Column Of Heavy Weapons Drives Through Donetsk via Radio Free Europe...

At around 1 p.m. local time on May 3, a column of six Ural trucks pulling howitzers was filmed driving through central Donetsk, heading toward the north of the separatist-held city. (RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service)

Is the Texas attack the ISIS threat we were recently warned about?

By now you've heard about the shooting in Garland Texas...if not here's a quick recap from CNN (go here to see it all)...

Two men opened fire outside an event holding a cartoon contest of the Prophet Mohammed before they were shot dead by police in suburban Dallas Sunday night.
While details about the gunmen, including their religion or their motive, weren't immediately known, the shooting -- as was the case in France in January and Denmark in February -- targeted a facility where depictions of the revered Muslim prophet was being caricatured.

But what you might have forgotten about was this blurb from the FBI that went largely unnoticed...again from CNN (go here to see it all)....

The FBI is investigating a possible ISIS-inspired terrorist threat in the United States, law enforcement officials said Saturday.
The investigation originated from intercepted chatter and other intelligence information that led officials to believe a possible plot could be in the works, the officials said.
No arrests have been made. It's not clear whether the threat is real or aspirational.
The exact nature of the threat couldn't be learned. One official said it focused on parts of California where officials stepped up security, a U.S. official said.

Did we just get hit by ISIS (oh and don't be fooled by the location being wrong...did you know that when we got hit on 9/11 military bases in the Pacific were on full alert waiting for a terrorist attack...they had the attack right just fumbled the location and the scale)?

Sure seems like it to me.  NO ONE in the Intel community is talking.  A few contacts (really buddies) that I have in DHS are mum and can't be reached.

Then you have to think about the incident itself.  Yeah the event was controversial but to have a SWAT team in attendance ready to act?  Oh and School Cops are good but you're telling me that an off duty officer was able to engage two suspects in a fast, furious and wooly gunfight...and win?

There is alot more to this than we're being told.  My spider senses are tingling like crazy!

Putting the new Russian Armor in perspective.

I've been e-mailing a buddy from down under about the latest Russian armor soon to hit the scene and he said something that made me realize the scope of what they're doing.

Imagine the US Army deciding to replace its M1 Abrams, M2 Bradley, Stryker, Paladin, and get the Ground Combat Vehicle into production....At the same time!

We're looking at the armor equivalent of the F-35 program but on an even bigger scale.  The raw ambition we're seeing here is to be lauded.  Will the vehicles be successful?  We don't know.  Will they at least equal legacy vehicles and be superior in some ways?  Probably.

The only thing left is to see how the West responds.  My early guess is that you're gonna hear talk about more anti-tank missiles....infantry fired anti-tank missiles at that.  The problem? The standard counter is artillery...and the Russians love artillery.

More Russian parade practice pics from Vitaly Kuzmin's Military Blog.

Note:  Many more pics here.

Size comparison between the Armata and T-72...

Thanks to Mr. T for the pics...

If these comparisons are right then we're seeing a total break with Russian tank evolution and seeing something radically different.

All bets are off.  We can eyeball it being bigger than their legacy vehicles.  We know that they've gone to an unmanned turret...they told us so....the only question left is the weapons fit and we shall know that in 7 days.

I'm more convinced than ever that we're on the verge of an armored vehicle race.  

Sidenote:  Is it just me or does the Armata seem to have more ground clearance than the T-72...and the Abrams, Leopard, and Challenger.

Rescue Tank: Mechanical Alligator from News Digest No. 4 1938

The Tesla Powerwall...Prepping on steroids...

This is big news in the prepping community.  I don't quite get it, but many are excited by the possibilities and see it as a way to finally get 99% off grid and even to make money selling electricity back if you have a robust enough solar grid system.

Time will tell.

UPDATE:  OK.  I see it now.  We're looking at the first real disruptive technology since the internet.  This is huge!  Hopefully the US military and the Marine Corps in particular will be all over this for expeditionary operations.

Baltimore...a battle between the have's, the have not's and the political elite...

The six Baltimore officers charged, clockwise from top left: Caesar Goodson; Garrett Miller; Edward Nero; William Porter; Alicia White; and Brian Rice. CreditBaltimore Police Department..pic via the NY Times.

Above you see photos of the six officers charged today.

That is the ultimate in diversity.  So if you're thinking that this is a racial thing you're wrong.

This is a battle between the have's, the have not's and the political elite.  Many will not acknowledge the cold facts but an entire industry has been built up around law enforcement and its no longer about keeping the peace.

A few bulls and old skool guys will administer street justice instead of digging into pockets (meaning fines beyond belief), towing vehicles or filling someone's glovebox with tickets but those guys are few and far between.

US citizens, politicians and the political elite have turned many PD's into revenue generating mills...and that's against law enforcement's desire or approval!

So understand that while Goodson (in my opinion) deserves the charge of involuntary manslaughter, the reset are being sacrificed on the altar of political correctness.

We are going to break (physically) our female soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines...

Thanks to Gary for the link..



Backstory?  Female Army Capt trying to earn her EFMB.  The results.  She probably damaged herself in the attempt.  Busted knees, back etc...?  That's the cumulative price that many pay after years of service.  And I'm talking about guys that are physically bigger, have stronger joints etc...

Why would we do this to our female members just for political correctness?

U.S. Army Special Operations Command pics of the week...

Police sacrificed in Baltimore...

Let me start off by saying that the transport officer in the Freddie Gray case should be charged with involuntary manslaughter.

That's a given, but make no mistake about it.  The other officers charged in this case are being sacrificed on the altar of political power.

Did you notice that the President's press secretary stated that they were reaching out to prominent Baltimore residents to call for peace?  Did you wonder why the President himself isn't doing it?  Did you notice that the African American female mayor of the city called on religious leaders to talk to residents about the case and how things would proceed instead of speaking herself?  Did you notice that most of the concerns were about JOBS...no one disputed the fact that this is a high crime area!

What you saw was a tantrum precipitated by a lack of jobs, poor economic conditions and a black leadership that has failed to respond to those needs.

The hope from the White House to the Mayors office is that things get back to "normal" as soon as possible.  If they're able to distract people again, then maybe no one will notice that while the Democrats had full control of the government they focused on health care, immigration and gay rights instead of jobs.

The elite...both black and white...fiddled while the country burned.

Stryker with Mast Mounted Electro Optical Sight?

Major hat tip to circulotrubia.blog

Denmark selects Piranha V...

via Janes.

Denmark has selected the General Dynamics European Land Systems - MOWAG Piranha 5 8x8 to be its new armoured personnel carrier (APC), the Danish Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 30 April.
The move marks an end to the largest armoured vehicle competition in Europe, and sees an 8x8 triumph in a fascinating contest that had pitted two schools of armoured vehicle design, wheeled and tracked, against each other.
In Royal Danish Army service the Piranha 5 will replace the M113 series of tracked APCs.
Additionally the MoD announced that it would be suspending its planned acquisition of a new 155 mm self-propelled artillery (SPA) system.
Denmark will purchase a minimum of 206 Piranha 5s, with the number potentially rising to 450, although the MoD stated that "the exact number will be determined at a later date."

Didn't see this coming.  My guess?  I'm betting that General Dynamics is using its pricing power to guard market share and is simply offering better prices than its competitors can.  Keep an eye on this.  If we see cost over runs later then we know that GD lowballed the offer....if I'm right this competition could open up again.

Ukrainian forces have been driven out from Debaltsevo?

Pics via English Russia.

I am totally lost when it comes to this conflict.  Last I heard the Ukrainians were holding on to this piece of land....Anyway more pics here.

French soldiers suspected of raping children in Africa...

via Jerusalem Online..

French prosecutors announced on Wednesday that they were investigating allegations that several French UN peacekeepers abused African children in the Central African Republic in 2014. The United Nations document that leaked suggests 10 8 year-old children had been raped in exchange for food and money.
The French government stressed that it received initial information of the case in July 2014. "Children said the French soldiers sexually assaulted them," the prosecution stated.
The UN report indicates that the soldiers abused the children in a homeless shelter in vicinity of the capital, Bangui. A UN worker leaked the document to the media, after claiming his supervisors were ignoring the severe violation of children's rights. The Guardian reported that the worker was suspended following the leak.

The whole thing is tragic and sick.

What has me punching walls and yelling at the sky is that the one person who TRIED to do the right thing got suspended for trying to point out the illegalities.

Physical courage is easy...if you survive then you're lauded as a hero.  Moral courage is hard...you're rocking the boat and that automatically makes you an outcast.

Lebanon receives “Caesar” 155mm truck-mounted artillery systems...

via albawaba.com

Last week, Lebanon received the first weapons shipment which included dozens of armored vehicles and artillery warfare such the “Caesar” 155mm truck-mounted artillery system as well as 48 anti-tank guided MILAN missiles.
The sources say that the second batch of weapons is due to arrive next month and would include night vision goggles and protective shields.
As for the third installment, the sources predicted that they would arrive in mid-June and would comprise cannons and armored personnel transport vehicles. The sources revealed that Paris is determined to furnish Lebanon with combat aircrafts and military transport aircrafts and is seeking to help the Lebanese Army to build and train three commando teams to carry out flash operations. The commando units will be supplied with aircraft and helicopter gunships.
The sources noted that France has already supplied Lebanese army helicopters with rocket launching equipment.

Read it all here.

And the Middle East continues to gear up....even Lebanon is getting high tech gear.  The next big regional war between nation states is gonna be interesting.

Norway's Battle Group Bundle - Visit, Board, Search & Seizure Exercise (VBSS) pics...

Bonus pics of a Norwegian Coast Guard Vessel operating in the fjords...

Otokar's Tulpar Infantry Fighting Vehicle...

FNSS "Sabre" one man 25mm turret...

via FNSS website.

Development of the SABER turret started in 2013 and is privately funded.
SABER is a medium caliber one man power operated turret that can be deployed on a wide range wheeled and tracked armored vehicles. SABER turret incorporates the latest technologies in turret drives, fire control, protection and lethality. The compact dimensions and light weight makes SABER a suitable choice for different types of armored vehicles.
SABER turret offers more than 60% larger internal volume than FNSS’s previous generation one man turret with less than 10% increase in outer envelope dimensions.
The main armament consists of an ATK 25mm M242 Enhanced Bushmaster 25mm dual-feed automatic cannon which is provided with 240 rounds (150+90) of ready-use ammunition

Go here to read the entire press release.

1st Battalion, 52nd Aviation Regiment high altitude training...Photos by John Pennell