RSN.

This is coolbert:

"It [Singapore] is next to the Straits of Malacca, the most heavily used shipping channel in the world and vital to the Chinese economy."

RSN = Republic of Singapore Navy. 

South China Sea. Singapore enters the fray! FONOP! From Strategy Page and thanks to same.

"Forces: Singapore Confronts China"

"August 30, 2021: Singapore recently took part in a very visible confrontation with China. In late July there was a major international FONOP (freedom of navigation operations) in the South China Sea to confirm international access and defy Chinese claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea and control over who enters these waters."

"The late July FONOP was carried out by a carrier task force led by the new British carrier Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by seven other ships, including an American destroyer and frigates from the Netherlands, Britain and Singapore. There were also two other Singapore Navy ships; an amphibious assault vessel and an offshore patrol vessel."

Malacca vital to the Chinese economy but also for the economies of Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea. Of most vital importance the shipping of Middle Eastern OIL!

See previous blog entries the topic FONOP South China Sea:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/08/alliance.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/07/permanent.html

coolbert.

ADIZ II.

This is coolbert:

ADIZ = Air Defense Identification Zone.

Thanks to G2mil, Carlton Meyer.

Exaggeration, USA media? Can it be so? Intruder bandit aircraft?

"I [G2mil] frequently see news stories about China's aggressive behavior. A common story is about Chinese aircraft entering Taiwan's Air Defense Identification Zone. This suggests Chinese aircraft cross into Taiwanese airspace less than 12 miles from its coastline, but they don't come near Taiwan. This zone is an area designated by Generals where foreign military aircraft are tracked. Taiwan's zone extends into mainland China! News organizations must know this, but some are required to constantly release Pentagon propaganda."

"An air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of civil aircraft is performed in the interest of national security. They may extend beyond a country's territory to give the country more time to respond to possibly hostile aircraft. The concept of an ADIZ is not defined in any international treaty and is not regulated by any international body."

"Aggressive behavior" on the part of mainland Chinese Communist military aviation highly exaggerated. Unscheduled aircraft flying in the Taiwanese ADIZ and failing to identify themselves not really a threat to Taipei. Chinese military aviation on normal routine flights within their own airspace hardly can be considered to be "intruders" and representing a threat to the Taiwanese. Click in image to see an enlarged view.

G2mil his observations often quite acerbic and iconoclastic but often valid and cannot be ignored. Thank you G2mil.

coolbert.

Confirmed.

This is coolbert:

Confirmed! Thousands?

Courtesy Breitbart.

Islamic State Khorasan [ISKP] active in Afghan and having perpetrated the suicide bombing at Kabul airport the Taliban have released as alleged "thousands" of ISIP prisoners as previously captured.

"Pentagon Confirms ‘Thousands’ of Islamic State Prisoners Released by Taliban"

"Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed Friday that 'thousands' of Islamic State prisoners were freed after the United States handed over bases to the Afghan government."

"The freeing of thousands of Islamic State prisoners is under scrutiny after an Islamic State suicide attacker killed 13 American service members and a number of Afghan and other nations’ civilians at a gate at the Hamid Karzai International Airport on Thursday."

Taliban a predominantly Pushtun ethnic movement. ISKP more of an international terrorist organization in contrast. Goals between the two groups differ. The Afghan highly against any foreign presence. Fighting of a very significant nature must have been occurring and for a long time that so many ISKP prisoner in captivity.

See previous blog entry, covert American airstrikes IN SUPPORT OF THE TALIBAN perhaps not such a rare occurrence.

coolbert.

Comte.

This is coolbert:

Success or die? Failure is not an option?

Military loss or defeat in revolutionary regimes often meaning for the commander the death penalty.

 "1793: Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine"

"The best defense would have been a good offense for French General Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine — guillotined in Paris this date [August 28] in 1793 for inadequacy in command of the French revolutionary armies fighting continental monarchist armies."

"You must be this tall to go on the General Moustache* ride, and poor results in the field at this time could leave you shorter. Losing to the enemy looked an awful lot like conspiring with the enemy, especially when there was a 'Comte' in your name."

Consider also from a much more recent period those Soviet military commanders their "inadequacy" also resulting in the death penalty.

"1941 Red Army Purge"

"Between October 1940 and February 1942, in spite of the ongoing German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Red Army, in particular the Soviet Air Force, as well as Soviet military-related industries were subjected to purges by Stalin"

Purges of the Red Army PRIOR to WW2 I was familiar with. Those most senior military commanders many hundreds of them subjected to mock trials and executed with all due speed as the saying goes.

See previous blog entry, Red Army tank men abandoning their vehicles because of "breakdown" suspected by Stalin of  "wrecking", deliberate sabotage to avoid battle.

Being a revolutionary often can be a bitch! And be prepared for it.

coolbert.

CRAF.

This is coolbert:

CRAF =  CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET.

American commercial aircraft activated for a wartime mission.

It seems I was wrong. CRAF has been used previously. 

From the Webzine of the Coffee or Die Internet website courtesy the article by Matt Fratus.

"A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET"

"For just the third time in history, passenger airliners from several major American airlines have been activated to help carry out an emergency airborne evacuation — this time, to help American citizens, Afghan partner forces, and Afghan refugees escaping from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. "

Previous instances of CRAF activation to include and now additionally Afghan:

* 2001. Iraq War I.

* 2003. Iraq War II.

*  2021. Afghanistan.

AMERICAN CRAF AIRLINERS WILL NOT FLY INTO THE COMBAT ZONE OF KABUL OR AFGHAN. 

Pilots the preponderance either ex-military or reservists/National Guard aviators in some capacity. Very adept airmen, pilots with A LOT of experience.

Nonetheless, as I previously mentioned, the mere activation of CRAF surely is an indication of a desperate situation the amelioration of which cannot be accomplished with using assets on had.

coolbert.

Dunkirk.

This is coolbert:

Noble and just. That is what I say.

Yet another "Pineapple" mission Afghan. This one deemed digital Dunkirk.

From the Daily Mail English tabloid and thanks to same.

"US Army veterans are using satellite maps to spot Taliban checkpoints and guide Afghan interpreters they used to work with through safe routes to Kabul airport"

* "A group led by veterans is working to help Afghan interpreters who served as U.S. allies during the war evacuate the nation safely amid the Taliban's takeover"

Real-time intelligence as provided to those hoping to flee Afghan and evade the Taliban. Satellite images, commercial, gleaned by "amateurs" but perhaps more than amateurs.

See previous blog entry as germane.

Consider this comment to the Daily Mail article:

"speedking, gloucester, 4 days ago

Well it's a good job the Taliban don't get online to read anything. No wait, maybe they do."

CORRECT. THIS SHOULD HAVE ALL BEEN KEPT SECRET.

coolbert.

Panjshir.

This is coolbert:

"It ain't over until it's over."

Just as you thought the dust was finally settling the Afghan situation is again roiled.

From the Internet web site Soldier of Fortune and thanks to same.

As it has been in Afghan in the past so shall it be once more? No one ethnicity in Afghan ever able to completely dominate! Taliban beware. Note even a breather and a new conflict begins?

1. "The Resistance to the Taliban in On, as the 'lion of the Panjshir’s ' son mobilizes resistance"

"The Taliban are dispatching hundreds of fighters to the Panjshir Valley, 150 kilometers [93 miles] north of the Afghan capital, Kabul, to try to stamp out an emerging resistance movement led by the son of a warlord who defied them the last time they ruled Afghanistan 20 years ago."

As goes Masood [father] so goes Masood [son]? Enemies and in opposition to the Taliban. We shall see.

2. "Dostum, the Afghan Warlord Who Led US Special Forces to Topple the Taliban Regime is back?"

Dostum and Masood both Tajik ethnics. Not Pashtun as are the Taliban. Rivals. Another Northern Alliance allied with the USA forming as was in the days of September 2001?

Don't expect American aid and assistance to Masood [the son] and Dostum? Too much water over the dam so to speak for WASH DC? No more Afghan!

coolbert.

Malice.

 This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site Bayou Renaissance Man and thanks to same.

The more you know the worse it gets. Afghan.

"This can't just be stupidity - it's too stupid for that. There HAS to be actual malice involved."

 "I [Bayou Renaissance Man] was utterly flabbergasted to read this report yesterday"

"U.S. officials in Kabul gave the Taliban a list of names of American citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies to grant entry into the militant-controlled outer perimeter of the city’s airport, a choice that's prompted outrage behind the scenes from lawmakers and military officials."

"The move, detailed to POLITICO by three U.S. and congressional officials, was designed to expedite the evacuation of tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan as chaos erupted in Afghanistan’s capital city last week after the Taliban seized control of the country."

In conclusion the observation of Bayou Renaissance Man:

"This is so incredible, so absolutely, sickeningly incompetent, that I don't believe it can be incompetence alone.  There HAS to have been actual malice involved"

MALICE? YOU THE DEVOTED READERS TO THE BLOG DECIDE FOR YOURSELVES!

coolbert.

Gear.

This is coolbert:

LET NO ONE EVER SAY THE U.S. GOVERNMENT DID NOT PROPERLY EQUIP THE AFGHAN NATIONAL ARMY [ANA] TO FIGHT. HARDLY. GEAR AS PROVIDED THE QUANTITY JUST EXTRAORDINARY.

From a variety of sources:

1. "Here’s all the US military equipment that likely ended up in Taliban hands"

"A windfall for the Taliban."

"windfall noun: 2: an unexpected, unearned, or sudden gain or advantage"

2 "The Taliban is flaunting captured U.S. weapons that may be worth billions. Can it use them?"

3. "As the Taliban swept into power across Afghanistan, it captured many millions, perhaps billions, of dollars worth of U.S. military equipment that had once belonged to Afghan forces."

4. "Taliban Got Huge Amount of Weapons, Including Over 100 MANPADS: Russian Defense Minister"

"MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Taliban* got a huge amount of weapons after taking over Afghanistan, including more than a hundred man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS), and this poses a threat, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday."

5. "UPDATE: Biden’s Gift to Taliban Included 110 Helicopters, 20 Light Attack Airplanes, 42,000 Light Attack Vehicles, 25,000 Grenade Launchers"

MANPADS those pea-shooter shoulder-fired, one-man anti-aircraft missiles. Probably of the Stinger variety. Deadly and possibly now in the hands of the highest-bidder terrorist group. If not now soon will be.

coolbert.

Pineapple

This is coolbert:

As of today and as seen at the Internet web site Isegoria.net

American special operations personnel with experience in Afghan enter the fray and in an UNOFFICIAL capacity.

Rescue Afghan comrades-at-arms in grave danger. Working in tandem with the American military but again UNOFFICIALLY without full 100 % authorization of the U.S. government.

This is the "Pineapple Express" as deemed.

"This Herculean effort couldn’t have been done without the unofficial heroes inside the airfield who defied their orders"

"An all-volunteer group of American veterans launched a mission on Wednesday night — dubbed the 'Pineapple Express' — to shepherd hundreds of at-risk Afghan elite forces and their families to safety".

Good-luck everyone and hope for success. What those veterans are doing takes a lot of guts.

See further:

"US special operations vets carry out daring mission to save Afghan allies"

coolbert.

ISKP.

This is coolbert:

From Freeper and the original story by the BBC:

More dope on the Islamic State Khorasan. As alleged responsible for the suicide bombings at the Kabul airport.

"Afghanistan crisis: Who are Isis-K? (Profile of one more Islamofascistic gang)"

"Islamic State militants have been blamed for a series of deadly attacks in recent years - like this one on a wedding hall in Kabul in 2019"

"Isis-K - or to give it its more accurate name, Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) - is the regional affiliate of Isis (or so-called Islamic State) that is active in Afghanistan and Pakistan."

"It is the most extreme and violent of all the jihadist militant groups in Afghanistan."

"It recruits from both Afghan and Pakistani jihadists, especially defecting members of the Afghan Taliban who don't see their own organization as extreme enough." Go read it all. 

My original blog entry on the Khorasan group way back in 2015. Devoted readers to the blog can be grateful and thankful they are so ahead of the game.

coolbert.

Thirsty.

This is coolbert:

From the Commander Salamander Internet web site and thanks to same.

First several paragraphs copied in entirety. Prognostication of the Commander not good commensurate with the latest reports from Kabul.

"Salamander Consulting Basic Wargaming Matrix"

"When I talk 'wargame' I am not talking about something that is done with a board with a bunch of little pieces being moved around, that is a Tactical wargame. No, what I am talking about is a grey-matter wargame at the Operational and Strategic level."

"For those not in 'the guild' - 'Blue' here are the good guys, the 'Red' here are the bad guys. I'm only going to do 1 combination and 1 round. I'll define that for you; '1 combo' is how you run Blue vs. Red in the matrix you see here. You simplify Blue & Red in to two Courses of Action (COA); 1) Most Likely (defined by habit, requires least initial effort or risk by the party & assumes pliability of opponent to your will), 2) Most Dangerous (unexpected weighting of risk & action within ways & means, but not habit)."

COMMANDER SALAMANDER A PROFESSIONAL MILITARY MAN [NOT SURE IF ON ACTIVE DUTY] DESCRIBING THE BRAIN-STORMING PROCESS BY WHICH MILITARY COURSES OF ACTION AND OUTCOMES ARE EVALUATED.

Most of this article I concede with a single glance difficult for the layman or perhaps even the military professional to understand. Let the devoted reader to the blog peruse accordingly

In conclusion:

"UPDATE: right after this post went live, reports of the event at the Abbey Gate at the Kabul airport have come out. The odds of Gandamak Thirsty getting better odds weighting have increased."

Situation fluid and unclear. Grave danger. Nuff' said. Let the final outcome be not Gandamak Thirsty.

coolbert.

Airport.

This is coolbert:

The situation at the Kabul airport deteriorates markedly. Suicide bomber kills and maims.

Courtesy the tip from Commander Salamander.

"Suicide bombing kills, injures several at Kabul airport"

"Two explosions near Kabul airport, one of which was a suicide bombing, have killed at least 13 and injured over 60."

As is thought that suicide bomber an affiliation with the Islamic State - Khorosan.

"The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province . . . is a self-proclaimed branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) active in South Asia and Central Asia, though ISIL denies any connection. Some media sources also use the terms ISK, ISISK, IS-KP, ISIS-K or Daesh-Khorasan in referring to the group. The Khorasan group has been active in Afghanistan and its area of operations also includes other parts such as Pakistan, Tajikistan, and India where some individuals have pledged allegiance to it."

See previous blog entry the Islamic State Khorosan and the Afghan connection:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/12/wilayat-khorasan.html

This is all rather intuitive, isn't it? That airport becomes a battleground no more Americans or other foreign nationals will be able to leave the country. Land-locked nation and those marooned left to the tender mercies of the revengeful Taliban and Islamic State.

Something got to be done and fast!

coolbert.

Blossoms.

This is coolbert:

One-way mission 1945. Japan bio-warfare USA. San Diego.

Have heard of the Japanese balloon attacks USA during WW2 but not kamikaze planes delivering plague.

"Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night"

As envisioned by the evil Japanese doctor Ishii the plan was to bomb San Diego USA with insects carrying plague. Plague as a product of weaponized lethal biological agents, courtesy Unit 731.

"Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night . . . was a 1945 plan developed by Shirō Ishii to wage biological warfare upon civilian population centers in Southern California in the United States during the final months of World War II"

"During the last months of the war, Ishii was preparing for a long-distance attack on the United States with biological weapons. The operation, codenamed 'Cherry Blossoms at Night', called for the use of airplanes to spread plague in San Diego at night . . . Five of the new I-400-class long-range submarines were to be sent across the Pacific Ocean, each carrying three Aichi M6A Seiran aircraft loaded with plague-infected fleas. The submarines were to surface and launch the aircraft towards the target, to drop the fleas via balloon bombs or crash in enemy territory. Either way, the plague would then infect and kill thousands of people in the area."

Comments:

* Authorization to wage bio-warfare USA could only have given by the Emperor himself.

* Ceramic bombs as dropped containing infected fleas shattering and releasing the insects unscathed.

* Fu-Go balloon attacks the entire project highly ineffectual.

Original intent of the I-400 submarine to carry and launch aircraft the target of which was the Panama Canal. Never happened! I have often wondered why!

coolbert.

Network II.

This is coolbert:

Conclusion. 

Diamond. Israeli counter-tunnel combat unit.

Yahalom Unit.

"The special unit of the Combat Engineering Corps is the Yahalom unit, the spearhead of the corps. As such, the unit is trained to deal with special engineering tasks that are unique to it, such as the underground and hidden terror tunnels as well as sabotage."

See courtesy You Tube and the Israeli Defense Forces this video of Yahalom in action. Technology such as the robot only a partial panacea to the difficulty of tunnel warfare. Highly trained and prepared dedicated troops with a lot of guts needed for such missions. Proper preparation in advance the key to success as it is in most endeavors.

See also addition prior blog entries [some with additional embedded links] the topic tunnel warfare:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/05/mystics.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2017/05/3d-tunnels.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/06/dowsing-rod.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/06/tunnels-of-isil.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2014/07/soviets-tunnels.html

As shown in the video Israeli Yahalom unit preparing for tunnel warfare vis-a-vis Hamas. Those tunnels of Hezbollah in Lebanon posing a totally different set of difficulties I might thank.

coolbert.

Network I.

This is coolbert:

To war by tunnel. Lebanon.

As extracted from a Strategy Page web site:

"Israel: Minion Madness"

MINIONS OF HEZBOLLAH. IRAN THE PAYMASTER AND NORTH KOREA THE EXCAVATOR AND  TUNNEL MASTER.

[one kilometer equal about one-thousand yards]

Pertinent paragraph "Northern Tunnels" as copied in entirety:

"Since 2018 Israel has been investigating Hezbollah tunnel building efforts. This first became news when Israel used their new tunnel detection tech, developed to deal with tunnels in Gaza, in the north after border patrols came across evidence of tunnel construction . . . Israel had earlier revealed that it had developed technology to detect tunnel construction activity farther away but has not revealed how far. Now it has been revealed that the Hezbollah tunnel network is more extensive than earlier believed. Some of these military tunnels have been built in Hezbollah controlled sections of Beirut, the largest city in Lebanon as well as further inland, to the Beqaa Valley, long a Shia and Hezbollah stronghold. Some of these tunnels are large enough to allow SUVs and pickup trucks to use and some of these provide underground 'roads' that extend for over ten kilometers. This enables truck mounted rocket launchers that exit near the Israeli border. That enables Hezbollah to fire some rockets, then return to the tunnel and drive to another launch site [shoot and scoot] many kilometers away. Estimates that Hezbollah has hundreds of kilometers of tunnels providing access to underground facilities (supply, command and medical)."

See additionally how other Internet media have described the tunneling and objectives of Hezbollah:

"Hezbollah has inter-regional tunnel network stretching hundreds of km."

"The large-scale network was built with the help of North Korea and is much larger than Hamas' 'metro' network in Gaza."

"Iran-North Korea Connection: Hezbollah Built Vast Underground Tunnel Network in Lebanon to Move Weapons, Combatants"

KEEP IN MIND THAT THE NON-STATE ENTITY OF HEZBOLLAH HAS MORE CONVENTIONAL FIREPOWER [THANKS TO ROCKET ARTILLERY] THAN THE MEDIUM-SIZED WORLD POWERS OF ENGLAND OR FRANCE!!

coolbert.

Horse.

This is coolbert:

"sa principale industrie est l'elevage de chevaux" - - its main industry is horse breeding". Troy of the ancients. Troy of the Trojan War as described in the epic poem The Iliad.

Some may suggest this is preposterous. I do not agree!

The Trojan horse has been found? Does sound incredible!

From Giza Death Star and the article by Joseph P. Farrell.

"TROJAN HORSE FOUND?"

"Turkish archaeologists claim they have found what they believe are pieces of the Trojan Horse. According to a report by newsit.gr, Turkish archaeologists excavating the site of the historical city of Troy on the hills of Hisarlik have unearthed a large wooden structure. Historians and archaeologists think what they have discovered are remains of the legendary Trojan Horse."

THE FABLED STRATEGEM OF THE TROJAN HORSE HASTENING THE END OF THE TEN YEAR WAR AS RECOUNTED IN THE ILIAD.

See some "factual explanations" of the horse as theorized by modern scholars. Fable or not so? That is the question?

Heinrich Schliemann who did the first dig at the Hisarlik site did not use modern techniques of excavation. Did significant damage of such a nature that reasonable and accurate inferences cannot be made with regard to "finds" at the site of ancient Troy.

coolbert.

Reserve.

This is coolbert.

Surely this should tell everyone how bad the situation in Afghan is. American citizens and Afghan allies in mortal danger with no really easy way to get them out.

Activation of the USA Civil Reserve Air Fleet strictly as understood nothing less than a desperate wartime measure.

Thanks to Freeper in both instances.

1. "Pentagon activates Civil Reserve Air Fleet to aid Afghan evacuations"

"The Pentagon on Sunday activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet that will allow commercial airlines to assist with the Biden administration’s evacuation of Americans and Afghans at risk of reprisals by the Taliban, according to a report. The program will enable 20 airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, among others, to support the evacuation efforts of US citizens and Afghans"

2. "Pentagon reveals only 2,500 US citizens out of 15,000 have been evacuated since Kabul fell a week ago: Biden puts commercial airlines on notice that the Civil Reserve Air Fleet could be activated to help get them out"

"As the evacuation of Kabul descends further into pandemonium and desperation, President Joe Biden is considering activating the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to augment the struggling effort."

AT LEAST TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE CIVIL RESERVE AIR FLEET HAS NEVER BEEN ACTIVATED. PROVISIONS ALWAYS EXISTING FOR EMERGENCY BUT NEVER USED NOW MUST BE!!

coolbert.

Nineteen.

This is coolbert:

More of the continuing Afghan bad news stuff.

"Military Leadership - a 19 Act Play"

Thanks to the  tip from Commander Salamander and his fine blog.

"The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a NATO-led military mission in Afghanistan, established by the United Nations Security Council in December 2001 by Resolution 1386, as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement. Its main purpose was to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions, but was also engaged in the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) against the Taliban insurgency."

With hindsight and particularly in the context of the most recent events it does make for difficult viewing. Go see anyhow for better or worse.

coolbert.

Ghosts.

This is coolbert:

Once more, see this You Tube video and expect a very painful viewing experience.

That size of the Afghan National Army [no longer exists] always previously having been stated as having anywhere from two-hundred thousand to three-hundred troops trained and on duty. Thanks to Crux.

The actual number considerably less? Effectives as understood perhaps even only one-fifth the stated total? Ghost-Soldiers" as understood on the payroll but absentee, collecting a paycheck but without having performed their sworn military duty?

"Ghost Soldiers, Corrupt Regime: US-Trained Afghan Army Was Stronger Than Taliban... Only On Paper"

"Ever since US announced withdrawal of troop, Taliban went on a rampage to seize one district after another. A Taliban spokesperson asserted that most of these provinces were seized by them without a battle. Taliban’s rapid advance made clear that US efforts to turn Afghan military into a robust, independent fighting force have failed."

Failed indeed! And big time irredeemable!

coolbert.

Flash.

This is coolbert:

Jumping Jack Flash, it's a gas, gas, gas.

OH MY! It hurts to see this. Troops of the Afghan National Army [no longer exists] as were being given basic physical training by American soldiers. I even hesitate to make this post.

"A jumping jack, also known as a star jump and called a side-straddle hop in the US military, is a physical jumping exercise performed by jumping to a position with the legs spread wide and the hands going overhead, sometimes in a clap, and then returning to a position with the feet together and the arms at the sides."

AS LEAST THE AMERICAN INSTRUCTORS COULD HAVE DONE WAS TO LEARN TO COUNT IN PUSHTUN OR DARI OR WHATEVER LOCAL LANGUAGE WAS APPROPRIATE. GROWN MEN [AFGHAN] WITH SUCH A TOTAL LACK OF PHYSICAL COORDINATION HARDLY GOOD MATERIAL TO BUILD A RELIABLE, CREDIBLE AND EFFECTIVE FIGHTING FORCE. 

Rather apparent now, isn't it??

coolbert.

Skyfall.

This is coolbert:

Skyfall = Russian intercontinental cruise missile. Unlimited range and endurance. Unstoppable.

Yet another test of Skyfall in the works. So it seems. From Freeper.

"New satellite images show Russia may be preparing to test nuclear powered 'Skyfall' missile"

"New satellite images obtained by CNN show Russia may be preparing another test of its nuclear-powered cruise missile, known as "Skyfall"-- a controversial weapon that is designed to defeat US defense systems."

Skyfall up unto this point all previous tests ending in failure. The last such occurrence booster rockets exploding prior to launch. All these failures resulting in dangerous radioactive elements being released into the environment.

Comrade Putin might want to ask himself if it is all worth it. 

coolbert.

WW3.

This is coolbert:

The time is ripe? The fate of Taiwan now is in great jeopardy?

From the British Sun online tabloid and the article by Patrick Knox.

"WAR FOOTING WW3 fears as Chinese state media reveals ‘three-stage battle plan’ to invade Taiwan as US stages war games in Pacific"

This article written in July, BEFORE the Kabul/Afghan debacle. China now will be emboldened seeing Ame3rican weakness and lack of resolve?

"WORLD War Three fears are growing after China vowed to invade Taiwan and explained how it would do it as the Communist Party celebrates its centenary." 

"An article in a state-controlled publication has offered a glimpse of a terrifying three-stage plan to pave the way for an invasion force to storm the breakaway island."

Stage one, stage two, stage three. It all sounds so easy. Be assured it will not be so?

See previous blog entries [with additional embedded links] as related to the topic:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/07/onslaught.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/07/thousands.html

coolbert.

Marked.

This is coolbert:

Once more thanks to Freeper the original story from the BBC.

What has always been feared is now coming pass.

1. "'Taliban intensifying hunt for people who collaborated with US and Nato troops'"

"A UN document says the Taliban is intensifying its hunt for all people who worked and collaborated with Nato and US forces."

“'The Taliban have been conducting advance mapping of individuals prior to take take-over of all major cities,'".

Afghan those persons that aided and assisted the American and allied military now being sought as collaborators. Their fate you can assure will be grim.

THE TALIBAN HAVING CAPTURED THE HIIDE DEVICE THAT VERIFIES THE IDENTITY OF THOSE AFGHAN INDIVIDUALS [DEEMED COLLABORATORS] NOW THEIR LIVES IN GREAT JEOPARDY.

2. "Taliban reportedly seize biometrics devices used by US military"

"The Taliban have reportedly seized biometrics devices used by the US military that could help identify Afghan nationals who worked for the US government and aided coalition forces, raising concerns the Taliban could use the information to retaliate in the wake of the collapse of the US-backed government. The devices, known as HIIDE, for Handheld Interagency Identity Detection Equipment, were seized last week as the Taliban went on an offensive march to overtake Kabul, Afghanistan's capital"

HIIDE. A certain terrible irony to  the acronym, is there not??

coolbert.

Badri 313.

This is coolbert:

Devoted readers to the blog and others merely perusing in a more casual manner because of the developing situation in Afghan expect the number of blog entries per day to increase somewhat markedly. 

Not since 2014 and the sudden emergence of the Islamic State has such a situation occurred. Chaotic and the results far reaching but making much gist for topics of discussion.

HERE THANKS TO FREEPER A DISCUSSION OF TALIBAN SPECIAL OPEATIONS. BADRI 313.

"The Taliban special forces: Heavily armed fighters with American equipment and commando-style bullet proof vests and 'night vision goggles'"

"The unit, previously unveiled by the Taliban in promotional material, are reportedly highly trained and equipped with state-of-the-art military equipment... ...According to a report from India Today, the Badri 313 prepares like any other special forces commando unit, employing tactical and attack training in undisclosed locations run by the Taliban... ...Questions will surely be raised over how the Taliban have come into possession of such high-tech military equipment, with some suggesting that they have stolen or seized it from departing U.S. troops or defeated Afghan soldiers...."

Embedded video here allegedly showing using night-vision devices to snipe and kill Afghan troops indeed graphic.

See further a video from the  Hindustan Times as purported the Badri 313 unit prior or during operations. 

coolbert.

Sir Nick.

This is coolbert:

"Thank GOD I'm a country boy".

Sir Nick Carter. Open mouth, insert foot?

Comments of the British defense chief controversial. Taliban not such bad guys? Going to get a lot of flack for such pronouncements?

"flack noun  3: CRITICISM, OPPOSITION"

1. "The head of the British Armed Forces said they are collaborating with the Taliban so Kabul stays calm and people can go to the airport"

2. "General Sir Nick Carter is accused of 'joining the Taliban PR team' after saying the militant regime are 'country boys, who live by a code of honour' and want a country that's 'inclusive to all'"

3. "UK defence chief General Nick Carter admits US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years is 'not a decision we had hoped for' but attacks 'naysayers' predicting chaos after saying the Taliban 'is not the organisation it once was'"

4. "General Sir Nick Carter: Army fell apart after abrupt cut in support"

"Once you get to know them, they are OK." "You just got to know where they are coming from." "Just be cool around them." The Taliban? That is the attitude?

coolbert.

Tweet.

This is coolbert:

A tweet from a high-ranking American Senator has created controversy in an unexpected and deleterious way?

Thanks to the Russian Internet media outlet Sputnik:

"'US Declaring War on China': Experts Shocked as Senator Reveals 30,000 American Troops Are in Taiwan"

"A senior US senator, also a member of the US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, on his social media revealed that the US has 30,000 soldiers stationed in China's Taiwan island."

Click on image to see an enlarged view. See the tweet with response.

NO! This is a simple mistake! A gaffe and nothing more! It must be. Thirty-thousand American troops on Taiwan I would think would leave a major footprint [a marked effect, impression, or impact], unmistakable. Correct?

"gaffe: n. A blatant mistake or misjudgment."

I GUESS THAT IT CAN BE REASONABLY INFERRED THAT A HIGH-RANKING MEMBER OF THE USA SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE SHOULD NOT BE MAKING A GAFFE OF WHATEVER NATURE.

Senators = Solons. Wise men. Most of the time? Tweet tweet.

coolbert.

Embrace.

This is coolbert:

Not since the time of the Chinese Tang Empire? Eighth century A.D.

Afghanistan. China now enters the fray?? "Belt and Road Initiative" but much more?

Thanks to a variety of sources.

1. "China will expand its ‘private army’ in Central Asian countries"

"Washington: – China has stepped up its efforts to fill the void created by the US military withdrawal from Afghanistan. China took an important step to establish dominance in Afghanistan and thereby increase its influence in Central Asian countries. China is set to expand its private army, meaning mercenaries, in Central Asian countries."

2. "A RELUCTANT EMBRACE: CHINA’S NEW RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TALIBAN"

"As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan and leaves a security vacuum there, is China moving in by cozying up to the Taliban?"

3. "China Seeks Taliban Promise to Wage War on Uighur Fighters in Afghanistan"

"China has sought assurance from the Taliban during a meeting in Tianjin that the resurgent movement will take on a murky Uighur Islamist separatist group in Afghanistan."

Those pesky Uighurs finding succor among the Taliban and sanctuary in Afghan? Must put a stop to that.

Think much more importantly the massive as believed mineral wealthy of Afghan. Mineral wealth in rare earths and other substances as essential to modern civilization. China wants dominion over such elements and corner-the-market without competition. If you like your modern cell phone life-style, approach the Chinese only with proper decorum and obey tremble-ing-ly.

coolbert.

Debacle.

This is coolbert:

In a bad way I was hoping for this and here we go!

Vis-a-vis the collapse of the Afghan National Army and the triumph of the Taliban in Afghan the comments of Colonel Austin Bay most pertinent.

Thanks to the Internet web site Strategy Page.

"On Point: Biden's Afghanistan Disaster Didn't Have To Happen"

"In the first two weeks of August, America's withdrawal from Afghanistan became a humiliating rout. Make no mistake, the U.S. has suffered a major diplomatic and psychological defeat that will have resonance throughout the world."

I recommend the Austin Bay article highly, without qualification or reservation.

I think that for many persons such as myself who lived through that era of the Vietnam debacle what occurred in Afghan was anticipated. The perspective was that the Afghan army minus an American presence was just not going be able to hold. And did not!

Kabul worse than Saigon too!! The North Vietnamese during their final big-push military offensive and march on Saigon possessed tank divisions, groups of tank divisions, artillery divisions, groups of artillery divisions and massed groups of tank armies combined with groups of artillery divisions.

The Taliban having nothing of the sort. Take it for what it is.

"The moral is to the physical as three is to one."

coolbert.

Minkowskie.

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How many times have we discussed this??

The long lost treasure of Sierra Madre? NO, the long lost Nazi gold treasure of Minkowskie palace. 

From the Internet web site The Vintage News.com and thanks to same.

"Treasure Hunters Seek Hidden German Gold Near Polish Palace" 

"Are 10 tons of ill-gotten gold plundered by the German army during World War II lying under Minkowskie palace in Poland? A secret diary kept by an SS officer claims this is the case. If he’s right, the haul is worth an estimated half a billion pounds [£]." 

WAR BOOTY, PLUNDER AND SPOILS OF WAR! HIDDEN TREASURE OF ENORMOUS VALUE! STOLEN NAZI GOLD. VALUE ROUGHLY SEVEN HUNDRED MILLION USD $.

The term “'spoils of war' refers to any profits or prizes collected . . . as the result of winning a war or during some other such military activity. For example, spoils of war . . . can be legitimate or illegal . . . An illegal prize of war, on the other hand, is the result of looting or ransacking."

"On the hunt for plundered gold under Minkowskie Palace The Silesian Bridge Foundation, led by Roman Furmaniak, took the lease on an 18th-century regal property in Minkowskie village in south-western Poland. Today, it’s in a far-from-illustrious state, but back during World War II, it was part of German-occupied Poland."

See previous blog entries [many with additional embedded blog entries] the topic war booty, gold and other valuables buried, awaiting the frenzied treasure hunters and diggers:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/05/karlsruhe.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/02/au-fbi.html

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

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

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

Like with almost all get-rich-quick schemes such efforts normally produce nothing or only very little. We wait and see but with a great degree of skepticism.

coolbert.

Alliance.

This is coolbert:

The latest military intelligence dope South China Sea courtesy the Internet web site Gravitas. India and German enter the fray. The English we have spoken about previously active in the region. All about Freedom of the Seas and Freedom of Navigation protocols and conventions? FONOPS?

"dope: noun - - 3. informal : information especially from a reliable source"

The democratic alliance at work? FONOPS an American organized [?] effort naval contingents sailing into waters and show-the-flag beyond normal as a signal to the Chinese.

Devoted readers to the blog might want to bookmark Gravitas and visit their web site periodically. They cover interesting material and in a good manner. I recommend Gravitas without qualification or reservation.

coolbert.

VETS.

This is coolbert:

More drug stuff and the military dimension.

Zowie again man. Heavy. Psychedelics. Hallucinogenic drugs. Mind-altering substances. But no GOD!

"MEETING GOD: POWERFUL PSYCHEDELIC THERAPY IS HELPING SOME WOUNDED VETS HEAL"

Still more from the Internet webzine Coffee or Die, the article by David Maccar.

Hallucinogenic drugs as a remedy to treat battlefield-induced PTSD+? Can it be so? It is at least worth a try? You must leave the USA to engage in such treatments.

Soldiers not only suffering from conventional PTSD [post-traumatic stress-syndrome] but ALSO head and brain injury of  some sort.

"Abed in white linens sits in the center of a wood floor, lit by soft daylight streaming through large windows. Outside is a still desert landscape pockmarked with scrub brush and cactus. A veteran is on the bed, tattooed, laying still as a corpse."

"A man next to him, also tatted up, with a calm face, asks the former airman if he’s ready. The only sign of life is his slow, hesitant, thumbs up. The calm man holds a mysterious little box to the veteran’s face. He tells him to breathe in for 10 seconds and hold the chemical vapor in his lungs for 10 full seconds. It is the same dark chemical the human brain secretes when it dies. Soon, there is no bed, no room, no calm man or windows or desert."

This is "way of the shaman" type of healing. A drug induced mind-altering state allowing for: "the act of voluntarily accessing and connecting to non-ordinary states — or spirit realms — for wisdom and healing."

WORKS ONLY IF YOU BELIEVE IT WORKS. PERSONALLY I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF ALTERNATIVE FORMS OF MEDICINE AND HEALING. BUT MAYBE THAT IS BECAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE.

coolbert.

SAMM.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site South Front and thanks to same.

"Mozambique To Finally Get Rid Of Terrorists"

COUNTER-INSURGENCY MOZAMBIQUE. COIN.

[it can be reasonably [?] be suggested that what is occurring in Mozambique resembles more correctly terrorism than insurgency.]

"After years of outrage generated by ISIS-linked extremists in Mozambique, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has finally launched a military mission in the country, SAMIM."

Nations as contributing military forces  or assistance in some form or capacity to include: * Rwanda * Botswana * Angola * Zimbabwe * South Africa  * European Union * Portugal. Rwanda please note not a constituent member of the SADC nor of course is the EU or Portugal..

NONE of this COIN mission I fear going to be easy. SADC has deployed but is the intervention of foreign military forces going to have STAYING-POWER?

That central government in Mozambique their attitude "dicey"?  COIN mission of this type often protracted and very expensive. The insurgents also having a proven ability, resourceful and resilient. Not easy customers to deal with. 

"dicey adjective: RISKY, UNPREDICTABLE"

See this video the Rwandan military as active in Mozambique.

See also previous blog entries [many with additional embedded links] the topic Mozambique:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/07/rwanda.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/06/swahili.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/06/marinha-mm.html

coolbert.

CADET.

This is coolbert:;

I have big time trouble with this.

CADET. Program to be implemented that will allow pregnant cadets in the various military academies to continue their education without prejudice. I almost was ready to say pregnant female cadets but then realized that would be redundant.

"AT SERVICE ACADEMIES, PREGNANCY MAY NO LONGER MEAN THE END OF A CAREER"

From the webzine Coffee or Die MIL & INTEL section the article by Maggie Ben Zvi. 

"Unlike women in nearly every other position in the US military, if a cadet at a service academy such as the US Military Academy at West Point or the Air Force Academy gets pregnant, she faces a stark choice: Get an abortion, sever your parental rights to your child, or get kicked out of school."

Onerous regulations not in keeping with modern times? NO really good option but that is intentional?

CADETS AT THE MILITARY ACADEMIES ARE THE LEADERS OF THE  FUTURE AND ARE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD OF COMPORTMENT THAN THAT OF THE COMMON SOLDIER/SAILOR/AIR FORCE PERSONNEL. [AGAIN, I WAS TEMPTED TO SAY AIRMAN BUT THAT IS NOT VALID IN THIS CONTEXT]

Think rather unwanted pregnancy NOT an option. Self-control in all aspects of life a most important attribute of future officers.

coolbert.

Drogen II.

This is coolbert: 

"Hitler did not drink. Hitler did not smoke. Hitler did not wench. But Hitler it is believed a user of stimulants in a reckless manner actually perhaps his mentality to make reasoned decisions severely compromised."

Hitler also a vegetarian. Led the clean and healthful life except for those "minor" episodes of ingestion of mind-altering drugs. Zowie!

With finality from a much prior blog entry heavily edited.

 "Nazis tested cocaine on camp inmates " 

 "The pills contained a mix of cocaine, the amphetamine pervitin and a morphine-related painkiller, according to Focus, which said that Nazi scientists began experimenting with the drug in 1944." "It was hoped the drug would give soldiers almost unlimited fighting powers at a time when the German armies were in retreat." 

This approach toward producing a soldier capable of superhuman performance by drugging the troops is very wrong-headed. Perhaps [and only so] good in the short run, very bad in the long run. You will end up with a brain-fried individual whose senses and mental state will become warped - - an unmanageable troop. Also, with the various types of "speed" drugs and any form of opiate, your body will constantly crave more and more, a level of "tolerance" NEVER becoming possible, an unlimited and insatiable addiction being the result. 

 coolbert.

Drogen I.

This is coolbert:

Further of German and Nazi drug use during the Second World War [WW2]. As from a much previous blog entry repeated here with significant editing.

"At first the members of the punishment battalion whistled and sang songs. [But] most of them had collapsed after the first 24 hours." 

NAZI experimentation camp! 

The perception the German Nazi regime always liked to cultivate is that fascism promoted and advocated the clean way of living. NO smoking, drinking only beer or wine pleasurably and in moderation, a continuous regimen of physical fitness being the order of the day, ascetics the lot of the population, clean living persons of good, even of outstanding health, the natural way of life preferred. 

"Ascetic lifestyle - - a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures" 

As with most other things, this perception was NOT totally accurate. Indeed, for the German military [and prior to the war among the general German populace also] during World War Two [WW2], abusive drug use and an over-indulgence in alcoholic beverage was quite the norm. The use of drugs as stimulants being ENCOURAGED, EVEN ADVOCATED AND EMBRACED AS A WAY TO ACHIEVE VICTORY!! 

"Hitler's Drugged Soldiers" 

"Many of the Wehrmacht's soldiers were high on Pervitin when they went into battle, especially against Poland [1939] and France [1940] -- in a Blitzkrieg fueled by speed. The German military was supplied with millions of methamphetamine tablets during the first half of 1940. The drugs were part of a plan to help pilots, sailors and infantry troops become capable of superhuman performance."

"The military leadership liberally dispensed such stimulants, but also alcohol and opiates. The drug of choice being an amphetamine, Pervitin. Widely available, sold over-the-counter even, and distributed in abundance, no heed being given to debilitating effects. 

Alcohol consumption too was encouraged: "Alcohol, the people's drug, was also popular in the Wehrmacht . . . 'only a fanatic would refuse to give a soldier something that can help him relax and enjoy life after he has faced the horrors of battle, or would reprimand him for enjoying a friendly drink or two with his comrades.'" 

Further experimentation on even more powerful versions of "stimulants" were carried out on concentration camp inmates, the desire on the part of Nazi scientists and doctors again to produce a soldier capable of superhuman effort, all the while in a drug enhanced state!! 

As is noted, debilitating effects too great. The "speed" type of drug when stopped being given results in a severe "down".

Hitler did not drink. Hitler did not smoke. Hitler did not wench. But Hitler it is believed a user of stimulants in a reckless manner actually perhaps his mentality to make reasoned decisions severely compromised.

coolbert.

Yerba.

This is coolbert:

"One pill makes me happy. One pill makes me small. And the one mother gives me, doesn't do any good at all."

From the Internet web site Strategy Page and thanks to same.

American troops drugged in a deliberate manner? But for a good purpose?

"Morale: Lifesaving Fatigue Remedies"

"August 5, 2021: Among the many advances in military medicine since 2000, one of the least noted is improvements in alertness drugs which have been used for over a century to keep soldiers, sailors and eventually airmen alert during long periods of necessary wakefulness. Most current alertness drugs are non-prescription items,"

A long list of drugs non-addictive being passed out to the troops to increase a level of alertness and wakefulness as described.

One possible useful drug and not mentioned yerba mate. A favorite drink of the Argentinian gaucho. A tea-like brewed drink provides for more energy longer, combats listlessness, fatigue and sleepiness without dangerous side effects such as jitteriness as you might get with excessive consumption of caffeine.

From the noted medical authority Mayo Clinic:

"Yerba mate is an herbal tea. This tea, commonly known simply as mate, is popular in parts of South America. The leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant are dried, typically over a fire, and steeped in hot water to make an herbal tea. Yerba mate may be served cold or hot. Like black tea, yerba mate contains caffeine, which is a stimulant."

"In the U.S., yerba mate is widely available in health food stores and online. People who recommend yerba mate say that it can relieve fatigue, aid in weight loss, ease depression, and help treat headaches and various other conditions. There's limited evidence that yerba mate may help with some of these conditions."

GERMAN EXPERIMENTATION WITH FATIGUE REDUCING DRUGS DURING WW2 WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED. 

During the period of the Roman Empire a soldier falling asleep while on guard duty the punishment death. The old ways preferred?

coolbert.

Winkle.

This is coolbert:

"Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown: Britain’s most incredible test pilot"

Thanks to the BBC and You Tube a less appreciated aspect of the famous British aviator and test pilot of the Second World War.

Eric Brown. "Winkle".

Brown a fluent German speaker post-war [WW2] participating in the interrogation of  high-ranking captured and accused Nazi war criminals.

Brown his background well suited to debrief and interrogate high-ranking German Nazi functionaries. Including Hermann Goering no less: 4. A fluent German speaker who interrogated Himmler and Goering. In 1939, Brown was an exchange student at Schule Schloss Salem and became fluent in the German language . . . He would later become involved in the interrogation of Nazi war criminals – including Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering . . . Josef Kramer and Irma Griese." 

Winkle mentions that Dr. Ernst Heinkel who he interrogated was Jewish. Nowhere on the Internet can I find any corroboration that Heinkel was Jewish. Anyone have a handle on this?

"Dr. Ernst Heinkel . . . was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer . . . in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft."

coolbert.

Eternal.

This is coolbert:

Iran invades Afghan?

Hazara proxy forces of the Shia persuasion we are speaking of. 

From the Internet web site Strategy Page and thanks to same.

"Forces: Iranian Forces In Afghanistan"

The eternal struggle within Islam. Shia versus Sunni. Hazara people Afghan nationals profess Shia and are despised [?] by the Afghan Sunni majority including the Taliban.

"August 6, 2021: Iranian media reports that Iran is establishing explicitly Iran-backed Shia militias in western Afghanistan. Iran wants to protect the Shia minority (about 20 percent of Afghans) from the expanding reach of the Taliban. In the late 1990s the Taliban went after Afghan Shia in a big way and the victims have not forgotten. The new militias are composed of combat experienced Afghan Shia who served as Iranian mercenaries and survived combat in Syria."

Indeed. Shia Hazara proxy para-military evidently have seen extensive combat action in the Syrian Civil war. See previous blog entries as germane:

https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htworld/articles/20210806.aspx

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

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/04/mehdi.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/01/hazara.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2015/02/hazara-zaynubian.html

Afghan it ain't gonna be over until the shooting  is over. And maybe  never will be.

coolbert.

November.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site Independent Barents Observer the article by Thomas Nilsen.

"Final voyage for Soviet’s first nuclear sub will be via the inner waterways"

"The legendary submarine K-3 'Leninsky Komsomol' will be transported from the Nerpa shipyard on the Kola Peninsula to Kronstadt outside St. Petersburg to become part of the Museum of Navy Glory."

Project 627 a Soviet era nuclear submarine. November class by NATO designation. The answer to the American Nautilus. Boat K-3 in the water since 1959 and now going to become a museum piece, minus contaminated nuclear reactor as we can well imagine.

Surprisingly so to American naval planners K-3 that first boat of the class NOT a prototype. Soviets rather going RIGHT INTO PRODUCTION without having first tested a prototype. Fourteen Cold-War era November class constructed in total.

November at the time rated as SUPERIOR to American nuclear submarine analogs. November capable of greater operational depth, more armaments, faster.

November also noisy, having quality control [QC] problems, and a lack of systems having been tested beforehand. Soviet naval commanders however describing these acknowledged difficulties as not an impediment to combat effectiveness, problems resolved adequately. 

coolbert.

Mays USN.

This is coolbert:

Innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

USS Bonhomme Richard amphibious assault ship a wreck, to be scrapped. A $1 billion USD loss. All because of one disgruntled sailor?

Courtesy the British tabloid Daily Mail and thanks to same.

"Female sailor at center of USS Bonhomme fire report: Seaman who 'torched' Navy ship told investigators they were engaged until he dumped her for getting pregnant by another man - but she says it's all 'bipolar lies'"

"A female sailor who worked on the COVID Navy ship USNS Mercy dismissed the claims of the 'bipolar' seaman accused of torching the USS Bonhomme after he told friends they were engaged until he dumped her for getting pregnant by another man."

REVENGE FOR THE JILTED AMERICAN SAILOR, HIS GIRLFRIEND HAVING TAKEN UP WITH ANOTHER MAN. REVENGE OF A STRANGE AND ODD SORT!

"Seaman Apprentice Ryan Sawyer Mays, 20, has been charged with setting the fire on board the Bonhomme last July. His attorney says he had nothing to do with it and he is awaiting a preliminary hearing.:

"bipolar disorder: any of several psychological disorders of mood characterized usually by alternating episodes of depression and mania"

Think also the strange case of the USS Miami. Also set on fire and eventually scrapped. In that instance a disgruntled civilian worker to blame. That was "only" a half-billion dollar $ USD vessel.  

coolbert.

Isaac.

This is coolbert:

"as they [the British] allow no other alternative than submission, or confinement in the capital, at a distance from my wife and family, at a time when they are in the most pressing need of my presence and support, I must, for the present, yield to the demands of the conquerors. I request you to bear in mind, that previous to my taking this step, I declare that it is contrary to my inclination, and forced on me by hard necessity. I will never bear arms against my country … I do not mean to desert the cause of America." - - I. Hayes.

From the  Internet web site ExecutedToday.com thanks to the tip from Freeper.

Violation of military parole. Sentence of death carried out.

"1781: Isaac Hayne, paroled prisoner of war"

"On this date in 1781, South Carolina patriot Isaac Hayne was hanged for breaking his conditional British parole and re-enlisting in the American Revolution. Though Hayne is not, to us, the most famous revolutionary executed by the British, he might have been considered by his contemporaries as the most prominent individual to go to the scaffold for the cause."

Isaac having been captured by the British but released under a condition of parole. Agreeing [Isaac] not rejoin the hostilities fighting on the side of the American revolutionaries.

Isaac for his violation of parole having made the ultimate sacrifice.

Isaac a prominent planter and a true Carolina gentleman as he would have been referred to at the time. A major slave owner wealthy and in that sense the "most prominent individual" executed by the British during the American Revolutionary War.

coolbert.

Active.

This is coolbert:

We are talking the Hamid Karzai airport Kabul and not Bagram.

Turks to the rescue?

As reported by "Breitbart" the article by JOHN HAYWARD.

"Erdogan Wants U.S. to Pay for Turkish Troops in Afghanistan"

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday demanded funding from the United States for a force of Turkish troops that could prospectively guard the airport in Kabul after U.S. forces complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan."

AS DESCRIBED SIMPLE GUARD DUTY AND NOT COUNTER-INSURGENCY!

Yet one more instance of the Turk wanting to assume a more active role as a regional power and beyond. A consistent pattern slow and steady and undeniable hardly has abated but only increases.

Turks want to play a bigger role in the world geo-political strategic considerations and intrigue but insist on the USA paying? USA involvement in Afghan hardly going to end with American military withdrawal.

coolbert.