Honestly as a 23 year Air Force NCO I thought it was a joke when I first heard about the Yemen 'evacuation' and marine weapons...like those guys I worked with for years would ever walk away like that, tail tucked and all. Hell, I guess national leadership at all levels has gone soft.
Unfortunately the usmc security forces take their cues from the state department, who unfortunately decided to tuck our tail. Orders even wrong headed ones are orders. Would have loved to have seen us lay waste to these idiots, but our apologizer and chief and his state department jelly backbones wanted out quietly. Can't wait until January 2017.
The Free beacon stepped in it, courtesy of Senator Inhofe.
first: New photographs exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon reveal that Russian military forces have been more involved in the arming and training of Ukrainian separatist forces than previously disclosed. The often-gruesome photographs clearly display Russian troops entering Ukraine with advanced military hardware and weapons, including tanks and advanced infantry fighting vehicles. The new photographic evidence conflicts with numerous statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin denying his country’s involvement in the arming of pro-Moscow separatists in Eastern Ukraine, where a tentative ceasefire between the sides was struck on Thursday.
then UPDATE 3:11 P.M.: Following publication of this story, serious questions have been raised about the authenticity of some of the photographs provided by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.). Several images of the Russian convoys appear to have been taken in 2008, during Russia’s conflict with Georgia. Given the similarities between the earlier images and those provided by the senator’s office, the Washington Free Beacon is investigating further and will update as necessary.
Any major conflict such as the one in Ukraine is of course a setback for all sides until things finally normalize over time, economies are restored and some trust/cooperation is regained.
It would be an understatement indeed though, to say that Ukraine has had a setback ever since the November 2013 surprise decision by then Yanukovych to play into Kremlin's secret plan for comprehensive regional shift and rejection by Kiev for any closer associate relations w/ EU. And from there, the setbacks obviously took an ever increasingly catastrophic hit after coordinated Kremlin-backed extremist separatists began assaults and incremental takeover of territories militarily in face of the Yanukovych-Kremlin base losing power by parliament and an interim govt. (pre-elections). There is no way in hell that Putin would have accepted such humiliation and disrespect to his new planned order for Europe, with post-election Ukraine deciding to again negotiate closer bilateral associate relations with EU. This is regardless of the status of strategic and military interests Ru govt side had in Crimea.
But it's probably an exaggerated conclusion to draw that even with a 'Peaceful' agreement taking hold in Ukraine, there would be some absolute 'setback' for the 'west' and Ukraine going forward. There flat out needs to be a cease-fire first and then absolutely a restoration of sovereign Ukrainian redevelopment and restructuring process. That's the most critical issue for any security and progress for Ukraine's continued existence and sustainability as an ever-evolving nation-state, in it's long history of over a thousand years. Not focus on the 'setbacks' which there will always be for any and all states and factions, etc.
Regardless, what this mutual 'Peace deal' hopefully produces by the end of 2015 on the security side, is a 'sovereign' Ukraine with Ukrainian national border guard control along the border with Russian Federation, plus removal of foreign militants/military forces and their military hardware. Separatist militia of Ukrainian citizenry will be demobilized and replaced by autonomous E Ukrainian Police apparatus (minus the tanks, IFV and artillery). As such, there is appropriately no condition or demand by which E Ukraine will employ a separate autonomous region military force, or maintain stationing of foreign military hardware/forces independent of sovereign Ukraine's Army.
That said, it would seem reasonable to expect increased diplomatic efforts soon to call off Kremlin-backed separatist's continued offensive on Debaltseve. To accelerate and double down on a bloody massacre now, going into a cease-fire, is totally hypocritical and contradictory to the spirit of agreed upon 'sovereign Ukraine' and to the trust-building necessary to ensure both sides comply with terms of the truce and ultimate end-game principles as agreed by end of 2015. So it's totally justified to pressure Kremlin on that score, to make the call now to cease fire on Debaltseve, which by definition only jeopardizes the core of the cease-fire to pull back artillery support, if needing to fend off an all-out assault and potential massacre. Not to mention, it could help in supporting Kremlin's case for lifting of sanctions to begin?
And I guess on some positive notes and evidence of hope for Ukraine's broader strategic positioning in the near-term, the IMF and EU will reportedly bolster assistance in Ukraine's necessary restructuring phase, as a national prerogative, and give increased financial and economic support accordingly - critical for Ukraine's path to sustainability. That said, it would seem sensible as well that both E Ukrainian and Kiev would eventually negotiate bilateral trade relations with Kremlin, independent of any bilateral associate relations developed with EU. My optimistic views at least. We'll have to wait and see.
Sorry, but I'm taking a critical view on this sort of bravado...
Send in a Battalion of Marines in forced entry to rescue a couple dozen Marine security personnel and embassy staff and family about to depart the country on a commercial flight??
Hello?
Please ponder the hard cold reality on the ground. I.e., Houthis. (note: the part of their extremist group's logo saying 'Death to America'...)
Please recognize the Houthis rebel camp has effectively taken control of the capital and is the nominal ruling power of most of Yemen today!
Houthis militants in the capital Sana'a alone could number, 5,000-10,000 fighters?
You are advocating for 500-800 Marines to fight their way (piecemeal) into the capital and airport most likely without armor (MV-22 air-assault), as the battle plan to rescue Embassy Marines from having to turn in their weapons??
I'm with you about the punch to the gut feeling, in having to swallow news of USMC disarming prior to fleeing a hostile coup d'état of a country they were posted in. That's not the point though and hope folks would think more about this situation. In my mind at least.
Now, if one is proposing and kicking around an idea of sending in USMC Super Hornets, I mean geriatric legacy Hornets, in dropping a dozen 2k pounders on the former Embassy as a show of resolve, prior to it being a likely propaganda coup for said Houthis command setting up shop in it?? Something to kick around. Yes, embassies can be rebuilt another day.
As a p.s., high respects and salute to a relative serving in SAR, USMC.
I guess you didn't hear about the US-backed coup in Kiev a year ago, with Nazi backing which would have deprived Russia of its Criimea naval base and the ethnic Russians in Donbass of their language and rights. Putin has no "planned order for Europe" -- that's silly. Putin is reacting to artillery attacks on ethnic Russians in Donbass and security threats to Russia, entirely reasonable.
Well let's say the MEU wouldn't work. It was only a maybe. That doesn't mean that for evacuating embassies the US should now depend upon commercial flights (with arms-shucking) and not the US military. Why have the world's finest military if it's not used? Tucking tail is not good for morale, for one thing.
The deal will not work. The whole idea of "stopping the fight in a few days" is ridiculous. Any serious ceasefire deal will usually include a few hours till it goes into effect, sometimes up to 12 - just to get the message to all the troops and formations. But 2 1/2 days? That is ridiculous. The is not even a proper DMZ - just pulling back of heavy weaponry, artillery and MLRS systems. Infantry can stay, and any armored vehicle that doesnt have a large-caliber cannon can stay too. Which gives even more advantage to seps, because Ukrainian side was far more dependant on its heavy weaponry than seps.
I'll just disagree with your core ideological slant. Is USG a saint and all do-gooder in ugly world of strategic geopolitical foreign policy? I'm not going to comment on that here. As far as USG's apparent role in secretly supporting the concept of an INTERIM-Kiev Govt in case of Yanukovych's likely ousting - once the protests were facing death threats from Kremlin advisers (advising Yanukovych to crush the protests at any cost, lest he lose power, etc) and especially once the unfortunate initial fatal crack downs escalated into more emboldened opposition resistance - OK, so they did.
But Ukraine now has an elected president and government, post-Yanukovych! (note also, one which includes fewer ultra-nationalists than in Ru Fed upper and lower house of a seemingly more and more nationalist socialist governance ideology). Post-Yanukovych.
Sorry to disagree, but it's a totally new ball game and chess match, but unfortunately it's one that Kremlin is apparently hell-bent on dismantling by military means unilaterally, at any cost, in order to restore a Kremlin-loyal Ukraine it would seem. I guess you didn't hear about that part of the news?
Crimean strategic interests in post-Yanukovych Ukraine? C'mon, please be honest and consistent. Those security issues could have certainly been negotiated by heavy hitting and hard ball Putin/Lavrov negotiating skills on a political level, and Not so quickly on a unilateral offensive military level. Pazhalsta.
Here's a list of people who gave the misleading photos to Senator Inhofe.It includes Phillip Karber of the Potomac Foundation -- that rings a bell. It's the foundation without any foundation.
I would fully concur with your unfortunate analysis that the well-intended leaders of Germany and France possibly did not have sufficient military-related advice going into negotiations of certain details which could have otherwise been pressed upon the hard core negotiating.
Personally, I would think one could have considered more pressure on the aspect of an immediate stoppage of any current (or potentially planned) military offenses/assaults on villages and cities by all sides, as a necessary precursor to the bigger, phase II aspect of the 'Cease-fire', which could have started 2 days later, etc. If Putin rejected such a compromise and condition outright... then simply let it be put into historical record, of his official and true position on favoring a peaceful resolution to the catastrophic Ukrainian separatist war.
The Crimea citizenry, in light of the government overthrow in Kyev, and fearing for their security, Crimea being an autonomous republic in Ukraine, voted for independence from Ukraine and inclusion in the Russia Federation, which was granted because Russia has an important naval base there and ethnic Russians' civil and linguistic rights must be protected. No negotiation was warranted nor possible.
Sir, I'm not sure of the details, but it's very likely that Houthis rebels simply informed USG side that a military aviation evacuation was not permitted and that all US personnel would need to depart via commercial aviation. Did you consider that potential aspect?
It's a fluid coup d'état situation, with the US side facing thousands of heavily armed anti-US militia in the capital. And you wish to fly in a few MV-22, even if their presence has been denied?
Hey, hard cold realities happen. It's not the end of the world, and you can't always win. And yes, embassies can be rebuilt over time. It's history, move on.
And why is that - why even go there? Why either one? Just curious. It seems pretty arrogant, if not ignorant given the uncertainty and true instability and security threat?
There was absolutely no threat to Russian-speaking/ethnic populations in Crimea, first off, and as such, some form of negotiated enhanced autonomy could have been negotiated politically, perhaps with possibility for full independence voted on down the road after the drama. Ukraine elected govt would have been stupid to cleanse Crimea of Russian ethnic population and Russian-speakers. And then there would have been more justification for Ru mil intervention and annexation. Also, continued free access to the naval base would have been secured one way or another through negotiated settlement. However, that was evidently not in the interests of Kremlin in such a perceived humiliation domestically. All that said... Crimea is a minor fraction of the total catastrophe and security issue related to the current events in Ukraine today and need for peaceful political resolution for a sovereign and future co-existing Ukraine. My views at least.
Certainly not Ospreys, no, but I do believe the US Marines are capable of evacuating their own people from a commercial airport which is open to commercial flights, with sidearms.
Joe Dunford, are you listening? (He's got a diploma from Boston College High School and I attended Boston College so we are buddies of a sort.)
Perhaps sidearms, it the Houthis commanders allowed that, but then that doesn't answer the protest over vehicles left behind and likely automatic rifles and any other weapons.
Sorry, but again, if you are faced with an extreme hostile coup d'état situation against a force of thousands of heavily armed anti-US militants, you can't simply just send in the MEU Battalion, a la forced entry, and search for and evacuate the embassy personnel including Marines! Hello?
Sometimes one needs to negotiate an evacuation. Call it a day and move on, in my highly humbled opinion.
Sana'a International Airport has 18 scheduled departures tomorrow so I have no doubt that the US Marine Corps could have also scheduled a few departures if they tried. The Sana'a schedule is here.
Russia is better able to determine its security interests than you are with your speculations about what might happen in Crimea. Regarding Donbass, the people there have been taking heavy losses and fighting for their freedom, which is what anybody might do when threatened, as they were. Live free or die -- it's on New Hampshire plates and it's a fact of life. That's what people do when threatened. Your belief that they were not threatened is irrelevant, and not reflected in their behavior.
Its not a setback its a defeat. Ukraine has lost its tax payers and its heavy industry, what's left is marginal farmland and Debt.
Imagine Obama found himself president of Chicago, Baltimore and the Kentucky hills, with the current US Debt pile and his supposed benefactors debating giving away Kentucky.
Or let's just all agree the Sudetenland is Hitlers and hope he leaves us alone for a few months
Yuri. the point is simple. they should have left the capital long before the rebels got their. but as usual this State Dept is so concerned with optics that they can't crisis plan for jack shit.
The 25th ID Jungle Operations Training Course is still considered a Divisional school, and is not recognized by TRADOC. No additional skill identifier is given for successful completion of the course. 25th ID is working with the Maneuver Center at Fort Benning to update the doctrine, and if TRADOC will resource the training 25th ID has offered to host an official course. Right now all the instructors and training resources are coming out of the 25th ID manpower and budget, but if the school were adopted by TRADOC then it could be given their own manpower and budget on a TDA basis.
Interesting. I didn't know that. I just saw the reports that someone (should have known it was 25th ID..Hawaii!!!! Duh!) in the Army was rolling with the idea. Kinda curious this is taking so long to stand up on the Army side. They could easily bankroll the 25th ID creation or even work with Ranger Training Battalion and develop something in the Florida phase (but separate) to get one down there.
spot on! but the administration doesn't much care about optics when it comes to the nation or its institutions. it only cares about optics when it comes to the president.
February / 11 / 2015 HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, WASHINGTON — The Marine Security Force left the American embassy in Yemen for the movement to the airfield as part of the "ordered departure" with only personal weapons. All crew served weapons were destroyed at the embassy prior to movement. None of them were 'handed over' in any way to anyone. The destruction of weapons at the embassy and the airport was carried out in accordance with an approved destruction plan.
Upon arrival at the airfield, all personal weapons were rendered inoperable in accordance with advance planning. Specifically, each bolt was removed from its weapons body and rendered inoperable by smashing with sledgehammers. The weapons bodies, minus the bolts, were then separately smashed with sledgehammers. All of these destroyed components were left at the airport -- and components were scattered; no usable weapon was taken from any Marine at Sana'a airport.
To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him.
The marines had to smash their weapons during the evacuation of Yemen so they could board a commercial flight because Bo, Obama's dog, had their Air force transport reserved for his vacation flight.
And yet, I've seen multiple comments of the type "we flew from CONUS to (insert middle eastern country) with our gear, including rifles and pistols on chartered commercial flights". So I'm not sure what the issue was, but it being a commercial flight was an excuse, not a reason.
yeah i have. the Wordpress platform gives you so many great offerings it isn't even funny, but they have a smaller reach than Google's Blogger. still chewing on the idea.
yeah this is legit to me. the guy was throwing rocks....at cars going down the street. if a motorist was struck, lost control of the car and ended up killing two or three pedestrians then it would be hell to pay. the guy was running away and maybe it was lack of knowledge on his part but to do a sudden turn? thats asking to get shot. same situation, you're running from cops. you stop and get down on the ground and he would have walked away alive....in handcuffs but alive.
Right now the Army is standing up Cyber and putting Jungle Warfare on a side burner, at least for the regular Army formations that make up the bulk of our combat power.
Honestly the Army should stand up three more Jungle Warfare schools. At "Tigerland" in Fort Polk, at Eglin AFB in conjunction with 6th RTB (Ranger School) and at JBLM in Washington State (not technically Jungle, but some of the thickest crap you'll ever try to actually move through tactically).
Ah you start with the well... start. Good choice. if you want some advice I recommend everything from Dan Abnett, from excelent Inqusition novels to hard core Imperial Guard ones of Gaunt Ghosts, sky duels of Double Eagle and my favorite... the Titanicus! Nobody write so good book about the Mighty Titans of Collegia Titanica!
Plus these photo shows nothing usefull, no tanks numbers, nothing but flags over tanks. Dead bodies ? Useless. America heads want war against russia, fine, it Will teach them That their masturbation since fall of ussr is finish. How could an crushed, old and disparate equiped, make what OTan couldn t made in afghanistan. And don't talk me about mountains, not relevant That Much 😊
This is another reason to let me to continue to despise people, how can one hate on others for the beliefs in the most extreme possible way? Don't they understand that the true believers will continue believing but even more if that's possible? And this general, not just for Christians or Catholics but Jews and well everyone. Its like Nazism all over again. It's all about killing people that believe or are of (subject) that they hate.
since i switched over to DISQUS the comments were erased, but we already talked about the pic being part of a movie but considering the atrocities that ISIS has been involved in I left it up because it represented what they were doing.
if you want i can put up pics of toddlers with their faces bashed in and of women that have been sliced open from throat to crotch but quite honestly they affected me badly.
so take your righteous indignation and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS. real evil exists and instead of confronting it and drinking in the ramifications you would rather ATTEMPT to come at me. me full of shit? no idiot. YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING COWARD THAT IS AFRAID TO LOOK AT THE WORLD AS IT IS.
i explained myself and won't bother to do it again. you ISIS apologist can eat shit and die. also understand one thing. some Christians will fucking slice your throats, rip open your guts and thanks god for the strength and skill to do so. YOU BASTARDS declared religious war. fuck with the wrong warrior and you'll get your heart handed to you on a plate. other Christians turn the other cheek. i reload, acquire my target and blast you heathens back to your master in hell.
Wow dude, the other guy *did* say Isis was bad, but correctly pointed out that you were wrong about the image. And how could he know that you already said that if the other comments were deleted. You came off as a child in this exchange, and ffs, did you really try to use the victims of that massacre as your own weapon of indignancy to hide behind? You are a child.
Try to come off as the better person and say things like "shove it up your ass", lmao, what a kiddie.
You're one to speak of righteous indignation - did I not say in my original comment that they're already horrible without you having to lie about it? Intellectual dishonesty if I've ever seen it. I'm not defending Isis at all - you're just using that as a shield to hide your mistake behind. So where exactly in my worldview am I "afraid to look at the world the way it is"? You'd have to be illiterate to have read that in my comment. Stop defending yourself with the lives of real victims.
What an overreaction to my comment, jesus. Not my fault the other comments got erased either, calm yourself and act like an adult, please.
"YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING COWARD THAT IS AFRAID TO LOOK AT THE WORLD AS IT IS."
You must be unable to read if you think I'm an Isis apologist. I just said your reply was uncalled for and childish, and you're proving it more. Isis sucks, happy? You're still a fool.
You must be unable to read or completely dishonest if you think I'm an Isis apologist. I just said your reply was uncalled for and childish, and you're proving it more. Isis sucks, happy? You're still a fool.
What the A-10 brings in terms of credible capability and deterrence, that the F-35 will not do in equivalence until around a 2023-2024 block IV IOC, is the Maverick AGM capability and even potential for JSOW! Relative stand-off is still king and the A-10, especially when coupled with Maverick variants able to counter moving ground/surface tgts at relative stand-off ranges (vs AAA and Shorad) is relevant indeed. I guess I just wouldn't promote placing smilies attached to such unfortunate and uncertain press releases my friend. It's a serious and unpredictable situation... nothing to joke about.
mındar ettiniz karıyı aq bizim burda yok
ReplyDeleteOur ancestors look at us from halls of Valhalla and they don't like what they see...
ReplyDeleteyou get it. this flies in the face of Marine Corps traditions. seems like only you, me and GruntWorks understand the horrible optics on this.
ReplyDelete1 LIKE
ReplyDeleteThat Warhammer 4k stuff is pretty fresh.
ReplyDelete:)
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cnn.com/2015/02/12/world/a-10-jets-to-europe/index.html
Honestly as a 23 year Air Force NCO I thought it was a joke when I first heard about the Yemen 'evacuation' and marine weapons...like those guys I worked with for years would ever walk away like that, tail tucked and all. Hell, I guess national leadership at all levels has gone soft.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately the usmc security forces take their cues from the state department, who unfortunately decided to tuck our tail. Orders even wrong headed ones are orders. Would have loved to have seen us lay waste to these idiots, but our apologizer and chief and his state department jelly backbones wanted out quietly. Can't wait until January 2017.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to see you make the transition, Solomon
ReplyDeleteFYI....off topic. But I guess Big AF is betting more than the farm on stealth. I feel like banging my head against my desk..
ReplyDeletehttp://aviationweek.com/defense/acc-chief-stealth-incredibly-important-next-usaf-fighter
Good idea. For me; I just whitelist or blacklist as needed.
ReplyDeleteGood catch Sol.
ReplyDeleteGood idea
ReplyDelete@Solomon
ReplyDeleteGreat, I was checking this morning thru my smartphone and was wondering what was going on with the comments!
ReplyDeleteLegit or not?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-0uqFTBclo
The vice article.
ReplyDeletehttps://news.vice.com/article/video-apparently-shows-man-with-hands-up-shot-dead-by-washington-cops?utm_source=vicenewsfb
The Free beacon stepped in it, courtesy of Senator Inhofe.
ReplyDeletefirst:
New photographs exclusively obtained by the Washington Free Beacon reveal that Russian military forces have been more involved in the arming and training of Ukrainian separatist forces than previously
disclosed. The often-gruesome photographs clearly display Russian troops entering Ukraine with advanced military hardware and weapons, including tanks and advanced infantry fighting vehicles. The new photographic evidence conflicts with numerous statements by Russian President Vladimir Putin denying his country’s involvement in the arming of pro-Moscow separatists in Eastern Ukraine, where a tentative ceasefire between the sides was struck on Thursday.
then
UPDATE 3:11 P.M.: Following publication of this story, serious questions have been raised about
the authenticity of some of the photographs provided by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.). Several images of the Russian convoys appear to have been taken in 2008, during Russia’s conflict with Georgia. Given the similarities between the earlier images and those provided by the senator’s office, the Washington Free Beacon is investigating further and will update as necessary.
Any major conflict such as the one in Ukraine is of course a setback for all sides until things finally normalize over time, economies are restored and some trust/cooperation is regained.
ReplyDeleteIt would be an understatement indeed though, to say that Ukraine has had a setback ever since the November 2013 surprise decision by then Yanukovych to play into Kremlin's secret plan for comprehensive regional shift and rejection by Kiev for any closer associate relations w/ EU. And from there, the setbacks obviously took an ever increasingly catastrophic hit after coordinated Kremlin-backed extremist separatists began assaults and incremental takeover of territories militarily in face of the Yanukovych-Kremlin base losing power by parliament and an interim govt. (pre-elections). There is no way in hell that Putin would have accepted such humiliation and disrespect to his new planned order for Europe, with post-election Ukraine deciding to again negotiate closer bilateral associate relations with EU. This is regardless of the status of strategic and military interests Ru govt side had in Crimea.
But it's probably an exaggerated conclusion to draw that even with a 'Peaceful' agreement taking hold in Ukraine, there would be some absolute 'setback' for the 'west' and Ukraine going forward. There flat out needs to be a cease-fire first and then absolutely a restoration of sovereign Ukrainian redevelopment and restructuring process. That's the most critical issue for any security and progress for Ukraine's continued existence and sustainability as an ever-evolving nation-state, in it's long history of over a thousand years. Not focus on the 'setbacks' which there will always be for any and all states and factions, etc.
Regardless, what this mutual 'Peace deal' hopefully produces by the end of 2015 on the security side, is a 'sovereign' Ukraine with Ukrainian national border guard control along the border with Russian Federation, plus removal of foreign militants/military forces and their military hardware. Separatist militia of Ukrainian citizenry will be demobilized and replaced by autonomous E Ukrainian Police apparatus (minus the tanks, IFV and artillery). As such, there is appropriately no condition or demand by which E Ukraine will employ a separate autonomous region military force, or maintain stationing of foreign military hardware/forces independent of sovereign Ukraine's Army.
That said, it would seem reasonable to expect increased diplomatic efforts soon to call off Kremlin-backed separatist's continued offensive on Debaltseve. To accelerate and double down on a bloody massacre now, going into a cease-fire, is totally hypocritical and contradictory to the spirit of agreed upon 'sovereign Ukraine' and to the trust-building necessary to ensure both sides comply with terms of the truce and ultimate end-game principles as agreed by end of 2015. So it's totally justified to pressure Kremlin on that score, to make the call now to cease fire on Debaltseve, which by definition only jeopardizes the core of the cease-fire to pull back artillery support, if needing to fend off an all-out assault and potential massacre. Not to mention, it could help in supporting Kremlin's case for lifting of sanctions to begin?
And I guess on some positive notes and evidence of hope for Ukraine's broader strategic positioning in the near-term, the IMF and EU will reportedly bolster assistance in Ukraine's necessary restructuring phase, as a national prerogative, and give increased financial and economic support accordingly - critical for Ukraine's path to sustainability. That said, it would seem sensible as well that both E Ukrainian and Kiev would eventually negotiate bilateral trade relations with Kremlin, independent of any bilateral associate relations developed with EU. My optimistic views at least. We'll have to wait and see.
Sorry, but I'm taking a critical view on this sort of bravado...
ReplyDeleteSend in a Battalion of Marines in forced entry to rescue a couple dozen Marine security personnel and embassy staff and family about to depart the country on a commercial flight??
Hello?
Please ponder the hard cold reality on the ground. I.e., Houthis. (note: the part of their extremist group's logo saying 'Death to America'...)
Please recognize the Houthis rebel camp has effectively taken control of the capital and is the nominal ruling power of most of Yemen today!
Houthis militants in the capital Sana'a alone could number, 5,000-10,000 fighters?
You are advocating for 500-800 Marines to fight their way (piecemeal) into the capital and airport most likely without armor (MV-22 air-assault), as the battle plan to rescue Embassy Marines from having to turn in their weapons??
I'm with you about the punch to the gut feeling, in having to swallow news of USMC disarming prior to fleeing a hostile coup d'état of a country they were posted in. That's not the point though and hope folks would think more about this situation. In my mind at least.
Now, if one is proposing and kicking around an idea of sending in USMC Super Hornets, I mean geriatric legacy Hornets, in dropping a dozen 2k pounders on the former Embassy as a show of resolve, prior to it being a likely propaganda coup for said Houthis command setting up shop in it?? Something to kick around. Yes, embassies can be rebuilt another day.
As a p.s., high respects and salute to a relative serving in SAR, USMC.
I guess you didn't hear about the US-backed coup in Kiev a year ago, with Nazi backing which would have deprived Russia of its Criimea naval base and the ethnic Russians in Donbass of their language and rights. Putin has no "planned order for Europe" -- that's silly. Putin is reacting to artillery attacks on ethnic Russians in Donbass and security threats to Russia, entirely reasonable.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to put a smile than a LOL
ReplyDeleteWell let's say the MEU wouldn't work. It was only a maybe. That doesn't mean that for evacuating embassies the US should now depend upon commercial flights (with arms-shucking) and not the US military. Why have the world's finest military if it's not used? Tucking tail is not good for morale, for one thing.
ReplyDeleteThe deal will not work. The whole idea of "stopping the fight in a few days" is ridiculous. Any serious ceasefire deal will usually include a few hours till it goes into effect, sometimes up to 12 - just to get the message to all the troops and formations. But 2 1/2 days? That is ridiculous. The is not even a proper DMZ - just pulling back of heavy weaponry, artillery and MLRS systems. Infantry can stay, and any armored vehicle that doesnt have a large-caliber cannon can stay too. Which gives even more advantage to seps, because Ukrainian side was far more dependant on its heavy weaponry than seps.
ReplyDeleteI'll just disagree with your core ideological slant. Is USG a saint and all do-gooder in ugly world of strategic geopolitical foreign policy? I'm not going to comment on that here. As far as USG's apparent role in secretly supporting the concept of an INTERIM-Kiev Govt in case of Yanukovych's likely ousting - once the protests were facing death threats from Kremlin advisers (advising Yanukovych to crush the protests at any cost, lest he lose power, etc) and especially once the unfortunate initial fatal crack downs escalated into more emboldened opposition resistance - OK, so they did.
ReplyDeleteBut Ukraine now has an elected president and government, post-Yanukovych! (note also, one which includes fewer ultra-nationalists than in Ru Fed upper and lower house of a seemingly more and more nationalist socialist governance ideology). Post-Yanukovych.
Sorry to disagree, but it's a totally new ball game and chess match, but unfortunately it's one that Kremlin is apparently hell-bent on dismantling by military means unilaterally, at any cost, in order to restore a Kremlin-loyal Ukraine it would seem. I guess you didn't hear about that part of the news?
Crimean strategic interests in post-Yanukovych Ukraine? C'mon, please be honest and consistent. Those security issues could have certainly been negotiated by heavy hitting and hard ball Putin/Lavrov negotiating skills on a political level, and Not so quickly on a unilateral offensive military level. Pazhalsta.
Just started reading the Warhammer 40k books, and that picture immediately reminded me of WH, despite never seeing it before. :D
ReplyDeleteHere's a list of people who gave the misleading photos to Senator Inhofe.It includes Phillip Karber of the Potomac Foundation -- that rings a bell. It's the foundation without any foundation.
ReplyDeleteI would fully concur with your unfortunate analysis that the well-intended leaders of Germany and France possibly did not have sufficient military-related advice going into negotiations of certain details which could have otherwise been pressed upon the hard core negotiating.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I would think one could have considered more pressure on the aspect of an immediate stoppage of any current (or potentially planned) military offenses/assaults on villages and cities by all sides, as a necessary precursor to the bigger, phase II aspect of the 'Cease-fire', which could have started 2 days later, etc. If Putin rejected such a compromise and condition outright... then simply let it be put into historical record, of his official and true position on favoring a peaceful resolution to the catastrophic Ukrainian separatist war.
The Crimea citizenry, in light of the government overthrow in Kyev, and fearing for their security, Crimea being an autonomous republic in Ukraine, voted for independence from Ukraine and inclusion in the Russia Federation, which was granted because Russia has an important naval base there and ethnic Russians' civil and linguistic rights must be protected. No negotiation was warranted nor possible.
ReplyDeleteSir, I'm not sure of the details, but it's very likely that Houthis rebels simply informed USG side that a military aviation evacuation was not permitted and that all US personnel would need to depart via commercial aviation. Did you consider that potential aspect?
ReplyDeleteIt's a fluid coup d'état situation, with the US side facing thousands of heavily armed anti-US militia in the capital. And you wish to fly in a few MV-22, even if their presence has been denied?
Hey, hard cold realities happen. It's not the end of the world, and you can't always win. And yes, embassies can be rebuilt over time. It's history, move on.
And why is that - why even go there? Why either one? Just curious. It seems pretty arrogant, if not ignorant given the uncertainty and true instability and security threat?
ReplyDeleteThere was absolutely no threat to Russian-speaking/ethnic populations in Crimea, first off, and as such, some form of negotiated enhanced autonomy could have been negotiated politically, perhaps with possibility for full independence voted on down the road after the drama. Ukraine elected govt would have been stupid to cleanse Crimea of Russian ethnic population and Russian-speakers. And then there would have been more justification for Ru mil intervention and annexation. Also, continued free access to the naval base would have been secured one way or another through negotiated settlement. However, that was evidently not in the interests of Kremlin in such a perceived humiliation domestically. All that said... Crimea is a minor fraction of the total catastrophe and security issue related to the current events in Ukraine today and need for peaceful political resolution for a sovereign and future co-existing Ukraine. My views at least.
ReplyDeleteCertainly not Ospreys, no, but I do believe the US Marines are capable of evacuating their own people from a commercial airport which is open to commercial flights, with sidearms.
ReplyDeleteJoe Dunford, are you listening? (He's got a diploma from Boston College High School and I attended Boston College so we are buddies of a sort.)
Perhaps sidearms, it the Houthis commanders allowed that, but then that doesn't answer the protest over vehicles left behind and likely automatic rifles and any other weapons.
ReplyDeleteSorry, but again, if you are faced with an extreme hostile coup d'état situation against a force of thousands of heavily armed anti-US militants, you can't simply just send in the MEU Battalion, a la forced entry, and search for and evacuate the embassy personnel including Marines! Hello?
Sometimes one needs to negotiate an evacuation. Call it a day and move on, in my highly humbled opinion.
Sana'a International Airport has 18 scheduled departures tomorrow so I have no doubt that the US Marine Corps could have also scheduled a few departures if they tried. The Sana'a schedule is here.
ReplyDeleteThey didn’t hand over 'functional' weapons?
ReplyDeleteThis is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifleman%27s_Creed
And there wasn’t military transport to egress them from a threatening environment?
Russia is better able to determine its security interests than you are with your speculations about what might happen in Crimea. Regarding Donbass, the people there have been taking heavy losses and fighting for their freedom, which is what anybody might do when threatened, as they were. Live free or die -- it's on New Hampshire plates and it's a fact of life. That's what people do when threatened. Your belief that they were not threatened is irrelevant, and not reflected in their behavior.
ReplyDeleteIts not a setback its a defeat.
ReplyDeleteUkraine has lost its tax payers and its heavy industry, what's left is marginal farmland and Debt.
Imagine Obama found himself president of Chicago, Baltimore and the Kentucky hills, with the current US Debt pile and his supposed benefactors debating giving away Kentucky.
Or let's just all agree the Sudetenland is Hitlers and hope he leaves us alone for a few months
Of what series? some single novels or maybe an Horus Heresy?
ReplyDeleteYuri. the point is simple. they should have left the capital long before the rebels got their. but as usual this State Dept is so concerned with optics that they can't crisis plan for jack shit.
ReplyDeleteThe 25th ID Jungle Operations Training Course is still considered a Divisional school, and is not recognized by TRADOC. No additional skill identifier is given for successful completion of the course. 25th ID is working with the Maneuver Center at Fort Benning to update the doctrine, and if TRADOC will resource the training 25th ID has offered to host an official course. Right now all the instructors and training resources are coming out of the 25th ID manpower and budget, but if the school were adopted by TRADOC then it could be given their own manpower and budget on a TDA basis.
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I didn't know that. I just saw the reports that someone (should have known it was 25th ID..Hawaii!!!! Duh!) in the Army was rolling with the idea. Kinda curious this is taking so long to stand up on the Army side. They could easily bankroll the 25th ID creation or even work with Ranger Training Battalion and develop something in the Florida phase (but separate) to get one down there.
ReplyDeletespot on! but the administration doesn't much care about optics when it comes to the nation or its institutions. it only cares about optics when it comes to the president.
ReplyDeleteyou're right. i've noticed that the State Dept has remained silent on the whole affair. time to do a post.
ReplyDeleteClarity on Marine Security Force departure from Yemen
ReplyDeleteFebruary / 11 / 2015
HEADQUARTERS MARINE CORPS, WASHINGTON —
The Marine Security Force left the American embassy
in Yemen for the movement to the airfield as part of the "ordered
departure" with only personal weapons. All crew served weapons were
destroyed at the embassy prior to movement. None of them were 'handed
over' in any way to anyone. The destruction of weapons at the embassy
and the airport was carried out in accordance with an approved
destruction plan.
Upon arrival at the airfield, all personal weapons were rendered
inoperable in accordance with advance planning. Specifically, each bolt
was removed from its weapons body and rendered inoperable by smashing
with sledgehammers. The weapons bodies, minus the bolts, were then
separately smashed with sledgehammers. All of these destroyed components
were left at the airport -- and components were scattered; no usable
weapon was taken from any Marine at Sana'a airport.
To be clear: No Marine handed a weapon to a Houthi, or had one taken from him.
The marines had to smash their weapons during the evacuation of Yemen so they could board a commercial flight because Bo, Obama's dog, had their Air force transport reserved for his vacation flight.
ReplyDeleteAnd yet, I've seen multiple comments of the type "we flew from CONUS to (insert middle eastern country) with our gear, including rifles and pistols on chartered commercial flights". So I'm not sure what the issue was, but it being a commercial flight was an excuse, not a reason.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought of going to Wordpress, which is more professional blog
ReplyDeleteyeah i have. the Wordpress platform gives you so many great offerings it isn't even funny, but they have a smaller reach than Google's Blogger. still chewing on the idea.
ReplyDeleteyeah this is legit to me. the guy was throwing rocks....at cars going down the street. if a motorist was struck, lost control of the car and ended up killing two or three pedestrians then it would be hell to pay. the guy was running away and maybe it was lack of knowledge on his part but to do a sudden turn? thats asking to get shot. same situation, you're running from cops. you stop and get down on the ground and he would have walked away alive....in handcuffs but alive.
ReplyDeletethanks Earl.
ReplyDeleteyeah. I'm doing the same thing here Eric!
ReplyDeleteabout time huh Nicky?!
ReplyDeleteappreciate it.
ReplyDeleteyeah, this is going to make things a bit more vibrant.
ReplyDeleteRight now the Army is standing up Cyber and putting Jungle Warfare on a side burner, at least for the regular Army formations that make up the bulk of our combat power.
ReplyDeleteHonestly the Army should stand up three more Jungle Warfare schools. At "Tigerland" in Fort Polk, at Eglin AFB in conjunction with 6th RTB (Ranger School) and at JBLM in Washington State (not technically Jungle, but some of the thickest crap you'll ever try to actually move through tactically).
The Horus Heresy novels.
ReplyDeleteDisqus is a fine system. Been using it myself for years now. Kudos!
ReplyDeleteAh you start with the well... start. Good choice. if you want some advice I recommend everything from Dan Abnett, from excelent Inqusition novels to hard core Imperial Guard ones of Gaunt Ghosts, sky duels of Double Eagle and my favorite... the Titanicus! Nobody write so good book about the Mighty Titans of Collegia Titanica!
ReplyDeleteI have wordpress and it's more professional looking. Blogger may have the reach, but's it's for beginners
ReplyDeletePlus these photo shows nothing usefull, no tanks numbers, nothing but flags over tanks. Dead bodies ? Useless. America heads want war against russia, fine, it Will teach them That their masturbation since fall of ussr is finish.
ReplyDeleteHow could an crushed, old and disparate equiped, make what OTan couldn t made in afghanistan. And don't talk me about mountains, not relevant That Much 😊
So you have no weapons prior to leaving and not in the air .... WTF happens if attacked at that point .... throw bags of peanuts at the mooselimbs?
ReplyDeleteI hate ISIS extremist group very much.
ReplyDeleteThis is another reason to let me to continue to despise people, how can one hate on others for the beliefs in the most extreme possible way?
ReplyDeleteDon't they understand that the true believers will continue believing but even more if that's possible?
And this general, not just for Christians or Catholics but Jews and well everyone.
Its like Nazism all over again. It's all about killing people that believe or are of (subject) that they hate.
Lol, no. The right image was from far before Isis was even a group. Solomon, you're full of it.
ReplyDeletesince i switched over to DISQUS the comments were erased, but we already talked about the pic being part of a movie but considering the atrocities that ISIS has been involved in I left it up because it represented what they were doing.
ReplyDeleteif you want i can put up pics of toddlers with their faces bashed in and of women that have been sliced open from throat to crotch but quite honestly they affected me badly.
so take your righteous indignation and SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS. real evil exists and instead of confronting it and drinking in the ramifications you would rather ATTEMPT to come at me. me full of shit? no idiot. YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING COWARD THAT IS AFRAID TO LOOK AT THE WORLD AS IT IS.
i explained myself and won't bother to do it again. you ISIS apologist can eat shit and die. also understand one thing. some Christians will fucking slice your throats, rip open your guts and thanks god for the strength and skill to do so. YOU BASTARDS declared religious war. fuck with the wrong warrior and you'll get your heart handed to you on a plate. other Christians turn the other cheek. i reload, acquire my target and blast you heathens back to your master in hell.
ReplyDeleteWow dude, the other guy *did* say Isis was bad, but correctly pointed out that you were wrong about the image. And how could he know that you already said that if the other comments were deleted. You came off as a child in this exchange, and ffs, did you really try to use the victims of that massacre as your own weapon of indignancy to hide behind? You are a child.
ReplyDeleteTry to come off as the better person and say things like "shove it up your ass", lmao, what a kiddie.
You're one to speak of righteous indignation - did I not say in my original comment that they're already horrible without you having to lie about it? Intellectual dishonesty if I've ever seen it. I'm not defending Isis at all - you're just using that as a shield to hide your mistake behind. So where exactly in my worldview am I "afraid to look at the world the way it is"? You'd have to be illiterate to have read that in my comment. Stop defending yourself with the lives of real victims.
ReplyDeleteWhat an overreaction to my comment, jesus. Not my fault the other comments got erased either, calm yourself and act like an adult, please.
"YOU'RE JUST A FUCKING COWARD THAT IS AFRAID TO LOOK AT THE WORLD AS IT IS."
Really? REALLY? Are you 12 years old? Jesus.
You must be unable to read if you think I'm an Isis apologist. I just said your reply was uncalled for and childish, and you're proving it more. Isis sucks, happy? You're still a fool.
ReplyDeleteYou must be unable to read or completely dishonest if you think I'm an Isis apologist. I just said your reply was uncalled for and childish, and you're proving it more. Isis sucks, happy? You're still a fool.
ReplyDeletelol leave it dude, solomon can't read, either that or is a troll.
ReplyDeletethis is from a fake snuff porno from 2005
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/v/fitWmdyPMsE
they're being migrated as we speak. i have a ton of posts though and the blog dates back awhile so it will take some time.
ReplyDeleteWhat the A-10 brings in terms of credible capability and deterrence, that the F-35 will not do in equivalence until around a 2023-2024 block IV IOC, is the Maverick AGM capability and even potential for JSOW! Relative stand-off is still king and the A-10, especially when coupled with Maverick variants able to counter moving ground/surface tgts at relative stand-off ranges (vs AAA and Shorad) is relevant indeed. I guess I just wouldn't promote placing smilies attached to such unfortunate and uncertain press releases my friend. It's a serious and unpredictable situation... nothing to joke about.
ReplyDelete