Thursday, April 06, 2023
China sends carrier group off Taiwan coast ahead of US meeting
via Reuters
Taiwan's defence ministry said on Wednesday a Chinese aircraft carrier group was in the waters off the island's southeast coast, the same day President Tsai Ing-wen was due to meet U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.
China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has warned of unspecified retaliation if the meeting goes ahead.
China staged war games around Taiwan last August following the visit to Taipei of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
&
"In addition to posing a substantial threat to our national security, it also destroys the status quo of regional security and stability. Such actions are by no means the acts of a responsible modern country."
The ministry provided two pictures - one a grainy black and white image of the carrier taken from the air, and the other of a Taiwanese sailor looking at the Shandong and another unidentified ship in the distance.
China has yet to comment on the carrier group, whose appearance also coincided with the arrival in Beijing of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Two things.
1. Freedom of navigation exercises cut both way don't they? Peer vs Peer and super power "competition" is a bitch ain't it?
2. I thought the USMC and the rest of the services were all about "deterring" and "competing" and "grey zone activities". Talking the talk is one thing. Walking the walk is something else ain't it?
Wednesday, April 05, 2023
The MSM is finally understanding the issue with the dollar's destruction...
I had hoped we could avoid a war with China.The dedollarization is happening. pic.twitter.com/IM5s3jKaAU
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) April 6, 2023
This latest move by them all but ensures that war will be declared.
Many US elites will feel like we have no choice.
The dollar is dying, we have tremendous debt, our social fabric is fraying and a major recession is looming.
To many of the elite in the US, war is the answer.
Watch the military contracts and how hard they push industry to arm up but I'm guessing right after the US presidential election.
2025-2026 and both sides will probably be ready.
Which brings us to where. I always thought Africa because its resource rich.
Not anymore.
I think it won't be in the Pacific. Losing Taiwan won't hurt us. An old fashioned oil war will however.
I think Iran and Israel will finally tie up and China and the US will be fighting a proxy war.
I didn't talk about inflation but a big war in the Middle East will make oil spike to 150 a barrel or more and that will only deepen our recession but also cripple Europe, enrich Russia and set the stage for China to make a move on Taiwan unopposed in 2027 (right on schedule).
We are easily distracted and our leaders don't think.
We're fucked.
Top Saudi, Iranian Diplomats To Meet In China: "Era Of US Involvement In Region Is Over"
via Zero Hedge
A senior Iranian official also confirmed, "The top envoys agreed to meet on Apr. 6 in Beijing as the deal was facilitated by China." On the agenda is expected to be the mutual reopening of embassies and appointment of ambassadors.
The most important, and illustrative of the way the geopolitical winds are blowing, is the following:
"The era of the United States' involvement in this region is over... The regional countries are capable of preserving security and stability in the Middle East without Washington's interference," another Iranian official said.
On the issue of China, the powerful US rival, leading the way in brokering peace, Saudi-owned Asharq al-Awasat newspaper cited a source in Riyadh to say that choosing China as host country for the meeting "came as an extension of Beijing's positive role in reaching the agreement and facilitating communication between the two countries."
As for Tehran and Riyadh, not only has the regional rivalry, which intensified most during the decade of the proxy war in Syria which began in 2011, been set amid a centuries-long divide over correct interpretation of Islam (Shia Iran vs. Sunni Saudi Arabia), but it has also spilled over in places like Yemen, scene of another grinding proxy war which pit Shia rebels against a Saudi-backed government.
Mobile training team evaluates scout platoon Marines
 |
| A U.S. Marine with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, mans an observation post during a scout platoon training course aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, March 29, 2023. A mobile training team from Weapons Training Battalion and the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab evaluated the Marines on their ability to integrate reconnaissance and surveillance tactics, techniques, and procedures into battalion operations as part of Infantry Battalion Experiment 2030. (U.S. Marine Corps courtesy photo) |
Hell they might do better to just add another suicide drone platoon. This will be a downgrade in capabilities but the outcome is already baked in.
The report will say that the scout platoon is as effective if not MORE effective than the legacy Scout Sniper Platoon.
This shit is so scripted it doesn't even make sense to keep up with the changes. Experimentation my ass.
WTI 2-23: CH-53 Battle Drills
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| Royal Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), participates in a battle drill exercise during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-23, at Landing Zone Bull, near Chocolate Mountains, California, April 1, 2023. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1, providing standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualification to support Marine aviation training and readiness, and assist in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Dakota Hungerford) |
II Marine Expeditionary Force, Expeditionary Operations Training Group (EOTG) conduct Fast Ropes Master Course (FRMC) with 26th MEU
*Didn't EOTG come out of the old initiative when MEU(SOC) was roaming the seas? If not then where did the come from and when did they come to be?
French President Macron said that China has a major role to play in finding a path to peace in Ukraine.
So should the US, but for some reason we haven't even put a proposal on the table. NONE..not even one that would be rejected out of hand. Time to stop listening to the mob and to turn this war off.#UPDATE French President Emmanuel Macron said that China had a "major role" to play in finding a path to peace in Ukraine, as he kicked off a three-day visit to Beijing.https://t.co/yD61r8Mw8C
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 5, 2023
Remember this simple fact about contested logistics. If they can't get supplies in, then they won't be able to get our wounded out...
They keep talking logistics.The Future of Marine Corps Logistics
— III MEF Marines (@IIIMEF) April 5, 2023
We can expect to be contested by future adversaries on the battlefield all the way to our industrial base - to sustain our forces on the front lines, we must modernize our logistics enterprise. @3rdMLG keeps us ready in the Indo-Pacific. pic.twitter.com/gyKFkyHlg3
What's left unsaid is that if logistics is "hard" and they don't have the capability now, then they don't have the capability to get our wounded out.
These stealthy, low signature, STAND IN FORCE, recon/counter recon, missile shooting, and coast watching Marines will die ugly and not just from enemy action.
Accidents happen in the field. Weird disease happens in the jungle. Critters of all types take bites out of humans in the jungle. The list goes on.
Logistics? Yeah its important but since actually identifying what the MLR is actually supposed to do in the modern era (except act as speed bumps to China and guarantee that any action against them ensures we're in full scale war) is beyond me, I'm focused on the ignored aspect of all of this.
The concept as it currently stands means the Golden Hour is dead.
It means that injuries that were survivable during the war on terror will not be with this force.
Marines dying ugly?
When all is said and done that might turn out to be a fucked up mercy.
Tuesday, April 04, 2023
Russians prepare for Ukrainian offensive to retake Crimea?
Interesting.Also noticing more Russian Telegram channels are now calling for construction of fortifications along the entire line of contact in preparation for a Ukrainian offensive... https://t.co/6pCVyV9u1j
— Samuel Bendett (@sambendett) April 4, 2023
What do you think the Russians will do if the Ukrainians try and retake Crimea?
My opinion? Tactical nukes will be in play. I hope the powers that be have a leash on Zelensky.
France conducts its largest military exercise in decades, Orion 23, with NATO forces (mastersubs)
France is hosting its biggest military exercise in decades, with NATO Allies. Exercise Orion involves up to 19,000 personnel in total and assets from eight NATO Allies including host nation France, and focuses on defensive operations on land, in the air, at sea and in cyberspace.
Synopsis
France has launched its biggest military exercise in decades, together with its NATO Allies. The second phase of Exercise Orion 23 involves 7,000 personnel and assets from France and several Allied countries, including Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States, and focuses on defensive operations on land, in the air, at sea and in cyberspace.
The drills are conducted over several months, starting in late February and ending in May 2023. The peak of the exercise is scheduled from late April to early May, in north-eastern France. During this phase, around 12,000 troops will be deployed on the ground and in the skies to repel a simulated high-intensity attack.
Transcript
--SOUNDBITE (FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBS)—
Captain Thibault, 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
“It’s a bit like a rugby or football team. Attack and defence have to work together.”
--TEXT ON SCREEN--
IN FRANCE’S
BIGGEST EXERCISE
IN DECADES
UP TO 19,000 NATO TROOPS
ARE PUTTING THEIR
COLLECTIVE DEFENCE
SKILLS TO THE TEST
--SOUNDBITE (FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBS)—
Captain Thibault, 8th Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment
“The advantage of these exercises is that they mobilise the three armies: air, sea and land forces. Little by little we increase the training requirements until we all work together.”
--TEXT ON SCREEN--
DRILLS LIKE THESE
ARE ESSENTIAL
TO MAKE SURE NATO
IS READY
TO DEFEND
EVERY INCH OF ALLIED TERRITORY
AGAINST ANY
POTENTIAL
ATTACK
Hmm. I wonder why the powers that be felt a need to alarm European citizens that Russia was gonna attack a NATO country?
From my chair that was nowhere in the cards but yet here we are.
Why?
Next I have to wonder how we would stack up our NATO allies. Poland is in my opinion the most powerful ground force now but they're obsessed with the Russians. France I believe has the best balanced force and is truly capable of worldwide operations...limited ops but worldwide. The UK? Not sure anymore. Their Army appears to be in shambles but they have excellent infantry. Their airborne, Marines and SAS/SBS are top notch. Their Navy? Not sure. The others all have niche forces that are capable, some extremely capable in certain areas.
Then we have Germany.
The US protects Europe and Europe protects Germany.
Forgot about Italy. They also have a well balanced force I would think is second to France in the EU. Weird setup for their Marines/Amphibious Army but again they're capable.
Russian fighter jets are reportedly ambushing Ukrainian pilots in sneak attacks. Fending them off would require F-16s, pilot says, which the US previously said 'won't help them.'
via Yahoo
Russian fighter jets are tricking Ukrainian pilots into sneaky "swarming" ambush attacks, according to a Ukrainian air force major, highlighting why the besieged country's president has continued his calls for more advanced air power aid from the United States.
"The Russians change tactics all the time, so the war isn't stable," Major Vadym Voroshylov told The Telegraph in an interview. "They make traps. They will send up a Russian jet alone, tricking the Ukrainian pilot into thinking there is only one jet. Then, two or three more will appear either side of it, effectively swarming the Ukrainian aircraft."
Voroshylov previously made headlines after he shot down two missiles and five drones during an attack on the city of Vinnytsia. He was declared a Hero of Ukraine and a photo of his bloodied face after he ejected from his jet also went viral.
"Right now, we can only hold the enemy but with F-16s we could control the airfield, as well as the seas and the ground to protect infantry," Voroshylov told The Telegraph. "We need more modern aircrafts to be better than the enemy."
The decorated pilot's calls for F-16 jets echo increasingly urgent requests from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House for improved military equipment such as F-16 fighters and MQ-9 drones to fight back against the Russian invasion.
I don't know if this is valid. I get the sense that this is just another case of Ukraine asking for more weapons.
But as far as this is concerned I wonder how this could actually be happening.
The US has Ukraine under an intense sensor net. If they're able to actually ambush Ukrainian fighters then the Russians have figured something out and is messing with our sensors.
Rapid Force Duty Holster for Compact Lights
Two things.
The first is that Safariland has been the gold standard on level 3 retention for a long time. I have one for my Glock 45. Having said that it is an OLD design that is anything but intuitive and is in my opinion SLOW!
I made the switch to Alien Gear and don't think I'm going back. Give it a try. I'm sure one of your buddies is rocking one and will let you try it out. I get asked all the time at the range about mine and have no problem letting buddies try it out.
Second is that I don't understand why the Military continues to rock these zero retention holsters. Even with the old skool models they at least had flaps to keep the thing inside the holster and as much swamp juice outside of it (or sand, snow...wherever you're operating).
Seeing all these SOCOM bubbas and conventional forces wearing holsters with no retention with all the stuff they do is a mind fuck to me.
A simple complaint but I would sure love an answer.
I got a bonus question too. I have red dots on all my pistols (only 4) and rifles. Buying an A300 Ultima and will put one on that shotgun too.
So why all these pistols floating around in the military and federal law enforcement without red dots?
Local Law Enforcement and Armed citizens ahead of the military? Amazing!
The Future of Marine Corps Logistics
Know your role.
Stay in your lane.
I wonder if the Marine Corps knows it role anymore (not this bullshit second land Army stuff).
The MAGTF worked so well because it was well defined and aware of its strengths and limitations.
An MEU could self sustain for 15 days. MEB for 30 days. MEF for 45 days.
But a smaller formation, the MLR, is twisting itself into knots because it can't quite figure out how its gonna be sustained.
A force that is going to be in the "blunt" contact zone (I so despise the new Marine Corps lingo) and within the enemies weapons engagement zone and supposedly linger inside that area while being stealthy and setting up EABOs, FARPs, and missile trucks can't figure out how to sustain itself?
You damn right it can't because that tech doesn't exist.
But that's par for the course. The missiles that give the MLR teeth aren't ready and won't be ready for another few years.
So where are we?
A tweener force. Can't do legacy missions and can't do the Stand In Force.
The next Commandant is gonna have some serious choices to make, meanwhile the internal USMC civil war goes on.
Destruction of a Polish made AHS Krab and Czech made Tatra T815 truck, both operated by Ukraine. Probably late March 2023 via Reddit Destroyed Tanks
Destruction of a Polish made AHS Krab and Czech made Tatra T815 truck, both operated by Ukraine. Probably late March 2023Fast movers can handle fast movers. The ground side needs some serious anti-drone protection.
by u/sasha_man123 in DestroyedTanks
I've heard it said before and I'm fully onboard now.
The air fight from 0ft up to 2000ft is part of the ground fight now.
Monday, April 03, 2023
WTI 2-23: Close Air Support
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1Z Viper helicopter assigned to Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), participates in a close air support exercise during Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 2-23 at Observation Point Feets near Chocolate Mountains, California, March 30, 2023. WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by MAWTS-1, providing standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation training and readiness, and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ruben Padilla)
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