Bundy Ranch News. James Yeager talks FBI Investigation.

Hmmm.  This sound more like a cleansing statement to me.  The idea that he didn't see anyone point weapons at Federal LEO's is questionable at best.  If he checked the coverage of events or talked to Oath Keepers/Militia at the incident site then he would be aware.

But he denies it in this vid.

I'm not a Yeager basher but he needs to do better than this and go straight at the issue.  While he's right about the media twisting the reason for the response, he's wrong when he downplays criminality that has attached itself to this situation.

The time might come.  Hell I expect it to come (I believe financial collapse is inevitable...the Rube Goldberg Machine known as globalization is too complex NOT to fail).  But this wasn't it.

Timing is everything.

More on the BMP-M2

Many thanks to Andaar for telling me about the company, Excalibur Army.

  Bmp m2 Skcz en Final

  Dvoulist Bmp m2 Skcz en Final

You really have to check out Excalibur Army's website here.  They're doing interesting things with vehicle upgrades.  The BMP-M2 upgraded vehicle is impressive alone, but barring that they offer a more modest upgrade package.

These guys bear watching!

Ukraine has already fallen...One burning question remains.

Consider this.

Instead of being a lead story on the nightly news, we have the above video being turned into a gif and played on Jalopnik...a car website.

Ukraine is lost.

The nation is failed and the only thing left to do is to prevent the contagion from spreading.  The fact that the Obama Administration hasn't admitted as much is par for the course.  The fact that Putin pulled back his troops from the borders lets us all in on the secret.

The Russian mission has been accomplished.

If we can agree on that then only one burning question remains.  If we failed to act aggressively toward Russia (and I don't think Ukraine was worth going to war over...but I'm no policy maker) when they invaded/destabilized a sovereign country then what happens when China seizes disputed territory?

If the clear eyed, realistic answer is nothing, then we've already lost.  Online Twitter protests will not work.  Pathetic sanctions on government officials will be laughable.  And if the ties between Europe and Russia were too intense to risk then what about the ties between China and the rest of the world?

We have gotten into bed with a communist country and as a result have defeated ourselves.  Unless we unwind economically from China then we can basically shutter our armed forces.  They won't be useful in the coming conflict.

Cindy Landolt. Fitness Hottie...

The Commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge”

The commandant’s response “a weak legalistic dodge,” ...Gary Solis, Former Marine Corps Judge Advocate, current Georgtown & George Washington Law Professor

The Major Weirick issue is important but when viewed through the lens of Amos' entire tenure as Commandant, is simply another example of a HQMC gone off the tracks.  via Foreign Policy...

The scrutiny has led to growing concern at the Pentagon about whether the commandant's legacy can be salvaged, several Marine officers there told Foreign Policy. He also is seen as damaged by many on Capitol Hill, said one senior staff member for a Republican member of the House Armed Services Committee. Like many individuals for this story, the officers and staff member spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue and not wanting to be perceived as crossing the commandant. The staff member said that because Amos has less than a year until he retires, there is little appetite in Congress to debate whether he can still do his job well, but the questions have been raised.

And then this....

"Amos runs the risk of being a lame duck, and that's something that would be unique for a commandant," the Republican staffer said. "I think a lot of people look at this, and where they see smoke, there's fire. At this point, a pattern has developed, and I think people wonder whether he can effectively lead the Marine Corps."

And finally this...

But the irony of the commandant calling sharply and specifically for Marines to act ethically while he faces an IG investigation is not lost on rank-and-file Marines, one Marine sergeant major with more than 20 years in the Marine Corps told Foreign Policy.
"He's pointing the finger in the wrong direction," the sergeant major said. "At this point, it's pretty clear he's an unethical guy and only is out to take care of himself."

The Marine Corps needs to do a serious after action and lessons learned on the tenure of General Amos as Commandant.

Its obvious that he has failed.  Its obvious that he no longer has the trust of those he leads.

The question that needs to be answered is this.  How do we prevent another substandard officer from wrecking the Corps if a President appoints another politician in uniform instead of a Marine to the top spot? 

Alex Caldow’s “ZSU-40-4 Self Propelled Anti Aircraft Gun Concept...

Note:  Alex Caldow's site is here.

Slovakia Army BMP2 upgrade

Note:  All photos property of Cem Altinisik.  Used with his permission.

I noted this highly modified and seriously upgraded BMP2 last year.  Quite honestly I thought it was a one off and that it wouldn't go into production.  Looks like I was wrong.

This will probably be the near term future for armored vehicle production.

Not new builds but simply upgraded and modified versions of existing vehicles.  But unlike the USMC, the Slovakia Army is actually getting on with the work of producing this vehicle.