Maybe the 5th Fleet can try to force the straits with a couple of USMC raids in support, then when that doesn’t do the job, commit to a big amphibious assault a couple of months later? They won’t be expecting THAT.
From a purely technical perspective I’m interested in how this whole thing is being run and coordinated. I’m assuming the Israelis aren’t doing combined planning at the CAOC in Al Udeid, and IAF missions aren’t being tasked on the CENTCOM ATO?
This is obviously true and insightful, but I do wonder if part of of Trump’s inexplicable (to me) appeal is that he is completely and obviously unburdened by any thought or motivation more complex than his own self interest?
James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and a somewhat unlikely nuclear scientist Dr Christmas Jones (Denise Richards) in the James Bond movie “The World Is Not Enough”
I’m assuming thee will be an MI6 liaison officer along for the ride as well.
Isn’t that Kevin Rudd?
I’m a diehard Lions fan from the Fitzroy days but credit where credit is due, great game and the Bulldogs had an incredible last quarter.
The meme of a woman looking disgusted in the first panel, then interested in the second panel. The caption for the first (disgusted) panel reads “Saudi Arabia persecuting journalists” and DC the second (interested) reads “Saudi Arabia persecuting Andrew Tate”
Oh, it’s absolutely insane, but for a lot of non-rational reasons and institutional interests parts of the US military will want a bit of the action (until it goes badly wrong)
The longer this goes on, USSOCOM will be looking for a piece of the action and Army and the USMC will - for a range of reasons like justifying roles and budgets - want to find a role for manoeuvre forces as well.
And Hegseth will want helmet cam snuff footage from his alpha-male operators as well.
The Kurds are just our Chechens
Add in Hegseth wanting to make snuff videos, MBS cheering it on from the sidelines, and lots of institutional interest amongst the military (especially CENTCOM) in ill-defined ‘settling scores’ with the Iranians and IRGC in particular, and, well, here we are.
Even “regime change” implies too much forethought, acceptance of responsibility for what comes next and consequences for Trump and MAGA.
It’s all about lashing out with complete impunity from a response, consequences or even criticism.*
*which may not work out for them this time.
A black and white photograph of Australian soldiers (combat engineers) covered in mud after breaching obstacles for an amphibious landing. About half are shirtless, and they are relatively lean compared to modern-day western soldiers.
Here’s another example, Australian combat engineers after clearing obstacles for an amphibious landing on Tarakan in 1945.
All hard as nails, but not big dudes at all.
www.awm.gov.au/collection/C...
Kristi Noem's "Open to Work" LinkedIn Profile
War as a whole is terrible, but war at sea does have its own very specific horrors as well.
One was a fitter and turner for Queensland Rail and a RAAF NCO during WW2.
The other was variously a labourer, merchant seaman, dockworker, farmhand, taxi driver, hotel doorman and finally a parking warden. Oh, and a British Army infantryman in WW1 (WIA and a POW) and Australian Army NCO IN WW2.
That’s not true. But Australian PM Harold Holt swam into rough surf and disappeared at Cheviot Beach just to avoid being interviewed by Chotiner.
Great job. I enjoy - and learn a lot from - @jamellebouie.net ‘s work, and I enjoyed reading that interview.
Did the Canadian Army follow the US Army down the Pentomic force structure blind alley for a couple of years in the late 1950s - early 1960s like Australia did when we adopted the Pentropic structure of five big battlegroups per division (and no brigade HQs)?
As an Aussie who did multiple deployments to Afghanistan, you can imagine how much I love hearing Americans call Israel their greatest ally while slagging off their FVEY and NATO allies.
I’d say Come and See as well.
I had nominated Gallipoli for this as well, but on reflection that does inadvertently give off a bit of ‘cool, stylish doomed youth’ vibe.
The character portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the TV show “True Detective” leaning on the roof of a car telling his partner “I just want you to stop saying odd shit”
A fair chunk of all the counselling I ever gave subordinates boiled down to this.
I would have loved to give this advice to a few of my commanders and senior officers on higher HQs over the years, too.
They are just enamoured of being *important* and at the centre of things. Anything else is mere details.
Here’s a Trump commemorative meme coin to remember your loved one’s valiant sacrifice by. Only four easy payments of $59.99.
Rules of Engagement are woke and gay and would only stop you doing cool warrior things like killing kids at school or having friendly fire incidents.
“You made it Pete, you’re gonna be a made man. Just get in the car with these guys here”
A poster promoting the movie “The Battle of Algiers”. The poster features a stern-looking bemedalled French colonel in a beret and sunglasses, and a backdrop of a crowd protesting for Algerian independence
The Battle of Algiers
Promotional poster for the 1981 Australian movie “Gallipoli”, with actors Mel Gibson and Mark Lee dressed as Australian soldiers in WW1.
Gallipoli
I expect that the collateral damage guidance issued by Hegseth to CENTCOM is pretty loose.
And as for the Israelis…
I don’t think the post-Peloponnesian war analogy of the Athenians having lost an empire, stuck with a deeply divided and non-functioning polity, and reduced to being mercenaries for the highest bidders in the Middle East was exactly what they had in mind, but here we are 2/2
