Military

There is a high probability that Russia will conduct open combat operations against Ukraine within the next 30 days, and possibly much sooner. The likelihood that the United States will be involved in hostilities is slim, but

If that occurs, widespread cyber attacks may take place against NATO countries to disrupt C3 networks. This will likely involve internet and telecommunications networks worldwide, as well as potential power grid attacks in Europe.

The American Redoubt Radio Operators Network is reporting:

In Donetsk region, the SMM recorded 1,463 ceasefire violations, including 142 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 815 ceasefire violations in the region.

In Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 161 ceasefire violations, including 97 explosions. In the previous reporting period, it recorded 32 ceasefire violations in the region.

Members of the armed formations denied the SMM passage near Zolote and Molodizhne, Luhansk region, and delayed its passage for more than two hours near Olenivka, Donetsk region.*

The Mission continued monitoring the disengagement areas near Stanytsia Luhanska, Zolote and Petrivske.

The SMM facilitated and monitored the operation of and repairs to critical civilian infrastructure.

The Mission continued following up on the situation of civilians, including at three entry-exit checkpoints and the corresponding checkpoints of the armed formations in Luhansk region.

The Mission’s freedom of movement continued to be restricted, including at two checkpoints of the armed formations in Donetsk region. Its unmanned aerial vehicles encountered instances of GPS signal interference, assessed as caused by probable jamming.

Make sure that you have alternate means of communications with friends and family. Understand that credit cards, banking, and ATMs may not function without communications networks.

Headlines today are being made by a US Senator who, they claim, threatened to nuke Russia over a theoretical invasion of the Ukraine. I don’t have a problem with the statement. Let me explain by starting with what the Senator said:

When asked to clarify what he meant by “military action,” Wicker recounted measures ranging from the American “ships in the Black Sea” to “first-use nuclear action.”

“We don’t rule out first-use nuclear action, we don’t think it will happen but there are certain things in negotiations, if you are going to be tough, that you don’t take off the table,” the Mississippi senator added.

If the United States (or any nation) is attempting to influence another nation, that other nation doesn’t need to know what the limits of the US response are going to be. This keeps the other side from doing a cost benefit analysis and deciding that it’s worth it. If you are threatening a military response, but then go ahead and outline the limits of that response, you are weakening your own position.

It’s like dealing with an armed robber. Let’s say that the robber is in the middle of robbing a store that you are standing in. You point a gun at him and tell him to stop robbing the store, or else. He replies, “Or else what?” and then you tell him, “Or else I will send you a strongly worded letter, or perhaps I will report you to the cops, but what I won’t do is shoot you.” How do you think that will work out?

What if instead, you tell him, “If you rob this store, I will turn your head into a canoe” What would happen then?

You want the enemy to know there will be a response, you want them to know it will be painful, but you don’t want them to know that all you have in your hand is a pair of fives.

The last of World War Two’s 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment has passed away at the age of 99. The regiment was the subject of an HBO series “Band of Brothers” and some of the things that they did became textbook examples of how to carry out various infantry actions.

With the loss of the last survivor of the regiment, an era of history has ended. Where they have gone, the reunions will be epic. Enjoy Valhalla, sir.

Leave it to the left to constantly use the military to enforce their whims. Now the Governor of New York is mobilizing the National Guard to “assist” New Yorkers in receiving the jab and to staff nursing homes who can’t seem to find enough health care workers.

The activation is part of the New York National Guard’s COVID-19 mission that began in March 2020, Durr told Insider. A total of 983 personnel have helped create vaccination sites, logistics facilities, and put together testing kits throughout the state, he said. 

So if the left can’t find enough volunteers, they turn to using the military. It’s the nearest thing that they have to modern day slavery.

The Biden administration deployed 30 self propelled howitzers to the Ukraine, near the border with Belarus and Russia. The report is that the move also includes several dozen tanks, armored vehicles, and several thousand NATO troops. Sounds to me like an Armored Brigade, which would have 80 M1 tanks, and a few batteries of self propelled artillery.

A similar deployment was made into Poland 4 years ago. Funny how there are mentions of this from several European news sites, but none from the US. Does that mean it is a false report, or is the US media simply ignoring news in Europe?

The Pentagon says that the National Guard has to take the jab, even though their state governor may be refusing. Why can they do this? Well, here is the theory:

The National Guard is usually controlled by the state , but the president has the power to federalize the guards at any time, which would require the guards to receive the vaccine. Because President Joe Biden has not federalized the guards in Oklahoma, the state mandate stands.

That isn’t how it works. The President can’t call the militia- only Congress can. Article I, Section 8, clause 15:

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

The President can’t call forth the militia of a state. So how did they get around that? Thank our courts, who decided that, when a person enlists in the state National Guard, he or she is also enlisting in the National Guard of the United States. Congress has thus delegated to the President its authority to call forth the militia, and the courts rubber stamped it.

The Commandant of the Marine Corps has announced a new plan where some Marine Corps recruits won’t have to attend boot camp. He claims that some positions don’t require Marines to, well, be Marines. So much for “every Marine is a rifleman.”

The rapid rise in importance of the cyber domain, for instance, has challenged us to find creative ways to quickly build critical skills at mid-career and senior levels. Unless we find a means to quickly infuse expertise into the force – at the right ranks – I am concerned that advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, among other fields where the speed of technological change is exponential, will force us into a reactive posture.

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger

When he says it, he claims that cyber warfare is the reason. When I hear it, I think this means each unit will have an assigned “gender studies specialist” or some other political officer assigned to it.

He also wrote that Marines no longer on active duty who now have “critical career experience” should be able to return to service at a higher rank.

“I can envision a Marine who left active duty as a captain or corporal rejoining our ranks as a lieutenant colonel or gunnery sergeant, respectively, after spending 5-7 years working in a cyber or IT field where the service currently lacks capacity,” Berger wrote. “With the right education and experience, that same corporal might also be eligible to return as a mid-grade or senior officer.”

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger

So a person can sign up for 3 years, leave as an E-4, then 5 to 7 years later return as an E7? What about those who stayed? Are they gonna be stuck without promotion because the ones returning are taking up billets? For those who don’t know, a person who enters the service as a brand new O-1 (Second Lieutenant) officer takes a minimum of ten years to be promoted to O-5 (Major).

Sorry, but this destroys the entire idea of the Marines. I say this as one of your Navy brothers: Anyone who serves from this day forward won’t have my respect.

On the other hand, it isn’t like the US Navy is doing much better. Navy ships are becoming rust buckets that are filled with unqualified personnel, which is why they can’t seem to stop colliding with everything that gets near them.

This is the same thing I noted when we talked about this fat ass from Meal Team 6:

Our military is a shell of its former power. If we engage in combat with any near peer adversary, we are going to get our asses kicked.