LEO.

This is coolbert:

LEO = Low Earth Orbit.

Outer space U.S. Army style.

"ARMY LOOKS TO LEVERAGE ‘LOW EARTH ORBIT’ SATELLITES"

"ARLINGTON, Va. — Constellations of small satellites orbiting close to Earth may provide faster communications and be less vulnerable than traditional ones,"

"Larger geosynchronous satellites are very expensive and vulnerable to attack,"

"Smaller, low earth orbit satellites, known as LEO, will present less of a target . . . they move at faster speeds and because they will orbit in large numbers."

LEO satellites most useful [but not limited to] rapid and world-wide military communications of a redundant nature not so susceptible to destruction. Traditional geosynchronous satellites too expensive and too prone to enemy action.

As was with Motorola Iridium now with LEO? Iridium in the mid-1990's too expensive, hand-sets too cumbersome. LEO a marked advancement in all categories.

See previous blog entries as applicable:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2013/02/muos.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/09/starfighter-f-104.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/kestrel.html   [Imaging LEO]

See additionally from the wiki items of interest the Small Satellite and CubeSat:

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

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

BERT IN PARTICULAR LIKES THE IDEA OF USING AN ANTIQUE BUT STILL FORMIDABLE F-104 STARFIGHTER AS A LAUNCH VEHICLE FOR THE LEO. GOOD IDEA. AN OLD DOG LEARNS NEW TRICKS AND DOES THEM WELL.

coolbert.

Bliss.

This is coolbert:

"The only news they [submariners] receive is sent by the high command. No matter how serious the situation is, there is nothing a submarine can do about it. And since he cannot do anything, better than he know nothing."

Ignorance is bliss? COVID-19.

"French Navy keeps sub crews in dark about virus"

Often I have thought that in the instance of some overwhelming cataclysmic natural disaster such as a comet, asteroid or meteor shower striking earth among the last human survivors might be the crew [all male] of a nuclear submarine. And maybe totally oblivious to events as having transpired? Where is everyone?

Think too if just one crew member prior to sailing infected with the virus those closed quarters of the submarine mean that little if any remedial action can be taken to suppress the spread of the virus. An entirely sick crew a hazard no one has ever foreseen or prepared for?

coolbert.

Languages.

This is coolbert:

Came across this quite by accident.

Borderline relevant but still of educational value. An indication of a legacy unappreciated from the era of the Korean War and the Second Indo-China War. Courtesy the Internet web site Slate and thanks to same.

Korean. Vietnamese. Hmong. Most commonly spoke languages other than English and Spanish. USA. Tagalog [Filipino national language] also spoken widely in three states, California, Hawaii and Nevada. Think the Spanish-American War 1898 and the Philippine Insurrection 1900. Philippines generally speaking the USA held in high esteem.

Who would have thought it?

coolbert.

Invincible.

This is coolbert:

SRBM = Short Range Ballistic Missile.

From the Iranian Press TV yet more instance of combat drones in action.

"'Yemeni domestically-built missiles, drones strike sensitive targets in Saudi capital, elsewhere'"

"Yemeni Armed Forces say they have targeted strategic and sensitive sites in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh and elsewhere in the kingdom by a squadron of domestically-manufactured combat drones and ballistic missiles."

"Brigadier General Yahya Saree [Yemeni] said on Sunday afternoon that Sammad-3 (Invincible-3) unmanned aerial vehicles and Zulfiqar short-range ballistic missiles struck designated targets in Riyadh last night with great precision."

Drones and missiles as employed to include:

* Sammad-3. Combat drone.

* Zulfiqar. SRBM.

* Badr-1. SRBM?

* Qasef-2k. Combat drone.

See previous blog entry with an additional number of links the topic the combat drone:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/12/songar_17.html

Missiles and combat drones domestically made as described but built in an Iranian factory on Yemeni soil? That is my guess.

IN AN ASYMMETRIC WAR THE COMBAT DRONE THE WEAPON OF CHOICE. SUCH AN ATTACK IF NO DAMAGE DONE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MESSAGE QUITE CLEAR. YOU ARE A TARGET AND ARE NOT IMMUNE FROM OUR FORCES.

coolbert.

Flush.

This is coolbert:

Disgusting!!

From WIZARD through Harry at Sharkhunters:

 "INTERNATIONAL MILITARY UPDATES – "

"Apparently the toilets on the newest US Navy aircraft carriers have a major problem with clogging and it costs about half a million dollars to fix the problem each time it occurs.  The Navy is acid flushing the heads (toilets) on both USS GEORGE H. W. BUSH (CVN 77) as well as USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78) on an unplanned maintenance action and according to Fleet Maintenance Records, the cost is in excess of $400,000 [USD] each time!"

Those are brand new ships and there not be such a problem. But there is. AND CONSIDER THE COST!!

I tried to find an appropriate image to accompay this blog entry but refrain from posting any. As I said, disgusting!

coolbert.

July (1939).

This is coolbert:

Courtesy You Tube for the video [original British Pathé] and the tip from Freeper.

July 14 1939. ONLY A MONTH AND A HALF TO GO! WORLD WAR TWO!

An impressive display of military pageantry through the streets of Paris. Most powerful and best army in the world on display. Inconceivable such a force could be beaten.

LITTLE WAS ANYONE TO KNOW THAT LESS THAN A YEAR LATER THAT ARMY GONE EXCEPT FOR THOSE CONTINGENTS FREE FRENCH EXTERIOR.

British and French contingents, land, air, naval, marine, colonial. Standing tall and proud. It does seem from appearance sake alone as if that force was invincible. But found out to be otherwise. Could anyone in the crowd of bystanders ever thought the defeat of such a mighty military force was possible? And defeat by the German invader occurring so quickly and relatively easy as it did?

Indeed, that sad episode of the French army collapse in 1940 has never been fully explained? I am not sure.

coolbert.

CAL FIRE.

This is coolbert:

“All our aircraft come from the military,” . . . “We get them for about one dollar, then convert them into what we need them for.”

“At this point, every one of our aircraft are better than the day they first rolled off the assembly line,” . . . “We’ve eliminated weaknesses, added larger motors, completely rewired them, and reinforced them to be stronger and more nimble.”

I AM IMPRESSED IN A BIG WAY!!

Once more thanks indirectly to Darby an article of interest from Air Space magazine. Those aviators who fight  forest fires using quasi-military aircraft and employing quasi-combat techniques.

PILOTS OF CAL FIRE NOT CREATING A FIRESTORM BUT FLYING INTO A FIRESTORM!

"The Pilots Who Fight California’s Wildfires"

"With a squadron of ancient airplanes, these firefighters are usually the first on the scene."

"Cal Fire—the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection—is a state agency responsible for fire control across 31 million acres of timberland, brush, and urban forest. With 50 aircraft at 23 bases around the state, it has the largest firefighting air force in the world."

THESE GUYS GOT GUTS!

How many times do I make the analogy? Fighting a forest fire as close as you can get to mortal combat during a time of war without having an adversary shooting at you! Cal Fire fire managers [combat commanders] on the ground having at their disposal a considerable number of aircraft dropping as in a bombing run water or fire retardant.

Fire fighting "warplanes" of a second-hand and heavily used nature refurbished and flown by experienced aviators I suspect the majority of which have military experience and perhaps even considerable combat experience.

Read the whole article. See also a previous blog entry with additional embedded link as germane.

coolbert.

Ozzie.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site of the esteemed Israeli military historian/theoretician Martin van Creveld this item of interest in the time of the COVID-19 virus.

Percy Shelley's "Ozymandias"

Ozymandias the Greek name for the great King of ancient Egypt Rameses II. Thought have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus.

"I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

"A central theme of the 'Ozymandias' poems is the inevitable decline of rulers with their pretensions to greatness." AND hubris.

"hubris - -  n. Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. n. Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance  n. overbearing pride or presumption"

And thank you PBS and MvC.

Devoted readers to the blog please note the image accompanying this particular Martin van Creveld blog entry. That is the face of American President Donald Trump.

"I blog, therefore I am!" Me too!!

coolbert.

Prostate.

This is coolbert:

“pilots [fighter] have greater environmental exposure to ultraviolet and ionizing radiation ... (fighter pilots) have unique intra-cockpit exposures to non-ionizing radiation.”

Even during a time of peace as is generally acknowledged the profession of arms can be hazardous to your health.

From McClatchy Washington Bureau - - NATIONAL SECURITY and thanks to same.

"Are fighter pilots at greater risk for prostate cancer? The Air Force is now asking"

"Survivors look for help as military cancer deaths rise"

"The Air Force [USAF] has begun to look at whether there’s increased risk for prostate cancer among its fighter pilots."

"At the heart of the Air Force study was a question of whether extended exposure in the cockpit to radiation may be linked to increased risk of prostate cancer."

SURE! FLYING AT HIGH ALTITUDES FOR PROLONGED PERIODS AND DOING SO ON A REGULAR BASIS EXPOSES THE MILITARY PILOT TO BACKGROUND RADIATION OF VARIOUS TYPE THAT IS INJURIOUS TO THE MALE PROSTATE! CANCER IS A RESULT!

Civilian airline pilots also suffer from the same condition? Or is this affliction confined to military fighter pilots?

From my perspective the appearance of a cancerous cell in an anthropomorphic way is UGLY in a hazardous way but much more than that!

"Anthropomorphism - - Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology"

Is that the right word. Anthropomorphic?.

coolbert.

F-15EX.

This is coolbert:

Courtesy the tip from Darby an article from Air Space magazine.

"The Shocking Resurrection of the F-15"

"Who says you can’t teach an old eagle new tricks?"

"As the Air Force likes to say, the two-crew F-15E Strike Eagle can fight its way into a target and fight its way out. It has to. A pre-stealth, fourth-generation multi-role fighter, the F-15 can’t hide from radar"

American warplane F-15EX Eagle. Somewhat ancient and venerable but now in a new and much improved version.

An old eagle but not such an old eagle. In the case of the F-15EX brand new.

Comments:

* American air force at this exact moment was supposed to have about one-thousand stealth warplanes in the inventory, up and working? That is combined F-35 and F-22. The total figure NOW is about one-third that desired number? Shocking!

* F-15 in whatever manifestation or block still being manufactured using much advanced fabrication techniques. That warplane first flew in the early 1970's and still going strong. Remarkable.

* Cost for a 4th Generation F-15 about $80 million. Hardly cheap.

* Apparently these are [?] the F-15 to be used with the Loyal Wingman concept. Accompanied into aerial warfare by a drone wingman possessing AI [artificial intelligence] capability. I had thought those F-15 to be used with the Loyal Wingman older planes merely refurbished. I am wrong.

* A rather low number [about eighty] of the F-15EX to come off the assembly line new and ready for combat missions? A paltry number considering the need?

Good enough now [F-15] more important than better tomorrow [F-35]? I guess that is the thought. But not a bad idea on paper at least. A proven winner and yet to be an even more proven winner.

coolbert.

COVID-19.

This is coolbert:

In response to the world-wide pandemic COVID-19 some input regarding the possibility of the virus having been a bio-weapon. Even a bio-weapon of Chinese origin as having been inadvertently released.

Both article thanks to the Ron Unz Internet web site and the authors: 1. Steve Sailer. 2. The Saker.

1. "The Nixon Administration Discovered That Offensive Biological Weapons Are Useless"

"One of the least known incidents of the Cold War is the Nixon Administration’s decision in 1969 to abolish the U.S.’s sizable $300 million per year offensive biological weapons program."

NO! Not useless. Deadly but not effective as other means. Debits outweigh the assets for a variety of reasons.

2. "Looking at the Military Aspects of Biological Warfare"

"The 20th century has seen a seemingly countless number of military conflicts, ranging from small local clashes, to at least two world wars. The same 20th century saw a huge efforts by major powers to develop three types of so-called 'weapons of mass destruction' (WMD): Atomic, Bacteriological and Chemical (ABC). All of these WMD were initially seen as very effective and very frightening, yet there were only used in a few, limited occasions."

A limited number of occasions to include: A. Glanders. Spread as alleged by Germany during World War One to infect allied horse-power. Also can infect and make ill humans but not necessarily lethal, merely makes sick. B. Japanese Unit 731 on many [?] occasions using bio-weaponry of a deadly kind [bubonic plague for instance] against the Chinese during World War Two. C. Tularemia [rabbit fever] purportedly as released by the Soviet during World War Two as a response to the German Case Blue of 1942. Sickens and incapacitates the enemy soldier but does not necessarily kill.

Additionally as reported in case of an American invasion of Cuba in 1963 the entire island would have been hosed down with a "cocktail" of germ-warfare agents non-lethal in nature to healthy persons. Make you sick but would not kill. The elderly and those already infirm [many tens of thousands] with illness probably dying in the process.

Further comments:

* Nixon was searching for a way to make-nice with the Soviet. Abandonment of bio-weapons seen as a way of achieving an ends. Understand also bio-weapons stockpiles only destroyed. Research and development into bio-weapons continuing unabated unto this very day.

* Destruction of existing bio-weapon stockpiles not so significant. Germ cultures in storage can be quickly be processed by relatively conventional pharmaceutical methods and produce large quantities of use-able bio-weapon material of whatever type. Delivery system of spraying systems attached to military warplanes in the inventory.

* Consider also that bio-weapons perhaps the weapon of choice for the jihadi waging war on the international scale [GWOT]. Deadly germ cultures can be obtained for a variety of sources. A cheap and dirty but effective form of jihadi attack more than anything else creating a mass panic with lots of hysteria. But such a threat has never materialized. At least to my knowledge.

Devoted readers to the blog take it from there.

coolbert.

Crumple.

This is coolbert:

A little bit of silliness here but in keeping with the phenomenon and threat as posed to humanity by the COVID-19 virus. Courtesy Johnny for the tip.

All thanks to Rudyard Kipling in this instance:

"When the cholera comes—as it will past a doubt —
Keep out of the wet and don’t go on the shout,
For the sickness gets in as the liquor dies out,
An’ it crumples the young British soldier.
Crum-, crum-, crumples the soldier …
[Bursts into song]
Crum-, crum-, crumples the soldier,
Crum-, crum-, crumples the soldier,
So-oldier OF the Queen!"

R.K.

As I have stated many times before, traditionally the two biggest killer in wartime water and feet. With regard to the former either not having enough to drink or drinking bad water, contaminated, spreading disease.

Regarding feet, troops not able to keep the march because of bad feet, falling out and falling behind their unit, set upon by marauders, guerrillas or irate local civilians.

coolbert.

Valkyrie.

This is coolbert:

LOYAL WINGMAN! SKYBORG! UP AND GOING!

Thanks to Popular Mechanics.

"This Experimental Drone Could Change America's War Strategy"

"Is the Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie the future of combat aircraft?"

"For nearly 20 years, the United States Air Force has been focused on anti-terror operations in uncontested airspace. Now, as America transitions its focus away from the War on Terror toward potential near-peer conflicts, the U.S. is looking to pull a page out of its own World War II playbook by building inexpensive combat aircraft that can overwhelm advanced enemy air defenses through sheer numbers."

LOYAL WINGMAN EITHER OPERATING UNDER THE CONTROL OF A F-35 OR F-15 PILOT OR OPERATING AUTONOMOUSLY USING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SOFTWARE AND ALGORITHMS.

Comments:

* Primary mission as envisioned for the Loyal Wingman SEAD? Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses.

* Airframe of the Valkyrie seems to be heavily influenced by the TACIT BLUE program from way back. No faceted surfaces as with the F-117. Rounded preferred.

See previous blog entries regarding the Loyal Wingman concept:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/07/skyborg.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/07/lanca.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/10/blue.html

coolbert.

Agni.

This is coolbert:

An Agni missile launch. Within the Hindu pantheon of gods Agni the god of fire.

Yet more the topic a nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan. What that will mean for the world and not just the sub-continent.

Thanks to the Russian Internet media outlet Russian Times [RT].

1. "Even ‘small-scale’ nuclear war between India and Pakistan would DEVASTATE global food supply – study"

THIS IS THE NUCLEAR WINTER HYPOTHESIS.

"A low-level nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan could wipe out large swaths of the world’s food supply, igniting cataclysmic fires that blot out the Sun in a decade-long nuclear winter, according to new research."

Indian and Pakistan between them have several hundred atomic weapons with yield roughly the same as the atomic bomb used on Hiroshima during World War Two [WW2]. Low-level!!

2. "‘No precedent in human experience’: Study finds nuclear war between India and Pakistan could leave 125 million dead"

"A nuclear war between India and Pakistan could kill up to 125 million people in just a few days – surpassing the death count of the entire Second World War – and kick off a worldwide environmental meltdown, a new study found."

That nuclear exchange IF LIMITED strictly to military targets estimates I have read the dead from those detonations alone at least ten million persons.

Deaths in the aftermath of the atomic detonations upwards of a hundred million or so? That for India and Pakistan combined and for those two nations alone?

NUCLEAR WINTER AS PERSISTING FOR DECADES ON A PLANETARY WIDE BASIS RESULTING IN CROP FAILURE OF A BIBLICAL SCALE, THE ENTIRE HUMAN SPECIES IN JEOPARDY.

See previous blog entries as applicable to the topic:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/03/india-pakistan.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/03/winter.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/03/threshold.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/03/armageddon.html

coolbert.

USS Mercy.

This is coolbert:

USS Mercy to the rescue. American military hospital ship. COVID-19 response.

"Pentagon Says Preparing Two Navy Hospital Ships to Respond to COVID-19 Outbreak"

Thanks to the Russian medial outlet Sputnik for the article.

"The United States has so far registered more than 5,700 coronavirus cases, while at least 94 US citizens have died from the disease, according to the data provided by Johns Hopkins University."

"[Mark] Esper [SEC DEF] noted that the vessels are not equipped for infected people because they are primarily designed for trauma patients, but could take such patients from general hospitals if needed so that they could provide more space for infectious disease patients."

Sounds like a plan. Limited resources on those hospital ships in such circumstances but every little bit can help and will.

coolbert.

Last.

This is coolbert:

Course of Action [CoA] atomic attack England!

Doomsday and obliteration of the human species as a result of a nuclear war.

"Letters of last resort"

"The letters of last resort are four identically worded handwritten letters from the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to the commanding officers of the four British ballistic missile submarines. They contain orders on what action to take in the event that an enemy nuclear strike has destroyed the British government and has killed or otherwise incapacitated both the prime minister and the 'second person' (normally a high-ranking member of the Cabinet) whom the prime minister has designated to make a decision on how to act in the event of the prime minister's death."

Each and every Prime Minister [PM] this his first task on assuming office. Guidelines, instructions, options, etc. a letter direct from the very hand of the PM to the Captain of a Trident missile firing submarine.

WHAT OPTIONS TO FOLLOW AS PROPOSED AND OUTLINED IN THE LETTER A MATTER LEFT TO THE DISCRETION OF THE SUBMARINE COMMANDER!!

British television Channel Four most critical. No reception from Channel Four an indication the UK gone. Similar in a slight manner to the Soviet/Russian Dead Hand/Perimeter.

coolbert.

Burn.

This is coolbert:

From a much earlier isegoria.net blog entry the subject the firestorm.

An aspect of World War Two saturation bombing and attack by incendiary munitions producing destruction of an apocalyptic scale.

As recalled by the most eminent scientist Freeman Dyson.

"From Freeman Dyson’s description, the firestorms caused by strategic bombing were essentially 'lucky' — from the bombers’ perspective"

As excerpted:

"For a week after I arrived at the ORS [Operational Research Section], the attacks on Hamburg continued. The second, on July 27, raised a firestorm that devastated the central part of the city and killed about 40,000 people. We [British] succeeded in raising firestorms only twice, once in Hamburg and once more in Dresden in 1945"

FIRESTORM AS CREATED BY THE INCENDIARY BOMBING TO TOKYO IN WW2 PRODUCING THE ONLY SUCH EVENT IN THE PACIFIC THEATER. CASUALTIES GREATER THAN DRESDEN AND HAMBURG COMBINED?

Devoted readers to the blog are invited and encouraged to read the entire isegoria.net article.

Also see the previous blog entry, firestorm in peace-time, forest fire fighting the closest you can get to mortal combat without an adversary shooting at you:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/08/firestorm.html

coolbert.

Gone!

This is coolbert:

Finally and I hope this report is true. If so a great relief and should not be considered as less!

A topic of major proportions and danger to all of us, now mitigated, even solved?

"US Nukes Reportedly Delivered To Poland"

GONE FROM THE INCIRLIK AIR BASE [TURKEY] AND SENT TO OTHER CONSTITUENT NATIONS COMPRISING NATO!

Thanks to the article by Tyler Durden at the Internet web site Zero Hedge the original story: Rod Renny via TheDuran.com

"Tensions between Turkey and Syria continue to spiral out of control. Clashes between Turkish and Syrian forces amid a Syrian government offensive are quickly threatening to escalate into a full-blown conflict between the two neighbors and to also shatter an alliance forged between Turkey and Russia."

"The media [Turkish?] informed that five C-17A Globemasters III arrived to Incerlik AB from Ramstein Air Base and took the whole bulk of nukes out to Germany, Poland and one of the Baltic States."

POSSIBILITY OF AMERICAN NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPROMISED IN WHATEVER SHAPE/MANNER/FORM ELIMINATED BY AN AIRLIFT? SO IT SEEMS!

See previous blog entries as relevant:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/03/incirlik-turkey.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/01/incirlik-afb.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/08/atomics-incrilik.html

coolbert.

Opinions.

This is coolbert:

“'If achieving either victory or peace were easy,' . . . 'it would have been accomplished almost two decades ago."

From the Black Rifle Coffee Internet web site an article by Joshua Skovlund the subject the proposed Afghan peace treaty.

"Is Peace Possible in Afghanistan? U.S. Veterans and a Kabul Journalist Weigh in"

"On Feb. 29, 2020, the U.S. and the Taliban signed an agreement to work toward a peaceful resolution in Afghanistan. The agreement laid out terms for the Taliban to reduce its violence within the country as well as a timeline for the U.S. to withdraw its forces. The agreement will be null and void if the Taliban does not uphold their promises. There is not a ceasefire outlined in the agreement, and with attacks resuming after the agreement, many are skeptical."

See excerpts the Black Rifle Coffee article from a variety of sources:

“It is certainly going to be difficult, but ultimately the problems of Afghanistan will have to be addressed through diplomacy and not just military operations."

"'if the U.S. government can change the mindset of those people [Taliban],' . . . 'it is not the result of one decade or two decades. It’s the result of at least one century. So then you can bring peace with such agreements.'”

KABUL JOURNALIST A HAZARA. A DESPISED MINORITY GROUP IN AFGHAN, SHIA. YOU MIGHT ASSUME HIS OPINION WOULD BE RATHER NEGATIVE. BUT ALSO PROBABLY TRUE!

“'While I am always in favor of peace, I am very skeptical of dealing with organizations like the Taliban,' . . . 'Historically, any attempt to negotiate has been a stalling tactic designed to prolong a break in fighting, which I believe just gives them time to regroup/refit.'”

“'The vast majority of the people — other than the enemies we are targeting — want a peace deal, so they can somewhat go back to as normal of a life as they can,'”

See previous blog entries as pertinent.

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/parole.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/balk.html

NOBODY EVER SAID ANY OF THIS WAS GOING TO BE EASY, DID THEY?

coolbert.

Parole.

This is coolbert:

"Prisoners of war [PoW] in earlier centuries, especially officers, could be given temporary or permanent freedom in return for various conditions: A parole"

Parole. Military parole.

As has not been the case in over one-hundred years?

Thanks to Bobby and his web site we have this item of interest. As proposed an instance of military parole. and within the dimension of the ongoing Afghan conflict.

"Afghanistan: Ghani [Afghan President] approves release of 1500 Taliban prisoners with 'written guarantee to not return to battlefield'"

“An unnamed member of the Taliban’s leadership council…accused the government of acting in bad faith, saying it only planned to release ‘those prisoners who are elderly, very ill, or those whose sentences have expired.”

See previous blog entries here and here the proposed peace settlement in Afghan. The main sticking point at this instant the exchange of prisoner-of-war.

MILITARY PAROLE IN THE ANCIENT AND VENERABLE MANNER. PoW RELEASED CONTINGENT ON AGREEMENT THAT INDIVIDUAL[S] AS RELEASED NOT RETURNING TO COMBAT OR A MILITARY ROLE OF ANY SORT!!

See an interesting discussion of military parole. The "ancient and venerable" system non-existent in the modern military world but with rare occasions.

"When did the parole of prisoners of war become unacceptable?"

"As for the system 'free for a promise not to fight', the last war that used it, as far as I know, was the Russian-Japan war of 1904/5. And it worked these [sic] times [sic]"

"The same system was tried for use by Chechens in the first year of the first Russian-Chechen war (1995-98). But then it didn't work. The fact of 'word' was irrelevant to the contemporary Russian state machine."

"word - - promise, declaration"

Solemn declarations and promises must be kept. For the good of all. Under what is perceived to be duress however prevarication often the result with tons of bad feeling to go around.

"pre-var-i-ca-tion - - n. The act of prevaricating or deviating, especially from truth, honesty, or plain-dealing; evasion of truth or duty; quibbling or shuffling in words or conduct."

coolbert.

F7U.

This is coolbert:

"Following the war, Voigt's experience in tailless aircraft design was put to use by the Chance Vought company in the United States, where he was involved in the design of the F7U Cutlass fighter."

That era immediately following the end of the Second World war experimental jet-powered aircraft of all shapes and sizes the rage. Designs cutting-edge as they say flying such warplanes also fraught with great danger. Especially for the naval aviation pilots.

Cutlass! Vought F7U Cutlass. Tailless. German inspired? And dangerous?

"The Vought F7U Cutlass was a United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter and fighter-bomber of the early Cold War era. It was a tailless aircraft based on aerodynamic data and plans captured from the German Arado company at the end of World War II, though Vought designers denied any link to the German research at the time"

1. Read from the wiki entry a listing of crashes, accident, and mishaps as deemed, involving the F7U. Naval aviation in an era of ferment.

2. Read from the wiki the entry for the Messerschmitt P 1110. tailless warplane.

3. Read further from the wiki entry for the Messerschmitt P 1112 tailless warplane.

From the Luft46 Internet web site I can find among the German Arado designs only the Arado Ar E.555-3 as having the slightest similarity to the F7U. So what are to make of all this?

coolbert.

Buzz.

This is coolbert:

Dead Hand is not dead nor is the Buzzer.

From the Internet web site National Interest and thanks to same.

1. "Russia's 'Dead Hand' Nuclear Doomsday Weapon is Back"

DEAD HAND. SOVIET/RUSSIAN NUCLEAR DOOMSDAY SYSTEM!!

"Perhaps the most terrifying was a Cold War doomsday system that would automatically launch missiles—without the need for a human to push the button—during a nuclear attack."

AUTOMATED SYSTEM ABLE TO LAUNCH A NUCLEAR ATTACK AS A RETALIATORY MEASURE WITHOUT HUMAN INTERVENTION!! SO IS ALLEGED.

Dead Hand an automated system nuclear launch system from the perspective of many observers inextricably linked to the radio station known as UVB-76.

2. UVB-76. The Buzzer.

"UVB-76, also known as 'The Buzzer', is a nickname given by radio listeners to a shortwave radio station that broadcasts on the frequencies 4625 and 4810 kHz. It broadcasts a short, monotonous sound-buzz tone, repeating at a rate of approximately 25 tones per minute, 24 hours per day. Sometimes, the buzzer signal is interrupted and a voice transmission in Russian takes place. The first reports were made of a station on this frequency in 1973."

UVB-76 A SOVIET/RUSSIAN RADIO STATION CONTINUOUSLY TRANSMITTING A "TONE" SINCE 1973. IT HAS BEEN SPECULATED THAT IF UVB GOES SILENT THAT IS A SIGNAL TO SOVIET/RUSSIAN NUCLEAR EQUIPPED UNITS THAT AN ATOMIC ATTACK HAS OCCURRED AND RETALIATION IS AUTHORIZED!!

Devoted readers to the blog who are shortwave radio frequency listening enthusiasts can listen to UVB for yourself. Nothing to hear except a "tone".

READ FURTHER COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS OF "RUSSIAN EX-SERVICEMEN" REGARDING THE BUZZER:

3. "The Soviet Nuclear Defense System: The Myth of the Dead Hand"

4. "UVB-76 the Buzzer according to Russian ex servicemen"

Resorting to the use of atomic weapons thought to be too great a decision to be left to a machine whatever the circumstances. This is the common perspective of lay and experts alike!

coolbert.

Type XI.

This is coolbert:

The French had one. The Germans had them too. At least on paper and in the works.

Once more the topic is the cruiser submarine Think a submarine of the class and type Surcouf.

Thanks to the tip from Harry at Sharkhunters.

TYPE XI GERMAN SUBMARINE.

PRIMARY WEAPONRY AS ENVISIONED BIG BORE NAVAL GUNFIRE AND NOT TORPEDOES.

"The Type XI U-boat was planned as an artillery boat; its main armament would have been four 128-mm [5 inch] guns, in two twin gun turrets. It would have also carried an Arado Ar 231 collapsible floatplane. Four boats (U-112, U-113, U-114, and U-115) were laid down in 1939, but cancelled at the outbreak of World War II . . . Its purpose was to engage ships (including escorts) in artillery duels at relatively long range, then dive away if they came within a certain threshold distance. Many anti-submarine escorts of WW2 including the Flower corvettes would have been too small and too poorly equipped with forward guns to cope with this approach."

Type XI a cruiser submarine. A raider I envision the mission of which as similar to the German famous surface raider ships of the Second World War. An Atlantis type warship with a submersible capability.

See at this previous blog entry the deficiencies as associated with the gunnery of the cruiser submarine.

See also additional deficiencies of the cruiser submarine as a submersible warship:

"Large submarines remained vulnerable to damage from Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships (DEMS), were slow to dive if found by aircraft, offered a large sonar echo surface, and were less able to defensively maneuver during depth charge attacks."

coolbert.

AUTEC

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Within context of some most recent blog entries and thanks to the Russian media outlet Sputnik.

"US Military May Have Secret 'Undersea Area 51', Media Claims"

"While the base in question is likely used for underwater weapon and equipment testing, some conspiracy theories reportedly link it to alien sightings and time travel."

"While the enigmatic US military facility known as Area 51 has long become the staple of various conspiracy theories (most of them dealing with UFO tech and contacts with extraterrestrial species), it appears that the US Navy may have an installation with a somewhat similar reputation"

SOME CONNECTION HERE GOING TO BE MADE TO THE FAMOUS/INFAMOUS BERMUDA TRIANGLE?

"The base in question is known as the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Centre, or AUTEC, and is located in the Bahamas."

Some secret. See the wiki entry for AUTEC. AUTEC legality in waters of a foreign power covered by:  "A joint United States/United Kingdom Agreement signed in 1963 with the concurrence of the Bahamian Government"

See those most recent blog entries as within context:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/area-51-iv.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/area-51-iii.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/area-51-ii.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/area-51-i.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/11/ufo.html

coolbert.

Small.

This is coolbert:

Nuclear reactor portable brigade sized?

Thanks to the tip from Matt.

1. "US Military Eyes Tiny Nuclear Reactors for Deployed Troops"

A small portable nuclear-reactor power-plant capable of providing power for deployed American troops in remote and rugged areas.

2. "Pentagon awards contracts to design mobile nuclear reactor"

"Pentagon awards contracts to design mobile nuclear reactor"

"WASHINGTON — The Pentagon on Monday issued three contracts to start design work on mobile, small nuclear reactors, as part of a two-step plan towards achieving nuclear power for American forces at home and abroad"

A SMALL SAFE PORTABLE NUCLEAR REACTOR PROVIDING A MODICUM OF ON-CALL ELECTRICAL POWER FOR A BRIGADE SIZED UNIT DEPLOYED ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. CAN IT BE DONE?

An idea hardly unique also. Portable atomic reactors on a much more massive scale mounted on ships or barges [Soviet/Russian and American] with an ability to be connected to "shore power" in case of war or extreme emergency.

See previous related blog entries.

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/07/atomic-barge.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/09/mh-1a.html

coolbert.

Barrage.

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Consider an aspect of World War One [WW1] I was not familiar with.

North Sea Mine Barrage.

"bar'rage - - n. The act of barring; specifically, the formation of an artificial obstruction in a watercourse, in order to increase the depth of the water, to facilitate irrigation, and for other purposes.  n. The artificial bar thus formed; especially, one of those on the river Nile in Egypt."

"North Sea 1914–1918"

"The North Sea Mine Barrage, also known as the Northern Barrage, was a large minefield laid easterly from the Orkney Islands to Norway by the United States Navy (assisted by the Royal Navy) during World War I. The objective was to inhibit the movement of U-boats from bases in Germany to the Atlantic shipping lanes bringing supplies to the British Isles".

"The objective was to prevent U-boats from operating in the North Atlantic and preying on trans-Atlantic shipping. A similar barrage had already been placed across the English Channel, which had resulted in U-boats diverting north around Scotland. The North Sea Mine Barrage was intended to close this alternative route, and it also made it hard for the U-boats to get supplies."

The barrage [gauntlet] as shown with red lines stretching from the Orkney Islands/Scotland to the territorial waters of Norway. Passage through the English channel by a similar minefield denied to the German much earlier in the war. Barrage I would think not a totally impervious obstacle but greatly reducing areas where German U-Boat could operate with impunity. Click on image to see a larger view.

Cost of the barrage $40 million USD 1917 = $800 million USD 2020. Who said war was cheap??

See previous blog entry the cost of naval sea mine warfare discussed. Cost effectiveness undisputed.

coolbert.

Air USA.

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More private concern DACT! Dissimilar Air Combat Training [DACT]. A growth business.

From the Internet web site War is Boring and thanks to same.

"Australia to sell retired F/A-18 Hornets to a company in US to play enemy aircraft during training"

FORTY-SIX OF THE F-18 HORNET TO BE EXACT!

"A Private Military Contracting company [Air USA] is about to get some much-needed near-peer teeth for their OPFOR [Opposing Force] training operation- and it comes in the form of some ex-Aussie 'killer bees.'”

"The Australian Air Force is selling around 46 of their aging F/A-18A and F/A-18B Hornets to Air USA, a PMC that specializes in training US military fighter pilots by acting as aggressor aircraft."

THESE VARIOUS PRIVATE MILITARY CONCERNS SUCH AS AIR USA HAVING A COMBAT WARPLANE INVENTORY AT LEAST EQUAL TO THE ON-CALL COMBAT AIR CAPACITY OF THE BRITISH ROYAL AIR FORCE [RAF].

See previous blog entries DACT and private military concerns:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/01/draken.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/mirage-f1.html 

coolbert.

Area 51 IV.

This is coolbert:

Area 51 conclusion!

Area 51 danger! Pollution and toxic environmental hazard.

Within context see a recent blog entry the foolishly conceived and eventually aborted prank to "storm" Area 51 the intention of which was to make public the existence of the space aliens and their recovered space craft.

Substances and toxic materials injurious to humans found in abundance vicinity Area 51. Disposed of in a manner probably illegal and exceedingly dangerous. 

AREA 51 ALSO THE LOCATION DURING THE PERIOD OF COLD WAR SECRET ATOMIC WEAPONS TESTING. NON-NUCLEAR DETONATIONS TO DETERMINE THE DISPERSAL PATTERN OF PLUTONIUM AS THE RESULT OF "DUD" ATOMIC MUNITIONS.

AREA 51 HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH! STAY AWAY AND WITH GOOD REASON!

coolbert.

Area 51 III.

This is coolbert:

Area 51 the drones!

Nor should we consider that those research and development projects Area 51 all total successes. Hardly. Consider:

1. Compass Arrow. Ryan AQM-91 Firefly.

"The Ryan AQM-91 Firefly was a developmental drone developed during the Vietnam War to perform long-range reconnaissance, especially into China."

Long-range unmanned reconnaissance drone. Unsuccessful. Project curtailed. Missions accomplished with scant results if any.

Cost ASTRONOMICAL. Consider a copy $56 million [1965] = $500 million [2020].

2. Dragonfly UAV. Micro-drone.

3. Condor. 

Flap those wings. UAV flies like a bird but not against the wind.

4. D-21. 

Yet one more high-speed, high-altitude, high-performance intelligence/reconnaissance drone. Mission analogous to the Firefly. Results also poor, scant, if non-existent.

MICRO-MINIATURE ELECTRONICS SO ESSENTIAL TO MODERN DRONE UAV OPERATIONS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. CONCEPTS SOUND BUT TECHNOLOGY PUSHED TOO FAR FOR THE PERIOD.

coolbert.

Area 51 II.

This is coolbert:

Area 51 Have Doughnut.

Before there was TOP GUN and RED STAR there was Have Doughnut.

Hardly the mission of Area 51 strictly to the research and development of top-of-the-line military warplanes representing state-of-the-art cutting-edge technology.

HAVE DOUGHNUT THE EVALUATION OF A SOVIET MiG-21 FIGHTER-WARPLANE ACQUIRED THROUGH SURREPTITIOUS MEANS.

"Have Doughnut was the name of a Defense Intelligence Agency [DIA] project whose purpose was to evaluate and exploit a MiG-21 'Fishbed-E' that the United States Air Force acquired in 1967 from Israel. Israel acquired the aircraft as the result of its Operation Diamond"

See the wiki entry for all the details.

"In this multi-service project, Air Force and United States Navy pilots evaluated the MiG-21, re-designated as the 'YF-110', in a variety of situations. The project's name came from the 'doughnut' shaped sight reticle on the F-4 Phantom's canopy used to aim at opposing aircraft. The inability of the Navy to disseminate the results of this highly classified project to combat pilots was part of the impetus to create the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). The HAVE DOUGHNUT tests were conducted at Area 51. A similar project occurred a year later known as HAVE DRILL, which used a MiG-17 Fresco acquired in the same manner."

HAVE DOUGHNUT THE PURPOSE OF WHICH TO: 1. DETERMINE STRONG POINTS OF SOVIET MiG-21. 2. DETERMINE WEAK POINTS OF SOVIET MiG-21. 

ALLOW AMERICAN COMBAT AVIATORS TO DEVELOP AERIAL COMBAT STRATEGIES AND TACTICS TO: 1. COUNTER STRONG POINTS OF MiG-21. 2. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WEAKNESS OF SOVIET MiG-21.

coolbert.

Area 51 I.

This is coolbert:

From darkness into the light?

Here begins a series of blog entries material as gleaned from the graphic history: "Area 51: The Graphic History of America's Most Secret Military Installation" by Dwight Zimmerman; everything you always wanted to know about the famous/infamous [depending on your perspective] Area 51.

TOP SECRET area the Nevada USA desert. USA Government facility as used for the research and development of high-performance technologically advanced cutting-edge aircraft, having an intelligence/reconnaissance role. Area 51 in addition also much more.

1. Area 51.

"Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force (USAF) facility located within the Nevada Test and Training Range . . . Details of the facility's operations are not publicly known, but the USAF says that it is an open training range, and it most likely supports the development and testing of experimental aircraft and weapons systems"

Those most famous aircraft as developed and tested at Area 51 to include:

2. Lockheed U-2.

"The Lockheed U-2, nicknamed 'Dragon Lady' [referred to by the Soviets as the 'Black Lady' of espionage], is an American single-jet engine, ultra-high altitude reconnaissance aircraft operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and previously flown by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It provides day and night, high-altitude (70,000 feet; 21,000 m), all-weather intelligence gathering."

U-2 STILL FLYING [FIRST OPERATIONAL FLIGHT IN 1955] AND PERFORMING YEOMAN DUTY. READ HERE THE LATEST AND GREATEST INCARNATION OF THE U-2.

INTELLIGENCE/SURVEILLANCE/RECONNAISSANCE [ISR] MISSIONS AS ALWAYS THE TASK OF THE U-2 PERFORMED NOBLY.

3. Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird.

"The Lockheed SR-71 'Blackbird' is a long-range, high-altitude, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft that was operated by the United States Air Force. It was developed as a black project from the Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance aircraft in the 1960s by Lockheed and its Skunk Works division."

SR-71 REMOVED FROM SERVICE SOME TIME AGO NOW. VERY EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE, CAPABILITY HOWEVER UNMATCHED EVEN UNTO THIS DAY AND MAYBE NEVER TO BE EXCEEDED BY ANOTHER "AIR-BREATHING" AIRCRAFT.

4. F-117 Nighthawk.

Stealth warplane. Combat mission and not an ISR aircraft.

"The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a retired American single-seat, twin-engine stealth attack aircraft that was developed by Lockheed's secretive Skunk Works division and operated by the United States Air Force (USAF)".

RETIRED BUT BROUGHT BACK INTO SERVICE A LIMITED NUMBER EVIDENTLY. [ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER EVER WERE BUILT]

Consider also other aspects of Area 51.The facility famous/infamous among conspiracy theorists.

5. Lunar Landing Hoax.

"WE NEVER WENT TO THE MOON!"

Read from the wiki the various Lunar Landing Hoax conspiracy theories of which Area 51 normally features prominently.

6. Secret Underground Tunnels.

AN ADDITIONAL AREA 51 AND AREA 52 CONSPIRACY THEORY. UNDERGROUND TUNNEL OF CONTINENTAL DIMENSIONS FROM CALIFORNIA TO OHIO [2,000 miles or 3,200 kilometers]. FACILITATING  THE MOVEMENT OF IMPEDIMENTA AND REMAINS OF EXTRA-TERRESTRIALS.

7. Space Aliens and Unidentified Flying Objects [UFO].

DAMAGED/DISABLED/CRASHED/RECOVERED/BROUGHT-TO-EARTH ALIEN SPACE SHIPS AND THE REMAINS OF OCCUPANTS AS STUDIED AND REVERSE ENGINEERED TO DEVELOP LITERALLY OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD TECHNOLOGY AS USED BY THE AMERICAN MILITARY.

The devoted reader to the blog must take it all from there. To be continued!

coolbert.

Must!

This is coolbert:

Littoral Combat Ships [LCS] U.S. Navy having been found to be a disappointment, the American military now seeking an alternative vessel. As was the subject of a previous blog entry.

Regarding the deficiencies of the LCS, and also discussing MUST requirements for a replacement warship, see this extract from a Strategy Page Internet web site article.

"Winning: Choosing The LCS Replacement"

"As of early 2020, there were four existing frigate designs under consideration as the new FFG(X). Each proposed design must provide the ability to detect enemy ships over the horizon and attack them. That means carrying a helicopter plus UAVs as well as the new Naval Strike Missile. The frigate must be able to detect submarines with onboard sonar plus a sonar equipped helicopter. There must be 32 VLS (Vertical Launch System) cells for anti-aircraft/submarine/ship or land target missiles. There must be active and passive EW (electronic warfare) equipment. The ship must be able to deal with attacks by swarming (multiple) small boats and the ability to do convoy escort to protect transports from submarine or surface ship attack."

"The frigate does not have to be as fast as the LCS, which had a top speed of 80 kilometers an hour. The frigate needs only to do about 45-55 kilometers an hour."

Thanks to You Tube video a FREMM class frigate in action. FREMM as is being serious consideration by the U.S. Navy as a possible replacement for the LCS warships. Look at the number of computer displays, joysticks, mice, etc. 

coolbert.

Blush.

This is coolbert:

Who are you going to believe? And within context of a most recent blog entry.

"blush - - To become red in the face, especially from modesty, embarrassment, or shame; flush. To feel embarrassed or ashamed."

"Syrian Armed Forces Teach '2nd Strongest NATO Army' Painful Lesson In Idlib"

From the outstanding Internet web site South Front this excerpt:

"According to the March 2 remarks by Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, the number of ‘neutralized’ Syrian troops since the start of Operation Spring Shield reached 2,557. This is approximately 350 Syrian soldiers higher than was claimed on March 1. The main question is: 'Does the Turkish defense minister really believe in the numbers that he provides?' It probably would be useful to not make such claims personally. Thus, he would be able to avoid blushing with shame. If the Syrian Army really suffers such casualties in only a few days, Turkish-led forces would easily achieve their declared goal of expelling Syrian troops of southern and eastern Idlib."

That ONLY instance in the five-thousand year recorded history of warfare where claims of damage and casualties as done to the adversary exceeded by actual results the Japanese kamikaze attacks of World War Two.

Minister Hulusi merely repeating what is reported to him without personal verification. That is normal.

coolbert.

Temporary.

This is coolbert:

More from the Russian Internet media outlet Sputnik, American involvement in the Idlib situation apparently to be constrained. The situation however is fluid and we must defer the final word.

"US Will Not Provide Air Support to Turkey in Syria's Idlib"

"On Saturday [29 February], President Trump said the US had been speaking with President Erdogan of Turkey 'a lot' over the situation in Idlib, and confirmed that the two countries were discussing Ankara's request for the temporary deployment of US Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems."

"The United States will not provide air support to Turkey in the war-torn Syrian province of Idlib, Pentagon Chief Mark Esper has said, speaking to reporters in Washington on Monday."

PRESIDENT TRUMP TALKING A LOT TO PRESIDENT ERDOGAN! OH, I BET HE HAS. WORLD WAR THREE MIGHT POSSIBLY BE AT HAND AND MOST OF THE WORLD IS MORE OR LESS OBLIVIOUS. SOMEONE SOMEWHERE I WOULD LIKE TO THINK IS WATCHING THIS ALL CLOSELY AND BITING THEIR NAILS NERVOUSLY.

coolbert.

Beginning.

This is coolbert:

The Sultan in Angora speaks. And all must listen. Consider the seriousness of the situation.

“'We are just beginning to show our true strength to those who see our sensitivity as [the unwillingness] to shed blood, to hurt or [make someone] suffer, or as weakness and timidity,' . . . 'The human and equipment losses of the [Syrian] regime are just the beginning,'” - - Erdogan

Thanks for the material as seen originally at the Russian Internet media outlet Russian Times.

"Soldier and equipment losses for Syrian Army are just the beginning – Erdogan"

"The Syrian Army has allegedly lost over 2,500 troops as well as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in numerous Turkish strikes, but this is 'just the beginning,' as Turkey hasn’t yet shown its 'true strength,' Erdogan warned."

[2,557 soldiers and militia members, 135 tanks as well as dozens of cannons, multiple launch rocket systems, and pickup-mounted anti-aircraft guns]

DAMAGE AS DONE FROM DRONE ATTACK!

coolbert.

Daggers.

This is coolbert:

Threats and counter-threats. Dire warnings. With a NATO dimension. Not good! Naked blade to naked blade.

Russia and Turkey at loggerheads over Syria and the situation in Idlib. Syrian and Turkish military forces engaging with many Turkish soldiers having been killed. Reprisal is not only warranted from the standpoint of the Turk but is now a MUST!

"loggerheads - - plural noun: quarreling, opposed, feuding, at odds, estranged, in dispute, at each other's throats, at daggers drawn, at enmity".

From Freeper once more. And thanks to same.

1. "Russia to Turkey: We cannot guarantee safety of your planes over Syria - TASS".

"MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday that Moscow could not guarantee the safety of Turkish planes flying in Syria after Damascus said it was closing the air space over the Idlib region, the TASS news agency reported. The ministry issued the warning after Turkey shot down two Syrian warplanes over Idlib on Sunday and struck a military airport well beyond its frontlines in a sharp increase of its military operations following the death of dozens of Turkish soldiers last week"

2. "Turkey Announces its Intention to Go to War with Russia".

"Mesut Hakki Casin, a prominent member of Turkey’s Security and Foreign Policy Board, who advises Erdogan, said: 'We have fought Russia 16 times in the past, and we will fight it again.' Casin made his statements following the death of 33 Turkish soldiers who were killed in an airstrike by Russian-backed Syrian forces in Idlib . . . followng a request from Ankara, NATO convened an urgent meeting..."

THE TURK WILL INSIST THIS IS AN ARTICLE FIVE MATTER FOR THE CONSTITUENT MEMBERS OF NATO TO CONSIDER. NATO MUST COME TO THE AID AND ASSISTANCE OF THE TURK AND IS HONOR AND TREATY BOUND TO DO SO. DAGGERS DRAWN. WORLD WAR THREE!!

coolbert.

Balk.

This is coolbert:

Well, this is what I was afraid of. Ink not dry on the agreement as they say and already problems.

Within context of a previous recent blog entry and thanks to Freeper in all instances.

1. "Taliban Ends ‘Peace Deal’ with U.S. After Afghan President Balks".

"The prospects for the peace deal brokered between the United States and the Taliban looked grim less than 24 hours after it was announced, as Afghan President Ashraf Ghani balked at releasing 5,000 Taliban prisoners as specified in the agreement, and the Taliban responded by announcing it would resume 'operations' against the Afghan government. Ghani said on Sunday he has not agreed to release any Taliban prisoners. The peace deal called for 1,000 government security forces held by the Taliban to be released in exchange for 5,000 Taliban fighters imprisoned by the government."

2."Afghan President Rejects Timeline For Prisoner Swap Proposed In US-Taliban Peace Deal"

"Afghanistan's president publicly rejected the timeline for a prisoner swap with the Taliban on Sunday, just one day after the United States signed a peace deal with the militant Islamist group that proposes a March 10 deadline for an exchange of prisoners. The peace deal, more than a year in the making, aims to end the longest war in American history. Signed Saturday in Doha, Qatar, the agreement calls for the full withdrawal of American troops and supporting civilian personnel, including those of its allies, from Afghanistan within 14 months."

I WOULD SUSPECT SOME BIG TIME PRESSURE GOING TO BE APPLIED HERE. PRESIDENT GHANI GOING TO FEEL THE HEAT IF HE ALREADY HASN'T!

coolbert.

Patriot.

This is coolbert:

From the latest edition of the DEBKAfile newsletter and somewhat belatedly the Turkish military preparing for further conflict with Assad Syrian military forces all the while insisting on American protection.

"Turkey asks US to post Patriot missiles against Syrian attacks

21 February.

"In fear of reprisals from the Syrian army, Turkey has asked the US to deploy two Patriot anti-missile batteries on its southern border before ramping up its offensive against Russian-backed Syrian forces in Idlib. A clash with those troops on Thursday [20 February?]  left two Turkish soldiers dead and five wounded in Idlib, raising the number killed in the last three weeks to fifteen. Turkey may use F-16 fighters to strike Syrian units if it had US Patriots protecting its southern border."

Syrian Civil War first fighting between internal Syrian factions. Then the use of proxies of foreign interventionists, and now regional war with an international dimension.

AMERICA BEHOLDEN TO TURKEY AS A CONSTITUENT MEMBER OF THE NATO ALLIANCE? IF THE TURK INSISTS AMERICA MUST COMPLY?

Whatever happened to the proposed deal between the Turk and Russia, the purchase of top-of-the-line S-400 air defense missile system?

See recent previous blog entries [some with additional links] as applicable to the situation:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/02/spiraling.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/02/b-c.html

coolbert.

Deal.

This is coolbert:

If indeed this all be true and works out as hoped for we do have good news.

PEACE IN OUR TIME AFGHAN STYLE!

"US-Taliban deal puts Afghanistan on a path to peace: Khalilzad"

From Afghan Ariana News and thanks to same. And dated only today.

"US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad said that the agreement signed by the US and the Taliban 'puts Afghanistan on a path to peace.'"

A PATH TO PEACE BUT WITH UNDOUBTEDLY GREAT DANGER AND DIFFICULT TASKS AHEAD!

"Khalilzad and Taliban Deputy Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar signed the deal on Saturday in Doha, Qatar, aimed to bring peace in Afghanistan and lead to ending the long-term conflict in the country and the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo witnessed the signing."

Comments:

* Negotiations for a settlement had been proceeding for a number of years now.

* Low-intensity wars of the Afghan variety often solved by negotiations. The rule rather than the exception?

* American military involvement in Afghan eighteen years now. Low-intensity war ar as more or less continual in Afghan for over forty years now!!

WILL THE CENTER HOLD AND AFGHAN PEACE IN OUR TIME PREVAIL. I MUST ADMIT I AM SOMEWHAT SKEPTICAL.

coolbert.

Trident UK.

This is coolbert:

Trident British nuclear deterrent. Rather UK/American Trident deterrent?

Supposed to be SECRET but no longer? Thanks to the Russian Internet media outlet Russian Times:

"UK is the ‘51st state’? Uproar as Britain’s secret deal to buy nuclear warheads from US without Parliament’s consent is revealed"

"Furious Brits have accused their government of being a lapdog for Washington, after it was inadvertently revealed that the UK had quietly inked a nuclear weapons deal with the US, forgoing public debate."

TRIDENT UK NUCLEAR DETERRENT ALWAYS A HOT-BUTTON ITEM AMONG THE BRITISH? NO BE A NUCLEAR-POWER OR NOT BE A NUCLEAR-POWER THE QUESTION?

"The Pentagon recently disclosed that Britain has agreed to purchase new US nuclear warheads to replace Trident, its own homegrown nuclear program. However, the deal came as a surprise to British lawmakers, who were reportedly kept in the dark about the nuclear weapons."

TRIDENT TO THIS POINT THAT BRITISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS SYSTEM THE MISSILE PREVIOUSLY ONLY WHICH AN AMERICAN COMPONENT. SUBMARINE AND WARHEAD OF INDIGENOUS ENGLISH DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE AT LEAST UNTIL NOW. NO LONGER?

See previous blog entry [with many further embedded links] the topic the UK Trident missile firing submarines:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/10/visit-usa.html 

coolbert.