EU Army.

This is coolbert:

As extracted from the Internet web site of the English Express the subject again the European army.

A consolidated force beyond the current NATO mission.

Authorities at the highest level of the European community now stressing the NEED for such an army. AND that need NOW!

1. "Donald Tusk wants EU army THIS YEAR ‘to defend borders from migrants and hostile states'" 

"DONALD Tusk [President of the European Council] is pushing to set up an EU army by the end of the year to protect the bloc’s borders and fight back against 'de-stabilization around Europe'”.

2. "REVEALED: Shock strategy Brussels will use to LURE member-states into EU army"

"A GERMAN MEP [Mr. Leiner, Member of the European Parliament] has outlined how the EU will push through its plans to build its own army - by encouraging member states to 'save money' by handing over control of military affairs."

Donald his perspective is that the European community needs a united and consolidated military force as a bulwark against terrorism and illegal/migratory immigration. KEEP THE UNWANTED FOREIGNER OUT!

Mr. Leiner [MEP] sees this as a cost saving measure. Sure! A common warplane, a common tank, a common assault rifle [or an assault rifle firing a common ammunition at least], a common uniform, etc. SAVE MONEY AS APPEALS TO THE TAXPAYER.

Less money spent on defense is that much more money to spend on the welfare in all manifestations,.

NO U.S. or Canada? And already the Europeans will no meet their agreed upon percentage [2 % of Gross Domestic Product] as devoted to NATO expenses.

Donald Tusk is asking for smoke and mirrors. Donald is serious but will his message be heard?

coolbert.

Berlin 1945.

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I recommend this You Tube video without qualification or reservation. A BBC production, the famed historian Antony Beevor touring the last [?] major battlefield of the Second World War in the European theater.

"The Fall of Berlin in 1945"

"A powerful and evocative film documenting the battle for Berlin in 1945. With some excellent original footage and testimonies, this film will be very useful for students of the period."

* The Soviet attack on those German units protecting the Oder river line preceded by a bombardment of one million artillery rounds. All those munitions as fired NOT hardly any doing any damage, German troops forewarned and displacing to the rear the day before the attack.

* Soviet infantry on the advance finding the Oder river line terrain in front of them so chewed up by the massive artillery bombardment that movement even on foot difficult at best!!

* German women in captured Berlin [and for the rest of  Soviet occupied Germany too] subjected to mass rape by Red Army soldiers. More particular, Soviet women employed as forced labor of the German also raped in prodigious numbers. THIS PHENOMENON WAS AND ONCE AGAIN IS A SOVIET/RUSSIAN STATE SECRET OF THE HIGHEST CLASSIFICATION!

Stalin having a keen, yea almost overwhelming interest in the capture of Berlin. Soviet occupation of the city along with the allied zones of occupation agreed upon at Yalta, Stalin honoring the agreement. Efforts to capture Berlin carried out more or less by three Soviet Fronts [a front a collection of armies] and done so in a frenzied manner, totally heedless of losses. [German resistance it should be noted also frenzied and seemingly no heed give to losses.]

THERE BEING A VALID AND OVERRIDING REASON FOR THIS OBSESSION OF STALIN BUT YOU WILL HAVE TO VIEW THE VIDEO TO KNOW THE FULL AND COMPLETE ANSWER.

coolbert.

Visit USA.

This is coolbert:

Englishmen behaving badly! Drugs, sex and maybe rock and roll too!

More bad news for the British Royal Navy [RN] Trident submarine fleet. Thanks to the trip from Freeper.

"HMS Sex and Cocaine: Navy kicks nine sailors off nuclear submarine (TR)"

"Nine British servicemen have been thrown off a nuclear submarine at the center of a sex probe, after testing positive for cocaine while on duty. In one of the worst scandals to hit the Navy, the crew from HMS Vigilant – which carries the Trident nuclear deterrent – were sent home and kicked out of the service after the class A drug was found in their blood. They are alleged to have had drug-fueled parties while the submarine was docked in the US to pick up nuclear warheads."

See any number of previous blog entries the topic of which has been the British Trident missile firing submarine force:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/02/trident.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/02/trident-ii-ds.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/05/ms-xp-trident.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/08/dreadnought-ssbn.html

coolbert.

Kontrgerilla.

This is coolbert:

YET more from Sputnik the topic Gladio!

As is alleged the Turkish element of the Gladio NATO stay-behind organization found to be involved in the recent failed Turkish coup attempt.

Kontrgerilla = The Turkish branch of Gladio reputedly. Thanks also to the artist Kontrgerilla for the image.

"Erdogan Wants to 'Smash NATO Secret Army' Allegedly Involved in Attempted Coup"

"According to Turkish media reports, there was a secret NATO structure involved in the attempted coup that took place in Turkey on July 15"

THOSE PERSONS MEMBER OF THE TURKISH BRANCH OF GLADIO NOW IN THE SIGHTS OF ERDOGAN?

That Turkish branch of Gladio called Counter-Guerrilla?

"Counter-Guerrilla . . . is the Turkish branch of Operation Gladio, a clandestine stay-behind anti-communist initiative backed by the United States as an expression of the Truman Doctrine. The founding goal of the operation was to erect a guerrilla force capable of countering a possible Soviet invasion. The goal was soon expanded to subverting communism in Turkey."

That agreement between NATO and Turkey making it possible for Kontrgerilla to be employed not merely as stay-behind units active and performing mission only in time of war with the Soviet Union?

DECADES LATER KONTRGERILLA USED IN A MANNER NEVER ENVISAGED BY NATO?

coolbert.

Kestrel.

This is coolbert:

At least to my knowledge it has been many decades since the U.S. Army was in the space business. Until NOW!

 “Kestrel Eye is a technology demonstrator, but it holds the promise of providing tactical imagery to the soldier on the ground, and to do it responsively, persistently and reliably,”

From the Space News article as by Sandra Erwin thanks to the tip from Freeper.

"Army space project a now-or-never moment for low-cost military satellites"

"The Army's Kestrel Eye micro-satellite holds the promise of providing tactical imagery to soldiers on the ground."

"WASHINGTON — It’s been years in the making. A very small, low cost, visible imagery satellite that soldiers in the field will be able to control, giving them access to real-time intelligence."

Here for scale sake is the micro-satellite undergoing preparation prior to launch. Those solar panels unfold when the satellite placed into orbit into

COMMANDERS AT THE LOWER ECHELONS OF COMMAND NOT ABLE TO CONTROL THE INTELLIGENCE  IMAGERY MISSION "END-TO-END" AS DESCRIBED!

"tactical commanders at the brigade level or lower would be empowered to control the entire imagery process from end-to-end, from the tasking of the satellite to the dissemination of the data."

Micro-satellites of this type all  the rage and with good reason. Cost and developmental lead-time far less and you can proliferate the battlefield [outer space] with these devices in a way that is most advantageous.

coolbert.

Anbar.

This is coolbert:

KRG = Kurdish Regional Government.

Barzani = The ruling government official [KRG] of the Kurdish autonomous or semi-autonomous region.

Anbar province as shown  in the image accompanying this blog entry in red.

Concluding from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter.

Iraqi Shia militia now targeting [?] Anbar province. That area in red on the map of Iraq the population of which is predominantly Sunni. The heavy hand of the Iraqi central government want to exercise authority and perhaps using proxies at the command of the Iranian to do so?

1. "Kurdistan's Barzani faces ouster. Iraqi army poised to seize KRG airfields"

26 October.

"Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi announced on Thursday, Oct. 26 that his army had embarked on a new operation to liberate the western Anbar province from the Islamic State."

"Sources in Baghdad report that the US Air Force went into action to support the Iraqi army, although it is accompanied, as ever, by Shiite militias under direct Iranian command."

"The scenario unfolding in the Anbar campaign sounds like the set-up which led up to the operation against Kurdistan ten days ago. Then, too, Baghdad claimed its forces were massing for an attack on ISIS in Anbar. Instead, they suddenly turned around and landed a blow on the Sunni Kurds and Kirkuk."

2. "Kurdistan's Barzani faces ouster. Iraqi army poised to seize KRG airfields"

26 October.

"Iraqi airborne forces are meanwhile standing by to be flown in and dropped on the air fields of the two main Kurdish towns, Irbil and Suleimeniyeh as well as seizing Kurdistan's external border crossings with Iran, Turkey and Syria. In Irbil, there is talk of the KRG President Masoud Barzani's imminent resignation."

I was not even aware the Iraqi possessed any sort of airborne capability as that term normally, generally and commonly understood. These units are parachutists [air-drop], heliborne [air-mobile] or air-lift [fixed wing transport]? Of this I am unsure.

coolbert.

Tuz.

This is coolbert:

As it was in Kirkuk so now too is it in Kuz?

Iraqi Shia militia still gone run amok? Much to the detriment of everyone.

Still yet more from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter:

"Iraqi Kurds accuse Iran-backed militias of genocide in Tuz Khumatu"

25 october.

"The Kurdish PUK statement accused Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia of burning and pillaging Tuz Khumatu after attacking and capturing the Kirkuk oil hub on Oct. 16. Since then, over 160,000 people from Kirkuk and its surrounding areas have been displaced to the provinces of Irbil and Sulaimani in the Kurdistan Region. The UN confirmed that tens of thousands of civilians had been displaced, and many killed."

KUZ FROM 2014 FORWARD DEFENDED BY THE PESHMERGA BUT NOT WITHIN THE KRG [KURDISH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT] NORMALLY DEFINED BOUNDARIES?

See this previous blog entry the topic of which was alleged atrocity as being committed by Iraqi Shia militia against Kurdish civilians:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/amok.html

coolbert.

Foreigners.

This is coolbert:

Still continuing with extracts and commentary from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter.

As has been previously observed, the Islamic State their fighting units greatly bolstered by the particpation of foreign nationals from a whole host of countries around the world. True believers their belief now apparently sorely tested.

"Data from fallen Raqqa identifies 19,000 of 40,000 foreign fighters"

24 October.

"The Soufan Center, a US-based think tank, says 33 states have reported about 5,600 Islamic State fighters have returned home in the past two years. Data recovered from Raqqa and other ISIS centers which have fallen in Syria and Iraq have helped confirm the identities of 19,000 of the more than 40,000 foreign fighters from 110 countries estimated to have flocked to the jihadist flag in Iraq and Syria."

ALSO DO NOT FORGET THE PRESENCE OF WIVES AND CHILDREN OF THE FOREIGN FIGHTERS TOO. A HARD BED HAS BEEN MADE AND NOW IT MUST BE SLEPT ON.

Draconian and summary measures to be taken against those foreign nationals that have fought for the Islamic State cause? Their future grim indeed! See previous blog entry regarding this matter:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/quarter.html

coolbert.

Al-Omar.

This is coolbert:

Once again from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter.

Loss at Kirkuk is gain at Omar?

"Kurds win Syrian oil under secret US-Russian deal - prize for Raqqa"

23 October.

"US-backed Syrian Kurdish militias reported Sunday, Oct. 22, the capture of Syria's biggest oil field of al-Omar in the eastern Deir Ez-Zour province. The Kurds' takeover pre-empted its grab by the Syrian army and Hizballah, who were still 6 km short of al-Omar."

"It now turns out that the Russian command's secret order to the Syrian/Hizballah forces . . . to halt where they stood after capturing Mayadin in eastern Syria from ISIS - and not advance on the oil field - was prompted by unpublished talks between US and Russian officers in the area."

"The officers reached a deal on the disposition of these oil fields. Under that deal, it was decided to award the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia the richest Syrian field as a prize for its role in leading the SDF in the capture of ISIS' de facto capital of Raqqa."

See previous blog entry [item # 8 from 24 October] the Russian link most [?] evident:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/kirkuk-v.html

coolbert.

65th Brigade.

This is coolbert:

Yet more from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter!

"Iranian commandos take over elite Syrian army unit"

23 October.

"Tehran announced Saturday, October 21, that elements of its Special Operations 65th Brigade . . . had been deployed to Syria to bolster the Assad regime's depleted front line forces."

"The 65th Brigade was the first regular Iranian military unit to be transferred to foreign soil, contrary to the Islamic Republic's constitution. Until now, only Revolutionary Guards officers were deployed to Syria for command and training functions."

"The capabilities of these Iranian commandos were so advanced, including operations behind enemy lines, that they immediately assumed command of the Syrian Malik Ashtar commando brigade"

IN VIOLATION OF THE IRANIAN CONSTITUTION ENTIRE CONTINGENTS OF IRANIAN REGULAR MILITARY TROOPS ON THE GROUND AND ACTIVE! A MOVE UNPRECEDENTED AND I WOULD EXPECT MOST TROUBLING TO THE ISRAELI.

coolbert.

Abandoned.

This is coolbert:

The detritus of battle!

Continuing with extracts and commentary from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter:

 Women and children!! 

"Russian special forces free 160 Chechen women and children from ISIS"

22 October.

"High Russian officers, including generals of special units, collected 160 Chechen women and children abandoned in places in Syrian that were liberated from ISIS occupation. Most were found in Mayadin and Raqqa. They are believed to have been survivors of families of Chechen extremists who went to fight with ISIS in Syria and were killed there."

AMONG THE FOREIGN NATIONALS HAVING RALLIED TO THE CAUSE OF THE ISLAMIC STATE THE CHECHEN # 1 IN NUMBER? THESE WIVES AND THEIR FAMILIES TOO CAN EXPECT NO MERCY AND THEIR FATE TOO WILL BE GRIM?

coolbert.

MB Egypt.

This is coolbert:

Here begins an entire series of blog entries, extracts and commentary from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter. Some portions of which very relevant to other very recent posts to the blog.

1. "Muslim Brothers armed cell commits massacre of 58 Egyptian policemen?"

21 October.

"An armed group of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood was reported to have waylaid an Egyptian convoy heading for its oasis hideout on Friday and murdered 58 policemen. The only survivors were 14 injured men.

"DEBKAfile's . . . sources have gleaned information that points to a merciless massacre . . . [the Hazm] set up an ambush and before the police convoy of four SUVs reached the hideout, dozens of wanted terrorists opened up with heavy machine guns, recoilless grenades and mortars, and detonated roadside bombs. The carnage was devastating."

2. "Egypt declares three-month emergency after Muslim Brotherhood mass terror attack"

22 October.

"The stunning attack on the elite Egyptian force Friday, killing 58 troops, revealed for the first time the scale and spread of the Muslim Brotherhood's armed underground Hasm's [Hazm] deadly operations in Egypt. Until now, only a few isolated cells had been suspected. Egyptian's intelligence and security agencies had no notion that Hasm [Hazm] had developed a wide-reaching terrorist infrastructure"

Hazzam or Hazm the fighting arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and having regional reach! These guys never heard of before, at least in Egypt. That level of sophistication to conduct such an attack indicative of a high degree of weaponry usage and para-military sophistication that must be quite worrisome to the government of Al-Sisi.

coolbert.

Deathbed.

This is coolbert:

More Gladio stuff! Gladio operatives it is alleged resorting to extreme criminal behavior from decades ago now unmasked?

From the Cold War era Gladio that NATO stay-behind organization the purpose of which would be to form the nucleus of a resistance to Soviet occupation of western Europe if indeed Big Red moved west!

Understanding full well also that the Sputnik Internet web site is in all likelihood not a fully independent news outlet.

"Confession Sheds Light on Operation Gladio Connection to 'Crazy Brabant Killers'"

"A deathbed confession has shed light on the identities of a violent criminal gang who terrorized Belgium in the 1980s. Independent researcher Tom Secker has told Sputnik the group was likely connected to 'Operation Gladio' - a NATO effort that saw secret groups carry out false flag attacks in European countries throughout the Cold War."

"The question as to whether the Gladio network were involved in the Brabant massacres was raised as part of a Belgian parliamentary inquiry, which essentially failed because the security services refused to release the names of the members of SDRA8 and STC/Mob, the two divisions that were part of the stay-behind armies of the previous three decades. Two figures are of particular significance — M. Raes, who would have been in charge of the communications arm of STC/Mob, and Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Legrand, chief of the military secret service and therefore in charge of SDRA8, the arm of the Belgian Gladio group responsible for intelligence, documentation and action — i.e. spying and fighting,"

Brabant Killers their behavior extremely rare at the time in Europe. Motivations never made clear other than violence and criminal action more or less for the thrill? This has never been resolved satisfactorily?

Deathbed confession in this case not from the alleged perpetrator himself but as was related to the brother. In many locales from strictly the legal standpoint a deathbed confession is said to carry great weight during judicial investigation.

coolbert.

Signals II.

This is coolbert:

"The fog of war . . . is the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding one's own capability, adversary capability, and adversary intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign."

Jutland the "fog of war" literally and figuratively so!!

Continuing and concluding the discussion the nature of the poor visibility confounding all participants during the Battle of Jutland:

As extracted from the book:

"The Jutland Scandal: The Truth About the First World War's Greatest Sea Battles"

By Reginald Bacon, John Harper

"It is of the first importance for the student and critic of the Battle of Jutland to keep in mind the conditions of visibility during the various stages of the battle. The weather had an important bearing on the issue."

"During the early stages of the battle-cruiser action the visibility was comparatively good; but by 4:15 P.M., the visibility to the eastward had become considerably reduced, and favoring the enemy. By 5.P.M., these conditions became worse and . . . 'Our ships being silhouetted against a clear horizon to the westward, while the enemy were for the most part obscured by mist, only showing up clearly at intervals.' [Beatty]"

Tremendous amounts of black smoke as a product of the coal-fired steam-engines of the period very typical of the pre-Dreadnought and Dreadnought era naval warfare. Visibility hindered, a combination of natural and man-made phenomenon. Indecisiveness of the commanders at Jutland in large measure due to the proverbial "fog of war" quite literal in this sense. Uncertainty not allowing the admirals to make sound decisions! This image please note NOT of the Grand Fleet steaming at Jutland.

"By the time the battle fleet came into action these conditions had become still worse; the sky was overcast, the sea  calm, the wind light and, owing to the combination of atmospheric conditions and the smoke from the ships, the visibility was very bad, and great difficulty was experienced in distinguishing ships."

SCANDAL THAT WORD I FIND TO BE TOO LOADED, TOO HARSH! BAD WEATHER AND POOR VISIBILITY BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE PROTAGONISTS.

Effective and fast radio communication was indeed a panacea at Jutland but as was previously a topic for discussion inadequate at the time! THE BEST THAT COULD BE DONE WAS DONE!

coolbert.

Signals I.

This is coolhert:

    "doth doth shote of a pece of Ordnance, and set up his Banner of Council on Starrborde bottocke of his Shippe, everie shipps capten shall with spede go aborde the Admyrall to know his will"

From a book review as seen at the Strategy Page Internet web site some interesting commentary and perspective regarding the Battle of Jutland, the Great War.

"The Rules of the Game: Jutland and British Naval Command" by Andrew Gordon

Reviewer: Robert P. Largess

As extracted and specifically the topic communications of the Grand Fleet [English] during the battle poor.

"Communications in the Grand Fleet were appallingly fallible. Morse radio was very cumbersome, requiring time for encoding and transmission messages; too slow for giving maneuvering orders to ships in company. Doctrine and discipline for its use were in their infancy, and full of holes. Gordon notes the failures of wireless throughout the battle in thorough detail: Jellicoe received much false information, and never received much that was true. Some ships failed to report crucial sightings of the enemy, others filled the airwaves with pointless chatter. Some broke radio silence unnecessarily, others clung to it long after the need had passed. Gordon’s analysis of these problems is quite good, but radio takes second place for him to problems with visual signaling, which remained the primary means of communication during Jutland."

Those primary means of communication at Jutland continuing in the ancient and venerable method. Signal flags, flag semaphores and signal lamps. Results using alternative and usually reliable means of communication however not so great as was desired. VISIBILITY DURING THE ENCOUNTER POOR!

Devoted readers to the blog any of you have an idea if the British naval signalers at Jutland had tube [valve] radio sets or were they relegated to the continued use of spark-gap transmitters?

coolbert.

Shia Iraq.

This is coolbert:

Shia si? Sunni no?

From the War is Boring Internet web site some further info - - the topic of which is the various Iraqi Shia militia:

1. "Iraq’s Shia Militia Problem Always Felt a Lot Like 2007"

"Dangerous Shia groups came back ... in a big way"

2. "Before They Attacked the Kurds, Shia Militias Undermined the Campaign for Mosul"

"Pro-Iran groups have taken aim at Kurdish and Western forces"

BETTER ARMED. BETTER TRAINED. BETTER PAID. MORE LEAVE TIME.

Units of Shia militia possessing an unmistakable religious zeal. A willingness to sacrifice themselves for the cause, having implacable hatred for the adversary.

SACRIFICE THEMSELVES  EVEN IF USED AS A PROXY FOR A FOREIGN POWER!!

See previous blog entries as most germane to the Iraqi Shia militia and the seizure of Kirkuk:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/amok.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/pmfpmu.html

coolbert.

Quarter.

This is coolbert:

To what extent this is a violation, if any, of the Laws of Land Warfare I am not sure.

Denying quarter to the enemy? Is that what this is?

As it was in Drogheda [1649] so is it now in Raqqa [2017]?

First from the Associated Press:

 1. "Foreigners who joined ISIS faced almost certain death in Raqqa"

"PARIS –  The forces fighting the remnants of the Islamic State group in Syria have tacit instructions on dealing with the foreigners who joined the extremist group by the thousands: Kill them on the battlefield."

Tacit as unwritten but understood by all!! 

And from the Warfare History Network and the article by Al Hemingway:

2. "No Quarter at Drogheda"

Drogheda, The English Civil War. The New Model Army of Cromwell denying quarter to the foe.

"In 1649, at Drogheda, Cromwell’s men stormed hotly into the city. 'No quarter!' they cried."

THE FRENCH APPEAR TO BE PARTICULARLY KEEN ON NOT ALLOWING JIHADISTS, FRENCH-BORN, NATURALIZED OR MERE LEGAL RESIDENTS, TO RETURN. PROBABLY WITH GOOD REASON!

coolbert.

Good-bye.

This is coolbert:

"DOS VIDANIA [Good-bye] HAMMER AND SICKLE".

From WIZARD through Harry at Sharkhunters:

"World II Red Army graves in Poland will be expunged of references to the hammer and sickle, the symbol which served as the Soviet Union's official state symbol, and was used by the Soviet Military"

". . . the Soviet military graves would remain mostly unaffected by the recently adopted amendments to the 'law on decommunization', which will result in the demolition of about 230 monuments to the Red Army, 'purely symbolic' objects, including the hammer and sickle symbol, will be removed."

"'. . . Images of Soviet wartime leader Joseph Stalin, hammer and sickles, and other references to the Red Army's ideology , will be r4emoved. As for the red star, the symbol of the Red Army, it will be allowed to remain.'"

Statues not be necessarily destroyed but moved to another location less conspicuous. Those statues remaining to have all communist images and reference to Joseph Stalin removed. Graves of Red Army soldiers to remain in place.

THIS DOES SOUND AS A FAIR AND REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION. ANYONE DISAGREE?

coolbert.

Amok.

This is coolbert:

Bad goes to worse and then some? Could even have been anticipated!

Thanks to Freeper and the original article at Breitbart.

"amok 1 :in a violently raging, wild, or uncontrolled manner. 2 in a murderously frenzied state."

"Iraqi Invasion: Looting, Arson Triggers Exodus of 100,000 from Kurdish Kirkuk"

"Kurdish authorities estimate that 100,000 people have fled Kirkuk, Iraq, this week, formerly under control of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) but now lost to the Baghdad government and its Iran-backed Shiite militia allies. Kurds fleeing Kirkuk—a multi-ethnic city heavily reliant on its vast oil resources—say Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) fighters are looting, burning houses down, and attacking Kurdish citizens."

Iraq possessing the second [??] largest proven oil reserves in the world. Oil fields around Kirkuk important but not so absolutely critical to Iraqi petroleum production?

Atrocity as perpetrated by Iraqi Shia  militia if indeed occurring only exacerbating a very tense and difficult situation. Anyone have an answer?

coolbert.

PMF/PMU

This is coolbert:

Are they or will they? They already are!!

"Better Pay, Better Weapons"

That article thanks to Mustafa Habib.

Iraqi Shia militia in conjunction with the Iraqi National Army instrumental in the expulsion of Kurdish peshmerga from Kirkuk. Militia referred to as Popular Mobilization Forces [PMF] or Popular Mobilization Units [PMF].

"Are Shiite Militias Growing More Powerful Than Iraqi Army?"

"Iraq’s unofficial Shiite militias are an essential part of the fight against the extremist Islamic State group. But they act independently of the army, and are sometimes brutally murderous."

BETTER ARMED! BETTER PAID! MORE LEAVE TIME! WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?

And more or less under the command of and acting as proxies for the Iranian? The "cats paw".

"cat's-paw - - noun - - a person who is used by another, typically to carry out an unpleasant or dangerous task."

"Popular Mobilization Forces - - Al-Hashd al-Shaabi."

PMF/PMU DOING THE DIRTY WORK OF THE IRANIAN IN IRAQ AND SYRIA BOTH? CANNON-FODDER AND SHOCK TROOPS SO TO SPEAK BUT PERSONNEL QUITE WILLING TO SERVE IN THIS CAPACITY? BY REPUTATION THEIR DISCIPLINE SOMEWHAT DUBIOUS ALSO?

"Shock troops or assault troops are formations created to lead an attack."

coolbert.

Catastrophe.

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Iranian yes? American no?

"Iranian General Helped Iraqis Seize Kirkuk From U.S. Allies"

"A few days after the Trump administration announced a new, get-tough approach to Iran, one of that country's top military commanders and the armed Shiite militias he supports played a key role in the seizure of an important Iraqi city from the U.S.-backed Kurds, according to Iraqi, Kurdish and American officials."

"Former U.S. national security officials told NBC News the Iranian-brokered seizure of oil-rich Kirkuk by the Iraqi government and its militia partners, which heightens the risk of civil war, amounts to an embarrassing strategic blow to the U.S. at the hands of Iran."

"'It is a catastrophic defeat for the United States and a fantastic victory for Iran's Revolutionary Guard, proving that Qassem Soleimani gets his way once again,' said Ali Khedery, a former senior adviser on Iraq policy in the Bush and Obama administrations."

Iraqi National Army + Iraqi Shia militia. That latter beholden to and acting at the behest of the Iranian, directed personally [?] by Soleimani. Shia militia the "cat's paw".

IRANIANS YES! AMERICAN NO!

coolbert.

Urine.

This is coolbert:

There is "great advantage" to this?

You the devoted reader will have to decide this for yourself.

1. "Urine-powered combat equipment?"

"Oct. 19, 2017 - 3:54 - Fox Firepower: Allison Barrie with a look at how Army scientists are extracting Hydrogen from urine and using it to power fuel cells. Something that could be a great advantage to military personnel."

SUCH RESEARCH IS SUBSIDIZED BY TAXPAYER DOLLARS? A LOT OF PERSONS ARE GOING TO SAY WHOA?

2. "Scientists create urine-powered fuel cell that can recharge a mobile phone"

Depositing of human waste product, urine and feces in a safe and hygienic manner vital to military operations. Large numbers of troops merely while on the move or stationary lacking and not practicing proper disposal of solid and liquid waste a danger to themselves. Historically one of the two greatest killers of soldiers has been water, rather the lack of same or the drinking of unsafe and fouled water.

But this? An instance of lemonade from lemons? Again you the reader to the blog decide for yourself!

coolbert.

Big Red.

This is coolbert:

CONFIDENTIAL. At least until printed in Der Spiegel.

Thanks to the story as carried by German Voice [DW] and the tip from Jungle Trader.

Big Red moves west. That great fear of the Cold War era revived. NATO unable to defend against an attack by the Soviet/Warsaw Pact nations. The aggressor in this case Russia sans Warsaw Pact.

"NATO report casts doubt on ability to defend against Russian attack on eastern flank"

"A confidential NATO report has questioned the alliance's ability to defend against a Russian attack. Eastern European members of the alliance fear Russian aggression."

Defense in this instance in response to attack by Russian against those eastern-most constituent member nations of NATO. The Baltic countries, Poland, etc.

Sustainability of a defense and logistical problems seen as major concerns.

Think also the Suwalki Gap and entries regarding same as seen here and here!

NATO CONCERNED ABOUT DEFENDING THE EASTERN BORDER OF NATO. MAYBE THEY OUGHT TO CONCERNED ALSO ABOUT BIG RED AND ALL THE WAY TO PARIS!!

coolbert.

U-Boats.

This is coolbert:

From Freeper the German Navy unable to put to sea A SINGLE SUBMARINE!

A problem it seems without amelioration!

"Germany's entire submarine fleet is now out of action"

"BERLIN (AP) — All of Germany's six submarines are out of action, and the country's defense minister isn't happy about it. The Kieler Nachrichten newspaper reports that four U-boats are being serviced in boatyards while two others are waiting for a berth. Asked how Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen views the temporary loss of the underwater fleet, her spokesman said Friday that 'this is obviously not a good situation.' Jens Flosdorff told reporters in Berlin that 'we would hope the mission readiness was higher, but sometimes with technology the devil is in the detail.'"

That "turn-around" time from when a boat enters the boatyard for servicing until ready for combat mission sometimes very long, years even. AND THE SERVICING PROCESS NOT CHEAP!

Germany during the period prior and during the Second World War able to produce over one-thousand U-Boats in all types and variations!!

OH, perhaps Chancellor Angela Merkel can persuade Donald Trump to detail a SINGLE American atomic submarine to patrol the Baltic. There you have a solution to the problem. OH YES!

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Boosters.

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Project failed but project succeeded? Navaho!

Thanks in this instance to the outstanding Internet web site isegoria.net an item of interest as in an oblique manner the Navaho cruise missile. A 1950's era project long-range cruise missile cancelled portions of which nonetheless put to good use in an unanticipated manner..

As extracted: "Even quite competent engineers can be very unreliable"

Unforeseen and unexpected dividends from the Navaho project as applicable to the development of usable intercontinental ballistic missiles [ICBM's].

"The ICBM program suffered from a lack of support because the guidance problems were so severe that the rest of the program was not pushed . . . We would have been in an even worse position but, luckily, an entirely different program — the rocket booster for the Navaho cruise type missile — had been pushed so far that we could use it as a basis for the ICBM engine."

"This two-chambered, liquid-fuel rocket engine built by North American Aviation served as the booster for the Navaho missile that was powered by two ramjets. The booster was to quickly get the missile up to supersonic speed for its ramjets to operate."

Navaho booster rocket engines. Used to get the Navaho cruise missile up to speed so that the ramjets would ignite. Image courtesy the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

"Navaho had a 8,850 kilometer (5,500 mile) range. It never became operational and was canceled in 1957. However, its booster-rocket engine was extremely important in the evolution of American large-scale, liquid-fuel engines, including those for the Redstone, Jupiter, Thor, and Atlas missiles, the Saturn V launch vehicle, and the Space Shuttle. "

NOT only it would seem the booster rockets hardly alone as a developmental dividend of the cancelled Navaho cruise missile project. Thanks to the wiki:

"Although Navaho did not enter service, its development provided useful research in a number of fields. A version of the Navaho air frame powered by a single turbojet became the AGM-28 Hound Dog, which was carried towards its targets on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress and then flew the rest of the way at about Mach 2. The guidance system was used to guide the first Polaris submarines."

Success from failure? You the devoted reader to the blog judge for yourself.

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Kirkuk V.

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 Herewith from the latest edition of the DEBKAfile news letter the topic Kirkuk and an Israeli appreciation/perspective:

1. "Iran-backed Iraqi ultimatum to Kurds to leave Kirkuk. First test for Trump's threat to Rev Guards"

14 October.

"Iraqi Prime Minister Haydar Al-Abadi Saturday night, Oct. 14, gave the Kurdish Peshmerga an ultimatum to surrender the positions in the Kirkuk oil region they have held since pushing ISIS out three years ago, and also cancel the Kurdish Republic's Sept. 25 independence vote."

2. "Iranian Guards Soleimani holds talks with Kurds"

15 October.

"Iran's Revolutionary Guards Al Qods chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani arrived in Irbil Sunday, stepping into the Kurdish disputes with Baghdad over Kirkuk and their Sept.25 independence referendum."

3. "Kurds say Iranian Guards in Iraqi military buildup against them"

15 October.

"We [Kurdish forces] have intelligence that the Iranian army and Revolutionary Guards are among the Iraqi army and Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Military Units) militia attacking us," said Shwan Shamerani, commander of the Peshmerga second brigade in Kirkuk Saturday. Kurdish commanders accused the Iraqi army of cooperating with 'foreign forces.'"

4. "Iran and Iraq go to war with the Kurds over Kirkuk. Rev Guards take part in defiance of US"

16 October.

"An Iranian-Iraqi war on the semi-autonomous . . . DEBKAfile's military and intelligence sources report that pro-Iranian Shiite militias were the spearhead of the operation, fighting under the direct command of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Gen. Qassem Soleimani."

5. "Iraqi-Iranian forces take Kirkuk's oil field against zero Kurdish resistance"

16 October.

"Tehran chalked up a major victory Monday when Iraqi Shiite militias under the orders of the Revolutionary Guards' Qassem Soleimini, alongside the Iraqi army, delivered the Kirkuk oil center to Baghdad after a short operation. The Kurdish Peshmerga surprised by showing hardly any resistance after a group of their units deserted . . . In less than a day therefore, the Iraqi-Iranian force recaptured most of the oil fields around Kirkuk, which the Kurds had held for three years since the Iraqi army fled the advancing Islamic State and they stepped in to drive them out."

6. "US threatens to shoot down any Iraqi warplane targeting Kurds"

16 October.

"Iraqi and Kurdish sources reported Monday that the US had warned the Al-Abadi government against deploying the Iraqi air force against Kurdish targets in the fighting which erupted around the oil town of Kirkuk Monday. The US Air Force would shoot the Iraqi planes down, Baghdad was warned."

7. "Iran's Rev Guards set up command post and 5 bases in Kirkuk"

18 October.

"Military sources in Iraqi reported Wednesday that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) operational Al Qods arm had planted a command center and five bases in the Iraqi oil town of Kirkuk two days after driving the Kurds out"

8. "Russia's Rosneft takes control of main Kurdistan oil pipeline"

20 October.

"Rosneft's investment in the Kurdish oil pipeline is estimated as totaling about $1.8 billion. It was announced Thursday, four days after the Iraqi army and pro-Iranian militias captured the oil city of Kirkuk from Iraqi Kurdistan."

THAT 25 SEPTEMBER "INDEPENDENCE VOTE" IN ACTUALITY A NON-BINDING REFERENDUM.

ALSO TREACHERY AT WORK HERE? THE KURDISH PESHMERGA FIGHTERS HAVING OCCUPIED KIRKUK SINCE 2014 HAVE BEEN BETRAYED OTHER KURDISH ELEMENTS?

This whole story needs to play itself out and big time.

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Kirkuk IV.

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Oil and Oil!!

Additional items of interest regarding the Kirkuk situation. Oil deposits known and possible vicinity Kirkuk the source of this discord?

1. "After Lightning Offensive, Kirkuk Is Now Fully Under Iraqi Military Control"

Iraq's military has effectively gained control of major assets and government buildings in Kirkuk city, and is now set to fully pacify it after overnight clashes at a moment when oil prices rose toward a six month high as the conflict now threatens output.

2. "Casualties Reported After Iraqi Troops Enter Oil Rich Kurdish City Of Kirkuk; Oil Spikes"

In a major escalation involving the disputed Iraqi Kurdish region, which last month declared independence following a referendum which was not recognized by any of its neighbors or Baghdad

3. "Barrels, ballots and ISIS: Why Iraq is taking back Kirkuk, and what the US will do about it"

Baghdad’s military incursion into Kurdish-controlled Kirkuk shows that the carve-up of the post-Islamic State landscape in the Middle East is in full swing, and leaves the US bemoaning its repeated failure to influence the region as two of its sponsored allies face off against each other.

4. "Iraqi Troops Capture Kirkuk Airport From Kurds - Statement"

Tensions between Baghdad and Kirkuk have further escalated following the Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum with Iraqi troops conducting an operation in the region.

KIRKUK APPARENTLY NOT WITHIN THAT KURDISH AUTONOMOUS [SEMI-AUTONOMOUS?] REGION AS UNDERSTOOD FROM GENERALLY ACCEPTED BOUNDARY LINES. KIRKUK UNDER SIEGE FROM THE ISLAMIC STATE IN 2014, THE KURDISH DEFENDERS SUCCESSFUL AT THAT TIME.

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Bernardo G.

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From the History.Net Internet web site herewith an aspect of the American Revolutionary War I was 100 % totally unfamiliar with. I recommend highly this article portions of which as extracted for your perusal to all devoted readers of the blog without qualification or reservation.

France as is well known aiding and abetting the cause of the American colonialists. Spain I was not aware also in league with the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against the English..

1. "America’s Spanish Savior: Bernardo de Gálvez"

"The Spanish circumvented the British navy’s Eastern Seaboard blockade, using the Mississippi River to supply the colonial rebels. It was up to Gálvez to keep that line open"

"Over the next two years, Gálvez would lead thousands of Spanish soldiers and scores of ships against the British in what would prove to be the last combat theater of the Revolution. Enduring hurricanes, disease, and difficult, swampy terrain, he and his soldiers forced the British to divert scarce resources and played a little-known but crucial role in pressuring Great Britain to negotiate for peace after seven grueling years of war."

Click on image to see a larger view.

2. This also. Coalition forces rarely if ever fight well. That combat force as commanded by Galvez an exception to the rule perhaps unique??

"Gálvez had assembled a force of remarkable diversity for the 18th century. The initial troop of more than 600 men comprised 170 veteran soldiers, 330 recruits from Mexico and the Canary Islands, 60 militiamen and local citizens, 80 free blacks, and 7 American volunteers, including Oliver Pollock. Gálvez recruited another 600 men among Louisiana’s German and Acadian immigrants, and 160 Indians. The babel of languages can only be imagined: West African, German, Acadian French, probably Choctaw or Chickasaw, and the Castilian of the Mexicans, Cubans, and peninsular Spaniards, with the Irish lilt of the bilingual Pollock."

The motley crew if there ever was one but nonetheless effective. Mission as accomplished! Superior command leadership ability undoubtedly a major contributing factor.

"A motley crew is an informal expression for a roughly organized assembly of individuals of various backgrounds, appearance, and character. Typical examples of motley crews are pirates, college fraternities, Western posses, rag-tag mercenary bands, freedom fighters, and IT support teams."

No estas olvidado.

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Oz & NK.

This coolbert:

* “'Should Australia continue to follow the US in imposing military, economic and diplomatic pressure upon the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] despite our repeated warnings, they will not be able to avoid a disaster,'” * “'frantic engagement' . . .  'hostile' . . . 'zealously joining frenzied political and military provocations of the US.'” * “'preparing for a war on the Korean Peninsula,' . . .  'reckless remarks and conducts' . . . 'military option.'” * “'allowing themselves to be exploited by Trump's selfish 'America First Policy' at the cost of their own national interests.'”

Australians beware! You have once more been warned! Kim has spoken! Take heed!

Oz = Australia. NK = North Korea.

Thanks to the Russian Times [RT]  Internet web site as reported dire threats and warnings from Comrade Kim as directed toward the Australian nation.

"N. Korea threatens Australia with ‘disaster’ for engagement in US ‘war preparations’"

More than anything else, concentrate on those threats and doggerel of the Pyongyang propagandists!

As has been the topic of a previous blog entry Australian already and has been for some time and continues to be an integral and vital contributor to the United Nations military effort on the Korean peninsula. It is not even a debatable issue.

Yankee imperialist warmonger lackey stooge paid assassin of the Wall Street capitalist big bosses!! The communists have always had and still have a way with the words!!

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Oddball.

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Here yet with one more instance of Hollywood personalities involved in "business" with an actual military dimension.

A rare occurrence the last time prior to Lara Croft/Angelina Jolie Clint Eastwood and William Shatner participants.

Think Kelly [Kelly's Heroes] and Captain Kirk [Star Trek].

 "Left Behind: Cinematic Revisions of the Vietnam POW"

II.   REAGAN OPENS DISCUSSION /RAMBO RESPONDS

"Starting in 1979 and continuing into the early 1980's, POW films would revisit Vietnam and the POW image in super-hero rescue films."

Super-hero rescue films. Such as might have been Lara Croft as played in the cinema by Angelina Jolie!

"One military officer attempted to find out first hand if POWs remained. In 1982, Special Forces Colonel James 'Bo' Gritz organized a search and rescue team with donated money from Clint Eastwood and William Shatner among others, to go into Laos. Eastwood wanted the movies rights if the mission proved successful."

MISSION TO LOCATE OR RECOVER AND REPATRIATE AMERICAN PRISONER-OF-WAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIA UNSUCCESSFUL. BUT THE IDEA AND INTENTION AND FINANCING WERE THERE!!

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Kirkuk III.

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Continuing that situation in Kirkuk and the semi-autonomous regions. The Iraqi National Army and Kurdish peshmerga militia at odds with one another:

1. "Kirkuk: US appeals for calm as allies clash in Iraq - CNN - CNN.com"

"4 hours ago - Baghdad, Iraq (CNN)The United States has made an urgent call for calm in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters and Iraqi forces -- two of Washington's key allies in the region -- clash over disputed territory. Iraqi forces seized the coveted oil-rich city of Kirkuk on Monday after ..."

2. "US military rushes to defuse looming crisis in Kirkuk after Iraqi army ..."

"1 day ago - Iraqi forces patrol in the streets after they retake the control of the city center from peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Monday."

3. "Kirkuk: Iraqi forces seize largest oilfields near city - BBC News"

"13 hours ago - Iraqi government forces have taken control of the two largest oilfields near the disputed city of Kirkuk after Kurdish forces left the area."

4. "Kirkuk: The city that highlights Iraq's war within a war - BBC News"

"7 hours ago - Over the last week, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have redeployed into the capital and oilfields of Iraq's Kirkuk province for the first time since the ..."

5. "Iraqi Forces Sweep Into Kirkuk, Checking Kurdish Independence Drive ..."

"2 days ago - Three weeks after the Kurds voted for independence, Iraqi forces overtook the Kurdish-held city of Kirkuk and its valuable oil fields on Monday."

Push has already come to shove. We hope for nothing beyond that. Too much is at stake here. Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

coolbert.

USAFA.

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"We will not lie, steal or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does." "Furthermore, I resolve to do my duty and to live honorably."

Cadets behaving badly and most ashamedly so!!

USAFA = United States Air Force Academy.

From the Russian Internet web site Sputnik:

"Cheating, Hazing, Assault: Misconduct Investigations Rock US Air Force Academy"

"Scandals and investigations have rocked the US Air Force Academy (USAFA), as over a dozen students have been accused of cheating on tests as well as allegations of misconduct in the elite academy’s lacrosse team."

"Thirteen freshmen students at the academy have come under investigation after they were accused of cheating on a test of Air Force knowledge given to new students to test their basic understanding of the US military's history and doctrine."

"'These tests are part of their military instruction and consist of questions related to military history, rank structure and other general knowledge,' . . . 'Because that investigation is ongoing as well, I can't divulge any further details.'" - - Lt. Col. Allen Herritage.

This cheating as alleged can best be described as Jack's Valley stuff. First year cadets EVEN BEFORE THEY BEGIN FRESHMAN CLASSWORK.

We are talking about drill and ceremonies, wearing the uniform, Code of Conduct, Chain of Command type of "stuff". More of less identical to what is taught to any enlisted raw basic training recruit no matter what the service!

Hardly advanced science, technology, engineering, math [STEM] type of material for which the Air Force Academy rates very high and is very proud of.

coolbert.

Saudi AF II.

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Conclusion!

AWACS = Airborne Warning And Control Systems.

Yet one more appraisal of Saudi air force combat capability courtesy of Strategy Page. As extracted an evaluation much more sanguine. Observations as made germane to the current intervention in the Yemeni civil war.

"sanguine - [sang-gwin] - adjective - 1. cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident"

"Attrition: Arabs Advance As Aerial Adversaries"

"Iran was less eager to publicize the fact that the Arabs had succeeded in carrying out a sustained air campaign using modern aircraft (mostly F-15s, Tornadoes, Typhoons, F-16s and F-18s) and weapons (GPS and laser guided bombs and missiles) using targeting pods and AWACS aircraft. There were also several Arab operated aerial tankers as well as dozens of helicopter gunships and search and rescue helicopters. All this stuff performed well with Arab crews and under the supervision of Arab commanders."

Saudi aircrews, ground personnel, commanders all showing an unexpected mettle? 

A combination of air power in totality the coordination difficult as best. Combat aviation to include fighter/tanker/rotary wing/AWACS all in a combat role the RSAF their performance on this occasion exemplary!

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Saudi AF I.

This is coolbert:

AF = Air Force.

"pa·per ti·ger - noun - a person or thing that appears threatening but is ineffectual."

From the Internet Web site Strategy Page an index to a whole series of articles and forum the topic of which is the Saudi Air Force and their relative inability as a fighting force, top-gun state-of-the-art flying hardware in abundance notwithstanding.

1. "The Royal Saudi Air Force - A Paper Tiger, Minus the Tiger"

"The Royal Saudi Air Force couldn't fight (or fly) it's way out of a wet paper bag. They spent a whole lot of money on 72 new F-15S's, but have a ..."

2. "Attrition: Saudi Arabia Destroys The Yemen Air Force"

"Apr 2, 2015 ... In late March Saudi Arabia destroyed the Yemeni Air Force How that came to be is a strange tale indeed Saudi Arabia began air strikes against ..."

3. "Leadership: Why the Saudi Air Force Will Still Suck"

"Nov 17, 2005 ... Saudi Arabia is out shopping for new warplanes Since Saudi Arabia has the money to buy the best stuff out there, warplane manufacturers are ..."

4. "Murphy's Law: Why Arabs Need Their Foreign Mercenaries"

"Mar 17, 2011 ... March 17, 2011: Saudi Arabia recently bought 72 Typhoon jet fighters from ... they are considered marginally better than other Arab air forces."

5. "Misconceptions about the Royal Saudi Air Force as well as musings."

"please excuse my spelling and grammar, English is a third language to me) First of all regarding the lack of capable Saudi air craft maintenance ..."

6. "How hard to invade Saudi?"

". . . the Saudi air force scored several air-to-air kills against Iraqi fighters during Desert Storm without losing any or just one or two planes ..."

Perspectives of the Saudi air force in all cases harsh, cynical, skeptical!

EVEN OVERWHELMINGLY SO! DESERVED OR NOT THIS IS THE QUESTION/

More to follow.

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Kirkuk II.

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More and continuing updates on the Kirkuk, Iraq situation.

Combat units of the Iraqi National Army and fighters of the Kurdish peshmerga in mortal battle. This is all a simple "dispute" that can be easily mended?/

1. "Kirkuk: US appeals for calm as allies clash in Iraq - CNN - CNN.com"

"3 hours ago - Baghdad (CNN)The United States has made an urgent call for calm in northern Iraq as Kurdish fighters and Iraqi forces -- two of Washington's key allies in the region -- clash over disputed territory. Iraqi forces seized the coveted oil-rich city of Kirkuk on Monday after three ..."

2. "US military rushes to defuse looming crisis in Kirkuk after Iraqi army ..."

"18 hours ago - Iraqi forces patrol in the streets after they retake the control of the city center from peshmerga forces in Kirkuk, Iraq, on Monday."

3. "Iraqi Kurds' dream of independence seems more elusive than ever"

"The establishment of an independent Kurdistan — a decades-old dream for many people here — was starting to take shape. In a nonbinding referendum held by the Kurds three weeks ago, more than 92% of voters favored breaking away from Iraq. But on Tuesday, the dream all but died."

4. "Kirkuk: Iraqi forces seize largest oilfields near city - BBC News"

"5 hours ago - Iraqi government forces have taken control of the two largest oilfields near the disputed city of Kirkuk after Kurdish forces left the area."

JUST AT THAT EXACT MOMENT WHEN THE COMMON FOE THE ISLAMIC STATE IS ON THE ROPES AND EVERYONE IS PREPARING FOR THE PROVERBIAL KNOCK-OUT PUNCH THIS HAPPENS. PURPORTED ALLIES IN COALITION NOW FIGHTING OVER "DISPUTED" TERRITORY. SAY IT IS NOT SO JOE BUT YOU KNOW BETTER.

This is far from over I fear. Has the potentiality to get far worse.

coolbert.

Kirkuk I.

This is coolbert:

The Kurds and their ways! Hold the presses!

It doesn't get much worse than this. At the exact wrong moment trouble fomenting where no trouble is needed.

As is the headline in the proverbial nutshell from the Wall Street Journal today:

* "Iraqi forces clashed with fighters from the Kurdish semi-autonomous region near the oil-rich province of Kirkuk."

Further an index the topic of the Kurdish peshmerga and Iraqi National Army units at odds even to extent of mortal combat:

1. "Iraqi troops clash with Kurds in effort to gain control of oil-rich Kirkuk ..."

"10 hours ago - Iraq's national army advanced overnight and took areas in and around the oil city of Kirkuk that is usually dominated by the country's Kurdish ..."

2. "LIVE: Iraqi forces, Shiite militia engage in fighting with Peshm - Rudaw"

"5 hours ago - “Trying to seize the will of the people of Iraqi Kurdistan using military .... in Kirkuk amid clashes between Peshmerga forces and Iraqi army, ..."

3. "U.S. military says clash between Iraq, Kurdish forces is a ..."

"14 hours ago - Iraqi federal forces entered disputed territory held by Kurds early Monday, seeking to end a nearly month-old political fight over areas taken ..."

4. "Kirkuk: Iraqi forces capture key sites from Kurds - BBC News - BBC.com"

"Iraqi forces move on Kurdish-controlled areas, weeks after the region voted to ... Baghdad said the Peshmerga had withdrawn 'without fighting', but clashes were ... Earlier, the Iraqi military announced that elite units had been 're-deployed' at ..."

5. "Peshmerga: Baghdad to pay heavy price for declaring war"

"The Kurdish Peshmerga command has said the Iraqi government will pay a 'heavy price' for its military campaign in Kirkuk, which it described as 'a declaration of war against the nation of Kurdistan'."

Conspiracy and intrigue of a global grand-strategy geo-political are at work here? This needs to be played out and I fear for the worse and in short order too! Stand by everyone. Hold on to your hats!

coolbert.

NK Pink II.

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Conclusion!

Think pink! Targets as designated the Blue House and the Combined Forces Command!

North Korean special operations troops of the "hunter-class", cut-throat killer elite  infiltrating South Korea from the North and using paraglider to do so. A "pink terror" mission!!

Pink terror those military actions by the North Korean as taken in those few hours PRIOR to overt hostilities. The primary goal assassination of the most high ranking civilian and military personnel of the adversary [South Korean and American].

As extracted from and thanks to the collected works of the Soviet era defector Suvorov:

"the 'pink' terror, when active military operations have not yet begun and there is still peace, but when some of the best [special operations] units have already gone into action. The situation is complicated by the fact that, on the one hand, [North Korean] fighting units are already in battle, but that, on the other hand, they are not yet operating in the name of the [North Korean]. This is an exceptionally risky moment for the [North Korean] high command. But he who risks nothing gains nothing. The [North Korean] commanders want to gain a great deal, and so are ready to risk a lot . . . "

"The 'pink' terror may continue for no more than a few hours. But those are the most important hours and minutes — the very last hours and minutes of peace . . . It is used only when there is absolute certainty of the success of the operations and equal certainty that the enemy will not be able in the remaining hours and minutes to assess the situation correctly and strike the first pre-emptive blow."

Image as accompanying this blog entry showing North Korean missile launch as announced by the "Pink Lady". Read here and here about the "Pink lady".

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