US interference in foreign elections.

I've been reading the responses to my blog post on Ukraine interfering in the US election and getting no media coverage of the fact while Russia is being elevated to the sky for doing the same.

Ok.  Challenge accepted.  How overt have we been in other people's elections?  Quite a bit.  I typed the title of this blog post in a Google search and got these hits in .71 seconds.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-us-intervention-foreign-elections-20161213-story.html

https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/foreign-policy/item/24916-us-has-interfered-in-foreign-elections-multiple-times

http://www.npr.org/2016/12/22/506625913/database-tracks-history-of-u-s-meddling-in-foreign-elections

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/05/americans-spot-election-meddling-doing-years-vladimir-putin-donald-trump

Yeah that's right my fellow Americans.  We have been dabbling in other people's elections for decades.  I am trying to establish equivalency with the US in regard to Russia's elections?  Nope.  Am I trying to point out the reality of the situation?  You bet your ass!

Dirty secret that's easily verifiable?  From the former US president heading to the UK to influence the British people to vote to stay in the EU, to allegations by Russian officials that Hillary attempted to influence Russian election/start a color revolution in 2011, to Democrat party operatives being active in France to put an end to the threat that they see from Le Pen, the US is active all over the world to influence elections!

The truth is stark.  We're the good guys but we play...how can I put this delicately...hardball on a worldwide level.  Messing with friends and enemies elections isn't above us.  As a matter of fact you could say we specialize in it.

Hyundai Rotem details new CEV via IHS Janes.

via Janes

Hyundai Rotem has released details of the new combat engineer vehicle (CEV) under development to meet the operational requirements of the Republic of Korea Army.
The company has already developed and manufactured armoured recovery vehicle (ARV) and armoured vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB) to support the K1 and K2 main battle tanks in service with the ROK Army.
The new CEV is designed for use in a wide range of battlefield missions, including clearing battlefield obstacles, preparing fire positions for MBTs and artillery, and carrying out breaching operations.
Mounted on the right side of the hull is a hydraulic arm that is typically fitted with various attachments, such as an auger, gripper of bucket, however, this can also accommodate a crane with a maximum lifting capacity of up to 2.5 tonnes. When not required, this is traversed to the rear and lays alongside the hull.
Mounted at the front of the hull is the Pearson Engineering's Full Width Mine Plough (FWMP) that can clear mines to a maximum depth of 0.30 m.
The CEV is also fitted with a Pearson Engineering's Magnetic Signature Duplicator (MSD) and the Obstacle Marking System (OMS) that dispenses poles into the ground with a pennant as the vehicle moves forwards, showing following vehicles a path through a cleared mine field.
For use in the development phase, Pearson Engineering have supplied three sets of equipment with each of these consisting of one FWMP, one MSD, one OMS, and one High Lift Adaptor, which is used to transport and fit the FWMP.
Hyundai Rotem is quoting a combat weight of 62 tonnes with a 1,200 hp diesel engine, enabling a maximum road speed of up to 60 km/h.
The CEV is operated by a crew of two seated in a well-protected compartment at the front left side of the vehicle, with the driver at the front and the commander to the immediate rear.

It seems like it'll be a nice vehicle but nothing world changing.  What would be a nice blast from the past is to see an engineer vehicle with the usual blades and hydraulic arm along with a demolition gun.

Spanish Marines conduct mechanized assault @ MARFIBEX-71 (pics)

Does the US Marine Corps still consider itself an elite?

Simple question.  Does the US Marine Corps still consider itself an elite?  Before you answer understand this.  I don't care about SOCOM.  I don't care about the dick measuring contests between SOCOM, Airborne, Air Assault, Light Fighters etc.  I am talking about how the Marine Corps views itself.  See the image above?  That's how the Marines once viewed themselves.  Check out the image below.

What you're looking at are a couple of old skool recruiting posters that could be seen everywhere and were part of the Marine Corps ethos.

But is it still that way?  Again, this isn't a new Corps versus old Corps thing.  It's how the institution, how the tribe called US Marines view themselves. This minor issue takes on a bit more relevancy with the news that the advertising slogan "The Few, The Proud, The Marines" is going away.  Does leadership no longer believe it?  If they don't does it matter?

I just don't know....

Open Comment Post. Feb 21, 2017

THe other country that interfered in our election in 2017.

*No wakee on this one.  Why didn't you guys tell me about the title.  You suck!

Check out this story from Politico...AMAZINGLY enough it's from Jan 11, 2017. We were so bombarded with Trump news that everyone missed it.

Donald Trump wasn’t the only presidential candidate whose campaign was boosted by officials of a former Soviet bloc country.
Ukrainian government officials tried to help Hillary Clinton and undermine Trump by publicly questioning his fitness for office. They also disseminated documents implicating a top Trump aide in corruption and suggested they were investigating the matter, only to back away after the election. And they helped Clinton’s allies research damaging information on Trump and his advisers, a Politico investigation found.
A Ukrainian-American operative who was consulting for the Democratic National Committee met with top officials in the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington in an effort to expose ties between Trump, top campaign aide Paul Manafort and Russia, according to people with direct knowledge of the situation.
The Ukrainian efforts had an impact in the race, helping to force Manafort’s resignation and advancing the narrative that Trump’s campaign was deeply connected to Ukraine’s foe to the east, Russia. 

I can't wait to see that Senate report.  This will have to be part of the investigation and that means that DNC officials KNOWINGLY consulted with a foreign govt to influence our election.  No one will got to jail over this.  I'm certain of that after a 2 minute internet search.  What I think will happen is that this issue is being used to smear Trump.

We're seeing a sophisticated information warfare campaign against the Trump admin that is fooling the gullible.  You're seeing how the establishment of both parties (along with Neo-Cons in both parties) react to an even TINY loss in power.

Russia is the least of our problems.  China goes down on the worry list too.  If you want to see a clear and present danger then look toward the US govt. They're inches away from being out of control.  Even worse?  They have willing helpers in the form of the news media and celebrities.

Riots break out in Sweden!

Thanks to Overwatch DVA for the link!

The title of the article from Dagbladet?

Riots in Stockholm and police have fired warning shots: - It looks like a war zone here

The story.

 Police have fired warning shots against rioting in Rinkeby, Stockholm.
A dozen cars are set on fire in the suburbs and people have broken into several shops reportedly at the site. Buses in the area is stopped and the police have not succeeded in gaining control of the situation yet.
The riots started when police would make an arrest around 20.30 o'clock tonight.
- In connection with a crackdown by Metro - they would detain a person - got colleagues threw stones against him, says Eva Nilsson at the police operations center in Stockholm to Aftonbladet .

From the same article.

- The police felt so threatened that they saw it necessary to loosen warning shots, continues Nilsson.
According to Expressen had around 100 people gathered in central Rinkeby around 22.30 o'clock in the evening to take part in the riots.
It should be at 23.00 o'clock remain uneasy in the area and police have claimed SVT pulled partially back in anticipation of reinforcements. The fire department has, in the past messages that have come Dagbladet later, continues to fail to take into Rinkeby to work with lures of cars are set on fire. The reason for this is that the police have not succeeded secure area yet.

What stands out to me?  The timing of this.  A former Swedish official asked what Trump was smoking.  Seems like he was pretty much spot on...Trump that is.

The next thing that shocks me is that European police are firing warning shots.  I've seen those guys and they don't shoot.  They'll mix it up with hooligans during Soccer season but never have to go to guns.  I've seen them hook and jab with servicemen on liberty and after they make the arrest its always are you ok in broken English (sometimes really good English) and back in the day they'd even light a cigarette and tell a buddy to make sure that they got you back ok and wouldn't report the incident (if he didn't act crazy and seemed to have his wits about him), but now they're using firearms?

Things are bad...real bad if this is the new face of Europe.  Pity.  That was once the dream spot to set foot on but things appear to be changing.

Trump has a bias toward Marine Corps and Army Generals...Air Force and Navy Flags are virtually absent...

Everyone (including myself) is all abuzz about McMaster being chosen as Trump's National Security Adviser.  While officially the General's Club is suppose to be "joint and only joint" in viewpoint, the picks that we've seen at the top of the tree seem to indicate that Trump definitely has a thing for Marine Corps and Army leadership...and not so much for Air Force and Navy Flags.

What could this mean?

I'm just spitballing but I think that will probably mean a drastic reduction in overseas adventures.  I think that the butcher's bill for inserting ground forces (to include Special Operations) will take on a new importance.

You can practically guarantee an increase in defense spending and probably a renewed emphasis on ground combat.  Don't read me wrong.  Air and Naval spending will remain untouched, but the exotic projects and the promises of easy victory by air power will fall on deaf ears.

How do I arrive at this when the National Security Adviser's post is simply a liaison between the intel communities and the President? Simple.  I don't see McMaster simply following the guidelines and boundaries that have been established by his predecessors.  I expect that he will wander into procurement, dabble in foreign policy and even touch on force levels.

McMaster was leading the effort to "transform" the military.  He wasn't looking at bleeding edge gear but making it fit into current needs.  Remember the Stryker Brigade?  I credit Mike Sparks (yeah the guy many like to hate ... his Air Stike Mech influenced many even if they don't give him credit) and McMaster.

Expect more of the same.  The winners so far?  The American People, the USMC and the US Army.  Losers?  America's enemies (we won't be goaded into foolish overseas adventures...or rescuing those that should save themselves...I hope at least) and the US Navy and Air Force.

Open Comment Post. Feb 20, 2017.

Pics via China Defense Blog.

M60 Patton MBT.  Old but sexy!

WTF! McMaster is the new NSA????

Thanks to William for the link!!

via BLoomberg

*TRUMP SAYS MCMASTER IS NEW NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER
2017-02-20 19:54:56.346 GMT

JESUS H. CHRIST!!!  McMaster for NSA!!!!  JUST PLAIN FUCKING WOW!!!

UPDATE.  I took a beat to drink this in and its still wow.  What does this mean?  It means a revival of the ground combat force.  It means a hard look at the F-35.  It probably means a lesser focus on Special Operations.  This is a revolutionary pic.  I don't know if its a good pic but it is out of the park.  What I don't know is his relationship to Mattis.  He's not a Mattis acolyte. He's independent from what I can tell (although he grates on my nerves!). What has been accomplished with this pic?  He broke up a potential power center that Mattis was putting together at the NSC and the nexus of power between the NSC/DoD is forever broken (to a degree).  One other thing.  McMaster is ambitious.  The guy wants it all, whatever that is.  He's gonna stand his ground when it comes to the internal battles I see shaping up between the Establishment (Mattis) and the Revolutionaries (Bannon).

What do you call the Trump team?  A group of rivals!

CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer to Indonesia...are they stronger than Australia?

via Defense Aerospace.

Nexter has been a longstanding partner supporting the modernization of the TNI (Tentara Nasional Indonesia) since entering into an initial contract in 2012 to supply 36 CAESAR artillery systems.
Today at the IDEX 2017 trade show, Nexter is proud to announce the signing of a new contract to supply a further 18 CAESAR systems to the Indonesian National Armed Forces.
The CAESAR 155mm wheeled self-propelled howitzer, deployed by the French Forces during operations in Mali, as well as in Lebanon, Afghanistan and Iraq, is recognized worldwide as striking the best balance between the simplicity of towed artillery and the mobility of a self-propelled system. Not only is the CAESAR highly accurate and mobile, allowing it to evade counter-battery fire, it also has the lowest maintenance costs of any mobile artillery system on the market.
It is in service with the armed forces of France, Indonesia, Thailand and a Middle Eastern country, and over 270 CAESAR systems have already been produced. They have fired more than 80,000 rounds and covered a distance of over one million kilometers.
In addition to the artillery systems, Nexter will also provide its firing control system, FINDART, CAESAR simulators for training and over 50 artillery battalion auxiliary vehicles assembled in Indonesia by its local partner PT Pindad. 

The question has to be asked.  Does  Indonesia have a more powerful ground combat force than Australia?

The quantity and quality of their ground forces matches (some would say exceed) what Australia has on hand.  From my seat they're equal in the air.  Only at sea do I see a clear advantage for Australian forces.  Am I running down Australia?  No.  But I am saying that increased defense spending by the Aussies is called for.  They live in a very dangerous neighborhood.

K9 Thunder for Finland...what is the key to the future...rockets or guns?

via Defense Aerospace.

Finland will buy 48 used self-propelled howitzers from South Korea for 146 million euros. Besides the howitzers, the deal also includes training, spare parts and maintenance.
Defence Jussi Niinistö (Sannf) approved the purchase on Friday.
The new vehicles are to replace part of the Finnish army’s artillery park that will become obsolete in the 2020s and 2030s.
The first self-propelled guns will arrive in Finland next year and the final ones in 2024. Conscripts are scheduled to begin training in the new artillery system in 2019.
The Army tested the K9 Thunder self-propelled guns last year in Lapland. Their 155-millimeter guns have a range of about 40 kilometers. They have a top speed of over 60 kilometers per hour.

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The contract includes options for further procurement. The vehicles will be modified to Finnish requirements by Millog, the defense force’s logistics branch, and will generate 37 man-years of work, according to a Finnish-language statement by the Finnish MoD. Discussions are also continuing with Estonia over a possible joint procurement.) 

The Editor's Note is quite interesting.  The nexus between defense procurement and jobs is becoming a major driver.  I'm not sure whether that's a good or bad thing.  What I do know is that it is a "thing".

Many readers from Finland claim that they will now have the most powerful artillery force in the EU/NATO.  Only the US and Russia will have more powerful weapon systems.

I have to wonder though.  Which system is the key to future battlefields.  Rockets or guns? 

Sweden's Refugee Crisis Is Real....

Thanks to BBBJ345 for the link!

Geez!

Many have pointed to issues as Sweden as a warning to the West in general. I thought the issue was overblown.  I was wrong.  Check out this vid to get the flavor of the situation.  Its beyond chilling.  The govt is accused of covering up crime statistics in order to protect immigrants, at the expense of Swedish citizens?!!! Additionally it seems that Sweden is choosing to commit national suicide by taking in more immigrants than they can successfully assimilate.

This confirms it to me.

The EU is gonna die.  Terrorism, criminality, and lack of security in general will doom the project to the dustbin of history.  Political correctness won the moment but will lose in the end.

The good news?

The US still has time to prevent this madness.

EU dream in peril...Le Pen moves up in the polls...

Thanks to William for the link!

via Bloomberg.

 Marine Le Pen gained ground on her rivals
for the French election as she benefits from concerns about
security while other candidates trained their fire on
independent front-runner Emmanuel Macron.
     Monday’s daily OpinionWay poll showed that first-round
support for anti-euro candidate Le Pen rose 1 percentage point
to 27 percent, with Macron and Republican Francois Fillon
unchanged at 20 percent each. While no surveys so far have shown
Le Pen even close to a victory in May’s run-off, she’s quickly
narrowing the gap to her rivals. OpinionWay showed Macron would
defeat Le Pen by 58 percent to 42 percent in the second round.
His advantage has halved in less than two weeks.
       Le Pen is gaining from her tough stance on the disturbances
that flared up across France last week during mostly peaceful
protests against police brutality. The National Front leader is
tapping into voters’ unease after more than 200 people were
killed in terrorist attacks in just over two years and those
sentiments were stirred up again this month when a soldier in
the Louvre fired five shots at an assailant armed with a machete
and crying “Allah Akbar.”
     The spread between French 10-year bonds and similar-
maturity German bunds rose 5 basis point to 79 basis points at
1:37 p.m. in Paris, the widest risk premium in more than four
years.
     “It’s all about security,” said Bruno Jeanbart, director of
OpinionWay. “Le Pen is benefiting from the fact that they’re all
busy either bickering or unable to disentangle themselves from
their many controversies.” A separate Harris poll showed that Le
Pen is considered best placed to deal with security issues.

A common meme from Bush Jr to Obama is that the terrorists aren't an existential threat to the survival of the West but that they can, if left unchecked, alter our way of life if we give into fear.

The problem with that type thinking?

By instituting massive data collection in order to combat terrorism, our way of life has already been changed.  Worse?  The mix of big state surveillance coupled with a laissez faire approach to immigration ensures solutions are elusive at best, doomed to failure more than likely.

But back on task.  Le Pen is stronger than indicated.  My reading of the French is that they're giving her the "Trump" treatment.  French citizens have probably been conditioned to reject her views publicly even though they support them privately.

Take her current level of support and add at least 10 to it and you're probably closer to her real standings in the polls.

My prediction?  Le Pen will win a narrow victory.  That will be the beginning of the end of the EU.  The dream that was the European Union will die because of unchecked mass migration/terrorism.

Warfare Tech Blog on Automatic Cannons and Ammunition in Infantry Fighting Vehicles

Moog Defense RWS 

Warfare Tech has an interesting article on Automatic Cannons and Ammo that is a must read.  If you're not subscribed to this guy then you're missing out.  He blogs rather infrequently but when he does its almost always a good read. Check him out here.

French Army & UAE Army - Combined Arms Military Exercise (vid)

Patria AMV 28A @ IDEX 2017

I wondered if Patria would attempt to make an amphibious version of the Patria AMV after Lockheed pulled out of the joint effort on the USMC's Amphibious Combat Vehicle contest.

Looks like the answer is a strong yes.  Who do they hope to attract with this vehicle?  The obvious answer is any country operating the BMP-3F.

Don't get me wrong.  I consider the BMP-3F to be a serviceable vehicle but its rather long in the tooth and the current "hotness" is wheeled amphibious assault vehicles.

What will be interesting is the weapons fit.  They're displaying the AMV-28A with a 30mm cannon along with some attack tank missiles adjacent to the 7.62 RWS mount.  Will that satisfy customers that have grown accustomed to a 100mm gun that can also fire anti-tank missiles?

Time will tell, but the reputation of the Patria AMV and the simple but elegant solution of applying flotation armor should see at least a few sales.

Blast from the past....When we "recovered" Russian nukes?

via Enrique 262 Tumblr Page!

Caption...

On Friday 3 October 1986, off the coast of Bermuda, the Soviet submarine K-219, a Project 667A Navaga-clas (NATO: Yankee I-class) suffered a catastrophic missile silo explosion after seawater leaked into silo six while underwater, leading to a chemical reaction with the liquid propellant from the SLBM inside of it, producing large quantities of nitrogen dioxide gas that eventually detonated, killing three sailors and mortally wounding the submarine.

Thanks to the efforts of her crew, specially of enlisted seaman Sergei Preminin, who perished in his successful mission to shut down the boat’s nuclear reactor, the submarine managed to surface under battery power, where it was intermediately detected by US aircraft, becoming the most photographed soviet submarine of the Cold War.

A soviet tug managed to reach the stricken vessel, but the damage was so severe, and the silo kept leaking gas into the submarine, that her captain, Igor Britanov, ordered everyone but him to abandon ship and get into the tug, until the ship could no longer remain afloat and sank, the captain managing to abandon her just before she was lost beneath the waves.

The submarine was carrying 34 warheads in 17 missiles (the 18th silo had been welded shut after an earlier, eerily similar accident a few years back), where the explosion completely destroyed the missile inside silo 6, ejecting its warheads into the Atlantic, and the remaining 32 warheads were found missing after a soviet hydrographic research ship found the wreck in 1988, the silos having been found forced open, pointing to a successful recovery effort by the US government.

There is a book that covers this incident but I wonder.  Did we really steal recover those nukes?  If we (the United States) didn't then could it have been the Brits?  Italians?  Could the Russians have recovered them and this is just a bit of internet deception?

Regardless its some fascinating stuff.

The Cold War was a lot more dicey than anyone wants to admit.  We don't need a repeat.

Blast from the past....Amphibious Tank Type 3 “Ka-Chi”.

Pics via Bmashina Tumblr Page!

The Atomic Bomb saved lives on both sides of the war.  If the US and its allies actually invaded Japan, I wonder if that nation would actually exist today. The Japanese were massing their forces in a hopeless attempt to repel the allied assault and the entire population was mobilized to fight behind "every blade of grass".

It would have been a bloodbath from hell and I think we'd probably have come close to wiping out the entire Japanese race.  Everything I've read indicates that the resistance would have been so fanatical that we wouldn't have had any other choice.  As horrific as the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima was, it DID save lives on both sides.

Cobra Gold 2017 - AAVs on the beach...pics by Petty Officer 2nd Class Amanda Hayes