Tag: Missiles

Guam In The Cross Hairs

I know I am an opinionated SOB and from time to time I get a Right winger that stops by to drop some wisdom on me…..I have been writing a bit about the North Korean situation and the way we are approaching it…..this well intention person said “If you are so goddamn smart how would you stop a missile from falling on Guam”?

After some thought I decided to take this person up on the challenge.

My plan would center around Ukraine…..this country needs help with encroaching Russians….plus they want to join NATO and possibly the EU….there is lots of bargaining chips in that situation.

I appears that Ukraine is the answer to the North Korean missiles….why?

The heart of their missile is an engine made in Ukraine…..

Many are worried over North Korea’s ICBM launch last month, which analysts say indicate its weapons can now reach the US. And what may be behind this apparent success: liquid-propellant rocket engines from a Ukrainian factory linked to Russia’s missile program that were then scooped up on the black market, per the New York Times. This revelation comes via classified documents from US intelligence agencies and an analysis by Michael Elleman for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, in which he notes the “astounding strides” of North Korea’s missile program, including its upgrade from medium-range missiles to a Hwasong intermediate-range missile and ICBM in just two years’ time—which he says no other nation has ever done. Elleman says it seems Pyongyang was able to pull off this feat with a rocket engine based on Soviet RD-250 engines, which only a few Soviet plants made.

The state-owned Yuzhmash factory that’s being eyed is in Dnipro, a plant the Times describes as “awash in unpaid bills and low morale.” What Elleman says lends credence to his theory is that two North Koreans were busted six years ago trying to swipe data on these types of engines from there. The Yuzhmash website notes it “will not [participate] in any cooperation involving the transfer of potentially dangerous technologies outside Ukraine,” though Elleman doesn’t buy that. “It’s likely that these engines came from Ukraine—probably illicitly,” he tells the Times. “The big question is how many they have and whether the Ukrainians are helping them now. I’m very worried.” No one’s sure how the engines would’ve made it to North Korea, which the Times notes would indicate a “broad intelligence failure” on the part of all countries keeping an eye on Pyongyang. Elleman’s in-depth take is here.

Take away the engine and you take away the threat to Guam.  Hard for a rocket to make it to the island without a motor….that is unless they have a real large sling shot.

We make a deal with the engine maker tom wither stop export of these motors or we do some tweaking to keep them from operating properly.  Granted will be a short term fix but maybe enough time for some sanity to return to this region.

Now this would possibly eliminate Guam as a target for now but it does not solve the South Korean dilemma…..and Japan is a rock’s throw away….they are still under a massive cloud of weapons aimed at their heart.

The challenge was for Guam not South Korea or Japan.

Done And Done!

Chest Thumping, Li’l Kim Style

North Korea has been in the news almost from day one with the Trump admin…..nukes are a problem….his missiles are a problem and now he has added yet another factor to the equation…..

“North Korea has just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?” President Trump tweeted Monday night after Pyongyang’s latest missile launch. The Japanese government estimates that the intermediate-range missile launched early Tuesday local time flew for around 40 minutes—longer than similar recent launches—before landing in Japan’s exclusive economic zone, the AP reports. “Hard to believe that South Korea … and Japan will put up with this much longer,” Trump tweeted. “Perhaps China will put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!”

US Pacific Command says NORAD “assessed that the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America,” CNN reports, though David Wright at the Union of Concerned Scientists says that according to distance and flight time estimates, the missile had a maximum range of around 4,160 miles—enough to reach Alaska, though not Hawaii or the lower 48 states. Sources tell the New York Times that Trump’s call for a “heavy move” from Beijing comes after a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping Sunday night, in which Trump warned that the US is ready to act on its own to pressure North Korea if China is unwilling to take action.

Granted this guy is a bit of a nut case…..and thumping his chest does nothing to calm the situation…..to antagonize the US he sent out a message….

North Korea’s first successful launch of an ICBM has shocked the world—and caused some gloating in Pyongyang. North Korea’s KCNA news agency quoted Kim Jong Un as saying “American bastards would be not very happy with this gift sent on the July 4 anniversary,” the Guardian reports. The agency said Kim, who has vowed not to give up the country’s nuclear program, urged his nuclear scientists to “frequently send big and small ‘gift packages’ to the Yankees.” According to KCNA, the missile North Korea launched Tuesday is capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead.

His words got him what he desires the most….the spotlight……

  • The US and South Korea responded to the launch with a joint ballistic missile exercise in the Sea of Japan Tuesday, reports the BBC. The two countries warned that “self-restraint” was “all that separated armistice and war.”
  • The US vowed to take tougher measures on North Korea, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calling for global action, reports Reuters. “All nations should publicly demonstrate to North Korea that there are consequences to their pursuit of nuclear weapons,” he said. The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting on the issue Wednesday.
  • The New York Times looks at the different options President Trump can proceed with, and finds that they are “few and risky.” One option that China and Russia agree on involves Pyongyang suspending its nuclear weapons program in return for the US suspending
  • The launch of an ICBM has long been seen as a “red line,” though analysts believe Pyongyang may still be years away from having long-range nuclear capability, the AP reports. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former commanding officer of the British Armed Forces Joint Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Regiment, says “in capability of missile terms and delivery, it is a major step up and they seem to be making progress week-on-week,” but “actually marrying the warhead to the missile is probably the biggest challenge, which they appear not to have progressed on.”
  • The Los Angeles Times reports that the ICBM launch wasn’t a huge surprise for some analysts, who observed that North Korea had two mysterious launch failures at the same facility last fall.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation looks at just how far the North Korean ICBM could go. Experts believe Alaska and possibly some America’s Pacific bases are now in range, as is northern Australia.
I say it again…this dude is a nutcase…..but is he serious about this “gift” thing?
First, calmer heads need to prevail…we already have one chest thumper we do not need more of them in the mix.
I believe that his verbiage is mostly “chest thumping”…he will play this until he gets some concessions from the US and others….the thing to do is meet with him diplomatically and work on a serious end to all this silliness.
Now the problem with that scenario is that the Trump plan is to cut the State Department, our nation’s diplomats, that if successful would put a wrench in the works.  Six months into the Trump era and we still do not have a full compliment of diplomats….that is what should be the most worrying….for without them then this thing could spiral out of control.
To solve this situation will take more than tough words and tough Tweets…it will take word and so far I do not see there is any capabilities to do so from DC….

Why The World Still Fears The Scud Missile

SCUD!

Does anyone remember that word from the evening news of the 1990’s…most notably the First Gulf War.

Saddam fired many of these missiles some hit Saudi Arabia and one made it to Israel……the terror that must have been reminiscent of WW2 and the V1 and 2s….death from the sky.

Well they are not a thing from the past they are being used todat in different conflicts around the world…..

One of the most infamous missiles of the modern era, the Scud short-range ballistic missile was developed as a nuclear asset for Soviet commanders during the Cold War. Today, more than six decades later, the Scud’s DNA has been scattered worldwide, found in ballistic missiles from North Korea to Iran. The lumbering Scud is more visible than ever, with dozens fired in the ongoing Yemeni civil war.

The Scud missile is a direct product of captured wartime German missile technology. Soviet experiments with the Nazi-developed V-2 missile led to a ten-year development effort that culminated in the R-11M missile paraded through Red Square in November 1957. The R-11M was a liquid-fueled missile that rode on a tracked transporter erector launcher not dissimilar to North Korea’s Pukkuksong-2 tracked launcher. The R-11M could launch a conventional high-explosive warhead up to 167 miles and a heavier nuclear warhead up to ninety-three miles. The R-11M was eventually nicknamed “Scud” by NATO, and as subsequent versions emerged became known as Scud-A.

Source: Why the World Still Fears the Scud Missile | The National Interest Blog

That word from the past is not so much lost in the past……just another weapon to deal death on an unsuspected population from afar.

Closing Thought–08Jun17

In Case You Missed It!

So much news and so little time…….

Today is a busy day….what with Qatar, Hearing, Iran attack…that the MSM just could not find a way to squeeze this into the reports of the day…..

North Korea angered the US and its own neighbors Thursday morning with yet another missile launch, this time involving what South Korean officials believe were multiple anti-ship missiles from Wonsan on the country’s east coast. Officials say the missiles traveled around 125 miles. Pyongyang is trying to develop missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and the Washington Post reports that the pace of testing has been “relentless:” There were three missile launches in May, making it 16 for the year, meaning Kim Jong Un has now ordered as many launches in 2017 alone as father Kim Jong Il ordered during his 17 years as the country’s supreme leader.

The missiles, fired the day after South Korea announced that it is delaying implementation of the THAAD anti-missile system, landed in waters where the US aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Ronald Reagan recently carried out drills with the South Korean navy, the AP reports. CNBC reports that Pyongyang released a statement this week denouncing the US not for the drills, but for President Trump’s decision to pull the US out of the Paris climate accord. The foreign ministry statement slammed the “egotism and moral vacuum” of those making such a “short-sighted and silly decision” about the global environment.

I guess this was of a low priority for the day……

Day is done….chuq is out…..back tomorrow with more stuff.

Another Missile, Another Threat

While Trump is schmoozing the Middle East the North Koreans have launched another missile….and the world stands on the brink (okay that was a bit melodramatic)……

North Korea fired off yet another missile on Sunday, but the latest salvo shot down South Korea’s new government’s hopes of extending any olive branch, reports Reuters. Combined with an earlier test in the week, Seoul’s foreign ministry was blunt, calling the tests “reckless and irresponsible actions throwing cold water over the hopes and desires of this new government and the international community for denuclearization and peace on the Korean peninsula.” The latest missile flew only about 350 miles, notes the BBC, toward the Sea of Japan. That range is shorter than those of the North’s last three launches.

With this success the world is looking toward a way to stop this from spiraling out of control…..but the rhetoric does not sound like looking for a way to control this situation…..

But let’s say that the worse comes into being…..how would the US respond to war with North Korea (this is a war hawk look at the possible situation)……

The Trump administration sees no good military options in North Korea.

The rogue regime’s missile tests are growing more frequent, and Kim Jong-Un is closer than ever to being able to deliver a nuclear-tipped missile to the United States’ West Coast.

Yet given Seoul’s proximity to the border, military leaders fear that any preemptive strike would almost certainly set in motion a cataclysmic chain of events resulting in profound loss of life.

Recently, the military has taken a back seat to the State Department, where U.S. officials continue to push diplomatic and economic measures, hopeful, with the help of China, it can pressure the regime to halt its provocations voluntarily.

Source: War with North Korea: An inside look at how U.S. troops would respond worldwide

A nightmare scenario…..all we can do is hope that saner minds will prevail before it comes to war.

Before that….what do we know about N. Korea’s nukes?

A good question and here are some answers…..and if you want to know then this is a pretty good source on the subject.

Source: North Korea’s nuclear weapons: Here is all we know | News | Al Jazeera

According To Law…..Was It Legal?

Since the attack there has been international outcry saying that the attack was a violation of international law…I am writing about that issue here today….

The first “Press” is from the site of a regular visitor to IST….Green Road Journal…….

According to the Syrian News Agency SANA, the US led Coalition has carried out targeted airstrikes against a chemical weapons depot in Hatla, east of Deir Ezzor. The depot is held by ISIS-Daesh terrorists:
The General Command of the Army and Armed Forces said that the aircrafts of the so-called “US-led International Alliance” on Wednesday between the hour 17:30 and 17:50 carried out an airstrike against a position of ISIS terrorists that includes a large number of foreign mercenaries in the village of Hatla to the east of Deir Ezzor, causing a white cloud that became yellow as a result of the explosion of a huge store that includes a large amount of toxic materials.

Source: Trump’s Missile Attack On Syria; Mass Media Ignores Truth, Morality, Legality And Verifiable Facts, Most Had Orgasmic Reaction To Shooting Off Hard Upright Missiles In Tubes; War Drums Beating, Military Industrial Complex Celebrating | A Green Road Journal

Next is from a major site…Politico….they defend the attack as a legal response….

“No child of God should ever suffer such horror,” argued President Donald Trump during his statement justifying last Thursday’s U.S. missile strikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad’s military. Since then, his decision has faced withering scrutiny, particularly on legal grounds. Critics, from Russia to some members of Congress, have argued the military action was an illegal violation of Syria’s sovereignty. “Whatever it is,” tweeted Harvard Law School Professor Jack Goldsmith in response to a question about what the legal justification for the strike was, “it exceeds all prior precedents under domestic and international law.” Use of chem weapons is horrific,” tweeted ACLU national security lawyer Hina Shamsi, “but Trump’s military action violates Constitution & U.N. charter. No legit domestic or international law basis.”

Source: Why Trump’s Attack on Syria Is Legal – POLITICO Magazine

I have given as many posts as possible on this action….I want my reader to be as well informed as anyone……they will decide the validity of this attack.

I still am wondering why NO one and I mean NO ONE is asking the question about the number of missiles fired and the damage done to the airfield….this “attack” does not pass the smell test…..neither the action or the reaction can pass the test.

A Drive-By Tomahawking

I has been a week since the US attacked the Syrian airfield….and the analysis is still going on……personally, I want answers and I believe that most of my readers do also (but I could be mistaken for some want to believe).

Since the attack by the US on the Syrian airfield I have been trying to give all sides of the debate…..this is a piece I found on the Libertarian Institute website.

On Friday, the fact-checking organization weighed in on the legal debate over President Trump’s April 6 bombing of a Syrian airfield, with two essays concluding it was A-OK, constitutionally. “In some cases, people saying Trump needed congressional approval have gone too far” Politifact’s Lauren Carroll pronounces. For instance, Rep. Marc Pocan’s (D-WI) claim that there’s “no legal basis” for the strikes rates a full-on, needle-in-the-red “FALSE” on P-fact’s patented “Truth-o-Meter.” Tom Kertscher of Politifact Wisconsin asserts that: “For limited military activities like the missile strike, presidents can send in forces without approval from Congress.” You see, while the president may not have the legal authority to unilaterally launch a full-scale war, he can—if he thinks it’s a good idea, and assures himself it won’t bog us down—order up acts of war that don’t rise to the level of war: a light dusting of cruise missiles—a micro-aggression, constitutionally speaking.

Source: Weak Legal Pretext for Trump’s Drive-By Tomahawking – The Libertarian Institute

But with all the info available was this strike necessary?

Knowing that the evidence refuted the claim that the Syrian Air Force was responsible for the April 4, 2017 chemical nerve agent attack, the National Security Council (NSC) manufactured a false claim that intelligence actually supported [President Donald J. Trump’s] decision to attack Syria, and…to accuse Russia of being either complicit or a participant in an alleged atrocity,” according to Theodore A. Postol, an MIT Professor of Science , Technology and National Security, who has previously served as a scientific adviser to the Chief of Naval Operations.

Postol’s conclusions were set forth in three successive reports. In the first, the renowned scientist concluded that the photographic evidence of a bomb crater relied upon by the White House does not support the conclusion “the crater was created by a munition designed to disperse sarin after it was dropped from a plane.” To the contrary, the evidence “clearly indicates that the munition was almost certainly placed on the ground with an explosive on top of it that crushed the container so as to disperse the alleged load of sarin.

Source: MIT Scientist: “White House Lied, Manufactured Evidence to Justify Tomahawk Missile Strike.” – LA Progressive

I believe the only way that we can have a overview of the situation is to check out all sides of the debate….

The missiles used were Tomahawk missiles….and according to most reports all 59 did not hit their target, there is a bit of confusion on just how many……but this then leads us to ask….if the missiles were not that accurate or were somehow intercepted then just how effective can they be?

While researching (something everyone should do before they voice an ignorant opinion) I found a Defense site that questions the Tomahawks existence….

As the U.S. military prepares to do combat in an increasingly threatening and competitive global arena, the Navy’s Tomahawk cruise missile may not be “the weapons system solution for the future,” the vice chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said April 13.

“I think we have to decide what’s next after Tomahawk,” said Air Force Gen. Paul Selva at an Air Force Association breakfast in Arlington, Virginia. “My gut tells me, as I look at the requirements a decade or more out, that a subsonic, non-stealthy, low-maneuvering, unitary warhead may not be the answer.”

Source: Senior Pentagon Official Casts Doubt on Tomahawk Missiles Future

I will admit that I do hold some of the same beliefs on foreign policy as the Libertarians…..I do have a problem with their domestic stuff so they are out as far as support during elections…..some politicos need to embrace their issues on foreign policy but as it is today we have NO opposition to continuous war….the voices that are there are sidelined by accusations and innuendo perpetrated by the MSM.

Please let me know what you think about this situation.

Syria:  A Multi-Level Analysis

This latest attack by the US on Syrian soil has many components…..I try to give my reader as many aspects of the raid as I can possibly find…..

Below is an analysis from WND (not a usual source for me…they tend to rely too heavily on conspiracy bullshit to be accurate)….I include this because it is another look at the raid and I feel that all sides need to be presented and in doing so the reader will find the info he/she needs to make a valid observation.

It is a lengthy report….but well worth the time to read it….some interesting points were made….some not so interesting……

“Information Clearing House” –  “The Saker” – The latest US cruise missile attack on the Syrian airbase is an extremely important event in so many ways that it is important to examine it in some detail.  I will try to do this today with the hope to be able to shed some light on a rather bizarre attack which will nevertheless have profound consequences.  But first, let’s begin by looking at what actually happened.

Source: A Multi-level Analysis of the US attack on Syria

Please let me state again….this is FYI and does not mean in any way that I endorse the findings…..I believe there is NO such thing as “Too Much Information”…..

3 Russian Theories About Syria

Everyone that is watching this play out is wondering just what was the real reason for the US strike at the Syrian airfield…..

I do a lot of research and I found a site that Russia has and there 3 theories on why the US hit the Syrian airfield…..(keep in mind I SAID Russian theories…not mine)….

1. “There’s a new sheriff in town.” The attacks reflect the promise US President Donald Trump campaigned on: the return of a “strong leader.” The impetus for the attack may have been domestic, international or both. If it was the former, then it’s mostly about impressing the domestic constituency, fixing failing ratings, winning points with Congress and distancing himself from the image of the “Kremlin candidate.” If the impetus was about his international posturing, he had to send a clear message to America’s foes and allies: Please the Israelis, satisfy the Gulf, alert Iranians, warn North Koreans and strip Russians of the perception that they run the show.

2. “The tail wags the dog.” In this hypothetical, the Syria strikes weren’t Trump’s decision. He might have been simply cornered by public pressure, as well as by Democrats and Republicans, to take action against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He might have been tricked into believing that Assad alone was to blame for the gas attack, just after Trump had said he wasn’t opposed to the Syrian president remaining in power. In this narrative, the forced departure of Steven Bannon from the National Security Council signals a shift in the administration’s policy, and the Syria strikes were one result.

Another approach to this second narrative says the gas attacks were perpetrated by a “losing party” in Syria — whether this party is the United States or regional players. The behavior of Israel and Turkey in this respect is remarkable. Israel has long sought the destruction of the Syrian chemical arsenal. Turkey’s influence in Syria is fading, so it has quickly shifted from supporting the peace process with Russia and Iran to supporting the US military operation.

3. “The art of the deal.” The military strikes might not have been coordinated with Moscow, but there was some kind of an agreement via military or intelligence channels that the action would be taken for political reasons that would sit well with the White House and the Kremlin. Those supporting this third narrative point to the rather courteous nature of the bilateral communication before the attack. The Department of Defense says the United States warned Russia ahead of the strike “to minimize risk to Russian or Syrian personnel.” Syria’s armed forces were also warned and “took precautions in more than one military point, including in the Shayrat air base.”

Only 23 of the 59 cruise missiles launched actually hit their targets, which Moscow says indicates that the United States never really intended to inflict serious damage. As a result, the strikes destroyed only one equipment depot, a training building, six MiG-23 aircraft in repair hangars and a radar station, while the runway, taxiways and Syrian air force aircraft in parking areas remained intact.

Does anyone see the validity to these theories?
My question is……23 out of 59?  Where the Hell did those other missile wind up?  A smart bomb my ass!

Syrian Airfield Photos

AS someone who studies war and conflicts I wanted to see the preliminary pics of the result of the latest missile attack on a Syrian airbase.

I enjoy analyzing stuff while most Americans are busy hugging our “smart bombs” as things of beauty…..sorry but….59 missiles and this is the best damage they could do?  I believe someone is blowing smoke.

I found some and wanted to share them with my readers…

This satellite photo from the Department of Defense shows a battle damage assessment image of Shayra
This satellite photo from the Department of Defense shows a battle damage assessment image of Shayrat airfield. (HANDOUT / AFP/Getty Images)

This satellite image provided by DigitalGlobe shows destroyed buildings on the southeast side of the Shayrat air base in Syria.   (DigitalGlobe via AP)

These photos are preliminary and others will surface eventually, probably when the humpf wears off the strike story, but according to the report the US fired 59 missiles with 1000 lb of explosive in each….should there not be more damage than these photos show?
I would like to point out that these are not the ones they use to assess damage in an after raid breakdown….but it does not look as if 59 missiles hit this spot to me.
Either the missile warheads were under-powered or some of them went AWOL on the way to the target.
Thoughts?