tac airlifter

I’ll answer: We let it fall. We have no treaty obligations, and although I’m opposed to Russian aggression I do not believe WW3 is the best option for our interests. If they start some shit with a NATO ally then fights on.

I don’t know if your comment was aimed at me but I think whoever shot down 70+ enemy attack drones within a massive swarm of TBMs and cruise missiles did an amazing job under extremely trying circumstances and definitely earned the title of ace. Apologies if my post was unclear, I was more exploring what the official definition was versus colloquial use of the term. I hope they do a detailed hot wash of all lessons learned (especially C2 and ROE where I I imagine there’s room for improvement) and make the info accessible to others who need it. I’m guessing there will be more of this in the future. Bravo to the team.

It’s actually a great question I’ve never considered: is there an official definition of a fighter ace? I found this one from the American Fighter Aces Association (Link): “An American Fighter Ace is a U.S. citizen who has served honorably as a fighter pilot in a U.S. military service or the service of a nation not at war with the United States (or others who flew as a member of a U.S. military service) who has destroyed five or more enemy aircraft in aerial combat.” As a non fighter dude, 15Es shooting down enemy attack drones in combat meets the defined criteria, and the organization linked above looks legit. edited to add: WRT your comment, you know alot of guys who have destroyed 5+ enemy aircraft in aerial combat?? The roster has no additions since 1972.

Honestly it was a ballsy move by Iran, if they had killed any US with the TBM strikes on IZ I think things would look different right now. The mood was lethal. When we had zero casualties (granted many folks had TBI) the decision was made to stand down. It could have easily gone the other way. Fun side note: since they destroyed our hangar with TBMs I used the event to clean up 5 years of property book shenanigans. Seriously, it was very beneficial. For anyone reading this: if your stuff ever gets destroyed by the enemy, seize the opportunity to do your unit a solid.

You’re probably right in that context, and I think they’re already making efforts towards assisting the refugee camps (despite knowing Hamas will be advantaged by such a move): https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2024/04/idfs-new-phase-of-operations-in-gaza-to-include-pinpoint-raids-increased-aid.php That said, I’m not sure Israel can disarm the existing narrative; the Palestinians have an incredible international propaganda machine hence all the “genocide” claims by students protesting in the US. I agree with you they should make an effort, but the truth is many people will criticize them no matter what.

Disagree, I think Israel is doing good WRT CDE considering they actually need to win. They haven't leveled Gaza which is exactly what we did in Kobani. what precisely should they do differently? "Do better" is feedback I've received alot in life and I must say, it's unhelpful. Again, can you give an example of a war won while respecting/protecting civilians against an enemy who does neither? And given our own track record, are we really in position to be giving advice of how to win?

And we lost. can you provide an example of a war that was won by the side that respected and protected civilians when the other side doesn’t? I think you’re expecting the impossible from Israel.

You can attempt a Trump deflection all day long, and I get it both sides have issues, but the Democrats have the preponderance of retards. There is no possible argument.

Gen Austin Miller made the call, although Biden & Blinken put him in a box: they imposed a troop cap which made staffing BAF along with the embassy/HKIA impossible. Then Blinken said we cannot withdraw from the embassy due to optics, ergo BAF must close. And because they were unimaginative and underestimated the enemy, they assumed GIRoA could hold out until 2022. Miller pushed back but ultimately saluted and executed. He should have resigned instead. McKenzie, the COCOM/CC, took command from Miller (meaning the COCOM absorbed what had been its own 4 star command, you can imagine how butter smooth that COMREL change was) in July of 21 I believe, after BAF was handed over and when the assault on the outskirts of Kabul began in earnest. He failed to take any bold action although several of us were sending very clear recommendations and security warnings. By early August it was an insane situation: the Taliban was moving openly in large formations massing artillery and supplies as close as Maiden Shar and all ANA checkpoints on Highway 1 had fallen. Camp Commando had fallen. We were going Winchester and not slowing them down; our own FIRES process was complicated by surrendering ANA personnel and enemy use of their (our) equipment /uniforms. The AAF ran out of munitions and ceased flight operations. I landed in HKIA after one sortie and stated clearly: we must initiate the NEO now. The front office for the 2 star in Kabul (senior US Officer in country) told me “not possible, the Turks won’t allow it.” The Turks were running HKIA at the time. 3 days later the Turks were burning all their papers and excess equipment as they ran to their own aircraft to escape the fall. A lot to digest from the experience. My biggest surprise has been that absolutely no one higher wants to hear about it. There was no AAR, no hot wash, no internal mil attempt to investigate and figure out where it broke down. Just sweep it all under the rug, too embarrassing. The AF history guys did a quick report, although it was mainly focused on the 2.5 week mobility surge and they didn’t even know my unit existed. My AAR is now in their secret addendum, but the document is shortsighted by exclusively focusing on the evacuation rather than how the hell we allowed July-Aug to ever occur. Without any accountability and with the same idiots in charge, we should unfortunately expect another epic strategic humiliation.

At some point I'll write out the utter shit show of DOS on 14-15 Aug during the embassy evac. And nothing improved for the remaining 16 days. As a commander on the ground, I felt sold out and abandoned by every level above 06. On the plus side, there was no one to stop me from doing what I thought best.

Spot on bro, the nerve of this Trump guy running against Biden! I'd guess he made a deal with Russia about something too; we should charge him with a crime, then RICO anyone who ever worked for him.

You misunderstand the difference between single family residential properties and large scale commercial properties. I'm not an expert but I had it explained to me by someone who was; basically there's a standard practice to increase property value based on zoning and permits for future planned development. And those things have real worth. The banks in question stated for the record they were not defrauded and wanted to continue business with the Trump organization. This is ops normal, everyone does it, no one else is prosecuted for it. This is absolutely a BS political prosecution.

100% right. Instructors who enable students to experience every edge of the flight envelope make them ready & confident when the unexpected happens in an adverse environment.

I upvoted both comments just to stir the pot.

Do any blue states have a castle doctrine? I’m ignorant of the law here and I only own one house I occupy.

This looks like ISIS to me. Hopefully it opens more authorities to kill them more aggressively. Regardless of how anyone feels about RUS government, who are awful, terrorist attacks on populations are abhorrent, unacceptable, and civilized nations should cooperate to utterly destroy them.

William Shakespeare in Henry VI: “The first thing we do is, let’s kill all the lawyers.”

That checks 🥃

Sounds like you want to drain the swamp and make America great again 🙂

NS, yes we were a great force for international good in the 40s & 50s and even beyond (sporadically). But something is obviously deeply wrong in our foreign policy now.

The Iranians are actively resupplying them. We simply don’t have the political balls to authorize ROE that would do what you propose. It’s similar to our Vietnam guys watching the USSR send in parts for SA sites, but not allowed to strike until operational. Our idiot generals have learned nothing & continue to fail the nation but see themselves promoted. Enemies are driving the fight, seizing the initiative, executing bold COAs; we just respond. So long as this paradigm continues our technological and tactical superiority will be neutered.

That waffle pullover is one of the few mil items that’ll stay in my wardrobe. A+

It’s called a speedball, and the Afghan AF nearly (probably) killed people like that. I watched them toss an A3 bag full of boots off DZ in Badakhshan into a house.

Stoker, I don't intend this in a mean way, but you sound like somebody talking about the idea of the border problem who hasn't been there since Biden took office. What is happening now is different than the border problem that has existed for several decades. When you go to the border right now, you will see 10,000 angry 20 year-old dudes. You will see them fighting, and you will see them interacting with each other, and eventually you'll realize that Venezuela and Haiti and Sierra Leone and Nicaragua have emptied their jails and sent them to us. I know there are still families and a draw for unskilled workers and all that stuff that has been going on for a long time. Congress is dysfunctional, got it. But there is a different thing happening right now on a scale we have not seen before and it is a serious threat to this nation. Millions of poor people in a three-year period looking for work would be bad enough, but mingled within that population group of illegal immigrants are hundreds of thousands of vicious gangsters. Are we so innocent and naïve that we cannot see what is obviously happening?

I frequently hear the migrant bussing effort is a “political stunt;” the implication being said effort can be dismissed as unserious. The Texas program is highly organized with a cleaner ends-ways-means briefing than anything I saw in the military. It is staying on budget, has broad public support in Texas, and is visibly meeting original objectives: evidenced by the developing public rift between D federal authorities facilitating the immigration crisis and D big city mayors feeling pressure by residents to restrict the flow of incoming illegals. Previous to this effort there was no disagreement internal to the D party, thus allowing them to ignore red border state concerns. Why do you malign this strategy as a “political stunt?”