URR comments on the State Prosecutor’s opinion on drone strikes here in the Homeland. I am sure Marty Dempsey will eagerly crumple up that pesky old Constitution to please his masters. Wouldn’t be the first time. And what say you?
F O O L I S H N E S S
THIS. The price of (re)electing leftists is, among others, military readiness. More, later, on where exactly I think women can serve best in the military. It might not be what you think!
More From Ricks on Mattis
More; a lot more. Here are two points out of several: In his dealings with the White House, Mattis also tried to change the strategic framework, insisting that we need to plan not just for what we assumed Iran might do, but also for what Iran was capable of doing. I am told this was not a welcome thought. The Mattis-Donilon disagreements weren’t just about Iran. Other issues on which Mattis was pushing the White House to think deeper and harder, I am told, were “Afghanistan, concerns about Pakistani stability, [and] response to the Arab spring.” Read and think. What [...]
ALNAV 006/13
Stand by for heavy rolls… 6. GIVEN THE GREAT UNCERTAINTY WE FACE, WE MUST ENACT PRUDENT, BUT STRINGENT BELT-TIGHTENING MEASURES NOW THAT WILL PERMIT US TO OPERATE THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS THROUGH THE REST OF THIS FISCAL YEAR IF THE CR IS EXTENDED. EACH OF THESE STEPS ARE DESIGNED TO BE REVERSIBLE, AT LEAST TO SOME EXTENT, SHOULD CONGRESS PASS AN FY-13 BUDGET. ACCORDINGLY, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS LEADERSHIP HAS ADVISED THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING A SERIES OF ACTIONS, EACH SUBJECT TO EXCEPTIONS FOR MISSION-CRITICAL ACTIVITIES. ACTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: – CURTAIL [...]
Syria: What Next?
This report shows ominous developments. As recently as Tuesday, officials had said there was as yet no evidence that the process of mixing the “precursor” chemicals had begun. But Wednesday, they said their worst fears had been confirmed: The nerve agents were locked and loaded inside the bombs. If a chem attack inside Syria occurs, what will Our President (PBUH) do? What will Israel do? And Turkey? What will be the ripple effects across the Mid East? Which actors will be emboldened, and which restrained? We might not be interested in another war in the Arab world, but sadly war [...]
Sic Transit Pax Americana
I can’t even conjure up any black humor. Well, we voted for it. It was purchased at great cost; the aftermath will cost us yet more. Wait, wait– here’s a fitting slogan: FORWARD!
ISAF Clarifies Statement (?)
“ISAF clarifies information on partnering with ANSF:” KABUL, Afghanistan (Sept. 18, 2012) — Recent media coverage regarding a change in ISAF’s model of Security Force Assistance (SFA) to the Afghan National Security Forces is not accurate. ISAF remains absolutely committed to partnering with, training, advising and assisting our ANSF counterparts. The ISAF SFA model is focused at the battalion level and above, with exceptions approved by senior commanders. Partnering occurs at all levels, from Platoon to Corps. This has not changed. In response to elevated threat levels resulting from the “Innocence of Muslims” video, ISAF has taken some prudent, but temporary [...]
“The B61 Bomb: A Case Study in Costs and Needs”
Yet more good news from the defense front. They cannibalize spare B61s for parts, such as the vacuum tubes needed to keep the radars working on active bombs. If they don’t have spares, they track down outdated machines to manufacture the components themselves, as they did when they bought a machine to produce integrated circuits. What’s that again on deep defense cuts? And after seeing some of the images on the news, you think we might need these things in working condition??
Gunfire in the Gulf
This escaped our notice, until URR brought us up short: If the United States, and in particular the United States Navy, has any sense of true ‘strategic messaging”, we will let the rest of the world know that, should another small craft ignore similar warnings, it, too, will be fired upon. And any death or injury that results from such incidents is the responsibility of those who willfully ignore the warnings, and on those who likely have sent them. Strategic messaging, indeed. Let the message go out, loud and clear.
Interesting Perspective
Colonel (Retired) Pat Lang who publishes Sic Semper Tyrannis and who is a retired Army Special Forces and Intelligences office, he is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute. This article, which was published on Foreign Affairs about four years ago resonates even today. I will comment more later on this tendency.
