Kuznetsov Syria.

This is coolbert:

From several sources "reasons" as to why the Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetsov NOT presently deploying organic warplanes for combat operations in Syria.

1. "Key Reason Why Russia's Admiral Kuznetsov Does Not Take Part in Aleppo Operation"

"The Admiral Kuznetsov-led aircraft carrier group has 'deliberately' refrained from participating in an operation to free eastern Aleppo, the Chinese newspaper People's Daily asserted, saying that Russia does not want its strikes to inflict civilian casualties."

"'Russia is not interested in carrying out a large-scale campaign in Aleppo, since massive airstrikes could lead to massive civilian casualties. For its part, extremist groups and anti-Russian forces could use them to their own benefit, which will have opposite political and social implications,'" - - People's Daily.

2. "NATO General Explains Why Admiral Kuznetsov's Deployment is Not a 'Hostile' Move"

"Russia has caused a stir among some Western leaders with its decision to send an aircraft carrier group to the Syrian coast, but Czech Army General Petr Pavel, the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, told Le Monde that the deployment should not be viewed as a 'hostile' step since Moscow does not want to tarnish its global image."

"'Russia's military capabilities, as well as the country's military presence have constantly increased,' General Pavel said, urging to 'look beyond' these developments. 'Russia wants to demonstrate that it possesses military power that must be respected and that serves a foreign policy purpose – to return to the international arena.'" - - Petr Pavel.

NO! Having lost two combat aircraft as launched from the Kuznetsov in a short period and the general state of the warship apparently in poor shape and additionally THE RUSSIAN NOT EXPERIENCED AT SUSTAINED AND HIGH TEMPO CARRIER OPERATIONS better to cut your losses while you can!

See previous blog entry the Russian air wing aboard Kuznetsov unable to conduct "sustained and high tempo" carrier operations:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/kuznetsov.html

coolbert.

Washtub.

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American Gladio! Washtub!

J. Edgar Hoover style! Everything you always wanted to know about American Gladio but were afraid to ask.

"Secrets of Alaska's secret agents"

Codename Washtub!

"WASHINGTON — Fearing a Russian invasion and occupation of Alaska, the U.S. government in the early Cold War years recruited and trained fishermen, bush pilots, trappers and other private citizens across Alaska for a covert network to feed wartime intelligence to the military, newly declassified Air Force and FBI documents show."

. . . .

“'The military believes that it would be an airborne invasion involving bombing and the dropping of paratroopers,' one FBI memo said. The most likely targets were thought to be Nome, Fairbanks, Anchorage and Seward".

American Gladio in existence for only eight years. Under military control but promoted by and with the involvement of the FBI most apparent. THE FBI IN SECRET HAVING AN ORGANIC COMBAT CAPABILITY UNKNOWN TO THE PUBLIC?

ALASKA BECOMING A STATE WITHIN THE UNION WASHTUB DEACTIVATED? APPARENTLY SO!

coolbert.

Yak-38 Forger.

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Finally and in conclusion that series of blog entries extracts with my comments from an article as originally seen at the Hush-Kit Internet web site.

"The 11 worst Soviet aircraft"

Yak-38 Flogger. VTOL.

"Expectations of the Yak-38 should have been low. It was intended more as a concept-proving vehicle than a frontline aircraft in its own right."

"The problem was the Yak-38’s lack of combat capability. Yes, it could take off and land vertically, and transition between vertical to horizontal flight, a significant achievement. Unfortunately, its payload was derisory and its range pathetic, its air-to-air capability virtually non-existent. One reason was the Forger’s VTOL concept – while the Harrier had a single engine and could use all its thrust for horizontal or vertical flight, the Yak-38 had to lug two lift engines, dead weight at all other times than in vertical flight. In hot and high conditions (such as the combat evaluation it endured in Afghanistan), the Forger could carry less than 500lb of munitions. As a proof of concept vehicle, the Yak-38 only managed to ‘prove’ that VTOL combat aircraft were impractical"

Nice nighttime image of a Forger on the flight deck of a Soviet aircraft carrier [Kiev class?].

That combat capability of all vertical-take-off and landing [VTOL] warplanes strictly compromised by fuel consumption. VTOL consumes a lot of fuel!! That ratio of ordnance as compared to fuel limited by the maximum take-off weight of the airplane. An inverse ratio existing.

The more the fuel the less the ordnance. The greater the ordnance the less the fuel.

Combat capability compromised in all instances. AS IT WAS WITH FLOGGER!

coolbert.

Tu-22 Blinder.

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Continuing with extracts and my commentary from an article as originally seen at the Hush-Kit Internet web site.

"The 11 worst Soviet aircraft"

2. Tu-22 Blinder. NOT to be confused with the Tu-22M3 Backfire.

"The Tu-22 medium bomber [supersonic], first flown in 1962, was a dangerous hot rod with a litany of design flaws. Its VD-7M engines were unreliable and caused a spate of lethal accidents. The aircraft was also very hard to handle, according to one pilot '..two flights with no autopilot drained all strength'. Tu-22 pilots had to be physically strong and keep both hands on the control yoke at all times. The landing speed was perhaps the worst of any operational aircraft: it was forbidden for pilots to go under 180 mph. The ejection seats ejected downward, a sobering prospect for low-level escapes. Pre-flight preparations took at least 3 hours, and other common procedures required 24 hours of maintenance. The high-mounted engines were exceptionally inconvenient for maintenance crew to reach. Its abysmal visibility from the cockpit resulted in one of its nicknames – Blind John"

Nice image of a Tu-22 Blinder in flight. Originally I had thought Blinder was being brought back into service, augmenting Russian long-range aviation assets. And even now dropping ordnance on Islamic State targets in Syria? I am incorrect! Is the Tu-22M3 Backfire restored to operational status. Backfire a considerably different warplane than Blinder?

Bark far worse than the bite? You the devoted reader to the blog decide for yourself!

coolbert.

Flags.

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From another exhibit at the Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon, USA some images of captured Japanese Good Luck flags.

"Japanese soldiers often carried personal flags, signed by friends and neighbors, as a patriotic symbol."

"The Good Luck Flag, known as hinomaru yosegaki . . . in the Japanese language, was a traditional gift for Japanese servicemen deployed during the military campaigns of the Empire of Japan, though most notably during World War II. The flag given to a soldier was a national flag signed by friends and family, often with short messages wishing the soldier victory, safety, and good luck."

THESE ARE NOT BATTLE FLAGS. CARRIED BY THE INDIVIDUAL SOLDIER AS A TOKEN OF GROUP AND NATIONAL SOLIDARITY DURING A TIME OF WAR!

To the images:

And even as we speak a goodwill venture and so far with limited success underway to RETURN THESE FLAGS TO THE FAMILY OF THE JAPANESE SOLDIER AS CAN BE IDENTIFIED!

Gestures of this nature are highly regarded by the Japanese public and can lead to a lot of positive karma.

Once more I highly recommend without qualification or reservation a visit to the Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon, USA.

coolbert.

Su-2

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Here begins a short series of blog entries based on extracts from an article as seen at the Hush-Kit Internet web site.

"The 11 worst Soviet aircraft"

1. Su-2.

"The rather unassuming Su-2 is historically significant in being the first creation of Pavel Sukhoi. The Su-2, both by design and unfortunate circumstances, did not anticipate any of this greatness. Designed at a time when metal was a strategically limited resource, the Su-2 was one of the last frontline aircraft that are not all metal construction  Armed with a meagre four fixed 7.62 light machine guns and a notoriously unwieldy turret armed with a single Shkas. The unfortunate Su-2 was thrown into the meat grinder of Operation Barbarossa where, to the surprise of no-one, it racked up tremendous losses. While faster than its much more famous replacement, the Il-2, it had much lower survivability, armament and payload . . . The first of the Sukhoi’s was a little more than a footnote in aviation history though and, much like other designs of the era, it went from design to obsolescence in the space of 3 years."

"John" armed with four forward firing and two rear-ward firing 7.62 mm machine guns. One of those rear-ward firing machine guns evidently able of downward fire! An internal bomb-load could also be carried?

THAT SU-2 FIGURING PROMINENTLY IN THE CALCULATIONS OF STALIN AS TO THE STRIKING POWER OF THE RED ARMY PRIOR TO THE SECOND WORLD WAR!!

From the comments of the Soviet era defector Suvorov:

"As his main strike aircraft [tactical aviation flying in the close-air support role] Stalin had settled on the 'Ivanov' (one of Stalin's nicknames), later known as the Su-2, a highly effective attack bomber plane that was produced and deployed in large numbers. Stalin ordered construction of more than 100,000 Su-2s, as well as the training of 150,000 pilots. Weighing four tons, the Su-2 had a top speed of 486 km/h, a range of 1200 km, and a bomb load capacity of 400-600 kg. Similar, but superior to the German JU-87 'Stuka' dive bomber,"

"John" never built in "large numbers". ONLY about one-thousand [??] actually operational, and found to be an inferior warplane. Superseded by the Il-2 for the duration of the war [WW2].

coolbert.

MK1C.

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Submarines anyone? Or is it a diver delivery vehicle?

1. "Ortega creates electric open-top submarine for divers"

"Dutch company Ortega has designed an electric submersible for divers, which it claims is the fastest of its kind."

"The MK1C submersible is designed for travelling underwater and is aimed at marine biologists, underwater archaeologists and special forces."

NOT SO FAST CHARLIE BROWN! MK1C MAYBE THE FASTEST BUT NOT THE FIRST OF ITS KIND!

Long before there was the MK1C there was the Sleeping Beauty!

2. World War Two naval commando delivery vehicle. One man submarine, a wet vessel.

"The Motorised Submersible Canoe (MSC), nicknamed Sleeping Beauty, was built by British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II as an underwater vehicle for a single frogman to perform clandestine reconnaissance or attacks against enemy vessels."

MSC bears a great resemblance to the MK1C or is it the other way around. Powered by an electric motor, takes in water to submerge, surfaces by expelling that water using compressed air. A true submarine. Compare the two images accompanying this blog entry. Notice any similarity?

coolbert.

Admiral Essen.

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From MARCO POLO through Harry at Sharkhunters we have this item:

"we learn that Russia's newest frigate, ADMIRAL ESSEN was just commissioned and while departing the dock in St. Petersburg - - she hit the dock! One of here propellers and prop shaft were damaged and she was forced to return to the yard for further repair, making this probably the shortest maiden voyage of any naval ship in any country. The Skipper was sacked, making this probably the shortest command in naval history. Repairs will take a long time and she will not be ready in time to join the Black Sea Fleet."

Devoted readers to the blog can read further from the Internet web site FleetMon of this incident: "Russian Navy brand new frigate ADMIRAL ESSEN damaged in accident".

coolbert.

CA-34.

This is coolbert:

Among the heathen we shall find no persons that exceed the Japanese in manners! - - St. Francis Xavier.

From a pair of exhibits as seen at the Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon, USA.

As described by the American naval enlisted man George Laury on his trip to Japan, 1939, his [Laury] admiration for the Japanese people very evident:

"I would sure hate to have to fight these people. . ."

   "One sailor, George Laury of USS Astoria's F Division, described his experiences in a letter home."

"Yesterday we were given a sight seeing trip to Tokyo and vicinity and visited all the national shrines, the Imperial Palace and parks and gardens and other spot of beauty and interest". . .

"They are the most pleasant and sociable people I  have ever met. They can't seem to do enough for us. Our uniform is enough to get us entrance to anything or go anywhere without cost. They bow to us and salute us everywhere we go."

"I'm really enjoying this visit and so is everyone else. I would sure hate to have to fight these people."

George Laury - - April 20, 1939.

And as was the headlines from the local newspaper [Astoria] that day after the attack on Pearl Harbor:

Astorian Budget - - 8 December 1941.

"U.S. DECLARES WAR"

"NIPPONESE FOLLOW HONOLULU ATTACK WITH MANILA RAID"

"BOMBERS RAIN MISSILES UPON ARMY TARGETS"

"Japs, British Battle"

"Congress makes swift answer to F. R.'s Plea".

"W. Coast on War Basis"

"CLATSOP GOES INTO SECRECY OF WAR TIME"

I highly recommend without qualification or reservation the Maritime Museum, Astoria. Devoted readers to the blog if touring in the vicinity of Astoria the trip to see the various exhibits very worthwhile.

coolbert.

Timeline.

This is coolbert:

How long?

"Top U.S. General: Two More Years to Beat ISIS"

Thanks to Freeper and the original article seen at the Daily Beast from the report by Kimberly Dozier.

"The general commanding coalition forces in Iraq predicts it will take two years of hard fighting to clear the so-called Islamic State from its twin capitals of Mosul and Raqqa, and then to burn out the remnants that will likely flee to the vast empty desert between Syria and Iraq. In a Christmas Day sit-down with The Daily Beast at his headquarters, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend would not put specific timelines on the battle. But he mapped out a grinding campaign that he thinks is going slowly but as well as can be expected"

Yet one appreciation of how difficult is going to be the task of defeating the Islamic State.

Some of you and especially devoted readers to the blog will recall similar predictions:

* In 2014 it was going to take three years to defeat the Islamic State.

* In 2015 it was going to take three to five years to defeat the Islamic State.

* In 2016 it was going to take three years and 50,000 ground troops to defeat the Islamic state.

NOW two years tops at most!!

So says General Townsend. "Specific timelines what they are called not a good idea. Makes you look bad when dynamics create change that abrogate previous plans, estimations and assumptions!

A HARD SLOG AND BLOODY! GUARANTEED!

coolbert.

Captain Or.

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Caracal in action! For the first time too in the combat role?

Devoted readers to the blog please contrast also the performance of Captain Or with that shameful behavior of Mr. Burley as was the subject of the previous blog entry!

"This Female IDF Soldier Fought Off 23 Terrorists in Surprise Attack"

"Captain Or Ben-Yehuda of the Israeli Defense Forces has cemented a legacy that will endure well past her lifetime. The young, decorated IDF Captain was in charge of a company of soldiers when they were violently attacked by nearly two dozen terrorists near the Egyptian border."

That company of soldiers part and parcel of the Caracal mixed gender combat unit. Previous to this incident the role of Caracal strictly [?] confined to patrolling, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering. 

"Due to her leadership and bravery, she and her men were able to survive.[She and her men but probably much more than men!!]"

. . . .

"For her actions and bravery, Captain Ben-Yehuda was awarded Israel’s highest honor, the Medal of Valor."


See previous blog entries the topic of which was the mixed gender Caracal combat arms battalion:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/bardelas.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/11/condoms.html

coolbert.

Mr. Burley.

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Once more to the subject of the fake military hero. The imposter/prevaricator/scam artist/wannabee but never can be!

Thanks to Freeper for the tip.

"Fake Navy SEAL Gets What's Coming to Him After Risking Lives and Defrauding Christian Group of $30K"

"William Burley, a 36-year-old man from California, has spent years ripping people off"

"On Monday, Burley was sentenced to three years in jail for defrauding a Christian charity group who sought his Navy SEAL 'skills' to help them rescue kidnapped aid workers in Somalia."

NOT only claiming to be something he was not BUT DERIVING FINANCIAL GAIN from his "story". "Story" as in a fictional work of an imagination and more or less nothing else!

1. Watch the embedded video and understand fully well how such a culprit is unmasked.

2. Mr. Burley did military service but WAS GIVEN AN EARLY DISCHARGE FOR POOR PERFORMANCE.

3. Mr. Burley IN THE HABIT OF COMMITTING FRAUD FOR GAIN, AN IMPOSTER MOST OF HIS ADULT LIFE.

For shame sir, for shame!! Cease and desist! You have pronounced mental difficulties and need immediate professional help with strong pharma as a remedy!

coolbert.

Paige.

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In finality from the isegoria.net web site that continuing series of blog entries, extracts with my commentary.

Mitchell Paige. American war hero you probably have never heard of.

Known by his Serb birth name of: Михајло Пејић/Mihajlo Pejić!!

THE GI Joe!!

Two-thousand against ONE!

"One Hill, One Marine"

. . . .

"As Paige — then a platoon sergeant — and his riflemen set about carefully emplacing their four water-cooled Brownings, it’s unlikely anyone thought they were about to provide the definitive answer to that most desperate of questions: How many able-bodied U.S. Marines does it take to hold a hill against 2,000 desperate and motivated attackers?"

. . . .

"By the time the night Oct. 25. was over, 'the 29th (Japanese) Infantry Regiment has lost 553 killed or missing and 479 wounded among its 2,554 men,' . . . 'The 16th (Japanese) Regiment’s losses are uncounted, but the 164th’s [U.S.] burial parties handle 975 Japanese bodies. … The American estimate of 2,200 Japanese dead is probably too low.'”

Originally I thought the heroics of Mitchell Paige as during the Battle of the Bloody Ridge [often referred to as Edson's Ridge]. This combat action however one month subsequent to Bloody Ridge!

Paige not 100 % alone as you might well assume but a platoon sergeant in charge for thirty men manning four machine guns. Paige the last man standing, all other personnel, KIA or WIA!

Dig also this amazing stuff! Mitchell Paige the inspiration for the plastic GI Joe child's toy:

"In 1998, Paige served as the model for a G.I. Joe action figure. His was the Marine Corps figure in a series honoring Medal of Honor recipients from each branch of the U.S. military."

coolbert.

Khalkin Gol.

This is coolbert:

"Pretty much nowhere."

Continuing with more extracts from isegoria.net with my commentary:

"Where is Nomonhan in the list of vital battles?"

Nomonhan [1939] as referred to by the Japanese! Khalkin Gol to the Soviet!

. . . .

"Yet where is Nomonhan in the list of vital battles we teach our high school and college students about WWII? Pretty much nowhere. Apropos another conversation on this blog, it seems that the professional military historians outside academia take the study of this battle a little more seriously."

Khalkin Gol that FIRST INSTANCE [?] of modern combined arms warfare as understood in the modern context? Coordinated attack by massed infantry, artillery, armor, air defense and tactical aviation in the ground-support role. Blitzkrieg attack with the breakthrough offensive as became the IDEAL form of waging war during WW2.

Zhukov recognized as a master of the operational art, able to command large bodies of troops and do with panache' exercising demonstrably great skill in the process. AT KHALGIN KOL THEORY BECAME PRACTICE!

DEFEAT AT KHALKIN GOL GREATLY DISSUADING THE JAPANESE FROM FURTHER MILITARY ACTION AGAINST THE SOVIET DURING WW2.

Japan for almost the entire duration of WW2 [until August 1945] observing with great strictness a posture of neutrality with regard to the Soviet Union, ALL BECAUSE OF A SINGLE BATTLE!

Grand strategy considerations even not in consonance with agreements of the Tripartite Axis foremost in the minds of the Japanese!

coolbert.

Asia First.

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More as extracted from blog entries at isegoria.net with my commentary:

"Asia First"

"When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, one might have naively assumed that the US would pursue an Asia First strategy"

. . . .

"Because of their visceral anti-communism and their concern for the Catholic populations of Eastern Europe, American Catholics were the most outspoken critics of the American-Soviet alliance.

. . . .

"The Soviet propaganda machine counter-attacked by manufacturing and spreading disinformation to the effect that the Catholic Church was in league with the Nazis and Fascists to exterminate the Jews. Isvestia published numerous articles alleging the Catholics and Fascists/Nazis had been in league since 1929 (the year of the Vatican’s concordat with Mussolini)."

. . . .

"It’s interesting to note that to the Asia Firsters, Nazism and Japanese militarism were seen as secondary to the real danger, Soviet Communism. They had no doubt Germany and Japan would be defeated one way or the other, sooner or later, but they seemed to truly fear that the West might not be able to defeat Soviet Russia."

That decision having been made [in the aftermath of the Battle of Midway] that 90 % of the American war effort in totality would be directed against Germany NOT SO unreasonable? Sentiments and anger of the American public with regard to Japan quite extreme but FDR and his military planners probably with a correct determination considering Germany to be the more dangerous opponent.

American Catholics predominately I would assume of Polish ethnicity their "visceral anti-communism" justifiable! Father Coughlin the controversial priest also quite prominent during that era prior to WW2 his influence widespread!

coolbert.

Espionage.

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Continuing with extracts from the isegoria.net Internet web site with my commentary as germane.

"Surveillance Supremacy"

"In Surveillance Supremacy, Arnold Kling explains why we need command of the spies"
. . . .

"From 1940 on, the air was viewed as a decisive theater of war. Military men spoke of ‘air superiority,’ ‘air supremacy,’ or ‘command of the skies.’"

"The cheapening of material goods is leading to another paradigm shift in military affairs. It is becoming less and less costly to assemble and deliver weapons that can cause mass casualties and major economic loss. It is becoming commensurately more valuable to be able to figure out who the bad guys are and keep track of what they are up to. What we need in the information age is surveillance supremacy — command of the spies, if you will."

AND FROM 1945 ONWARD THAT ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE FOR THE AMERICAN MILITARY PLANNER THE ATOMIC PEARL HARBOR!!

"Surveillance supremacy" also both "commensurately more valuable" and commensurately more expensive. Don't try to convince yourself otherwise.

coolbert.

Resolved?

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Okinawa and the Battle of the Bulge!

Once more from the isegoria.net Internet web site an extract. That original article as written by Professor Victor Davis Hanson.

"In War: Resolution"

"Perhaps the two costliest intelligence lapses of World War II [in the aftermath of 7 December 1941 from the American perspective] preceded the Battle of the Bulge and Okinawa — both towards the end of the war, after radical improvements in intelligence methods and technology. Americans had no idea of the scope, timing, or aims of the massive German surprise attack through the Ardennes in December 1944, despite the battle-tested acumen of our two most respected generals, Dwight Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, and British and American intercepts of Wehrmacht messages. At Okinawa, American intelligence officers grievously underestimated the size, position, and nature of the Japanese deployment, and thus vastly overestimated the efficacy of their own pre-invasion bombing attacks. Yet Okinawa was not our first experience with island-hopping. It unfolded as the last invasion assault in the Pacific theater of operations — supposedly after the collective wisdom gleaned from Guadalcanal, the Marianas, Peleilu, the Philippines, Tarawa, and Iwo Jima had been well digested. Yet this late in the war, over 140,000 Americans were killed, wounded, or missing in the Ardennes and on Okinawa."

The German Ardennes Offensive of 1944 generally seen [and probably correctly seen] as a MASSIVE INTELLIGENCE FAILURE! Okinawa less so!

The field of intelligence gathering and analysis within the military sphere fraught with great danger and this should be understood. 1. Your adversary is attempting to hide things from you. 2. Your adversary is a quite deliberate manner feeding you bad information to fool and trick you.

In both instances [Okinawa and the Ardennes] it was not that the Americans were so good but rather that the enemy was so good?

coolbert.

Albert.

This is coolbert:

Once again with that continuing series of blog entries, extracts with my commentary as from the isegoria.net Internet web site. That original article by Joseph Fouché.

"Wedemeyer’s Victory Plan"

". . . Major Albert Wedemeyer devised the U.S. Army’s World War II grand strategy, unit structure, equipment requirements, and general concept of operations, all in a period of about three months — before Pearl Harbor and America’s decision to enter the war."

"Wedemeyer was tasked with calculating the nation’s total manufacturing requirements for the coming war, but he realized that his mission was much more complicated than that"

". . . no one could estimate the size of military forces required without knowing the missions they would be ordered to execute. Missions depended upon military strategy, and in order to know the military strategy, Wedemeyer had first to know the national objective in the event of war…"

. . . .

"Apparently no one in Washington had given those questions any thought."

NOT UNTIL THREE MONTHS BEFORE PEARL HARBOR WERE AMERICAN "NATIONAL OBJECTIVES" IN CASE OF GLOBAL WAR FORMULATED AND THAT BY A RELATIVELY MINOR AND JUNIOR OFFICER!

This is the stuff of grand strategy too! Those resources of the nation-state in totality during a time of war in a focused and concentrated manner dedicated to the war effort.

I guess what surprises me most is that the formulation of grand strategy at the highest level was not a mission as entrusted solely to the highest echelons of command, those chief of staffs as they existed at the time. Albert again was a relatively junior officer, albeit quite capable.

coolbert.

Brave & Wise.

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Yet another item as extracted from the isegoria.net Internet web site with my commentary:

"We Will Mock The Brave And Wise"

". . . the real reason that the Soviets beat the Free World into space: Eisenhower desperately wanted spy satellites to forestall a nuclear Pearl Harbor, so he deliberately held back the U.S. launch [of the first earth orbiting satellite] and let the Soviets go first. Doing so required the Soviets to establish a legal precedent for satellite fly-over, something Eisenhower desperately wanted so that the U.S. could launch its own spy satellites."

. . . .

"Yet the world, and especially the American public, saw Sputnik as a devastating defeat for America. It damaged Eisenhower’s presidency to such a degree that had he been in his first term, the event would have most likely cost him his reelection. It prompted a flurry of legislation that federalized education and scientific research."

OF ALL AMERICAN PRESIDENTS DURING MY LIFETIME WITHOUT QUESTION EISENHOWER THAT ONE MAN MOST PREPARED HOLD THE OFFICE!!

And as for the Soviet now "beating" the American into outer space with the first earth-orbiting satellite, NOW we know the rest of the story and are so much the better for it too!

coolbert.

FDR WW1.

This is coolbert:

Continuing with extracts and my commentary from various entries as seen at the isegoria.net Internet web site Thanks once more in all instances to isegoria.net.:

"FDR’s Lessons from WWI"

. . . .

"U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Delano Roosevelt [FDR] took away several lessons from his experience during World War I."

Experiences of Franklin Roosevelt up front and close during the Great War exceedingly limited. FDR having thought highly [?] of himself for having visited the front, seen a dead horse and pulled the lanyard on an artillery piece, firing one round toward the German positions.

Lessons from the Great War as understood by Roosevelt nonetheless to include:

* "The need to preemptively keep a single power from dominating Europe"
* "The need to beat Germany (and anyone else) totally into the ground"
* "The need for an unconditional postwar settlement"
* "The need for more robust international security arrangements"

With regard to the latter think of the United Nations and the Security Council of same but not all nations as equals. The United States to be "boss of bosses" and that apparent to all!

"America running China as a puppet, reducing Britain to a compliant poodle shorn of its empire, and mesmerizing the USSR with personal charm"

That "personal charm" of President Roosevelt by that time [1945] much lessened and diminished. FDR SICK and those closest to the man well aware of that fact. FDR PROBABLY SHOULD NOT HAVE STOOD FOR RE-ELECTION  IN 1944 BUT DID AND THE REST IS HISTORY!

coolbert.

Vitamins III.

This is coolbert:

"One pill makes you happy, one pill makes you small, and the one that mother gives you doesn't do any good at all!!"

Further more from isegoria.net and the military connection to nutrition and vitamins as understood during The Second World War.

"Captain Marvel Troops for America!"

"The December 1941 issue of Mechanix Illustrated — presumably on shelves before Pearl Harbor — promises Captain Marvel Troops for America! — through the miracle of modern scientific vitamins"

. . . .

"Hitler, as usual, was the first to recognize the value in war of diet and vitamin concentrates. As a matter of fact, Hitler is using diet as a two-edged weapon. The rations of the German army are built on the lines of a simple peasant diet — whole meal, vegetables, potatoes, cheese, skimmed milk and dried fruit. These foods are vitamin-rich, mineral-and protein-rich, and contain elements which America’s white flour and highly refined foods, until recently, have lacked. Germans have also developed the famous Bratling Concentrate of foods — soy beans, meat and vegetables — which will not lose its value even though kept in cans. The Panzer troops also get highly concentrated vegetable and fruit juices and vitamin derivatives."

THE GERMAN TROOP DURING WW2 TO AN EXTENT ALSO DRUGGED AND HIGH ON SPEED?

See previous blog entry the topic of which is the hyper and drugged German soldier:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/07/d-ix.html

coolbert.

Vitamins II.

This is coolbert:

Continuing further from that article originally seen at the isegoria.net Internet web site with my commentary. Vitamin and nutrition as necessary for the health of the military man at question.

"Captain Marvel Troops for America!"

"The December 1941 issue of Mechanix Illustrated — presumably on shelves before Pearl Harbor — promises Captain Marvel Troops for America! — through the miracle of modern scientific vitamins"

"Now getting closer to our American shock troops, consider the RAF pilot they call 'Carrots.' His photograph has been carried in all the newspapers. It was not his red hair that won him his nickname, but his habit of munching on carrots. 'Carrots' has the reputation of being the best night fighter in the RAF. Why? Because he can see better in the dark than most of his pals. Why can he see better? Scientists will tell you it is because carrots are a particularly rich source of Vitamin A. And Vitamin A is a preventative of  'night blindness.' Heavy shots of it will increase the ability of anyone to see in the dark!"

AT THAT EXACT MOMENT IN TIME NO SYNTHETIC VITAMIN A WAS AVAILABLE. THE VALUE OF VITAMIN A WELL UNDERSTOOD SUFFICIENT QUANTITIES OF THE VITAMIN  AS OBTAINED FROM NATURAL SOURCES LACKING!!

The remedy for the problem the harvesting and processing of shark liver as a natural Vitamin A supplement. From an exhibit as seen at the Maritime Museum, Astoria, Oregon, USA:

"Shark Fishing On the Oregon Coast"

* "Vitamin A was urgently needed during World War II to improve night vision for pilots."

* "Shark liver was found to be rich in Vitamin A. An entire fisher was formed to catch soupfin and dogish shark off the Oregon coast."

* "The liver was worth about $18 pound, a handsome sum in the 1940's. In 1943 270,000 pounds of liver were collected, a value of 5 million dollars."

* "In 1949 a synthetic Vitamin A was available and the fishery soon ended."

Help the war effort those fishermen able to derive a tidy sum in the process. What could be better?

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Vitamins I.

This is coolbert:

Continuing with that series of blog entries as extracted from the isegoria.net Internet web site with my commentary

"Captain Marvel Troops for America!"

"The December 1941 issue of Mechanix Illustrated — presumably on shelves before Pearl Harbor — promises Captain Marvel Troops for America! — through the miracle of modern scientific vitamins"

"The Health Service combed the hill country and got together a group of underfed and under-nourished 'hill billies' — people who had lived most of their lives on salt pork and corn bread. .

. . . .

"We can, however, tell you this: After several years of experimenting with diet, the Health Service turned these character-less hill people into strong, healthy, ambitious, thriving, energy-filled citizens, all of them a credit to the community!"

"It was all done by scientific feeding of diets containing the proper vitamins, proteins and minerals."

That greatest generation as deemed many suffering from malnutrition the result of the Great Depression. Having food to eat but not a nutritious diet that intake of necessary vitamins and essential nutrients lacking?

That diet of the American South consisting predominately so of bacon, corn bread, corn pone and molasses less than desirable, many American young men when drafted into the military for the first time in their lives eating in a nutritious and adequate manner.

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FDR WW2.

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Foreign policy aims of the Roosevelt [FDR] administration during The Second World War counter-productive and actually "retrospectively, terrible"?

Yet again as extracted from the isegoria.net Internet web site.

"FDR’s foreign policy"

"Foseti wonders what FDR’s foreign policy aims were:

"FDR went into the war with basically no war aims. After a while, he seems to have settled on two"

1) "Totally destroying Germany and Japan"

2) "Ending European colonialism"

"Both of these aims were, retrospectively, terrible."

* "The first served to make the Soviets the (by far) most dominant power in Europe and Asia."

* "The second enticed the Soviets to further expand into the third world"

NO AIMS WHEN ENTERING THE WAR, STUMBLING HIS [FDR] WAY THROUGH IN A COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE MANNER? GRAND STRATEGY AS FORMULATED CREATING YET ONE MORE DANGEROUS AND IMPLACABLE ENEMY  [SOVIET UNION]?

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Volunteers.

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"Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger" - - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

This is coolbert:

More extracts from isegoria.net with my commentary:

"A Whole Generation Rushing to Volunteer"

Perhaps better worded as "Rushing to Volunteer" QUESTION MARK!

"I wouldn’t call the US a nation of cowards, but Bryan Caplan would — after calculating how few young men volunteered after Pearl Harbor"

America a nation of yellow-bellied gutless cowards? Just at that exact moment in that period immediately after 7 December and the attack on Pearl Harbor the number of military age young men willing to volunteer for the military and doing so quite small indeed? Far less than what might be imagined!

"According to the 1940 Census (table No. 11), the U.S. had 6.2 million males ages 15-19, 5.7 million males ages 20-24, and and 5.5 million ages 25-29.  That’s 17.4 million men of combat age.  Let’s use David’s high figure of 140k [140,000 volunteers] for all three months.  This means that during the first three months of U.S. involvement — a period where our national mythology describes a whole generation rushing to volunteer — just 2.4% actually did."

Volunteering for service in the U.S. Navy and specifically asking for duty on submarines as done by young men during WW2 an opportunity to see combat and at the earliest moment possible. NOW and not later. Some hardly shirking their responsibility but comporting themselves with unmistakable honor!!

The nation on 7 December in "grave danger" but to the vast preponderance of American young men that situation not perceived as so dire?

Does the adage "those with the loudest voices are normally found furthest from the scene of the action!" apply here?

You the devoted reader to the blog decide for yourself.

coolbert.

Yamamoto.

This is coolbert:

Here begins an entire series of blog entries, extracts with my commentary from previous items as seen at the isegoria.net Internet web site.

NOT in any chronological or topical order, see that listing from isegoria.net as posted..

Blog entries dealing with The Second World War, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Japanese, and Pearl Harbor, 7 December 1941.

Thank you in all instances to iserogia.net.

We begin!

"A Surprise of Capability"

"Pearl Harbor wasn’t a surprise of intent, Shannon Love says. It was a surprise of capability"

"Yamamoto surprised the US Navy in two ways: Firstly, he completely inverted the controlling doctrine of the entire Japanese Navy. Secondly, he developed technology to enact that doctrine before anyone else thought to do so."

JAPANESE NAVAL DOCTRINE IN THAT  PERIOD PRIOR TO 7 DECEMBER 1941 IN CASE OF WAR WITH THE UNITED STATES AS ENUNCIATED AND PLANNED FOR:

"a US fleet would arrive in or near Japanese home waters, where a single decisive battle would take place in which one fleet or the either would be annihilated and the war would then come to a negotiated end. In such a conflict, long-range vessels would be unnecessary. This doctrine arose in part because prior to the 1930s Japan would have been hard-pressed to get enough oil to fight a long-range conflict."

"Technological limitations" as posed a problem to the Japanese Navy prior to 7 December that needed to be overcome to include:.

(1) "Fueling long-range operations,"

(2) "developing air-dropped torpedoes that wouldn’t bottom out in the relatively shallow water of Pearl Harbor"

(3) "developing air-dropped bombs that could reliably penetrate the armor of capital ships."

"Like competent baseball coaches, Kimmel and Short had covered all their bases. Unfortunately, the Japanese were playing football."

ACCORDING TO THE BRITISH INTELLIGENCE OFFICER COLONEL HUGHES-WILSON THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR BEST SEEN AS A SIDE-SHOW? SUBSEQUENT JAPANESE NAVAL AND MILITARY ACTIVITY IN THE AFTERMATH OF PEARL HARBOR DIRECTED AT MALAYA, DUTCH EAST INDIES AND THE PHILIPPINES. THOSE TARGETS AND OBJECTIVE MOST IMPORTANT TO THE JAPANESE!!

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Presidential Powers.

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Once more extracts and with my commentary from an article as seen in the Wall street Journal of Saturday/Sunday, December17 - 18 2016..

"REVIEW"

"The over-Inflated Presidency"

"Donald Trump will inherit and executive branch whose powers have ballooned far beyond their consorted bounds."

"The Framers wanted a president who would not be a threat to liberty."

"Article II of the Constitution assigns to the president a few explicit powers - - command of the armed forces, a veto on legislation, the power to make appoints and treaties with the Senate's consent  . . .

"When President James K. Polk moved troops to the Mexican-American border in 1846 in response to what he claimed was the emergency of a Mexican invasion, a Whig congressman from Illinois named Abraham Lincoln introduced his famous 'spot' resolutions. He demanded that Polk identify the precise spot where blood had been shed, to prove it was on U.S. soil."

"As a wartime president himself, Lincoln authorized his generals in 1861 to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, which allows prisoners to challenge the constitutionality of their detention . . . the Constitution gives Congress the power to suspend the writ . . . Lincoln felt that he needed emergency action . . . Lincoln . . . called Congress back into session and persuaded it to approve his suspension of habeas corpus . . . 'Congress  . . . gave Lincoln this right, and the Supreme Court sustained his exercise of it under an act of Congress.'"

* "Article 1 - The Legislative Branch Section 9 - Limits on Congress - - The privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it."

AS DETERMINED BY CONGRESS AND DONE IN THE LEGAL MANNER. NOT BY PRESIDENTIAL EDICT OR DICTATORIAL POWERS!

* American troops having crossed over into what is best described as a "no-mans land" that border between the United States and Mexico not clearly defined and agreed upon, Setting up of an encampment and raising the American flag in disputed territory enough to warrant a violent response by the Mexican military!!

PROVOCATION BY POLK DELIBERATE OR OTHERWISE UNDETERMINED TO THIS DAY?

Presidential powers unrestrained NEVER perceived by those framers of the U.S. Constitution as desirable!

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Schelling.

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From an obituary as seen in the Wall street Journal of Saturday/Sunday, December17 - 18 2016..

"Thomas Schelling 1921-2016."

"'Errant' economist strayed from his field to take on a bigger mission: saving the world from nuclear holocaust. He even advised Stanley Kubrick on 'Dr Strangelove.'"

. . . .

"Dr. Schelling died Dec. 13 at home in Bethesda, Md. He was 95".

In retrospect NOT SO ERRANT!

"In the 1950's and 1960's, as an academic researcher and later as an adviser to the Kennedy administration, he helped establish policies aimed at avoiding nuclear war and crafting arms-control pacts"

"His 1960 book, 'The Strategy of Conflict,' proposed ways to make threats credible so that enemies would be less inclined to attack. One way, he found, was for a country to commit itself to a position from which retreat wasn't possible."

"If the U.S. based a small number of soldiers in Europe, for instance, they wouldn't be able to turn back a Soviet attack. yet their mere presence sent a message: The U.S. couldn't stand by in the event of an invasion. American blood would be shed, so America would have to lash back. To make the message credible, the U.S,. had to give up the option of retreat."

SCHELLING ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT PERSONS OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY? HIS CONCEPTS AS ENUNCIATED BECOMING POLICY AND WORLD WAR THREE WITH NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST THEREBY AVERTED?

See the entire archive regarding Thomas Schelling at isegoria.net:

http://www.isegoria.net/category/thomas-schelling/

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Mirth & Glee.

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From Russian Times and as seen at Freeper some humor and satire I find to be very good, for fun only. Within context of the recent American Presidential election the all-powerful and all-encompassing Russian bear active both in the air and under water!!

"Revealed! Putin personally hacked DNC from surveillance aircraft with bear on board"

"Shocking revelations earlier this week as US intelligence officials confirmed with 'high confidence' that Russian President Vladimir Putin was 'PERSONALLY INVOLVED' in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee....The high level, anonymous and completely trustworthy sources also told a major US news agency that PUTIN HIMSELF PILOTED a specially designed RUSSIAN SPY-PLANE across the Atlantic to personally direct the still-ongoing hacking operations from the air... ...Satellite images seen by a separate anonymous NASA whistle blower are believed to show Putin in the cockpit of the spy plane alongside his co-pilot Boris, A LIFELIKE ROBOTIC BEAR which has been under secret development".

Midget submarines also! Don't forget them. NOT Vladimir Putin at the helm in this image but close-by along with JESUS and the obligatory bottle of vodka. Credit Moosefoot and Militaryphotos.net. 

"Shocking revelations" during the holiday season done with mirth and glee. And to be appreciated by all. The Russians are everywhere!

coolbert.

Palmyra/Mosul.

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As in Palmyra as in Mosul. As in Mosul as in Palmyra.

IT IS THE BAD WEATHER YOU KNOW!

Stalingrad on the Euphrates? Or is it Stalingrad on the Tigris? Two full months now and counting.

"IS shows no sign of weakening as Mosul battle enters third month"

"Islamic State fighters have stepped up counterattacks on Iraqi forces in Mosul amid bad weather as the U.S.-backed offensive to capture their last major city stronghold in Iraq enters its third month. With cloudy skies hampering coalition air surveillance, the militants carried out attacks in three districts of eastern Mosul, al-Quds, Ta'mim and al-Nur, over the past four days"

If we just had more Apache. If we just had more Hellfire. If we just had more Abrams. If we just had more drones. Etc.

Or is this an example of: "the loudest voices are often found furthest from the scene of the action"??

coolbert.

T-4.

This is coolbert:

From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter and as reported the situation in Palmyra in an agitated state of flux, a see-saw battle with attack, counter-attack and counter-counter-attack all in the cards:

1. "Russian air force, Syrian army repel ISIS recapture of Palmyra"

11 December.

"Hours after ISIS forces re-took parts of the Syria town of Palmyra, Syrian forces with heavy Russian air backing forced them Sunday to withdraw with heavy casualties. According to the Russian defense ministry, more than 200 ISIS fighters were killed in 64 air strikes. In May last year, ISIS captured several Syrian towns including the UNESCO heritage town of Palmyra and were forced out in March by Syrian forces backed by Russia."

2. "ISIS seizes big Russian-Syrian T-4 air base"

12 December.


"Islamic State forces pushed their assault forward to retake the central Syrian town of Palmyra Monday, Dec. 12. By evening, they had entered the big Russian-Syrian T-4 air base outside the town, carrying off substantial quantities of Russian armaments . . . the booty they snatched included different types of ground-to-ground missiles as well as anti-tank and anti-air rockets. Russian forces manning the base were hurriedly evacuated from Palmyra and the T-4 base, after the worst defeat Russian armed forces had ever experienced at ISIS hands in Syria. Military circles in Moscow commented grimly that the Russian army had suffered 'a major disgrace' in Palmyra. According to our sources, long convoys of ISIS fighters backed by tanks taken booty from the Syrian army, first forced the Syrian 11th Tank Division to abandon the strategic Jhar Crossroad. After that, the way was clear for the jihadis' column to reach the T-4 base."

THE SYRIAN TROOPS AGAIN JUST BROKE AND RAN! ISIL AS HAS BEEN THE PREVIOUS CASE ABLE TO CAPTURE LARGE QUANTITIES OF MUNITIONS VITAL TO THEIR CONTINUED EXISTENCE AND COMBAT CAPABILITY.

A "MAJOR DISGRACE" INDEED!! THE "SITUATION" TOO IS IN DOUBT!

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Flynn/Mattis/Kelly.

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An appraisal by Professor Hanson regarding those general officers as to be appointed by President-Elect Trump. Too many??

"Has Trump Nominated Too Many Military Leaders—Or Not Enough?" By Victor Davis Hanson

"Choosing military men for top cabinet spots is not unprecedented, nor is it foolish given how Washington insiders have performed."

"President-elect Donald Trump is being faulted for supposedly appointing too many retired generals to cabinet-level jobs and 'militarizing' the government."

"Former lieutenant general Michael Flynn is slated to be national security adviser. Retired Marine general James Mattis has been nominated as defense secretary. Retired Marine general John Kelly is Trump’s nominee for secretary of homeland security. High-ranking officers such as General David Petraeus and Admiral Michael Rogers have been rumored for other positions in the Trump administration."

. . . .

"The chief complaint about Trump’s appointments is that too many generals will mean too great a likelihood of war. Historical evidence points to the opposite conclusion."

Flag officers [general or admiral] in fact having a demonstrable ability at management, decision making, leadership, a knowledge of subjects at the macro level.

The learning curve for such persons in whatever capacity greatly accelerated by that degree of experience decades in the making?

coolbert.

Guard Force?

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 More on the Chechen combat units now being sent from Russian to Syria.

From the Saker and thanks to the Ron Unz Internet web site.

"Putin Sends Chechen Special Operation Forces to Syria" by THE SAKER and as dated DECEMBER 9, 2016 

"Very interesting news today: according to the journal Izvestia, Russia will be sending operators from the so-called 'Chechen' special forces battalions 'West' and 'East' to Syria to 'guard the Russian installations' in Khmeimim and Tartus. According to Russian sources, these two battalions have been converted into a 'military police' force which will be fully deployed by the end of December."

"This news leaves many fascinating questions unanswered."

Fascinating and unanswered questions for which the Saker in part or in whole answers to a varying degree.

CHECHENS LARGE NUMBERS OF THEM ALSO FIGHTING WITH THE ISLAMIC STATE COMBATANTS. THIS MIGHT BECOME A CHECHEN VERSUS CHECHEN WAR, SYRIAN STYLE?

You need to read it all. Chechens as merely a guard for Russian military installations in Syria? Somehow I doubt that is the full and complete mission.

coolbert.

F-35 Lightning!

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Regarding that previous previous blog entry reports concerning the operational capability of the F-35 Lightning, SENIOR PILOTS HAVING FLOWN THE F-35 LIGHTNING CAN FIND NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT!

Gushing and going gaga even!

Just one moment Charlie Brown!

In conversation with an acknowledged aviation authority regarding the F-35 his comment most pertinent:

1. "Those pilots were all Lt. Colonels or Colonels in charge of the first squadrons or in charge of testing the planes, not your average run of the mill fighter pilot (as if there IS a run of the mill fighter pilot!!). However, having pointed out their inherent command influence and bias any new generation war machine is going to be head and shoulders above anything else out there now. (And, do you think for a New York minute that any of those men would be promoted if they gave anything BUT glowing reviews of the latest multi-billion dollar war weapon they are testing and telling Congress to keep the money flowing? Everyone from the Admirals on down to the lieutenants know that it took 20 years to get it to production, and there is no new backup if this thing is said to be a failure)."

2. "The real questions will be: will all those significant avionics really work in a wartime environment"

3. "Another question to ask: could all of that cool technology been developed and retrofitted years ago on the current fighters instead of being saved to use on the new air frame to make it look better? Indeed, I would bet that technology could indeed be retrofitted to F-16s, F-15s and F-18s, making the current fighter force that much more effective and capable."

"gush - - 2. to express oneself extravagantly or emotionally; talk effusively:"

"gaga - - 1.excessively and foolishly enthusiastic: 2. ardently fond; infatuated:"

You the devoted reader to the blog have to decide these things for yourself.

coolbert.

Montreux.

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As seen at Sputnik an indication the American military intends to ramp up military confrontation with the Russians?

"US Poised to 'Tear Up' Montreux Convention and Keep Its Fleet in Black Sea"

"The length of time that US ships patrol the Black Sea could be extended from the current operating level of about four months . . . The US is thus sending a message to Europe that it could augment its naval presence in the Black Sea . . . In keeping with the 1936 Montreux Convention, US naval ships cannot stay in the Black Sea more than 21 days, but it looks like the Pentagon could disregard these limitations."

Those nations bordering the Black Sea not constrained in their naval activities and including NATO members, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania. Other nations not having a border contiguous to the Black Sea having to adhere to the 1936 Montreux Convention.

"A Primer On The Montreux Convention"

The Non Black Sea Countries:

* "cannot pass warships solely designed to carry airplanes through Turkish Straits"
* "cannot pass submarines".
* "can pass warships, but the aggregate displacement of the foreign warships in the Black Sea may not exceed 45.000 tons"
* "cannot hold their ships in the Black Sea longer than 21 days".
* "cannot have more than 9 ships in the Black Sea at the same time"
* "can pass their warships through Turkish Straits by notifying Turkey through diplomatic channels 15 days before the passage.:

Adhering to the Convention and STILL having a STRONGER American naval presence in the Black Sea is entirely do-able without violating the provisions and protocols as understood. NO ONE ship can stay longer than twenty-one days. Ships can be scheduled for rotation and total numbers on operations at any given moment not diminished? So it seems from a casual reading of the Convention!

BUT NOT TEARING UP THE CONVENTION!!

coolbert.

Adir/USMC.

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From several sources and thanks to the tip from isegoria.net appraisals of the F-35 that are most favorable. Thanks also to Israel Hayom and The Aviationist.

1. "New F-35 fighter jets usher in 'completely new era' for IAF"

"Maj. Roi Maimon, chief technical officer for the Golden Eagle [Israel] squadron, describes the unique challenges involved in integrating a plane with such unprecedented capabilities"

2. "The F-35 makes a statement"

"It's finally happening. On Monday, two aircraft will land in Israel that are technological wonders -- so advanced, so special, that we haven't seen their like in the Mediterranean skies"

3. "Four of the most experienced USMC F-35B pilots speak about their aircraft. And they say it’s exceptional" by Todd Miller.

"The voice of the pilots is clear – the platform is working exceptionally. The F-35 is a platform with the ultimate level of sophistication, made simple. And therein lay the beauty of the F-35, and just why it will be so deadly, it’s simple".

Here is hoping. A LOT is riding on the F-35. If this warplane is not a success the USAF is in big trouble. F-35 as envisioned supposed to provide an air superiority aircraft AT LEAST UNTIL 2050. Devoted readers to the blog be aware several hundred F-35 already have been in the USAF inventory and are at least to some extent operational!

coolbert.