Monday, May 31, 2021

Kargu.

This is coolbert: 

Not Skynet yet, but close.

Thanks to Russian Internet media outlet Russian Times. Combat drones "killers" operating autonomous, without human control. 


"A UN report found that autonomous drones armed with explosive devices may have 'hunted down' fleeing rebel fighters in Libya last year. If true, the report chronicles the world’s first true robot-on-human attack."

TURKISH DRONE UCAV "HUNTING" ADVERSARIES AND SUCCESSFUL. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 

Further this is a Kargu drone.


"KARGU® is a rotary wing attack drone that has been designed for asymmetric warfare or anti-terrorist operations. It can be carried by a single personnel in both autonomous and manual modes."

GO SEE THE EMBEDDED VIDEO. I RECOMMEND HIGHLY WITHOUT QUALIFICATION OR RESERVATION.

The Turk their combat UAV line of product COMBAT TESTED it seems. Indeed, the Turk seems to be a world-leader in such technology. WHO would have thought it?

coolbert.







Sunday, May 30, 2021

FONOP.

This is coolbert:

From the Russian Internet media outlet Russian Times and thanks to same.

HONESTLY, I CANNOT DISAGREE WITH THE RUSSIANS HERE.

"US pursuing 'groundless' territorial dispute in Russia's Far East says top Moscow security chief, months after warship 'incursion'"

"A US warship that crossed Russia’s borders and sparked a diplomatic row was part of American efforts to redraw the country’s borders, one of Moscow’s most senior security officials has said, insisting that the move was unlawful."

"General Vladimir Kulishov, the first deputy director of the FSB and head of its border service, told RIA Novosti that Washington's efforts to challenge Russian sovereignty over the Peter the Great gulf off the Sea of Japan (also called the East Sea) were without foundation."

Click on image to see an enlarged view. Again, honestly, I cannot see that riling the Russians in such a manner is worth it. Almost as if a bully is antagonizing another person just for the sake of doing so.

This is a FONOP. Freedom of Navigation Operation. U.S. Navy their intentions good just the "hustle" is wrong. 

Just my opinion!

coolbert.



Saturday, May 29, 2021

DACT PMC.

This is coolbert:

DACT gone wrong. Dissimilar Air Combat Training. Private Military Contractor.

Even in peacetime the military profession can be very dangerous. PMC quasi-military their task hardly less perilous.

Thanks to the Internet web site The Aviationist.

"Pilot Killed in Draken Mirage F1 Crash Near Nellis AFB"

"Private Contract Threat Simulation Mirage F1 Aircraft Went Down After Take Off Outside Base."

"A Mirage F1 aircraft owned by Draken International crashed just outside Nellis Air Force Base, near Las Vegas, Nevada. One person, the pilot, is reported dead in the accident."

Additionally:

"Earlier this year on February 25, 2021, a two-seat Mirage F1B operated by ATAC crashed at Tyndall AFB in Florida. The aircraft was involved in threat simulation for F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II aircraft. Two crew members were injured in the accident, but there were no fatalities."

See previous prior applicable blog entries PMC DACT enterprises:

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

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

coolbert.




AGA.


This is coolbert:

From Rolling Stone webzine this topic quite often subject of discussion. 

Come hither boys, but beware AGA. Alpha Gun Angels.

"Why Are Israeli Defense Forces Soldiers [Females] Posting Thirst Traps on TikTok?"

"Thirst Trap: A sexy photograph or flirty message posted on social media for the intent of causing others to publicly profess their attraction."

"Israeli soldiers — and the military itself — are trying to influence the Middle East narrative with sexy social media posts"

"With her long, lush blond hair, almond-shaped blue eyes, and expertly manicured brows, influencer Natalia Fadeev bears a striking resemblance to model Gigi Hadid. On TikTok, where she’s racked up nearly a million followers, she’s mastered the art of the coquettish facial expression, balancing it with angles that show off her rear end. She’s cultivated a brand as an Airsoft shooting game enthusiast, maintaining a separate Instagram account under the handle @gunwaifu sponsored by a tactical gear store, and she regularly posts catgirl videos and kawaii (a Japanese-inspired cutesy aesthetic) cosplay on her TikTok page."

"coquette :noun 1: a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men"

"In addition to being well-versed in the art of monetizing her personal brand, Fadeev is a reservist in the Israel Defense Forces, and much of her page is devoted to pro-Israeli military content"

BOYS, BEWARE THE NATALIA. DOWNLOAD HER IMAGES TO YOUR SMART PHONE AND YOU ARE LIABLE TO ALSO RECEIVE SURREPTITIOUS MALWARE THAT WILL ALLOW REMOTE PARTIES TO SPY ON YOU.

See previous blog entries [with many additional embedded links] as relevant:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/01/apps.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/12/whatsapp.html

coolbert.




Friday, May 28, 2021

Natori-Ryu


This is  coolbert:

Without further ado and hardly any comment devoted readers to the blog are strongly encouraged to view the two embedded videos. 

Thanks to the Internet web site aeon.co

"A samurai rulebook offers guidance on how to kill enemies and refrain from gossip"

"From the 10th century till their abolition in the 1870s, samurai were a class of Japanese military nobility who inherited lives as warrior protectorates (bushi) for feudal lords, and had a notoriously strict and intricate honour code. This video from the YouTube channel Voices of the Past explores two scrolls from the famed samurai school Natori-Ryu’s 17th-century rulebook. The first scroll has codes of conduct for peacetime, with guidance ranging from the universal, such as the pitfalls of talking behind someone’s back, to the extremely samurai-specific, such as keeping a home garden that doesn’t leave you vulnerable to enemy attack. The second scroll lays out the rules of engagement in wartime "

The Japanese civilization having produced military men without a contradiction of sword and pen in harmony. Popular pursuits of the samurai to include flower arranging, zen meditation, poetry and brush stroke calligraphy.

coolbert.





Thursday, May 27, 2021

Starvation.

This is coolbert:

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

"America Experimented on Conscientious Objectors During World War II"

"Researchers injected volunteers with diseases and starved them in the name of science"

Conscientious Objectors [CO's] during the Second World War contributing to the war effort by allowing [quite voluntarily] their bodies to be used for medical experimentation. And I emphasize quite voluntarily! Human guinea pigs and knowing all the while what was occurring to them.

"During that time the subjects participated in a 12-week control period where they consumed a balanced diet totaling 3,492 calories a day, a 24-week semi-starvation period during which they consumed 1,570 calories a day, and a 12-week restricted rehabilitation period during which they consumed an average of 2,449 calories per day."

Contrast with the previous image these two men victims of the Japanese during World War Two [WW2]. I might think these two persons rather older and having their life expectancy severely shortened as a result of their mistreatment.

Research of this type the goal of which was to: 1. Determine what actually occurs to the entire human body as afflicted by starvation of the extreme  sort. 2. Formulate remedies to rehabilitate a person suffering from extreme starvation [and it is not just feed them a lot of food].

Experimentation on human subjects OK if done in a voluntary manner and the participants fully aware of what is being done to them? This is ethically debated?

coolbert.





Prize.

This is coolbert:

Thanks here to the Internet web site English Russia for the articles and images.

Captured Islamic State [ISIL] war munitions, expedient and modified.

Prizes of war on display. Munitions and ordnance both battlefield trophies of the Russian military.

1. "Trophy ISIS Armored Vehicles Now Traveling Thru Russia [7 photos]"

2. "Examples of ISIS Artillery on Display in Moscow"

3. "ISIS Armored Vehicles Captured During Battle for Oil Fields in Syria on Expo in Moscow"

4. "Hand Grenade Launchers of Syrian Militants on Display in Russia"

5. "Russia Army Shows Syrian Militants Shot Down drones"

Devoted readers to the blog please enjoy, one and all.

coolbert.



Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Beagle Jr.


This is coolbert:

Also the American military man behaving badly. The cure however perhaps worse than the illness?

Basic trainees no longer [for a time perhaps] will be issued and have to carry the basic combat rifle.

"Fort Jackson Pauses Giving Trainees Guns After School Bus Hijacking"

"COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The nation's largest Army basic training base will halt its weapons immersion training after a trainee escaped last week and hijacked a school bus with an unloaded weapon, a Fort Jackson spokesperson announced Thursday afternoon."

Trainee now "escaping" but rather AWOL [absent without leave].Taking his M4 weapon with him. UNLOADED. And hijacking a school bus [empty or otherwise a further serious offense].

The army response rather draconian. NO weapons issued to trainees during basic training? Until the issue can be resolved. However that can be.

Well, at least the soldier did not shoot some drill instructors at the rifle range. We can be glad for that.

coolbert.




Mutiny.

This is coolbert:

The Canadian military man again behaving badly? How so much of this has become possible?

From the Ottawa Citizen and the article by David Pugliese. 

"Soldier who called on troops to refuse vaccine distribution faces mutiny related charge"

"A soldier who called on his fellow military personnel to refuse helping with the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines has been charged with an offence related to mutiny."

NOT REFUSE THE VACCINE ITSELF BUT STOP AIDING IN THE DI8TRIBUTION OF THE VACCINE!

"It’s believed to be the first time in decades that the Canadian military has laid such a charge."

THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES! WELL, I AM GLAD FOR THAT. MUTINY OF COURSE NORMALLY DEFINED AS A COLLECTIVE DISOBEDIENCE TO ORDERS!!

I'm afraid this fellow has gotten himself into some trouble he later might greatly regret. Too late now.

coolbert.







Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Gunner.


This is coolbert:

Yet once more Canadian military personnel behaving badly.

"Canadian soldier charged with feeding cannabis cupcakes to artillery unit during live-fire exercise"

From CTV News ^ | May 20, 2021 | Todd Coyne and the tip as seen at Freeper.

"VICTORIA -- A Canadian army gunner is facing more than a dozen charges after she allegedly served cannabis-laced cupcakes to her unsuspecting artillery unit during a live-fire exercise."

"Court documents allege a sudden onset of paranoia, fatigue and confusion among the troops who ate the cupcakes, unaware of their psychoactive contents."

"'Several affected members were allegedly unable to properly execute safe weapons and explosive handling drills,' according to a military judge’s summary of the charges."

THERE IT IS THE NUTSHELL. ARTILLERY TROOPS UNABLE TO FUNCTION PROPERLY DURING LIVE-FIRE DRILLS. ENDANGERING EVERYONE. VERY SERIOUS CHARGES.

Magic brownies and magic cupcakes. OH, the shame. Canadians are generally thought to be such nice people and they are. 

coolbert.




Monday, May 24, 2021

Facebook TIA.


This is coolbert:

First here was TIA. Then there was Facebook? Before there was Zuckerberg there was Poindexter?

TIA = Total Information Awareness!

Data mining courtesy Facebook? USA government does the end-run?

"The Military Origins of Facebook"

"Facebook’s growing role in the ever-expanding surveillance and 'pre-crime' apparatus of the national security state demands new scrutiny of the company’s origins and its products as they relate to a former, controversial DARPA-run surveillance program that was essentially analogous to what is currently the world’s largest social network."

That "controversial DARPA program Total Information Awareness [TIA]. Abandoned as too controversial.

WHEN TIA DIED FACEBOOKWAS BORN? CONSIDER:

"On February 4, 2004, what is now the world’s largest social network, Facebook, launched its website and quickly rose to the top of the social media roost, leaving other social media companies of the era in the dust."

TIA as originally conceived as a response to 9/11 and WTC. Data mining and computer algorithms which would allow a group of two dozen terrorists to be picked out and identified from among the residents of a city with a population of a million persons. Given enough data this COULD BE DONE!

Where Poindexter failed,  Zuckerberg did not?

coolbet.




Sunday, May 23, 2021

Aggressor II.

This is coolbert:

Conclusion!

Once again from The Drive and the article by TYLER ROGOWAY the subject the PMC [Private Military Contractor] "aggressor" squadron. Mission DACT training. Dissimilar Air Combat Training. TOP ACES take to the skies.

American F-16 air superiority/air supremacy fighter plane the warplane of choice.

"The First Privately Owned F-16 Aggressor Jet Has Taken To The Sky"

"It also marks the first time a private adversary support company has flown a 4th generation fighter of any kind."

"In a follow-up to our big piece on Top Aces' recently acquired fleet of second-hand F-16A/B 'Netz' fighters from Israel, the company has now taken one of these jets aloft for the first time. This also marks the first time a 4th generation fighter of any kind has been flown by a private adversary support firm."

TWENTY-NINE WARPLANES EVENTUALLY WILL TAKE TO THE AIR AS FLOWN BY TOP ACES PMC. A LARGER FORCE THAT THE ENTIRE INVENTORY OF COMBAT AIRCRAFT OF MANY SELF-RESPECTING MEDIUM-SIZED NATIONS IN THE WORLD!

See previous blog entries the PMC DACT business:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/03/air-usa.html

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

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

coolbert.




Aggressor I.

This is coolbert:

Learjets? Learjets as an aggressor for aerial combat warfare training? Lear jets?

Thanks to The Drive and the article by THOMAS NEWDICK AND TYLER ROGOWAY.

"Here’s Why Aggressor Learjets Were Making Mock Attack Runs Towards Philly Last Night"

"The late-night exercise would have put the Navy's 'Cornfield Cruiser' through its paces."

It looks like contractor-operated Learjet 35 aggressor jets were putting the latest iteration of the U.S. Navy’s cutting-edge Aegis air defense system to the test last night, with a series of flights directed against the USS Rancocas, also known as 'The Cornfield Cruiser,' a unique ship-like laboratory located in New Jersey, around 20 miles outside of Philadelphia.

Learjet 35 "aggressor jets in a simulated attack the USS Rancocas the target. Rancocas not really a WARSHIP. A building with radars a-bristling as might be found on an American naval cruiser. Test those radars against a "simulated" enemy attack.

Learjet attack courtesy the American Private Military Contractor [PMC] Phoenix Air. See the Phoenix Air web site with special attention to military operations.

LEARJET 35 IN VARIANTS ALREADY A MILITARY AIRCRAFT WITH A VARIETY OF PURPOSES.

coolbert.





Saturday, May 22, 2021

Lecointre.


This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site Blazing Cat Fur and with a very slight editing the French top military command again speaks.

"‘We Must Not Allow Ourselves To Be Drawn Into US-China Confrontation’ – France’s Chief Of Defense Staff"

"A top French military official has said that while it will be difficult for the EU to forge a 'common political identity,' Europe must not be forced to choose sides in the rivalry between the US and China."

"In an interview with Le Figaro, the chief of the defense staff, Army General Francois Lecointre, spoke about the dangers coming from powers that “challenge the stability and international law,” in particular, Russia, China, and Iran."

“'We are heading towards a reorganization of the world order that is structured around the competition between the United States and China,' the general said, adding that every nation 'will be called upon to choose sides.'”

AND IF CHINA PREVAILS AND RULES THE NEW WORLD ORDER JUST REMEMBER TO OBEY TREMBLE-ING-LY AND QUICKLY TOO.

coolbert.




Thursday, May 20, 2021

Karlsruhe.

This is coolbert:

Once again devoted readers to the blog the topic the long-lost Amber Room, missing treasure from the era of the Second World War the game is afoot, divers are ready, treasure will be [??] found.

Thanks to the English tabloid the Daily Mail and the tip from Freeper.

"Hunt for lost artwork from legendary Amber Room is set to begin as divers prepare to search sunken Nazi warship: Photos show vessel was carrying unidentified artwork and possible museum artefacts"

"Divers hunting for lost artwork from the legendary Amber Room looted by the Nazis are to begin searching a WWII shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea after photos revealed unidentified paintings and possible artefacts."

"The 12-man team from the Baltictech diving group will spend 10 days off the coast of Gdansk, Poland, at the end of May at the site where the German steamer Karlsruhe was sank by a Royal Navy submarine in 1945."

That "German steamer Karlsruhe" participating in Operation Hannibal and sunk by a British submarine. British submarines operating in the Baltic at the very end of WW2? 

MIGHT THERE NOT BE IN THE ARCHIVES SOME ULTRA DECRYPTS OF HANNIBAL AND CARGO AS STOWED ON THE VARIOUS "GERMAN STEAMERS"?

See previous blog entries [with some further embedded links] the topic the Amber Room:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/06/priceless.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/06/amber.html

coolbert.




Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Thorne

This is coolbert:

Came across this one quite by accident. Even to an extent surprised that such a film even distributed for public consumption.

From that era of the Cold War, an American Special Forces A team in training. Green Berets their mission to wage unconventional warfare in Soviet occupied Europe. I recommend highly the video without qualification or reservation.


More importantly the apparent unit commander the famous [at least within American special operations circles an almost legendary personality] Larry Thorne. Born Lauri Allan Törni. A Finnish national who had actually fought the Red Army as a partisan during World War Two. 

Larry unfortunately meeting his demise [after years of distinguished service] in Vietnam. His body only relatively recently found, identified and repatriated to the USA for burial at Arlington Cemetery.

coolbert.




Pounds.

This is coolbert:

The British army had just won the war.

And with what you ask.

The British Ministry of Defense [MoD] not so keen after all on totally removing from the inventory all heavy armor units [main battle tanks].

Challenger tanks to be upgraded and refurbished. A slightly greater than regimental sized contingent no less. Challenger lives.

"UK Military Spends £800 mln [million pounds] on More Than a Hundred Challenger 3 Tanks"

"According to the UK Defence Ministry, the vehicle will be the UK's first fully-digitised tank."

"The British Defence Ministry has awarded the Anglo-German military vehicle production joint venture Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land an £800 million ($1 billion) contract to supply the Army with 148 upgraded tanks."

"The vehicles will be produced at the company’s plant in Telford, Shropshire, however, it would be an upgrade of an existing Challenger 2 main battle tank, rather than production from scratch."

The Desert Rats live! See previous pertinent blog entries:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/08/this-is-coolbert-7th-armored-gone.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/07/decoy.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/11/ajax.html

coolbert.






Monday, May 17, 2021

Eighteen.

This is coolbert:

Fall out! Active duty French military personnel under threat. Once more the open letter to the government warning of great danger. Action to be taken by the French civilian elected authority. From Russian media outlet Russian Times.

"18 French active-duty servicemen to face MILITARY COURT over open letter blasting ‘Islamist hordes’ & looming ‘civil war’"

"Eighteen French servicemen, who have been identified as signatories of a letter warning President Emmanuel Macron about a looming 'civil war,' will come before a military court, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff said."

Each of the identified soldiers and officers would appear before a higher military council, the Armed Forces Chief of Staff, General Francois Lecointre, told Le Parisien. All of them would be subjected to 'disciplinary sanctions,' with the harsher ones reserved for the most senior ranks, he added."

HARSH PENALTIES IN THE OFFING? HARDLY A RESPONSE TO FURTHER UNITY AND HARMONY IN THE RANKS.

See previous blog entry the French military officer elite speak:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/04/this-is-coolbert-turk-does-it.html

coolbert.





Open.

This is coolbert:

"We are retired military leaders who pledged to support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.  Although retired from active service, each of us feels bound by that oath to do what we can, in our capacity today, to protect our nation from the threats to her freedom."

 The Turk does it. The French do it. Now the Americans do it too. An open letter as signed by a large number of RETIRED senior American military officers.

The nation in peril. Something must be done. Thanks to the tip from the Bayou Renaissance Man.

"Retired General and Flag Officers speak out"

"Over three hundred retired General and Flag Officers of the US armed forces have jointly signed an open letter, calling on Americans to do something about the extraordinary situation in which this country finds itself."

Further as extracted:

"Under a Democrat Congress and the Current Administration, our Country has taken a hard left turn toward Socialism and a Marxist form of tyrannical government which must be countered now by electing congressional and presidential candidates who will always act to defend our Constitutional Republic. The survival of our Nation and its cherished freedoms, liberty, and historic values are at stake."

Devoted readers to the blog will want to read the entire text of the open letter and are encouraged to do so.

I pass judgement neither yea or nay. Merely my observation that such an action as the signed open letter has occurred is not a good sign.

coolbert.




Tuesday, May 11, 2021

VX Nerve.

This is coolbert:

From Iranian Internet media PressTV and thanks to same.

Yeoman work nearly complete and with good results. A very long and arduous process coming to fruition.

Destruction of deadly stockpiled nerve gas continues for the betterment of all mankind.

"US military to destroy last batch of missiles carrying deadly VX nerve agent"

"The United State military has revealed that its last batch of stockpiled missiles armed with highly lethal VX nerve agent outlawed by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) had been delivered for destruction."

"According to news released by the US Army Chemical Materials Activity media, the US military delivered the last batch of the stockpiled 155mm projectiles carrying VX nerve agent for destruction this week."

A long and arduous process to destroy chemical munitions indeed. Ongoing and for decades now.

Nerve agents such as VX the most deadly and the destruction process complicated and time-consuming.

INDEED THOSE CHEMISTS AND WEAPONS EXPERTS THAT ORIGINALLY DEVELOPED THE VARIOUS CHEMICAL MUNITIONS HAD NOT GIVEN ONE SLIGHT CONSIDERATION AS TO HOW THE AGENTS WERE TO BE DISPOSED OF IF NOT USED IN COMBAT.

coolbert.




Kiribati II.

This is coolbert:

"Always ... and I mean ALWAYS ... get ye to a chart ... better yet, a globe."

From Commander Salamander and refer to my most recent blog entry.

"Why Kiribati and Kanton Matter"

"China is working with the tiny Pacific island state of Kiribati to explore the feasibility of improving an airstrip on one of its remote islands, China’s foreign ministry said late Friday."

"Reuters reported on Wednesday, citing Kiribati lawmakers, that China has drawn up plans to upgrade an airstrip and bridge on the tiny island of Kanton (also spelled Canton), a coral atoll strategically located midway between Asia and the Americas."

"This is just part of a pattern of China using a combination of economic promise to the poor, a little graft to grease the skids, and you have all sorts of access from the small Pacific Islands, long suffering African republics, European mercantilists, and DC thinktanks."

I highly suggest all devoted readers to the blog read the entire Commander article. And break out that chart and globe one and all. Instantly. Global power machination on display.

Devoted readers to the blog will instantly understand that the first American ground offensive action in the Pacific during the Second World War was in response to the Japanese building airbases that threatened Lines of Communication [LoC] between the United States and Pacific allies New Zealand and Australia.

That you for the timely Commander web site entry. I and my readers are all indebted.

coolbert.




Monday, May 10, 2021

Bermuda.


This is coolbert:

Hardly this is the Bermuda Triangle. Or is it? 

Once more from the Internet web site The Drive and the article by THOMAS NEWDICK.

"Navy Maritime Patrol Planes Flying From Cold War Base In Bermuda For First Time In Decades"

"The ballooning presence of Russian submarines and new interest in the region from China has made the Navy up its maritime patrol game in the Atlantic."

"Bermuda, the British island territory in the North Atlantic best known for its pink sandy beaches, has a U.S. Navy maritime patrol aircraft presence for the first time in a quarter-century. This comes as the service looks to counter an increased level of Russian submarine activity in the region."

Anyone care to venture a guess if this a NATO mission of part of bi-lateral security agreement between the USA and the United Kingdom?

Poseidon reigns supreme! American naval aviation first with Orion now with the sea-god. "Myth! So says I'm myth?"

coolbert.





Canton.


This is coolbert:

Forget [?] merely the South China Sea. China wants it all. Oceanic domination. China moves east?

From the Internet web site the Drive and the article BY THOMAS NEWDICK AND JOSEPH TREVITHICK 

"China Wants To Revive A Strategically Located Airfield Deep In The Pacific: Report"

"The airstrip in the country of Kiribati is positioned just 1,800 miles from Hawaii, which isn't that far in terms of the distances in the Pacific."

"The Chinese government reportedly has plans to refurbish and expand an airstrip on the island of Kanton, also spelled Canton, part of the archipelago nation of Kiribati in the central Pacific Ocean. If true, this could give Beijing an airbase in an incredibly strategical location, between North America and New Zealand, potentially giving China's military much greater reach throughout a critical and increasingly tense region."

RECALL THOSE FOUR ELEMENTS OF USA VICTORY IN WORLD WAR TWO TO INCLUDE AVIATION AND BULLDOZERS. AIRSTRIPS HACKED OUT OF CORAL ROCK SMIDGEN-TYPE ATOLLS VITAL TO THE WAR EFFORT.

War tends to constitute a geography lesson for Americans. Go point to Kiribati if you don't think so.

But you need Construction Battalions [CB's]. Does the Chinese have those at the ready?

coolbert.




Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Funerary.


This is coolbert:

All thanks to the Internet web site of Archbishop Cranmer. His 
Grace is most beneficent and I am strongly appreciative.

Yet one more venture into the land of woke, critical race theory, anti-colonialism as is now so vogue. A venture with a definite military dimension.

"David Lammy and the anti-Empire racism of religious illiteracy"

"When it transpired recently that thousands of black and Asian soldiers who died fighting for the British Empire had been ‘unequally’ commemorated in death, the absence of headstones and other memorials to their service was swiftly attributed to 'pervasive racism' and the evils of the British Empire"

AS IS ALLEGED THE LACK OF TOMBSTONES FOR THOSE IMPERIAL TROOPS HAVING FALLEN DURING THE GREAT WAR [WW1] ATTRIBUTED TO RACISM OF THE WORST POSSIBLE SORT!

Now for the rest of the story:

Sir: "The storm over Commonwealth war graves misses the point that contribution of colonial troops is deliberately ignored by post-colonial regimes in their home countries. It has been forgotten that those colonial troops were not conscripts, as in Britain, but professional soldiers who volunteered to serve the British Empire."

"The focus on headstones wrongly labels as institutional racism what were often reasonable assumptions about diverse funerary customs. Individual headstones were a Christian practice, completely alien to the Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims who made up the huge British Indian Army, which accounted for the vast majority of colonial war dead. Hindus and Sikhs insist on cremation, with ashes scattered, while Muslims only give tombstone to grandees. You would be hard pressed to find individual headstones to the dead of those communities anywhere in Indian or Pakistan today. What you would find is collective amnesia about their defense of empire in two world wars"  Dr. Zareer Masani.

"Graves 'apartheid'"

Sir: "David Olusoga's description of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as guilty of 'apartheid' is simplistic and unhistorical. Had their been an established custom of commemorating war dead from which non-white soldiers were deliberately excluded, then he might have had a point. But there was not. Before the First World War it was normal for regimental memorials only to list offices by name, the number of other ranks killed was simply tacked on at the end. When the idea of individual graves for the dead of the First World War was proposed it was denounced as a cruel state takeover of the primate process of mourning, many families objected to their loved ones being abroad under a uniform design of headstone. Given the controversy it aroused in Britain, where burial was at least the normal, it is not surprising that there was little enthusiasm for enforcing it on soldiers from cultures with very different funerary traditions."

"It is certainly true that the enormous contribution made by Empire and Commonwealth troops to the Great War has been over looked, and Professor Olusoga has played an important part in rectifying that, but to throw such wild accusations does the cause of historical objectivity and harmonious community relations no service."   Dr. Sean Lang.

There you have it. Headstones for troops killed in the Great War a Christian custom alien to the cultures of the Indian sub-continent. British Indian Army soldiers their burial rituals different, tombstones not lacking because of some overwhelming and pervasive racism.

coolbert.






Monday, May 3, 2021

Elizabeth II.

This is coolbert:

Found this image the initial operational deployment of the British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth [QE].

Not like anything else that has been in over one hundred years?

North Sea to Sea of Japan and then homeward bound. A very intensive first operational mission.

Click on image to see an expanded view. Half way around the world and then return presumably by the same route. Impressive.

To an extent the course of the QE reminds of another naval contingent at a different time in history:

Think: "Voyage of the Baltic Fleet, (1904-1905)".

As usual click on image to see an enlarged view. The Russian Baltic fleet in 1905 during the Russo-Japanese War. The main body sailing around the southern tip of Africa, a secondary contingent more or less following the same course as will be the QE. One historian referring to the Russian naval forces as the "Fleet That Had to Die". QE and attending naval vessels in a deliberate manner note avoiding the Taiwan Strait obviously for diplomatic reasons not to rile the Chinese.

Hardly do I expect the Queen Elizabeth and escorting warships to meet the same fate as the Russians at Tsushima. Hardly.

coolbert.





Saturday, May 1, 2021

Incirlik II.

This is coolbert:

HEY, I thought that was all settled and done.

American nuclear weapons stationed in Turkey to be used if needed as part of NATO mission removed and gone.

This is not so? Thanks to Freeper for the tip.

"Turkey President Erdogan – Claims All US Nukes On Incirlik Base Belongs To Turkey"

"A statement issued by the Turkish Ministry of Defense regarding the ownership of the Incirlik base and all the weapons systems at its disposal!"

"The announcement came as a blow because US Pentagon officials themselves did not expect any Turkish moves or statements involving the Incirlik base."

Previously about fifty atomic munitions were said to be stored at the Incirlik Air Force Base. YET 1/3 still remain? NONE of this sounds any good to me.

See previous blog entries with further embedded links as germane to the topic:

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

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/10/action.html

coolbert.