Did the Russians just retaliate in Syria for the killing of the two PMCs?

via RT.

Dozens of ISIS militants, among them warlords and foreign fighters, were killed in a series of Russian airstrikes in Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russian Air Force also targeted command posts, heavy weaponry, and ammunition depots.

“During the last day, [a] Russian Air Force task force in Syria [targeted] Islamic State [IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL] reinforcements of foreign fighters coming from Iraq to the vicinity of the town of Abu Kamal near [the] Iraq-Syria border,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

As all terrorist targets, including command outposts, manpower and armored vehicles, were identified and confirmed within a week, a series of airstrikes followed, it added.

“An airstrike near Abu Kamal destroyed Islamists’ outpost, killing some 40 militants from Tajikistan and Iraq, as well as 7 SUVs with DShK and ZU-23-2 machine guns mounted on them,” the statement said.

A separate strike near the city of Mayadin killed up to 80 terrorists, among them nine fighters from the northern Caucasus, and destroyed a command center, 18 SUVs, and three ammunition depots.

Also, Russian jets bombed “a group of 60 foreign fighters, nationals of [former Soviet republics], Tunisia and Egypt,” the statement said, adding that 12 SUVs carrying heavy weapons were destroyed in the airstrike.

The defense ministry also confirmed that a previous strike near Abu Kamal killed influential Islamic State field commanders, said to be “natives of Northern Caucasus.”

Earlier this week, Russian surgical strikes targeted a number of terrorist leaders in various parts of Syria.

Story here. 

Hmm.  By my count they're short of the 100 to 1 that the USSR would have extracted but 180 dead terrorists isn't a bad start.

Maybe they're counting the terrorist leader as 20.  Just a sick joke, don't get your panties in a bunch.

Regardless the death of terrorists by the forces of any nation is good news. I stand by my thinking that we should bury the hatchet with Russia and team with them to end the fighting in Syria poste haste.

First Mi-28UB's in the wild!

Thanks to S300V4 for the pics!

I would love to get an up close look at one of these beasts.  Anyone know of a site that has a real deal comparison between it and the AH-64E?

Australia's amphibious force is operational...

via USNI News.

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) is nearing full operational capability of its amphibious force, after a six-year effort to turn an Army battalion into the heart of a joint-service expeditionary capability akin to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Despite being an island itself, and having only islands as its closest neighbors, the ADF never set up a dedicated amphibious force. As part of an effort to modernize its military, though, Australia decided in 2011 to turn its 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR) into a permanent pre-landing force, with other Army units rotating through annually to serve as the ground combat element on the ADF’s three-ship Amphibious Ready Group.

After years of planning, reorganizing and training, the commander of the ADF’s Deployable Joint Force Headquarters has certified that the amphibious force is ready for operations, after using this summer’s Talisman Saber 2017 exercise as a final certification event. All that remains is for the Chief of Navy to sign off on that recommendation, certify that the three amphibious ships are deployable, and declare the force fully operational.

Story here. 

Serious question.  We always here about "certification" events.  Has anyone at anytime ever heard of a "certification" event being failed?

I would love to hear about it if you have.  As things now stand I view them as a bullshit statement designed to please the civilian leadership.

As far as Australia is concerned, I'm still not quite sure what 2 RAR is.  They talk about them being a pre-landing force but they seem seriously lacking.

I'll hold off till I hear more about what they're actually being asked to do but from the article it sounds like they have a boat company with Snipers doing the job.

That's pretty weak sauce to justify buying two Canberra Class LHDs to support. 

US Army modernizes the 80's Air Land Battle Doctrine for a new era....Large Scale Mechanized Warfare is back in fashion...

via War is Boring.

The U.S. Army will release a new combat “FM 3.0 Operations” doctrine designed to better position the service for the prospect of large-scale, mechanized warfare against technologically advanced near-peer rivals — such as Russia or China — able to substantially challenge U.S. military technological superiority.

The new “Operations” doctrine, to be unveiled in a matter of days at the Association of the United States Army Annual Convention, is intended as a supplement or adjustment to the Army’s current “FM 3.0 Full Spectrum” Field Manual, a doctrine which first emerged more than several years ago.

Authors of the new doctrine explain that while many elements of the Army’s previous “Full Spectrum” doctrine are retained and updated, “FM 3.0 Full Spectrum” was written when the Russians had not attacked Ukraine, the Army was immersed in war in Afghanistan and the current tensions in the South China Sea had not yet emerged to the extent they do today, Col. Rich Creed, Combined Arms Director Ft. Leavenworth, told Scout Warrior.

“The Army needs to be prepared for large-scale combat operations against potential near-peer capabilities within a regional context,” Creed said. “The operational scenario is different now. We are retaining lessons and experiences from prior doctrine, but we need to address the tactics and procedures conducted by large-scale units to conduct land combat.”

Story here. 

Wow.  I guess its better late than never but this is gonna take alot of work. First the Army is not currently organized for real deal mechanized operations anymore.

They're gonna have to totally rework the Stryker Brigades and probably either attach much more artillery and attack helicopters or they're gonna need to add tanks to the basic formation.

I'm glad to see this but a bit more clarity is needed if we're gonna get ready for the fight that they seem to finally be admitting is coming.

They need to focus on China.

Russia isn't going to be crossing the gap and raiding Europe. 

China is the threat and its time we focus on it instead of playing cute and acting as if they aren't.

The plot thickens in the Las Vegas attack.

There are many theories floating around after the Las Vegas attack but there is one that has my full attention and it appears that gun guys around the net are finally dialing into it.

A reader here brought it to my attention (didn't even know he was a gun dude, but I should have known better...he is a Marine afterall).  What the hell am I talking about?

He asked me to listen to a recording that a cabbie made outside the scene.  Additionally he asked me to listen to the rounds going off and the cadence of fire.

Two things struck me as odd.

1.  It didn't sound like 5.56 rounds.  It sounded heavier.  More like 7.62.
2.  The rate of fire didn't sound right.  It sounded belt fed, not like bumpfire.

I don't have the video that he asked me to listen to but if you check out the various gun forums you'll find it. 

Various guys are already doing comparisons with different weapons and to be honest it REALLY sounds like an M240.  Yeah.  I know that sounds batshit crazy but it is what it is.

Think back to the first reports about this incident.

We had reports of a belt fed weapon being found in the room but those reports evaporated.  Then we had all kinds of crime scene photos leaked to the press.

I'm just the messenger but this stinks to high heaven.  I have never seen that happen.  Not even in low level murder investigations (not that murder of any kind is low level but you get what I'm saying).

I'm just telling you what I've heard, what I've seen and what I suspect.  You make your own judgement but this thing is totally off to me. 

Side note.  Maybe my ears are playing tricks on me.  Maybe others are being fooled too.  Perhaps the FBI got sloppy and the Las Vegas police dept leaks and that why photos of the shooter and his weapons hit the web.  Early reports from the media are always up for reviving later so that could explain the belt fed weapon story...but that's a lot of coincidences.

Open Comment Post. Oct 7, 2017

Indonesia Army - Leopard 2RI Main Battle Tank In Action....tanks in the jungle...

Note!!!

I don't know why armored history is so easy to forget but tanks have operated in jungles for DECADES!  Where there is fighting you will find armored vehicles. There is no landscape where we won't see them in future wars!

Long live tanks!

Body of a missing Green Beret found in Niger?

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON???

Remember the ambush of our Green Berets in Niger, Africa?  Well it seems that one of our guys was missing and they just found his body in the bush.

Jesus!

Let me keep beating this drum.  We want no parts of war torn Africa.  There are pockets of awesomeness there.  There are bigger parts of brutality that will make you wince.  We need to rethink our efforts on that continent. 

My personal belief?

It's just not worth it.

As a side note.  You cannot embed US forces with so called allies.  Not today. Not in the world we live in.  The loyalties are shifting, its too easy to bribe or ransom information to successfully kill or capture our guys.  If we MUST (and that's a huge IF) operate in Africa then it has to be Company sized actions at the minimum with supporting fires and air support.  Anything less will result in tragedy.

Why haven't the Russians retaliated for the murder of two PMC's in Syria?

I've been open in my praise of the Russian effort in Syria.  They sent a compact force to bolster the Syrian Army and they've been successful in achieving their goals with minimal casualties.  Many have told me in side conversations that the Russian way of war there deserves better study.

The Russians seem to have cracked the code when it comes to supporting host nations against insurgency (as evidenced in Syria) and seem more than capable of supporting insurgents against a state (as evidenced in Ukraine).

US Army Special Forces should be taking serious notes...the US Army and Marine Corps too.

But one thing puzzles me.

Two Russian Private Military Contractors were captured and then murdered by ISIS. 

Why haven't we seen retaliation?

I expected to get word of a massive airstrike that would stun the world. Maybe a massive artillery barrage that would shake ISIS to its core.

Instead we've seen nothing.  Why?  If you have an answer I'd love to hear it cause to be quite honest I'm a bit mystified.  Is this part of the new playbook?  Old skool USSR would have had the KGB bouncing around that country grabbing people like crazy.  FSB seems to be waiting for the call. What gives?

How many of you remember the Bundy Ranch standoff? Well they're going to court...

via UPI

 It's that time of year again: The Bundys are going to trial.

This fall, brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy and their father, Cliven, will face charges over a standoff with federal officials in a dispute over federal lands in Nevada.

Many are wondering if they'll be let off the hook. The two Bundy brothers were acquitted in an October 2016 trial for a different standoff in Oregon. The jury's "not guilty" verdict on conspiracy charges for the Oregon standoff struck much of the public as shockingly lenient.

As a law professor who researches rural land use and juries, I've found that both conflicts over public lands and jury decisions often bring up the same question: Who gets to decide what justice is in America?

Story here. 

Make sure to read the story.  It's not so much about the upcoming trial but more about why the Bundy's were found not guilty in Oregon.  They touch on many hot button issues and I'm just not in the mood.  Most can talk about issues reasonably but there are quite a few idiots that take it too far (guess they think this is an affiliate of Storm Front) and I have to bring out the ban hammer.  I will again if necessary, but that's not what makes this interesting to me.

I predicted/thought/hoped that the Feds would make nationwide arrests of participants at the Bundy standoff after people migrated home and the tempers had died down.

From what I can tell they arrested a FEW people but he VAST majority got away scot free.

WHAT DOES THAT TELL US?

I can't put my finger on it but it does tell us something about Federal Law Enforcement that should give us pause.

Was it decided that they couldn't successfully prosecute people for this standoff so why bother?

Were these people tracked down, "dealt with" and used to penetrate the militia movement (I notice that since the Oregon stand off the militia movement has been VERY quiet)?

Did they disappear some people into a supermax?

I have no idea but I sure would like the answers.  If its as simple as them deciding that they couldn't get a prosecution so why bother then that tells us that armed standoffs work.

What I would like to see (poor wording but I can't think of a better way to say this) is an armed standoff during the Trump era.  Not because Trump is president but because Sessions is the Attorney General.  I would like to see how he would respond to such circumstances.  He portrays himself as being almost hyper law and order so what would he order Federal Agents to do?

Questions.  I'm left with many questions about this event.

Why do we always talk 57mm for big guns for light vehicles? Why have you forgotten about the 90mm?

The NFL is a copycat league.  That's a given and everyone knows it.  What few people seem to realize is that defense procurement is a copycat league too!

Whenever we talk about putting big guns on light vehicles the standard bearer currently is the 57mm.  If people talk about going bigger the default is all the way up to MBT guns like the 105mm or 120mm.

But what about the proven and capable 90mm?

You're talking about the allies solution to the 88mm during WW2.  You're talking about a weapon that can provide EFFECTIVE support to infantry during the assault and can bust bunkers while maneuvering with the the force, not having to call in air to use multi-million dollar munitions to do the samething.

For some reason ground forces around the world have defaulted to 30/35mm, 40mm and in the case of the Russians, the 57mm.

Why?

We have an effective middleweight gun just begging to be put in the game.

Expand your thinking!

A modern 90mm gun is the ultimate solution!

The example for leaking national secrets denied bail....it only took one to turn off the spigot...

via Defense News.

 A woman charged with leaking U.S. secrets must remain jailed until her trial, a federal judge ruled Thursday, saying her release would pose an “ongoing risk to national security.”

Reality Winner, 25, is a former Air Force linguist who worked as a contractor for the National Security Agency at a facility in Augusta, Georgia, when she was charged in June with copying a classified U.S. report and mailing it to a news organization.

Winner’s defense attorneys asked a judge to reconsider releasing her on bail after her trial date was postponed from October to next March. They argued Winner had no prior criminal history and served admirably in the military. Winner’s mother in Kingsville, Texas, planned to move to Georgia to ensure her daughter obeyed any terms of her bond.

But U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps sided with prosecutors in ruling that keeping Winner jailed is the only way to ensure she doesn’t flee overseas or leak more secret information. The judge referenced prosecutors’ transcript of a Facebook chat in February in which Winner wrote to her sister: “Look, I only say I hate America like 3 times a day.”

Story here.

When the history of the Trump Admin is written a couple of things will be noteworthy during his first year.

The first will be Trump's erratic tweeting, weird press events and seemingly contradictory statements/positions.

The second will be the flood of secret information that was leaked to the press.

We all wondered aloud how this could be allowed and why it wasn't being stopped.  Well the govt finally stepped up to the plate and made Reality Winner the "example" to all and it worked.

A foolish young lady is about to get gob smacked and her life is gonna be ruined because she believed the hype.  Like every expendable asset, she was used for the task given her, and then promptly discarded.

The resistance as the Dems called it really only claimed one scalp in this whole affair.  The people that have resigned from the Admin since Jan all self destructed, but Winner was a true believer and she's sitting in jail looking slack eyed and silly.

Yeah.  She was used.  Yeah.  She was made an example of.  Yeah.  Her young life is ruined.

Yet somehow I can't make myself care.