The New Russian Army Isn't The Old Russian Army

Putin has not been sitting on his hands when it comes to re-arming the Motherland.

With tensions rising again between Russia and Ukraine, there are fears of a renewed upsurge in the fighting.

Russia-watchers in the West are monitoring events carefully, not just in terms of the day-to-day crisis, but because Russia's military is worth watching.

Moscow's military's performance in Ukraine has provided a foretaste of a new kind of warfare; eastern Ukraine has provided a laboratory for ground combat in the 21st Century.

The Russians have deployed advanced weapons systems that are causing NATO commanders a great deal of concern. These are not proposed systems. These are systems that were used in the Crimea and Ukraine incursions.

• The use of drones to provide targeting information.
• New, long-range air defenses.
• Anti-access and area denial systems.
• Communications jamming.

But one item comes to the the forefront, particularly when viewed against the recent spate of emails that were hacked from the DNC.

But perhaps the most worrying element of Russia's new approach is what has been broadly termed "hybrid warfare" - a mix of semi-clandestine operations; propaganda and information warfare; computer hacking and so on.

This was seen in its seizure of Crimea with troops in unmarked uniforms (the so-called "little green men"); the closing down of independent news sources and so on.

What is fascinating from the Russian literature is the priority that Moscow gives to the whole cyber-domain, ranging from large-scale hacking to even the trolling of Western service personnel using their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

More here.

The A-10 Warthog Will Fight On For Awhile Longer

This photo taken above the holy city of  Shiite Ur Pantz, Iraq

From the Arizona Daily Star:

The U.S. House on Thursday overwhelmingly adopted an amendment to the 2015 defense appropriation bill that would prohibit the Pentagon from spending any money to retire the A-10 Thunderbolt II jet — a mainstay of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

But the fate of the venerated “Warthog” close-air-support jet remains far from certain, as the Senate still must act, and the issue will likely be hammered out in conference committee.

The amendment’s bipartisan adoption was a victory for Rep. Ron Barber, a Tucson Democrat, and other A-10 supporters, who were chagrined when the House Appropriations Committee left A-10 funding out of its version of the defense spending bill.

“This is a victory for those brave men and women in our armed forces and engaged in ground combat who depend on the A-10,” Barber said in prepared remarks after the late-evening vote. “I am fighting for the A-10 to remain in service because there is no better and more effective aircraft for close air support of our soldiers and Marines on the ground.”

There is no other craft proven to be better at what the A-10 does than the A-10. It is a marvel of Close Air Support (CAS) and to throw it away without replacing it (the F-35 is yet unproven) is a crime. The A-10 has a dry weight of 12 tons, yet it can carry 13 tons of weapons into combat.

We can throw a quarter billion dollars of international welfare at Central America without batting an eye ... how about protecting our troops until a new weapons system is ready to replace a tried and proven one?

ODE TO A WARTHOG

I think that I shall never see

A plane so deadly, so ugly

A plane that's built around a gun

A plane that excels at a bombing run

A plane that's designed as a flying club

That surrounds its pilot with a titanium tub

He's safe as a babe in his mother's arms

Shielded from the enemy's deadly harms

A plane that sets the Hellcat loose

Like a thunderbolt hurled from Olympus by Zeus

Stupid poems are created every now and then

But only Fairchild Republic made the A-10

More here.

Tanks On The Move To Kiev & Military Stag Parties

Apparently the  Ukrainian military has decided to squash civilian protests in Kiev. There are videos being posted of military equipment being transported and positioned in the dead of night.

Russian text to the above video:
22 января 2014 года в 17.00 в Чернигове на ул. Борисенко со станции "Чернигов - Северный", которая находится возле обл. ГАИ, грузятся танки на ж/д платформы. Погруженных танков на 17.10 пока только 3 единицы, но ж/д платформ под них - 11 шт

English translation:
22 January 2014 at 17.00 in Chernihiv on the street. Borisenko Station "Chernigov - North", which is located near the region. GAI loaded tanks on w / e platform. Submerged tanks at 17.10 while only 3 units, but w / d platforms for them - 11 pcs.

More here, and here.

Live feed of Kiev protesters here. Every now and then you may hear gunshots and, yes, they are burning tires. I imagine this site will be shut down if the tanks start rolling.

Not for nothing, but you can have a Ukrainian stag party complete with live RPG rounds and tank driving here. Try that at Fort Bragg.

Military Day - Package 1

The Programme Includes

* 3 laps tank driving per person in your group, one of the laps you will drive the tank yourself.

Ammunition Allocation

The following are the quantities offered per 2 people in the group

* RPG Rocket Launcher - 6 rockets

* Pistol / Rifles / Machine Gun - 800 rounds in total

Please note that weapons / ammunition might be substituted / altered depending on ammunition availability on the day

Extra rounds / rockets can be purchased on the day subject to how busy the military base is at the time.

* Lunch will be supplied from the field kitchen

*Transfer Kiev - Military base - Kiev

* Personal military instructor while shooting and translator assistance.

* The maximum number is 10 people partaking in any one group