Tuesday, February 08, 2011

Israel and Egypt...the best analysis by far...


Ferran!  Thanks.  This is by far the best analysis of the dangers that the current troubles in Egypt present to the Israeli people.  

Check out this analysis and follow the link to read the whole thing.  via STRATFOR.


By George Friedman
The events in Egypt have sent shock waves through Israel. The 1978 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel have been the bedrock of Israeli national security. In three of the four wars Israel fought before the accords, a catastrophic outcome for Israel was conceivable. In 1948, 1967 and 1973, credible scenarios existed in which the Israelis were defeated and the state of Israel ceased to exist. In 1973, it appeared for several days that one of those scenarios was unfolding.
The survival of Israel was no longer at stake after 1978. In the 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the various Palestinian intifadas and the wars with Hezbollah in 2006 and Hamas in Gaza in 2008, Israeli interests were involved, but not survival. There is a huge difference between the two. Israel had achieved a geopolitical ideal after 1978 in which it had divided and effectively made peace with two of the four Arab states that bordered it, and neutralized one of those states. The treaty with Egypt removed the threat to the Negev and the southern coastal approaches to Tel Aviv.
The agreement with Jordan in 1994, which formalized a long-standing relationship, secured the longest and most vulnerable border along the Jordan River. The situation in Lebanon was such that whatever threat emerged from there was limited. Only Syria remained hostile but, by itself, it could not threaten Israel. Damascus was far more focused on Lebanon anyway. As for the Palestinians, they posed a problem for Israel, but without the foreign military forces along the frontiers, the Palestinians could trouble but not destroy Israel. Israel’s existence was not at stake, nor was it an issue for 33 years.

Marine Tanks in Afghanistan...the pictures...

U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, Delta Company, navigates the terrain of Helmand province, Afghanistan in a M1A1 Abrams Tank while on a convoy escorted by 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) (not shown)on February 1, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Staff Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released)

U.S. Marines with 1st Marine Division, 1st Tank Battalion, Delta Company, stop to give assistance to, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8) as they repair a AMK-970 tanker during a convoy through Helmand province, Afghanistan on January 31, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance for the convoy while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released)

Sgt Michael Fryman with 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) (1st MLG (FWD)), Combat Logistics Battalion 8 (CLB-8), prepares to change tires on an AMK-970 tanker while on a convoy through Helmand province, Afghanistan, on January 31, 2011. 1st MLG (FWD), CLB-8, provided security and maintenance for the convoy while in route to forward operating base Edinburgh. (U.S. Marine Corps Photo by Sgt. Brian A. Lautenslager/Released)

F-35B at Pax River...

via Lockheed Martin...

BF-1 flight 88 at NAS Patuxent River, Md.

Monday, February 07, 2011

MMC/Boeing's Ship to Shore Connector.

Lee sent me this a couple of weeks ago (thanks buddy..!!) but life got in the way and I never shared it.  I'm interested in seeing what the competition was offering...but the fact remains.  If you want the Sea Base to actually work then this ship... or something like it... is going to be a big part of it.

SSC Gen Info+Tech Specs 1                                                            

AAI's Rapid Deployment Tank..

Marine Corps amphibious operations require vehicles that can be quickly moved to areas of concern.

I don't think a 70 ton tank meets that requirement.  And we still haven't talked about keeping it in action once its on the battlefield.

The Rapid Deployment Tank project of the 80's would be welcome even today.  These photos are all from Viggen's Blog.

If you want a refresher on the "looming" weight issue with Marine Corps and Army vehicles when it comes to strategic/tactical mobility then check out this article by Roger Galbraith.









The Israeli view of President Obama's handling of Egypt...

Jonathan (thanks guy...love the articles, keep them coming) sent me an article that answered a burning question for me...What does Israel think of the crisis in Egypt.  This answers the question...

via DefenseNews.com (bold lettering is my effort to emphasize points, not DN's)
Israelis were struggling to mask dismay, if not contempt, for what are round­ly viewed here as naïve, inept and potential­ly dangerous missteps by U.S. President Barack Obama, who has encouraged the masses seeking to oust Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

With momentum continuing to favor Egypt’s grass roots, anxiety mounted here over the specter of a revived southern front com­manded by an unknown, likely radical regime organized, trained and equipped with the very best from America.

At the outset of mass demonstrations last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Ne­tanyahu directed cabinet members to hold their tongues about unfolding events in Sinai and beyond the Suez Canal. Anything uttered here would either irritate his government’s al­ready-strained ties with the Obama adminis­tration or, worse, shift Egyptian street anger still largely focused on internal repression and economic inequality to anti-Israel or anti-Semitic diatribes.

Instead, Israel’s Foreign Ministry directed envoys worldwide to urge their host govern­ments not to isolate Mubarak through word or deed, given his decades-long contributions to regional stability and his commitment to the 1979 Camp David Accords.

“The peace between Israel and Egypt has lasted for more than three decades and our objective is to ensure that these relations will continue to exist,” Netanyahu told cabinet col­leagues Jan. 31.

But by late last week, with Obama leading the charge for a “new dawn” over a post-Mubarak Egypt, many here removed their muzzles in open support of existing centers of gravity namely the Egyptian Armed Forces (EAF) and Mubarak-legacy leadership. In in­terviews here, military officials said Mubarak may already have been lost, but it’s not too late to fortify international recognition of the EAF and the vital, stabilizing role it can play in a future regime.

So when U.S., European and some Arabic television networks began broadcasting agi­tating commentary Feb. 3 about military ac­tion against demonstrators in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Israel’s military spokesman agreed to respond on record about unfolding events.

“Based on our assessment of events on the ground, it is our understanding that the Egypt­ian Army is operating responsibly and in a manner that contributes to stability and pre­serves the peace,” said Brig. Gen. Avi Be­nayahu, Israel Defense Forces spokesman.
Wow.

To be honest and not political, it has been curious how the White House and State Department could just dump an ally in the middle of a crisis so quickly.

Whoever wins in Egypt, they won't trust the US.  Israel doesn't trust the US.  Europe doesn't trust the US.  China doesn't (who cares)...

Will anyone else?

I talk about other nations becoming unsturdy...shaky...yielding to the whims of ideology instead of practicality.

It seems that the same can be said for the upper reaches of the current US government, regardless of party.

USMC Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST)'s to Egypt???


via Business Insider...
A senior member of the US Marine corps is telling people "multiple platoons" are deploying to Egypt, a source tells us.
There is a system within the US Marines that alerts the immediate families of high-ranking marines when their marine will soon be deployed to an emergency situation where they will not be able to talk to their spouses or families.
That alert just went out, says our source.
The units aren't identified but this story is spreading like wild fire over the internet.  I'm guessing FAST Marines are on the way because of their mission profile.

This from Wikipedia...
The Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST) is capable of rapidly deploying to immediately improve security at United States Government installations worldwide. FAST Marines are deployed at the discretion of the Chief of Naval Operations and the Commandant of the Marine Corps when the primary and auxiliary security forces of the Marines are unable to adequately respond to a security crisis.
Yep, I'd guess that its a couple of FAST Companies.

Sunday, February 06, 2011

Lenco BearCat G4.



I love the martial music...can't remember what movie I first heard it in though...