According to Iranian media, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was warned by Russian intelligence of an imminent coup just hours before tanks appeared in the streets of Istanbul and Ankara last Friday.
Last week, the Russian army intercepted Turkish military communications that indicated a coup was being organized against the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to Fars News. This information was then passed on to Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT), diplomatic sources told the news agency.
Jesus H. Christ!
The Turks have backstabbed the Russians more times than I can count yet they still warn the guy of a coup attempt? Even more curious is that with the warning the plotters got as close as they did to success and if a pilot had the force of conviction then they could have downed his airplane!
There are more twists and turns in the game being played in the Middle East than I care to try and keep up with.
One thing is certain.
This is about ISIS. ISIS is a tool. We haven't defeated them because we don't want to defeat them.
With tensions rising between China and India, New Delhi has deployed nearly 100 tanks to its eastern border.
The mountainous region of Ladakh, in northern India, lies in a tense location between disputed Kashmir and Tibet. In an effort to boost its military presence in the area, the Indian military has sent Russian-made T-72 tanks to Ladakh’s Chinese border. "The vast flat valleys along the mountain ranges allow for armored movement; besides, there has been an increase in the force levels across the border," an unnamed military official told NDTV.
This! This is what I've been shouting about. Name the 3 natural enemies that China has in the region. Give up? Let me help you out...Vietnam, Japan and India.
Japan is already in our orbit, Vietnam is fiercely independent but they see the threat of China and have kicked Chinese ass in the past which leaves India.
No one talks about it much and for some reason both the Chinese and the Indian govts downplay incidents there but the clashes have been ongoing.
If you want to successfully contain China then India MUST be part of the mix. What has me confused is this move. To deploy a 100 tanks to the border with China is an "in your face move". The Chinese will of course match this move (at the least) which means that we will have two highly mechanized, armored forces operating across fuzzy, disputed borders at the top of the world. Interesting times indeed.
Drawn out contractual negotiations for lots 9 and 10 of the F-35 have left Lockheed Martin paying out of pocket for joint strike fighter costs, the company disclosed July 19. Lockheed has spent nearly $1 billion to pay out suppliers who have already started doing work on F-35 low rate initial production (LRIP) lots 9 and 10, the company’s chief financial officer Bruce Tanner said Tuesday during a quarterly earnings call. The defense prime is banking on the government to either finalize a contract — worth approximately $14 billion for more than 140 aircraft, according to the Pentagon — or to authorize a undefinitized contractual action, or UCA. “If we don't either get funding through a funding mechanism such as a UCA funding item or we definitize the contracts, we will not be able to continue and have that level of cash outflow as a corporation,” Tanner said. “We simply don't have that capacity. The Pentagon clearly knows that situation, and I'm optimistic that we're going to get cash soon.” Because a definitized LRIP 9 and 10 contract would likely include incentives for performance, it would likely generate greater amounts of funding than a UCA, he said. “We don’t care, frankly, how we get the cash,” Tanner added.
How long have they been arguing about lots 9 and 10? How many stories have you read that they were close to award? How many times have we been told about price reduction efforts on the part of Lockheed Martin?
Now we hear that due to drawn out negotiations Lockheed Martin is paying out of pocket?
This is interesting!
I wonder what the real story is here. Something is not adding up....F-35 fan boys are chest thumping about the airplane coming down in price but they can't get the freaking deal done?
I'm betting that its not as rosy as the club house kids want us to believe and I'm betting that the Pentagon is finally asking Lockheed Martin to take a haircut.
Neller has seen the future (he talked about having to seize a port...he's talked about the "big fight") but curiously he's still allowing the Company Landing Team concept to go forward and still giving lip service to Marines on alternate transports. The longer we keep chasing those fairy tales the less time we'll have to gear up for the real future fight.
Hey all. It goes against US policy but I'm officially cheering for Assad and the Russians in the fight against the "Free Syrian Army". I have never trusted those clowns, and now I despise them. They're all terrorists and there is no such thing as a "moderate" among them. The fiction that our govt is selling is too hard a pill to swallow.
What is the actual aim? I'm not sure but I do find it interesting that the Obama admin is basically following the Neo-Con playbook in the Middle East.
Assad can be contained. Saddam was contained.Qaddafi was even trying to cooperate with the West. If you understand why we're so anxious to topple/have toppled these govt then do me a favor and get me up to speed.
Where I'm sitting it lunacy. But back on task. How can a grenade cause that much damage? He tossed it down the barrel of the gun? This doesn't seem right. What am I missing?
I've come full circle when it comes to what many call police militarization. My mistake? I didn't take into account how widely once close held information has spread. There was a time when you had to join the Marine Corps or the Army to get the basics on proper fire and maneuver...decent weapons handling skills and even learning how to engage fleeting targets effectively.
Those days are long past.
So what do we do? Since I don't want my Second Amendment Rights restricted (any more than they have been), we owe it to Police to properly equip them if for no other reason than officer survival.
So what do I recommend? How about we take it by the numbers!
1. Overhead Racks for Tactical Weapons.
How can a no body civilian that's a gun guy have better gear than professional law enforcement? Everyone and there mommies (really, some mothers actually have these in their jeeps) has an overhead rack for their tactical weapons...AR-15's for the everyday bubba out there. The idea that with the types of assaults on officers that we're seeing that they're gonna be able to grab their keys, go to their trunks and drag their weapon out in time to employ it effectively is craziness! People I know have overhead racks just in case they run across a wild critter in the back 40. The police should have the same.
2. Every officer has an AR-15.
I jumped the gun with my list. Before we get them racks for their weapons they need to have one! Check out the pic above. What do you see that's all jacked up? Yeah. The majority of the officers don't have rifles. Quite honestly the best that they could hope for is that the two guys that do have weapons would be able to suppress the shooter and if they were being aggressive then MAYBE the pistol wielders could maneuver for a kill shot. Considering the fact that I don't see any Active Shooter Bags being worn, Chest Rigs, etc...that means that the 30 rounds that the riflemen are carrying is all they've got.
3. Active Shooter Bags.
This list is getting all jumbled but I'm pulling it out of my ass so forgive me. Speaking of a lack of ammo in my number 2 post. Each officer needs to have an Active Shooter Bag. Besides spare mags (I would recommend 6 for every patrol officer) it would also carry a first aid kit (dump the tourniquet...we're not dealing with IEDs...yet...and get a CELOX A Applicator for every guy) and spare flex cuffs (from my study of civilian and police shootings you always have someone act irrationally and want to stop the violence....you will need to restrain them once you put down the threat).
4. Decent Optics.
I saw too many pics of the incidents in Baton Rouge and Dallas where police that did have rifles were using iron sights. That is so last two decades. Every civilian shooter that's beyond rookie status uses optics. To bring our LEOs into the modern age, they need to have them too.
Summary.
I've gone from being a critic of police "militarization" to believing that its basic survival now. Too many unhinged people have knowledge that was once had by a few. The first step is to make sure local law enforcement is properly equipped. Am I worried about gun seizures? Nope. That wet fantasy is beyond the ability of the US military to even carry out. I've never dabbled in the black market when it comes to firearms but I've been told that if you know the right people in Houston or Dallas you can get almost anything short of an anti-tank missile (assuming you have the cash) so no, gun confiscation is not a worry.
What is a worry is the idea of another one of these maniac shooters getting a buddy and they form a mini-fire team that goes after law enforcement. What is a worry is that these clowns actually get serious about doing the deed and plan/practice getting it done. This is before we even start talking about ISIS.
Law enforcement militarization isn't a thing anymore. Its about survival now.
Watch the Red Dragon tribe members! The vehicles are immaterial. Its the widgets that are being developed for them that matter! A most mounted surveillance system? High resolution cameras, KU Band Radar and a laser range finder?
We're seeing test beds (in service test beds) for future armored vehicles. It all comes back to size and weight constraints to see how far down they push some of these systems but even a Platoon assigned to a Chinese version of our Marine Expeditionary Units, along with them having comparable air assets will see the advantage that they possess expand....especially if we continue down the road of Company Landing Teams. I still contend that CLTs are designed to fight a battle that no longer exists. If we still faced insurgent groups circa 2012 then they would be viable. We don't. Today's insurgents operate in a quasi combined arms team manner and CLTs just won't stand up.
Watch the Red Dragon and take notes. They're going mech heavy and they're looking to overwhelm our forces with fire, shock and maneuver.
A woman and her three daughters have been stabbed in a French resort for being ‘scantily dressed’. An eight-year-old girl was left fighting for her life after the attack in the Garde-Colombe in the Hautes-Alpes region of Southern France. The man is believed to have attacked the three girls outside the family’s apartment before entering the building and attacking the mother. Jean-Marc Duprat, a deputy mayor for the town of Laragne-Monteglin in the Hautes-Alpes region said the suspect, who is not related to them, was upset they were wearing shorts and T-shirts. He’s believed to have met the family earlier in the week and was staying next door. The girls are believed to be aged eight, 12 and 14 while their mother is 46. The knifeman is alleged to have fled the scene by car before being arrested.
You don't even have to think about this....just watch the news. The ISIS summer offensive in Europe has begun.
Note: I wonder if we will eventually see the same in Europe that we see in the Middle East. "Fighting Seasons".
Note: After seeing these pics, I have to reassess. First this was a pure ambush. Second patrol officers will be operating from behind the power curve with a trained assailant...they would need to be operating on clear comms, maneuvering like madmen while laying down cover fire...I don't think current rules of engagement for law enforcement would allow guys armed with handguns to effectively take on a trained guy armed with an assault rifle unless they're given more latitude with stray rounds. Last I can't quite make it out but it doesn't look like this guy was prepared for an extended firefight. I have yet to see additional magazines...is this also a case of suicide by cop? This guy was trained but his preparation was lacking. Remember the AR was left in the car. I don't know if he was carrying his handgun but equipping himself with additional AR mags seems a no brainer. What was the thinking here? Was this suppose to be a hit and run?
