D. MacArthur.

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As seen at the Professor Victor Davis Hanson website:

"Douglas MacArthur’s Brilliant, Controversial Legacy"

Regarding the "controversial legacy" of Douglas MacArthur here in the nutshell as extracted:

"There are a number of writs against MacArthur, but perhaps three stand out."

1. First, there is no doubt that his narcissism could reach obnoxious proportions.

2. Second, MacArthur’s most brilliant victories — the Operation Cartwheel re-conquest of much of the Japanese-held South Pacific and the brilliant Inchon landings near the Korean DMZ — were bookended by equally disastrous failures

3. Third, MacArthur was not just a controversial man of the Right — so were Generals Curtis LeMay and George S. Patton — but was actually, for nearly 20 years, seriously considered a possible ultra-conservative Republican candidate for the presidency . . . no other general in American history has been judged as much on his political beliefs as on his performance on the battlefield.

MacArthur also # 1 caught flat-footed in the immediate aftermath of Pearl Harbor, # 2 twice within a period of six months surprised in Korea, those forces under his command in each instance put to rout by a superior opponent. Perhaps those events of 1941 I can understand but those of 1950 I cannot. The man and his staff had enormous experience by that time and should have done a much better job.

That Professor Hanson analysis of MacArthur based his reading of a "new biography" by the author Arthur Herman.

NEVER can you get enough Douglas MacArthur.

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Dirty Bomb Rio.

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Blame it on Rio!

ONLY now is someone taking into consideration the possibility of a terrorist attack at the Olympics using a DIRTY BOMB detonation?

"dirt·y bomb - - noun: - - a nuclear weapon improvised from radioactive nuclear waste material and conventional explosives."

 "A dirty bomb or radiological dispersal device (RDD) is a . . . radiological weapon that combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. The purpose of the weapon is to contaminate the area around the dispersal agent/conventional explosion with radioactive material, serving primarily as an area denial device against civilians"

From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter:
 
"UN sends experts to Rio to guard against ISIS dirty bomb attack"

2 August.

"The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has loaned hi-tech radiation monitors - including personal detectors and portable scanners - for use on the ground throughout the Olympic Games opening in Rio on Saturday, August 6 - in case ISIS tries to set off a dirty bomb attack."

Experts as described at the last minute under the auspices of the UN and not organic Brazilian assets? Poor planning!

See also previous blog entries the topic of which was the dirty bomb:

 http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/05/game-warden.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/04/dirty.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/04/armageddon-isil.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/04/gwot-wmd.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/embarrassment.html

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Five Points.

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From that latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter an analysis of the Syrian Civil War, the rebels position NOW dis-advantageous as elaborated upon:

"Assad owes his mounting war gains to 5 plus points"

31 July.

"The strides made by the armies of Bashar Assad, Hizballah and Iran in the Aleppo arena and on the Damascus periphery have pushed the Syrian insurgency onto a downward slope for some time to come. DEBKAfile's military sources point to five contributing factors"

 1)  "Russian intervention and military operations are having their full effect after eleven months".

2)  "Assad has been vindicated in his strategy of focusing his military efforts on the four cities of Damascus, Aleppo, Homs and Hama, where half the population is concentrated (even after mass flight)."

 3)  "After more than five years, the rebels have given up hope of substantial US military assistance and accept that the Obama administration's focus has switched to defeating ISIS rather than Assad."

 4)  "Post-coup Turkey is preoccupied with its own internal affairs; its purged military, especially the air force, is in no position to render aid to the fight against the Assad regime."

 5)  "The insurgency's Arab patrons, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, have tired of propping it up with aid."

Particular attention to point # 2. As it was during the time of the Crusader as it is now!!

coolbert.

Blogs & Blogging.

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"Give us this day our daily blog" - - Bert.

Thanks here in all instances to the Atlantic, Andrew Sullivan and Martin van Creveld. Sentiments as expressed  by the two esteemed authors also exactly mine.

1. "Why I Blog" by Andrew Sullivan

"For centuries, writers have experimented with forms that evoke the imperfection of thought, the inconstancy of human affairs, and the chastening passage of time. But as blogging evolves as a literary form, it is generating a new and quintessentially postmodern idiom that’s enabling writers to express themselves in ways that have never been seen or understood before."

"The word blog is a conflation of two words: Web and log. It contains in its four letters a concise and accurate self-description: it is a log of thoughts and writing posted publicly on the World Wide Web."

"This form of instant and global self-publishing, made possible by technology widely available only for the past decade or so, allows for no retroactive editing (apart from fixing minor typos or small glitches) and removes from the act of writing any considered or lengthy review. It is the spontaneous expression of instant thought—impermanent beyond even the ephemera of daily journalism"

2. " Blogging" by Martin van Creveld.

"Finally, why do I do it? Being a fairly well known academic, over my lifetime I have published dozens of books in twenty different languages. I have also been interviewed by numerous TV stations, radio station, magazines and newspapers around the world—so many that I have long stopped counting. Not to mention articles I myself wrote"

"Yet nothing gives me the sense of freedom which, sitting down week by week, I have when working on my blogs. Freedom from the kind of control many editors will impose on your work. Freedom to say what I want, on any subject that comes to my mind, in the way, and at the time; and freedom to do so regardless of the laws Israeli ministers and MKs, [members of the Israeli legislature the Knesset] to their eternal shame, are trying to pass."

Amen!! Once more thank you Andrew and Martin. I couldn't have said it better myself.

coolbert.

.300 Blackout.

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From that previous blog entry:

"Available too in the original 7.92 X 33 Kurz round and ALSO a variety of other calibers"

Other calibers to include the .300 BLK. Speaking of the StG 44.

That .300 BLK I WAS TOTALLY UNFAMILIAR WITH!

Here with everything you wanted to know about the .300 BLK BUT never knew to even ask:

".300 AAC Blackout . . . short name 300 BLK, also known as 7.62×35mm is a rifle cartridge developed in the United States . . . for use in the M4 carbine. Its purpose is to achieve ballistics similar to the 7.62×39mm Soviet cartridge in an AR-15 platform while using standard AR-15 magazines at their normal capacity."

"the nature of the missions encountered by some special operations groups often demand a round that not only provides better performance than that available in the high-energy standard velocity rounds, but one that can offer subsonic performance"

The project's goals were:

    * "Create a reliable compact .30-cal solution for AR platform"
    * "Use existing inventory magazines while retaining their full capacity"
    * "Create the optimal platform for sound and flash suppressed fire"
    * "Create compatible supersonic ammo that matches 7.62×39mm ballistics"
    * "Provide the ability to penetrate barriers with high-mass projectiles"
    * "Provide all capabilities in a shorter, lightweight, durable, and low recoiling package"

Low recoil, low muzzle flash, low report and sub-sonic ballistics BUT ALL THE WHILE RETAINING A KNOCK-DOWN AND STAY-DOWN CAPABILITY!

Ideal for special operations troops and their missions and NOT NEEDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW RIFLE!1

What more could you want?

P.S.: .300 Blackout available in both sub-sonic and super-sonic round. The former for noise suppression and the latter for "knock-down", "stay-down action".

coolbert.

StG HMG.

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A blast from the past almost literally so!!

I think a lot of people will be surprised by this. An American weapons manufacturing concern [HMG] producing and selling to the general public a brand new ["modern interpretation"] version of the German StG 44 assault rifle from that era of the Second World War [WW2]. THE SOVIET AK BASED ON THE StG A RESEMBLANCE REMARKABLY SIMILAR..

"HMG Sturmgewehr: STG-N"

A newly manufactured StG not cheap. $1,799.99 for a brand new rifle. Available too in the original 7.92 X 33 Kurz round and ALSO a variety of other calibers.

Caliber:

    5.56/.223.
    7.62×39.
    .300 BLK.
    7.92 x 33. [Kurz]

ALREADY AND BEYOND ANY EXPECTATIONS ABOUT 5,000 OF THESE WEAPONS SOLD!!

"The HMG™ Sturmgewehr is a modern interpretation of the classic StG 44 bringing together the classic function and form of the original, while also making the firearm accessible and shoot-able…in a rifle caliber! Available in a variety of different models from classic to ultra modern, this firearm is sure to please any enthusiast."

The StG generally thought to be the first assault rifle as that term defined features to include:

* Selective fire. [semi-automatic/automatic]
* Pistol grip stock.
* High capacity magazine.
* An intermediate cartridge.

From HMG:

"HMG would like to update our customers on the production and delivery of the STG-N series of rifles."

"The response to our initial offering was very positive, and has led to a greater number of rifles being purchased than was originally projected. This has prompted us to secure additional production resources and staff, which has impacted the delivery schedule. HMG believes that the quality of our product is what sets us apart from our competition, and we are not willing to compromise this standard by rushing production. As our additional production capabilities have now come online, every effort will be focused on filling the orders as fast as possible. At this time, we expect to be able to begin shipping pre-orders by Late Summer/Early Fall 2016."

A stockpile of these weapons [StG] captured by the rebels in the Syrian Civil War and put to good use. Even over seventy years after being originally fielded the StG gives a good account of itself.

coolbert.

CAS USAF.

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From  MARCONI through Harry at Sharkhunters:

"Washington, D.C.  The U.S. Air Force is considering two new procurements to boost their close air support mission, including an off-the-shelf option for permissive environments and a cheap, clean-sheet design aircraft that would replace the Fairchild Republic A-10."

The USAF having a rapid need for a new Close-Air-Support [CAS] aircraft. Albeit one that can operate in the "permissive environment".

"To meet that rapid need, the service is examining two fully-developed aircraft, Beechcraft's AT-6 and Embraer's A-29 Super Tucano, and are planning a fly-off for this fall."

"The air force has excluded Textron AirLands Scorpion, a dual light attack fighter and trainer aircraft still in its development phase"

Permissive environments! American aircraft in an area of operation where there is a low to nil chance of shoot-down by enemy air defenses. Those air defenses to include surface-air-missiles [SAM] OR anti-aircraft-artillery [AAA].

THE A-10 THUNDERBOLT DESIGNED TO OPERATE IN A HIGHLY NON-PERMISSIVE ENVIRONMENT OF THE RED ARMY. SAM AND AAA IN ABUNDANCE.

A-10 very redundant, two engines, dual tail, titanium "bathtub' cockpit with windshield that can withstand a 23 mm gun round, etc.

A-10 able to take a lot of punishment all the while dishing about a lot of aggravation for the adversary.

From Tee see seen at an aviation forum this item perhaps most pertinent and important regarding a replacement for the A-10:

"Super Tucano has been battle-tested . . . The US should buy a few squadrons of these, they are perfect for all the little Dirt Wars we get into . . . they cost less than 10% per flight hour than any of our jet power aircraft being used currently for CAS".

BUT PERMISSIVE ENVIRONMENT ONLY!!

coolbert.