Maskirovka.

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From the BBC this very good article concerning the Russian strategy and tactic of maskirovka. DECEPTION! Both on the grand and not so grand scale.

"How Russia outfoxes its enemies"

"Of course, every country uses strategies of deception. . . . The Americans call such tactics CC and D - concealment, camouflage and deception."

"So what sets Russia apart? Maj Gen Skip Davis argues Western forces are sometimes economical with the truth but says they don't tell outright lies: 'We are talking about denial of information - in other words, not confirming facts - versus blatantly denying.' Saying, 'No that's not us invading, that's not our forces there, that's someone else's.'"

The elements of maskirovka:

* "Surprise"
* "Kamufliazh - camouflage"
* "Demonstrativnye manevry - manoeuvres intended to deceive"
* "Skrytie - concealment"
* "Imitatsia - the use of decoys and military dummies"
* "Dezinformatsia - disinformation, a knowing attempt to deceive"

Many adages apply here in the historical perspective:

"All war is based on deception."

"When strong appear weak! When weak appear strong!"

"Make a big noise in the east and attack in the west!"

Among those five categories of spies as recognized by Sun Tzu the "doomed" spy sent forth with a false brief the intention of which is to fool and deceive the adversary. THAT "DOOMED" SPY NOT EVEN REALIZING HE IS PART AND PARCEL OF AN ELABORATE DECEPTION PLAN!

"when these spies ["doomed"] are captured in the enemy's lines, they will make an entirely false report, and the enemy will take measures accordingly, only to find that we do something quite different. "

"Know the truth and the truth shall set you free!" Knowing that truth harder than what it seems within the context of maskirovka.

coolbert.

Radio Security.

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From that prior blog entry:

"troops deployed without that necessary proper degree of prudence and caution. INERRANT, POOR OR NON-EXISTENT RADIO SECURITY PERHAPS IN ADDITION A FACTOR."

NOT ONLY AMERICAN SOLDIERS ENGAGE IN POOR OR NON-EXISTENT RADIO SECURITY PRACTICES. SEEMS MOST EVERYONE ELSE DOES IT TOO!

From DEBKAfile:

1. "24 Jan. Lebanese sources: Iranian general's cell phone gave him away"

"Israeli intelligence was able to locate and keep tabs on Iranian General Mohammed Ali Allah Dadi, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on the Golan on Jan. 18, because he persisted in keeping his cell phone switched on. Israeli eavesdroppers listened in on his conversations and were able to pin down his exact whereabouts."

"28 Jan. Hizballah targeted IDF commanders on an inspection tour of northern border security"

"Iran's Lebanese proxy, Hizballah, from its Mt. Dov (Shabaa Farms) outpost, used six anti-tank rockets and roadside bombs for an ambush which killed at an IDF officer and a soldier, traveling in unarmored vehicles Wednesday, Jan. 28, DEBKAfile's military sources report. Seven soldiers were injured.

2. "29 Jan. Israel suspects Kfar Ghajar spies tipped off Hizballah on IDF convoy"

NOT ONLY is it suspected that local spies gave away the Israeli command inspection convoy. Poor radio security too is thought to be a culprit.

"The IDF is also probing the use made by the servicemen in the convoy of civilian cell phone networks, which are known to be wide open to Iranian and Russian eavesdropping from across the border in Syria and Lebanon."

NOT SO much radio security but rather radio insecurity. Yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever.

coolbert.

White Noise.

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From the DEBKAfile that Israeli perspective on the breaching of White House security by the recent drone intrusion:

 "Jan. 26, 2014 Briefs"

"Outdated White House defenses no match for an intruding drone. An electronic fence is lacking"

"The crash of a Quad Copter drone in the White House grounds Sunday night, Jan. 25, showed that the protection of America's highest national symbols was sorely lacking. What should have been installed by 2015 and was not is an electromagnetic perimeter fence. Its jammers can, by emitting white noise, block off the communications links and command and control capacities of the smartphones and unmanned aerial vehicles serving a would-be assailant planning to use a tiny, armed drone for an attack. The US government will also need to get proper regulations in place for controlling the sale of aerial devices place limitations on their use even the devices classified at present as toys."

Too many recent instances of the deranged or disaffected and angry individual or just plain crackpot whacko able to evade and elude the security apparatus of the White House. Shameful!

coolbert.

RKG.

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Among the various types of weapons as used by NVA/VC sapper units during the Vietnam War the shaped-charge grenade.

A WEAPON STILL IN USE AMONG THE INSURGENTS IN IRAQ. I MIGHT IMAGINE TOO THIS GRENADE USED BY ISIL ALSO?

"RKG-3 anti-tank grenade"

"RKG-3 is the designation of Russian series of anti-tank hand grenades."

Crude but effective. And very well suited for the low-intensity type of warfare as practiced by the partisan.

"RKG stands for Ruchnaya Kumulyativnaya Granata (Handheld Shaped Charge Grenade). When the pin is pulled and the grenade is thrown a four-panelled drogue parachute is deployed by a spring. This parachute stabilizes the grenade in flight and ensures that the grenade strikes the target at a 90 degree angle, maximising the effect of the shaped charge."

For some time not in the Soviet/Russian arsenal "but many other countries and guerrilla movements are still using the RKG-3 . . . . RKG-3 grenades have also been used by Iraqi insurgents against coalition forces.

"RKG-3 grenades have been used throughout Iraq with the majority of attacks occurring in the Baghdad region."

"RKG-3s have also been used in Samarra, Iraq against 101st Airborne, 25th Infantry, and 3rd Infantry soldiers in MRAPS and Humvees."

Little weapon can do big damage!

coolbert.

Search & Destroy.

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Conclusion! Search and destroy!

Continuing with:

"Lost Battles of the Vietnam War"

Again, thanks to G2mil in all cases. This makes for very difficult and painful reading!

"According to G2mil: 'Internet research turns up these 70 lost battles of the Vietnam war'."

American infantry units on search and destroy missions during the Vietnam War often rather BEING FOUND BY THE ENEMY AND THEMSELVES DESTROYED! Overwhelming firepower not always such an advantage when in contact with the light infantry of the North Vietnamese Army [NVA].

  13. "Operation Utah - On Mar 4, 1966, the 2nd battalion of the 7th Marines helicoptered into an area near Quang Ngai to investigate reports of an NVA regiment in the area. They found it dug into fortifications around Hill 50. Their attacked failed and the Marines fell back, but were surprised when the NVA counterattacked. The battalion was in trouble and more Marine units where flown in to join the battle. The enemy withdrew, but only after the Marines lost 98 dead, 278 wounded, with several aircraft destroyed."

14. "Battle of Xa Cam My - A battalion from the 1st Infantry Division conducted another "search and destroy" sweep. Its three companies were deployed miles apart in hopes the NVA would attack one. They surrounded and blasted Charlie company, killing 38 and wounding 71 of its 134 soldiers before its other two companies came to the rescue."

15. "Operation Paul Revere IV - Two cavalry battalions swept the Cambodian border area in search of the enemy. None were found, until Company C ran into a large force near Duc Co. Details are scarce, but two platoons were overrun and destroyed; only one soldier survived. The American dead were so numerous that they were hauled away in external cargo nets by helicopters."

22. "Battle near Vinh Huy - During Operation Union II, six rifle companies from the 5th Marines swept the Que Son Valley in search of the enemy. They located a large enemy force 1000 yards ahead across an open rice paddy. After some air and artillery strikes, three companies were ordered to charge across the open ground, and were shot to pieces. The bloodied Marines fell back during this June 2, 1967 battle with 71 KIA and 139 wounded."

24. "Battle of Prek Klok - During Operation Junction City, Company B from the 1st Battalion/16th Infantry went in search of the NVA. Independent accounts cannot be found, yet the Army's official history notes the company was blasted and nearly surrounded until rescued when another company came to its aid, allowing it to retreat. Company B was extracted by helicopter after suffering 25 dead and 28 wounded."

25. "Kingfisher Battle - In 1967, "Operation Kingfisher" was launched to destroy NVA forces just south of the DMZ. On Sept. 21st, the 2nd battalion, 4th Marines began a "search and destroy" mission and quickly encountered the entrenched 90th NVA regiment. The Marines lacked tank support because recent rains limited road mobility, while the dense vegetation and close proximity of the enemy restricted air and artillery support. After a day-long battle, the Marines had suffered at least 16 dead and 118 wounded while trying to break out of the enemy's kill zone. The battalion withdrew at dusk, although flee may be a better term since 15 dead Marines were left behind. Details are sketchy, but the battalion didn't return to collect its dead until three weeks later. Veterans of the battle state they lost 34 KIA that day."

27. "The Battle of Thon Cam Son - In July 1967, the 2nd battalion of the 9th Marines crossed into the DMZ to find the NVA. They found abandoned base camps and bunkers because the NVA had pulled out and moved around behind them. The Marines had to fight their way back home, and more than half the unit bled as it lost 41 killed and 355 wounded."

28. "Battle for Nui Ho Khe (Hill 88) - Marines were concerned that enemy units near their big Con Thien base threatened their main supply route. On Sept 10, 1967, the 3rd battalion of the 26th Marines ventured forward to secure Hill 88. It was surprised to encounter an entire NVA regiment, which counterattacked causing a bloody fight in which 3/26 suffered 300 casualties (40% including 37 KIA) and lost several tanks. It withdrew to Hill 48 where it made a successful last stand. While the NVA suffered more causalities, poor intel resulted in this clumsy assault that failed to reach its objective."

29. "Slaughter at LZ Margo - The 2nd battalion of the 26th Marines helicoptered into LZ Margo near the DMZ on a standard search and destroy mission. Contact was light over the next three days as units swept the area. On Sept. 16, 1968, the battalion received an order from higher headquarters to withdraw into the small LZ where they had arrived, because a big B-52 air strike was planned in the area. Marines were worried because they were tightly grouped and the ground was rock hard so they couldn't dig in. They knew the NVA kept them under observation and were a perfect target for a mortar barrage. A short time later, hundreds of mortar rounds tore into the tightly packed Marines, killing 30 and wounding nearly 200 until the NVA ran out of ammo."

30. "Operation Swift - U.S. Marines fought tough battles along the DMZ when NVA units moved across the border to inflict heavy causalities. Marine Generals sent rifle companies with ~140 Marines to search for and destroy the NVA intruders with artillery and airpower. This was effective, but larger NVA units sometimes trapped them in kill zones. In September 1967, they ambushed two Marine companies in the Que Son Valley. Operation Swift was launched to save them from destruction, but the two companies sent to the rescue were mauled. The end result was 127 Marines killed and 362 wounded. The NVA suffered more casualties, but accomplished their mission and withdrew northward."

32. "Task Force Black Mauled - Half of the 1st Battalion/501st Regiment/173rd Airborne Brigade went in search for the NVA who had recently attacked their base. They ran into two NVA battalions, who shot them up from three directions. The rest of the battalion was sent to save them, and withdrew with 20 dead, 154 wounded, and two missing."

33. "Battle near Ap Bac - The U.S. Army's 9th Infantry Division operated in the marshy delta region of southern Vietnam, often with Navy river patrol boats. During a routine battalion sweep, Alpha company from the 2nd Brigade crossed an open rice paddy and encountered Viet Cong ready to fight from concrete bunkers. Most of the company was wiped out in the first five minutes, and rest pinned down in the kill zone for hours until other companies arrived. This battle left 40 American dead and 140 wounded."

34. "Battle for Hill 861 - In 1967, Bravo Company, 1st battalion, 9th Marines went to search for caves on Hill 861. After a skirmish, the company attacked up the hill without knowing that it had encountered a large enemy force. Most of Bravo was wiped out and the survivors were pinned down until rescued by Kilo company that night."

36. "Ambush at Hoc Mon - In 1968, 92 American soldiers of C Company, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 25th Division began a search-and-destroy mission near Saigon. They were looking for a Viet Cong force that had been firing rockets into their Tan Son Nhut Air Base. As they rushed along a road without flank security to catch up with their battalion, they ran into an ambush. Within eight minutes, 49 American soldiers were dead or dying, and 29 were wounded."

39. "Battle of the Slopes - A company of American paratroopers was searching for the NVA in rough terrain when it was attacked by a large force. It suffered 76 KIA as it was nearly overrun, with two platoons wiped out. Newly arrived airborne officers had ignored warnings that they should maneuver as battalions because the NVA units in that area were larger, aggressive, and would attack a lone rifle company."

40. "Battle of No Goi Island - The Viet Cong liked to fortify ambush sites and wait for the Americans to discover them. During Operation Allen Brook, three battalions of Marines swept through No Goi Island and found lots of Viet Cong ready to fight from bunkers near the village of Le Bac. During several days of bloody assaults, the Marines suffered 138 killed and 686 wounded (576 seriously) before the surviving Viet Cong fled. The extreme heat resulted in another 283 Marines evacuated due to heat stroke. Having suffered 50% causalities, Allen Brook was halted until fresh Marine units arrived."

41. "Battle at the Ben Cui Rubber Plantation - American mechanized units had the firepower and mobility to rout any NVA force. An exception occurred in 1968 during a routine road sweep when Company C, 1st Bn (Mech), 25th Division ran into an aggressive NVA regiment. It quickly lost 5 APCs (right), with 17 killed (leaving just one officer), and two dozen wounded before it retreated to its home base, leaving most of its dead behind."

42. "Battle of Dai Do - A Marine Corps infantry battalion was mauled and forced to retreat after a disorganized attempt to dislodge a large North Vietnamese force near the DMZ. The Marines suffered 81 KIA and 397 wounded while killing hundreds of NVA. Accounts of this action are hidden within reports of operations in region of Dong Ha."

43. "Battle of Ong Thanh - After minor enemy contact the previous day, a battalion commander led 155 American soldiers single-file into the bush to destroy the enemy. They ran into an NVA regiment with some 1400 men. Alpha company was wiped out in 20 minutes, and by sundown, 59 American soldiers lay dead with 75 wounded."

45. "Operation Houston II - In May 1968, as Mike company from the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines moved up a ridge called Hill 1192, they wandered into an NVA base camp and were shot to pieces with 14 killed and dozens wounded. Three helicopters were shot down attempting to rescue wounded Marines. The surviving marines remained pinned down and bleeding for several days until rescued by another company."

52. "Ambush near Khe Sahn - On Feb 25, 1968, a 41-man platoon from the 26th Marines was sent on a short patrol "outside the wire" to test the strength of NVA units near Khe Sahn village. They pursed three VC scouts who led them into an ambush. The platoon was wiped out during a three-hour battle that left 31 Marines KIA, one taken prisoner, while nine Marines escaped back to their base."

55. "Battle near Hill 689 - On April 16, 1968 a Marine Corps company began a patrol near its Khe Sahn base. It wandered into tall vegetation and was decimated by concealed NVA soldiers in bunkers. Two more companies from 1st Battalion, 9th Marines were dispatched to save them, but they became ensnarled in this confusing battle in which dead and wounded Marines were left behind as the battalion retreated back to Khe Sahn in disarray. This resulted in 41 KIA, 32 wounded, with 2 of 15 MIAs later rescued by helicopters. The battalion commander was relieved of duty."

62. "Battle of Plei Trap - During Operation Wayne Grey, 115 soldiers from Alpha Company of the 4th Infantry Division helicoptered into a remote area in search of the NVA. They found lots of them, and suffered 35 KIA, 51 WIA, and 7 MIA as they were overrun. A lieutenant who heroically led a retreat of the survivors was almost court-martialed by senior officers trying to cover-up this disaster."

65. "Battle near FSB Professional - The NVA shot down a big CH-47 helicopter as it delivered supplies to this fire support base. Company A of the Army's 1/46 Infantry with 91 soldiers was sent outside the wire to eliminate the threat. It was mauled during a 35-hour battle, and its 47 surviving soldiers fled, leaving their dead and some wounded behind."

67. "Battle for Firebase Ripcord - American Generals made one final attempt to block the Ho Chi Minh trail, and found more NVA troops than expected. As the NVA assaulted remote Fire Support Base Ripcord, Generals decided to evacuate the base. Four American battalions from the 3rd Brigade, 101st Division conducted a fighting aerial evacuation that lasted 23 days, with the loss of at least 75 American KIA and 463 wounded. Dozens of helicopters were shot down or damaged, while several soldiers and all major items of equipment were left behind."

What is so disheartening is that in the preponderance of these cases the American military units as decimated quite often consisted of Marines or paratroopers. At that exact moment the best and most elite combat infantry units the U.S. military could place in the field.

These American infantry units I also might well assume commanded by officers with an excessive gung ho attitude, troops deployed without that necessary proper degree of prudence and caution. INERRANT, POOR OR NON-EXISTENT RADIO SECURITY PERHAPS IN ADDITION A FACTOR.

And again not so much that American units were so bad as the enemy was so good! This too!

coolbert.

Sappers.

This is coolbert:

From the iconoclastic web site G2mil we have descriptions as gleaned from the Internet of American military failure during the Vietnam War.

"Lost Battles of the Vietnam War"

Accounts of combat not necessarily "battles" but rather as either raids for engagements, according to the military definition of those terms. But defeat nonetheless, failure quite often very humiliating in nature.

According to G2mil: "Internet research turns up these 70 lost battles of the Vietnam war".

Sappers!

Sappers, special operations type troops of the communist enemy in Vietnam, North Vietnamese Army [NVA] or Viet Cong [VC] insurgent in particular very effective fighters, highly trained and skilled at infiltration of the most sensitive American military bases, installations, airfields, able to wreak the most terrible damage using expedient and relatively unsophisticated weapons. Weaponry to include:

* shaped-charge antitank grenade.

* conventional hand grenades.

* Satchel charges.

* Pole charges.

SAPPERS [NVA AND VC BOTH] OFTEN GOING INTO BATTLE NAKED! NO ARTICLE OF CLOTHING TO GET CAUGHT ON BARBED WIRE OBSTACLES!

Those sapper attacks during the Vietnam War enemy success in the extreme:

3. "The Sinking of the USNS Card - This World War II aircraft carrier was later used as a transport for American military cargo. On May 2, 1964, it was moored in a heavily defended harbor in the Saigon River. Two VC commandos crawled down a sewer pipe and attached explosives to the ship. The explosion knocked a huge hole in the hull and killed five American crewmen, causing the ship to sink 45 feet to the river bed."

7. "Sapper Attack on Da Nang Airbase - North Vietnamese Army (NVA) sappers infiltrated this airbase on July 1, 1965. They destroyed three large C-130 transport aircraft, three F-102 fighters, and damaged three more F-102s. The sappers escaped leaving behind one dead."

12. "Attack on Marble Mountain - Some 90 Viet Cong sappers infiltrated this huge Marine Corps airfield and destroyed 19 helicopters and damaged 35 (11 of them severely). After this 30-minute rampage, the Viet Cong withdrew, leaving behind 17 dead and 4 wounded. American casualties were 3 killed and 91 wounded."

49. "Battle for Firebase Mary Ann - Some 50 NVA sappers attacked at night, then slipped away. The U.S. Army suffered 33 killed and 83 wounded among the 231 soldiers at the base. Their brigade commander was relieved of duty and the firebase closed."

61. "Attack on Cu Chi - In February 1969, enemy commandos attacked the large U.S. Army airfield at Cu Chi. They destroyed nine large CH-47 helicopters, heavily damaged three more, and caused minor damage to two others. 14 Americans were killed and 29 wounded during the three-hour battle."

63. "Firebase Airborne Overrun - There are several short, vague accounts about how this artillery firebase was overrun on May 13, 1969. One veteran believes it was bait to draw the NVA into combat. VC sappers slipped inside its weak defenses and exploded the artillery ammunition dump, killing a dozen and causing confusion. The NVA swept through the base at night killing and wounding most defenders and destroying its big guns. Many Americans managed to hide until the NVA left before dawn, so the base was never officially captured. However, it was wrecked and later abandoned."

66. "Attack on FSB Henderson - As American troops withdrew from Vietnam, NVA sappers attacked this artillery base. They charged through the hilltop killing 27 soldiers from the 101st division and wounding 40. Most of the howitzers and artillery ammunition were destroyed by satchel charges before the NVA disappeared into the night."

My thought has always been that these successfully sapper attacks primarily were the result of U.S. personnel either performing poor on non-existent sentry duty. A man negligent in his duty not alert or even falling asleep!

But this does not seem to be the case. From the accounts of a Vietnam combat vet:

"the NVA sapper units would get through with double sentries, everyone awake and previously alerted to an attack.  We had captured/turned sappers who would show audiences of US troops and airmen how they did it, going through fences and defended ground at night in front of us, without us seeing them"

IT WAS NOT SO MUCH THAT THE AMERICAN TROOPS DID THEIR JOB POORLY AS THE NVA/VC SAPPER DID THEIR JOB SO WELL!

coolbert.

Chicago WW2.

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Archival photography from the Chicago Tribune

Thanks to the Tribune and the tip from Ken:

"World War II: Life in Chicago"

"Over seven decades ago, Chicagoans had to come to grips with a cold, hard fact: The country was at war. Women by the droves went to work in defense plants and Chicago soon led the nation in war production. Consumer goods were scarce and rationed, so many people bought war bonds instead. Even children got into the war effort, buying 25-cent savings stamps, and bringing paper and kitchen fat to school during scrap drives. And of course, families waited fearfully for news of loved ones overseas."

The Dodge Chicago plant circa World War Two [WW2]. At the time the largest manufacturing facility in the world and the most advanced. Built specifically for the manufacture of B-29 bomber warplane engines That plant assembled in record time, that area semi-rural but for many decades now urban, NOW and for some time a shopping mall!!

NO mention of the Manhattan project, that atomic bomb development of which the very basics inextricably linked to Chicago.

Chicago Pile One [CP-1], Mount Forest and CP-1 and CP-2, Red Gate Woods.

That B-29 bomber the only [?] warplane at the time able to deliver the atomic bomb to a target at long range.

 

Servicemen's night club. Sailors dancing with young women from the community.

 

Chicago too please understand always having been A NAVY TOWN STRANGE AS THAT MIGHT SEEM!! 1,000 miles from the ocean nonetheless Chicago A NAVY TOWN!

 coolbert.

Proxies.

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From "CRISIS WATCH" as seen at the March 2014 edition of  "Armchair General".

"The Proxy Myth" by Ralph Peters  

"Foreign fighters won't do America's work"

"As our national will weakened over the last half-century, a number of myths have arisen to cripple our application of force and comfort those who lacking courage. From the fantasy that a handful of precision strikes will bring down a mighty opponent, in the insistence that monstrous enemies must be accorded the same legal right as American citizens, a parade of follies has all but guaranteed that our halfhearted military efforts will end badly."

"the latest craze is the lunatic belief that we can rally foreign warriors to do our dirty work. Repeatedly, we confuse some group's appetite for local power with a willingness to fight regionally for our interests."

. . . .

"civilian theorists and feckless politicians ignored the most important factor in any conflict: strength of will. Again and again, we've found that our enemies maintain their strength of will, while our celebrated allies just want us to give them stuff."

. . . .

"In strategy, as in our personal lives, Dad was right, do it yourself. If we wont' fight for a goal we've announced, why should foreigners do it on our behalf?"

With regard to: "give them stuff" see my previous blog entries:

 http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/12/120-mm.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/hellfire.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/01/m-1-abrams.html

 And not only give them stuff but the most inappropriate stuff too.

Strength of will and resolve that too cannot be given nor should it be!

coolbert.

Superman.

This is coolbert:

Case of the drone found on the grounds of the White House solved.

The culprit has come forth and confessed.

"Spy drone operator was drinking"

Foolish man doing foolish things and now he is going to pay a heavy price.

"Washington (CNN) The Secret Service questioned a Defense Department intelligence agency staffer on Monday after the man reported that he flew the drone that crashed on White House grounds in the early morning hours."

Also we are now able to view that episode of the "Adventures of Superman" FROM 1954 where a RC model airplane was used for terrorist purposes.

"Beware the Wrecker"  1954 

"A steamship, an airliner and a train have all been destroyed over the past year. Perry White receives a telephone call from someone calling himself the Wrecker. The Wrecker claims responsibility for the incidents and now wants $100,000 or else more targets will be destroyed. Superman prevents another ship from being blown up, intercepting a small model plane carrying a powerful explosive. Clark Kent, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen investigate further"

Life imitates art! This "staffer" confession good for the soul too!

coolbert.

Rankings.

This is coolbert:

Having gotten the idea from the Internet web site Isegoria.net:

A listing of MOST "Popular Posts" both for the previous year and for "all-time".

Most popular posts as determined by number of "views". Devoted readers to the blog and those perusing perhaps merely with only a single glance one and all welcome at all times.

For the year 2014 that top ten:

 1. SR-72?

2. M-346.

 3. Raqqa!

 4. USS Donald Cook.

 5. Tobruk Fortification.

 6. Bent's Old Fort.

 7. Two Women.

 8. Nikolay Chiker.

 9. DINFIA-IA-38.

 10. Princess Patricia.

AND since the existence of the blog that top ten once again determined by "views" being:

1. Grozny.

2. Crossbow.

3. Flechette.

4. Object 279.

5. RPG-30.

6. Bavar 2.

7. Atomic Cannon.

8. Pararescue.

9. Youth.

10. Dacoits.

It has been my pleasure and let us hope for much more in the future!

coolbert.

USS Stennis.

This is coolbert:

Loaded for bear as they say, and bound for the Persian Gulf!

"Aircraft Carrier Stennis Has Biggest Ordnance Onload Since 2010"

 Thanks to Zero Hedge and the tip from Chuck:

"Nearly two weeks ago, we were surprised to read on the Navy's website that one of America's prize aircraft carriers, CVN-74, John C. Stennis . . . as part of an operational training period in preparation for future deployments, just underwent not only its first ordnance onload since 2010, but, according to Senior Chief Aviation Ordnanceman Jason Engleman, G-5 division's leading chief petty officer, 'the biggest ordnance onload we've seen.'"

"USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) visited Naval Magazine (NAVMAG) Indian Island, the Navy’s primary ordnance storage and handling station on the West Coast, to onload six million pounds of ammunition, Jan. 13-15. 'This is the biggest ordnance onload we’ve seen,' . . . 'We haven’t had an onload since December 2010, and we are ready to show what this warship can do.'”
 
"The ship plans to take on two-thirds of its weight capacity during the three day evolution. Bombs, missiles and rounds will be onloaded by 1,400 crane lifts."

THAT STENNIS WARNED DURING THE LAST PERSIAN GULF DEPLOYMENT BY THE IRANIAN NOT TO RETURN!!

That such information being made public might seem strange to some folks. BUT PERHAPS A MESSAGE IS BEING SENT!!

"You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come." - - Matthew 24:6.

coolbert.

Marse Robert.

This is coolbert:

That testimony of General Robert E. Lee in the aftermath of the American Civil War. This testimony I was not aware of until now. I would have to think not so totally 100 % inclusive but to the extent we get a good idea of the Q and A.

From "Encounter" by Peter Carlson as found in the latest edition of American History:

"Robert E. Lee Faces Congress" [apparently a combined committee of Senators and representatives].

"Where is your present residence"- - Lee.

"Lexington, Virginia"- - Lee.

"How long have you resided in Lexington"- - Lee.

"Since the first of October last - - nearly five months."- - Lee.

"Are you acquainted with the state of feeling among what we call secessionists in Virginia at present toward the government of the United States?" - - Senator Howard.

"I do not know that I am, I have been living very retired and have had but little communications with politicians. I know nothing more than from my observation, and from such facts as have come to my knowledge."- - Lee.

"From your observation, what is your opinion as to the feeling of loyalty towards the government of the United States among the secession portion of the people of that state?" - - Howard

"So far as has come to my knowledge, I do not know of a single person who either feels or contemplates any resistance to the government of the United States or indeed any opposition to it."- - Lee.

"How do they feel, in regard to that portion of the the people of the United States who have been forward and zealous in the prosecution of the war against the rebellion?" - - Howard.

"Well, I do not know, I have heard nobody express any opinion in regard to it . . . I have heard no expression of sentiment toward any particular portion of the country."- - Lee.

"Do you mean to be understood as saying that there is not a condition of discontent against the government of the United States among the secessionists generally?" - - a Senator unnamed.

"I know of none."- - Lee.

"General, you are very competent to judge the capacity of black men for acquiring knowledge, I want your opinion on that capacity as compared with the capacity of white men." - - Howard.

"I do not know that I am particularly qualified to speak on that subject, But I do not think he is as capable of acquiring knowledge as the white man is, [Black people are] an amiable, social race, They like their ease and comfort." - - Lee.

"My own opinion is that, at this time, they cannot vote intelligently, and that giving them the right of suffrage would open the door to a great deal of demagogism"- - Lee.

"Do you think, that Virginia would be better off if the colored population were to go to Alabama, Louisiana or some other Southern state?" - - Representative Blow.

"I think it would be better for Virginia if she could get rid of them. That is no new opinion with me. I have always thought so, and always been in favor of emancipation - - gradual emancipation."- - Lee.

"Would any Virginia jury, convict Davis [Jefferson Davis] of treason?" - - Howard.

"I think it is very probably that they would not consider that he had committed treason"- - Lee.

"In what light would they views it? What would be their excuse or justification?" - - Howard.

"So far as I know, they look upon the action of the State, in withdrawing itself from the government of the United States, as carrying the individuals of the State along with it; that the State was responsible for the act, not the individual."- - Lee.

"State if you please, and if your disincline to answer the question, you need not do so - - what your own personal views on that question were" - - Howard.

"That was my view, that the act of Virginia in withdrawing herself from the Unites States, carried me along as a citizen of Virginia, and that her law and her acts were binding on me."- - Lee.

"And that you felt to be your justification in taking the course you did?" - - Howard

"Yes sir"- - Lee.

Seems that there was a cordial, frank and open exchange, somewhat subdued, on civil terms if Lee obviously reserved and not perhaps entirely and fully forthcoming but not necessarily evasive either..

Lee also addressed with his Confederate rank of General, his final rank in the U.S. Army prior to secession being Colonel.

coolbert.

RC Drone.

This is coolbert:

By definition, all drones are unmanned.

From Core.com this breaking story. Sounds like a reconnaissance and a testing of defenses to me.

"Device, possibly aerial drone, found on White House grounds"

"WASHINGTON (AP) A device, possibly an unmanned aerial drone, was found on the White House grounds during the middle of the night while President Barack Obama and the first lady were in India, but his spokesman said Monday that it posed no threat."

See my previous blog entry, Rezwan and how the Soviet defector described an attack on the White House and the person of the President himself.

This is a breaking story of some importance? Imagine a swarm attack by drones and not just one! What then?

coolbert.

Clean.

This is coolbert:

The little plane that could and does. Contrasted for your edification. The F-16 Fighting Falcon. As was conceived the lightweight air superiority warplane. NOT a multi-role combat aircraft but becoming so. Within the context of the modern combat plane such an evolutionary cycle not being so  unusual.

A F-16 in "clean" mode. Two air-air missiles and presumably the stowed cannon. This plane on an intercept or air superiority mission. As it was designed for. Intercept or dogfight and shoot-down enemy warplanes.

A F-16 not "clean". In this instance fulfilling the role of a multi-role combat aircraft. All purpose. NOT what the design team originally intended. This plane flown by the Arizona Air National Guard.

This development from air superiority mission to multi-role presumably not to the liking of persons such as Pierre Sprey and Johnny Boyd. The "Fighter Mafia" as described.

For $23,000 an hour you too can fly one!

coolbert.

Crop Circles.

This is coolbert:

Crop circles that military dimension.

Haven't heard about any of this in a while.  

"Was it the work of a field marshal? MI5 spent years trying to decipher CROP CIRCLES amid fears they were being used to guide Nazi bombers"

* "Files in National Archives show British spies' fears over Nazi sympathisers"
* "They suspected 'Fifth Column' was sending messages to Luftwaffe"
* "Among suspicious 'cornfield codes' was a 'G' shape in Monmouthshire
* "Tail of the G pointed to a munitions factory nearby"
* "But it transpired it was caused by farmer trying to get rid of barley stock"

Hysteria from the era of the Second World War [WW2] in hindsight determined to be unfounded.

Crop circles I had thought were a relatively recent phenomenon. However that lineage much older than what I had believed to be so.

Crop circles from a number of years ago now having been found within the confines of a rather important British governmental installation [I think it was the Jodrell Bank radio astronomy telescope], that English response most interesting.

As it was reported, troops from what I believe to be the SAS Regiment having surreptitiously set up and manned a strategic reconnaissance "hide spot" the intention of which was to observe if possible WHO was creating the crop circles and HOW was it being done!!

NOTHING further ever heard on the subject. Well, they don't want you to know what is going on, do they?

coolbert.

Big Data.

 This is coolbert:

From MARCONI through Harry at Sharkhunters;

NEW [not exactly new] technology available for submarine detection. Traditional active and passive sonar now augmented by measures not acoustic.

   "Washington.....Today's submarines are in danger of becoming increasingly vulnerable as game changes in undersea warfare make it easier to detect them, a new report says."

     "Deep sea submarines have been a key part of the United States military's offensive and defensive missions for decades, but a significant part of their utility lies in their ability to operate stealthily. To this end, the US military has invested huge amounts of money into making submarines, in particular the Navy's Virginia-class nuclear submarines quieter.  But rapid increases in computer processing power are offsetting these advances. Submarine detection techniques that do not measure sounds but rather the wake left by submarines, for example, have been known for decades. But they have not been exploitable until very recently because computer processors were too slow to run detailed models needed to see changes in the environment caused by a quiet submarine, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) released Thursday."

     "Today, 'big data is providing the capability to run sophisticated oceanographic models in real time, making these detection techniques more feasible. As computer processors shrink, some will soon be small enough to fit on the sea floor. These systems have the potential to make coastal areas far more hazardous for manned submarines, the report notes."

Such technology at this point in time the versatility of which confined to COASTAL AREAS and not the open ocean? Submarines operating in pelagic waters relatively safe as of now?
coolbert.

Donetsk.

This is coolbert:

Are you following what is occurring in the Ukraine? You should be.

NO more cease fire, NO negotiations. NO lifting of sanctions.

From bad to worse and in the proverbial heartbeat so it seems.

From a Russian Internet web site the reporting:

1. "Ukrainian fighters: "We are just 'cannon fodder' for Donetsk airport"

"Donetsk airport captured by DPR [Donetsk People's Republic] on January 15"

“'Counter-terror' fighters acknowledge they are the 'cannon fodder' of the Donetsk Airport."

"The Ukrainian volunteers picketing the building of the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers complain they are treated as 'cannon fodder' at the Donetsk airport, and that their supporting artillery is almost out of ammunition."

2. "Stunning Drone Footage of Donetsk Airport Razed to the Ground"

"A birds-eye view of the complete devastation at Donetsk Airport"

"Total devastation!!"

"Over the past few days, we have witnessed renewed, large-scale fighting over control of Donetsk airport."

3. "Lugansk Front: Ukrainian forces are taking stunning losses"

"LPR [Lugansk People's Republic] is suppressing the firing positions of the occupiers, the Ukrainian forces are trying to restore the river crossing behind Krimskoye."

DPR and LPR those secessionist break-away portions of the eastern Ukraine. Russian speakers.

coolbert.

Firepower.

This is coolbert:

As it is in England so it is too in Belgium.

Those police forces involved in anti-terrorist operations their ranks now bolstered by active duty military personnel.

"Belgium Deploys Troops Alongside Police Amid Increased Terrorist Threat"

"Belgian authorities deployed troops on the streets of the country amid increased terrorist threat.
Anti-Terrorist Operation in Belgium"

"MOSCOW, January 17 (Sputnik) — Belgium has deployed troops alongside police to protect the country amid increased terrorist threat, as more than 20 people were arrested in Belgium, Germany and France in the recent days over suspicion of participating in terrorist activities, the BBC reported Saturday."

I might well imagine those military personnel found amid the ranks of the police carrying some heavy firepower on demand. To counter that other heavy firepower as might be found among the terrorists. Europe once relatively small arms and gun free but now awash with a variety of automatic weapons, rocket propelled grenades and explosives also available to the bad guy.

coolbert.

Sprey.

This is coolbert:

From a comment as seen at the Isegoria.net Internet web site:

"A few years ago, defense reformer Pierre Sprey wrote that modern U.S. Fighter aircraft were inferior to the Korean War era F-86. That’s flat-out nuts, I’ve never heard a single pilot agree with him."

That F-86 could operate out of an improvised or expedient airfield and probably required less maintenance and less down time and was cheaper even by modern dollar cost. You could proliferate the battlefield with them. Used a gun but so what? Used in strictly the air defense role, an air superiority fighter jet that performance of the F-86 within the modern context barely adequate but more than that not being needed!

ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION THAT F-86 COSTING ABOUT $220,000 USD IN 1950 COULD BE BUILT FOR ABOUT $2,200,000 USD IN 2014. A SMALL FRACTION OF THE COST FOR A MODERN F-35!!

In response from an acknowledged aviation authority who KNOWS this stuff:

"The argument about quantity versus quality goes on . . . results showed those much more complex, expensive 'force multiplier' avionics made the US Air Force (and the Israelis and virtually every other European Air Force) un-defeatable by those flying the masses of airplanes built to the low cost, quantity strategy of air warfare." 

"Lesson: he who can fly highest, fastest, can control the fight. If a much faster turning plane such as the MiG 17, MiG 15 or Sabre is flying around at 25,000 feet, waiting for you to come down and turn with him, all he can do is watch and then try to dodge when you dive down, firing away, and zoom through his altitude and keep going, getting what we called 'extension' from him so that at a longer range away, you could zoom back up in safety and get ready to attack him again--at your leisure."

There you have it in the proverbial nutshell! Thank you aviation authority!

 coolbert.

Mirage 2000.

This is coolbert:

Here with more of what is NOT needed.

That Iraqi air force as it exists given high performance warplanes.

"Op-Ed: The significance of Iraq's acquiring of Mirage jets"

"The United Arab Emirates [UAE] has a significant vested interest in the security of the Iraqi state against the notorious Islamic State (IS, ISIS) terror group which has wrecked havoc across the north of that country. Accordingly it has offered the Iraqi government some of its air force's (under ten apparently) French-made Dassault Mirage 2000 jets."

"The United States has agreed to sell them F-16 Fighting Falcons, but earlier models which have yet to be delivered due to the fact that Iraqi pilots presently being trained in the United States will require a few more years training."

As stated that Iraqi having already been sold F-16 Fighting Falcon, those aviators to man the air planes currently in training.

YEARS required to become able and competent as a pilot in any form of high-performance war plane.

Keeping those aircraft in flight status and minimizing down-time for maintenance also a burden not easily remedied.

This action of the UAE obviously in response to the threat as posed to Iraq by ISIL. But as stated before, the inability of the Iraqi armed forces to successfully combat ISIL NOT due to a lack of equipment, modern or otherwise. MORE GEAR of more sophisticated nature is not the answer to the plight of the Iraqi military.

And as suggested by an acknowledged aviation authority what the Iraqi needs is the Pucara! Argentinean close-air-support counter-insurgency type warplane equipped with lots and lots of flares to ward off attack by MANPAD! NOT Mirage 2000. OH YES!

coolbert.

Urinals.

This is coolbert:

From an article as seen at the Strategy Page Internet web site entitled:  "Intelligence: CVN 78 Eludes Egyptian Spy" we have this extract of interest:

"the Ford [USS]will be the first modern American warship built without urinals. There are several reasons for this. The Ford [USS] will have a smaller crew (by at least 20 percent) and more of them will be women. Currently about ten percent of American warship crews are women, but the Ford crew will be at least 15 percent female. Since women sleep in all-female dormitories ('berthing areas'), a toilet ('head') will now be attached to each berthing area (instead of being down the hall for all in the area). Moreover, berthing areas will be more spacious (because of the smaller crew) and hold a third to half as many bunks as previous carriers. Finally, drain pipes for urinals more frequently get clogged than those coming from toilets. So eliminating the urinals means less work for the plumbers. Many of the junior sailors, who have to clean the heads, won't miss the urinals, which are more of a chore to keep clean than the toilets"

Equality. NOW men and women both will have to go to the toilet without the men having an available option the women do not.

Heaven forbid too that a low ranking enlisted man might not have to participate in the process of maintaining a healthful and orderly latrine [a head in the navy]!

This will not be a consideration on the Virginia class submarines, two of them, to be fully "manned" by an all-woman crew. NO urinals on a submarine to begin with. That process of using the toilet son a submarine still retains that laborious process as has been in the past. A dozen steps required to use the toilet correctly or the "mess' will come flying back up at you!!

coolbert.

Diana Preston V.

This is coolbert:

Conclusion!

Kharg Island!

Continuing with extracts and commentary from "Dark Defile" by Diana Preston:

"Following John Mc Neill's previous severing of his relations with the Persian shah over his attack on Herat in early June, Auckland had, at Mc Neill's prompting, dispatched a battalion of soldiers and marines in two ships from Bombay to the Persian Gulf as a show of force. The troops had occupied the strategically situated island of Karrack (Kharg) - - close to the Persian mainland"

And from a prior blog entry: "That British East Indian Company a semi-autonomous commercial entity having a large standing army and exercising independent diplomatic protocol and foreign policy when needed."

Having perceived a threat to what was seen as the vested interests of the East India Company, that semi-autonomous entity able to exercise independent military force and diplomatic protocol. As was the invasion, seizure and occupation of Persian Kharg island.

THE "INVASION, SEIZURE AND OCCUPATION" OF KHARG ISLAND HIGH ON THE AGENDA OF AMERICAN PRESIDENT CARTER DURING THE IRANIAN EMBASSY HOSTAGE CRISIS.

THAT "'INVASION, SEIZURE AND OCCUPATION' OF KHARG ISLAND" GIVEN CONSIDERATION AS A STRONG POSSIBLE BUT NEVER MANIFESTING ITSELF.

What Jimmy Carter and the military planners in the Pentagon deemed as unfeasible the East India Company not only contemplated but did!

coolbert.

Diana Preston IV.

This is coolbert:

Somnath!

Continuing with extracts and commentary from the "Dark Defile":

"as explicitly commanded by Ellenborough, the sandal wood gates of the ancient tomb of Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni, supposedly looted from the Indian [Hindu] temple of Somnath centuries earlier. He hoped to gain great kudos by returning them to India . . . . Ellenborough also issued a note to the princes [Hindu] of India glorifying the return to India of the gates of Somnath, 'so long the memorial of your humiliation'. The gates were eventually discovered to be not the originals but later replicas . . . and they were ignominiously dumped in a warehouse in Agra."

That Afghan Islamic conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni [1024] having destroyed the Hindu temple of Somnath, shattering and carrying away the remnants of the sacred lingam, additional items of loot to include the sandal wood doors also of esteemed value.

Ellenborough the British commander in the aftermath of the January 1842 debacle leading a counter-offensive the occupation of Ghazni and Kabul attained, retribution high on the agenda.

Doors recovered and repatriated to India but found to be merely replicas and not the originals as had been hoped!

The terrorist assassin Daood Gilani [David Headley] of Mumbai infamy during his reconnaissance missions scouting that current temple of Somnath.

In that part of the world [the Indian sub-continent], memories last a long time!!

coolbert.

Diana Preston III.

This is coolbert:

Bow and arrow.

From a prior blog entry:

"These are reverse engineered British Enfield rifles. They weren't used until the second Afghan-Anglo war. The 16,000 who were massacred were by sword and arrow. Get a damn education you moron." - - Anonymous.

NOT having found ANY reference to the use of bow and arrow by those Afghan harrying that British column attempting to march that ninety miles [145 kilometers] from Kabul to Jalalabad I had assumed there was no such use of such weaponry [bow and arrow].

This may not be correct after all!!

As described in the "Dark Defile":

"The American adventurer Josiah Harlan described how Dost Mohammad appeared 'with fifty thousand belligerent candidates for martyrdom and immortality. Savages from the remotest recesses of the mountainous districts, who were dignified with the professions of the Mohammedan faith, many of them giants in form and strength, promiscuously armed with sword and shield, bows and arrows, matchlocks, rifles, spears and blunderbusses . . ."

Dost Mohammad the warlord  of the Afghan on this particular occasion in confrontation with a Sikh ruler and not the British. This incident occurring prior to the First Anglo-Afghan War.

Combatants armed in such a manner with that variety of odd weaponry during that period of time not so unusual!

That Polish Hussar [cavalryman] of the 1600's carrying an awesome melange' of weaponry to include: lance, six foot long [2 meter] rapier, saber, pistols, musket, war hammer, bow and arrows, all on one person. After discharging the musket and pistols that hussar repeatedly engaging the adversary at long range with bow and arrows.

As can easily be understood, once those firearms discharged, reload slow. Resorting to bow and arrow also now merely an expedient but effective on the battlefield.

coolbert.

Diana Preston II.

This is coolbert:

Dr. Brydon

Continuing with the blog entries based on excerpts and commentary from the "Dark Defile":

Our Dr. Brydon having survived [the only survivor] that catastrophic march [1842] of the British from Kabul to Jalalabad subsequently some years later also having been present at the Siege of Lucknow during the Sepoy Mutiny and also emerging intact [but wounded].

The man certainly leading a most tempestuous but charmed life!!

ONLY two places in the British Empire was the Union Jack allowed to fly twenty-four hours a day!

One such location was above Parliament building in London, the other from the Residency in Lucknow.

Measures taken by the British regarding the Residency in Lucknow and the flagpole at the time of Indian Independence [1947] the subject of a previous blog entry.

coolbert.

Diana Preston I.

This is coolbert:

Here begins a series of blog entries based on extracts and commentary from the book "Dark Defile" by Diana Preston. A history of the First Anglo-Afghan war.

That historical account of the First Anglo-Afghan war: "Dark Defile" by Diana Preston I recommend highly without qualification or reservation!

From the book's jacket: "DIANA PRESTON 'is an Oxford University educated historian'".

Diana Preston writes very good history much in the fashion as did Barbara Tuchman.

Diana having authored several books that have a definite military dimension. To include:

* "Lusitania".

* "The Boxer Rebellion".

Also for clarification purposes that First Anglo-Afghan War those British forces as in opposition to the Afghan warlord Dost Mohammad the military units of the British East India Company and not the Raj. The Raj only existing from the time of the Sepoy Mutiny onward. That ONLY [?] British unit part and parcel of the British Army and present in Afghan at that exact moment [1842] the Forty-fourth of Foot [East Essex Regiment], a single battalion.

That British East Indian Company a semi-autonomous commercial entity having a large standing army and exercising independent diplomatic protocol and foreign policy when needed.

coolbert.

Axis.

This is coolbert:

The axis of evil and then some!!

From Der Spiegel you can read the full account of Assad's continued nuclear ambitions:

"Assad's Secret: Evidence Points to Syrian Push for Nuclear Weapons"

"For years, it was thought that Israel had destroyed Syria's nuclear weapons capability with its 2007 raid on the Kibar complex. Not so. New intelligence suggests that Bashar al-Assad is still trying to built the bomb. And he may be getting help from North Korea and Iran."

See previous blog entries regarding this topic.

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/01/qusair.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/12/deir-zor.html

Such a contentious area of the world with so many competing parties and I might correctly assume each and everyone EAGER AND EVEN RELISHING THE THOUGHT TO GET THEIR HANDS ON ATOMIC MUNITIONS.

coolbert.

Speed.

This is coolbert:

Drugs as ingested by combatants in the Syrian Civil War commonplace? And as a source of revenue for insurgent groups also.

Drugs as normally forbidden by Islam within the cultural domain. Alcohol haram but opiates NOT! Speed and other associated amphetamines allowed as an expedient? The puritanical Muslim not always so puritanical.

“'Jihad meth' popular among Islamic State jihadis seized in Judea and Samaria"

. . . .

"Captagon is the brand name for pills with the active ingredient fenethylline, a chemical linkage of amphetamine and theophylline. The drug was outlawed in most of the west by the mid-80s but remains highly popular in the Arab world, especially in Syria, where much of it is manufactured. Bootleg and generic copycats are also quite common."

“'Captagon: the amphetamine fueling Syria’s civil war', said that the trade in the drug continues to bring millions in revenue each year, almost certainly paying for arms for rebel and jihadi forces and serving as a popular battlefield stimulant for fighters on both sides."

. . . .

"In recent years, reports have surfaced that Lebanese Shi’ite terror group Hezbollah have been helping fund their activities through the production and trafficking of large amounts of fake Captagon, producing powerful methamphetamine pills sold across the Middle East."

That "buzz" and frenetic activity for prolonged periods making for a person who becomes uncontrollable. The cycle of "up and down" creating an addiction no beneficial to anyone. The short-term gain from stimulants NO GOOD in the long term!

coolbert.

Al Qods.

This is coolbert:

From the DEBKAfile senior Iranian commanders in Iraq now targeted by ISIL suicide bombers, with the attacker having some success, that methodology of ISIL an integral aspect of all military operations.

"ISIS kills Iranian elite al Qods unit commander in Iraq, causes 555 Iranian officers’ deaths"

"The Islamic State’s elite unit wiped out the forward command group of the a commando force belonging to Iran’s Al Qods Brigades early Monday, Jan. 12, killing its commander, Gen. Mehdi Norouzi, at Hashimiyah north of Baghdad. He was the second Iranian general to succumb to this tactic, which DEBKAfile exclusively reveals as using surveillance and deep infiltration to systematically take down high Iranian officers so as to throw opposition forces into disarray."

"Al Qods chief Gen. Soleimani badly hurt by ISIS suicide squad in Iraq"

"Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Al Qods Brigades, and of Iranian forces in Iraq, was seriously injured by an ISIS suicide squad near Samarra in central Iraq and rushed to hospital in Tehran, DEBKAfile reports."

coolbert.

Great Wall.

This is coolbert:

The Great Wall of Saudi.

Thanks to the Telegraph and Freeper for the article and tip:

"Revealed: Saudi Arabia's 'Great Wall' to keep out ISIL"

"Middle Eastern Kingdom building 600-mile [1,000 kilometers] wall and ditch along its border with Iraq in effort to insulate itself from the chaos engulfing its neighbours."

A multi-faceted and layered defense. It would not surprise me if the Israeli is advising the Saudi on this barrier and the design possibilities.

"When a raiding party from Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant attacked a Saudi border post last week, it was no mere hit on a desert outpost."

. . . .

"The Saudis are building a 600-mile-long [1,000 kilometer] 'Great Wall' - a combined fence and ditch - to separates the country from Iraq to the north."

Say what you will about this. The Great Wall of China. The Maginot Line. Etc.

Or the sand and earthen berm that exists and has existed for some time now between what used to be Spanish Sahara and Algeria. Or the 4,000 kilometer fence that now is in place between India and Bangladesh.

Good fences make for good neighbors!

NOT necessarily designed as should be understand to STOP intruders and raiders. Merely to slow the bad guy down, expend energy, take casualties, and allow for rapid reaction forces to deploy and do so with authority and assurance!

And will this fence be visible with the unaided eye from outer space? Another one of those massive and overwhelming in scale human projects built from time to time. ONLY an astronaut can say for sure.

coolbert.

Sokoto Caliphate.

This is coolbert:

In a historical sense the insurgency of Boko Haram not existing in a vacuum.

From two hundred years ago we have the Sokoto Caliphate.

The leader at that time Usman dan Fodio! Islamic religious scholar of some repute and also exercising temporal rule and control too!

Again, FROM TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO! And as an inspiration to the present jihadists of Boko!

"Shaihu Usman dan Fodio . . . was a religious teacher, writer and Islamic promoter, and the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate. Dan Fodio was one of a class of urbanized ethnic Fulani living in the Hausa States in what is today northern Nigeria."

Usman dan Fodio was proclaimed Amir al-Muminin or Commander of the Faithful in Gudu. This made him a political as well as religious leader, giving him the authority to declare and pursue a jihad, raise an army and become its commander.

The Bornu and Sokoto Caliphate as they were constituted during the time of Dan Fodio. Bornu and the Lake Chad area a hotbed of current Boko Haram activity! Lake Chad in the upper right hand corner of the image.

This much larger image of modern Nigeria the area of Borno and the upper northeast corner of the nation that center of Boko insurgency. Boko as is ISIL a trans-national movement a return to the Caliphate of Dan Fodio preferred!

Those borders and political boundary lines of Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Chad, etc., as drawn by the western colonial powers [England and France] immaterial to the jihadists. The forces of Boko prefer a return to the old ways and the older territories as subject to Shariah law.

Usman dan Fodio two hundred years ago, Boko Haram today.

coolbert.

Baga.

This is coolbert:

Is everyone following events in Nigeria as they unfold? You should be.

Boko Haram again having struck with impunity, atrocity this time on a horrific scale, unprecedented. As with ISIL no one seems to be able to beat these guys [Boko]!

Additional forces from neighboring Chad now enter the fray. The Nigerian army unable to defeat or even it seems maintain a semblance of order in their own nation.

"Chad armoured column heads for Cameroon to fight Boko Haram"

"N'Djamena (AFP) - Dozens of Chadian tanks headed out of the capital Friday south towards Cameroon to help fight Nigeria's dreaded Boko Haram insurgents"

Those main points:

1. "Chad offers Cameroon support in fight against Boko Haram Reuters"
2. :Chad pledges 'active support' for Cameroon against Boko Haram AFP"
3. "Nigerian president visits survivors of Boko Haram massacre AFP"
4. "Boko Haram seizes military base in Nigeria: witnesses AFP"
5. "West African leaders consider new force to fight Boko Haram Reuters"

"Chad's parliament voted to send armed forces to Cameroon and Nigeria to fight against the Islamists.
It is rumoured to be eventually heading to Baga, the town on the shores of Lake Chad were as many as 2,000 people were massacred by the militants in a raid on January 7"

Those events of 7 January no less than SIXTEEN VILLAGES RAZED AND LEVELED TO THE GROUND, THE DEATH TOLL AMONG CIVILIANS IMMENSE.

A Nigerian army contingent in addition put to rout and flight besides, the rebels of Boko Haram surveying the battlefield in apparent total triumph and victory.

Three nations now in opposition to Boko Haram and no one able to contain or even make headway against the jihadist and insurgent threat. Boko supreme and everyone else impotent so it seems.

Goodluck Jonathan needs a lot of good luck and fast!!

coolbert.

Yuri Ivanov.

This is coolbert:

From the tip through Harry at Sharkhunters:

"The Russian Navy got a new powerful intelligence ship. She is the largest ever ship of this kind, that is, for the Russian Navy. Her name is 'Yury Ivanov'. She was built at Severnaya dockyard in St. Petersburg . . . She is equipped with most modern intelligence gathering gadgets. The crew is about 120 people. The vessel is the lead ship of Project 1820"

 Indeed, this is the Russian naval vessel "Yuri Ivanov". an intelligence gathering vessel with some apparent awesome capability. THE MISSION OF WHICH WILL BE SUBORDINATE TO THE RUSSIAN GRU.
  
1. “'Severnaya Verf' Launched a New Reconnaissance Ship"

"Yuri Ivanov" with a myriad of antenna.

"On September 30, 2013 St. Petersburg shipyard “Severnaya Verf” launched the head reconnaissance ship of the project 18280 “Yuri Ivanov” (serial number 787)"

. . . .

"According to unofficial data 'Yuri Ivanov ' will be used for the benefit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Russia."

That naval vessel named apparently for a senior Russian intelligence officer of the GRU having lost his life only recently in the line of duty!!

2. "Top Russian spy’s body washes up 'after swimming accident’"

"The body of one of Russia’s top spies has washed up on the Turkish coast after he disappeared close to a sensitive Russian naval facility in neighbouring Syria."

The late Yuri Ivanov. A senior officer of the Russian GRU at the time of his passing.

This from 2010 the Russian active in the Syrian civil war in a variety of capacities having aligned themselves with the despot Assad! This "accident" the cause of which not resolved.

During that era of the Cold War the KGB the largest intelligence gathering agency in the world. The GRU THE SECOND LARGEST INTELLIGENCE GATHERING AGENCY IN THE WORLD!!

A capacity that remains undiminished so it seems!!

coolbert.

Fredendall.

This is coolbert:

As extracted from that Internet National Interest web site article by Michael Peck:

"Commanders of Chaos: The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History" by Michael Peck.

In this specific case the American senior commander in Tunisia prior to the Kasserine Pass Lloyd Fredendall!

 "He also issued orders to his troops in a personal code that no one else understood, such as this gem of command clarity"

"Move your command, i. e., the walking boys, pop guns, Baker's outfit and the outfit which is the reverse of Baker's outfit and the big fellows to M, which is due north of where you are now, as soon as possible. Have your boss report to the French gentleman whose name begins with J at a place which begins with D which is five grid squares to the left of M."

Without it being specifically stated, I have a oddly suspicious, intuitive and bad reaction that this "operational order" was sent by radio in the CLEAR to subordinates. NOT encrypted in any form either using code or cipher.

The general undoubtedly having the absolute confidence that his own clever use of terminology and phrasing of words would fool the German radio monitors.

NO WONDER THE AMERICAN TROOPS AT KASSERINE PASS GOT BEATEN SO BADLY BY THE VETERANS OF THE AFRIKA KORPS.

AND NO WONDER THAT LLOYD FREDENDALL WITHOUT FURTHER ADO WAS REPLACED BY GEORGE S. PATTON. I MIGHT VERY WELL THINK THAT SUCH A SENIOR OFFICER BEING RELIEVED OF DUTY AS FREDENDALL IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THE WINNOWING PROCESS, THE DARWINIAN SELECTION OF NO-GO COMMANDERS THAT ALWAYS OCCURS DURING WARTIME.

coolbert.

Worst!

This is coolbert:

Here from the National Interest and the article by Michael Peck:

"Commanders of Chaos: The 5 Worst Generals in U.S. History"

. . . .

"It would be nice if all American generals were great. How might Vietnam or Iraq have turned out if a George Washington, a Ulysses Grant or a George Patton had been in command?"

"Alas, call it the laws of probability or just cosmic karma, but every nation produces bad generals as well as good ones—and America is no exception."

. . . .

"But for whatever reason, some American commanders have lost the battle for history. Here are five of America's worst generals"

* Horatio Gates.

* Douglas Mac Arthur.

* Mc Clellan.

* Lloyd Fredendall.

* Tommy Franks.

This listing however has one glaring omission. That one general officer in American history his force totally obliterated and his reputation firmly established as probably the WORST American commander of all time.

Arthur St. Clair.

American commander at the Battle of the Wabash. Also referred to as St. Clair's Defeat. More correctly St. Clair's Rout.

"St. Clair's Defeat also known as the Battle of the Wabash, the Battle of Wabash River or the Battle of a Thousand Slain, was fought on November 4, 1791 in the Northwest Territory between the United States and the Western Confederacy of American Indians, as part of the Northwest Indian War. It was a major American Indian victory and remains the greatest defeat of the United States Army by American Indians."

"The American Indians were led by Little Turtle of the Miamis, Blue Jacket of the Shawnees and Buckongahelas of the Delawares (Lenape). The war party numbered more than one thousand warriors, including a large number of Potawatomis from eastern Michigan and the Saint Joseph. The opposing force of about 1,000 Americans was led by General Arthur St. Clair. The American Indian confederacy was overwhelmingly victorious. In proportional terms of losses to strength, it was one of the worst defeats that United States forces have ever suffered in battle—of the 1,000 officers and men that St. Clair led into battle, only 24 escaped unharmed. As a result, President George Washington forced St. Clair to resign his post and Congress initiated its first investigation of the executive branch."

For those American military personnel captured it is reputed that the execution fires burned for TWO DAYS subsequently!!

Whoa boy and shame Arthur St. Clair!!

coolbert.

Big Wind!

This is coolbert:

Classify this as being in the strange but true category.

The chassis of a Soviet era T-34 tank and the jet engines of a MiG-21 aircraft combined to create a fire-fighting vehicle of some awesome capability.

CALL THIS BIG WIND!

"This Tank Has Jet Engines and Fights Fires"

 "Here’s your proof that sometimes being just a little bit crazy results in something amazing. This is a working fire truck. It is made from a WWII-era Russian T34 tank. Strapped to that tank’s roof are the engines from a MiG-21 fighter jet. They call this Frankenstein creation Big Wind, and it’s a wonder to see it in action."

. . . .


"Big Wind works by shooting water through six hoses that are mounted around the jet engines and will shoot out 8,000 gallons of water per minute. This would be impressive in its own right. Turn on the jet engines with their 27,000 pounds of thrust each, and all that water is now shooting out at 770 MPH. Of late, they’ve been using it to once again put out oil fires in commercial oil fields."

Is intended to be used primarily in fighting fires in "commercial oil fields". That applicability in fighting a forest fire I might find to be questionable [see the You Tube video]. Able to work in rough terrain where accessibility to other vehicles is questionable that much we can reasonably infer. Big Wind does need an external source of water.

That T-34 tank as was originally designed in 1934 [hence the designation T-34], that MiG-21 a Cold War combat aircraft

Fighting a forest fire about as close as you can get to actual military combat without having an adversary shooting at you. Big Wind another indication of the quasi-military status and mission of forest fire fighting units.

coolbert.

Qusair.

This is coolbert:

From Israel Hayom it seems that Assad in Syria has not given up nuclear and atomic ambitions. A second nuclear facility uncovered recently the existence of which was not apparent to the Israeli.

"'Syria building nuclear facility with help from Iran, North Korea'"

"Syrian President Bashar Assad has apparently not given up on his nuclear ambitions . . . Syria is building a secret nuclear facility in the mountains near the Lebanese border, with Iranian and North Korean assistance."

"Syria's previous nuclear reactor in the northeastern Deir ez-Zor region was destroyed in 2007 in what foreign media reports alleged was an Israeli air strike."

"Israel was unaware of the secret facility. Analysts believe that Syria had continued working on its nuclear program after the 2007 strike, using top-secret underground compounds."

"The facility, believed to be located near the town of Qusair, some 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) away from the Syria-Lebanon border, reportedly holds 8,000 fuel rods, and is also believed to house an enrichment facility or nuclear reactor as well."

All this done with THE CONNIVANCE OF THE NORTH KOREANS AND IRANIANS. Such is how this is all perceived.

AND WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR WHAT DOES THIS SAY? A WHOLE VARIETY OF INTERESTED PARTIES I AM SURE WOULD LIKE TO GET THEIR HANDS ON THAT FACILITY INTACT AND EVEN MAY DO SO.

ASSAD WALKS A FINE LINE AND I AM SURE HE KNOWS IT!

coolbert.

OSK.

This is coolbert:

From MARCO POLO  through Harry at Sharkhunters:

"According to the news received just today, a new command has been established in Russia, whose jurisdiction comprises all the Russian forces in the Arctic zone -- the Northern Fleet (all its ships, submarines, aircraft, marines, etc.) as well as units on numerous islands in the Arctic. It is called 'OSK' United Strategic Command)."

"the purpose of this reorganization consists in the better protection of Russian national interest in the Arctic Zone."

 

"the surface and submarine forces of the Northern Fleet have accumulated enormous experiences in operating in the Arctic area, and they are now being asked to put them to good use in the protection of the important sea way in the Arctic, search and rescue as well as protection of the environment."

 

"Another report said the Naval Infantry (meaning the marines) of the Northern Fleet will place great emphasis in this year, on the training in the Arctic zone. They will practice handling of the arms, use of artillery, bivouac, etc. in severe climate."

 

A special command structure the Russian preparing for confrontation and possible conflict. The waters and ice of the arctic regions disputed territory.

 

Nation as comprising NATO alliance also making claims to the far north to include Denmark!

 

Hold onto your hats!

 

coolbert.