CC II.

This is coolbert:

Continuing and concluding with the contribution of the British to the war in the Pacific against Japan. NOT the Commonwealth Corps and NOT CBI [Chinese-Burma-India] but in this case the concerted and determined effort of the English to liberate Malaya from Japanese occupation!

Zipper. Mailfist. Broadsword.

PRIMARILY THE MALAYAN PENINSULA NEEDED TO BE RECAPTURED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE FOR FINANCIAL REASONS? THAT FLOW OF TIN AND RUBBER ESSENTIAL CREATING A FAVORABLE CASH FLOW ESSENTIAL TO THE BRITISH EMPIRE.

"The United States government opposed conducting military operations to liberate Malaya and Singapore on the grounds that the shipping and other resources used in the campaign would reduce those available for the planned invasion of Japan, Operation Downfall. However, the British government believed that it was necessary to liberate Singapore as early as possible on both military and political grounds."

After the dropping of the atomic bombs and Japanese surrender, Zipper, Mailfist and Broadsword not needed. But it could have been!

coolbert.

CC I.

This is coolbert:

Only very vaguely was I familiar with this. Units of the British Empire military as detailed for the invasion of Japan if and when such an eventuality was to occur.

The Commonwealth Corps. Military force of empire, ground force contingents of what was often referred to as the white dominions.

"The Commonwealth Corps was the name given to a proposed British Commonwealth army formation, which was scheduled to take part in the planned Allied invasion of Japan in during 1945 and 1946. The corps was never formed, however, as the Japanese surrender obviated any need for it. Under the proposals the corps would have comprised Australian, British, Canadian and New Zealand forces."

An ARMY sized echelon. Four divisions [?] comprising two corps plus! An ARMY!

Restrictions and requirements as were foreseen by the planners to include:

 * "use only US equipment and logistics"

*  "kept in reserve"

 * "not include Indian Army units [British Indian Army]".

See previous blog entries the topic of which was the British contribution to the war in the Pacific proposed and otherwise:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2012/11/lrdg-sas.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/08/tiuger-foprce.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Pacific_Fleet

That British Pacific Fleet in 1945 the largest and most powerful British naval contingent ever to sail. And performing yeoman duty during the battle for Okinawa.

coolbert.

Adventure.

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Here two examples of adventure tourism with a military dimension.

Living history so to speak, the Second World War missions of the Long-Range Desert Group [LRDG] and the Jaywick raiders [Z Force] seventy years later!!

1. "SEVENTY YEARS LRDG"

Our two 1943 Jeeps will land in Alexandria Port to embark on a 13 day adventure, covering about 1200 miles of pure desert driving. From Cairo, southwest to Ain Della, then on as far south as Gilf el Kebir, ‘8 Bells’, then back north, through the Great Sand Sea to ‘Big Cairn’, and on to Siwa, for so long the base of the LRDG. We shall end the tour with celebratory cocktails in The Cecil Hotel at ‘Monty’s Bar’, little changed since the LRDG celebrated there after their own trips.

For two weeks we actually did re-enact many of the daring escapades of the legendary Long Range Desert Group in a pair of original World War Two Jeeps.

2. "SPECIAL Z UNIT: KAYAK ADVENTURE"

"Often known as Z Force, a joint Australian, British and New Zealand Commando Unit, which saw action against the Japanese during World War II. Z Special Unit carried out 284 covert operations in the South West Pacific Theatre. The most well-known of these are, a Kayak Raid on Singapore Harbour called Operation Jaywick and the subsequent Operation Rimau, in which all 23 participants were either killed in action or executed. This adventure reenacts the kayak assault of the harbour and will take a minimum of 8 and maximum of 14 participants."

Evidence of time travel in the year 2017? Z force kayak teams during training for a Jaywick raid make an appearance by a mechanism not yet explained by modern science? Of course it is not so but I might like to think it is so! Call me crazy if you want!

Persons comprising the Executive Excellence team [run the kayak tour] their bona fides quite impressive:

"Executive Excellence (EE) is a team of professionals with backgrounds in the Special Air Service Regiment (SASR), Commandos, Health and Fitness, Medical Corps and Learning and Development".

This is the sort of thing I would like to do. If I had the money. If I had my health. If I was not so old. IF!

coolbert.

Plan Challe.

This is coolbert:

As it is in Syria today as it was in Algeria over fifty years ago!

From the Remy Mauduit Internet web site we have a description of effective counter-insurgency [COIN] tactics, means and methods as formulated and put to good use by the French military in their war with the Algerian rebels.

This was Plan Challe!

"AIRPOWER IN THE ALGERIAN COUNTER-INSURGENCY – THE « PLAN CHALLE »"

From that Remy Mauduit article portions of which extracted in entirety:

"Challe was a French Air Force general whose greatest military success was in the realm of counter-insurgency operations during the Algerian War. His offensive, begun in March 1959, succeeded in substantially weakening the ALN [the armed element of the Algerian liberation movement]. Through the use of speed and concentration of force, Challe kept the ALN insurgents in constant retreat and disorder. His innovative tactics would be studied and emulated by others - notably Syrian government forces in the Syrian Civil War seeking to keep insurgency at bay and off balance. The Challe Plan was only partially completed before he was reassigned to France."

COIN TACTICS, MEANS AND METHODS HEAVILY RELIANT ON AIR POWER!!

"The Plan Challe was named after Air Force General Maurice Challe, commander-in-chief of French forces in Algeria from 1958 to1960. The Plan Challe was an offensive plan that took the war to the insurgents. The French relegated reserve and conscript units to static defense roles, e.g., protecting roads, quadrillage, etc, in order to free up regular units to conduct mobile 'search and destroy' missions in the mountains where guerrilla bands had taken refuge. Employing helicopters, the French inserted special mobile units composed of elite troops such as Foreign Legionnaires, paratroopers, marines, special commandos units, and air mobile regulars. These elite forces never exceeded 20,000 troopers. Operationally, the Plan Challe comprised a series of sweeps against known insurgent spots. Releasing troops from static quadrillage duties, Challe broke down large formations into small units, many of which were mixed Franco-Algerian in make-up, that could move quickly and bring the guerrillas to battle in rough country."

"The highly sophisticated operational and tactical scenario was virtually the same. Utilizing primarily air-gathered intelligence and without warning, the elite units and the air force move at tremendous speed on enemy territory. The strike usually takes place at dawn. First, the target area is bombed out of existence and showered with cluster bombs from fighter jets and bombers. Within few minutes, the paratroopers land in the heart of the insurgent territory, close air support provided by armed helicopters. The elite force engages immediately the insurgents while fighters, bombers, armed helicopters patrolled the battle space and strafe or bomb any insurgents leaving the area. Additional troops are brought in by helicopters to close the immediate net around the insurgents. A larger contingent of regular troops and Commandos de chasse [hunter class troops] are convoyed to several spots around the battle space to ambush and pursue the survivors. The aircraft are relieved when the area is under control by the elite troops and when the regular contingent is in place. The command and control post (Joint Operations Command) is always shared by Air Force and Army commanders. The operation is dismantled at sundown and the elite troops are withdrawn leaving the local (secteur) regular troop to finish the job and keep the area clean. It was devastating to the F.L.N., in terms of lives and moral[e]".

Again, those tactics, means and methods of the Plan Challe being used with success by the Syrian army loyal to Assad, aided and abetted by Russian air power.

Prodigious force used ruthlessly!

coolbert.

CTS Mosul.

This is coolbert:

Thanks to the Ron Unz Internet web site and the article by Patrick Cockburn more details on the now concluded [?] battle for Mosul.

"Why Is the World Not Outraged at Mass Civilian Death in Mosul?"

As extracted the real story in the nutshell:

"The attack on the part [Mosul] to the east of the Tigris River was primarily undertaken by the highly trained and experienced Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), fighting house to house. Air strikes were usually against carefully selected targets, and not called in at will by ground troops at the first sign of resistance."

"These tactics of the pro-government forces did not work. True, they eventually captured east Mosul after three months of heavy fighting and at the cost of casualties to the CTS reported as being between 40 and 50 per cent. But they could not afford this scale of losses repeated in west Mosul, where Isis was even more deeply entrenched."

"When the assault on west Mosul began on 19 February, the pro-government forces were therefore using artillery, rockets and air power much more freely. And in addition to the CTS, they fielded the Federal Police and Emergency Response Division, both of which were far less well-trained and deemed more sectarian than the CTS. As they in turn suffered heavy casualties, they lost all restraint in use of their firepower."

There you have it. Counter Terrorism Service troops well-trained and prepared for urban warfare less reliant on heavy firepower and able to use a nuanced approach but still sustaining heavy casualties.

Less well-trained troops during a period of prolonged urban warfare becoming too reliant on heavy firepower and using same in a more indiscriminate manner.

coolbert.

Smugglers.

 This is coolbert:

"I hereby certify, with respect to Colombia, that interdiction of aircraft reasonably suspected to be primarily engaged in illicit drug trafficking in that country's airspace is necessary, because of the extraordinary threat posed by illicit drug trafficking to the national security of that country," - - Donald Trump.

From the Russian Internet web site Sputnik this headline did startle me.

"Trump Says US Has Right to Interdict Aircraft in Columbia Airspace - White House"

"WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — President Donald Trump has issued a determination ordering the shooting down of any aircraft suspected of being involved in the smuggling of illegal drugs in the airspace of the nation of Columbia, a presidential memorandum released by the White House revealed."

AMERICAN WARPLANES CAN SHOOT DOWN PRIVATE AIRCRAFT IN COLOMBIAN AIRSPACE WITH IMPUNITY? IS THIS WHAT THAT HEADLINE SUGGESTS?

This however does not seem to be anything new. Is merely a reaffirmation of a rather old policy [since 2003 at least].

I guess the main question would be whether American warplanes have been given the OK for incursions into Colombian air space and shoot-down aircraft identified as smuggling drugs.

Sputnik is exaggerating? Trying to create and issue where there is not issue? I am not sure.

Nothing NEW here folks! Nothing to SEE folks! Move ALONG folks!

coolbert.

1940 France.

This is coolbert:

From Freeper the latest cinematic war epic "Dunkirk" not without critics.

"'We were at Dunkirk, too' say French furious at being written out of film epic"

"Around 30,000 French troops held back Nazi divisions near the city of Lille to protect their allies during the evacuation code-named Operation Dynamo. Renowned French film critic Jacques Mandelbaum called Nolan 'witheringly impolite' and slammed the director's 'deplorable indifference' towards his country's contribution to the epic evacuation. 'Where in the film are the 120,000 French soldiers who were also evacuated from Dunkirk?'"

If amphibious operations are rated as the most difficult of military missions [going from ships to shore] how much more difficult is a reverse amphibious mission and WHILE UNDER PRESSURE!

Also besides Dunkirk think Operation Ariel. A SECOND Dunkirk but even more successful!!

Ariel subsequent to Dunkirk. Men and material both from France to England, as little as possible left behind.

From the wiki that number of troops and civilians as evacuated during Ariel:

"Troops and civilians"

Nationality        Total
British            144,171
Polish              24,352
French            18,246
Czech              4,938
Belgian             163
Total              191,870
Civilian         30–40,000

See too this Pathe newsreel from the time of Ariel as reported to the English public:

"Second BEF Home Again 1940"

Reverse amphibious operations historically speaking only the military of England the United States have been able to accomplish with any degree of success.

NOBODY SAID WAR WAS EASY!!

coolbert.

Marawi.

This is coolbert:

Yesterday it was Mosul, Iraq.

Think now Marawi, Mindanao, Philippines!

Marawi as occupied by Islamic rebels in conflict with the central government of the Philippines in Manila, city fighting as continuing into the third month now.

WELCOME TO THE ISLAMIC CITY OF MARAWI!

From a variety of sources.

1. "The Fight in Marawi City and the Struggles to Come"

2. "Marawi siege enters 3rd month"

3. "Rodrigo Duterte Says He Can 'Wait For One Year' to Clear ISIS Militants From Marawi"

4. "Philippines: Not A Sanctuary But A Deathtrap"

Read further from the wiki, that entry concerning the Battle of Marawi:

"The Battle of Marawi . . . is an ongoing armed conflict in Marawi, Lanao del SuR . . . between Philippine government security forces and affiliated militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, including the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Salafi jihadist groups."

Protracted and brutal urban combat. Fanatics as first on the offensive occupying Marawi and now defending against Filipino regular forces counter-attack!!

That size of the Maute force as occupying Marawi unclear. The wiki mentions five-hundred or so Islamic fighters as attacking a nearby military base. Filipino ground forces in action either four divisions plus or elements of four divisions plus.

"Because they (the Maute group) threatened to go down from the mountains to burn down Marawi? Go ahead, be my guest. We will wait for you there. Walang problema (No problem)." - - Duterte, 2016.

WELCOME TO THE ISLAMIC CITY OF MARAWI.

coolbert.

John & Jane.

 This is coolbert:

“ISIS fighters have dressed up as woman and caked their faces in makeup in a bid to avoid being caught by Iraqi authorities after losing their stronghold in Mosul.”

Warning! If you are easily disturbed by images of an intense, adult, outrageous and frankly macabre nature do not open the link below from the Daily Mail but hit escape now! You have been warned!

Thanks to the story from Canada Free Press as seen again originally at the Daily Mail:.

 "Jihadi Johns crossing over to Jihadi Janes to escape Mosul"

Transgender has been a major topic in the news recently. But this is too much!!

"Welcome to the Brave New World where girls can no longer be girls or boys, boys in a coming society where no one knows who or what they really are in a world where both politicians and popes claim there is no such thing as Islamic terrorism"

Captured! The most dangerous beast of them all. An ISIL warrior. Beard shaved, hair cut, dressed as a woman in the burka, lots of cosmetics applied to the face. Concealment that did not work. What would Mohammad say? Frankly I have chosen this image because it is the least offensive and controversial of all I have seen.

The more they make an effort to escape detection the more likely to be caught. If you want to hide, hide in the open. Too late now boys/girls.

coolbert.

Mad Max.

This is coolbert:

"If this is the end, then what was it all worth?

Don't bother to ask, there's no price on this earth"

Sailors of the British Royal Navy [RN] hardly the only case and not alone in suffering from PTSD, madness and a high-rate of  suicides. Even during much more modern times the rigors of naval warfare and extended periods of life at sea hazardous to your health even when not in combat! Thanks to Deviant Art and Wuthering Heights for the image and quotation.

As extracted from the Internet web site 1870to1918 that article:

 "Russo-Japanese War: The 18,000-mile voyage"

AMONG THOSE RUSSIAN SAILORS OF THE BALTIC FLEET [RENAMED THE SECOND PACIFIC SQUADRON FOR THE MISSION] EN ROUTE TO DESTRUCTION AT TSUSHIMA THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESS FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD UNDER LESS THAN DESIRABLE CONDITIONS SO GREAT AS TO PRODUCE EXCESSIVE MADNESS AMONG PERSONNEL!

"It was a voyage that literally drove some of the participants insane. The ships of the Imperial Russian Navy were never intended to serve as residences over a period of seven and a half months. Poorly ventilated, rat-infested, filled with coal dust from stockpiles heaped in every available space, each one became its own self-contained hell."

"Men began to go mad. An old acquaintance of Politovsky’s [fleet's Chief Engineer] wandered about the boats half-undressed, asking people if they feared Death. Eventually Rozhestvensky [ Rear Admiral that most senior Russian commander] collected an assortment of misfits to ship back home through the Suez aboard the 'Malay'—lunatics, drunkards, invalids, men imprisoned for mutinous acts. As the 'Malay' departed the harbor, a group of mutineers seized control of the ship—but an armed crew went aboard and restored order. Some of the worst were simply put ashore and abandoned to fate."

PROLONGED PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STRESS WITHOUT AMELIORATION AT BEST RESULTING IN DEBILITATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL AND AT WORST CAUSING MADNESS!!

As with the Royal Navy so was it too with the Russian!!

coolbert.

Joint Sea 2017.

This is coolbert:

Nothing like this has occurred since 1905?

Chinese naval vessels with a global reach demonstration. Sailing from home waters vicinity the South China Sea; warships their destination the Baltic. Far from home to say the least. For the Chinese at any rate even unprecedented!!

"Chinese Navy holds live-fire training in Mediterranean en route to joint drills with Russia"

"A Chinese fleet comprising warships that are 'the best class of their category' has staged live-fire drills in the Mediterranean, according to the Chinese military. The contingent is now heading to Russia’s Baltic coast for the ‘Joint Sea 2017’ exercises."

1905 the Russian Baltic Fleet part and parcel of the Russo-Japanese War. The 18,000-mile voyage what it is called. As to that entire story, the sailing of the Baltic Fleet to the other side of the world and eventual obliteration see from the Internet web site 1870to1918:

"Russo-Japanese War: The 18,000-mile voyage".

That route of the Russian Baltic fleet [renamed the Second Pacific Squadron for the mission] en route [1905]  to disaster at Tsushima. I had always thought the Russian warships NOT allowed passage through the Suez Canal. Evidently that was not so. This Chinese division of naval vessels following the course [2017] as seen in red, but in the reverse direction. Click on image to see a larger view.

coolbert.

EWMS.

This is coolbert:

See my previous blog entry item # 2. The crop duster close-air-support warplane.

As was noted NO gun.

Also NO dispenser for cluster-bomb munitions.

BUT DOES HAVE AN OPTION FOR THE ELECTRONIC COUNTER-MEASURES POD!

From this You Tube video the various weapons as carried by the Archangel described.

Electronic warfare counter-measures pod the ALQ-213. Detects the signature of a shoulder-fired pea-shooter infra-red guided surface-air-missile of the Soviet/Russian Grail type and disperses counter-measures. [presumably flares].

Originally a Danish Air Force design for their F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, the AN/ALQ-213(V), called a Electronic Warfare Management System (EWMS) . . . its function is electronics countermeasures suite controller. It is now used on different aircraft, by different countries, all with the goal of reducing workload, especially on single-seat aircraft. It also assists the crew in fusing the information from the multiple on-board electronic warfare subsystems.

This counter-measures pod greatly [?] enhances survivability in the non-permissive and counter-insurgency environment

NO gun and NO cluster-bomb dispenser. Archangel does not need? Weaponry and ordnance already available and being carried sufficient as it is??

Evidently at some point during development it was decided to fit a gun to the warplane? That image accompany this blog entry was of the GAU-19 multi-barrel 12.7mm gun [capable of carrying] 2,900 rounds. So such an option [gun] might be available.

coolbert.

Mosul 2017.

This is coolbert:

From the Strategy Page archive of Colonel Austin Bay we have this item.

"On Point"

"Mosul and Urban Warfare"

"On July 10, Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared coalition forces had won a "total victory" in their fight to free the city of Mosul. Since June 2014, the unfortunate city had been occupied by ISIS terrorists."

"Abadi's claim of total victory was premature. In the following days, several small firefights erupted around the city. ISIS fighters reportedly entered a liberated village outside Mosul. Had they been hiding, planning to stage "stay behind" attacks on coalition forces? Or were they fleeing? Who knows. In city fights, flickering resistance may continue for weeks after the major battle is done."

Those many ruined buildings of Mosul offer excellent protection and hiding places for Islamic State "die-hards". Colonel Bay noting too the tactic of using "stay-behind" units organized in advance and capable of considerable mischief.

I HAVE REFERRED ON OCCASION TO MOSUL AS STALINGRAD IN THE DESERT. KEEP IN MIND THAT AFTER GERMAN SURRENDER AT STALINGRAD SPORADIC FIGHTING CONTINUING FOR TWO MONTHS. 20 % OF THE GERMAN FORCE RUSSIAN NATIONALS KNOWING FULL WELL WHAT GRIM FATE WAITED FOR THEM IF THEY GAVE UP TO THE SOVIET!!

coolbert.

F-89 Scorpion.

This is coolbert:

As was noted in the Strategy Page article referred to in the previous blog entry that accident rate of the American F-89 Scorpion exceedingly high. Monstrously so even!!

WARPLANES [F-89] DURING FLIGHTS DISINTEGRATING WITHOUT WARNING!

"The F-89C made its first flight in September, 1951, and the first operational F-89C squadron . . . received its first Scorpion on February 8, 1952."

ALMOST INSTANTLY F-89 WARPLANES INVOLVED IN CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENTS, WINGS JUST BREAKING LOOSE.

* "On February 25, an F-89C shed a wing."

* "On June 18 . . . the wing of one of the squadron's new Scorpions cracked and folded in flight"

* "On August 30 . . .  the left wing of one aircraft snapped off at the root."

* "another F-89C was lost to a wing failure on September 15th."

* "On September 22, still another F-89C . . .  [had] one of their wings fold up over their cockpit."

AND THE REASON FOR ALL THIS WAS?

T75 alloy as used in the fittings to attach the wing root of the airplane to the fuselage suffering from unexpected metal fatigue that cause for the warplanes disintegrating in flight!!

"The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft that is closest to the fuselage"

"[a] new aluminum alloy, T75ST, in the highly-loaded fittings where the wing's root was bolted to the fuselage. T75ST had promised high strength with low weight. A drawback, however, was that the fatigue characteristics of the new alloy under extreme conditions were not fully understood.

In addition:

"The final piece of the puzzle was the T75 alloy in the machined wing root fittings. The new alloy turned out to have unexpectedly high 'notch sensitivity,' meaning that any manufacturing imperfections, scratches, or dents could become origins for fast-spreading fatigue cracks."

F-89! You want me to fly what??

coolbert.

Accidents.

This is coolbert:

From an article as seen at the Strategy Page Internet web site we have some interesting statistics regarding warplane accidents.

"Attrition: The MiG-21 Curse Continues"

Emphasis not so much as problems with the Soviet era MiG-21 warplane but rather a comparison as to the accident rate of various military aircraft per 100,000 hours of flying time!

SINCE THE TIME OF THE END OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR COMBAT WARPLANES THEIR RELIABILITY MUCH GREATER, ACCIDENTS MUCH LESS.

You need to read it all!

"Combat aircraft have, for decades, been getting more reliable, even as they became more complex."

Consider also the comments of an acknowledged aviation authority regarding the issue:

"The more expensive--and scarce--the military planes [$100 million plus per copy] have become, the fewer hours the pilots fly them, the more the pilots are watched for deviations (unsafe flying, bad personal habits/character that could show a propensity for bad judgment), the tighter the mission requirements (no room for play), and the more carefully the planes are maintained and monitored.  No room for error.  Too expensive and rare to lose."

"You want me to fly what?"

coolbert.

RB-57.

This is coolbert:

Canberra RB-57 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft from the era of the Cold War.

An aircraft with a ceiling for high-altitude photographic reconnaissance missions nearly equal to if not equal to the fabled U-2 "spy plane". This is all new to me.

"The Martin/General Dynamics RB-57F Canberra is a specialized strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed in the 1960s for the United States Air Force by General Dynamics from the Martin B-57 Canberra tactical bomber"

CANBERRA DESIGNATED AS WEATHER RECONNAISSANCE BUT MORE THAN THAT! DURING MUCH OF THE COLD WAR THIS WAS THE MAIN USAF STRATEGIC RECONNAISSANCE PHOTOGRAPHIC INTELLIGENCE WARPLANE? U-2 AS  FLOWN PURSUANT TO CIA MISSIONS, CANBERRA USAF!

B-57 as originally envisioned as a bomber a replacement for the B-26 medium low-level attack warplane!

Canberra as a bomber warplane to an extent in Vietnam replicating the role of the WW2 B-26, low-level attack mission mode. Yeoman duty primarily directed against the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

"As of 2015, three WB-57Fs are the only B-57 aircraft model still flying, in service with NASA.

Canberra "warplane" with civilian markings for NASA mission. "NASA 928 takes to the skies in 2005, carrying a special nose-mounted imaging system that helped NASA track and safeguard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-114 'return to flight' mission." Allegedly even active over Afghanistan in 2006.

Canberra I have always thought a warplane irrelevant to Cold War considerations. But I admit I was wrong!

 coolbert.

CAS.

This is coolbert:

Two warplanes as being considered to replace the American A-10 ground attack close-air-support [CAS] aircraft.

One merely a concept, the other much more than that!

1. "The Machete: The Super Plane That Could Replace the A-10 Warthog (Or Not)?"

"Stavatti, the mercurial, Minnesota-based aerospace start up, has dusted off its old proposal for a new attack plane to partially replace the U.S. Air Force’s venerable A-10 Warthog."

Fires missiles and rockets, drops bombs, has the 30 mm cannon. Comes in either a jet or a turboprop drive version. That latter a pusher. At this exact moment a concept only on paper. Pilot only no weapons officer.

"The Machete, which is still just a concept, would come in two variants optimized for close air support — the propeller-driven SM-27 and the jet-propelled SM-28. Stavatti has proposed other variants of the Machete for air-to-air combat and advanced training."

2. "ARCHANGEL MANNED STRIKE"

"Archangel is a combat proven attack platform that fuses aircraft, crew, sensors, and weapons with long duration on-station times.  Archangel seamlessly flows between the Find, Fix, and Finish tasks on station, capable of employing GBU-12/58 Laser Guided Bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire, and CIRIT 2.75” Laser Guided Rockets."

Drops bombs, fires missiles and rockets. NO gun! Already in the air and flying. A two-seater, pilot and weapons officer.

Also previous blog entries the topic of which was CAS warplanes:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/super-tucano_22.html 

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/03/ov-10-bronco.html 

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/05/croip-duster.html 

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/04/at-802.html

coolbert.

CoS France.

This is coolbert:

From the BBC as reported the head of the French military has resigned!

"French military head de Villiers quits over cuts"

"The head of the French armed forces has quit after a clash with President Emmanuel Macron over budget cuts."

Key points with my comments:

" Gen de Villiers, 60, was infuriated by an €850m ($975m; £752m) cut in the military spending budget for 2017. Most was to come from cuts to equipment.

Euros, dollar, pounds! That figure of 850 Euros equal about to about ten of the most advanced French Rafale warplanes and no more.

* "President Macron wants to get the overall French budget deficit below a European Union cap of 3% of national income for 2017."

Only Norway and Australia of all the nations of the world having a budget surplus. All other countries strapped for cash, in debt, unable to pay their bills! France too! The European welfare state hard to sustain.

* "Furthermore, he [Macron] has pledged to lift the defence budget from 1.77% of GDP to Nato's target of 2% by 2025."

That 2 % goal as was agreed upon by all constituent members of NATO the French contribution cannot be made until 2025? If then? No wonder Donald is so mad at NATO!

coolbert.

920th PJ.

This is coolbert:

Supermen to the rescue! American supermen!

American Air Force pararescue jumpers [PJ's], graduates of "superman" school more than earning their keep.

A combined and extraordinary effort the results most gratifying.

"Rescue Airmen save two German citizens stranded at sea"

"PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- In a concerted effort from July 7, and into the early hours of July 8, 2017, approximately 80 Airmen and four aircraft assigned to the 920th Rescue Wing successfully rescued two German citizens whose vessel caught fire approximately 500 nautical miles off the east coast of southern Florida."

Assets as deployed impressive and indicative of good teamwork. Fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, mid-air refueling capability, etc.

It is not specifically mentioned and to me it is unclear whether the PJ's entering the water by parachuting or dropping from a low-flying helicopter. Pararescue personnel adept at water operations. And with good reason. 70 % of the surface of the planet is water.

GO PJ's. GO Air Force. Bravo!

coolbert.

BCI.

This is coolbert:

Within the context of the cyborg and the potential military application thereof, consider these items:

"A brain–computer interface (BCI) . . .  is a direct communication pathway between an enhanced or wired brain and an external device."

In the nutshell, a human connected to a computer. Advantage gained!

Thanks to the Russian Internet web site Sputnik!

1. "New Elon Musk Venture Aims to Merge the Human Brain With Artificial Intelligence"

"Noted artificial intelligence skeptic Elon Musk, co-founder of driverless car pioneer Tesla Motors and space exploration firm SpaceX, is attempting to combat the rise of AI [artificial intelligence] with the launch of a new venture, Neuralink. The business aims to facilitate the interface of human brains and computers."

Elon previously having voiced fears of AI and the danger as might be posed to mankind! THE RISE OF THE MACHINES!

“'The risk of something seriously dangerous happening is in the five year time frame . . . 10 years at most.'” - - Elon Musk.

2. "Never Mind Area 51, Here's Building 8: Facebook Developing Mind-Reading TechCC0"

"Facebook has revealed it's working on an interface which will allow users to control computers via their brains.'

"Headed by Regina Dugan, formerly of shadowy US military technology division DARPA and Google's Advanced Technology and Projects group (ATAP), its first goal is the development of a non-invasive system to allow people to type using thought."

Mind-reading technology not strictly BCI? NO direct connection between the computer and the human brain. Perhaps BCI needs to be redefined?

These projects and research without question still at the most basic and elementary stage of development. You gotta start somewhere!

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Matrix.

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"Today [2130], even the human beings manning control and communications stations far from any actual combat tend to be cyborgs-- part biological, part machine."

Think "today" as not in the year 2130 but rather in the year 2017! More in the embryonic state of development but nonetheless more than on the drawing board! And so apropos to a recent blog entry.

From the Daily Mail and the tip from Lew:

"US military reveals $65m funding for 'Matrix' projects to plug human brains directly into a computer"

* "System could be used to give soldiers 'super-senses' and boost brainpower"

* "Will also allow radical new treatments for patients with sensory disorders"

* "Four teams will focus on vision and two [teams] on aspects of hearing and speech"

WAR BY CYBORG? THAT COMBINATION OF HUMAN AND MACHINE [COMPUTER]!

Again, at this stage developments only embryonic in nature. But you gotta start somewhere!

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Submarine China.

This is coolbert:

Here with a number of recent items as pertinent to Chinese submarines and undersea warfare operations. Slight commentary also.

All items in index thanks to the South China Morning Post Hong Kong edition with the exception of # 5.

1. "Has China developed the world’s most powerful submarine detector?"

"Major breakthrough in magnetic detection technology brings unprecedented accuracy in finding metallic objects hidden deep underground and in the water, Shanghai scientists say"

2. "The Chinese acoustics research that might help shield submarines from sonar"

"Researchers working on a new system they hope will be more effective in hiding submarines from detection under the sea"

3. "Does China’s deep-sea tech upgrade point to submarine signals network under Pacific?"

"Technology used for undersea research has clear military applications, including improving communications with submarines, say experts"

4. "China’s first nuclear submarine was developed with the aid of an abacus, according to the scientist who led the project in the late 1950s"

"Now 93, Huang Xuhua, chief designer of the Long March-1, said he still owns one of the suanpan [abacuses] that were used by his team almost 60 years ago,Scientists used abacuses to develop China’s first nuclear submarine"

5. "China Is Building the World's Largest Submarine Factory"

"The 430,000-square-foot plant will guard subs from prying eyes."

THIS FACTORY ONE OF A NUMBER AT THE DISPOSAL OF THE CHINESE FOR SUBMARINE CONSTRUCTION. IN THIS CASE ONLY THE MOST MODERN AND LARGEST!

6. "Why Chinese submarines could soon be quieter than US ones"

"Top naval engineer says new propulsion system will put PLA Navy ‘way ahead’ of US"

NOT A BRAND-NEW TECHNOLOGY NEVER ATTEMPTED BEFORE. ONLY THAT BEING USED BY THE CHINESE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

China as you can well imagine awash with money, cash that can be used to finance all manner of military hardware and projects. The limit is the imagination? China to use naval assets as a way of exerting geo-political domination with global reach!

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Apparitions.

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"Merely considering the perspective of the 'cost-benefit basis' alone Osama bin Laden ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MEN IN ALL OF HISTORY?"

Extracted from the Internet web site "Small Wars Journal" and copied largely in entirety from an article by John Arquilla.

"Three Ghosts Who Haunt Modern Strategy"

As was the topic of a previous blog entry, the person of Osama bin Laden his significance to modern world history can hardly be minimized.

According to John Arquilla:

"The third apparition haunting global strategy and policy is that of Osama bin Laden (1957–2011). The man who started history's first great war between nations and networks is only five years dead, yet it is already clear that he is—in an ominously Dickensian sense—the ghost of conflicts to come. His demise seems only to have scattered the seeds of networked insurgency and terrorism—old and new—across the globe: from a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan to al Qaeda 'franchises' everywhere; from the quickly metastasizing ISIS splinter group in Syria and Iraq to Boko Haram in Nigeria; from Jemaah Islamiya and the Abu Sayyaf group in Southeast Asia to Hizb ut-Tahrir around the globe. The list goes on and on, with countless small cells—such as those that spawned recent attacks in Paris and Brussels—operating throughout Europe and the rest of the world."

"Aside from having set the course for globally networked terrorism, Osama bin Laden has, with his death, done much to keep counter-terrorist strategy firmly misdirected. For if Napoleon's ghost encourages an over-reliance on sheer force, and Billy Mitchell's spirit wails 'No boots on the ground!' Osama bin Laden's spectral presence deceives many around the world into thinking that the assassination of terrorist leaders can bring their organizations to the verge of strategic defeat, as former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was wont to say."

"Nothing could be further from the truth. The so-called Global War on Terror has morphed into terror's war on the world. And the ghost of bin Laden no doubt smiles a chilling smile at the notion that counter-terrorist efforts to defeat networks can succeed by taking out their 'leaders,' such as Abu Sayyaf, the ISIS oilman killed last year in an American special operations raid in eastern Syria, and ISIS's number two man, Mustafa al-Qaduli, who was killed this past March.6 The greatest strength of networks lies, after all, in their members' ability to pursue a common goal without much (if any) central control. Failure to appreciate this is the first step on the path to defeat—at ruinous cost."

Fourth-Generation warfare as it is deemed in all manifestations having been institutionalized by Osama and his minions as a form of conflict favored and preferred and not merely an adjunct to conventional war!

NAPOLEON AND BILLY MITCHELL THOSE OTHER TWO "APPARITIONS" AS MOST RELEVANT TO MODERN AMERICAN "GLOBAL STRATEGY AND POLICY".

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Explicit.

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Warning! If material of an adult and intense nature offends you, hit escape now!

Images of  "scantily clad female soldiers" [Israeli] continue to exist on the Internet. Much to the consternation of everyone. Matters far out of control it seems, measures as to prevent apparently futile!

EVEN WORSE THOSE IMAGES PERHAPS CONTAINING IN SOME INSTANCES MALWARE WHICH CAN TURN A SMART PHONE INTO AN EAVESDROPPING DEVICE OF SOME SOPHISTICATION!!

Thanks to the Sheldon Adelson Internet web site Israel Hayom and the articles by Lilach Shoval.

1. "Streak of racy soldier photos shows no signs of subsiding"

"Despite the IDF's best efforts, dozens of photos of scantily clad female soldiers continue to circulate on the Internet • The latest photos, posted on the popular photo-sharing site Imgur, are highly explicit and even pornographic".

This image hardly exists in a vacuum! Many more like it? Shared and copied and maybe containing malware?

2. "Videos of soldier girls behaving badly, again"

"Video of IDF soldier doing a striptease around her personal weapon is uploaded to Facebook, goes viral in Israel • Controversial racy video comes only weeks after other racy IDF photos •"

See previous blog entry describing the process by which embedded malware can turn your smart phone into an eavesdropping device and totally without your knowledge!

coolbert.

Additional.

This is coolbert:

Border dispute between China and India gets even worse. Demands now escalating. The tip from Freeper the original article from the Hindustan Times by Sutirtho Patranobis.

NO ROOM FOR NEGOTIATIONS!

"China says no room for negotiations on Sikkim standoff, adds Ladakh to dispute with India"

"China says no room for negotiations on Sikkim standoff, adds Ladakh to dispute with India The commentary by the official Xinhua news agency warned that India could face 'embarrassment' if it does not withdraw its border troops and sought to add yet another dimension to the face-off by bringing in the Ladakh region and linking it to Pakistan."

Ladakh with the capital city at Leh in that area where India, China, and Pakistan come together. Disputed landscape. First Doklam now Ladakh.

See previous blog entry the entire issue of borders between nations in that part of the world those decisions of the British Raj as made a long time ago now remaining controversial.

This image further show the geographical relationship of Ladakh to the rest of India.

Some damn fool thing in the Himalaya!

coolbert.

MiG-21.

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Indian Air Marshal Matheswaran an acknowledged authority his observations and comments on the Soviet era warplane MiG-21 most interesting. Thanks to the Internet web site Hush-Kit.

"Flying fighting in the MiG-21: In conversation with Air Marshal Matheswaran"

"Small, fast and wickedly agile, the Soviet-designed MiG-21 was an extremely potent warplane. For two decades it formed the backbone of the Indian fighter force. We spoke to Air Marshal M Matheswaran (retd) about what it was like to fly and fight in the MiG-21."

In particular consider this exchange:

Q: "Did the MiG-21 have an eccentric handling characteristics?"

A: "No"

Rather emphatic!

Further however from the wiki entry regarding the MiG-21:

"Like many aircraft designed as interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range. This was exacerbated by the poor placement of the internal fuel tanks ahead of the center of gravity. As the internal fuel was consumed, the center of gravity would shift rearward beyond acceptable parameters. This had the effect of making the plane statically unstable to the point of being uncontrollable, resulting in an endurance of only 45 minutes in clean condition . . . Additionally, when more than half the fuel was used up, violent maneuvers prevented fuel from flowing into the engine, thereby causing it [the engine] to shut down in flight."

Who are going to believe. The Air Marshal or the wiki??

coolbert.

Bor.

This is coolbert:

Where the Israeli at Entebbe succeeded, the American at Bor failed?

From "Talking Proud Archives --- Military" the Battle of Bor! A topic I was totally unfamiliar with.

"Rooster Flight 73, ambushed during South Sudan evacuation mission"

By Ed Marek the original article from "Air Force Magazine".

“'Blood over Bor.' On December 21, 2003, three USAF CV-22 Osprey aircraft from the 8th Special Operations Squadron (SOS) flew from Djibouti to Bor, South Sudan with 21 Navy SEALs aboard. Their mission was to evacuate approximately 20-30 Americans stuck in Bor amidst a freshly erupted civil war. Hostile forces on the ground ambushed the flight, heavily damaged all three aircraft, severely wounded at least four Navy SEALs, and wounded others aboard the aircraft."

American Osprey aircraft on a rescue mission to Bor, South Sudan. An elite U.S. combat force of Special Operations aircraft [Osprey], navy SEAL's and pararescue jumpers [PJ's] not even able to reach the objective, much less complete the mission.

USAF Osprey as used in special operations type missions have a long-range mid-air refueling capability. Ideal for such a rescue mission but in this case the formidable capability for nought. Low-level technology guerrilla/insurgent/rebels on the ground mixing in with the civilian populace able to thwart the most elite combat units of the U.S. military.

Read the whole article!

coolbert.

Floppy.

This is coolbert:

Simple, crude, but effective!!

Swarm technology of a sort from that era of the Cold War.

Anti-submarine warfare [ASW] technology a counter to the relative silent running of Soviet diesel/electric submarines. Thanks to the War is Boring Internet web site.

 "NATO Bombed Soviet Submarines With Tiny, Annoying Magnets"

"‘Floppy-magnets’ made enemy subs noisier, easier to hunt—but were too hard to train with"

"A Canadian scientist figured some kind of sticky undersea noisemaker would make a Soviet sub more detectable. He designed a simple hinged cluster of magnets that could attach to a submarine’s metal hull."

"Movement would cause the flopping magnets to bang against the hull like a loose screen door, giving away the sub’s location to anyone listening. The simple devices would take time and effort to remove, thus also impairing the Soviet undersea fleet’s readiness."

Number of these magnets as dropped by American aircraft on a submerged [?] Soviet submarine creating a "clanking" sound easy to detect.

The dropping of such magnets would not be seen as hostile act posing a danger to the submarine?

In conversation with an acknowledged authority in such matters the dropping of the magnets even during a time of peace would not seen as anything other than a hostile act. The submarine captain cannot differentiate between passive [magnets] and active devices [depth charges] and would be within his rights to respond with force if he deemed it necessary.

coolbert.

Carrots.

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“Somewhere on the journey the message that carrots are good for your eyes became disfigured into improving eyesight”

From the online version of the Smithsonian magazine and the tip from Captain Al more on the role of vitamins and sound nutrition during a time of war and the importance thereof to the fighting man.

"Popularized the Myth That Carrots Help You See in the Dark"

"How a ruse to keep German pilots confused gave the Vitamin-A-rich vegetable too much credit"

"During the 1940 Blitzkrieg, the Luftwaffe often struck under the cover of darkness . . . The Royal Air Force were able to repel the German fighters in part because of the development of a new, secret radar technology. The on-board Airborne Interception Radar (AI), first used by the RAF in 1939, had the ability to pinpoint enemy bombers before they reached the English Channel. But to keep that under wraps . . . by the Ministry [Ministry of Information] provided another reason for their success: carrots."

PRODIGIOUS AMOUNTS OF CARROT AS CONSUMED LEADING TO SUPERIOR NIGHT VISION AND A REASON WHY BRITISH NIGHT-FIGHTER PILOTS ABLE TO SHOOT DOWN GERMAN BOMBERS DURING THE BLITZ?

NO! Vitamin A as consumed maintaining good night vision but not making for SUPERIOR night vision.

See previous blog entries the topic was vitamins and the military dimension:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/vitamins-iii_23.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/vitamins-ii.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/12/vitamins-i.html

coolbert.

Cancer.

This is coolbert:

"The terrible history of Bikini Atoll is an ironic setting for research that might help people live longer."

"NATION/WORLD"

"Nuclear radiation doused corals, but they didn't get cancer"

"Bikini Atoll could hold clue to DNA defense"

That article by Doyle Rice USA TODAY as seen just recently in the Chicago Sun times.

"It has been more that 60 years since the United States dropped 23 atomic bombs on Bikini atoll, a small ring of sand sea teeming with corals in the Pacific Ocean."

"Scientists are trying to figure out why long-term radiation exposure from the nuclear tests on the area , about 2,500 miles southwest of Hawaii, hasn't caused the marine invertebrates to develop cancer."

CORAL AS EXPOSED TO HIGH LEVELS OF RADIATION FROM REPEATED ATOMIC WEAPON DETONATIONS BUT NOT SHOWING ANY SIGNS OF CANCER. A FINDING TOTALLY UNEXPECTED AND NEEDING MORE RESEARCH. A SERENDIPITOUS DISCOVERY OF MAJOR PROPORTIONS, TOTALLY UNANTICIPATED AND THE RESULT OF MILITARY ATOMIC BOMB TESTING?

That number # 1 locale in the United States to retire to, St. George Utah, USA having been "dusted" by many dozens [?] of above-ground nuclear tests from the 1950's. Radioactive fallout downwind of the detonations settling on St. George and done so repeatedly without protection or warning to the locals. And the situation in St. George with regard to radiation induced cancer and mutations is what??

coolbert.

Year 2130.

This is coolbert:

Concluding a series of blog entries extracts with some commentary, items as found at the J.R. Mooneyham Internet web site.

"last updated on or about 10-19-05"

DAY OF THE MACHINES!

"2130s subtrends and detours: state-of-the-art war technologies"

* "Only the poorest or most desperate of nations field human beings in direct physical combat now, as machines rule the battlefield."

THAT BATTLEFIELD TO INCLUDE SUBTERRANEAN WARFARE!

* "Yes, the subterranean option is a relatively new one, made feasible by recent technologies and new materials."

* "Basically we're talking underground robotic mini-subs/tractors here, which can tunnel at respectable speeds over respectable distances to attack/sabotage/spy on enemies from beneath."

* "One relatively new and scary weapon in the modern military arsenal now is man-made earthquakes and tidal waves (as well as countermeasures)."

* "Today [2130], even the human beings manning control and communications stations far from any actual combat tend to be cyborgs-- part biological, part machine."

* "Today camouflage/invisibility ranks among the highest priorities in military technologies."

* "Inert/dormant PestX clouds/carpets are increasingly being deployed as covert weapons systems due to their war flexibility and difficulty to detect while dormant."

* "Most truly important battles now are usually fought mostly at sea, under it, or in space or cyberspace."

* "There are LOTS of mercenaries now, using mixes of old and new military technologies, as well as improvisations of other ad hoc choices."

WITH REGARD TO THE TIDAL WAVE [TSUNAMI] WEAPON THE RUSSIAN ALREADY CLAIM THEY HAVE THEM IN PLACE!!

Also, cyborgs for everyone. Such technology is in the embryonic stages of development but is to an extent is now!

coolbert.

Legion.

This is coolbert:

Yet more from the J.R. Mooneyham Internet web site the FUTURE of warfare as anticipated by J.R. for the next one-hundred years forward!

"ORIGINAL  SUMMER 1995, REVISED 6-24-2000"

"My Name Is Legion"

"The new U.S. strategies and deterrence policies, circa 20X0"

"General"

* "Extraordinary anti-missile, anti aircraft defenses will become extremely popular"

* "Such expensive anti-missile and aircraft defenses will for a long time be the major remaining refuge for U.S. multi-billion dollar defense contractors."

* "Support of research and development for other super advanced (and super expensive) weapons systems will evaporate almost overnight, moving from the scale of $billions to $millions."

* "Limited use of tactical nuclear weapons will become fairly common, occurring at its height perhaps once every couple of years."

* "Aircraft carrier groups will no longer be deployed as broadly or aggressively as they once were, since they now will present inviting targets for low tech assaults."

* "The focus on technology upgrades of our forces will radically shift from being 'top-down' as today, to 'bottom-up'."

"A top-down approach (also known as stepwise design and in some cases used as a synonym of decomposition) is essentially the breaking down of a system to gain insight into its compositional sub-systems in a reverse engineering fashion."

"A bottom-up approach is the piecing together of systems to give rise to more complex systems, thus making the original systems sub-systems of the emergent system."

* "At the same time however, the total numbers of men enlisted in the armed forces will decline dramatically"

Use of atomic weapons will not be common but no so rare? It has been assumed [?] that a limited use of nukes is not possible.  Fire off one nuke or even a small number and escalation is inevitable and even obligatory?? That is the paradigm today. As to the future?

coolbert.

Year 2060.

This is coolbert:

Yet more extracts with some commentary from the J.R. Mooneyham Internet web site.

In this particular case the FUTURE of warfare in the year 2060  the topic.

"'Future War Technologies (of the 2060s)'  last updated on or about 2-6-02"

"2060s milestone: state-of-the-art war toys"

* "Though pestilence/pestX clouds were being used on a very limited scale as long ago as 30 years or more (and before that were depicted in many sci-fi entertainments), only recently have they become thoroughly familiar to and accepted as a fact-of-life by 'the man in the street' of the developed nations."

MICRO-MACHINES THE SIZE OF A MOSQUITO ARE [2017] ALREADY A REALITY!!

* "These locust-like clouds of death and destruction are today used by the advanced nations as the first wave of attack in war"

* "PestX clouds can penetrate almost anything short of heavily armored spacecraft or undersea vessels"

* "PestX clouds/carpets are typically composed of immense numbers of flea-sized/gnat-sized micro machines, that may fly, crawl, jump, or swim for mobility."

* "PestX technology has largely replaced elite covert military units of human beings."

* "Technology closely related to PestX also serves as something eerily akin to 'living skin' coating the exteriors of the most highly advanced aircraft/spacecraft of this time (mostly military craft)."

* "Other attributes of some war craft of this period (as well as commercial craft ruggedized to survive terrorism or peripheral involvement in military skirmishes) include cold plasma second skins of various sorts, serving a variety of purposes."

* "Super-cavitation technologies play an important role in many instances too today, including both commercial and military related transport and other devices."

* "The war machines of the developed nations have also better perfected their use of weather control over past decades."

* "Unfortunately for those who possess this new power, it is no longer as awesome to potential enemies as it might have been a half century or more earlier."

* "Virtually all submerged and airborne combat craft of the developed nations are either unmanned or remotely piloted."

 * "In major military actions still involving human participants on-site there are now two major categories of warrior involved (within the armed forces of the most advanced nations)"

* "First, 'hamburger' soldiers: soldiers equipped much like the elite of the 2030s, only with some updates of equipment and tactics (sometimes including a unit enjoying its own dedicated PestX carpet or cloud)."

* "Second are the 'dream-mare' soldiers: personnel essentially wearing considerably technologically advanced versions of circa 1998 Comanche helicopter/Abrams battle tanks, or other armament functionality as appropriate to the mission and environment."

* "For the vast majority of military personnel throughout the world, life has never been better."

* "On a somewhat related matter: USAmerican politicians and their military industrial complex 'sugar-daddies' . . . constantly cast about for new ideas to increase military or security budgets again, and so refill their private coffers."

* "Another reason military forces have been steadily downsizing is the emphasis many geo-physicals place on 'focused solutions' today; that is, the specific targeting of troublesome individuals and/or organizations to solve many problems"

* "Too, much actual conflict these days is of a cyber or economic nature, rather than physical."

* "The space battlefield of the 2060s. There's also space borne military operations to worry about."

To an extent already and as previously been mentioned PestX technology in the works and even tested. Swarms of micro-drones for battlefield use only now in the embryonic stage of development [?] but easily understood as being representative of the future.

See the You Tube video of a type of PestX technology at work. Impressive.

coolbert.