This is coolbert:
Courtesy the BBC History Magazine and as extracted from an interview with Professor Mary Beard. That subject the ancient Roman Republic and the military prowess of same.
MARY BEARD.
"Beard studied at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, and has been professor of classics at Cambridge since 2004."
Q: "How did the Roman republic come to achieve such military success?"
A: "There are few simple answers to that - - and a few that are definitely wrong"
A: "It's convenient for us to think about the Romans as somehow more committed to warfare than the poor people around them . . . The Romans were nasty thugs - - but so was everyone else. And Romans didn't employ better tactics than others - - whatever 'tactics' were in the early republic - - nor did they have better hardware."
A: "Instead, I think their success came from their system of citizenship . . . It didn't defeat everybody, but when it did it formed alliances and links of citizenship. So as Rome expanded, its relationships with the people around it yielded overwhelming resources and manpower - - factors that won wars in the ancient world."
My understanding [as limited as it is] of ancient Rome [that republican period in particular] is the Romans were more than others around them able to institutionalize their military in a way others around them were not. The Romans were more regimented and methodical about their approach to warfare than adversaries or potential adversaries.
Units of the Roman army having a standard organization [TO and E] a standard battle kit and weaponry, standard doctrine and tactics, a standing military force with a common regimen of training, and commanders adhering to regulations for battle and combat as enunciated and made written policy with various degrees of punishment for those violating the "rules".
The Romans also not deterred by defeat but rather had an amazing perseverance about them.
coolbert.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Lopez War.
This is coolbert:
The Gran Chaco War I am familiar with. From the time of the Great Depression. Paraguay and Bolivia contesting the borders of and the dominion over a wasteland very sparsely populated but thought to contain immense petroleum reserves.
Paraguay again and that War of the Triple Alliance I was not familiar with.
Paraguay during a much earlier period in conflict with the combined forces of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
"The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was an international military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It is said to have caused approximately 400,000 deaths, one of the highest ratios of fatalities to combatants of any war in South America in modern history. It was the longest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin American history. It particularly devastated Paraguay, which suffered catastrophic losses in population—some claim that almost 70% of its adult male population died—and was forced to cede territory to Argentina and Brazil."
Consider not so much the fighting of the war itself but the aftermath. As described in a recent "MILITARY HISTORY" magazine article by Jorge E. Taracido .
"The war was a calamity for Paraguay, with battle, mass executions, starvation and disease claiming the lives of somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million of its people - - more than half of its prewar population. Some scholars speculate that 90 percent of the nation's male population was killed."
My instantaneous thought was that when speaking of 90 % "of the nation's male population was killed" this meant 90 % of the MILITARY-AGE MALE POPULATION KILLED. That statistic seems to be overblown?
"Moreover, the allies devastated Paraguay's industry and economy while systematically looting or destroying much of the nations' cultural heritage. At war's end occupation officials banned instruction in the native Guarani [Ghwar-a-nee] language spoken by the vast majority of the population - - a prohibition only lifted officially in 1992. Paraguay ceded nearly 55,000 square miles of disputed territory to Brazil in the Mato Grosso state and to Argentina in the Gran Chaco and Misiones regions. The victors occupied the nation fully on in part for nine years and imposed crippling war reparations. While Uruguay forgave reparations payment in 1885, Argentina and Brazil collected theirs until 1942 and 1943 respectively"
War indemnity and harsh reparations as a result of negotiated war-ending treaty are a thing of the past?
"What is worse than fighting a war?" "Losing a war!!"
coolbert.
The Gran Chaco War I am familiar with. From the time of the Great Depression. Paraguay and Bolivia contesting the borders of and the dominion over a wasteland very sparsely populated but thought to contain immense petroleum reserves.
Paraguay again and that War of the Triple Alliance I was not familiar with.
Paraguay during a much earlier period in conflict with the combined forces of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay.
"The Paraguayan War, also known as the War of the Triple Alliance, was an international military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay. It is said to have caused approximately 400,000 deaths, one of the highest ratios of fatalities to combatants of any war in South America in modern history. It was the longest and bloodiest inter-state war in Latin American history. It particularly devastated Paraguay, which suffered catastrophic losses in population—some claim that almost 70% of its adult male population died—and was forced to cede territory to Argentina and Brazil."
Consider not so much the fighting of the war itself but the aftermath. As described in a recent "MILITARY HISTORY" magazine article by Jorge E. Taracido .
"The war was a calamity for Paraguay, with battle, mass executions, starvation and disease claiming the lives of somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million of its people - - more than half of its prewar population. Some scholars speculate that 90 percent of the nation's male population was killed."
My instantaneous thought was that when speaking of 90 % "of the nation's male population was killed" this meant 90 % of the MILITARY-AGE MALE POPULATION KILLED. That statistic seems to be overblown?
"Moreover, the allies devastated Paraguay's industry and economy while systematically looting or destroying much of the nations' cultural heritage. At war's end occupation officials banned instruction in the native Guarani [Ghwar-a-nee] language spoken by the vast majority of the population - - a prohibition only lifted officially in 1992. Paraguay ceded nearly 55,000 square miles of disputed territory to Brazil in the Mato Grosso state and to Argentina in the Gran Chaco and Misiones regions. The victors occupied the nation fully on in part for nine years and imposed crippling war reparations. While Uruguay forgave reparations payment in 1885, Argentina and Brazil collected theirs until 1942 and 1943 respectively"
War indemnity and harsh reparations as a result of negotiated war-ending treaty are a thing of the past?
"What is worse than fighting a war?" "Losing a war!!"
coolbert.
Submarines Japan.
From a prior blog entry this question asked:
"While not being specifically named these Japanese boats are of the Soryu class submarine? A diesel/electric boat of formidable capability."
NOT so apparently a Soryu class boat able to notionally defeat surface ships of the U.S. Navy during war games. The Japanese for a period of decades however able to manufacture successive generations of evolving, very sophisticated and capable diesel/electric submarines including Soryu class but hardly limited to.
JMSDF = Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces.
1. Soryu class.
"The Sōryū-class submarines (16SS) are diesel-electric attack submarines that entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2009. The design is an evolution of the Oyashio-class submarine, from which it can most easily be distinguished by its X-shaped tail planes."
2. Oyashio class.
"The Oyashio is a class of Japanese diesel-electric attack submarine operated by the JMSDF. The submarines entered service in the late 1990s. The submarines are larger than the earlier Harushio-class submarines, to provide space for a flank sonar array."
3. Harushio class.
"The Harushio is a Japanese diesel-electric submarine class operated by the JMSDF. The design is an evolution from the Yūshio class being slightly larger and with better noise reduction."
4. Yushio class.
"The Yūshio was a Japanese diesel-electric submarine class operated by the JMSDF. It was a second generation submarine, a development of the Uzushio class submarine, incorporating a teardrop hull, with a resulting increase in underwater performance on the Uzushio class submarine. Ten were built under the fourth defense plan in 1975 fiscal year"
I am impressed. A continuity of effort over a period of decades with a lot of forethought and careful reasoning. Not a hit or miss program. Again, good boats combined with good crews make for excellent to outstanding performance and worthy of respect well merited.
coolbert.
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Forecast.
This is coolbert:
More predictions this time from Stratfor. Strategic Forecasting. See their web site.
"Stratfor has 11 chilling predictions for what the world will look like a decade from now"
* "Russia will collapse ..."
* "... and the US will have to use its military to secure the country's nukes." [Russian nuclear munitions]
* "Germany is going to have problems ..."
* "... and Poland will be one of Europe's leaders."
* "There will be four Europes."
* "Turkey and the US will have to be close allies but for an unexpected reason."
* "China will face one huge problem."
* "Japan will be Asia's rising naval power."
* "The South China Sea islands won't start a war - but there 's a catch."
* "There will be 16 mini-Chinas."
* "US power will decline."
AND WHAT DOES VLAD PUTIN HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL THIS?
coolbert.
More predictions this time from Stratfor. Strategic Forecasting. See their web site.
"Stratfor has 11 chilling predictions for what the world will look like a decade from now"
* "Russia will collapse ..."
* "... and the US will have to use its military to secure the country's nukes." [Russian nuclear munitions]
* "Germany is going to have problems ..."
* "... and Poland will be one of Europe's leaders."
* "There will be four Europes."
* "Turkey and the US will have to be close allies but for an unexpected reason."
* "China will face one huge problem."
* "Japan will be Asia's rising naval power."
* "The South China Sea islands won't start a war - but there 's a catch."
* "There will be 16 mini-Chinas."
* "US power will decline."
AND WHAT DOES VLAD PUTIN HAVE TO SAY ABOUT ALL THIS?
coolbert.
Monday, December 28, 2015
Dentures.
This is coolbert:
Place this blog entry in the yuck and disgusting category! Having a military dimension nonetheless.
As extracted from the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net. I get ideas for blog entries from the most interesting sources.
"18th-Century Dentistry"
DENTURES AS A PRODUCT OF ANTEDILUVIAN EARLY DENTISTRY TECHNOLOGY POOR DESIGNED AND POORLY FITTING. REFERRED TO AS "CONTRAPTIONS . . . CUMBERSOME AND PAINFUL TO WEAR".
A PARTIAL SOLUTION AS DEVISED TO CONSTRUCT DENTURES WITH TEETH AS TAKEN FROM THE BODIES OF THE NEWLY DEPARTED.
TEETH AS TAKEN FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE "NEWLY DEPARTED" BUT WITH RISK!
"Contraptions [dentures of the period] like this were cumbersome and painful to wear. But more so, these teeth were often plucked from the mouths of those who had died from syphilis, thus infecting their new owners when contaminated tissue came into contact with open wounds in the mouth."
SOLUTION TO THE "CONTAMINATED TISSUE" PROBLEM TO EXTRACT THE TEETH OF SOLDIERS AS RECENTLY KILLED ON THE BATTLEFIELD. PERSONS ALSO "NEWLY DEPARTED" BUT IN SUPERIOR HEALTH WITH SUPERIOR TEETH!!
"What practitioners really needed was access to young, healthy teeth. That opportunity presented itself during the battle of Waterloo in 1815, which led to the deaths of 51,000 men. 'Waterloo teeth', as they were known, referred to any teeth stolen from the mouths of dead soldiers in the 19th century, and was a term employed during the Crimean and American civil wars. Body-snatchers followed armies into battle, and returned home with bagfuls of teeth that they sold to dentists and surgeons at inflated prices."
Persons wandering the battlefields stripping the dead of valuables and EVEN THEIR TEETH a common practice until relatively recently. Gold is where you find it I guess.
coolbert.
Place this blog entry in the yuck and disgusting category! Having a military dimension nonetheless.
As extracted from the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net. I get ideas for blog entries from the most interesting sources.
"18th-Century Dentistry"
DENTURES AS A PRODUCT OF ANTEDILUVIAN EARLY DENTISTRY TECHNOLOGY POOR DESIGNED AND POORLY FITTING. REFERRED TO AS "CONTRAPTIONS . . . CUMBERSOME AND PAINFUL TO WEAR".
A PARTIAL SOLUTION AS DEVISED TO CONSTRUCT DENTURES WITH TEETH AS TAKEN FROM THE BODIES OF THE NEWLY DEPARTED.
TEETH AS TAKEN FROM THE MOUTHS OF THE "NEWLY DEPARTED" BUT WITH RISK!
"Contraptions [dentures of the period] like this were cumbersome and painful to wear. But more so, these teeth were often plucked from the mouths of those who had died from syphilis, thus infecting their new owners when contaminated tissue came into contact with open wounds in the mouth."
SOLUTION TO THE "CONTAMINATED TISSUE" PROBLEM TO EXTRACT THE TEETH OF SOLDIERS AS RECENTLY KILLED ON THE BATTLEFIELD. PERSONS ALSO "NEWLY DEPARTED" BUT IN SUPERIOR HEALTH WITH SUPERIOR TEETH!!
"What practitioners really needed was access to young, healthy teeth. That opportunity presented itself during the battle of Waterloo in 1815, which led to the deaths of 51,000 men. 'Waterloo teeth', as they were known, referred to any teeth stolen from the mouths of dead soldiers in the 19th century, and was a term employed during the Crimean and American civil wars. Body-snatchers followed armies into battle, and returned home with bagfuls of teeth that they sold to dentists and surgeons at inflated prices."
Persons wandering the battlefields stripping the dead of valuables and EVEN THEIR TEETH a common practice until relatively recently. Gold is where you find it I guess.
coolbert.
Cub Scouts.
This is coolbert:
Yet one more story that can be seen as possible propaganda directed against the Islamic State?
Daesh = the Islamic State = ISIL.
"Caliphate Cub Scouts: Daesh Teaching Children to Torture, Kill 'Infidels'"
"Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) continues to propagate its intolerant ideology of hatred, anti-humanism and the cult of death among children, distorting the teachings of Islam to suit their sectarian doctrine."
"Daesh-affiliated Boko Haram has deployed children as young as 8 years of age to the front lines for use as human shields."
That incorporation of young people into all military operations a trademark of ISIL and affiliates. Suicide bombers, human shields, youth soldiers. Even the use of mentally challenged young people as human bombs!
Propaganda with the intention of describing Daesh and affiliates as monsters? Engaging in odious practices as policy, institutionalized.
coolbert.
Yet one more story that can be seen as possible propaganda directed against the Islamic State?
Daesh = the Islamic State = ISIL.
"Caliphate Cub Scouts: Daesh Teaching Children to Torture, Kill 'Infidels'"
"Daesh (ISIL/ISIS) continues to propagate its intolerant ideology of hatred, anti-humanism and the cult of death among children, distorting the teachings of Islam to suit their sectarian doctrine."
"Daesh-affiliated Boko Haram has deployed children as young as 8 years of age to the front lines for use as human shields."
This image reportedly shows Cubs being given indoctrination training. Little automata [robots] being taught to kill! Teaching hate to children deplorable under all circumstances.
That incorporation of young people into all military operations a trademark of ISIL and affiliates. Suicide bombers, human shields, youth soldiers. Even the use of mentally challenged young people as human bombs!
Propaganda with the intention of describing Daesh and affiliates as monsters? Engaging in odious practices as policy, institutionalized.
coolbert.
77 Million.
This is coolbert:
77 million blackbirds can't be right!
Thanks to the tip from Jungle Trader.
"Rome plagued by starlings"
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do - these days, that means hide under an umbrella. Millions of starlings have converged on the Italian capital, and their droppings are not only a nuisance, they're a health hazard."
Droppings of the birds a health hazard, spreaders of disease, congregations of the starlings in what is best described as biblical proportions creating a terrible mess.
From almost exactly four decades ago [Jan. 1976] now a similar problem with remedy as reported by the Observer-Reporter. That problem with remedy both having a military dimension.
An avian invasion what were called "blackbirds" in prodigious numbers posing a distinct threat to the military personnel of Ft. Campbell Kentucky, USA. A DANGER TO ARMY PERSONNEL, DEPENDENTS AND ARMY AVIATION ALL!!
That solution THE BIRDS DOUSED WITH A DETERGENT SPRAY DURING THEIR NIGHTLY ROOSTS, THAT OILY INSULATING QUALITY OF THE FEATHERS INEFFECTIVE, THE BIRDS FREEZING TO DEATH! A SPRAY AS DELIVERED BY HELICOPTER. [I am not sure if these were military or civilian choppers delivering the "death mix".]
"WASHINGTON (AP) - - congress approved a bill Tuesday [1976] designed to authorize the immediate extermination of millions of blackbirds roosting in the vicinity of fort Campbell, Ky."
". . . legislation would lit legal restrictions n the use of a chemical detergent on the estimated 77 million blackbirds and starlings within a 100-mile radius of the Army installation"
"The chemical, sprayed on roosts from aircraft, washes off protective oils on the birds' feathers. if it is below 45 degrees [F], the birds . . . die."
Mass extermination!! Again measures of a biblical scale, cruel but necessary.
coolbert.
77 million blackbirds can't be right!
Thanks to the tip from Jungle Trader.
"Rome plagued by starlings"
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do - these days, that means hide under an umbrella. Millions of starlings have converged on the Italian capital, and their droppings are not only a nuisance, they're a health hazard."
Droppings of the birds a health hazard, spreaders of disease, congregations of the starlings in what is best described as biblical proportions creating a terrible mess.
From almost exactly four decades ago [Jan. 1976] now a similar problem with remedy as reported by the Observer-Reporter. That problem with remedy both having a military dimension.
An avian invasion what were called "blackbirds" in prodigious numbers posing a distinct threat to the military personnel of Ft. Campbell Kentucky, USA. A DANGER TO ARMY PERSONNEL, DEPENDENTS AND ARMY AVIATION ALL!!
That solution THE BIRDS DOUSED WITH A DETERGENT SPRAY DURING THEIR NIGHTLY ROOSTS, THAT OILY INSULATING QUALITY OF THE FEATHERS INEFFECTIVE, THE BIRDS FREEZING TO DEATH! A SPRAY AS DELIVERED BY HELICOPTER. [I am not sure if these were military or civilian choppers delivering the "death mix".]
"WASHINGTON (AP) - - congress approved a bill Tuesday [1976] designed to authorize the immediate extermination of millions of blackbirds roosting in the vicinity of fort Campbell, Ky."
". . . legislation would lit legal restrictions n the use of a chemical detergent on the estimated 77 million blackbirds and starlings within a 100-mile radius of the Army installation"
"The chemical, sprayed on roosts from aircraft, washes off protective oils on the birds' feathers. if it is below 45 degrees [F], the birds . . . die."
Mass extermination!! Again measures of a biblical scale, cruel but necessary.
coolbert.
Submarine Japan.
This is coolbert:
In case of conflict in the East China Sea do not think American naval assets alone will confront the Chinese.
ALSO THAT FRENCH SUBMARINE NOT ALONE IN THE ABILITY TO DEFEAT AND SINK IN A NOTIONAL MANNER DURING NAVAL WAR GAMES AMERICAN SURFACE VESSELS AND ABLE TO DO SO ALMOST AT THEIR LEISURE.
From the Japan Times:
"Japan’s crack submarine fleet"
"During the 1998 Rim of the Pacific Exercise off the coast of Hawaii, Adm. Archie Clemens, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was dumbfounded as a monitor screen showed that eight vessels of his fleet were 'attacked and sunk' one after another by a single MSDF submarine."
"In the subsequent RIMPAC exercises, MSDF submarines and surface ships have maintained the upper hand. One U.S. naval officer said that those submarines were the last thing he would like to fight, adding that if they got really serious it would become impossible to continue the exercise."
"The reason that has led the United States to give such a complimentary evaluation of MSDF submarines is that they perform at such a high level that even the general Japanese public has trouble grasping just how good they are. This ability stems from two factors: one is the subs’ performance characteristics that are superb even by global standards and the other is the high levels of training that their crews go through."
While not being specifically named these Japanese boats are of the Soryu class submarine? A diesel/electric boat of formidable capability. That combination of good boats and good crews makes for excellent to outstanding performance.
coolbert.
In case of conflict in the East China Sea do not think American naval assets alone will confront the Chinese.
ALSO THAT FRENCH SUBMARINE NOT ALONE IN THE ABILITY TO DEFEAT AND SINK IN A NOTIONAL MANNER DURING NAVAL WAR GAMES AMERICAN SURFACE VESSELS AND ABLE TO DO SO ALMOST AT THEIR LEISURE.
From the Japan Times:
"Japan’s crack submarine fleet"
"During the 1998 Rim of the Pacific Exercise off the coast of Hawaii, Adm. Archie Clemens, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, was dumbfounded as a monitor screen showed that eight vessels of his fleet were 'attacked and sunk' one after another by a single MSDF submarine."
Great graphic! Japanese submarine surrounded by five enemy vessels. Ninja warrior exiting the Japanese sub with samurai sword strapped to back, throwing star in hand! What more do you need?
"In the subsequent RIMPAC exercises, MSDF submarines and surface ships have maintained the upper hand. One U.S. naval officer said that those submarines were the last thing he would like to fight, adding that if they got really serious it would become impossible to continue the exercise."
"The reason that has led the United States to give such a complimentary evaluation of MSDF submarines is that they perform at such a high level that even the general Japanese public has trouble grasping just how good they are. This ability stems from two factors: one is the subs’ performance characteristics that are superb even by global standards and the other is the high levels of training that their crews go through."
While not being specifically named these Japanese boats are of the Soryu class submarine? A diesel/electric boat of formidable capability. That combination of good boats and good crews makes for excellent to outstanding performance.
coolbert.
BIFF.
This is coolbert:
I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later.
Daesh = the Islamic State = ISIL.
Islamic separatist groups in the Philippines having vowed allegiance and aligned themselves with the Islamic state again restive.
"Daesh-Linked Group Threatens Philippines With New Terror Attacks"
"Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) militant group, linked with the Daesh, also known as ISIL/The Islamic State, warned that they would continue deadly terror attacks in retaliation for government counter terrorism efforts, local media reported Saturday."
. . . .
"The leaders of the BIFF, fighting for the Islamization of the mostly Christian Philippines, have previously expressed allegiance to Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States."
The eternal Moro!
coolbert.
I suppose this was going to happen sooner or later.
Daesh = the Islamic State = ISIL.
Islamic separatist groups in the Philippines having vowed allegiance and aligned themselves with the Islamic state again restive.
"Daesh-Linked Group Threatens Philippines With New Terror Attacks"
"Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) militant group, linked with the Daesh, also known as ISIL/The Islamic State, warned that they would continue deadly terror attacks in retaliation for government counter terrorism efforts, local media reported Saturday."
. . . .
"The leaders of the BIFF, fighting for the Islamization of the mostly Christian Philippines, have previously expressed allegiance to Daesh, which is outlawed in many countries, including Russia and the United States."
Modern supporters of BIFF. Do not dismiss the rag-tag appearance. Very dangerous persons with an fanatical belief in their religion and also a great mistrust of outsiders.
From a prior period Islamic Moro fighters of the Philippines. Like to engage in close-quarters combat if possible, run amok with a sword made of Damascus steel and sharp as a razor. Trying to take your head off with a single swipe.
The eternal Moro!
coolbert.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Van Creveld IV.
This is coolbert:
In finality from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site we conclude:
"How to Fight Daesh"
EMPHASIS AS SPECIFIED BY MARTIN ON NOT ONLY FIGHTING, BUT WINNING! ANYTHING LESS THAT VICTORY IS DEFEAT! VICTORY AS MEANING THE OBLITERATION OF ISIL!
"Focus on the most important problem of all, i.e. how to fight and win."
WHAT TO DO:
1. ". . . The essence of the problem is political. Let Presidents Obama, Putin and Arduan [Erdogan of Turkey] finally decide on who the main enemy is and start cooperating against him. Even if it means leaving President Assad in place, at least for the time being. Let the US, Russia, and Turkey mount a combined air offensive against Daesh, targeting its forces in Syria as well as the oilfields from which it draws its revenue in Iraq. However, as over a year of strikes by aircraft and drones has shown all too clearly, air operations on their own will not do the trick."
2. "France and Europe. Stop shilly-shallying and start controlling immigration by every available means with the objective of bringing it to a halt. Also at sea to take care of Libya.
3. "The intelligence services. Passive measures on their own are insufficient. What is needed is a high-quality organization capable of identifying terrorists, tracking them, and foiling their plots ahead of time by arresting or killing them if necessary. Also, of tracing the financial flows on which they depend and making them dry up."
4. "The courts. An essential part of any anti-terrorist campaign is deterrence. So make sure judges have the necessary authority to do what has to be done. The establishment of special courts with augmented authority for the purpose should be considered."
WHAT NOT TO DO:
1. At all cost, don’t allow mobs to attack real and suspected terrorists and lynch them without due process of law.
2. For the same reason, do refrain from using collective punishments. There is a good chance that they will turn out to be counter-productive.
3. Finally, the war on terror will not be won quickly. So do not expect quick results and do not allow yourself to be discouraged by possible setbacks.
And in finality: "Good luck"
And thank you Martin van Creveld.
coolbert.
In finality from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site we conclude:
"How to Fight Daesh"
EMPHASIS AS SPECIFIED BY MARTIN ON NOT ONLY FIGHTING, BUT WINNING! ANYTHING LESS THAT VICTORY IS DEFEAT! VICTORY AS MEANING THE OBLITERATION OF ISIL!
"Focus on the most important problem of all, i.e. how to fight and win."
WHAT TO DO:
1. ". . . The essence of the problem is political. Let Presidents Obama, Putin and Arduan [Erdogan of Turkey] finally decide on who the main enemy is and start cooperating against him. Even if it means leaving President Assad in place, at least for the time being. Let the US, Russia, and Turkey mount a combined air offensive against Daesh, targeting its forces in Syria as well as the oilfields from which it draws its revenue in Iraq. However, as over a year of strikes by aircraft and drones has shown all too clearly, air operations on their own will not do the trick."
2. "France and Europe. Stop shilly-shallying and start controlling immigration by every available means with the objective of bringing it to a halt. Also at sea to take care of Libya.
3. "The intelligence services. Passive measures on their own are insufficient. What is needed is a high-quality organization capable of identifying terrorists, tracking them, and foiling their plots ahead of time by arresting or killing them if necessary. Also, of tracing the financial flows on which they depend and making them dry up."
4. "The courts. An essential part of any anti-terrorist campaign is deterrence. So make sure judges have the necessary authority to do what has to be done. The establishment of special courts with augmented authority for the purpose should be considered."
WHAT NOT TO DO:
1. At all cost, don’t allow mobs to attack real and suspected terrorists and lynch them without due process of law.
2. For the same reason, do refrain from using collective punishments. There is a good chance that they will turn out to be counter-productive.
3. Finally, the war on terror will not be won quickly. So do not expect quick results and do not allow yourself to be discouraged by possible setbacks.
And in finality: "Good luck"
And thank you Martin van Creveld.
coolbert.
Van Creveld III.
This is coolbert:
Yet more from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site. That topic again the woman combatant.
"Amazons"
"I get feedback on my articles. For that I am grateful; it makes me think. Recently someone took issue with my claim that, in the military, where there are women there are no bullets and where there are bullets there are no women. How about the brave Kurdish women who are fighting Daesh? Don’t they make up 30-35 percent?"
MARTIN VERY SKEPTICAL IN THIS REGARD, THE FEMALE COMBATANT!
See my previous blog entries the subject the Kurdish woman fighter and their distinct gender-specific combat units:
http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/01/pkk-women.html
http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/women.html
coolbert.
Yet more from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site. That topic again the woman combatant.
"Amazons"
"I get feedback on my articles. For that I am grateful; it makes me think. Recently someone took issue with my claim that, in the military, where there are women there are no bullets and where there are bullets there are no women. How about the brave Kurdish women who are fighting Daesh? Don’t they make up 30-35 percent?"
MARTIN VERY SKEPTICAL IN THIS REGARD, THE FEMALE COMBATANT!
See my previous blog entries the subject the Kurdish woman fighter and their distinct gender-specific combat units:
http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/01/pkk-women.html
http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/08/women.html
coolbert.
Van Creveld II.
This is coolbert:
Continuing with extracts and comment from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site.
"Guest Article: The SECDEF Lied" by Bill Lind
"In announcing that all positions in the U.S. armed forces would be opened to women, Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter lied."
"They’ll [women] be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers, and everything else that was previously open only to men."
"That statement is false. Women will not be able to do those things. Their bodies are not designed to do many of the tasks those positions entail. So long as realistic standards are maintained for those specialties, women will not be able even to qualify for them much less perform adequately in them. Men and women are different, physically and mentally, and their traditional social roles reflect their inherent differences."
NO! NOT A LIE AS THE WORD LIE IS GENERALLY, COMMONLY, ORDINARILY UNDERSTOOD AND DEFINED!!
Women are eligible for those various duties and positions but only if they can withstand and pass the training and complete all requirements for duty as they exist at this exact moment. Instance of mixed-gender units will be so few as to be virtually insignificant?
Mr. Lind for the record is one of those iconoclastic military pundits who would be very willing and happy to fight World War III in a Soviet era T-34 tank. Mr. Lind you go first!!
coolbert.
Continuing with extracts and comment from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site.
"Guest Article: The SECDEF Lied" by Bill Lind
"In announcing that all positions in the U.S. armed forces would be opened to women, Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter lied."
"They’ll [women] be able to serve as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Marine Corps infantry, Air Force parajumpers, and everything else that was previously open only to men."
"That statement is false. Women will not be able to do those things. Their bodies are not designed to do many of the tasks those positions entail. So long as realistic standards are maintained for those specialties, women will not be able even to qualify for them much less perform adequately in them. Men and women are different, physically and mentally, and their traditional social roles reflect their inherent differences."
NO! NOT A LIE AS THE WORD LIE IS GENERALLY, COMMONLY, ORDINARILY UNDERSTOOD AND DEFINED!!
Women are eligible for those various duties and positions but only if they can withstand and pass the training and complete all requirements for duty as they exist at this exact moment. Instance of mixed-gender units will be so few as to be virtually insignificant?
Mr. Lind for the record is one of those iconoclastic military pundits who would be very willing and happy to fight World War III in a Soviet era T-34 tank. Mr. Lind you go first!!
coolbert.
Van Creveld I.
This is coolbert:
Here begins a series of blog entries based on extracts with comments from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site.
Martin at least among the half-dozen to dozen most preeminent military historians of the current era.
When Martin speaks we should all listen? Items as in so specific order or significance.
MARTIN ABLE TO MAKE A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT CONFLICT IN SYRIA AND THE THIRTY YEARS WAR!
"A Thirty Years’ War?"
"For those of you who have forgotten, here is a short reminder. The Thirty Years’ War started in May 1618 when the Protestant Estates of Bohemia revolted against the Catholic Emperor Ferdinand II. They threw his envoys out of the windows of the palace at Prague. Fortunately for them, the moat into which they fell was filled with rubbish and nobody was killed."
Defenestration. Being tossed out a window to your death. I was aware of those events in May of 1618 but not that the envoys survived. I had thought they were killed.
"Had the revolt remained local, it would have been suppressed fairly quickly. As, in fact, it was in 1620 when the Habsburgs and their allies won the Battle of the White Mountain. Instead it expanded and expanded . . . By the time the Treaty of Westphalia ended the hostilities in 1648 the population of Germany had been reduced by an estimated one third."
"The similarities with the current war in Syria are obvious and chilling."
. . . .
"With so many interests, native and foreign, involved, a way out does not seem in sight. Nor can the outcome be foreseen any more than that of the Thirty Years’ War could be four years after the beginning of the conflict, i.e. 1622."
It can be suggested that ALL WARS HAVE A DYNAMIC THAT IS UNPREDICTABLE. Successful statesmanship and war fighting ability consists of an ability to predict events at least to some extent before they occur, create a manage-able situation that ameliorates difficulties before the fact. EASIER SAID THAN DONE I MIGHT SUSPECT!
. . . .
Finally, as happened in 1618-48, the main victim is the civilian population. Just as in 1618-48, people are being robbed, despoiled, and killed.
See my previous blog entry, illustrations and images of atrocity from that period of the Thirty Years War.
coolbert.
Here begins a series of blog entries based on extracts with comments from the Martin van Creveld Internet web site.
Martin at least among the half-dozen to dozen most preeminent military historians of the current era.
When Martin speaks we should all listen? Items as in so specific order or significance.
MARTIN ABLE TO MAKE A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE CURRENT CONFLICT IN SYRIA AND THE THIRTY YEARS WAR!
"A Thirty Years’ War?"
"For those of you who have forgotten, here is a short reminder. The Thirty Years’ War started in May 1618 when the Protestant Estates of Bohemia revolted against the Catholic Emperor Ferdinand II. They threw his envoys out of the windows of the palace at Prague. Fortunately for them, the moat into which they fell was filled with rubbish and nobody was killed."
Defenestration. Being tossed out a window to your death. I was aware of those events in May of 1618 but not that the envoys survived. I had thought they were killed.
"Had the revolt remained local, it would have been suppressed fairly quickly. As, in fact, it was in 1620 when the Habsburgs and their allies won the Battle of the White Mountain. Instead it expanded and expanded . . . By the time the Treaty of Westphalia ended the hostilities in 1648 the population of Germany had been reduced by an estimated one third."
"The similarities with the current war in Syria are obvious and chilling."
. . . .
"With so many interests, native and foreign, involved, a way out does not seem in sight. Nor can the outcome be foreseen any more than that of the Thirty Years’ War could be four years after the beginning of the conflict, i.e. 1622."
It can be suggested that ALL WARS HAVE A DYNAMIC THAT IS UNPREDICTABLE. Successful statesmanship and war fighting ability consists of an ability to predict events at least to some extent before they occur, create a manage-able situation that ameliorates difficulties before the fact. EASIER SAID THAN DONE I MIGHT SUSPECT!
. . . .
Finally, as happened in 1618-48, the main victim is the civilian population. Just as in 1618-48, people are being robbed, despoiled, and killed.
See my previous blog entry, illustrations and images of atrocity from that period of the Thirty Years War.
coolbert.
Saturday, December 26, 2015
DZ Fais.
This is coolbert:
Good training!
We have heard of the American military man doing bad.
And we have heard of NORAD and the radar tracking of Santa Claus.
Here with the military parachuting of necessary supplies on Christmas day to Fais Island, Pacific Ocean. The American military acting with altruism most admirable.
"Air Force brings unlikely Christmas to remote Pacific islands"
"FAIS ISLAND, Micronesia — 'Santa One-One' was late, and the chief of this tiny island in the western Pacific was concerned: Would there be no Christmas this year? No toys or school supplies?"
. . . .
"Strong, young men wrestled the bundle from the open field where it landed to the nearby village center. There, amid broad smiles and cheerful banter, Mangtau [the headman] passed out the contents: toy trucks and soccer balls, rubber sandals and T-shirts, fishhooks and fishing line and all manner of daily necessities unavailable on remote islands in the Pacific."
"Welcome to Operation Christmas Drop, the longest running humanitarian airlift operation in the world."
"Each Christmas for the past 64 years, the Air Force has been parachuting donated gifts and humanitarian supplies to tiny islands dotting this vast area of the western Pacific. The effort is supported by hundreds of civilian volunteers in Guam and Japan and U.S. air bases across the region."
Good training too!
coolbert.
Good training!
We have heard of the American military man doing bad.
And we have heard of NORAD and the radar tracking of Santa Claus.
Here with the military parachuting of necessary supplies on Christmas day to Fais Island, Pacific Ocean. The American military acting with altruism most admirable.
"Air Force brings unlikely Christmas to remote Pacific islands"
"FAIS ISLAND, Micronesia — 'Santa One-One' was late, and the chief of this tiny island in the western Pacific was concerned: Would there be no Christmas this year? No toys or school supplies?"
. . . .
"Strong, young men wrestled the bundle from the open field where it landed to the nearby village center. There, amid broad smiles and cheerful banter, Mangtau [the headman] passed out the contents: toy trucks and soccer balls, rubber sandals and T-shirts, fishhooks and fishing line and all manner of daily necessities unavailable on remote islands in the Pacific."
"Welcome to Operation Christmas Drop, the longest running humanitarian airlift operation in the world."
"Each Christmas for the past 64 years, the Air Force has been parachuting donated gifts and humanitarian supplies to tiny islands dotting this vast area of the western Pacific. The effort is supported by hundreds of civilian volunteers in Guam and Japan and U.S. air bases across the region."
Good training too!
coolbert.
Fatwa # 68.
This is coolbert:
YET more atrocity story courtesy of the Islamic State. From several sources.
1. "Islamic State okays taking organs of living non-Muslims"
"The Islamic State's religious scholars have ruled that taking the organs of non-Muslims is permissible under Islamic law to save the life of a Muslim, because killing apostates to eat their flesh has previously been allowed."
"The revelation comes in a January 2015 document that was captured by U.S. special forces in Syria in May and obtained by Reuters."
2. "ISIS issues fatwa on organ harvesting, rape of slaves"
"Newly released documents captured from jihadists include Islamic ruling allowing organs to be taken from captives, even if they die."
"Newly released documents seized from Islamic State (ISIS) backed in May in eastern Syria by US forces include fatwa Islamic religious rulings by the group on a host of issues - including organ harvesting and rape."
. . . .
"'Fatwa Number 68' from January 31 [2015], gives permission to harvest the organs of a living captive to save the life of a Muslim, even if the captive dies in the process."
This is black, gray, or white propaganda! ISIL is not only not good, they have no redeeming value!
"YES WE CARPET BOMBED THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE. THEY WERE BAD PEOPLE DON'T YOU KNOW!!"
coolbert.
YET more atrocity story courtesy of the Islamic State. From several sources.
1. "Islamic State okays taking organs of living non-Muslims"
"The Islamic State's religious scholars have ruled that taking the organs of non-Muslims is permissible under Islamic law to save the life of a Muslim, because killing apostates to eat their flesh has previously been allowed."
"The revelation comes in a January 2015 document that was captured by U.S. special forces in Syria in May and obtained by Reuters."
2. "ISIS issues fatwa on organ harvesting, rape of slaves"
"Newly released documents captured from jihadists include Islamic ruling allowing organs to be taken from captives, even if they die."
"Newly released documents seized from Islamic State (ISIS) backed in May in eastern Syria by US forces include fatwa Islamic religious rulings by the group on a host of issues - including organ harvesting and rape."
. . . .
"'Fatwa Number 68' from January 31 [2015], gives permission to harvest the organs of a living captive to save the life of a Muslim, even if the captive dies in the process."
This is black, gray, or white propaganda! ISIL is not only not good, they have no redeeming value!
"YES WE CARPET BOMBED THEM OUT OF EXISTENCE. THEY WERE BAD PEOPLE DON'T YOU KNOW!!"
coolbert.
Zumwalt.
This is coolbert:
DDG1000 Zumwalt has not only taken to the water but now has taken to the sea.
Trials underway as we speak.
Good luck and fair winds DDG1000!
"WATCH: First Footage of Future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) at Sea"
"The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) departed the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine on Monday for its first at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean. Here is some footage of the ship underway."
Additional film footage of the DDG1000 can also be accessed from that Internet web site.
OF GRAVE CONCERN TO SOME PERSONS IS THE TUMBLEHOME DESIGN OF THE DDG1000!
IT IS ALLEGED THAT THIS TUMBLEHOME WILL MAKE THE SHIP INHERENTLY UNSTABLE AND A DANGER TO THE CREW EVEN SANS COMBAT!
"In naval architecture, the tumblehome is the narrowing of a ship's hull with greater distance above the water-line. Expressed more technically, it is present when the beam at the uppermost deck is less than the maximum beam of the vessel."
TUMBLEHOME NOTHING NEW!
"Tumblehome was common on wooden warships for centuries. In the era of oared combat ships it was quite common, placing the oar ports as far abeam as possible. This also made it more difficult to board by force, as the ships would come to contact at their widest points, with the decks some distance apart. The narrowing of the hull above this point made the boat more stable by lowering the weight above the waterline, which is one of the reasons it remained common during the age of cannon-armed ships."
DDG1000 ZUMWALT HOWEVER HARDLY A WOODEN WARSHIP!
coolbert.
DDG1000 Zumwalt has not only taken to the water but now has taken to the sea.
Trials underway as we speak.
Good luck and fair winds DDG1000!
"WATCH: First Footage of Future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) at Sea"
"The future USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) departed the General Dynamics Bath Iron Works shipyard in Maine on Monday for its first at-sea tests and trials in the Atlantic Ocean. Here is some footage of the ship underway."
Additional film footage of the DDG1000 can also be accessed from that Internet web site.
OF GRAVE CONCERN TO SOME PERSONS IS THE TUMBLEHOME DESIGN OF THE DDG1000!
IT IS ALLEGED THAT THIS TUMBLEHOME WILL MAKE THE SHIP INHERENTLY UNSTABLE AND A DANGER TO THE CREW EVEN SANS COMBAT!
"In naval architecture, the tumblehome is the narrowing of a ship's hull with greater distance above the water-line. Expressed more technically, it is present when the beam at the uppermost deck is less than the maximum beam of the vessel."
TUMBLEHOME NOTHING NEW!
"Tumblehome was common on wooden warships for centuries. In the era of oared combat ships it was quite common, placing the oar ports as far abeam as possible. This also made it more difficult to board by force, as the ships would come to contact at their widest points, with the decks some distance apart. The narrowing of the hull above this point made the boat more stable by lowering the weight above the waterline, which is one of the reasons it remained common during the age of cannon-armed ships."
DDG1000 ZUMWALT HOWEVER HARDLY A WOODEN WARSHIP!
coolbert.
Friday, December 25, 2015
Han II.
Wu are you?
Conclusion.
The Chinese of the Han Dynasty when faced with a resolute and dangerous external threat able to muster those resources for a protracted period AND apply force in a ruthless manner, time and expense seeming to be of no matter.
Thanks again to the Scholars Stage and the tip from isegoria.net.
BOOTS ON THE GROUND AS UNDERSTOOD AT THE TIME ONLY A PART OF THE OVERALL HAN STRATEGY TO DEAL WITH THE NOMADIC BARBARIANS SUCH AS THE XIONGNU .
"What Edward Luttwak Doesn't Know About Ancient China pt. 2"
"The first barbarian-handling tool is normally translated as 'corruption' in English translations, but perhaps 'addiction,' or more fully 'induced economic dependence' are more accurate: the originally self-sufficient Xiongnú were to be made economically dependent on Han-produced goods"
"The second tool of barbarian-handling, is normally translated as 'indoctrination': the Xiongnú were to be persuaded to accept the authoritarian Confucian value system and the collectivistic behavioral norms of the Han"
"The much larger, longer-term benefit of the second tool was to undermine the entire political culture of the Xiongnú, and make them psychologically well as economically dependent"
THAT SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST ESPECIALLY WITH REGARD TO THE ISLAMIC STATE AS DEPLORABLE AS IT IS, DO NOT EXPECT ANY AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION TO ACT WITH THE LONG-TEM DETERMINATION OF THE CHINESE RULERS AS DURING THE HAN DYNASTY!
Out of the question today, tomorrow, forever.
coolbert.
Han I.
Wu are you?
From a comment to the blog:
Johnny W. Wilson said...
"The main problem as it has been from times of Richard Lionheart, is that heavy firepower and bombing operations alone won't be able to do much. As it has been stated here, there's a great need of boots on the ground to truly consolidate any gain"
When faced with a resolute and implacable enemy on the battlefield, LESS THAN resolute and implacable action not achieving the proper results. As was well known to the Han Dynasty of ancient China.
The Han Chinese Empire lasting for about four hundred years [200 B.C. to 200 A.D.] and possessing an ability and determination to wage war against a people known as the Xiongnu or Hsiung-nu.
Military campaigns on an epic scale hardly if ever finding comparison in the ancient world. ONLY look to Alexander and the Romans as peers if that!
From the Scholar's Stage thanks to the tip from isegoria.net.
"What Edward Luttwak Doesn't Know About Ancient China pt. 1"
"The logistics machine the Han created to defeat the Xiongnu is one of the marvels of the ancient world. Each of the Han’s campaigns was a feat worthy of Alexander the Great. But Alexander only pushed to India once. The Han launched these campaigns year after year for decades. The sheer expanse of the conflict is staggering; Han armies ranged from Fergana to Manchuria, theaters 3,000 miles apart. Each campaign required the mobilization of tens of thousands of men and double the number of animals."
The Xiongnu or Hsiung-nu . . . were an ancient nomadic people who formed a state or confederation located north of China"
"In the many campaigns in the Western regions . . . and the Xiongnu land, the Han sent a total force of over 1.2 million cavalrymen, 800,000 foot soldiers, and 10.5 million men in support and logistic roles. The total area of lad seized in Hexi alone was 426,700 square kilometers. In developing this region the Han spent 100 billion in cash per year, compared to the regular annual government revenue of 12 billion. In the process the Han government moved from the interior over 1 million people to populate and develop the Hexi river. Thus the Han conquest of the land west of the Yellow River was the greatest expansion in Chinese history."
That resolute and implacable battlefield enemy defeated but not by half-way measures. Two thousand years ago the Chinese knew this, EVEN IF IT MEANT SPENDING THEMSELVES APPARENTLY INTO OBLIVION. PRESIDENT OBAMA BE APPRAISED.
coolbert.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
NORAD.
From the Associated Press as seen at CORECOMM.
"Military tracks storybook flight of St. Nick for 60th year" By DAN JOLING - The Associated Press
That AP story copyrighted so where normally I might link that not a good idea.
Rather we refer to the wiki entry the subject North American Defense [NORAD] and the tracking of Santa Claus and his Christmas Eve journey south from the North Pole, courtesy of his sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer. A popular form of entertainment this time of year. Understand as ENTERTAINMENT!
"NORAD Tracks Santa"
"NORAD Tracks Santa is an annual Christmas-themed entertainment program, which has existed since 1955,[1] produced under the auspices of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). Every year on Christmas Eve, 'NORAD Tracks Santa' purports to track Santa Claus as he leaves the North Pole and delivers presents to children around the world."
"The program is in the tradition of the September 1897 editorial 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus' in the New York Sun."
Sixty years now NORAD has been tracking Santa Claus [more correctly called Saint Nicholas the real live person from antiquity actually did exist] and it has become an INSTITUTIONALIZED EVENT popular and now even with apps!!
Who would have thought it!!
coolbert.
William Pomeroy.
Yet one more American with the aspirations and attributes of the "white messiah". A man to an extent in the same category as a Frederick Townsend Ward, a Homer Lea, even a William Morgan.
William Pomeroy with his Filipina wife Celia guerrilla fighters.
"Remembering William Pomeroy"
"William J. Pomeroy, a legendary fighter for the independence and freedom of the Filipino people and a staunch member of the Communist Party USA"
"Pomeroy was born in Waterloo, N.Y. Nov. 25, 1916. He joined the Young Communist League in 1937 . . . He was a member of the CPUSA until his death. [2009]"
. . . .
"During World War II, Pomeroy was deployed with the Fifth Air Force under General Douglas MacArthur. He was with the U.S. troops who fought their way from Australia, landing in Leyte in Oct. 1944. While serving as a writer with the U.S. Army’s Historical Section, he helped chronicle the U.S. battles for the Philippines and Okinawa and the early U.S. occupation of Japan."
. . . .
"After his discharge, he returned to the Philippines in 1947 where he enrolled at the University of the Philippines . . . In the meantime, he had met Celia Mariano. They married in 1948."
WILLIAM RETURNING TO THE PHILIPPINES IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR, TAKING TO THE FIELD WITH THE INSURRECTIONIST FILIPINO COMMUNIST HUK MOVEMENT!!
That guerrilla-fighter career of William not so stellar. William and his wife captured and having to spend ten years in a Filipino prison.
THINK OF WILLIAM NOT AS A COMBAT SOLDIER, AN EXPERIENCED MILITARY MAN OF SOME ABILITY BUT RATHER AS WRITER, A PUBLICIST AND PROPAGANDIST.
“…I shout to her above the continued sound of gunfire…
we exchange a look of love, pity and terror.
But I have to leave you! She cries. There is no more time to talk”
– William. J. Pomeroy, The Forest, 1963.
William however did get the girl.
coolbert.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Wheat.
This is coolbert:
Wage war by hunger. Break the will of the adversary to continue the fight by depriving them of food!
As has been the case in Syria. Assad using food as a weapon.
"The most unconventional weapon in Syria: Wheat"
As originally from WaPo [Washington Post] thanks in this case to Freeper:
"In the fall of 2012, fighters from the Free Syrian Army [FSA] took over Eastern Ghouta, a semi-agricultural area about eight miles northeast of Damascus. Government forces responded by placing the area under siege, cutting off water, electricity, gas, medical assistance and bread."
"The regime's goal was to starve the people of Eastern Ghouta into submission, and it was working: The price of bread and rice went up 50 times. Locals were living on animal feed or sometimes eating nothing at all."
"Nine months later, the Free Syrian Army [FSA] mounted a military operation in a regime-controlled area called al-Matahin, the Mills, just outside Eastern Ghouta. Its objective was a flour mill, flanked by two rows of grain silos that housed part of the Syrian government's strategic wheat reserves . . . If the opposition could capture the mill, it could keep the wheat, break the siege, gain a strategic point on the airport road, and perhaps even make some money."
"The firefight lasted a day and a half. Before the battle ended on the second day, anti-government fighters sent a message via walkie-talkie to aid workers waiting inside Eastern Ghouta: 'We are in partial control of the mill. Come and help us get the flour'."
The Islamic State perhaps their most valuable asset the cropland they control. A cash asset those crops sold and taxes as derived from sale of same also a tool by which to exercise control over the populace.
"IF YOU ARE WITH US YOU EAT! IF YOU ARE AGAINST US YOU STARVE!"
That ruthlessness of ISIL undeniable!
P.S.: See the American Operation Starvation from the era of the Second World War [WW2]. If the war in the Pacific had become a protracted affair from 1945 onward as many as 10 million Japanese might have died of starvation of complications arising from the lack of food!!
coolbert.
Wage war by hunger. Break the will of the adversary to continue the fight by depriving them of food!
As has been the case in Syria. Assad using food as a weapon.
"The most unconventional weapon in Syria: Wheat"
As originally from WaPo [Washington Post] thanks in this case to Freeper:
"In the fall of 2012, fighters from the Free Syrian Army [FSA] took over Eastern Ghouta, a semi-agricultural area about eight miles northeast of Damascus. Government forces responded by placing the area under siege, cutting off water, electricity, gas, medical assistance and bread."
"The regime's goal was to starve the people of Eastern Ghouta into submission, and it was working: The price of bread and rice went up 50 times. Locals were living on animal feed or sometimes eating nothing at all."
"Nine months later, the Free Syrian Army [FSA] mounted a military operation in a regime-controlled area called al-Matahin, the Mills, just outside Eastern Ghouta. Its objective was a flour mill, flanked by two rows of grain silos that housed part of the Syrian government's strategic wheat reserves . . . If the opposition could capture the mill, it could keep the wheat, break the siege, gain a strategic point on the airport road, and perhaps even make some money."
"The firefight lasted a day and a half. Before the battle ended on the second day, anti-government fighters sent a message via walkie-talkie to aid workers waiting inside Eastern Ghouta: 'We are in partial control of the mill. Come and help us get the flour'."
The Islamic State perhaps their most valuable asset the cropland they control. A cash asset those crops sold and taxes as derived from sale of same also a tool by which to exercise control over the populace.
"IF YOU ARE WITH US YOU EAT! IF YOU ARE AGAINST US YOU STARVE!"
That ruthlessness of ISIL undeniable!
P.S.: See the American Operation Starvation from the era of the Second World War [WW2]. If the war in the Pacific had become a protracted affair from 1945 onward as many as 10 million Japanese might have died of starvation of complications arising from the lack of food!!
coolbert.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Tucano Cockpit.
Regarding the Super Tucano warplane some items I was curious about and more or less answered thanks to the input from an acknowledged aviation authority.
1. That cost of a brand-spanking new Super Tucano about $9 million to $14 million USD. A large portion of that cost merely attributable to avionics alone?
Answer: "Depending on the role of the plane, more than half the cost can be for the avionics/electronics. For instance, one can buy a used MiG-21 for under $100,000 USD. But to fly it at useful altitudes above 18,000 feet, one has to have a $500,000 USD collision avoidance system installed, per FAA rules. Same for much of the stuff on warplanes--starts costing more than the basic airframe."
2. The Super Tucano equipped with a heavy machine gun, fifty-caliber [12.7 mm], but no provision for being fitted with mini-gun of 7.62 mm caliber. That latter weapon preferable in the counter-insurgency environment?
Answer: "The .50s [12.7 mm] penetrate more--even through walls, cars, etc. Most 'cover' doesn't work against the .50, whereas the .30s can be stopped more easily. And the damage when they hit usually means total incapacitation or death--amputations, wrecked torsos, etc."
"The point of a fight is always to bring something bigger than the other side has to do the hard work . . . many scientists and thinking fighters compare weight on target versus numbers. A 7.62 mm bullet weighs 147 grains. A .50 bullet [12.7 mm] weighs around 700 grains. And dozens of 7.62s bouncing off a lightly armored target doesn't compare to even one or two.50s going through it."
All the bells and whistles and also plenty of red-guarded switches. Regarding those "guarded" red switches once more from our acknowledged aviation authority:
"I note that I could see a lot of 'red guarded switches', causing me to remind you:
Don't fly in weather;
Don't fly at night;
AND DONT MESS WITH THE RED-GUARDED SWITCHES!!!"
Do you hear!! You had better!!
coolbert.
Super Tucano.
This is coolbert:
From that previous blog entry:
"20 new Brazilian-made A-29 light attack planes, bought for the Afghans by the United States at a cost of $427 million"
Counter-insurgency [COIN] warplane as chosen by the Afghan and paid for by the Americans.
Super Tucano A-29. "The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano . . . also named ALX or A-29 is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency (COIN), close air support, aerial reconnaissance missions in low threat environments, as well as providing pilot training. Designed to operate in high temperature and humidity conditions in extremely rugged terrain, the Super Tucano is highly maneuverable, has a low heat signature, incorporates 4th generation avionics and weapons system to deliver precision guided munitions."
MODERN WARPLANES EXPENSIVE, EMBEDDED WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES, INCLUDING THOSE DESIGNED WITH THE LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT IN MIND!
Merely that total avionics package of the Super Tucano to include:
* MIL-STD-1553 standards.
* NVG ANVIS-9 (Night Vision)
* CCIP / CCRP / CCIL / DTOS / LCOS / SSLC (Computerized Attack Modes)
* Rohde and Schwarz M3AR VHF/UHF Airborne Transceiver (two-way encrypted Data Link provision)
* HUD / HOTAS
* HMD with UFCP (Up Front Control Panel)
* Laser INS with GPS Navigational System.
* CMFD (Colored Multi-Function Display) liquid crystal active matrix
* Integrated Radio Communication and Navigation
* Video Camera/Recorder
* Automatic Pilot with embedded mission planning capability
* Stormscope WX-1000E (Airborne weather mapping system)
* Laser Range Finder
* WiPak Support – (Wi-Fi integration for Paveway bombs).
* Training and Operation Support System (TOSS).
Shoot, you need an entire glossary or dictionary to know what all those abbreviations stand for!
NVG = Night Vision Goggles, Mil Std = Military Standard, CCIP / CCRP / CCIL / DTOS / LCOS / SSLC = (Continuously Computed Impact Point), Continuously Computed Release Point (CCRP), Continuously Computed Impact Line (CCIL), Digital Technical Order System (DTOS), VHF/UHF = Very High Frequency, Ultra High Frequency, HUD HOTAS = Heads Up Display, Hands On Throttle-And-Stick, HMD with UFCP Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), Up-Front Control Panel (UFCP), INS GPS = Inertial Navigation System, Ground Positioning System.
Soup to nuts the total package. Who ever said any of this was cheap? Even for COIN.
coolbert.
From that previous blog entry:
"20 new Brazilian-made A-29 light attack planes, bought for the Afghans by the United States at a cost of $427 million"
Counter-insurgency [COIN] warplane as chosen by the Afghan and paid for by the Americans.
Super Tucano A-29. "The Embraer EMB 314 Super Tucano . . . also named ALX or A-29 is a turboprop aircraft designed for light attack, counter insurgency (COIN), close air support, aerial reconnaissance missions in low threat environments, as well as providing pilot training. Designed to operate in high temperature and humidity conditions in extremely rugged terrain, the Super Tucano is highly maneuverable, has a low heat signature, incorporates 4th generation avionics and weapons system to deliver precision guided munitions."
Nice-looking
aircraft. None of these warplanes even the COIN variety cheap!
Consider: "$9–14 million [per plane], $430–500/hour (operational cost)".
Consider that you can reputedly buy a Swedish Grippen NG for about $20
million USD.
MODERN WARPLANES EXPENSIVE, EMBEDDED WITH ALL THE BELLS AND WHISTLES, INCLUDING THOSE DESIGNED WITH THE LOW INTENSITY CONFLICT IN MIND!
Merely that total avionics package of the Super Tucano to include:
* MIL-STD-1553 standards.
* NVG ANVIS-9 (Night Vision)
* CCIP / CCRP / CCIL / DTOS / LCOS / SSLC (Computerized Attack Modes)
* Rohde and Schwarz M3AR VHF/UHF Airborne Transceiver (two-way encrypted Data Link provision)
* HUD / HOTAS
* HMD with UFCP (Up Front Control Panel)
* Laser INS with GPS Navigational System.
* CMFD (Colored Multi-Function Display) liquid crystal active matrix
* Integrated Radio Communication and Navigation
* Video Camera/Recorder
* Automatic Pilot with embedded mission planning capability
* Stormscope WX-1000E (Airborne weather mapping system)
* Laser Range Finder
* WiPak Support – (Wi-Fi integration for Paveway bombs).
* Training and Operation Support System (TOSS).
Shoot, you need an entire glossary or dictionary to know what all those abbreviations stand for!
NVG = Night Vision Goggles, Mil Std = Military Standard, CCIP / CCRP / CCIL / DTOS / LCOS / SSLC = (Continuously Computed Impact Point), Continuously Computed Release Point (CCRP), Continuously Computed Impact Line (CCIL), Digital Technical Order System (DTOS), VHF/UHF = Very High Frequency, Ultra High Frequency, HUD HOTAS = Heads Up Display, Hands On Throttle-And-Stick, HMD with UFCP Helmet-Mounted Display (HMD), Up-Front Control Panel (UFCP), INS GPS = Inertial Navigation System, Ground Positioning System.
Soup to nuts the total package. Who ever said any of this was cheap? Even for COIN.
coolbert.
Leonid Durkin.
This is coolbert:
Living-off-the-grid!
A Russian army deserter apprehended after ten years. A man living incognito but more or less in the open all that time. Thanks to Freeper.
NOW potentially facing a seven year prison sentence.
"Dead man talking: conscript comes back to life after 10 years (Russia/Kamchatka)"
"Leonid Durkin, 30, shows how easy it is to vanish while living near to people."
IDENTIFIED AS HAVING DIED AND HAVING A DEATH CERTIFICATE ISSUED IN HIS NAME BUT STILL WANTED ALL THAT TIME BY MILITARY POLICE! FINALLY CAUGHT!
"His death certificate was issued in 2005 after his father mistakenly identified a corpse as being him."
"All the time, he was living incognito in woodland close to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Kamchatsky region from where he fled the army. He built his own house, got jobs, drove a car, all the time living on the edge, avoiding the attention of the authorities."
I would not be so happy about things comrade. The Soviet era defector Suvorov speaks quite often of those convicted of criminal offenses major and minor while doing their military duty. Punishment of the harshest sort in a military prison or a penal battalion might still be the norm in the new Russian army? I cannot say with any authority.
As described by Suvorov those persons having served "time" in a Soviet military prison or penal battalion their demeanor well beyond ordinary:
"Suddenly, he appears - - quiet downtrodden, submissive. He talks to no one and carries out all orders or instructions uncomplainingly. It is impossible to get him to say a single world about where he has been or what he has seen. His answers are monosyllabic and expressionless - - 'Yes' and "No' seem to be the only words left in his vocabulary."
The new Russian army is gentler and kinder? Leonid shortly will know for sure!
coolbert.
Living-off-the-grid!
A Russian army deserter apprehended after ten years. A man living incognito but more or less in the open all that time. Thanks to Freeper.
NOW potentially facing a seven year prison sentence.
"Dead man talking: conscript comes back to life after 10 years (Russia/Kamchatka)"
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
about six-thousand miles [10,000 kilometers] east of Moscow bordering
the Pacific Ocean. Not much more eastward and Leonid would be in Alaska!
"Leonid Durkin, 30, shows how easy it is to vanish while living near to people."
IDENTIFIED AS HAVING DIED AND HAVING A DEATH CERTIFICATE ISSUED IN HIS NAME BUT STILL WANTED ALL THAT TIME BY MILITARY POLICE! FINALLY CAUGHT!
"His death certificate was issued in 2005 after his father mistakenly identified a corpse as being him."
"All the time, he was living incognito in woodland close to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, capital of Kamchatsky region from where he fled the army. He built his own house, got jobs, drove a car, all the time living on the edge, avoiding the attention of the authorities."
Leonid after apprehension with shaved head and wearing military uniform. Back to duty!
I would not be so happy about things comrade. The Soviet era defector Suvorov speaks quite often of those convicted of criminal offenses major and minor while doing their military duty. Punishment of the harshest sort in a military prison or a penal battalion might still be the norm in the new Russian army? I cannot say with any authority.
As described by Suvorov those persons having served "time" in a Soviet military prison or penal battalion their demeanor well beyond ordinary:
"Suddenly, he appears - - quiet downtrodden, submissive. He talks to no one and carries out all orders or instructions uncomplainingly. It is impossible to get him to say a single world about where he has been or what he has seen. His answers are monosyllabic and expressionless - - 'Yes' and "No' seem to be the only words left in his vocabulary."
The new Russian army is gentler and kinder? Leonid shortly will know for sure!
coolbert.
Monday, December 21, 2015
Bustard.
Again, you get an idea for a blog entry from the most interesting places and very germane within the context of those kidnapped Qatari royals.
"For Saudis and Pakistan, a Bird of Contention"
"For decades, royal Arab hunting expeditions have traveled to the far reaches of Pakistan in pursuit of the houbara bustard — a waddling, migratory bird whose meat, they believe, contains aphrodisiac powers."
APHRODISIAC POWERS! LOVE POTION NUMBER NINE! THAT HUNT IN THE DESERT DURING WHICH A NUMBER OF QATARI ROYALS WERE KIDNAPPED WAS INDEED AN FALCONRY EXPEDITION THE QUARRY OF WHICH WAS THE HOUBARA BUSTARD?
"Little expense is spared for the elaborate winter hunts. Cargo planes fly tents and luxury jeeps into custom-built desert airstrips, followed by private jets carrying the kings and princes of Persian Gulf countries along with their precious charges: expensive hunting falcons that are used to kill the white-plumed houbara."
The Arab royal their treasure chests bulging with gold but nonetheless still enamoured with that image of the hunt and the life of the bedu [bedouin]. Royals and elite of the Arab world to include at one time OSAMA BIN LADEN!
"In recent times the hunts have also played a role, albeit unwitting, in the United States’s war against Al Qaeda."
"Osama
bin Laden took refuge at a houbara hunting camp in western Afghanistan
in the late 1990s, by several accounts, at a time when the C.I.A. was
plotting to assassinate him with a missile strike."
Houbara today, Osama tomorrow. So was the plan but it did not transpire. But the idea was sound!
coolbert.
Qatar.
Qatar never seen as a major player in the Middle East. Until now?
Yet one additional entry from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile:
1. "Large group of Qatari royals kidnapped on Iraqi hunting trip"
16 December.
"Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a group of 26 Qataris, including several royal princes, who were on a falcon hunting trip Wednesday in the Najaf Desert of southeastern Iraq. The Iraqi soldiers detailed to guard them made themselves scarce when they saw the armed abductors."
First question I would ask is whether or not these Qatari [including royals] were not smart enough to stay away from a dangerous area. Second, who are these kidnappers? Could be from among a whole host of bad actors in the area, to include ISIL! That royal family of Qatar has very deep pockets and I might imagine the ransom demands going to be exceedingly high! This too was a hunt for the houbara bustard?
2. "A Turkish base in Qatar to fight 'shared enemies'"
17 December.
"Turkey is to deploy 3,000 troops plus air, naval and 'special warfare' units at a new base in Qatar. The two nations have in common their support for the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Syrian opposition and their resistance to rising Iranian influence in the region and Russian intervention in Syria. Establishing the base was kept in abeyance until it was approved by Saudi King Salman."
The Turk has aspirations for at least a partial renewal of the old Ottoman Empire? A policy is slowly but surely being put into motion that would have made a Turkish Sultan of olden days very proud?
coolbert.
CFR PPS.
This is coolbert:
Doom and gloom type stuff!
"Predictions for 2016" by Elliott Abrams as seen at the Sheldon Adelson Internet web site Israel Hayom.
"At the end of every year the Council on Foreign Relations[CFR] presents the result of a survey of foreign policy specialists on what to watch out for in the coming year. It's called the Preventive Priorities Survey [PPS]"
Here are the top items of concern:
• "The intensification of the civil war in Syria"
• "A mass casualty attack on the U.S. homeland or a treaty ally"
• "A highly disruptive cyber attack on critical U.S. infrastructure"
• "A severe crisis with or in North Korea"
• "Political instability in EU countries stemming from the influx of refugees and migrants"
• "Continued political fracturing of Libya"
• "Heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians"
• "Intensified political violence in Turkey"
• "Increased political instability in Egypt
• Increased violence and instability in Afghanistan"
• "Continued fracturing of Iraq due to territorial gains by the self-proclaimed Islamic State and ongoing Sunni-Shia sectarian violence"
I merely present for your edification without comment. "Doom and gloom". Has there ever been a time without "doom and gloom"?
coolbert.
Doom and gloom type stuff!
"Predictions for 2016" by Elliott Abrams as seen at the Sheldon Adelson Internet web site Israel Hayom.
"At the end of every year the Council on Foreign Relations[CFR] presents the result of a survey of foreign policy specialists on what to watch out for in the coming year. It's called the Preventive Priorities Survey [PPS]"
Here are the top items of concern:
• "The intensification of the civil war in Syria"
• "A mass casualty attack on the U.S. homeland or a treaty ally"
• "A highly disruptive cyber attack on critical U.S. infrastructure"
• "A severe crisis with or in North Korea"
• "Political instability in EU countries stemming from the influx of refugees and migrants"
• "Continued political fracturing of Libya"
• "Heightened tensions between Israelis and Palestinians"
• "Intensified political violence in Turkey"
• "Increased political instability in Egypt
• Increased violence and instability in Afghanistan"
• "Continued fracturing of Iraq due to territorial gains by the self-proclaimed Islamic State and ongoing Sunni-Shia sectarian violence"
I merely present for your edification without comment. "Doom and gloom". Has there ever been a time without "doom and gloom"?
coolbert.
Deserters.
This is coolbert:
From Freeper and thanks to same:
"Desertions Slow Progress of Afghan Air Force Training in U.S."
"The latest case [desertion] involves two airmen [Afghans] who were last seen at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga., on Dec. 4, two weeks before they were scheduled to graduate and return to duty in Afghanistan. They are still being sought...Most of the Afghan airmen now being trained at Moody Air Force Base are pilots and maintenance crews for 20 new Brazilian-made A-29 light attack planes, bought for the Afghans by the United States at a cost of $427 million...Colonel Lawhorn said a total of 80 Afghans were now being trained at eight American air bases. General Wardak gave a higher figure of 140, with an additional 50 to 100 scheduled to arrive in January. It was not immediately clear why their tallies did not match."
I might imagine these Afghan military personnel after a temporary residence in the United States have decided to take advantage of a situation and disappear, joining that underground of those many millions of illegal aliens to be found within the borders of the contiguous forty-eight states.
These Afghan are hardly stupid. They see the hand-writing on the wall with the prospect of the Taliban [or the Islamic State] eventually becoming the ruling power in Kabul, with all that means for those that are seen as collaborators with the Americans.
coolbert.
From Freeper and thanks to same:
"Desertions Slow Progress of Afghan Air Force Training in U.S."
"The latest case [desertion] involves two airmen [Afghans] who were last seen at Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Ga., on Dec. 4, two weeks before they were scheduled to graduate and return to duty in Afghanistan. They are still being sought...Most of the Afghan airmen now being trained at Moody Air Force Base are pilots and maintenance crews for 20 new Brazilian-made A-29 light attack planes, bought for the Afghans by the United States at a cost of $427 million...Colonel Lawhorn said a total of 80 Afghans were now being trained at eight American air bases. General Wardak gave a higher figure of 140, with an additional 50 to 100 scheduled to arrive in January. It was not immediately clear why their tallies did not match."
I might imagine these Afghan military personnel after a temporary residence in the United States have decided to take advantage of a situation and disappear, joining that underground of those many millions of illegal aliens to be found within the borders of the contiguous forty-eight states.
These Afghan are hardly stupid. They see the hand-writing on the wall with the prospect of the Taliban [or the Islamic State] eventually becoming the ruling power in Kabul, with all that means for those that are seen as collaborators with the Americans.
coolbert.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Mosul Dam.
This is coolbert:
Also from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile:
"Italy to send 450 soldiers to protect Iraq's Mosul dam"
17 December.
"The Mosul dam on the Tigris River, the only source of water for more than a million people, was originally built by an Italian-German consortium in the 1980s. It was captured by ISIS last year and held for a month until it was recaptured by an Iraqi-Kurdish force backed by the US."
"We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." - - Lyndon Baines Johnson.
It is fair to ask the question: Why send Italian boys to do a job that Kurdish boys and Iraqi boys should be able to do for themselves? Why indeed!
coolbert.
Also from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile:
"Italy to send 450 soldiers to protect Iraq's Mosul dam"
17 December.
"The Mosul dam on the Tigris River, the only source of water for more than a million people, was originally built by an Italian-German consortium in the 1980s. It was captured by ISIS last year and held for a month until it was recaptured by an Iraqi-Kurdish force backed by the US."
"We are not about to send American boys 9 or 10 thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves." - - Lyndon Baines Johnson.
It is fair to ask the question: Why send Italian boys to do a job that Kurdish boys and Iraqi boys should be able to do for themselves? Why indeed!
coolbert.
Greater Hanish.
From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter:
"Saudi and Egyptian marines capture Iran-held island at Red Sea choke point"
12 December.
In a pivotal breakthrough in the Yemen civil war, Thursday, Dec. 11, Saudi, Egyptian and UAR marines seized from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels the Greater Hanish island, which is part of the strategic archipelago commanding the Strait of Bab al Mandeb, DEBKAfile reports. This strait links the Indian Ocean with the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea – i.e. Africa and Asia. Iran had converted the island into a regional arms supply depot and observation point for tracking regional shipping, including Israeli sea traffic from Eilat, through the world’s fourth busiest choke point. The Saudis led the operation to seize the island after Iran established an air and sea base in Djibouti on the opposite Horn of Africa coast.
AS IT WAS IN THE DAY OF ADMIRAL SIR JACKIE FISHER OVER ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO SO AS IT IS NOW!! THAT MARITIME CHOKE POINT OF BAB AL MANDEB VITAL TO INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE. CONTROL OF THE STRAIT THROUGH OCCUPATION OF ADEN SEEN AS VITAL TO BRITISH AND WESTERN INTERESTS UNTIL RELATIVELY RECENT TIME!
NEW PLAYERS NOW ACT OUT THE ROLE!!
coolbert.
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Cash Flow.
Extracts from the latest issue of the Bloomberg Businessweek:
That topic THE FUNDING OF THE ISLAMIC STATE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A HOT TOPIC!
"It's More Than Just Oil."
"So far, U.S. efforts to cut off Islamic State's funds have failed. here's why" By Cam Simpson and Matthew Phillips.
"Weeks before the attacks that killed 129 people in Paris, U.S. warplanes resumed sorties above Syria and Iraq, targeting anew oil fields and other parts of the vast petroleum infrastructure that fuels - - and funds - - [the ]Islamic State"
"These air strikes were launched not because U.S. officials were prescient. They came after the Obama administration found and quietly fixed a colossal miscalculation. U.S. intelligence had grossly overestimated the damage they'd inflicted during air strikes on the militants' oil production apparatus last year"
"[the] Islamic State has resources beyond crude - - from selling sex slaves to ransoming hostages to plundering stolen farmland - - that can likely keep it fighting for years"
Sources of income in addition to oil as previously described and including:
* Taxation.
* Looted antiquities.
* Ransom.
* Stolen cash from banks in Mosul.
THIS ALSO:
"Arguably the least appreciate resource of [the] Islamic State is its fertile farms. Before even starting the engine of a single tractor, the group is believed to have grabbed as much as $200 million [USD] in wheat from Iraqi silos alone."
To conclude the Bloomberg article:
"the group's real financial strength is its fanatical spending discipline."
[Bloomberg states the number of fighters in the ranks of ISIL to be 100,000 their payroll financed merely by oil revenues alone!!]
WITH REGARD TO CASH AND FINANCING OF ISIL WE ARE NOT EVEN INCLUDING DRUG MONEY, THE MANUFACTURE AND SALE OF ILLEGAL PHARMACEUTICALS OR THE DISTRIBUTION OF HEROIN FROM THE AFGHAN POPPY CROP!!
OH MY! Anything else anyone?
coolbert.
Malfunction.
This is coolbert:
With ships and missiles too! American and Russian both! Thanks to Freeper in both instances.
1. "Navy's Newest Ship, USS Milwaukee, Breaks Down at Sea"
"The littoral combat ship [LCS] USS Milwaukee, the Navy's newest ship that was commissioned in Milwaukee in November, broke down at sea Friday and had to be towed more than 40 nautical miles to a base in Little Creek, Va.,"
"'Reporting of a complete loss of propulsion on USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) is deeply alarming, particularly given this ship was commissioned just 20 days ago,'" - - Sen. John McCain
Recall that the LCS class is not supposed to operate far from the shore. Is a littoral vessel, designed to fight in what is called green- water and not a deep-water [pelagic] going vessel.
2. "Cruise missile lands in Russian village after test launch goes astray"
"A cruise missile [Russian] has gone astray after a test launch and fallen near a village in north-west Russia, but no one has been hurt, according to the Russian defence ministry."
"It said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the missile inflicted no damage when it fell on Tuesday near Nyonoksa on the White Sea coast in the Arkhangelsk region."
NO ONE KILLED, BUT!
"the missile hit a three-story building near Nyonoksa, causing a fire that damaged its roof and several apartments. There were no casualties,"
BACK IN THE DAYS OF THE OLD SOVIET UNION SUCH A MALFUNCTION OF A SOVIET MISSILE OF WHATEVER TYPE WOULD BE CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET. NOW THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS AND IN REAL TIME.
coolbert.
"The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry!"
With ships and missiles too! American and Russian both! Thanks to Freeper in both instances.
1. "Navy's Newest Ship, USS Milwaukee, Breaks Down at Sea"
"The littoral combat ship [LCS] USS Milwaukee, the Navy's newest ship that was commissioned in Milwaukee in November, broke down at sea Friday and had to be towed more than 40 nautical miles to a base in Little Creek, Va.,"
"'Reporting of a complete loss of propulsion on USS Milwaukee (LCS 5) is deeply alarming, particularly given this ship was commissioned just 20 days ago,'" - - Sen. John McCain
Recall that the LCS class is not supposed to operate far from the shore. Is a littoral vessel, designed to fight in what is called green- water and not a deep-water [pelagic] going vessel.
2. "Cruise missile lands in Russian village after test launch goes astray"
"A cruise missile [Russian] has gone astray after a test launch and fallen near a village in north-west Russia, but no one has been hurt, according to the Russian defence ministry."
"It said in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the missile inflicted no damage when it fell on Tuesday near Nyonoksa on the White Sea coast in the Arkhangelsk region."
NO ONE KILLED, BUT!
"the missile hit a three-story building near Nyonoksa, causing a fire that damaged its roof and several apartments. There were no casualties,"
BACK IN THE DAYS OF THE OLD SOVIET UNION SUCH A MALFUNCTION OF A SOVIET MISSILE OF WHATEVER TYPE WOULD BE CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET. NOW THE WHOLE WORLD KNOWS AND IN REAL TIME.
coolbert.
Menorah.
You find material for blog entries from the most interesting sources.
That symbol of the Jewish festival of Hannukah the menorah an object as paraded by the victorious Roman Legions and as portrayed on the Arch of Titus in the aftermath of the First Jewish War [66-70 A.D.]..
That menorah as taken from the Second Temple in Jerusalem reputedly covered with forty-three kilograms [about ninety-five pounds] of gold.
My thought was that the gold as covering the menorah might have compensated for Roman expenditures during the war, at least to some extent!
"From the time of Gaius Marius [Born: 157 BC, Died: 86 BC] onwards, legionaries received 225 denarii a year (equal to 900 Sestertii)"
"The silver content of the denarius under the Roman Empire (After Nero) [time of the First Jewish War] was about 50 grains, 3.24 grams, or 1⁄10 (0.105ozt) troy ounce. On June 6, 2011, this was about $3.62 USD in value if the silver were 0.999 pure."
That payroll of the three Roman Legions Apollinaris, Macedonica, Fretensis.as having fought during the First Jewish War [66-70 A.D.] therefore:
225 [denarii] X 4 [years] X 15,000 [troops] X $3.62 USD [dollar value in silver circa 2011] = $50 million USD.
Roman troops parade displaying the spoils of war. Value of the menorah using the current dollar value of the metal about $1.5 million USD.
Close-up of the captured menorah. Seized when the Second Temple in Jerusalem destroyed.
My assumption appears to incorrect! Gold as taken from menorah the value of which only a small portion of Roman during those four years of combat. War is never cheap?
Only particularly here am I interested in those three legions comprising the main striking force of the Roman. Apollinaris, Macedonica, Fretensis.
Be aware the Roman during the war had additional auxiliaries and allies fighting with them.
Their expense not a consideration for the purposes of this blog entry.
coolbert.
Friday, December 18, 2015
Babies & Bayonets.
This is coolbert:
Propaganda images from various era, small children as murdered, stuck on the sharp end of a bayonet by rampaging soldiers. Depraved and inhuman treatment of the innocents by warring parties, the perpetrators evil without redeeming value.Images of this sort a favorite of propagandists.
YOUR ENEMY IS A SAVAGE AND A BEAST, ACTING IN A WILD AND UNCONTROLLABLE MANNER! KILL HIM BEFORE HE CAN KILL YOU! SUCH IS THE MESSAGE.
coolbert.
Propaganda images from various era, small children as murdered, stuck on the sharp end of a bayonet by rampaging soldiers. Depraved and inhuman treatment of the innocents by warring parties, the perpetrators evil without redeeming value.Images of this sort a favorite of propagandists.
From a much earlier period small children first impaled with a pike-like device and then thrown into the water to drown. This might have been a scene from the Thirty Years War.
Snarling and grotesque German soldiers presumably from the time of the Great War advancing. That one troop has a small baby at the end of his bayonet. It might seem the Kaiser himself is leading the way, resplendent in his uniform. Crucified captured soldier also shown. The Brutal Hun. Beasts!
From the present day a Palestinian portrayal of the Israeli as a ravenous lizard, sub-human, devouring a small baby while at the same time bayoneting a child. Atrocity!
YOUR ENEMY IS A SAVAGE AND A BEAST, ACTING IN A WILD AND UNCONTROLLABLE MANNER! KILL HIM BEFORE HE CAN KILL YOU! SUCH IS THE MESSAGE.
coolbert.
Arm Pits.
This is coolbert:
News items out of the Middle East demonstrative of the malevolent and totally depraved nature of the Islamic State! Atrocity as perpetrated against those most vulnerable and weakest members of society.
This is propaganda and should be seen as such?
1. "ISIS forces Yadizi child slaves into 'caliphate cubs' where boy prisoners with ARMPIT HAIR are killed on spot"
THOSE WITHOUT HAIR IN THE ARMPITS FORCED TO BECOME A SOLDIER FOR THE CALIPH.
2. "Like The Nazis, ISIS Has Begun Executing Children With Down’s Syndrome"
"Responding to Mosul Eye's statement about ISIS possibly using similar methods to those in the Nazi era, hundreds replied to condemn their barbaric actions. More than 38 children born with deformities and Down's syndrome, aged between one week and three months, have already been killed by ISIS via lethal injection or suffocation, according to Iraqi activist group Mosul Eye."
THE ISLAMIC STATE BEHAVING IN THE MANNER OF THE NAZI REGIME AND THE T4 PROGRAM. EUTHANIZE THE MENTALLY FEEBLE, LAME, SICK, ETC.
Propaganda, black, gray, white! You decide what this is!
From a source knowledgeable in such matters:
"The propaganda offensives of the 20th Century always included baby killing, usually by some heinous, tortuous method, such that one discounts most such stories from the start. However, with such zealotry as evidenced by ISIS, when compared in the past with Communists and Nazis all equally willing to slaughter everyone, one might be more inclined to believe the allegations."
Such news items, propaganda or exaggeration or even the TRUTH very useful in creating the image of the enemy as less than human, an insane beast out of control. A DANGER TO EVERYONE.
NOT ONLY proves your enemy is irredeemable but also that they DESERVE to be killed too. "Wipe them off the face of the earth the mad dogs."
Works two ways. Creates an image in the minds of your own people as to the villainy of the opponent plus the righteousness of our cause and later is used to justify your own actions.
"Of course we carpet bombed them out of existence, they were bad people don't you know!!"
coolbert.
News items out of the Middle East demonstrative of the malevolent and totally depraved nature of the Islamic State! Atrocity as perpetrated against those most vulnerable and weakest members of society.
This is propaganda and should be seen as such?
1. "ISIS forces Yadizi child slaves into 'caliphate cubs' where boy prisoners with ARMPIT HAIR are killed on spot"
THOSE WITHOUT HAIR IN THE ARMPITS FORCED TO BECOME A SOLDIER FOR THE CALIPH.
2. "Like The Nazis, ISIS Has Begun Executing Children With Down’s Syndrome"
"Responding to Mosul Eye's statement about ISIS possibly using similar methods to those in the Nazi era, hundreds replied to condemn their barbaric actions. More than 38 children born with deformities and Down's syndrome, aged between one week and three months, have already been killed by ISIS via lethal injection or suffocation, according to Iraqi activist group Mosul Eye."
THE ISLAMIC STATE BEHAVING IN THE MANNER OF THE NAZI REGIME AND THE T4 PROGRAM. EUTHANIZE THE MENTALLY FEEBLE, LAME, SICK, ETC.
Propaganda, black, gray, white! You decide what this is!
From a source knowledgeable in such matters:
"The propaganda offensives of the 20th Century always included baby killing, usually by some heinous, tortuous method, such that one discounts most such stories from the start. However, with such zealotry as evidenced by ISIS, when compared in the past with Communists and Nazis all equally willing to slaughter everyone, one might be more inclined to believe the allegations."
Such news items, propaganda or exaggeration or even the TRUTH very useful in creating the image of the enemy as less than human, an insane beast out of control. A DANGER TO EVERYONE.
NOT ONLY proves your enemy is irredeemable but also that they DESERVE to be killed too. "Wipe them off the face of the earth the mad dogs."
Works two ways. Creates an image in the minds of your own people as to the villainy of the opponent plus the righteousness of our cause and later is used to justify your own actions.
"Of course we carpet bombed them out of existence, they were bad people don't you know!!"
coolbert.
BDA.
Vietnam deja vu all over again? This time think Igloo White, the Ho Chi Minh Trail and Commando Hunt, all from that era of the Second Indo-China War.
Daesh = the Islamic State. ISIL.
From Sputnik Russian combat aviation in Syria putting the big hurt to the tanker truck fleet of ISIL!
"Russian Jets Destroy Over 1,200 Fuel Trucks Carrying Daesh Oil in Syria"
Since September 30, the Russian aviation group in Syria has destroyed 1,200 fuel trucks carrying illegal oil, the Russian General Staff said Tuesday.
"Since the start of the air campaign, Russian aircraft have destroyed over 1,200 such trucks," - - Lt. Gen. Sergey Rudskoy.
"The Russian airstrikes continue to focus on destroying sources of illegal revenue for terrorists in Syria," - - Rudskoy.
"Over the past few weeks, the intensity of [Russian] strikes on targets of Daesh and other terrorist groups has been increased. Russian aviation continued to give priority to undermining the terrorists' sources of income in Syria." - - Rudskoy.
ALL THIS IS REMINISCENT OF THE AMERICAN AERIAL OFFENSIVE DURING THE SECOND INDO-CHINA WAR? PRODIGIOUS NUMBERS OF ENEMY SUPPLY TRUCKS DESTROYED. RESULTS IN HINDSIGHT AND AS ALLEGED PROBABLY UNSUBSTANTIATED!!
"during the Vietnam War. During Commando Hunt for example, the Air Force claimed that 46,000 PAVN trucks had been destroyed or damaged by air strikes in Laos. These figures were hard to reconcile with the 6,000 trucks imported annually into North Vietnam between 1965 and 1970 – for all of its operations."
Bomb-damage-assessment [BDA] always difficult under all circumstances. You believe what you want to believe too!! Keep on trucking!
coolbert.
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Vietnam Deja Vu.
This is coolbert:
Misleading statistics? From El-Balad.
"ISIS militants have army of 200,000, claims senior Kurdish leader"
"The Islamic State has recruited an army of hundreds of thousands strong militants, far larger than previous estimates by the CIA, according to a senior Kurdish leader. He said the ability of Isis to attack on many widely separated fronts in Iraq and Syria at the same time shows that the number of militant fighters is at least 200,000, seven or eight times bigger than foreign in intelligence estimates of up to 31,500 men."
. . . .
"He [a senior Kurdish leader] estimates that Isis rules a third of Iraq and a third of Syria with a population of between 10 and 12 million living in an area of 250,000 square kilometres [100,000 square miles], the same size as Great Britain. This gives the jihadis a large pool of potential recruits."
Comments:
* That figure of 30,000 fighters really representing FOREIGN FIGHTERS having rallied to the ISIL banner alone?
* Given that rule-of-thumb from over one-hundred years ago AT BEST ISIL able to field and support at max an army of about 100,000 troops stretching the population demographic and economic resources to the absolute limit!
VIETNAM DEJA VU REFERS TO THOSE INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATES A SOURCE OF MUCH CONTROVERSY DURING THE SECOND INDO-CHINA WAR.
The beat goes on!
coolbert.
Misleading statistics? From El-Balad.
"ISIS militants have army of 200,000, claims senior Kurdish leader"
ISIL combatants dressed in the all-black uniform entitled to POW status under the Laws of Land Warfare! ISIL at this stage of the game not a rag-tag outfit but a credible and very dangerous fighting force! That ISIL combatant with beard worn long sans moustache in the Salafist manner!
"The Islamic State has recruited an army of hundreds of thousands strong militants, far larger than previous estimates by the CIA, according to a senior Kurdish leader. He said the ability of Isis to attack on many widely separated fronts in Iraq and Syria at the same time shows that the number of militant fighters is at least 200,000, seven or eight times bigger than foreign in intelligence estimates of up to 31,500 men."
. . . .
"He [a senior Kurdish leader] estimates that Isis rules a third of Iraq and a third of Syria with a population of between 10 and 12 million living in an area of 250,000 square kilometres [100,000 square miles], the same size as Great Britain. This gives the jihadis a large pool of potential recruits."
Comments:
* That figure of 30,000 fighters really representing FOREIGN FIGHTERS having rallied to the ISIL banner alone?
* Given that rule-of-thumb from over one-hundred years ago AT BEST ISIL able to field and support at max an army of about 100,000 troops stretching the population demographic and economic resources to the absolute limit!
VIETNAM DEJA VU REFERS TO THOSE INTELLIGENCE ESTIMATES A SOURCE OF MUCH CONTROVERSY DURING THE SECOND INDO-CHINA WAR.
The beat goes on!
coolbert.
Project 20180.
This is coolbert:
From a previous blog entry FINALLY ALSO with regard to the Status-6 and thanks to Capt. Chris:
"Project 20180 Zvezdochka was commissioned on 24 July 2010, and the ship has been linked to naval weapon system development and to B-90 Sarov in Russian language sources"
"Auxiliary ships of the project 20180"
"All projects of the family 20180 were developed in the Saint Petersburg CMDB 'Diamond' under the AA Forst. By the time the true created three projects on a common base: rescue tug (Project 20180), Naval Weapons (20180TV etc.) and marine support vessel (Project 20183) . . . It is planned to build a family of 5-6 ships 20180, created for different tasks."
That naval version of this ocean-going tug specifically having a mission to service the two submarines carrying the super-torpedo? DEDICATED AND MISSION SPECIFIC SUBMARINES REQUIRE A TUG THAT IS DEDICATED AND MISSION SPECIFIC?
coolbert.
From a previous blog entry FINALLY ALSO with regard to the Status-6 and thanks to Capt. Chris:
"Project 20180 Zvezdochka was commissioned on 24 July 2010, and the ship has been linked to naval weapon system development and to B-90 Sarov in Russian language sources"
"Auxiliary ships of the project 20180"
This is not the Zvezdochka. Is the civilian and research vessel of the class.
"All projects of the family 20180 were developed in the Saint Petersburg CMDB 'Diamond' under the AA Forst. By the time the true created three projects on a common base: rescue tug (Project 20180), Naval Weapons (20180TV etc.) and marine support vessel (Project 20183) . . . It is planned to build a family of 5-6 ships 20180, created for different tasks."
That naval version of this ocean-going tug specifically having a mission to service the two submarines carrying the super-torpedo? DEDICATED AND MISSION SPECIFIC SUBMARINES REQUIRE A TUG THAT IS DEDICATED AND MISSION SPECIFIC?
coolbert.