Lawman

#bemywingmananytime Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ll go one deeper there… Is our military industry overly aligned with a cross oceanic theory underlying every system we buy left over from two world wars fought abroad. We’ve never really produced a modern domestically tuned weapon system. Our military is entirely away game oriented, sometimes to a negative when that away game is too focused on a particular theatre (ie look at INDOPACOMs grip on everything right now). Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Of course he thinks that, he’s a first year grad student (with a shit haircut). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think it’s more likely they don’t feel their efforts are public enough to ensure the next Star/assignment of choice over one of the other important people. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It seems leadership and money people confuse the concepts of size/line of effort and don’t understand the criticality of effort or the phases of conflict it exists in. It’s like the Gulf War I example, conventional fixed wing aviation was undoubtedly the first main line of effort on night 1 of the war. But without AFSOF, a handful of stealth aircraft and Army attack, that line of effort would have waiting indefinitely for that window to open. That doesn’t even mention what was being done by SOF to shape the battlefield for the air war started so all that ass could get to where it was needed. Those big metal shapes at specific Nav points didn’t emplace themselves, SOF did it. Everybody wants to go see the rock concert, but nobody wants to acknowledge the bus drivers and crew that get the band on stage. They may not be the one making the music, but it’s pretty damn important to the concert happening. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

But that’s part of the problem with this bill…. Long term stabilization and the wider DOD mission is not in its self “war.” The number of engineering assets that reside in the guard which are specifically critical to any post reconstructive get things back in order mission would prevent this from ever being possible. We still have guard units supporting missions in places like Kosovo and it’s been decades since that was active combat. Similarly the entire concept of out of support missions becomes this grey area that would be impossible to satisfy everybody on. “Hey doc you’re mobilizing to go augment the hospital in Spain/Germany/etc because we are deploying that units personnel to combat.” Or look at all the support personnel sitting in logistics hubs and theatre SSAs because while we conduct the war in a particular COCOM we have requirements outside it which also funnel through there. How does that count or not when the combat is clearly in _____ and all these people on orders are not physically in the combat zone. How many echelons removed does one have to be from active combat to now deploy abroad, because you’re taking that decision away from commanders to decide. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I know you live in this weird world where the term, “total return on investment,” doesn’t exist, but yes in this case your original statement wasn’t in need of clarification it was a bold faced misstatement of truth. You implied we simply gifted them weapons (in this case F16s) like allowing a person to simply walk in and out of Costco with a full cart and not pay. That is in no way representative of what is going on with these aid bills and it’s damn sure not an accurate depiction of a bunch of allied air and ground forces paying premium dollar totals to accelerate replacement of the systems they are donating to the Ukrainians. To say nothing of the investment in our own industrial capacity when most would agree this rollercoaster will get worse before it gets better. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well for one, we didn’t give them F-16s… The Vipers they have are from Denmark. And yes the Danish are buying F-35s under FMS contracts (which lowers the fly way cost for us), so it’s not just a bunch of rich industrialists winning here. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One evacuated to Baghdad for a femoral injury. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Think of how much better prepared we will be for the denied PNT environment… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

They aren’t the only ones… It’s insane the number of military aircraft with dual keyed GPS/INS that somehow we didn’t find the money to get approved in the national airspace. We also deliberately leave Copter RNAV points out of DAFIF so even if we were approach certified the points aren’t contained in the non corruptible database. “Oh cool we can enroute RNAV in VMC… thanks I was pretty much doing that anyway it’s called flying.” Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The DNC used stock footage of Russian warships during its convention. Google is a bitch to the poorly informed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Go get on SIPR and talk to your intel about the grey conflict area activities going in across NATO executed by Russia. Pretending that this is just a fight between them and Ukraine is dangerously dismissive of active actions short of full scale combat they have levied against our NATO partners (and US citizens) stationed around EUCOM. And the media and leadership is complicit in non making it a bigger topic of discussion as to “why support Ukraine” or “why is this our problem” to their citizenry. The direct combatant part of Russian actions to rebalance the scales the in the relationship against the west isn’t going well… it’s stalled on the battlefield in Ukraine largely because of continued support for this phase. That is deliberate action by NATO before it becomes a shooting war where the only opponents left enjoy article V status. The non direct combat portions (which preced combat) though are very much in full swing in the region in NATO countries, particularly the Baltics and Poland. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All part of the 3D chess strategy Putin is using. https://apple.news/AAuFDjRRhRKyggVc2Jhy06w Man look at him weakening NATO. We’re gonna be in so much trouble…. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Those Harbor Freight fasteners are cheaper for a reason… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Well if it’s in a Meme it must be true… https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-do-papers-allege-trump-epstein-took-part-sexual-assault-1857863 Way to fall for deliberate manipulation Jack. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And next we can start talking about convergence windows… Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ok that’s not true. When it’s Ice Cream time they let him pick out his flavor from the window just like I do with my 6 year old. Sometimes he even gets sprinkles! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Lot of video-bloggers with access and funding have been buying commercial satellite scans and doing what NGIC was doing from the get go of the conflict… counting hulls in storage yards. In terms of “what does funding this war buy” well… in this example Russia will no longer have the equipment to provide the means to conduct offensive ground warfare against its neighbors in NATO. Unfortunately nobody is doing YouTube videos on similar losses of more critical systems like engineering vehicles or self propelled artillery, that would paint an even bleaker story. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the case of the guy in question there was due process. He didn’t just lose his guns, he was found in position of them having been legally gated from having them due to his previous actions. It wasn’t just an arrest with charges later, he had a protective restraining order put on him. That requires a greater burden and demonstration of cause before a judge and comes with a maximum time it can be extended to (usually ~2 years). It isn’t an automatic loss end result. The ruling didn’t establish a new precedent, it confirmed an existing coverage of the 30 year old Lautenberg that this guy fell under (which the lower circuit court originally tried to overturn). It also had Barrett pointing out the flaws in the lower courts model in the ruling. There are plenty of good places to invest the political and financial capital pushing back on the legal encroachments of the 2nd amendment, but this is not a good one. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This isn’t a new problem. There are pictures of F-5s making mast level high speed passes over Chinese vessels out there in the headquarters of the PAF in Manila. For a job where you have to make effort to get to the other guy, fishing out there gets aggressive. Honestly I’d give 2 to 1 odds the Phils instigate things because they solidly believe that we want to get a pretext to come in swinging. There was a lot of concerted effort during the Obama administration to try and soften that attitude through engagement in JSOTF-P. They are phenomenally critical to any kind of action in that region, but after almost 40 years of being pushed around by China once we “left”they have a chip on their shoulder and a belief like a little brother at the playground that big brother (USA) will fix any fight they may start. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dude… vote. That’s your voice, and after that deal with the results. The second people scream dumb mottos like “taxation is theft” my immediate question is do you expect the fire department to show up if you call 911, or an ambulance to come when your kid gets hit by a car riding his bike? Do you like knowing your tap water isn’t full of some heavy metal chemical because an agency is insuring people aren’t violating the law? If you want these things, there is a social cost associated with an understood social contract. Part of that societal contract waaaaaaay down in the fine print is the understanding that we will abandon the status quo to defend it. Maybe that’s with massive reapplication of resources and industry, or maybe that’s with bodies whether they are direct combatants or they are (more likely) the immediately deputized post conflict population the maintain some semblance of order and protection while we get society back on its feet. That’s really where the plan for conscription is. We could be more “free” without those things… there are plenty of countries attempting that method of freedom. Nobody comfortable in the US would probably want the trade offs that come with it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

But that’s the problem with the vocal ultra libertarian slogans like “conscription is slavery” or “taxation is theft.” They sound nice when shouted philosophically to a room of like opinions, but no different than “believe the science” or “believe all women,” they are just that… slogans. They aren’t meant to be ignorant of nuance and accepted as bold faced boiler plate logic. Libertarian absolutism buts against the reality of societal contractual obligations. It’s like yes, you get to have freedoms… in a society… so long as we can maintain the societal status quo. And just as believing taxation is theft but expecting protection from outside forces, there is the reality that conscription is an agreed upon by consensus of a societal contract for participation. We don’t use it now in the status quo of taxing too and forming a profession of arms. That doesn’t mean it’s not a valid contingency for the continued preservation or restoration of a society, no different extremis areas like martial law. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Oh I think it’s completely a cop out, but it’s one a commander who is cheap can easily grab at and say “ok yeah let’s do it that way.” Same reason people get the 5 dollar hot and ready for a shop that “works through lunch to make mission.” Like what’s the minimal amount of effort I can make to reward good people working together to get it done. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Depending on your legal shop this can be a problem. Lately it’s a lot of “that’s not allowed” with regards to self funding stuff because of the weird power control consent question that comes from a commander saying “we’re having a BBQ” and suddenly all the senior ranks are passing the hat around. The MWR and dining facilities have specific fund allotments and free food options that the unit funds can be used to but their quality is pretty crappy. What sucks is morale should be viewed as an expendable item just like POL or bench stock… Units should have funds to invest in it the way they best see fit whether that’s buying a lot of excess class I or paying the price down for ball tickets same as they have a TDY budget for PME. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk