13 PLA aircrafts (J-16*8, Y-8 ASW, H-6*2 and J-16D*2) entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ on January 24, 2022. Please check our official website for more information: https://t.co/oAAr89Fx1Z pic.twitter.com/vMRWxQN9Ct
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. 🇹🇼 (@MoNDefense) January 24, 2022
Monday, January 24, 2022
China appears to be ramping up penetrations of Taiwan's airspace.
Mali demands Denmark withdraw its Special Forces
So much for winning hearts and minds. I wonder what this is all about. Need Special Ops if you're fighting an active insurgency.
#BREAKING Mali demands Denmark 'immediately' withdraw its special forces: statement pic.twitter.com/evqNv5SWaS
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) January 24, 2022
F-35 mishap at sea...7 Sailors injured, Pilot ejected...
F-35C accident aboard carrier in South China Sea forces pilot to eject, injures seven sailors:https://t.co/R0Nl2r6VMJ
— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) January 24, 2022
Warning to my readers on the Ukraine crisis...
Just a note of warning to my readers.
When you have as many troops, ships and aircraft operating in relatively close proximity to "threat" forces things can go sideways quick.
Think about it.
All it takes is one glory seeking Company Commander operating on the border to start a fire fight that could escalate.
One fighter pilot digging his fangs into the floor board of his jet and takes a seemingly provocative move by the threat to start a furball.
At sea all it takes is a navigation error mixed with bravado on one or both sides and we could see weapons free.
The moves by NATO nations are in response to Russian actions but they're still riddled with risk.
One mistake. One hot head. One person on either side having a really bad day or suffering an "oh shit" moment could kick this thing off in a way no one is expecting.
France, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands deploy additional ships and aircraft to the Baltics and Eastern Europe amid tensions with Russia.
JUST IN - France, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands deploy additional ships and aircraft to the Baltics and Eastern Europe amid tensions with Russia.
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 24, 2022
UAE Air Defenses are engaging multiple targets
NOW - United Arab Emirates air defenses engaging multiple targets over Abu Dhabi, explosions reported.pic.twitter.com/ajBttRX202
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) January 24, 2022
Sunday, January 23, 2022
War Drums Are Beating...Biden Weighs Deploying Thousands of Troops to Eastern Europe and Baltics
via NY Times
President Biden is considering deploying several thousand U.S. troops, as well as warships and aircraft, to NATO allies in the Baltics and Eastern Europe, an expansion of American military involvement amid mounting fears of a Russian incursion into Ukraine, according to administration officials.
The move would signal a major pivot for the Biden administration, which up until recently was taking a restrained stance on Ukraine, out of fear of provoking Russia into invading. But as President Vladimir V. Putin has ramped up his threatening actions toward Ukraine, and talks between American and Russian officials have failed to discourage him, the administration is now moving away from its do-not-provoke strategy.
In a meeting on Saturday at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, senior Pentagon officials presented Mr. Biden with several options that would shift American military assets much closer to Mr. Putin’s doorstep, the administration officials said. The options include sending 1,000 to 5,000 troops to Eastern European countries, with the potential to increase that number tenfold if things deteriorate.
If they pick the high end and deploy 5K troops and increase it tenfold that means we're looking at a freaking Corps going back to Europe.
So much for the pivot.
This is crazy.
The pivot to the Pacific will at least get half hearted attention if the European allies start crying. Additionally that will take anticipated help (especially the British and I believe the Italians and French) off the table. They'll be more concerned with what's going on in their own backyard rather than worry about happenings half a world away.
The Army's modernization is saved, the big Navy plus up will be delayed (probably not a bad thing...I don't think they have any idea how to deal with the Chinese Navy) and the Marine Corps moves to the back burner because the action is in Europe.
I don't know if Putin anticipated this move but if he did and he's cooperating with China then we're screwed.
We can't defend the entire free world at this moment. Something has got to give.
AND THAT IS THE PROBLEM!
At the end of the day we're just going to have to prioritize. That means someone will be left on a short limb with either Russia or China trying to wood chip the whole tree.
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