Special Tactics Airmen jump from a Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules

For the professionals in the audience...Defining Distributed Maritime Operations and the Future of Naval Warfare (CIMSEC.org)

FIGHTING DMO, PT. 1: DEFINING DISTRIBUTED MARITIME OPERATIONS AND THE FUTURE OF NAVAL WARFAREhttps://t.co/qssRBWvRVG

— con-ops (@con_ops) February 27, 2023

It's a whole twitter thread of think tank thoughts so give it a look if you're interested in this type of thing.

Turkey's KAAN multi-role fighter is bigger than I thought..

 

Sevgili @BRAHMSNNETC1'nin TEI'den aktardığı bilgilere göre:
• İlk 20 Kaan, Blok 10 modelinde ve F110-GE-129 motoruyla, 2028 yılında teslim edilecek,
• 35,000lbf sınıfı yerli motorla donatılmış Kaan, Blok 20 olarak 2030'dan itibaren teslim edilecek:https://t.co/o6ZOPLCVu5

— Arda Mevlutoglu (@orko_8) May 2, 2023

Now we might have bases in Finland? The tilt to Europe is weakening us worldwide

Finland is negotiating a defensive cooperation agreement with the United States, which, among other things, allows the construction of American military bases on Finnish territory.

Special military operation completed 🫠😂https://t.co/vZS6H70akr

— NOËL 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) May 1, 2023

Mark my words. This tilt towards Europe which never seems to lessen will have dramatic consequences for us worldwide. We only have so many forces and to have SO MANY dedicated to Europe is a mistake. Name hotspots. Ukraine is the only one in Europe. To be honest and to piss off the haters, that conflict is contained. It's dragging on too long just like all the wars we participate in during the modern era but its contained. Russia ain't about to attack NATO! The rest of the world? Big issues. LIMITED RESCOURCES REQUIRES PRIORITIZATION! The forward deployed concept is a loser. Everyone claims to be expeditionary but everytime you look up you see forces locked into one geographic location. Time to bring back REFORGER for Europe and the rapid deployment force for the rest of the world!

Open Comment Post. 2 May 23

HMLA-367 is supporting 75th Ranger Regiment and 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) @ NTC

Hmm. This is busy work. The 160th don't need USMC gunships to provide cover. One AC-130 or a few UAVs flying support will work for them. I guess the move now is to become an enabling force for SOCOM? Don't see much future in that. Another mission that Army assets can perform...especially when the fight moves further from the sea under FD2030. SOCOM is much in love with the 160th. If this is the move then they'd do better to try and support AF Special Ops CV-22s. Tie that into the Pacific fight with longer distances involved that the little bird can't handle. But that leads back to the issue of being a ONE theater force that is useless everywhere else. Remember Belleau Wood. Marines go where the nation needs, not where they planned for the next fight. There is no wiggle room in this concept. Berger went native when he was in the Pacific and he's trying to drag the Marines along with him.

These Coast Guard pilots were seconds away from a very bad day

 

Possible microburst almost downs USCG HH60-Jayhawk
by u/Low_n_slow4805 in Helicopters

Wagner sniper team in Bakhmut with a MTs-566 sniper rifle (all pics from Rob Lee's Twitter thread)

Kinda insane. The USMC killed off snipers and have embraced the idea of designated marksmen. But the Russians and Ukrainians are using them to good effect in their war. Does this mean that the USMC doesn't see itself engaged in urban combat once Force Design 2030 is fully implemented? It's the only thing that makes sense. A stand off force cannot close with the enemy and FD2030 makes the USMC a stand off force.

Wagner sniper team in Bakhmut with a MTs-566 sniper rifle. https://t.co/pj5h5zJaJa pic.twitter.com/cGMjGlR0Ru

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) March 15, 2023

Open Comment Post. 1 May 23

 

We practice Non-Combat Evacuations but what about full on Combat Evacuations?

Fierce fighting broke out again Monday between Sudan's army and paramilitaries despite the formal extension of a truce, after the United Nations warned the humanitarian situation reached "breaking point".https://t.co/8A7gxGmcDY

— AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 1, 2023

History indicates one thing. Combat evacuations are the wave of the future. I don't know if its because policy makers are hesitant to call for a withdrawal because they're afraid that the situation would spiral or if its because intel is behind the power curve on how all this will escalate.

One thing is pretty obvious in Sudan.

This thing is going sideways fast.

Which leaves us with a question.  What does the Administration and the Pentagon do?

The claim from the State Dept is that only a few Americans are left in country that want to leave.  That's a fragile declaration.  All it will take is for one foreign reporter to do a report or a YouTube video appear online claiming that they've begged to get out but got no help from the US govt to make that small fig leaf evaporate.

So where is the manual on doing combat evacuations between two warring entities?

Is there one?

Do we have a war plan covering that situation?

Turkish MMU/TF-X prototype GTU-0 - The official designation of the aircraft is rumored to be unveiled on May 1st

High-angle shot of Turkish MMU/TF-X prototype GTU-0

The official designation of the aircraft is rumored to be unveiled on May 1st pic.twitter.com/phFz0vHb8m

— Fighterman_FFRC (@Fighterman_FFRC) April 30, 2023

173rd Airborne Brigade conduct a water jump into Lake Garda near Pacengo, Italy

1st Recon Marines jump for high altitude, low opening training

Another factoid that illustrates how absolutely batshit stupid the sanctions are...

 

India is on track to become Europe’s largest supplier of refined fuels this month while simultaneously buying record amounts of Russian crude. Russian oil is finding its way back into Europe despite all the sanctioning and India is ramping up fuel exports to the west.#Velsig… pic.twitter.com/xD79f4ix7G

— Velina Tchakarova (@vtchakarova) April 29, 2023

So we're all paying higher prices for gas because of the sanctions but the sanctions ain't working cause they're still selling oil at a high rate? The public is getting played and someone is getting rich on the slick. An impassioned public is so easily to manipulate. Get them riled up enough and they'll start supporting shit that's against their own interests!

And so it begins. Denmark will allocate 1 billion euros for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Denmark will allocate 1 billion euros for the reconstruction of Ukraine, said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. pic.twitter.com/9gFZdyyK4z

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 29, 2023

Make no doubt about it. This is a planned release.

This is probably coordinated with the allies to get the public primed for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

But understand this one thing.

1 billion euros is chump change.  Reconstruction?  That won't even cover the operating expenses of the govt.

The war has been hellishly expensive.  The reconstruction will make it look cheap.  Plus its gonna be a generational expense.

Let me get ahead of this thing and make my position clear.

We have issues at home.  

Let Europe deal with the reconstruction.

The sad thing?  Puppet masters have had people dancing to their tune.  They'll easily get the public to spend even more of their tax dollars to support Ukraine without realizing the tremendous burden they're placing on themselves and their children.