For various reasons having to do with national pride, military hubris, or the desire of belligerents to emit propaganda, there has been a tendency in the press to deprecate China’s rapidly developing military prowess. The downing of as many as two Indian Rafale planes by Chinese PL-15 missiles carried by Chengdu J-10C is depicted as … Continue reading India / Pakistan; Chinese vs. Western Weapons ?
This is exigent to repost: The Ghost of Henry Kissinger Speaks; Ukraine, Israel, Saudi Arabia. Quoting in entirety, Henry Kissinger, so recently deprived of his own voice, speaks to us now through his voluminous writings on realpolitik. The current issues of U.S. foreign policy are fraught with moral dilemmas that resist solution or even separation. … Continue reading Dear President Trump, The Ghost of Henry Kissinger Redux
(CNN) Ukraine’s Zelensky fires Air Force chief, days after fatal F-16 crash. The most likely cause is not a hardware failure, but an administrative failure of the IFF Mark XII (identification friend or foe) protocol, resulting in a Patriot friendly fire incident. Mark XII is 20 years old. Absent recent upgrades, the system is not … Continue reading (CNN) Ukraine’s Zelensky fires Air Force chief, days after fatal F-16 crash; Patriot Likely Cause
(Yahoo) Ukraine says Russia plans to simulate accident at nuclear power plant. Quoting, (Reuters) – Ukraine’s defence ministry on Friday said Russia was planning to simulate a major accident at a nuclear power station controlled by pro-Moscow forces to try to thwart a long-planned Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake territory occupied by Russia. This is anticipated … Continue reading (Reuters) Ukraine says Russia plans to simulate accident at nuclear power plant
We continue from Ukraine: Nerve Agent Civil Defense Part 1. Nota bene: This is not medical advice. It is an attempt to make accessible a few papers that are somewhat speculative, so that policymakers can ask intelligent questions of their CW defense establishments, (UK) Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and (U.S.) Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. … Continue reading Ukraine: Nerve Agent Civil Defense Part 2
(CNN) Biden and UK to help Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines in new pushback on China, and America’s deal with UK and Australia leaves France bruised and Europe in the cold on China. The defense of Australia is difficult. To understand why, consult the map. The Nine Dotted Line dips south to the north shore of … Continue reading Defending Australia; Nuclear Submarines & French Anger
(CNN) Vaccinated Americans allowed to taste freedom. The article also contains an interview with Dr. Wen, who thinks CDC should have loosened more. In the past 12 hours, (Nature) Antibody Resistance of SARS-CoV-2 Variants B.1.351 and B.1.1.7 has brought The Outer Limits to your browser. It becomes suddenly urgent to do another napkin calculation. A … Continue reading (CNN) Vaccinated Americans allowed to taste freedom; Not So Fast; Napkin Calculation #2
(Reuters) Satellite images show madrasa buildings still standing at scene of Indian bombing. It sounds like India had faulty intelligence, targeting, and execution. The bombs missed their target, which might have been a good thing. Although the madrassa is run by (Aljazeera) terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad, childhood is still an age of innocence. The buildings are … Continue reading India’s Failed Pakistan Air Raid; the Siliguri Corridor
This blog tries to avoid politics. The SOTU makes a technical reference to the proposed wall, so we comment. Quoting from Feasibility of the Southern Border Wall? A smart wall is simply an extension of battlefield technology. The modern battlefield is alive with sensors, enabling rapid, accurate response. While military use centers on lethal force, … Continue reading State of the Union, Smart Wall
This is not about whether a wall is desirable. That is a political question, to be solved by the political process. Democracy is well suited to maintaining an equitable and stable social order. As questionable as the recent record of American government has been, democracy still has a strong association with maximum realization of human … Continue reading Feasibility of the Southern Border Wall?