Decertify.

This is coolbert:

Here with more on the refusal of the OKARNG [Oklahoma Army National Guard] commander refusing to enforce a mandated vaccination order [Covid-19] from the Pentagon.

Courtesy the Internet web site The Expose'.

"US Pentagon Threatens to “Decertify” Oklahoma National Guard if Commander Doesn’t Reverse Ban on Covid Vaccine Mandate"

"The US Defense Department is allegedly threatening to ‘decertify’ the Oklahoma National Guard after its commander, on approval of the state commander-in-chief, Governor Kenny Stitt, issued an order instructing his troops that they will not be required to comply with Biden’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate."

"On November 12th, The Oklahoman posted some background on the situation. They wrote that the head of the Oklahoma National Guard, new Adjutant General Thomas Mancino, updated the guard’s Covid-19 vaccine policy, stating that no members would be required to get the jab. This information was shared in a memo which was obtained by The Oklahoman, noting that 'no negative administrative or legal action will be taken' against troops who refuse the vaccine."

Decertify? Unprecedented? Never heard of such a thing. Troops doing their monthly weekend drill will not be paid?

See previous blog entry the same topic.

coolbert.

Bison.

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NATO code name Bison. Myasishchev M-4.

"The Bomber Gap was the Cold War belief that the Soviet Union's Long Range Aviation department had gained an advantage in deploying jet-powered strategic bombers. Widely accepted for several years, the gap was used as a political talking point in the United States to justify a great increase in defense spending."

"On February 15, 1954, Aviation Week published an article describing new Soviet jet bombers capable of carrying a nuclear bomb from their bases to the US. The aircraft was the Myasishchev M-4 Bison. Over the next year and a half, the rumors were debated publicly in the press and soon in Congress."

Bison in flight. Four-engine long-range strategic bomber analogous to the American B-52 Stratofortress. Could deliver atomic munitions of the continental United States from bases in the Soviet Union so it was thought. Refueling would be necessary en route? Hundreds of these bombers [estimated about eight-hundred] were going to be rolling off the assembly line in a few years. American intelligence terribly wrong in this regard. Less than one-hundred finally built, their role as a long-range strategic bomber not the real deal. The threat as thought to be major never materialized, threat much less than thought.

Now for the rest of the story and thanks to the tip from the Internet web site English/Russian.

A number of Bison converted to a civilian version, with rather little modification so it seems. This is the VM-T transport aircraft. From apparently a Soviet era poster a VM-T with Aeroflot markings transports the Soviet Space Shuttle piggy-back.

Yet an additional civilian application of VM-T as a special purpose transport aircraft. Long-range bomber Aeroflot conversion with an enormous pod. A container for space booster rockets to be used in the Soviet space program. I guess you have to see the image to believe it. Appears ungainly and not really worthy of flight but obviously the plane can take to the air and operate normally.

Bison finally performing yeoman duty but not as originally envisioned. Long-range strategic missiles rendering the mission of Bison as not  necessary.

The much vaunted and found-to-be-erroneous Bomber Gap subsequently followed by the also found-to-be-erroneous Missile Gap. American intelligence falling face down twice and at a most critical period of the Cold War!!

coolbert.

Malfunction.

This is coolbert:

"RAF F-35 Med crash was SEVENTH time £100m jets have malfunctioned in seven years"

A rain cover? A rain cover?

"£100m F-35 fighter jet crashed into the Med while taking off from HMS Queen Elizabeth because the cheap rain cover hadn't been taken off properly, investigators fear"

 £100m  equal about $133 million USD!! As originally touted a F-35 was supposed to sell for about thirty to forty million $ USD?

"* £100m F-35 jet may have crashed because a cheap rain cover was not removed * Sailors said they saw the cover floating in the Mediterranean after the accident * A race underway to recover the aircraft's sunken wreckage after Sunday's crash"

"My kingdom for a horse". Or is it one "cheap rain cover" for $130 million USD!

An effort is on right now to recover the plane? The electronic suites and sensors must be safeguarded from prying eyes.

Thanks you Daily Mail and great graphics.

coolbert.

Advance.

This is coolbert:

Consider this to be a war warning? From Commander Salamander headlines and an article most disturbing.

"Some Damn Fool Thing in Ukraine"

Bir Red on the move? Ukraine style. Hope not!

"The U.S. has shared intelligence including maps with European allies that shows a buildup of Russian troops and artillery to prepare for a rapid, large-scale push into Ukraine from multiple locations if President Vladimir Putin decided to invade, according to people familiar with the conversations."

Read the entire Salamander article. Pay paritucular attention to the:

1. The "Five Planning Assumptions".

'2. "Red Most Likely COA".

Red in war games the aggressor. CoA =  Course of Action.

RED MEANS RUSSIA FOLKS!

And how exactly will NATO, the USA and the world community respond to Russian aggression? And can the Ukrainian military  hold the line and repel an invasion? Doubt in all cases we are going to find a positive!

coolbert.

Space.

This is coolbert:

From the Internet web site isegoria.net and thanks to same.

Space! The final frontier?

"It would not be like the movies with intense dogfights"

"Physics would constrain space-to-space engagements. These five key concepts help explain how"

 * Satellites move quickly.. * Satellites move predictably. * Space is big.  * Timing is everything.. * Satellites maneuver slowly. "

"Warfighting on Earth typically involves competitors fighting to dominate a physical location:"

"Opposing military forces fight to control the land, sea, and air over a certain part of Earth to expand influence over people or resources. Space warfare does not follow this paradigm; satellites in orbit do not occupy or dominate a single location over time. Instead, satellites provide capabilities, such as communications, navigation, and intelligence gathering, to Earth-based militaries. Therefore, to “control space” is not necessarily to physically conquer sectors of space but rather to reduce or eliminate adversary satellite capabilities while ensuring one retains the ability to freely operate their own space capabilities"

In a nutshell you command the high ground, destroying the enemy satellites while protecting your own satellites.

See an impressive listing those nations currently able to employ anti-satellite weaponry [ASAT]. Keep in mind no X fighters or Y fighters. Star Wars it will not be.

coolbert.

Triple.

This is coolbert:

Mercenaries II Conclusion. See previous blog entry SADAT.

Yet one more Private Military Contractor [PMC] I have never heard of Triple Canopy. Like to call themselves a private security company.

From the wiki entry for Triple Canopy:

"Triple Canopy, Inc., is an American private security company that provides integrated security, mission support and risk management services to corporate, government and nonprofit clients. The firm was founded in May 2003 by Army Special Forces veterans, including former Delta Force operators. In June 2014, the firm merged with rival security contracting firm Academi, formerly Blackwater, to form Constellis Group, with Craig Nixon, the former CEO of Academi, becoming the CEO of Constellis Group, and training facilities being consolidated at the existing Academi training facility in North Carolina. It was staffed by, among others, a number of former Army Special Operations personnel, Green Berets, Rangers, SEALs, MARSOC Critical Skills Operators, other special operations personnel, and a select few law enforcement officers. Over 5,000 employees  worked for Triple Canopy at the time of the merger."

See also additionally the Internet web site for Triple Canopy:

"Triple Canopy Security Jobs"

"Triple Canopy, Inc. is a private military company specializing in risk management, mission support, and integrated security services. The company’s clients range from government, to corporate and non-profit clients. Originally founded by former U.S. Army Special Forces and Delta Force veterans, the current staff includes a number of former law enforcement officers, Rangers, SEALs, and Army SF personnel in the more than 5,00 total employees who work for the company. For prior military and police veterans, there are typically a fair number of Triple Canopy Security jobs available to apply for when looking for good paying military-related gigs outside of the armed forces."

Combat arms special operators preferred if not mandatory. The American professional military man for nearly a hundred years able to practice his trade and craft in a way no other professional military man has done since the time of the Roman Empire?

I see mention of Blackwater. American PMC now defunct but nothing regarding the continued presence/participation of Erik Prince.

coolbert.

Wagenburg.

This is coolbert:

Make the enemy fight the war on your terms. Wagenburg tactics,

To war by wagon! Hussite style! Wagons not merely for transport but miniature and maneuverable forts. 

The video courtesy You Tube and SandRhoman History. I highly recommend without qualification or reservation the  entire SandRhoman History series of You Tube video. 

"The Hussite wagon fort, also known as Wagenburg answered a problem in late medieval warfare that puzzled military leaders of the time: how could infantry deal with armies of heavily armored knights on horseback? Initially the Hussite armies consisted mainly of ill-trained farmers and city dwellers, often only armed with the daily tools of your average farmer such as threshing flails, pitchforks but also polearms. But they made a virtue out of necessity and combined their farmers wagons, which they soon turned into war wagons, with early handheld firearms and small artillery and managed to defend successfully against well-trained and well-equipped knights [men-a-horse]."

Comments:

* That entire episode of the Hussite War's a prelude to the Protestant Reformation and both the Eighty Years and Thirty Years Wars.

* Zizka his troops amateurs fighting professional soldiers.. Amateurs however with high moral and confidence in their leader. Weapons often as carried consisting to an extent of farm implements readily available, without however neglecting more advanced arms such as hand cannon.

* Zizka a master of the strategic defensive. Occupy terrain for the defense, goad the adversary to attack. Selected terrain combined with Wagenburg tactics negating the power of the armored knight on horseback.

* Martial artists of Okinawa, peasant farmers, also using farm implements as weapons, the rulers of period forbidding the lower classes from possessing traditional means of self-defense.

Zizka the best military commander you have never heard of? probably so.

coolbert.

Eagle.

This is coolbert:

A headline most surprising. From Zero Hedge and Tyler Durden and thanks to same.

1. "US Nuclear Unit In Germany Reactivates With 'Dark Eagle' Hypersonic Missiles"

"Much attention lately has been focused on a series of Chinese hypersonic weapons tests. Let's now shift our attention to the US and Russia, where the Pentagon has reactivated a nuclear unit, based in Mainz-Kastel, western Germany, that will soon be able to launch 4,000 mph hypersonic weapons aimed at Moscow"

Dark Eagle as designated the American hypersonic missile already in the inventory and now ready to go, fielded with unit reactivation?

NO! See further from Popular Mechanics.

2. "Say Hello to 'Dark Eagle,' the Army’s New Hypersonic Weapon"

As to Dark Eagle:

"With a range of 1,723 miles [about 2,700 kilometers], this bad boy has the capability to strike deep into China".

"The U.S. Army has named its new land-based hypersonic weapon system 'Dark Eagle.' The service is 'confident' that the weapon will enter service in 2023. Once it does, Dark Eagle will give the Pentagon a land-based, long-range capability that can cover the scope of Asia, striking deep into the Chinese heartland at speeds in excess of Mach 5."

Black Eagle as of yet not a going concern. Unit ready but not the missiles. Black Eagle still in test stage only to be entering the inventory by 2023 it is hoped.

coolbert.

Wheelbarrow.

 This is coolbert:

"Not only is it useful for transporting army rations, but at need it can be employed as a defensive obstruction against cavalry. Since the digging of trenches and moats, and the building of forts, take time, the wheelbarrows can be deployed round the perimeter so that the enemy's horses cannot easily pass over. This kind of vehicle can readily go forward and withdraw, and can be used for any purpose. It might well be called a 'mobile fort'." - - 1176, Tsêng Min-Hsing.

Courtesy Bayou Renaissance Man. Large portions extracted in entirety and shamelessly so To war with wheelbarrow.

"Thoughts on wheelbarrows"

LEAVE IT TO THE CHINESE!

"The Chinese wheelbarrow - which was driven by human labour, beasts of burden and wind power - was of a different design than its European counterpart. By placing a large wheel in the middle of the vehicle instead of a smaller wheel in front, one could easily carry three to six times as much weight than if using a European wheelbarrow."

"The one-wheeled vehicle appeared around the time the extensive Ancient Chinese road infrastructure began to disintegrate. Instead of holding on to carts, wagons and wide paved roads, the Chinese turned their focus to a much more easily maintainable network of narrow paths designed for wheelbarrows. The Europeans, faced with similar problems at the time, did not adapt and subsequently lost the option of smooth land transportation for almost one thousand years."

"As so many other innovative technologies, the Chinese wheelbarrow was originally developed for military purposes. The first records mention its use for supplying food to the army. The wheelbarrow gave the Chinese armies such an advantage in moving goods that it was kept secret - early Chinese writings talk about wheelbarrows in code. True to its origin, the wheelbarrow remained in use for military operations, though not only to supply food to soldiers."

IN ADDITION CAN FUNCTION AS A MOBILE FORT? EVEN CONSIDERED A STATE SECRET.

Impressive.

coolbert.

Toxics II.

This is coolbert:

"'Today we have witnessed how the Polish security forces used special means containing toxic irritating chemicals against refugees, including women and children, on the Belarusian-Polish border,' 

"'The thoughtless use of such means can lead to irreversible consequences for human health, damaging respiratory and visual systems,'" 

Devoted readers to the blog have been following with interest the events as currently transpiring on the border crossing between Poland and Belarus? If you have not been, you should be!

Ever increasing numbers of migrants [read correctly Middle Easterners fleeing the wars of their home nations] attempting to cross the border into the European Union in an illegal manner. Stopped at the border crossing check point by Polish security forces.

A SITUATION ESCALATING AND PROVOCATIVE. 

"Belarus Claims Poland Used Special Means With Toxic Chemicals Against Migrants on Border"

From the Russian Internet media outlet Sputnik. Special means normally indicates weapons of mass destruction. WMD.

"MINSK (Sputnik) - The Polish security forces used special equipment containing toxic chemicals on the Belarusian border against migrants trying to break into Poland, Igor Malyk, deputy head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection and ecology department of the General Staff of the Belarusian Armed Forces, said on Tuesday."

Riot agents [tear gas and similar] not toxic as being lethal. Cause breathing problems and irritation to the eyes and mucus membranes but ordinarily will not kill and totally understood as NOT dangerous to persons in good health.

A tense situation escalating as we speak. I am tempted to say the Gleiwitz Incident from 1939. Belarus surely seems to want the "incident" for whatever reason. Uses desperate people including little children as pawns. Wrong! Very wrong!

This matter hardly settled or even ameliorated.

coolbert.

Hun.

This is coolbert:

Pssst! Wanna buy a jet plane? 

From Popular Mechanics and thanks to the article by KYLE MIZOKAMI.

F-100 Super Sabre jet fighter for sale. Atomic bomb not included.

"Hey, Wanna Buy a Cold War Fighter Jet?"

"The F-100 could sling nuclear bombs and launch itself into the air like a missile. Now it can be yours."

"* Two Cold War veteran F-100F Super Sabre fighters are up for auction online. * The fighters, built during the Eisenhower Administration, are reportedly flyable. * The F-100F was used in Vietnam, could carry nuclear weapons, and take off using rockets."

"A few of the most versatile fighter jets from the Cold War are up for auction and ready to fly—with some exceptions. Two F-100F Super Sabre fighter jets are being auctioned with current bids right around the cost of a decent used car. A veteran of the Vietnam War, the Super Sabre also carried nuclear bombs and could forgo long rolling jet-powered takeoffs in favor of a quick boost into the air on rockets."

Devoted readers to the blog will want to watch the embedded video of a  "Zero-Length Launch" as it was referred to. An idea that never came to fruition, never "took-off' so to speak.

Additionally see a most recent blog entry the danger of flying the F-100 with regard to long-term health of the combat aviator.

Hopefully lots of spare parts are available. Unless so your investment will be un-flyable and  quickly so.

coolbert.

OKANG.

This is coolbert:

"the secretary of Defense has the authority to require these vaccines for all members of the force, including the National Guard … even in a Title 32 status. Because when they're called up for their monthly training, they're still federally funded."

"Pentagon to respond 'appropriately' after Oklahoma National Guard [OKARNG] says it won't follow COVID-19 vaccine mandate"

THE MOMENT I SAW THIS HEADLINE I KNEW THERE WAS GOING TO BE TROUBLE. AND IT IS SO!

OKARNG commander not willing to enforce the mandated Covid vaccine for military personnel.

As you might  have anticipated, response swift and sure.

"Pentagon: Oklahoma National Guard Must Adhere to Vax Mandate"

"A spokesperson for the Pentagon insisted on Monday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has the authority to overrule Oklahoma's highest-ranking military official and force members of the state's National Guard to get a COVID-19 vaccine."

Controversial [?] in the sense that normally command authority in peace-time for a National Guard unit vested in the state Governor. Only when federally activated is the NG unit under command control of the DoD.

Legalisms and a strict adherence to various statutes apply here? Money and pay for monthly NG drill the crucial factors so it seems. DoD gets it's way!

Oklahoma still OK!

coolbert.

SADAT.

This is coolbert:

Mercenaries I. Turkish style!

Never heard of these guys before. Turkish private military contractor [PMC]. SADAT. And not Anwar of Egypt.

From a variety of sources and thanks to one and all. Courtesy the tip from the Internet web site Strategy Page.

1. "Erdogan’s shadow army: The influence of SADAT, Turkey's private defense group"

"Turkey’s SADAT defense group is heavily involved in Ankara’s training of Syrian Sunni rebels for the fight against Assad."

2. "SADAT: Turkey’s Paramilitary Wings Take Flight In Africa"

"SADAT Inc. International Defense Consultancy is a Turkish private security contractor, founded by former Gen. Adnan Tanrıverdiin in 2012. Tanrıverdi had been forced into retirement in 1996, due to Islamist affiliations. Reports allege that SADAT is present in Syria and Iraq, in the form of paramilitary troops, training, and military ordnance procurement. There is a close relationship between SADAT and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan."

Private Military Contractors as they are referred to rather a growth business. Think Sandline, Executive Outcomes, Blackwater, Wagner Group, etc.

The Turk has one also. And beholden in large measure to President Erdogan.

coolbert.

Heroes.

This is coolbert:

"As a community, we are beyond disappointed by the disrespectful actions of those responsible for defacing such an important monument on such an important day for all Canadians,"

Even in Canada this sort of thing occurs. Even there!

Desecration war memorial, Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada. As reported by Fox News the article from two days ago by Edmund DeMarche.

"War memorial defaced with graffiti: ‘The real heroes are the vaccinated’"

"A war memorial in Cranbrook, British Columbia was defaced before the town celebrated its veterans for Remembrance Day on Thursday with a pro-vaccine message in green spray paint."

Persons that do this sort of thing are way below contempt. My perspective the perpetrators derive some sort of perverse and sickening pleasure by the desecration much more than the message itself. 

See previous blog entries the topic war memorial desecration:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2020/05/glory.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/11/abomination-i.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2019/01/outrage-raf.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/11/prank.html

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

coolbert.

A119.

This is coolbert:

"crackpot: one given to eccentric or lunatic notions".

Almost literally so lunatic. Luna. Moon.

As seen at the Internet web site History and thanks to same the tip from Lorenzo.

"Why the Air Force Almost Blasted the Moon with an H-Bomb"

"Call it a Cold War show of force."

DETONATE AN ATOMIC WEAPON ON THE SURFACE of the moon CIRCA 1958.

"circa: at approximately, in approximately, or of approximately —used especially with dates"

"Detonating a thermonuclear weapon on the moon? It sounds like the bizarro scheme of a deranged comic-book villain—not a project initiated inside the U.S. government."

"But in 1958, as the Cold War space race was heating up, the U.S. Air Force launched just such an endeavor. Called Project A119, it harnessed the talents of some of America’s top scientists."

Properly seen as a demonstration of American military know-how and technological prowess. At a time when such "know-how" and "prowess" was being seriously questioned.

A DETONATION THAT COULD BE SEEN FROM THE EARTH WITH [?] THE UNAIDED EYE!

Hardly can be thought of as being anything less than impressive. The target audience the populations of the United States and those leaders of any nation as hostile to the USA. Even to scare.

But such a "demonstration" never occurred and probably all for the better. A119 kaput and we can be thankful.

coolbert.

GAV.

This is coolbert:

Not a drone launching and recovering a drone.

From the Internet web site "The Aviationist" the X-61A Gremlin drone [GAV] the article by STEFANO D'URSO.

"DARPA’s X-61A Gremlin Air Vehicle (GAV) Recovered Inflight For The First Time"

X-61A Gremlin launched then recovered. Not expendable. Can be used for as many as two dozen missions?

"The successful test follows last year’s failed attempt when the drones moved within inches from recovery, however one X-61 was also lost due to an unexpected power system issue.

"The 24 hours goal is one of the requirements set by DARPA, as the Gremlins program envisions the launch of groups of UASs from existing large aircraft, such as bombers or transport aircraft, while they are outside the range of adversary defenses, and their airborne recovery by a C-130 so they could be reused within 24 hours. The GAVs can be equipped with a variety of sensors and other mission-specific payloads for coordinated, distributed capabilities, with an expected lifetime of about 20 uses that could provide significant cost advantages over expendable systems and an improved operational flexibility."

Almost any [?] large warplane in the current arsenal can be configured to launch and then recover the Gremlin. A lot of versality with QUICK turnaround time.

And NO this is not your XF-85 Goblin from the era of the Cold War.

coolbert.

US-2.

This is coolbert:

"make or break: 1. verb To cause either to succeed or to fail; to cause either a positive or negative outcome."

From the Internet web site "War on the Rocks" and the article by DAVID ALMAN.

"A JAPANESE SEAPLANE COULD BE THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER FOR THE U.S. MILITARY"

I recommend highly the War on the Rocks article without reservation or qualification.

Devoted readers to the blog first play attention as to WHY the U.S. Navy gave up on the seaplane dimension to naval warfare.

But that is not the end of the story.

US-2 a tanker aircraft? A seaplane? A tanker?

This is a photoshopped edited image and not real life. Shows F-35 warplanes being refueled mid-air by a modified US-2 with American legacy colors what they are called, pre-WW2. Click on image to see an enlarged view. (image courtesy of Hangar B Productions).

Now for the rest of the story. As extracted from the War on the Rocks article:

"Leaders might even consider converting the US-2 into an air-to-air refueling platform. These tankers could refuel from ships, pre-placed fuel bladders, other aircraft, or from airfields and fuel farms close to the sea. If runways were available, they could land there as well. The ability to stage tankers forward from the ultimate unimproved surface — the ocean — would allow strike aircraft and other forces to project power under contested conditions. Not all these modifications would need to happen immediately. Initially, and in the spirit of a minimum viable product, the US-2 could be equipped only to refuel probe equipped aircraft. Boom integration, while offering numerous benefits, would be a more difficult task."

Any sort of conflict in the western Pacific will require widespread dispersion of assets. And LOTS of tanker aircraft [light carriers in the sea control mode seem to be sans organic tanker aircraft]. US-2 with rather modest [?] modification will have to the capacity to "refuel from ships, pre-placed fuel bladders, other aircraft, or from airfields and fuel farms close to the sea". US-2 almost the ultimate in oceanic dispersal of wartime aviation assets.!

coolbert.

Stupid.

This is coolbert:

More than anything else, I don't want to believe this is true. But apparently it is so!

Stupid!

From the English tabloid Daily Mail and thanks to same.

"Washington scientist admits to fabricating steel-strength results for US Navy subs for over 30 years: Took 'shortcuts' because she thought safety test criteria was 'stupid'"

FRAUD ON A SCALE AS TO PLACE ALL AMERICAN SUBMARINERS AT GREAT RISK. FRAUD AS CONTINUING FOR A THIRTY YEAR PERIOD UNDETECTED!!

" * Elaine Marie Thomas, 67, pleaded guilty to major fraud in Tacoma federal court Monday, after she spent decades faking tests on steel used to build Navy subs. * The falsified test results reported by Thomas came over the course of 32 years while she was employed as a metallurgist, or mineral expert, at a steel foundry. * During Monday's proceedings, Thomas struck a deal with prosecutors that sees her facing up to 10 years in prison and a $1 million fine. * Thomas' attorney argued that her client did not intend to put anyone's lives in danger with the fabricated tests, saying she merely 'took shortcuts'. * Thomas said she changed the tests to passing grades because she thought the Navy's criteria for tests was 'stupid' and disagreed with it. * The manufacturing company that owns the foundry in Tacoma, Bradken Inc., is the US Navy's leading supplier of steel for naval submarines."

Key words we must take out of this to include: "shortcuts" "decades" "falsified" "intend" "stupid".

Without any further comment let me say that devoted readers to the blog can easily determine WHO was stupid in this case. Steel or is it STEAL! QC check, NO!

coolbert.

USMC Izumo

This is coolbet:

F-35B Unit - Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA-242) at your service!

American warplanes demonstrating the light-carrier concept Japan style. JS Izumo. Only last month. Courtesy You Tube for the video.

"USMC F-35B Lands and Takes-Off Aboard Japanese Ship Izumo"

"U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II aircraft lands and takes-off on the Japanese Ship Izumo, October 3, 2021. This marks the first time a fixed wing aircraft has launched and landed on a Japanese naval vessel since WWII. The Izumo is officially classified as a multi-purpose operation destroyer, but is being converted to a light aircraft carrier." 

Impressive! With the F-35B you DO NOT need a catapult for launch or arresting gear to stop! A much simpler warship suffices. The light aircraft carrier with high-performance combat aviation now a proven winner.

NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS. ALL POSITIVE. A LOT HAS CHANGED SINCE 7 DECEMBER 1941.

coolbert.

BVR Thai.

This is coolbert:

Swedish warplanes but NOT the Swedish air force!

DACT air combat war games. Chinese versus Thai air force. J-11 [Chinese] versus Gripen [Thai]. J-11 a Chinese knock-off of the Soviet/Russian Su-27. DACT = Dissimilar Aircraft Combat Training. BVR = Beyond Visual Range.

First from "The National Interest" and the article by David Axe.

1. "Swedish Jets Really Did Destroy the Chinese Air Force in an Exercise"

"The exercise was a wake-up call for China."

"Here's What You Need to Remember: On day three, the Thai pilots 'shot down' 19 J-11s for a loss of three Gripens. Over the final three days of the war game, the Thais killed 22 Chinese jets and lost three of their own."

Chinese J-11 superior and omnipotent at eye-ball to eye-ball range and combat. J-11 the far-better dogfighting aircraft in those circumstance.

See additionally from the Internet web site Alert 5:

2. "PLAAF J-11 beat RTAF Gripen 16-0 on first day of Falcon Strike 2015"

Exercise as is noted in 2015!

As per graphs and slides as seen at the Alert 5 webpage:

First two days of the exercise simulated aerial combat at close-range traditional fighter plane warfare the score for the two days combined Chinese with twenty-five victories, the Thai with just one.

The last four days of the exercise the tally at BVR distances nine victories for the J-11 and forty for the Gripen!

From a comment to the Alert 5 article:

"You are not supposed to engage in a dogfight with a JAS-39 Gripen, because the Swedish fighter is very small sized and can easily hide from visual and radar observation. It is supposed to surprise the invading enemy instead, being a defense fighter designed by a neutral country. If a Gripen pilot finds himself in a dogfight in a real war, he has done something very wrong tactically."

As in all forms of warfare, maximize your advantages, avoid your disadvantages!

Make the enemy fight on your terms! Do not fight on his terms!

coolbert.

T-DAY.

This is coolbert:

Once more from Reuters and thanks to same. The article by David Lague and Maryanne Murray.

I recommend highly without qualification or reservation. Devoted readers to the blog will find this to be a MUST!

"WAR GAMES  T-DAY THE BATTLE FOR TAIWAN"

Read in particular with special attention to the SIX SCENARIOS.as possible to transpire, the crisis between China, Taiwan and other outside actors.

In conclusion as noted by the Reuters article:

"For the American alliance, a Chinese takeover of Taiwan would be a devastating blow. At a stroke, the United States would lose its status as the pre-eminent power in Asia, according to most U.S. and regional military experts. If America were unwilling or unable to defend Taiwan, its network of allies in the Asia-Pacific – including Tokyo, Seoul and Canberra – would overnight be far more vulnerable to military and economic coercion from China. Some might switch allegiance to Beijing, analysts say. Some might seek nuclear weapons to boost their own security."

"If America did opt to defend the island, though, there is no guarantee it would defeat an increasingly powerful PLA, according to current and former senior U.S. commanders. To counter China’s military rise, the United States is now rolling out new weapons and strategy in the Asia-Pacific."

Both the short and the long the USA will be perceived as not an able and willing partner for defense pacts, unwilling to maintain agreements. A declining world power not predominant. UNRELIABLE!

Thank you Reuters. Graphics and images again superb. You could not want better. Well done.

coolbert.

Dredge.

This is coolbert:

To war by sand, Chinese style!

Matsu islands. [Matsu a chain of islands rather than just a single island apparently. Often just referred to as Matsu?]

Thanks to Reuters and their "TROUBLED WATERS" reporting. Article and reporting by Yimou Lee, Photos by Ann Wang, Graphics by Marco Hernandez.

"China’s latest weapon against Taiwan: the sand dredger"

I highly recommend this article without qualification or reservation. Devoted readers should consider this a MUST!

"Chinese dredging ships are swarming Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, forcing the local coast guard to run round-the-clock patrols. The tactic is part of Beijing’s escalating campaign of irregular ‘gray-zone’ warfare on Taipei. Reuters joined the coast guard on patrol""

Matsu Islands. Click on image to see an enlarged view. Very close to the Chinese mainland. Actually that distance ranges from six to fourteen miles [ten to twenty-two kilometers], well within Chinese artillery range. Matsu and Quemoy both  bombarded during the First and Second Formosa Strait Crisis of the 1950's. Thank you Reuters.

"The sand-dredging is one weapon China is using against Taiwan in a campaign of so-called gray-zone warfare, which entails using irregular tactics to exhaust a foe without actually resorting to open combat. Since June last year, Chinese dredgers have been swarming around the Matsu Islands, dropping anchor and scooping up vast amounts of sand from the ocean bed for construction projects in China."

See this image the Matsu Islands rather very remote from Taiwan proper in comparison to the Chinese mainland. Matsu Islands as indicated in orange with the arrow about one hundred miles [one-hundred sixty kilometers] from Taipei city. In peril.

Reuters article very well done with regard to images and graphics. Superb even! Thank you Reuters.

coolbert.

Enlisted.

This is coolbert:

I find this to be mildly surprising. Thanks to several sources.

United States Air Force drone aviators, pilots of UAV, enlisted personnel.

Piloting an aircraft at least in the USAF strictly for a long time the purview of the officer class.

UAV pilots as trained restricted so it seems only to drone flight. They will never take to the air in a "real" aircraft.

1. "Meet the Air Force's first enlisted drone pilots"

Courtesy the article in Air Force Times By Stephen Losey.

"When the Air Force's latest class of two dozen aspiring remotely-piloted aircraft pilots convened at Initial Flight Training School in Pueblo, Colorado, Oct. 12, four of them had something unique: Enlisted stripes."

Not strictly enlisted but enlisted personnel included in the mix.

2. "This Woman Is the 1st to Fly Air Force Drones"

"The Air Force has its first female enlisted Global Hawk drone pilot."

"The service said Tech. Sgt. Courtney completed its undergraduate remotely piloted aircraft training program known as the Enlisted Pilot Initial Class program, on Aug. 4. at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. She graduated alongside three other pilots."

The paradigm of manned warplanes as flown only by those of the officer class predicated on the assumption that some sort of above-average intelligence an absolute necessity. A degree in STEM subjects greatly preferred [Science, Technical, Engineering, Math].

Today the level of education and intellectual achievement allows for enlisted of whatever service to fly UAV as if they were at the controls of a plane "really" in the air?

Devoted readers to the blog please understand when I say "real" or "really" I speak facetiously fully aware and understanding these pilots are INDEED at the controls of a REAL aircraft.

Also consider within context that 80 % of Israeli Air Force missions currently drone UAV flights.

coolbert.

Susceptible.

This is coolbert:

F-100 BAD! Pilots USAF beware! Too late now!

From the Internet web site Alert 5 and thanks to same.

"USAF study found that F-100 pilots are more likely to get cancer"

"A study by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing found evidence that fighter pilots and crew members have a higher chance of being diagnosed with cancer."

"Researchers focused on four Vietnam-era warplanes, the F-100, F-4, F-105, and RF-4, to examine the rates of cancer among their crews."

Pilots having flown the American F-100 fighter-bomber during the period of the Cold War having the greatest concerns!

“'Male fighter aviators who flew the F-100 had greater odds of being diagnosed and dying from colon and rectum cancer, pancreas cancer, melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer, and brain cancer. They also had greater odds of being diagnosed and dying from thyroid cancer and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, despite similar odds of diagnosis,' according to the study."

Further from the comments of an acknowledged aviation authority:

"Fighter pilots in general. It’s like sitting in a greenhouse on Mount Everest for an hour or two per day. Especially hard on eyes, with the unfiltered UV rays. Which is why pilots are always wearing primo quality sun glasses . . . we’ve been aware of the dangers of the sun on skin as well. Not much is exposed  nowadays with the flight suits, gloves and full cover helmets."

BUT WHY PILOTS OF THE F-100 MORE SUSCEPTIBLE THAN MOST?

coolbert.

AS 40.

This is coolbert:

The Swedish navy can do it. The American navy can do it too!

From out good friend Commander Salamander and thanks to same.

American fast attack nuclear submarine replenishment of weapons  practiced.

THE FIRST TIME IN NINE YEARS!!

"Nine Years is a Long Time"

"The submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) completed a weapons handling exercise involving the transfer of a MK-48 inert training shape to a submarine, Oct. 22. This was the first expeditionary reload Frank Cable has conducted outside of Guam since 2012."

Consider replenishment of war stocks at sea to be an essential element of American naval war-fighting strategy!

Two questions:

1. Was done in mid-Ocean? [apparently not] 2. Was done at night? [does not seem have been so]

Read from a most recent blog entry the Swedish navy practicing the reload of a submarine. Done apparently during hours of darkness and hardly close to shore. Tactical conditions that most difficult of circumstances possible.

And what exactly are we to make of all this other than preparation for war? Do I detect a sense of urgency?

coolbert.

Inflation.

This is coolbert:

Courtesy the tip from W.B. and F.S. this item for your perusal. 

"Cost to Kill an Enemy Soldier"

[all cost expressed in $ USD]

"A few years ago [circa 1970's] a Dutch professor took time to calculate the cost of an enemy soldier’s death at different epochs in history. He estimated that during the reign of Julius Caesar, to kill an enemy soldier cost less than one dollar. At the time of Napoleon, it had considerably inflated—to more than $2,000. At the end of the First World War, it had multiplied several times to reach the figure of some $17,000. During the Second World War, it was about $40,000. And in Vietnam, in 1970, to kill an enemy soldier cost the United States $200,000."

Calculations with regard to cost of killing an enemy soldier during the times of Julius Caesar hard to determine?

See my prior blog entries regarding ancient times estimates:

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

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2018/04/wealth.html

coolbert.

Abandoned.

This is coolbert:

The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Afghan style. Any port in a storm type of thing?

1. "US-Trained Afghan Spies & Special Forces Are Joining ISIS For 'Protection' Against Taliban"

Thanks you "Zero Hedge" and the article BY TYLER DURDEN.

"Many former national Afghan forces who are now being hunted by the Taliban after their US military backers withdrew from the country in August are turning to the Islamic State for protection"

Presumably Afghan national army troops of the hunter-class. Left in the lurch when the USA abandoned Afghan in the middle of the night!

2. "US-Trained Afghan Soldiers & Spies Joining ISIS Terrorists To ‘Resist’ Taliban – Reports"

"The Taliban has long accused Washington of funding ISIS, and now they’re indirectly right, as a growing number of US-trained Afghan soldiers and intelligence officials are joining the terrorist group’s ranks to fight the Taliban."

1. Resist the Taliban. 2. Protection. Both. Many Afghan army veterans NOT Pashtun and afraid of reprisal. Persons also with valuable skill sets.

See previous blog entries those elite troops of the Afghan national army now flocking [?] to the Islamic State affiliate in conflict with the Taliban:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/09/askari-ii.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2021/10/zero.html

coolbert.

007.

This is coolbert:

Mozambique under attack. Rwandan navy to the rescue. Rwanda? A landlocked nation? Rwanda?

YES! And it seems quite successful too!

From the H. I. Sutton Internet web site "Covert Shores" and thanks to same.

"Landlocked Navy Goes To War: Rwanda's mystery 'Squad 007' Boat Grabs Attention"

"Being land-locked, the Rwandan Defense Force (RDF) is not well known for its navy. However a small force which normally patrols a lake has been flung into the lime-light, operating in Mozambique. Rwandan forces deployed to the country on July 9, 2021 to help combat Islamic State aligned forces which have gained control of large parts of the country. They appear to have been very successful in their mission. The boats have been operated along the coast, apparently more successfully than Mozambique's' own navy. This may be surprising since Mozambique has, on paper, a very well equipped and modern force."

"The Rwandan boats appear to be a variant of the Italian-made Fabio Buzzi 36" (11 meters) racing RIB (rigid inflatable boat)." As operated by Rwandan Marines. And equipped with two 12.7 mm [.50 inch] Chinese heavy machine guns HMG.

Go Rwandans. Good job! Impressive!

coolbert.

Poison.

This is coolbert:

Quemoy and Matsu! As it was over sixty years ago as it is now?

Think not a military invasion of Taiwan proper across the Taiwan Strait. Relics of the Cold War those islands very close to the Chinese mainland and occupied by Republic of China [ROC] military forces easy pickings and a much more tempting target for the Chinese People's Liberation Army [PLA].

From the Internet web site Zero Hedge and the article by TYLER DURDEN.

"'Poison Frogs': US Urged To Make Taiwan Islands Too 'Painful' For China To Seize In Response To War Game Results"

"The United States would have little recourse if China invaded one of the minor islands controlled by Taiwan, according to a new report by Center for a New American Security (CNAS), a Washington-based think tank."

"Ultimately, the report found that U.S. national security strategy focused too much on defending the island of Taiwan itself from a Chinese invasion, rather than seeking to mitigate more limited acts of coercion and aggression in the region."

Quemoy marked on map within the box. Very close to the Chinese mainland [about ten miles or sixteen kilometers due north]. Also about one-hundred twenty miles [one-hundred ninety kilometers] from Taichung City on Taiwan proper Click on image to see an enlarged view..

Close-up map image Quemoy island. Taiwanese territory. From the island to the Chinese mainland about ten miles [sixteen kilometers] due north. An invasion by the PLA of Quemoy MUCH easier than a crossing of the Taiwan strait. Quemoy and Matsu for that matter in the cross-hairs of the PLA for over a sixty year period!

Those "relics' of the Cold War Quemoy and Matsu objects of concern during the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crisis:

"The People's Liberation Army [PLA] extensively shelled the island during the First and Second Taiwan Strait crises in 1954–1955 and 1958 respectively. In 1954, the United States considered responding by using nuclear weapons against the PRC. Again in 1958, General Nathan Farragut Twining and the Joint Chiefs of Staff believed that the United States should not permit the loss of the islands to the communists and recommended to President Eisenhower the use of whatever force was necessary, including atomic weapons."

HARDLY DO I THINK AN ATTACK ON QUEMOY WOULD BE ANSWERED BY ATOMIC WEAPONS IN RESPONSE BY THE USA!!

See previous blog entries Quemoy and Matsu:

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/09/240-mm-iii_14.html

https://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/01/quemoy_22.html

coolbert.