DDH F-35B.

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From a previous blog entry:

"Izumo I recall when the vessel became operational it was said that jet warplanes of the VSTOL type [F-35] could not operate off the ship. The deck was not of adequate construction able to handle the hot jet exhausts as would be needed for a Lightning vertical take off or landing."

Further as extracted from an Internet web site Strategy Page article further details, the Japanese DDH Izumo class warship with modification able to F-35B VSTOL warplanes:

"Leadership: Allies Of Necessity"

"Ordering some F-35Bs makes it clear that Japan is going to experiment with some of these aircraft aboard the existing Japanese “helicopter carriers”. Since 2017 Japan has had operational two 27,000 ton “destroyers” (DDH type ships) that look exactly like an aircraft carrier. These Izumo class ships can carry up to 28 helicopters or up to ten vertical takeoff aircraft . . . The DDH have powerful engines capable of destroyer-like speeds of over fifty-four kilometers an hour [thirty-four miles per hour] . . . Izumo does have considerable cargo capacity which is intended for moving disaster relief supplies quickly to where they are needed. Apparently, some of these cargo spaces can be converted to berthing spaces for troops, disaster relief personnel, or people rescued from disasters, as well as additional weapons and equipment needed to support F-35B fighter-bombers. Izumo can carry and operate at least ten of the vertical take-off F-35B stealth fighters now that modifications were made to the flight deck to handle the extremely high temperatures the F-35B generates when taking off or landing vertically, like a helicopter. When the first DDH entered service in 2015 Japan made no mention of buying F-35Bs or modifying the LPH [landing platform helicopter] flight decks to handle the F-35B. The Izumo [class] already have an elevator (to the hangar deck under the flight deck) powerful enough to carry an F-35B fighter."

IT HAS BEEEN SUGGESTED THAT AN INDICATION OF WANING AMERICAN PRESTIGE AND MILITARY POWER ON THE WORLD STATE WILL BE THE JAPANESE NAVY ASSUMING A GREATER REGIONAL ROLE [WESTERN PACIFICE], A BLUE-WATER NAVAL FORCE OF SOME CAPABILITY TO INCLUDE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS!

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Oceanic.

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From Summit News and the article by Steve Watson.

"Video: Communist Professor Declares That U.S. Was Defeated In ‘Biological War’ With China"

"CCP affiliated researcher says China 'put the U.S. back in its place'”

"[Professor] Zeng writes that the researcher claims 'the Western model has failed, the 500-year maritime civilization is doomed, the CCP has won and ‘will lead the way of the modernization in the new era after the biology revolution’ after the 2020 CCP Virus (COVID19) pandemic.”

THE FIVE-HUNDRED YEAR MARITIME CIVILIZATION?

Nations of the European cultural domain since the time of Columbus and 1492 [the Portuguese before him] pelagic [deep water] oceanic voyages of discovery and exploration. Discover and exploration leading to global trade

Mere trade followed by permanent trading posts, concessions, forts, colonial expansion on a world-wide basis. European powers such as Portugal, Spain, Holland, England, France all becoming wealthy in the process.

All made possible by sea power. That traditional mix of deep-water merchant marine and naval military force allowing for domination of the seas to all quarters of the globe.

China at least until the time of the Industrial Revolution and for many centuries prior to that the most dominant, advanced and prosperous culture/nation/empire on the planet! The Chinese perspective being that China merely regaining what has been always their birthright!

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O-5.

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O-5: Lieutenant Colonel. Article 134 UCMJ. U.S. Marines. Big time trouble.

From the staff of the World Tribune.

ACTIVE DUTY SERVING MILITARY OFFICER PLACED IN THE BRIG PENDING ARRAINGMENT AND POSSIBLE TRIAL.

"Marines lock up officer who went public on Bagram surrender as generals testify"

"An officer in the U.S. Marines [O-5] who slammed top Pentagon brass for the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan was jailed hours before those leaders were set to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the Afghan disaster."

"Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller was arrested on Monday and sent to the brig. He is scheduled to appear before a military hearing on Thursday [30 September]"

This field grade officer [usually the rank of a battalion commander] in BIG trouble.

Will be subject to court martial probable conviction. Violations of the Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ].

Violations of UCMJ Article 134 more than likely. CONTEMPTUOUS words directed at higher authority. Among the  violations of Article 134 to include: * Offenses involving disorders and neglects to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces. * Offenses involving conduct of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

Normally an officer when faced with charges under UCMJ are allowed to resign. Continued Facebook postings by Scheller only critical of higher military authority representing a direct challenge from the ranks that could not be ignored.

coolbert.

Bar IAF.

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Consider this to be a war warning? That is my instantaneous response.

Israel new Prime Minister. Israel new head of the Air Force [IAF]. Iran on the verge of producing enough weapons-grade uranium to construct a single atomic bomb.

AND perhaps consider also American withdrawal pell-mell from Afghan with debacle that followed.

From DEBKAfile only as of yesterday and thanks to same.

"With Gen. Bar as new IAF chief, 3 top IDF officers favor pre-empting nuclear-armed Iran. Bennett at UN: 'We can prevail.'"

"Gen. Tomer Bar, 52, was named Israel’s new Air Force Chief on Monday, Sept. 28, just hours before Naftali Bennett’s first address to the UN General Assembly as Israel’s prime minister. This move served to fortify Bennett’s comments on Iran: “Words won’t stop centrifuges. Iran has reached a watershed moment, but so have we,” he said. We will never let Iran have a nuclear bomb. If we use our resourcefulness, we can prevail. And that is what we intend to do.”

"DEBKAfile concludes: For the first time, three top IDF generals are lined up in favor of attacking Iran’s nuclear program: The Chief of Staff, the Air Force chief and the head of the Iran Command. The order for them to go ahead must come from the government and its head Naftali Bennett. In his UN speech on Monday, the prime minister sounded willing to give the order. Was he serious? And if so, can he pull along behind him a government that represents so many widely divergent views?"

IT CAN NOW BE REASONABLY INFERRED THAT AN ISRAELI PREEMPTIVE STRIKE ON THE IRANIAN ATOMIC WEAPONS PROGRAM IS NOW MUCH MORE LIKELY?

Furthermore and perhaps more importantly, the Afghan disaster has created a perception that the USA is weak, vacillating, unreliable, not trustworthy, unable and now unwilling to honor commitments. The Israeli will say to themselves that if something needs to be done about the Iranian nuclear weapons program it must be done now and it is up to us [Israel]!!

coolbert.

Turban.

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American Sikh. Exception to the rule?

My visceral reaction to this not so positive!

"The Marines Reluctantly Let a Sikh Officer Wear a Turban. He Says It's Not Enough."

"Almost every morning for five years, 1st Lt. Sukhbir Toor has pulled on the uniform of the U.S. Marine Corps. On Thursday [23 September], he also got to put on the turban of a faithful Sikh."

"Toor appealed to the commandant of the Marine Corps, which retreated a bit in August, allowing him to wear a beard and turban in limited circumstances."

FIRST THE TURBAN. NOW THE BEARD.

My response to incidents of this nature is always the same. HOW is the man going to get a seal on his gas mask if need be? And the answer is that he won't. He wants and is allowed to wear a beard now too.

Toor for the five years prior to this never once had a problem with having to shave and not wearing the turban. NOW for some reason this is major? I guess Toor prior to deployment to a combat zone can at least go sans beard?

coolbert.

Dragoons.

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Dragoons Swedish style. But no horses.

"Dragoons originally were a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot."

From the Finnish military blogger Corporal Frisk.

"The Cavalry is Coming"

"Yesterday [24 September] the Swedish Armed Forces officially stood up the first of their new units announced in the latest defence white paper, as the Norrland Dragoon Regiment was again retook its place as an independent unit. The unit, formerly known as the Army Ranger Battalion, has up until now operated as a semi-independent unit based in Arvidsjaur but sorting under the Norrbotten Regiment based in Boden. Of all the new and reinstated units found in the latest Swedish long-term plan, the Dragoons are without doubt the one most directly beneficial to Finland."

Swedish troops of the hunter-killer class special operation troops analogous to American Ranger units. Units "eyes and ears" and able to provide guidance for precision terminally-guided munitions.

"the Swedish soldier is a very serious opponent - thoughtful, disciplined, physically strong and tough, well armed, well acquainted with the territory he will have to fight over, and well trained for action in such terrain." - - Suvorov.

RUSSIANS BEWARE!

See previous blog entry [with many additional links] the Swedish military:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/12/attention.html

"I fredstid förbered dig för krig". In time of peace prepare for war.

coolbert.

Askari II.

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"Building forces in our [USA] own image, especially when the domestic logistics infrastructure will never be as capable, is a recipe for failure.  We should be proud of the elite Afghan forces that we built over our longest war.  They fought respectably and some have refused to give up even though the country to which they swore allegiance no longer exists."

From the Internet web site "Small Wars Journal" an article by Frank Sobchak.

SO WHY DID THE AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY [ANA] SEEMINGLY GIVE UP MORE OR LESS WITHOUT A FIGHT? GUTLESS COWARDS ONLY THEIR MILITARY DUTY TO BE GIVEN A PAYCHECK WITHOUT REGARD TO ANYTHING ELSE?

And why does the USA military always back the damned loser? Popular and widespread perceptions are wrong? Lots of questions, eh?

"The Afghans that Fought"

"Since the disastrous fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, there have been a continuous series of reports that announce far-reaching observations and conclusions from the conflict.  Two popular narratives are that cowardly Afghan forces collapsed with barely a shot fired and that the U.S. military is incapable of building an effective foreign partner force.  On its face, each judgement would seem to have some threads of truth given the considerable debacle that played out over August 2021.  But the reality is much more complex and requires nuance, something that is challenging in the current American political environment."

From the Small Wars Journal and as described in the article those units of the Afghan military that did perform well [albeit in a final losing cause] include:

* KKA. Counter-terrorism.

* NDS. Intelligence apparently with a direct action capability.

* Afghan Commando. Analogous to American ranger units.

Weakness in the main for all Afghan military seems to be LOGISTICS? Commando for instance self-sufficient and able to operate autonomous for a max of seventy-two hours after which resupply A MUST. Supply chain and logistical support lacking to the extent where if commando in prolonged battle with the Taliban their combat efficiency and capability rapidly diminishes.

COMMANDO EVEN TO THE VERY LAST MOMENT CONTINUED TO FIGHT IN THE MOST DESPERATE OF CIRCUMSTANCES!

"After the fall of Kabul, a group of 500-600 Commandos refused to surrender and assisted US forces in the evacuation process in the Hamid Karzai International Airport."

Think in the American historical context Alamo, Wake Island, Bataan!

Sadly all for naught!

coolbert.