Canadian Forces - Exercise RAFALE BLANCHE 2015

Bombogenesis? Bombo-idiocy!

This is from NBC News...yesterday....

While millions of Americans gear up for likely historic snowfall this week, they should also prepare for a blizzard of the latest meteorological buzzword: bombogenesis. In simple terms, bombogenesis is the equivalent of a "meteorological bomb," according to The Weather Channel's Kevin Roth. It occurs when a storm's area of lowest pressure experiences a rapid drop of more than 24 milibars in 24 hours. "This turns a routine storm into an intense storm very quickly," Roth told NBC News.
While not uncommon for this time of year, a period of bombogenesis between midday Monday and midday Tuesday could trigger record snow. More than two feet of snow is expected to bring "paralyzing, crippling" conditions for a 250-mile stretch from Philadelphia, through New York and Boston to northern New England. "This storm has a bundle of energy," Roth said. When bombogenesis starts to happen, coupled with the cold air over the U.S. hitting the warm Gulf Stream, "that's when the show will really begin," he added.

Conspiracy hat on.

I TRULY BELIEVE that they were going to slingshot from this "historic" snow storm straight into a push for a carbon tax and intensified talk of global warming...oh wait, they call it climate change now.

Bombogenesis?  Bombo-idiocy!  Someone, somewhere tell me where that term came from!  I'm fairly well informed and never heard it before this storm.

This was a made for TV event for some agenda and it fell flat.  I LOVE IT.

Thought for the day via Grunt Works.

General Butler's Wikipedia page is here.

The latest from China Defense Blog...

China Defense Blog has a couple of must reads up.  The first covers cold weather training that Chinese Marines are undertaking...read it here.

The next covers a top attack projectile designed to destroy heavy armor.  Isn't it time we deployed TROPHY on our vehicles?

Drink it in.  The Chinese are making moves.

Army Sgt Berghdahl to be charged with desertion?

via The Blaze.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was reportedly held captive by Taliban militants for five years, will be charged with desertion for leaving his post, according to sources of retired Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer. Bergdahl was only released after President Barack Obama negotiated with the terrorists, agreeing to release five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay.
Shaffer, senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research, told Bill O’Reilly on Monday night that his sources have confirmed the Army has concluded its investigation and Bergdahl’s lawyer has been given a “charge sheet” informing him of the desertion charge.“This has been done, the decision has been made,” Shaffer asserted. “And let me be very clear, as a corporate entity, the Army has decided that they want to pursue Bergdahl for this violation.”
It’s important to note that Shaffer’s claims have yet to be confirmed by the U.S. Army or government officials.
He said the next step in the case will be similar to the grand jury process. If the charges stand, the Bergdahl case will proceed to a court-martial, according to Shaffer. Watch the interview via “The O’Reilly Factor” on Fox News:

My view.

The US Army had no choice.  The military is already facing a morale issue and if they had let Berghdahl skate without any consequences...especially considering the casualties his unit took trying to find him...then recruiting, retention and support for the service would crater.

I'm betting that there is still a way out for the Army on the back end though.  I don't expect any severe, realistic and justified punishment.  Probably a slight slap on the wrist, with service officials saying that his time in captivity was punishment enough and that although he's guilty of desertion he will not face time in the Brig.

The bigger issue will be ignored though.

We traded a deserter for five terrorists.  We're not talking about a serviceman that was captured while doing his duty, but a guy who left a forward operating base because he wanted to...even though he was well aware that he was in a war zone (I won't even touch on his crazy ass father).

The American people won't pay attention to this story but its telling none-the-less.  They'll focus on the elite smearing the reputation of a real hero (Chris Kyle), they'll be outraged over deflated footballs (a child's game that grown men are paid to play) but they'll ignore this.

I'd be amazed if I wasn't so ashamed.

Average Guy World of Tanks ...T69 game play

I'm still trying to work all this stuff out when it comes to publishing videos.  I bought the license to bandicam so the watermark will be going away and the vids will include the entire game in the future.

Still trying to figure out how to include the results screen at the end but that'll come with time.

Sidenote;  Still laughing my ass off at the Northeast United States and this idiocy with a snow storm.  The latest craziness?  A REPORTER asked the mayor if bicycle delivery was allowed during the storm!  The people in those cities eat out so much that daily food delivery is a way of life?  I DON'T GET IT!  The NE is definitely different from the rest of the country...well except for probably the West Coast.

NORTHEAST USA! Grow some damn nuts! Warning ... RANT!

I've been attempting to monitor the news today to check on events in Egypt (did you know that 17 people have been killed in renewed rioting)...Ukraine (fighting has intensified), the Middle East (ISIS is wanting to trade a female prisoner in Jordan for the remaining Japanese hostage...and I missed the broadcast but the name of the female ISIS hostage was leaked by the President's Chief of Staff) and elsewhere.

What do I find instead?

News about a freaking snow storm!

Who gives a shit!

Its gonna snow.  You might even get to record "snow thunder" and put it on YouTube.  If you're like the people I hang out with you'll get to test your preps and there was no hurry to rush to the grocery store to stock up...you have alternate heating if the electricity goes out...you're ready.

This happens every year but people act as if they're experiencing it for the first time...EVERY FUCKING YEAR!!!!!!

I won't even get into the declaration of a state of emergency and the ordering of people off the roads.  If you're stupid enough to drive in snow drifts then you deserve the Darwin Award and should not be fined....just buried deep.

I don't know what's going on with the US.

Are we really this pussified that a simple snow storm causes people to lose their minds?  If we are...and it sure seems like it...then there is no way we can win the future.

RANT OFF.

A must follow...Dmitry Tymchuk's military blog

via Kyiv 

Editor's Note: To counter Russian propaganda lies about the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula on Feb. 27, Dmitry Tymchuk has set up the Center of Military and Political Research in Kyiv. He served in the Army air defense from 1995-1998, the National Guard from 1998-2000 and in the Defense Ministry in subsequent years on missions to Iraq, Lebanon and Kosovo. His blogs are translated into English by Voices of Ukraine. The Kyiv Post has not independently verified his findings, but will correct any misinformation brought to our attention at news@kyivpost.com or 38-044-591-3344 or any of our contacts at www.kyivpost.com/contacts.

Russian-terrorist troops continue active operations in the conflict zone in Donbas. After a number of unsuccessful advance attempts, a large-scale regrouping of Russian forces and illegal armed formations is underway. We have reports of maneuvers by insurgent forces and equipment in all sections of the ATO [Anti-terrorist operation] zone.
On Jan. 23-24, units of Russian-terrorist troops attempted to push back Ukrainian troops in the area of Pisky. The enemy attacked the positions of Ukrainian troops in several sections, consecutively, using several infantry groups (total strength of 350-400 insurgents) and up to 25 armored vehicles, supported by cannon and rocket artillery. Met with powerful retaliation and incurring significant losses, Russian troops were forced to fall back to their initial positions.

NOTE!!!!  I'm lost in the woods when it comes to this conflict.  Up is down, down is up and sideways is normal.

Dmitry's blog give another perspective and in situations like this I want as many views as I can get to try and piece it all together to come up with a reasonable image of whats actually going on.  I'm not endorsing his blog but simply saying that it should be used as another information piece to help those that are interested arrive at some of the truth to this conflict.

SIDENOTE:  William sent me a link that has Russian ratings cut to JUNK STATUS.  If they can get loans in the future it will be at astronomical rates.  Whoever is designing this game against the Russians has gone from playing with fire to juggling hand grenades.  Again!  Put aside your normalcy bias and imagine what we would do if someone was actually doing damage to our economy.  Now think about Russian reaction when they believe that's what we're doing (still giving the administration the benefit of the doubt...even though evidence mounts against them).  This could actually lead to war.

Boeing KC-46 Tanker test aircraft completes first flight

Why is IAI able to convert civilian freight aircraft into tankers with little effort but it takes an entire design team and many years for the USAF to get a tanker based on a airliner into service?

What is the choke point for simple/fast acquisition of new gear?

China's 50,000 ton LHD will rival most nation's carriers!

USMC 0802 locked onto something in my previous post that I totally missed.  The Chinese goal of building a 50,000 ton LHD will produce an amphib that rivals the size of the UK's Queen Elizabeth Class carrier AND will be larger than most nation's carriers...not to mention being twice to four times the size of most other amphibs roaming the seas.

You're looking at ship that will be a one ship Amphibious Ready Group and will be able to put a Battalion of Chinese Marines on most shores by LCAC, swimming IFVs or by helicopter.

And that's just their LHD.

They're also building LPD's that rival the San Antonio class in capability, have solid attack helicopters, have the schematics of our Black Hawks, still build the French Frelon and have access to an array of Russian birds.

Dump your normalcy bias and take a real look at what China is doing.  They're attempting to rival the US and overwhelm our allies.

Sidenote:  Below you see a pic of China's Mistral class LHD designed for export.  Marine Corps are becoming increasingly popular.  I'd bet body parts that it'll be a best seller.