ISIS preps its troops/armor for battle in the Aleppo Province...huge battle shaping up.

pic/story via AMN.com

 Although the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) elite Tiger Forces have liberated some 20 villages with relative ease this month alone, ISIS has stubbornly deployed some of its own seasoned units to hold their ground in the Maskanah Plains, anchored between the Jabbul Lake and Lake Assad.

12 new pictures released by Amaq Agency show that the Islamic State has deployed tanks, BMP’s and many militants to halt the SAA from pushing into neighboring Raqqa province. 

More pics here. 

The war is coming to an end and the earlier nonsense about another couple of decades to decide the outcome of the fight that the Pentagon was spouting only a year ago is obviously wrong.

But it won't be easy and the ISIS scum won't go quietly.

Colombia builds up its forces on the border of Venezuela...is an intervention possible?

via LAHT.com

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday that Caracas does not accept Bogota’s explanation for the deployment of Colombian armored vehicles along the countries’ shared border.

In response to a statement from Venezuela complaining of “the usual and unacceptable provocation” posed by the presence of armored “combat” vehicles near the Paraguachon border crossing, the Colombian government said the units had been stationed there since 2015 to suppress criminal activity.

“We are not satisfied or content with the reply given by the Colombian government, because we know that the military activities and actions and the military equipment that is present on the border with Venezuela are not part of the battle against transnational crime,” Rodriguez told reporters in Caracas.

The heightened tension with neighboring Colombia comes nearly two months into a wave of opposition protests in Venezuela against the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Authorities say the unrest has left 60 people dead, including both supporters and opponents of the government, along with police and bystanders.

“We know that (the Colombian military deployment) is in the context of the provocation designed by the Pentagon,” the foreign minister said.

She said the border situation is connected to a meeting two weeks ago in Washington between Venezuelan opposition leader Julio Borges and the US national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

Maduro has accused the US government – specifically President Donald Trump – of being behind the protests in Venezuela.

Hmm.  Don't know about this one.  Both could be correct and it might be in response to an influx of refugees from Venezuela.

It bears watching though.

Manchester Chief Constable's statement is the usual useless boilerplate...

official statement via LEP.co.uk

 "This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see. "Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.

"Our thoughts are with those 22 victims that we now know have died, the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. We continue to do all we can to support them. They are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester. "As you will appreciate this is a fast-moving investigation and we have significant resources deployed to both the investigation and the visible patrols that people will see across Greater Manchester as they wake up to the news of the events last night.

"This will include armed officers as people would expect and more than 400 officers have been deployed on this operation throughout the night. "To remind you, we were called at about 10.33pm to reports of an explosion at the Manchester Arena. This was at the conclusion of the Ariana Grande concert.

"We then received more than 240 calls and emergency services responded very quickly to the scene. Emergency numbers have been established for anyone who is concerned for their loved ones who may not have returned home, these numbers are 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900.

"We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe at this stage the attack last night was conducted by one man. The priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network. "The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity. "We would ask people not to speculate on his details or share names. This is a complex and wide ranging investigation. "Our priority is to work with the National Counter-Terrorist Policing Network and UK intelligence services to establish more details about the individual who carried out this attack.

They're not releasing the name, race, nationality or religion of the attacker.

They're asking the public to remain calm in the face of terrorism.

They're saying that they're doing all they can to support the victims and family of those that were killed or injured.

They're asking the public to maintain a "stiff upper lip".

My question.  When will we (the Brits in this case) start demanding preventive instead of a reactive response from our security/intel agencies?

We put up with monitoring that is beyond anything anyone could imagine and anyone could imagine would be tolerated by so called "free societies".  In essence the general public has given the govt the right to pry into our private lives with the idea that this would allow a measure of safety and security.

Govts are not delivering on the deal.

When will we hold them accountable?  When will we get pissed about the bloodshed and stop making excuses for it?  When will we do more than light candles and put flowers on the sidewalk of a terror attack? 

Open Comment Post. May 23, 2017

Tuesday Funny...Nana don't like VR!

 

http://zeedesertfox.tumblr.com/post/160973777050/goldenpoc-theimaginarythoughts-neonblak

 

2nd AAB Splash to USS Arlington......Video by Lance Cpl. Raul Torres

Baltic Ops 2017 is coming!  Wonder who will be showing up this year.  It should be pretty big...

U.S. Air Force’s Low Cost Attritable Aircraft Technology (LCAAT) pic

via Alert 5

A low cost throw-awayable, stealthy (looking at least) aircraft?  Let's call this what it is.  An F-35 enabler!

The background noise on the program gets louder and louder.  The old Marine Corps procurement maxim get's clearer and clearer.

Get it and once we have it we'll fix it.

It's so obvious that's its stunning.

Have you noticed that any talk of systems and aircraft to actually make the F-35 work has fallen by the wayside and we get only momentary glimpses of it?

What the fuck am I talking about?

Remember the plan for new buys of F-16s?  How about a new Arsenal Plane? Lasers?  And now this!  Oh and it wasn't that long ago.  The talk of new F-16s and the Arsenal plane was around the end of 2016.

That's my point F-35 critics.

The fanclub is agile.  They hop from point to point, from attack vector to attack vector and they use their friends in the media to make their case.

We needed to be just as agile instead of sticking to the tired debate of outdated/ineffective sensors, electronics or performance!  History will show that the anti F-35 crowd was right about the plane but we stand the chance of losing the fight based on the momentum and agility and the lie-ability of the planes supporters.

Terror attack in Manchester UK?

News is reporting an incident...cameras show people running from a stadium...large immigrant population....doesn't sound good.

More to come.

UPDATE 1.

Police are reporting a number of casualties.

Update 2.

Witnesses are claiming they heard explosions...not verified.

Politics Talk. Have you been keeping up with the Congressional Hacking Scandal????

via DC Caller

Congressional technology aides are baffled that data-theft allegations against four former House IT workers — who were banned from the congressional network — have largely been ignored, and they fear the integrity of sensitive high-level information.

Imran Awan and three relatives were colleagues until police banned them from computer networks at the House of Representatives after suspicion the brothers accessed congressional computers without permission.

Five Capitol Hill technology aides told The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group that members of Congress have displayed an inexplicable and intense loyalty towards the suspects who police say victimized them. The baffled aides wonder if the suspects are blackmailing representatives based on the contents of their emails and files, to which they had full access.

“I don’t know what they have, but they have something on someone. It’s been months at this point” with no arrests, said Pat Sowers, who has managed IT for several House offices for 12 years. “Something is rotten in Denmark.”

Yeah.

While the rest of the govt is on fire, everyone is focusing on Trump.  The deep state, neo-cons, republican/democrat elite, and the liberal scum that support them have been ignoring this story.

Shame on them for deceiving their fellow citizens.

Shame on us for letting them get away with it.

These fifth column members that the Congress allowed inside its own house are working for someone...and the FBI/Intel Agencies aren't running it to ground.

If you wonder why I have so little faith in the future of our country, just add this story to the list.  We're fucked.  Proper fucked.

Breaking! Saudi arms package includes 150 Blackhawk helicopters?!?!?

via UPI

"We are especially proud of how our broad portfolio of advanced global security products and technologies will enhance national security in Saudi Arabia, strengthen the cause of peace in the region, and provide the foundation for job creation and economic prosperity in the U.S. and in the Kingdom. These agreements will directly to His Majesty's Vision 2030 by opening the door f in the U.S.or thousands of highly skilled jobs in new economic sectors."

The weapons systems include the THAAD ballistic missile defense system, the anti-aircraft missile Patriot, 150 utility Blackhawk helicopters, and other systems and logistical support.

The program is projected to support 18,000 skilled jobs in the U.S., along with thousands of jobs maintaining the equipment in Saudi Arabia for the next 30 years.

What in God's name are the Saudi's gonna do with 150 Blackhawks?  They don't have a force large enough to support half the number!

This deal is great for the US defense industry but for Saudi Arabia it makes absolutely no fucking sense.

I DON'T GET IT!

Open Comment Post. May 22, 2017

Background for sustained combat between China & the US.

Trying to think of the background for a short on the next Korean War with an emphasis on sustained ground combat between the US and China.

Rough sketch (not even outline)...

1.  N. Korean fat boy goes even loopier.  Launches strikes against Seoul just for shits and giggles.  50K people die in the first hour, and the city is in ruins.

2.  Efforts to contain retaliation at the UN fail.

3.  US supports punishing blows against N. Korea.

4.  Massive airstrikes are launched against military and communication centers.  The entire USAF Pacific mobilizes along with Navy Air to essentially put an orbit of fighters, bombers, refuelers and drones above N. Korea.    N. Korean AF is eradicated in 6 hours with most of that time plinking hangars built into mountain sides.  Anti-air missiles defenses are 60 era models and prove to be no threat.  The North retaliates and their most effective anti-air systems is their ability to hack the airbases that these planes fly from.  Within 2 days air combat drops 50%.  Not because of lack of targets or a lack of desire to support the coming land war, but because the computer virus has done what the North couldn't....killed a portion of our AF.

5.  Little fat boy saves face and launches a nuke at Nagasaki.

6.   1 million dead, the world is outraged and war is back on.

7.  Land warfare commences with the 2nd ID along with the Korean Army launching a deliberate assault thru the DMZ.  Casualties are heavy.  The assault continues.  3rd ID is alerted for deployment to Korea.

8.  1st Mar Div and the entire ROK Marine Corps assemble off shore for an amphibious assault on the North.  China becomes alarmed.  States that they will intervene to prevent the situation from escalating and will remove little crazy.

9.  S. Korea refuses the assistance, the US objects says that the time for intervention has passed.

10.  China puts its forces on alert, starts massing at the border.  US is aware of the troop movements and seeks clarification from Beijing.  The response is terse.  China will seek to remove the little fat boy and maintain the status quo...with or without the permission of the US or S. Korea.

11.  10th Mountain is alerted for deployment to N. Korea.  Mountains are light infantry land and even though the 10th just wears the Mountain in its name for historical purposes they're light fighters...and they're gonna fight in the hills soon.

12.  USAF sends additional maintainers to the Pacific.  The problem isn't a lack of aircraft but the virus that has grounded aircraft.  US, S. Korean and Japanese Govts put out a call to every computer organization and white hat hackers to solve the computer virus situation.

13.  The USAF launches three X-37's.  Mission unknown.

14.  The USMC activates the 4th MARDIV.  US Army calls up the 256th and armories across the US are seeing increased activity.

And that's where I ran out....toss me something...or is it just batshit crazy from the start and I need to scrap it.