations with regard to Russia?
Why?
Because we see these same companies operating in other nation states that many would consider pariahs!
China has been accused of actively engaging in a genocide against its Muslim citizens yet the have the second most McDonald's on the planet.
During the uprising in Hong Kong they continued operations. Additionally in a congressional hearing CHINA was labeled as the number one threat to the US. Russia was second (even with the war waging).
The issue.
Corporate activism is getting out of control. Corporations have bitten on the idea that they should influence domestic policy and now its spread to foreign policy.
This is dangerous territory. How soon before (although they ARE doing it now) they band together to elect our President and representatives?
Exactly how far away from a Corporatocracy are we?
Corporatocracy (/ˌkɔːrpərəˈtɒkrəsi/, from corporate and Greek: -κρατία, romanized: -kratía, lit. 'domination by'; short form corpocracy) is a term used to refer to an economic, political and judicial system controlled by corporations or corporate interests.
Tuesday, March 08, 2022
Strikemaster: Australia's anti-ship missile launching modified Bushmaster
As Australia’s defensive focus switches to development of mobile missile systems to discourage any potential attacker, the highly successful Australian-designed and -built Bushmaster armoured troop carrier may be born again with a powerful set of new teeth.
A concept is being put together for a Bushmaster variant carrying a launcher for a pair of anti-ship missiles with a range of over 250 kilometers. The missile can also be used effectively to attack targets on land.
If the concept is accepted by the Australian Defence Force, the StrikeMaster will be built on the existing ‘ute’ design using the latest Bushmaster technology, with front doors as in variants sold recently to the Netherlands and tougher axles as in those sold to New Zealand.
The vehicle would be provided by its manufacturer, Thales Australia, and the naval strike missile launcher from Kongsberg Defence Australia for the Australian Army’s deployable land-based anti-ship system (Project Land 4100, Phase 2).
The missile is already in operational use in Malaysia, Norway, Poland and the US Navy and US Marine Corps, and is being delivered to Germany, Romania and Canada.
The system is versatile, with the US Marine Corps using a twin launcher on an unmanned joint light tactical vehicle and Poland using four missiles in a ‘quad pack’ carried on a large truck.
The missile can fly over land and sea at a low level, making it highly effective in both the littoral and blue-water environments.
It is designated as ‘totally passive’ in that it uses an advanced imaging infrared seeker to search for, detect and automatically recognize enemy vessels down to specific ship classes.
The missile is also in contention for fitting to the Royal Australian Navy’s major surface combatants under Project Sea 1300 and is suitable for its offshore patrol vessels. A helicopter version could also be carried on the navy’s MH-60R Seahawks.
The launcher can operate independently if needed or as part of a broader strike missile coastal defence system with integrated fire control and sensors.
The StrikeMaster could be transported on the Royal Australian Air Force’s transport aircraft and on small landing craft, making it highly deployable. That is a core requirement for the US Marine Corps’ operational concept of ‘island hopping’ launchers as part of its anti-access/area-denial activities.
The launcher and vehicle would be made in Australia—the Bushmaster by Thales Australia and its local supply chain, and the launcher by Kongsberg Defence Australia and its local supply chain.
The companies say the launcher system could be operational in two to three years.
Fresh deliveries of FGM-148 Javelin, NLAW, and AT4 reached the Ukrainian forces. March 8, 2022 via Reddit
* Hope someone is keeping track of all these weapons..when this war is over it would be a shame if some of this gear ended up in the hands of terrorist/criminals.
Scout Sniper Course Course (SSC) 1-22
RECON!
The only thing that remains of the Old Corps...but I'd bet body parts its under attack as we speak...
Here we go...shits about to get sporting...Poland sends Mig-29s to US portion of German base
Fucking emotional clowns are gonna get us all killed.
Send fighters under the US flag to Ukraine in their war against Russia is involving us in this conflict.
This is about to turn into a special kind of stupid.
God save us all cause the idiots leading us want the drama.
I personally believe Russia went in soft in the initial invasion. Now? Now they're getting hardcore...
Kyiv oblast. A civilian car drives by. #RussianArmy shoots, kills - and drives away.#PutinWarCrimes #PutinHitler #StandWithUkraine pic.twitter.com/BdKkPvjEaS
— olexander scherba🇺🇦 (@olex_scherba) March 8, 2022
Your emotionalism (along with your politicians, military leaders and think tanks) have all but guaranteed a world wide recession now.
via Bloomberg
Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak said on state television Monday that a ban on Russian oil would lead to "catastrophic consequences" for the global market and cause oil to surge to $300 per barrel "if not more."
Read the article but make note of what this bubba is saying. Already we can bake into the equation 150 dollar per barrel.
With this move?
I don't think it'll quite reach that high but we're certainly looking at 200 dollars.
Ya know what kills me?
All we're seeing is politicians, military experts and think tanks trying to outdo each other with regard to "being tough on Russia".
The public is goofy. The public can be emotional. Leadership is supposed to be cold and calculating.
Russia is already screwed. We're just making sure we get the same treatment with this move.
Inflation as it was was putting brakes on our economy. Now we're looking at surging inflation goes ATMOSPHERIC and the Fed will have raise rates quite dramatically now.
My prediction?
Worldwide recession by June.
Ukraine should look hard at the Russian deal...add a minor twist and end this war!
via Reuters
Russia has told Ukraine it is ready to halt military operations "in a moment" if Kyiv meets a list of conditions, the Kremlin spokesman said on Monday.
Dmitry Peskov said Moscow was demanding that Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.
I'm not sure I follow the thinking here. Crimea isn't gonna go back to Ukraine so continued fighting is...interesting. If ya'll think they can claw it back I'd love to hear how.
The idea of declaring neutrality and not joining NATO? That seems like an easy deal.
I'd push to state that Ukraine can join the EU but otherwise I don't see that as a show stopper.
The separatist republics are an issue though. I don't know the issues well enough but I imagine the thought of a small scale civil war isn't in anyone's interest.
Maybe push for a peacekeeping force? Who would man it though. Put a bunch of soldiers from the 3rd world in there and they'd be taking fire from both sides. US troops? Russia would go mad. Let Russian troops in? Ukraine would lose it.
One thing is certain.
This Russian offer opened the door. If we had a REAL SecState instead of a little wanna be pretty boy/girl in that chair they'd be running with this.
This offer makes a deal POSSIBLE. Possible deal is good. War is bad. It's really just that simple.
If we really want to lead then we need to stop the childishness and talk to Russia.
We are losing the war with China...
Note. I don't remember the reader that recommended this.
via MoneyWeek (tidbits...read it all yourself)
If you thought the West was unprepared for inflation – or indeed for Russia – wait and see just how unprepared it is for this bombshell.
This is the biggest story in world finance, and yet nobody, bar your intrepid blogger, is reporting on it.
For those without the attention spans to read all the way to the end, let’s cut to the chase and get the main point out upfront: China has more gold than the United States.
-----
The sanctions on Russia and its removal from the Swift messaging system this week are perhaps the most dramatic example of all. Russian civilians have had their wealth decimated (in fact, probably significantly more than decimated for most) almost overnight.
China will be surely watching all of this, learning from Russia’s mistakes and thinking it needs to de-dollarise as swiftly and discreetly as possible. Whether to protect its citizens’ wealth or its national interests, China cannot be beholden to a banking system that is run by the West – the US especially – and which is one of their weapons of war.
----- (I never considered this part of the sanctions...We have declared financial war on Russia. If another country or group of countries did to us what we did to Russia then missiles would already be flying)-----
Not all gold entering China is accounted for by SGE withdrawals. The People's Bank of China (PBOC), the central bank, likes to buy 12.5kg bars, which do not trade on the SGE. The PBOC often uses dollars on exchanges in London, Dubai and Switzerland, while the SGE sells its gold in yuan.
The Chinese army, too, owns gold and does not have to declare its purchases. And there are other state agencies, as well: the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and China Investment Corporation – the sovereign wealth fund, for example.
How much of this gold is state owned? Norman guesses 50%; Suchecki, formerly of the Perth Mint, says 55%.
At 50%, the implication is that China owns over 15,000 tonnes – closing in on double the US.
“Chinese Central Bank gold holdings have apparently been entirely unchanged since mid-2019 at 1,948 tonnes,” Ross Norman tells me. “But few of us believe that. Put an additional zero on the end (19,480 tonnes) and I should not be surprised if that is not much closer to their official holdings”.
Alasdair McLeod goes one stage further. “The PRC probably has as much as 30,000 tonnes hidden in various accounts, but not declared as official reserves”.
Whether ten, 15 or 30,000 tonnes, there is no way China can declare such large holdings. Not yet anyway – it would cause an unwanted surge in both the yuan and the gold price. The government's $3.2trn of US dollar foreign exchange reserves would be devalued.
“I don’t think China needs to brag about its largesse,” says Norman. “After all, a stronger currency as a result of that reserve backing would be counter-productive, as it would confer competitive disadvantage”.
What’s more, to declare so much gold would be a direct challenge to American supremacy, which China is probably not yet ready for. Parity first, then supremacy.
To beat China it would take a whole of govt, private corporation and ultimately mobilization of the American people.
Additionally it would take focus and discipline..and a work effort that I no longer believe the average American has.
Lastly it would also take a unity of effort that is beyond our current grasp.
We had a small window to kill this monster in the crib, we didn't and it's all grown up now.
It's pretty jacked up to think that the only way you survive a fight against a foe is to rely on their restraint but that's where we're headed with China.
Ukraine isn't our fight and its a huge distraction. No worse. It revealed our last remaining card against a more powerful foe. In other words we no longer have any bullets left.
Congrats.
A Eurocentric mindset and foreign policy has laid the seeds of our defeat.
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