Vanir Ausf B Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 (edited) 9 hours ago, The_Capt said: Wait..what? So if infantry/AFVs concentration is no longer feasible…then tanks are no longer feasible The Bradley is proving to be feasible in a light tank role. The key is to stay mobile, limit exposure time and don't concentrate (operate in ones and twos). Edited July 26 by Vanir Ausf B 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimbosbread Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, The_Capt said: We simply have forgotten how to play hardball against another great power state. Clearly we haven’t forgotten; we simply don’t have the stomach for it. Visa ban and total asset seizures are a great start, but the people in charge are huffing some serious hopium that things will get better somehow and Russia will pull back from the edge and don’t want to take those steps. Do these people somehow think our best case realistic scenario (in terms of stopping the war and avoiding Russian collapse) is something other than a Korean peninsula deal? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Letter from Prague Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 9 minutes ago, kimbosbread said: Clearly we haven’t forgotten; we simply don’t have the stomach for it. Visa ban and total asset seizures are a great start, but the people in charge are huffing some serious hopium that things will get better somehow and Russia will pull back from the edge and don’t want to take those steps. Because the only god they worship is Mammon and Mammon is very forgiving in terms of war crimes, genocide and other depravity, as long as the offerings arrive on time. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Capt Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 21 minutes ago, kimbosbread said: Clearly we haven’t forgotten; we simply don’t have the stomach for it. Visa ban and total asset seizures are a great start, but the people in charge are huffing some serious hopium that things will get better somehow and Russia will pull back from the edge and don’t want to take those steps. Do these people somehow think our best case realistic scenario (in terms of stopping the war and avoiding Russian collapse) is something other than a Korean peninsula deal? Well, yes…but we have also forgotten. Anyone who really knew how to deal with this sort of stuff from the last Cold War is long retired or dead. I was speaking to an old French officer who was looking at mandatory retirement this year (he is 65) and the French military extended all senior serving officers for 8 more years. He told me a major reason is that the 60+ crowd actually remember how to prepare to fight WW3. National security and Intelligence-wise, we have been CT bug hunting for 30 years and were resourced tailored for that. Terrorism was one small part of the Cold War conflict, we simply have not built the apparatus to the scale and depths needed to really play in these games. And frankly shame on us because the signals have been in the air for at least 15 years. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Capt Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 25 minutes ago, Letter from Prague said: Because the only god they worship is Mammon and Mammon is very forgiving in terms of war crimes, genocide and other depravity, as long as the offerings arrive on time. We may not always agree but this one is right on point. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ecl1f9/russian_soldier_goes_on_solopush_against/ I remain constantly perplexed as to the tactics used by the Russians. What does this solo attempt accomplish aside from getting an FPV to the face? Some sort of bait? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted July 26 Share Posted July 26 2 minutes ago, ArmouredTopHat said: https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ecl1f9/russian_soldier_goes_on_solopush_against/ I remain constantly perplexed as to the tactics used by the Russians. What does this solo attempt accomplish aside from getting an FPV to the face? Some sort of bait? Ritual suicide is the best I have been able to come up with. You would think anyone given those orders would drop his rifle, throw his hands straight up, and at least try to surrender. This is the level military competence that necessitates banning phones. They can't go letting on to families and future recruits know what is actually going on. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Quote https://www.reddit.com/r/DroneCombat/comments/1ecnqfc/ua_65th_mechanized_brigades_44th_battalion_ronin/ UA 65th Mechanized Brigade's 44th Battalion "Ronin" drone team chased down Russian soldiers in light vehicles using FPV strike drones, landing direct hits on each despite attempts to evade. Published July 26, 2024 Russian "jeeps" and golf carts make pretty good drone interceptors. It is almost like the drones want to be intercepted. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beleg85 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 3 hours ago, The_Capt said: ell, yes…but we have also forgotten. Anyone who really knew how to deal with this sort of stuff from the last Cold War is long retired or dead. I was speaking to an old French officer who was looking at mandatory retirement this year (he is 65) and the French military extended all senior serving officers for 8 more years. He told me a major reason is that the 60+ crowd actually remember how to prepare to fight WW3. National security and Intelligence-wise, we have been CT bug hunting for 30 years and were resourced tailored for that. Terrorism was one small part of the Cold War conflict, we simply have not built the apparatus to the scale and depths needed to really play in these games. And frankly shame on us because the signals have been in the air for at least 15 years. A lot of it has to do with lack of political will. One of reasons why current US president was relatively good thing to happen for Ukraine is that he is authentic Cold Era specimen, personally involved in most processes in last 50 years that provided security and stability for Europe, like NATO enlargement- against opinion of large part of security establishment of the time. He is maybe too fossilized and under influence of dove advisors, but definitelly knowing how to play political hardball with muscovy- you can even see it in a way Putin is talking about Biden's presidency. Without this barely noticeable smirk when countercandidate is mentioned; when he leaves, Putin will consider himself true "adult in the geopolitical room", with only Xi as his peer in this respect. I am more worried about future US presidents after Trump in this respect...chances are most of them will be Ivy League Graduetes, former finance tycoons or new populists born out of social media era, regardless even of party affilations. So more about popularity ratings and charts than actual policies and strategies, just like many other western leaders nowadays. Dictators like Putin (or his possible successor) do not respect this kind of soft leadership, even when backed by powerful economy and military power. Edited July 27 by Beleg85 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Capt Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Beleg85 said: A lot of it has to do with lack of political will. One of reasons why current US president was relatively good thing to happen for Ukraine is that he is authentic Cold Era specimen, personally involved in most processes in last 50 years that provided security and stability for Europe, like NATO enlargement- against opinion of large part of security establishment of the time. He is maybe too fossilized and under influence of dove advisors, but definitelly knowing how to play political hardball with muscovy- you can even see it in a way Putin is talking about Biden's presidency. Without this barely noticeable smirk when countercandidate is mentioned; when he leaves, Putin will consider himself true "adult in the geopolitical room", with only Xi as his peer in this respect. I am more worried about future US presidents after Trump in this respect...chances are most of them will be Ivy League Graduetes, former finance tycoons or new populists born out of social media era, regardless even of party affilations. So more about popularity ratings and charts than actual policies and strategies, just like many other western leaders nowadays. Dictators like Putin (or his possible successor) do not respect this kind of soft leadership, even when backed by powerful economy and military power. So I tell my students, “look at the first 15 years of the Cold War”. They were by far the most dangerous. Largely because the “rules” had not been written or normalized. We were in a disruptive time with every player still trying to figure out the equilibrium through which to compete but not completely destroy each other. After the Cuban Missile Crisis, things pretty much smoothed out and both sides dug in for a long haul on established lines. We had close calls, particularly in 1983 but we were also saved then by these “norms”. We are entering into a new era and it will require new rules and norms that we have not figured out yet. Warfare is not the only thing changing. Leading us are at least two political generations who know nothing but the post-Cold War Great Peace. They were raised in academic schools that embraced this whole “end of history” stuff and then entered government and political arenas all designed for exploiting that peace. What they forgot was the faces of their fathers and grandfathers (nod to King). That post-Cold War peace came at great sacrifice and cold-blooded calculation. As we enter into this new era, the shortfalls of these schools of thought are just as dislocated as the western military schools who grew up assuming air supremacy. The rules are being re-written in front of our eyes…the only real question left is, “do we want our hands on the pen?” Edited July 27 by The_Capt 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet 0369 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 On 7/23/2024 at 11:36 AM, ArmouredTopHat said: And nowhere do they say tanks / vehicles dont have a role in regards to this. Ergo they are still part of that combined arms force they insist is still relevant because they operate them in their force makeup. Until they specifically say otherwise (and I doubt they will) it seems pretty clear there is a role for vehicles to play in the Oob. When I open and rummage around in this old gourd of mine, I seem to remember as, a a Marine Rifle Platoon Sgt.,the term “Combined Arms” was originally used to describe an operation in which Infantry (Grunts) were supported by the “Air Wing” of the USMC during an assault that the USMC, and the U.S. Navy, refined to a thing of beauty during the amphibious assaults during WWII and operations during Korea. I suspect that other “combat arms” in other “services,” probably felt a bit left out and eventually got the definition changed to include armor and artillery in “Combined Arms.’ The basic definition would be Air and Ground. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimbosbread Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 37 minutes ago, The_Capt said: We are entering into a new era and it will require new rules and norms that we have not figured out yet. Warfare is not the only thing changing. The Reiwa era is going to be very interesting! Demographic collapse in Europe and Asia Climate change Cost of housing Remote work Increasing use of AI to automate mid-level office work (assuming it is just limited to this) Cheap access to space I think the US will come out of this as the hegemon, mostly because we are lucky and god loves us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe982 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Russia invades Ukraine and as a result are banned from the Olympics. I think the railway fires in Paris have been done by the Russians. If it were done by Jihadies they would be crowing about it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vet 0369 Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 9 hours ago, Beleg85 said: That one of reasons pointing towards Russia, just like similar actions- small but nasty fires are ideally suited to its goals, just below next step on escalation ladder. No bloodshed that would enrage Western public opinion too much, yet serious public effects are visible and memo is send where it should. Fires that broke out in several different places-chiefly in Czech Republic and Poland - are already confirmed to be perpetrated by people connected to Russians services, and there was wave of arrests of Russians/Ukrainians/Belarussians under suspition of sabotage several times in just this year. France including. So it is not theory at all. There is not that much we can do (apart from normal criminal and counterespionage measures) unless it really cost lives of citizens in NATO. But frankly France risk a lot hosting Olympics- reportedly it has very good services and relatively well-developed security apparatus for European state, but is also one of hubs for islamists, far right and even potentially far left movements. And that is on top of Russian geopolitical threats. Can you say “French Foreign Legion?” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan/california Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Quote https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-july-26-2024 The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Army General Dmitri Bulgakov on corruption charges on July 26 – the latest in a concerted Kremlin effort to remove senior Russian defense officials since April 2024.[12] Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported that a source in Russian law enforcement stated that Bulgakov used his position in the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) to lobby for the Gryazinsky Food Plant, which the source claimed won catering contracts with the MoD and supplied low-quality food at high prices to the Russian military.[13] Russian authorities arrested top managers of the Gryazinsky Food Plant for embezzling funds from MoD contracts in April 2024, and Kremlin newswire TASS stated on July 26 that Bulgakov's case materials indicate that Bulgakov is a suspect in the same case. The Russian morale situation is so desperate that they arrested and charged the guy in charge of buying military food. To be fair this might be about the best thing for morale imaginable. It would be a winner in armies far better fed than Russia's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grigb Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 10 hours ago, ArmouredTopHat said: https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ecl1f9/russian_soldier_goes_on_solopush_against/ I remain constantly perplexed as to the tactics used by the Russians. What does this solo attempt accomplish aside from getting an FPV to the face? Some sort of bait? The guy name is Konstantin Golovin. He have health issues (40 years old) and AFAIR knee wound from prior assaults. But instead of going to hospital he was politely asked (first time they always polite) to go to assault to help his boys. Being typical RU man he decided to show how Patriotic Macho he is and agreed. What you see is not actual assault. This is widely dispersed column I was talking about before. What you do not see on video (some parts were edited out) he had buddy not far (do not remember what happened to buddy). And there was anti-drone shotgunner somewhat away. Everybody else is from 5 to 20 minutes away. They guy was walking to reinforce already captured position and to continue assault He was spotted by Observer drone and then got FPV drone that gave him more shrapnel wounds and left him blind on one eye Being wounded and shocked the guy ran backward and tried to hide in line that was tree line in the past (due to crappy FPV optics it is still better than hiding in the open field) Few more drones arrived to finish him but the shotgunner arrived and drones switched all attention to him The shotgunner managed to take few drones down but was eventually overwhelmed and killed Due to FPV crappy optics with narrow field off view drones overlooked the guy and he was able to crawl away while shotgunner was blasting at drones They guy managed to return, got finally to hospital, went through several surgeries, became low grade celebrity (due to surviving terror of drone encounter) and left to live terrible life of half blind disabled person in RU. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Some interesting comments here made by the Russians. Logistics increasingly hampered and constrained overall, Ukrainians are making a concerted effort to focus on logistics at least in some areas. UGVs deployed by the Russians break within days. (!) Drone resupply possible but lack of heavy drones means limited payloads. (In contrast to heavy Ukrainian drones that can deliver more) Grave concern made about logistical prospects come the winter. Suggestion that terrain is currently helping with concealment (lots of leaves) and that this will be changed within a few months and only exasperate issues. Ukraine really might be onto a long term winner here if they keep up the logistical harassment with drones. The Russians dont see to really have an answer for this. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 Bradley once again demonstrating why having survivable, mobile and potent DF capability remains so important. The issue now is that Ukraine needs more, because they are so heavily relied on that the 47th are constantly in action with them and they are getting worn out. https://www.reddit.com/r/CombatFootage/comments/1ecqeoq/bradley_fighting_vehicle_rotating_troops_under/ The high demand for chassis capable of surgical fire missions and transport should really seal the deal why these vehicles continue to remain so important despite the drone environment constraining concentration. Ukraine needs more units equipped with them to spread that burden with a boatload of spares. Its frustrating that the US seems so reluctant to do this, especially with surplus aid having been discovered due to over accounting. I really hope the US sends a couple of hundred more before the elections. Full read here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Offshoot Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 This seems appropriate given prior discussions about MoDs' fondness for boondoggles. Ukraine’s Acoustic Drone Detection Network Eyed By U.S. As Low-Cost Air Defense Option Quote The U.S. should integrate a low-cost acoustic network to detect aerial threats developed by Ukraine into its own air defense systems, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command said Wednesday morning. Consisting of thousands of acoustic sensors across Ukraine, this system helps detect and track incoming Russian kamikaze drones, alert traditional air defenses in advance, and also dispatch ad hoc drone hunting teams to shoot them down. The article also links to a video: The Future of Army Space and Missile Defense with Lieutenant General Sean A. Gainey if you can get past the jargonized waffle. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holien Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2024/07/ukrainian-drone-hit-bomber-olenya-airfield Possible long range drone hit? Quote Russia's war against Ukraine has for the first time hit back on the Arctic. A Tu-22M3 bomber at the Olenya airfield on the Kola Peninsula was Saturday morning hit by a drone, the Intelligence Service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense reports. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 18 minutes ago, Holien said: https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2024/07/ukrainian-drone-hit-bomber-olenya-airfield Possible long range drone hit? I saw reports but wanted something of a visual confirmation first before posting it myself. We have had false reports like this before. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmouredTopHat Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 This sort of crappy improvisation screams growing shortages to me. Not even the Ukrainians with their own shortages have had to stoop to this level. At least put it on an MTLB or something. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 27 minutes ago, ArmouredTopHat said: This sort of crappy improvisation screams growing shortages to me. Not even the Ukrainians with their own shortages have had to stoop to this level. At least put it on an MTLB or something. I agree that is the most likely explanation, however these could be improvisations to satisfy unfulfilled niches. For example, they could be experimenting with having ATVs bring forward direct fire weapons because moving traditional vehicle based support weapons is problematic. To put this another way, there are two types of desperation we see. The first is that X system is still being used but there's not enough of them to satisfy the need. Desperate replacements. The second is that existing systems might be plentiful, but aren't capable of doing what needs to be done. Desperate in the sense that there's no new purpose built solution, instead relying upon old stuff. We've seen a lot of instances of each of these by both sides. Ukraine putting Maxim machineguns into frontline use or modifying old DShK with bipods and shoulder stocks are great examples of shortages. Putting aged HMGs on the backs of pickup trucks to shoot down Russian/Iranian drones is an example of the second type. Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Battlefront.com Posted July 27 Share Posted July 27 4 hours ago, ArmouredTopHat said: This is now in it's 3rd? year of operation since we first heard about it. Seems to have been so successful that it's been expanded big time. We haven't talked about systems like this in our TankIsDead™ style discussions, but this is another example of how low cost civilian electronics are threatening massive traditional military spending items. Until recently only the "big boys", like Reytheon, could have made a network like this and I think we all know it would cost more than $500 a sensor! Steve 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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