Tag: weapons

Where Do Those Weapons Go?

I have been in opposition to all the taxpayer money thrown at Ukraine…..both cash and aid….the US has just authorized the 24th weapons transfer for the embattled country.

I have also been asking the question just what does the US hope to get from all our investment?

Let’s make it easy….does the weapons transfer actually go where they are suppose to go?

Like all our conflict involvement things are not proceeding in a good fashion….

Finland’s national law enforcement agency, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), has warned that weapons being shipped to Ukraine are ending up in the hands of criminal gangs.

The Finnish broadcaster YLE reported Sunday that a preliminary investigation conducted by the NBI found that criminals in Finland may have captured military arms sent to Ukraine.

“We’ve seen signs of these weapons already finding their way to Finland,” Christer Ahlgren, the NBI’s detective superintendent, told YLE. Ahlgren said that weapons shipped to Ukraine have also been found in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

Ahlgren didn’t specify what type of weapons criminals were getting hold of, and the Yle report only mentioned rifles. He said that the routes for trafficking the weapons from Ukraine were already in place and said motorcycle gangs were involved in the activity.

“Three of the world’s largest motorcycle gangs—that are part of larger international organizations—are active in Finland. One of these is Bandidos MC, which has a unit in every major Ukrainian city,” Ahlgren said.

There’s been virtually no oversight of the tens of billions of dollars worth of weapons that the US and its NATO allies have been pouring into Ukraine. Back in April, one source briefed on US intelligence told CNN that sending weapons into Ukraine was like dropping the arms into a “big black hole.”

In August, CBS released a short documentary that quoted the head of an NGO that helps get military equipment to Ukraine, who estimated only 30%-40% of the arms are making it to the frontlines. The documentary was quickly retracted after pressure from the Ukrainian government, and CBS said that the 30% estimation was based on figures in April.

Ahlgren said that officials in the region will have to deal with the influx of arms for years to come. “Ukraine has received a large volume of weapons and that’s good, but we’re going to be dealing with these arms for decades and pay the price here,” he said.

(antiwar.com)

What?

Do not sound so surprised it was reported about 6 months ago and yet nothing has changed….Interpol warns that the weapons being flooded into Ukraine will end up in the hands of criminals

Some members of Congress are putting pressure on the Pentagon over the lack of oversight for the billions in US weapons that are being pumped into Ukraine. Politico reported Thursday that there are lawmakers who have warned the Biden administration that the overwhelming congressional support for Ukraine aid could wane if the issue is not addressed.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tried to add a provision to the $40 billion Ukraine aid that would create a new inspector general for oversight, but his effort failed. The measure passed in a vote of 86-11, with only Republicans voting no, mostly because of the lack of accountability for how the funds will be spent.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has also called for oversight of the aid being sent to Ukraine. “The US government is sending billions in humanitarian, economic, and military assistance to help the Ukrainian people overcome Putin’s brutal war, and the American people expect strong oversight by Congress and full accounting from the Department of Defense,” she said.

Demonstrating the severe lack of oversight, CNN reported in April that the US has “almost zero” ability to track the weapons it is sending once they enter Ukraine. One source briefed on US intelligence described it as dropping the arms into a “big black hole.”

The head of Interpol sounded the alarm on Wednesday over the number of weapons that are pouring into Ukraine, warning that they will end up in the hands of criminals. “The high availability of weapons during the current conflict will result in the proliferation in illicit arms in the post-conflict phase,” said Interpol Secretary-General Juergen Stock. “Even weapons that are used by the military, heavy weapons, will be available on the criminal market.”

Responding to the criticism of the lack of oversight, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Anton Semelroth appeared to blame the issue on Russia. “Risk of diversion is one of many considerations that we routinely assess when evaluating any potential arms transfer,” Semelroth said. “In this case, risk would be considerably minimized by the full withdrawal from Ukraine by Russian forces.”

In typical fashion….”It is Russia’s fault”….a lame excuse for NO actual oversight.

Did you hear any of this on your broadcast news?

When will the American taxpayer realize just how badly the government is at ….well anything.

We need to know where our money is spent or should I say…wasted.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those God Awful Thermobaric Bombs

Thermobaric bomb?

Huh?

Vacuum bomb?

Huh?

There are reports that Russia is deploying thermobaric bombs in the Ukraine conflict….

But just what  is a thermobaric bomb?

Thennobaric munitions are those weapons that are designed to produce enhanced temperature and pressure compared to conventional explosives and are often referred to as fuel-air explosives (FAEs). They produce a much greater incidence of primary blast injury than conventional explosives and this is their main mechanism of injury

Thennobaric munitions work by initially dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or finely powdered explosive. Known fuels such as ethylene oxide, propylene oxide 1, ammonium nitrate2, and powdered PETN4 have been reported. This cloud flows around objects and into cavities and structures. lt may penetrate small openings, such as openings in buildings, bunkers and engine bays of armoured vehiclesI, before being ignited.

The result is a plasma cloud that reaches temperatures of between 2,500-3000′ Celsius4. The time that the cloud burns is slow compared to conventional high explosive and aluminium powder is added to some explosives to enhance this5. 1t is this longer duration or dwell time of the blast wave or overpressure, which can be up to 73 kglcm2 (1000 lb/ sq in), that is the main reason for its lethal and destructive effects4. The injuries are more severe in confined spaces as the blast wave reflects back and forth, submitting the target to multiple insults.

It all began …..The first attempts occurred during the Second World War by the German Luftwaffe and Wehrmacht, the inventor being the Austrian physicist Mario Zippermayr

It has been reported by numerous sources of the deployment of these munitions….

Thermobaric bombs have grabbed headlines lately as fears grow that Russia will intensify its assault on Ukraine’s major cities. There is no confirmed evidence that the Russians have used them yet, but a CNN crew spotted thermobaric rocket launchers crossing into Ukraine in the war’s opening days. It is “a matter of time,” say some experts, including Dr. Marcus Hellyer of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, interviewed recently by the Guardian.Unlike conventional explosives that contain a mix of fuel and an oxidizer (such as black powder), thermobaric weapons are essentially 100% fuel.

Per the BBC, “A vacuum bomb, also called an aerosol bomb or fuel air explosive, consists of a fuel container with two separate explosive charges.” When it strikes the target, the primary charge scatters the aerosolized fuel, igniting a blast that sucks up all surrounding oxygen. The blast can vaporize human bodies if they are close enough, but the typical effects involve the lungs and other internal organs. The US developed airborne thermobaric bombs in the 1960s to counter Vietcong tunnel networks, but they were only tested on a limited basis in combat.

But the US should not inject outrage on the use of these weapons because we are just as guilty…..In 2001, the US was not shy about its use of thermobaric weapons against Taliban cave complexes in Tora Bora (per this contemporaneous CNN report).

Weapons like this one and others like cluster bombs, nukes, etc should not be a part of any arsenal…they are inhumane and indiscriminate…..and any corporation that makes such ordinance should not be allowed to sell them at all…..there should be a worldwide ban on such weapons.

Just saying.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Failed Weapons

AS we here on the Gulf Coast await the development of our first storm of the season, Bill….I thought it would be a good time for a  history lesson…..

I have continuously written about the waste in governments when they search for the ultimate weapon of destruction….There are some massive waste these days but it is not the present there has been failed weapons throughout our recent history, say the last 150 years or so….

It is that time again….a short history lesson…..

These are the top ten failed weapons systems in recent history…..weapons like flying tanks, jet packs, automatic revolver, etc…..

On May 15, 1718, Mr. Puckle patented what could be considered the first machine gun. With “innovative” ideas like a version with square bullets, it was a military and financial flop. This happens, weapons that seem like a good idea that real life proves are not so good. Here are 10 examples of such failures.

10 Weapons and Weapon Systems That Flopped

I would like to add the present day flop….the F35……

If you had all the money in the world, would you pay nearly $2 trillion for a plane that couldn’t get off the ground half the time? Probably not, even if your means were endless. It may sound like an insane question, but it’s one that taxpayers and watchdogs are asking the U.S. military now after yet another nonpartisan government report found countless flaws with the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

A bit of background on the F-35 for readers uninitiated to perhaps the most expensive boondoggle in the $700-billion-per-year defense budget today: the program began in the 1990s and was, according to the Congressional Research Service, or CRS, intended to be “the last fighter aircraft program that DoD [the Department of Defense] would initiate for many years… expected to shape the future of both U.S. tactical aviation and the U.S. tactical aircraft industrial base.” Lockheed Martin, today the nation’s largest private defense contractor, was selected as the primary manufacturer of the aircraft in 2001, with Pratt and Whitney tapped to make the engine.

…

Let’s start with a big one: the estimated costs for maintaining and sustaining the F-35 over a 66-year cycle just went up —again — from $1.20 trillion in 2018 to $1.27 trillion today. That’s a $70-billion increase from just two years ago, or 6 percent. Since the 2012 sustainment estimate, the cost has gone up a whopping $160 billion, or 14 percent. Spread out over 66 years, that’s an average of $2.4 billion in added costs per year. And those costs may just continue to rise in future estimates.

Would you pay $1.7 trillion for a plane that couldn’t fly?

And yet the US is selling this weapon all over the free world…..and they buy it…..even with all its flaws….my question is….why?

Do you have any thoughts on failed weapons systems?

Please share.

Turn The Page!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Kalashnikov’s First

Not some memoir about first love and the loss of virginity…….Nope it is not a sequel to Pasternak’s Russian classic, Dr. Zhivago…..

Nowadays everybody has heard of the famous AK-47…invented by Soviet tank commander while he was rehabbing in a hospital…..his name was Mikhail Kalashnikov…but as famous as the AK-47 is today it was not his first attempt at making a compact sub-machine gun for the Soviet forces.

And there is where I pick this historic post up….

In 1942, the future world-famous arms designer and then tank sergeant Mikhail Kalashnikov was wounded and hospitalized, after which he was unable to return to frontline action against Nazi Germany.

Lying in his hospital bed, Kalashnikov began working on first weapon, which he believed the Soviet army needed — a new compact submachine gun for tank crews.

The young engineer took his sketches and blueprints to an arms factory in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where he was able to develop the first prototype of a small-sized weapon with folding buttstock, similar to the German MP38-40 submachine gun.

Kalashnikov’s weapon borrowed the small-capacity 25-round magazine from the most widely used pistol at that time, the Degtyarev light machine gun, and was given a front handle to improve its ergonomics.

“Kalashnikov was convinced that tank crews needed such a submachine gun because they were completely at the mercy of enemy automatic rifles once their armored monster had been destroyed. Armed with a new compact weapon, tank crews would feel more confident engaging the German invaders at distances of 50 meters,” says Vadim Kozyulin, professor at the Russian Academy of Military Sciences.

https://www.rbth.com/science-and-tech/332082-kalashnikovs-first-weapon

I first encountered the AK in Vietnam…..and quickly learned what an excellent weapon it was for the conditions in Vietnam…..wet, muddy, sandy and nothing stopped the weapon from firing….all in all I gave it a 99 out of a 100 in usability in combat…..plus I liked the punch the 7.62 round delivered.

The AK-74 is quickly becoming another favorite…..but that is for another post at a later date.

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

NK: Message Sent

With all the hub-bub going on about the report that the country is waiting to be revealed another situation was developing……

North Korea tests another weapon…..

North Korea announced that it has test-fired a new type of tactical guided weapon, the AP reports. The Korean Central News Agency says Chairman Kim Jong Un observed the firing of the weapon Wednesday by the Academy of Defense Science. The agency reports that Kim said “the development of the weapon system serves as an event of very weighty significance in increasing the combat power of the People’s Army.” The agency says Kim mounted an observation post to learn about the test-fire of the new-type tactical guided weapon and guide the test-fire.

The announcement came after reports of new activity at a North Korean missile research center and long-range rocket site where the North is believed to build long-range missiles targeting the US mainland. The White House says it was aware of the report and had no comment. The AP could not immediately and independently verify North Korea’s claim.

The last meeting between the two Supreme Leaders ended badly…at least according to some……and some have asked just what will it take, if anything, to bring about a settlement on this situation?

HERE’S SOMETHING you don’t expect to hear at a conference: “Send Lady Gaga to North Korea.” That was the most audacious idea emerging from a recent North Korea academic conference this past March at the University of Virginia. The presenter, in discussing his own research, explained that due to the failure of the recent U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi, new ideas and connections—such as increasing cultural and people connections—could help offer fresh ways to build trust in a relationship that clearly has next to none.

If only selling records to little monsters was as easy as reconciling old enemies. In fact, such an idea, while certainly clever, makes one thing all the more obvious: Korea watchers the world over are out of ideas when it comes to crafting creative approaches to solving the conundrum that is the U.S.-North Korea relationship.

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/how-donald-trump-can-reach-peace-deal-north-korea-52587

There have been rumblings that yet another meeting of the two leaders may be coming later this year…..but will that bring about the solution the world has been wanting for 60 years?

My advice is….DON’T HOLD YOUR BREATH!

 

Is Cybersecurity A Priority?

You would think that cybersecurity would be a priority with this government after learning that it is so damn easy to hack our systems and process.  You would think.

So far with this 2 year old admin I do not see this as a priority…..instead of lambasting opponents try focusing on the security of this nation if your tiny mind can comprehend what we are looking at……

Not only were the elections vulnerable but our electric grid is not looking too safe either….and then a new GAO report really brings this gap home……

A new report out of the Government Accountability Office says the Department of Defense is “just beginning to grapple” with vulnerabilities in most of its new weapons systems. The upshot of the 50-page GAO analysis, per NPR: that, based on five years’ worth of tests, “nearly all” of its latest weapons systems are a cybersecurity nightmare, with easy-to-guess passwords and known vulnerabilities that were never remedied, among other issues. Just as concerning is that the DOD doesn’t even know “the full scale of its weapon system vulnerabilities” as the tests that were carried out “were limited in scope and sophistication,” the GAO notes. The tests, conducted from 2012 to 2017, were initially prompted by a request from the Senate Armed Services Committee to look into just how secure the Pentagon was able to keep its weapons systems.

The GAO notes the “widespread examples of weakness” fell under the umbrella of four cybersecurity categories: “protect, detect, respond, and recover.” The results weren’t great: In one case, for example, a test hacker guessed an admin password in nine seconds; in another, two testers needed just an hour to gain initial access to a weapons system. And, “once they gained initial access, test teams were often able to move throughout a system, escalating their privileges until they had taken full or partial control of a system.” To make matters worse, when vulnerabilities were found, they were often neglected: One test report showed just one vulnerability remedied out of 20 identified. Staffing issues contribute to the problem, as the salaries that cybersecurity aces can command in the private sector far exceed those that the government can pay. Full eye-opening report from the GAO here.

More from The American Conservative………

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/articles/the-pentagon-incompetent-on-cybersecurity/

Great news if you are an adversary….not so much if you are a member of the cyber team that needs all the help they can get.

Hey D/bags….FOCUS!

Who Is James Puckle?

This post is for all my gun nuts.

Ever heard of the M-60, Ma Deuce, Tommy Gun, Grease Gun or Hitler’s Buzz Saw?

What do all these “guns” have in common?

On May 15, 1718, James Puckle of England patented the first machine gun.  This English lawyer reflected his times by designating the ammunition for his flintlock fired 11 shot machine gun to be loaded with normal musket balls for use against Christians and with fiendish cubical bullets for use against Muslims!

One of the most diabolical inventions has been the invention of the machine gun…..killing more people quickly……it made a big difference in the First World War……

But with that said let us look at the 10 biggest machine guns……

Here we list 10 of the greatest machine guns throughout history, with consideration of innovation, historical impact, effectiveness, longevity, reliability and perhaps even “coolness” as criteria. With so many different makes and models to choose from, many of which are worthy competitors, you might not find your favorite listed, so please share your thoughts about guns that should be added to the list.

https://www.historyandheadlines.com/history-may-15-1718-10-greatest-machine-guns/

Man is always looking for a better way to wage war or to kill and the machine gun fulfilled that niche well.

Special Operations Command is planning to release solicitations next year for machine guns that are expected to give warfighters expanded capability, a SOCOM official said May 24.

One is a lightweight medium machine gun that must provide commandos with a 2,000-meter engagement capability, be of comparable weight to the current M240B weapon and offer advanced barrel, suppressor and thermal mitigation technologies, said Lt. Col. Mark Owens, program manager for ammunition and weapons at program executive office SOF warrior.

“We’re not looking for the same barrel technology in this body of weapons that we have seen in the last 50 years of machine guns,” he said during a panel discussion at the National Defense Industrial Association’s annual Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, Florida. “We’re looking for a barrel that has higher endurance, higher operational ability, greater availability for sustained fires.”

http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/5/25/new-machine-guns-on-the-horizon-for-special-operators

Like I said always looking for a better way to kill.

History lesson is done……be well…chuq

Closing Thought–21May18

Well we had another mass school shooting this time in Texas….but I will not cover that for that is an effort in futility trying to change a culture of violence, guns and killing…..something we Americans excel at……

A Rifle To Kill Americans

There is a new Russian sniper rifle that is designed to kill NATO troops and that includes Americans….the odd part of this story is that this deadly rifle was promoted by the NRA…..

In late 2016, the US Army released a report noting that the Russian military, through experience gained during fighting in Ukraine, was undergoing a transformation and becoming a more potent battlefield threat to American forces. One troublesome development identified by the report’s authors was the increased proficiency of Russian snipers. “The capabilities of a sniper in a Russian contingent is far more advanced than the precision shooters U.S. formations have encountered over the last 15 years,” the study noted. One reason for this was the Russian military’s recent adoption of the ORSIS T-5000, a relatively new Russian-made firearm that the report called “one of the most capable bolt action sniper rifles in the world.” As one military technology expert noted, after reviewing this report, the US Army faced “being outgunned” by foes armed with the T-5000—which can be accurate at a distance of 2,000 yards—and these Russian rifles were showing up in Iraq and Ukraine. That is, this weapon posed a threat to US troops and those of its allies. Yet the National Rifle Association—which boasts it is identified with American patriotism—has helped promote Moscow-based ORSIS and its sniper rifle.

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/05/the-pentagon-considers-this-russian-sniper-rifle-a-big-threat-to-us-soldiers-the-nra-helped-promote-it/

A fascinating story……but it probably matters not…..

Closing Thought–27Mar18

By now we all have been told about the so-called tampering into elections by the US and to the US….all this is just the weaponization of social media……the new battleground….Russia is doing it….the US is doing it….China is doing it and North Korea is doing it…..but what do we really know about this new field of attack on another?

Now openly admitted, governments and militaries around the world employ armies of keyboard warriors to spread propaganda and disrupt their online opposition. Their goal? To shape public discourse around global events in a way favourable to their standing military and geopolitical objectives. Their method? The weaponization of social media. 

It didn’t take long from the birth of the world wide web for the public to start using this new medium to transmit, collect and analyze information in ways never before imagined. The first message boards and clunky “Web 1.0” websites soon gave way to “the blogosphere.” The arrival of social media was the next step in this evolution, allowing for the formation of communities of interest to share information in real time about events happening anywhere on the globe.

http://theantimedia.org/weaponization-of-social-media/

How about Artificial Intelligence (AI)…..will it threaten our National Security in the future?

As policymakers debate the government’s role in developing artificial intelligence, a House bill aims to shed light on the emerging technology’s role in strengthening national security.

The National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence Act would create an independent panel to explore recent advancements in artificial intelligence and assess the economic and national security impacts of the budding technology.

http://www.nextgov.com/policy/2018/03/how-much-does-artificial-intelligence-threaten-national-security/146844/

Do you think AI will be a threat?

That is it for the day on my part…look forward to seeing you guys tomorrow….chuq

Can You Name The Rifles That Made America?

That time again….the old professor’s history lesson….(heavy sighs and eye rolls)…..

We know all the people that have made America great, right?

And since the 2nd amendment is that preeminent rule of the land……….but can you name the rifles that made this country great?

Ever since the 13 colonies gathered enough gumption to form a union, U.S. soldiers have carried an evolving range of weapons, from flintlocks pistols to lever actions to assault rifles. The American soldier has fought many battles through the generations. The first line of defense has always been the rifle.

The earliest European settlers brought matchlock muskets to American shores, but by the 18th century these had been replaced with flintlocks, which used flint to ignite gunpowder. These flintlocks armed the minutemen and the new Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.

At the outbreak of the war, the Continental Army was desperate for weapons, and American gunsmiths scrambled to manufacture copies of the British Brown Bess. Meanwhile, Britain’s age-old rival France was eager to undermine Britain’s grip on the North American colonies (and none-too-pleased about how the Seven Years War turned out, either.) So, in 1776, France began in secret to supply smoothbore, flintlock muskets. These muskets, made at France’s military arsenals like the one at Charleville, worked much like the Brown Bess. When the trigger was pulled, a flint struck a spark and ignited the powder charge, firing a round lead ball.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a13938194/history-of-us-military-rifle/

There you have the guns that made this country great….and continues to do so….