General Dynamics UK has performed Reliability Growth Trials with AJAX tracked armored for British army

#Didyouknow… in recent months, we have been undertaking a wide-range of AJAX Reliability Growth Trials. #AJAX will provide best-in-class capability to the British Army.

[Footage filmed before introduction of current social distancing guidance and lockdown] pic.twitter.com/wtNjS0thQU

— General Dynamics UK (@gduknews) April 27, 2020

Is it just me or does this project seem to have slowed lately?  Can't blame GD on this one either.  I'm almost positive that they can execute at whatever (reasonable) pace the customer demands.

So why would the British Army go from warp speed down to a slow trot (note this was before the pandemic too)?

Canadian Helicopter crashes near coast of Greek island..

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NATO helicopter crashes in the Ionian Sea near the Greek island of Kefalonia A NATO helicopter crashed into the sea near the Greek island of Kefalonia in the Ionian Sea. This was reported by the Greek state TV channel ERT today (Apr 29) At the moment, an Italian frigate, a Turkish frigate and other NATO ships have gone to the disaster area to participate in the search and rescue operation. The wreckage was found in the sea about 85 km from Kefalonia in the Flight Information Region (FIR) of Italy. There were six people aboard the helicopter. It is reported that one have died and the other crew’s fate is still unknown. The helicopter went missing after taking off from the Canadian frigate Fredericton. The Canadian frigate is part of the NATO standing group in the SNMG2 region. #nato #snmg2 #ioniansea #CanadianNavy #helicopter #crash #ch148 #cylone

A post shared by Naval News (@naval_news) on Apr 29, 2020 at 2:12pm PDT

Geez.  These just entered service not too long ago.  Hope the crew is well.  More to come I'm sure.

Blast from the past. M-25. Russia's low flying "infantry killer" from the late 1960s...

The M-25 project by the Soviet Union in the 1960s. The idea was of a low altitude infantry killer - via shock wave, by flying supersonic at 90 to 120 feet above the enemy troops. Project was cancelled in 1973.

Open Comment Post. 29 Apr 2020

Check your 5 & 25

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AWARENESS: The OODA Loop is a four step decision making process commonly utilized by LEA and DOD; observe, orient, decide and act. The OODA Loop is commonly used in high stress situations where you need to make the best decision so your actions can save lives. When you observe you need to gather as much information as possible so the rest of the decision making process can effectively work. When observing, check your 5 and 25. Originally utilized when dismounting a vehicle in a high IED threat area, checking a 5 meter radius and a 25 meter radius around you is a safety measure to ensure you don’t step on something you don’t want to. We can use this method in our everyday life. Check your immediate space; 5 meters radius. Check where you will potentially go or what could potentially come to you; 25 meters radius. Use this technique when leaving your house, getting out of your car, exiting your work etc etc. . . . 🇺🇸 Shared from @prepared_america 🇺🇸 . . . . . . #awareness #situationalawareness #observe #observation #surroundings #prepared #preparedness #america #watchyourback #orient #decide #act #oodaloop #military #dod #lea #lawenforcement #training #tactical #chicago #newyork #philadelphia #houston #losangeles #sandiego #ruralamerica #farmers #urban #ready

A post shared by Grayman Carry (@graymancarry) on Apr 29, 2020 at 12:34pm PDT

Australian Military Leadership tells their govt that coronavirus is a test run...much worse is on the horizon...

via ABC.net.au

According to the report, "the workshop delivered the overarching advice that, in the scenario provided, Australia would suffer massive upheaval within one week due to job losses, social unease and [public and industrial] hoarding."

With at least 90 per cent of Australia's specialist medical supplies imported, the report found specialist medicines "may be exhausted within days", with "severe repercussions for public health".

Within a fortnight, with a restriction of imported medical equipment, "health care would be degraded".

For Ms Durrant, the report was evidence Australian governments could have been better prepared when the fallout from the pandemic hit the nation's hospitals, supermarkets and Centrelink queues.

"Our preparedness planning was probably a D-plus or a C-minus, but our response was much better," she said.

"In order to have that response that is really sharp out of the blocks, we weren't quite there in the first couple of weeks.

"I was bemoaning the fact that even though we'd done the work and had seen what might happen, we hadn't yet been able to get the buy-in to do the further planning and actually act on that information."

Here. 

A global pandemic is apparently a great way for governments to silence protests easily and effectively.

A global pandemic is apparently a great way for governments to silence protests easily and effectively. pic.twitter.com/ar6NG9HyqQ

— DW News (@dwnews) April 28, 2020

Have you noticed that many of your fellow Americans so easily dismiss the protests to reopen the country?  Despite the fact that this pandemic is mostly a big city issue and 95% of the country is feeling few of the affects?

Star Wars said it best.



Change it up a little.  Replace 1st Galactic Empire with the name of your state and it sings to what's going on today.

Safety and Security.

Dooming our economy to a recession and more than likely depression.  Consigning our children's children to nation breaking debt because individual governors decided to close their states and expect the Federal Govt to pay for their decisions.

Sweden might have it wrong in their goal of herd immunity but it will save their nation.

Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) Tank Tuesday...

Ok. Gotta admit. This girl was a BEAST!

unclesamsmisguidedchildren A photograph taken in IReland in 1972 of a girl shooting from the gun of her fiance who was wounded in a battle against the British Army. Her wounded fiance survived after being transported by car to a safe place while his girlfriend clashed with British soldiers until she was killed. When the commander of the English soldiers found out that they were fighting a woman, he ordered his soldiers not to touch her body and allowed the Irish to bury her. They heard the English commander repeat this sentence: "We defend a queen who doesn't care about us, And this woman care about her lover and her land." The photo was chosen for Women's Day in Ireland and they wrote this sentence: "Don't be afraid to be associated with a strong woman. The day may come and she'll be your only army."
Follow @unclesamsnation

Wow.  When I say this girl was a beast I mean that in the very best way possible.

Want to push the agenda on women in combat?  Unfortunately you really have to point to organizations that we would (have) considered to be terrorist to find the best examples of warrior ethos.

As far as the fight she was involved in?  Can't really say.  I don't know enough about the issues surrounding the fight to say one way or the other.

Japanese army selected Hitachi to develop and manufacture new armored bulldozer

Here.

Almost looks like the USA T1 Cunningham from World of Tanks....oh and if you're curious, yeah I play on my days off and yeah I'm still getting my ass kicked by 12 year olds.

Does it seem like current times are mirroring the "interwar period" just before WW2?

It's a weird thought for sure but does it seem like current times are mirroring the "interwar period" just before WW2?

I mean look at the world.

We've just been ravaged by a pandemic that looks like it will continue for at least another year.  We're looking at an extended period of a wrecked economy worldwide.  Additionally we seem to be on the verge of breakthroughs in military tech (at least in the US...I know..we've been on the verge for decades).

If you look back at conditions just before the last world war, its not the same but it sure does seem to rhyme.

There are now six identified "Heavy Amphibious Combat Assault Brigades" currently in service with the China "PLA" Army

Story here.

Russian Army Bastion coastal anti-ship missile unit recently carried out drills in the Arctic.

Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Force says the corps will soon take delivery of the Fotros unmanned air vehicle.

USS ESSEX Underway Operations....Photos by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jenna Dobson

Air Centric Amphibious Ship tries to deploy the landing force via nets over the side?

via Marines Times

From March 21 to March 28, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the amphibious assault ship America conducted a large-scale Guam to Okinawa, Japan, maneuver exercise. It rehearsed elements of the Corps’ future plans to fight in the Pacific from sinking vessels at sea, beach landings and long-range rocket precision artillery strikes.

But included in that training was a rehash of using cargo nets to prep for an uncontested insert onto small islands across the Pacific. Marines with 1st Battalion, 5th Marines aboard the America practiced scaling down the cargo nets at Apra Harbor, Naval Base Guam, according to a news release from the 31st MEU.

Here. 

Wow.

Just plain wow.

You build a ship that is 100% air centric.  You push that concept like its the holy grail of future operations.

Then you do this?

What are they thinking?

The sad thing?  Are you looking at the pic?  They're not kitted out for operations!  They don't even have weapons.  I'm not talking about crew served weapons, I'm not talking about their battle rifles!

This ain't even hollywood.  This is just busy work.

Open Comment Post. 28 Apr 2020

Tainted badge. Rapist Cop...

Rapist, racist cop. Justice served. from r/JusticeServed

Piece of shit deserves all the pain that's coming in jail.  He will suffer in unimaginable ways.

I doubt he survives it.

Coronavirus knock on effects. Tysons warns the food chain is breaking down...

via IHeartRadio.

Tyson Foods Chairman John Tyson took out a full-page ad in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Arkansas Democrat-Gazette to publish an open letter warning that our food supply chain is in trouble.

Tyson explained that many food processing plants across the country have been forced to pause or reduce operations during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure the safety of the workers.

"As pork, beef and chicken plants are being forced to close, even for short periods of time, millions of pounds of meat will disappear from the supply chain," Tyson wrote. "As a result, there will be limited supply of our products available in grocery stores until we are able to reopen our facilities that are currently closed."

Another issue with the closures is that ranchers have no place to sell their livestock.

"In addition to meat shortages, this is a serious food waste issue," Tyson wrote. "Farmers across the nation simply will not have anywhere to sell their livestock to be processed, when they could have fed the nation. Millions of animals – chickens, pigs and cattle – will be depopulated because of the closure of our processing facilities. The food supply chain is breaking."

Tyson called for a unified solution to help protect workers and the food supply chain, and said he is confident we can solve these problems.

"Tyson Foods has a responsibility to feed our nation and the world. The government bodies at the national, state, county, and city levels must unite in a comprehensive, thoughtful, and productive way to allow our team members to work in safety without fear, panic, or worry. The private and public sectors must come together. As a country, this is our time to show the world what we can do when working together."

I wonder if they'll be able to prevent this from becoming an issue.  We've been warned.  Hopefully someone is taking steps to reinforce the food chain.

We're buying oil to store and to buttress the market.  Can you do the same with food?

Irish Army's 1 Mechanised Infantry Company unloading of Mowag APC's on return from UNDOF/UNIFIL