American family suffer home invasion in Germany, 1 intruder killed, victim being investigated by German authorities for excessive force!?!?!?!

via Stars and Stripes.

As the wife turned to run back up the stairs, one of the invaders slipped past and chased her. While the father fought, he heard his wife’s screams.

“She is screaming bloody murder, she’s screaming ‘my baby, my baby,’” he said.

“The whole time I am swinging,” he said. “I am pounding on anybody and everything that comes near me. I just fought like hell. I don’t know how I got the three guys back out the door.”

Luckily, German doors typically lock automatically when closed, but the door was glass and the father said he was worried they could break back in.

He then dashed to the kitchen, grabbed a knife off the drain board and charged upstairs screaming, “Where is he?”

The invader had pinned the wife down and was smothering her with one hand on her neck, the American said.

“No talk,” the invader kept saying in rudimentary English. Their infant, now awake, was crying. During the melee, their 5-year-old boy looked for a place to hide.

“He had seen one guy get past me,” the American said. He took his sister and hid under the bed. “I am amazed he had that in him. We’ve never practiced what to do in a situation like this. He thought his mom was getting killed by bad guys.”

Now armed with a knife, the father charged upstairs.

“I can see him coming at me as soon as I get to the top of the stairs,” he said. “We collided in the doorway, scuffled right there in the door and into the hall at the top of the stairs. I think I got three stabs on him.”

The invader then ran down the stairs. Concerned that he would let in the three other culprits, the American said he attacked as he chased after the man. The culprit managed to make it out the door, which shut before anyone could come back in.

Story here.

This story reeks!  This is weird as hell and we're obviously missing a VERY important piece of this puzzle.

Having said that, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN GERMANY!!!  When I was there so very long ago nothing like this would EVER EVER EVER HAPPEN!

Geez.  This sounds like a horror movie, not the Germany I once knew and loved.  Quite honestly I thought it was damn near paradise but after reading this it's obvious things have DRASTICALLY changed.

Monica Elfriede Witt: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

via Heavy.com

39-year-old former U.S. Air Force counterintelligence specialist is accused of spying for Iran by sharing U.S. defense secrets, according to a federal indictment unsealed on February 13. Monica Elfriede Witt defected to Iran in 2013 and federal authorities say she helped Iranian intelligence services to target former fellow agents in the U.S. intelligence community.

“Witt is also alleged to have disclosed the code name and classified mission of a U.S. Department of Defense Special Access Program. An arrest warrant has been issued for Witt, who remains at large,” the Department of Justice said in a press release. Witt is believed to be living in Iran. The indictment charges her with conspiracy to deliver and delivering national defense information to representatives of the Iranian government.

The indictment also names four Iranian nationals, Mojtaba Masoumpour, Behzad Mesri, Hossein Parvar and Mohamad Parya, who are accused of “conspiracy, attempts to commit computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft, for conduct in 2014 and 2015 targeting former co-workers and colleagues of Witt in the U.S. Intelligence Community.”

Story here. 

Read about this disgusting human being by following the link.  What I can't fathom is how they let her slip thru their fingers when they had more than enough to move on her.

What has me spinning?  How many others are out there that are ACTUAL threats to our national security?  How many people did this lady get killed because they didn't move soon enough?

T-14 Armata Main Battle Tank goes into production next year...

via Army Recognition.

Twelve T-14 tanks and four T-16 armored recovery vehicles will be supplied to the troops by the end of the year, several Defense Ministry sources told the newspaper. The serial Armata differs from prototypes by some new units and systems. The first serial tanks will participate in the VE-Day parade and will then be tested by the troops. Sixteen vehicles will be sent to units deployed in various climatic zones. Uralvagonzavod (UVZ) Corporation told the newspaper it strictly observes the contract with the Defense Ministry to produce Armata tanks and combat vehicles.

Experts compare the T-14 to foreign analogues and say it exceeds US Abrams, French Leclerc and German Leopard 2. The Russian tank is 25-30 percent more effective and has better survivability than adversary vehicles. The tank is equipped with Afganit reactive armor. It creates an impenetrable dome over the tank and automatically destroys approaching shells, bombs and missiles without crew participation.

Story here. 

Is the highlighted portion true?  What I find interesting is that I've seen no CIA or DIA estimates of its capabilities.  If the experts are right then we don't need to worry about Russian vehicles.  We need to worry that they might export it!

Are we about to make a run in Venezuela? US military massing near the border...

via Washington Examiner.

As I suggested earlier on Wednesday, President Trump is likely to deploy U.S. military forces to Colombia before Feb. 23. But where might those forces come from? One possible answer is the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, embarked on the USS Boxer.

Currently operating off their home port of San Diego in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Navy vessels are approximately 5-7 days' sailing time from Cartagena via the Panama Canal. And while I'm not sure whether the USS Theodore Roosevelt is on operational duty or pre-deployment training, a Navy spokesperson tells me that the Boxer and the 11th MEU are on "routine operations." That descriptor means deployment readiness. Correspondingly, seeing as the express purpose of a MEU is to offer rapid deployment capability, the Boxer's presence close to Colombia bears attention.

Indeed, a MEU is exactly the type of unit that would fit the mission set of defending U.S. and Colombian interests along the Venezuelan border. Formed around an infantry battalion with an armored platoon (tanks), logistics and command elements, MEUs also possess aviation forces with helicopter attack and transport, and either Harrier or F-35B jet fighters. 

Story here. 

Wow.  This article is speculative but I hope to God we don't conduct an intervention into that country.  That is the last thing we need.  Support Brazil and Colombia?  Sure.  Lead the thing?  Hell no. 

With that said it would be nice to see Venezuela succeed instead of constantly teetering on the edge of being a failed state.

I guess we'll know soon enough.  The 11th MEU will probably set sail soon.

BLT 1/4 Marines conduct counterattack operations during Exercise Forest Light...Pics by Cpl. Luis Velez

Controversial Question. Is America evil, are we allowing necessary evils or are we victims of an out of control govt?

This is controversial so let's keep it between the lines guys.

Is America evil, are we allowing necessary evils to be done in our name or are we victims of an out of control govt?

Don't get it twisted!

I don't think for a second that the rank and file (especially the people that frequent this blog) are anything but patriotic Americans.  We might disagree.  Are views might range from the far left to the far right but at the end of the day we all want America and Americans to be safe, prosperous and happy.

But does that apply to certain corporations and govt agencies/bureaucrats?

Again don't get it twisted.  I'm not saying that the post man is part of a surveillance system designed to keep tabs on Americans.  But at the same time every piece of mail you receive is tagged and tracked.  That FBI agent that is kicking in doors at o-dark thirty is fighting bad guys and putting his life on the line, but we've also seen how they've practically destroyed a president because certain individuals that were high ranking enough had an agenda (my opinion...not a fan of Trump's behavior but I can see a setup when I see one).

Don't get me started on Hollywood or major corporations that have gone from being entertainers/marketers to voices that pick and choose sides in our social debates.

I guess the perfect example are the wars.  We have been at war for almost two decades. That's unprecedented yet no poll is ever taken on if we should continue and even anti-war factions have suddenly seen value in them.

So I again ask you to be civil but to answer the question.  What gives?  Are we evil, are we allowing evil to be done in our name or are we victims of an out of control govt?

Russia's Black Sea Fleet Army Corps conducts large exercise in Crimea...

via TASS

SEVASTOPOL, February 13. /TASS/. More than 500 troops of the Black Sea Fleet’s ground force have taken part in a tactical exercise on the Crimean Peninsula, the fleet’s press-service told the media on Wednesday.

"Mechanized infantry units of a separate coast defense brigade of the Black Sea Fleet’s army corps have held company level tactical exercises at a combat training site in Crimea. Involved in it were more than 500 troops and about 100 pieces of military equipment, such as T-72B3 main battle tanks, BTR-80 armored personnel carriers and army aviation of the Southern Military District," the news release runs.

According to the press-service, the troops enjoying air support practiced offensive and defensive operations, organization and camouflaging of positions, mine-planting, ambushes, reconnaissance operations and the landing of mobile groups in the enemy’s rear.

One of the main tasks of the exercise was to test the commanders’ skills and ability to independently make decisions and take improvised action depending on the current battlefield situation.

"The army corps’ command rated highly the performance of commanders who displayed initiative and resourcefulness in coping with the tasks set to them," the press-service said.

Interesting.  Is this a warning to Ukraine or to NATO/US?  Regardless its just part of the process in Europe these days.  We saw a spike in the number of exercises that NATO runs so why should we be surprised that the favor is returned.

On a side note.  I would pay good money for a down and dirty explanation of how to tell the different models of Russian MBTs apart.  As things stand I have to wait to be told and its somewhat irritating.  I got the difference between a T-64, T-72 and T-80 down, but add in all the sub variants and I'm lost like a duck.

Half of the F-35's we have aren't flyable...via National Interest.

via NI

The Pentagon’s new stealth fighter was used in combat for the first time, first by the Israeli Air Force and then by U.S. Marine aviators on an airstrike in Afghanistan . Royal Air Force pilots landed F-35B jump jets for the first time on the U.K.’s aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, while F-35Cs designed for catapult-launch from U.S. Navy carriers were test-integrated for the first time in a carrier air wing onboard the Abraham Lincoln in August 2018.

On the industrial side of things, unit costs for the standard F-35A model finally began to decline close to the projected $85 million per aircraft, while flight hours costs declined by $12,000.

------------------------------------------------

The readiness rate for F-35s in operational units “remains below program target of 60 percent, and well below planned 80 percent needed for efficient conduct of Initial Operational Testing and Evaluation.” Note also that in 2018 Defense Secretary Mattis requested all aviation units boost readiness rates to 80 percent.

Worse, there was “no improving trend in fleet aircraft availability,” and the jet was “not meeting interim reliability and maintainability metrics.” Indeed, flaws delayed the F-35’s entry into the IOT&E phase by three months to December 2018—and it was originally intended to begin in 2017.

---------------------------------------------

Indeed, the report dryly states that in May 2018, a committee recategorized 102 Category 1 deficiencies as Category 2—still leaving the F-35 with fifteen Category 1 deficiencies. A Category 1 deficiency is one which “may cause death, severe injury, or severe occupational illness; may cause loss or major damage to a weapon system; critically restricts the combat readiness capabilities of the using organization; or result in a production line stoppage.”

Category 2 deficiencies, of which the F-35 now has around one thousand, are those which may impede successful completion of a mission.

The report details faults with all three variants of the F-35, which share only about 20 percent of their components in common between them. Many of these faults were reported in the prior annual evaluation —and remain going into 2019.

Story here.

We've seen this before but to see it all spelled out in an article that is trying its best to be fair and balanced toward the plane is remarkable.

One thing the author didn't touch on.  This plane has been in development for over a decade.

A decade on and its still not working right, they're trying to rush to full rate production and we have entire squadrons of F-35's that aren't worth spit.

It will be hard for this program to turn around its unfavorable view.

Even worse is the fact that we're buying weapons today for Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to use in the future.  The analogy goes like this.  The Gulf Wars were built on the equipment bought in the 80's.  They got it right.  Will the General's of today be able to say the same when future warriors go off to fight for this country?

In memory of the Mars Rover...

Germany rejects the F-18 & F-35...goes with more Typhoons...

via BR.DE (translated by Google)..

Billions order for Airbus: Bundeswehr orders 33 Eurofighters

The German Federal Armed Forces want to order jet fighters worth billions of Euros at Airbus, as the Federal Ministry of Defense has decided. The BR learned from government circles. A business from which the locations in Augsburg and Manching profit.

Millions of heavy order for Airbus in Manching: As the Bavarian radio has learned from government circles, ordered the German Armed Forces at Airbus 33 fighter jets. This would secure approximately 5,000 jobs for many years at the Manching site, confirms Airbus Works Council Chairman Thomas Pretzl.

The Ingolstadt member of parliament Reinhard Brandl (CSU), who is also on the defense committee, welcomes the decision of the ministry "very much" to replace the old Eurofighter by the latest generation aircraft. "This is more economical than an extension of service life, which gives the Bundeswehr a Eurofighter fleet with uniform capabilities, which also simplifies operations and logistics."

Total order worth 3.3 billion euros

Story here. 

Predictable.  Not much news here.