Who seriously views Russia, Iran, and China as the new Axis? It's certainly not anyone in any position of power that holds that view.

In 2023 the total value of trade between China and the USA was $575 Billion, a 17% increase from the prior year.  Does that sound like China is our enemy in the eyes of anyone of any consequence in D.C.? No.

If we viewed Russia and Iran as our enemies the simpliest thing to do to crush them would simply be to increase U.S. domestic oil production.  That would lower the cost of a barrel oil and crush those two nations' tax revenue. Are we doing that? Nope.

NEOCONs love to push for war and conflict, but somehow they also love to push for enriching the nations they label as enemies.  I suppose that shouldn't be shocking though since I don't think the NEOCONS even consider victory or want us to fight for any ultimate purpose beyond just shedding blood and causing chaos through which they can create economic opportunities for themselves.

Several of the U.S. Air Force C-17 Military Transports that are landing or have landed today in Southern Israel, this is their Second Trip to Israel in the last 72 Hours; with most of the Flights now coming from the Anniston Army Depot in Alabama. pic.twitter.com/oYgIDsGnC1

OSINTdefender  (@sentdefender) October 17, 2024

wonder what we are sending? I have my wishes and suspicions.

NEW: @HomelandGOP releases 'China Threat Snapshot'

“From 2/21 to 8/24, there have been over 55 CCP-related espionage cases... transmission of sensitive military information, stealing of trade secrets, execution of transnational repression schemes, and obstruction of justice.” pic.twitter.com/PwVFPylcbm

Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party  (@committeeonccp) October 17, 2024

Massive espionage operations by the CCP in the US and we are only catching a fraction of the actual cases. https://t.co/VOHHJ4jUyW

Michael Ron Bowling  (@mrbcyber) October 17, 2024

Attached File

\uD83D\uDEA8 Breaking: Ismail Haniyeh issued a statement confirming that he has just met Yahya Sinwar pic.twitter.com/8uckSBXWrR

Dr. Eli David  (@DrEliDavid) October 17, 2024

\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDF3\uD83C\uDDF9\uD83C\uDDFC China building capacity to rapidly strike Taiwan, senior Taiwanese official tells Reuters

China is building its capacity to rapidly turn military drills into a full-out attack, a senior Taiwan security official said, providing the Taipei government's assessment of the… pic.twitter.com/pt90b38FDr

— Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense (@IndoPac_Info) October 17, 2024

🇨🇳🇹🇼 China building capacity to rapidly strike Taiwan, senior Taiwanese official tells Reuters

China is building its capacity to rapidly turn military drills into a full-out attack, a senior Taiwan security official said, providing the Taipei government's assessment of the strategic intent behind Beijing's war games around the island this week.

"They are increasing the building up of their capacity to turn military exercises into a conflict," the official said at a briefing in Taipei, the Taiwanese official told Reuters, requesting anonymity to speak more frankly.

"They approached very close to Taiwan. They increased their pressure on Taiwan and squeezed Taiwan's response time," the official said. "The drill presented more of a threat than ever before to Taiwan."

Taiwan said a record 153 Chinese aircraft were spotted in the most recent drills. An “unprecedented” 25 Chinese navy and coast guard ships also neared Taiwan's 24-nautical mile contiguous zone, the official added.

Taiwan's defense ministry on Thursday said China currently carries out three to four “joint combat readiness patrols” around the country a month, per Reuters.

Furthermore, the official said that although China did not fire missiles toward Taiwan, it practiced missile launches.

Secretive Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Rushed To Ukraine Finally Come Out Of The Shadows
Phoenix Ghost was only mentioned but never seen as part of aid for Ukraine that was announced shortly after Russia's invasion began.
Thomas Newdick, Rachel S. Cohen, Joseph Trevithick

Posted on Oct 17, 2024 1:00 PM EDT

The secretive Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drone, first developed for the U.S. Air Force and supplied to Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russia, has finally emerged publicly. We now know for sure that Phoenix Ghost is not a single design, but a family of increasingly larger and longer-ranged one-way attack munitions from AEVEX Aerospace, some of which have been seen before, while at least one was only revealed this week.

AEVEX confirmed the connection between various kamikaze drones it offers and the Phoenix Ghost effort at the Association of the U.S. Army’s (AUSA) main annual symposium in Washington, D.C., this week. The Pentagon first announced Phoenix Ghost kamikaze drones provided by AEVEX would be headed to Ukraine back in 2022, but scant information about them had subsequently emerged before now.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Elizabeth Trammell, senior director of business development at AEVEX, told TWZ Tuesday. “This has been around for a while … We’ve been able to receive specific permission to talk about it.”

The Phoenix Ghost family of one-way attack munitions includes types with distinctly different forms and performance capabilities. At least some of the designs were derived from aerial targets that AEVEX originally developed for testing counter-drone systems, according to the company.

Phoenix Ghosts were among the first kamikaze drones the U.S. military publicly announced it would be sending to Ukraine, but it had not been previously confirmed what they were and no conclusive imagery showing one had emerged before now. It is worth noting that the development of the Phoenix Ghost family, which traces back to a project under the Air Force’s Big Safari special projects office, also predates Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As such, AEVEX was very much ahead in the United States in working on one-way-attack drones, in general.

All “AEVEX loitering munitions use visual-based navigation to autonomously identify and follow landmarks or features in their environment, enabling precise positioning and pathfinding without reliance on GPS,” according to the company’s website. “Our systems leverage alternative PNT [precision navigation and timing] solutions to maintain precise navigation and operational capability in GPS-denied or degraded environments.”

In addition, “AEVEX loitering munitions automatically detect, identify, locate, report (DILR) and deliver lethal and non-lethal effects against threats across multiple scenarios and domains with unprecedented accuracy and speed” and are able to “navigate, make decisions, and complete missions without direct intervention,” the company says.

However, the drones can also be fitted with line-of-sight links and/or mesh networked radios, as well as electro-optical and infrared sensors, to provide some degree of direct control. In addition to acting as kamikaze drones, AEVEX says the uncrewed aerial systems in its product line can be configured for electronic and cyber warfare and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

Among the specific kamikaze drones AEVEX has now disclosed as being part of the Phoenix Ghost family are Dominator and Disruptor, which are in the so-called Group 3 category. The U.S. military defines Group 3 drones as weighing between 55 and 1,320 pounds, being able to fly at altitudes between 3,500 and 18,000 feet, and having top speeds of between 100 and 250 knots. While the Dominator was previously disclosed, Disruptor was only publicly unveiled this week.

Disruptor, which has a tubular carbon fiber main body, a pair of straight main wings, and a v-tail configuration, is 10.1 feet long and has a wingspan of 15.75 feet. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 185 pounds when launched pneumatically, but this can be increased to 205 pounds by using a rocket-assisted launch method. AEVEX also states that the Disruptor can be vehicle-launched, but has not provided any further details.

Powered by a small internal combustion engine driving a two-bladed pusher propeller, Disruptor can stay aloft for 4.5 hours and fly out to a maximum range of at least 372 miles (598 kilometers) with a 50-pound payload. The company also offers a version using electronic fuel injection (EFI), increasing its endurance to 11.6 hours and extending its range out to 822 miles (1,322 kilometers).

Disruptor is interestingly similar, at least in very broad strokes, to kamikaze drones that Iran has developed or helped its proxies develop, such as the Shahed 101.

AEVEX says the Group 3 Dominator is dimensionally identical to Disruptor in terms of overall length and wingspan, but it has a completely different twin-boom configuration with an inverted v-shaped tailplane. This a very common configuration for drones in this general size class, with the RQ-7 Shadow, which the U.S. Army announced plans to retire in Febraury, being just one example. There is also the Aerosonde family, versions of which remain in service with the U.S. special operations community. Other twin boom drones with v-shaped and straight tailplanes, including ones made in China, are also in widespread use globally.

Dominator has maximum takeoff weights of 205 and 225 pounds when launched pneumatically or in a rocket-assisted mode, respectively. With a similar, if not identical propulsion system to Disruptor, Dominator has maximum endurances of 4.6 and 11.7 hours and ranges of 293 and 743 miles (492 and 1,196 kilometers) with and without EFI.

The Phoenix Ghost family also includes a smaller Group 2 drone called Atlas, another design that AEVEX has previously shown publicly. Per the U.S. military definitions, uncrewed aerial systems in this category weigh between 21 and 55 pounds, can fly at altitudes up to 3,500 feet, and attain top speeds of up to 250 knots.

The Atlas, which has what looks to be pop-out main wings and v-tail, has a maximum takeoff weight of 20.9 pounds, including an 8.1-pound payload, and is 2.9 feet long and has a wingspan of 5.5 feet, per AEVEX’s website. Its stated endurance is between one and two hours, with a maximum range of at least 74 miles (120 kilometers). How Atlas is powered is not immediately clear, but it has a pusher propeller at the rear.

At AUSA this week, AEVEX had a product card detailing another drone called Dagger, which also does not appear to have been previously disclosed and looks to be a Group 2 analog to Disruptor. It is unclear whether the electrically powered Dagger is technically part of the Phoenix Ghost family or is a design that followed on from that work. Dagger is six feet long and has a wingspan of 8.7 feet, has a maximum takeoff weight of 35 pounds (including an eight-pound payload), and can fly for up to 80 minutes and out to a range of 120 miles (193 kilometers).

Dagger is designed to make it easier for troops to “move in, get out, set up, shoot off, and … get out of there,” AEVEX’s Trammell explained to TWZ at AUSA.

AEVEX’s Trammel also said that the Phoenix Ghost family encompasses multiple other assets that the company is keeping under wraps for now.

The company is also continuing to evolve its product line, in part based on experiences from the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. AEVEX uses a two-week design cycle to let the company quickly respond to new threats and conditions troops encounter on the ground.

“We’ve learned a lot,” Trammell said. “This [Distruptor] does not look anywhere near what it was when we first put it out.”

The nose cone has changed, she said, as has the color. She indicated the colors have evolved to better camouflage the weapons around the clock. Ukrainian officials notably began highlighting Russia’s use of black or otherwise darkly painted kamikaze drones, and that this had made it difficult to visually spot and track them, especially at night, last year. Ukraine has since been observed employing kamikaze drones with similar paint schemes.

As the war in Ukraine grinds through its third year, Trammell also expects demand will grow for the drones to collect more intelligence and play a larger role in electronic warfare. AEVEX is also known to be looking at enhancing Phoenix Ghost’s resistance to GPS jamming, something that has been a significant problem in Ukraine, for both drones and guided munitions. The company says its acquisition of Veth Research Associates should see that company’s guidance and navigation technology inserted into Phoenix Ghost drones, according to Aviation Week.

When it comes to Ukraine, it remains unclear what types of Phoenix Ghost drones the country has received to date and how they are specifically configured in terms of payloads and guidance capabilities. To date, the U.S. military has pledged at least 1,800 Phoenix Ghosts to Ukraine. The U.S. military said had obligated approximately $576 million for the purchase of drones in this family from AEVEX for the Ukrainian armed forces through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), as of August.

AEVEX was shipping around 230 loitering munitions each month at the height of its deliveries, and is still delivering fresh weapons every two weeks, Trammell told TWZ.

Back in April 2022, then-top Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby did say that the Phoenix Ghost drones Ukraine was getting had similar, “but not [the] exact,” capabilities as the AeroVironment Switchblade 300 tube-launched loitering munition, which could point to the smaller Atlas or Dagger. However, officials added at that time that there are differences “in the scope of capability for the Phoenix Ghost.”

Kirby’s statement is one of a number of signs that had emerged before this year’s AUSA gathering pointing to Phoenix Ghost actually being a family of drones and that Ukraine had received multiple types, something David Hambling just explored in more detail for Forbes last month.

“It’s a system of systems that varies in range and payload and type,” Skip Arny, a Vice President at Aevex Aerospace, also said about Phoenix Ghost at the AUSA show in 2022, according to Defense News. “It’s a great example of a quick-reaction capability, and we basically got a request to put a system together, and that’s what it is.”

Just this summer, pictures also began to emerge of a drone design that had not been previously observed in use by Ukraine, which independent defense analyst H.I. Sutton noted on his website Covert Shores looked similar if not identical to the AEVEX Dominator. Questions have been raised about whether these drones are actually Dominators or are a local derivative or clone of some kind given that they were reportedly recovered in Russia. The U.S. government has, at least from what is known publicly to date, placed significant restrictions on the use of American-supplied munitions against targets inside Russian territory, but various exceptions and caveats are also known to exist. Drones can stray from their intended flight paths for various reasons, too. Ukraine’s arsenal of longer-range kamikaze drones has otherwise steadily expanded in the past two years, predominantly through the fielding of new domestically developed types.

Not knowing what kinds of Phoenix Ghost drones Ukraine has or how they are configured, it is also unclear what kinds of target sets the drones are being employed against.

“We haven’t really gotten into anti-tank or anti-armor, just because it’s not been a requirement for us,” AEVEX’s senior director of business development Trammell told TWZ at AUSA this week. “A lot of our aircraft, we had the base capability and then our customers came in and said, ‘This is what we want.’”

Trammell’s mention of “customers” plural also raises questions about who else may have received Phoenix Ghost drones. As of June, AEVEX had reportedly delivered 4,000 drones under U.S. military contracts, well beyond the 1,800 Phoenix Ghosts publicly committed to Ukraine through USAI.

It is certainly possible that the Ukrainian military has received more Phoenix Ghosts than is publicly known, but demand for various tiers of kamikaze drones is also growing globally.

Earlier this year, the U.S. government approved the potential sale of more than 1,000 kamikaze drones, a mix of Switchblade 300 and ALTIUS 600M types, to Taiwan. That comes amid broader U.S. military plans to help the island turn the airspace and waters around it into a “hellscape” full of uncrewed platforms in the event of an invasion from the mainland, as you can read more about here.

The now routine use of multiple tiers of kamikaze drones in the conflict in Ukraine has helped push the Taiwan “hellscape” plans forward and is also driving efforts across the U.S. military to acquire and field these types of uncrewed aerial systems. Last year, the Pentagon kicked off an initiative dubbed Replicator specifically with the goal of helping get thousands of new and relatively cheap uncrewed platforms with high degrees of autonomy into the hands of U.S. forces across all domains by 2025.

In August, the Army awarded an especially massive contract valued at nearly $1 billion to AeroVironment for Switchblade 300 and 600-series drones, which is now the subject of a formal protest.

“There are a lot of companies in this space, so Switchblades are one of our first efforts here, but it’s not going to be our last or our only one,” Doug Bush, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology, told TWZ and other outlets at a media roundtable on the sidelines of the AUSA conference this week. “I think you will see soon a diversity of companies getting contracts for that kind capability. It’s a really healthy part of industry. We don’t have, like, just one place to go.”

Each branch of the U.S. armed forces — particularly the Army and Air Force — has been interested “in some way, shape or form” in AEVEX’s product line, Trammell told TWZ.

Furthermore, “as the conflict [in Ukraine] dwindles, there’s other opportunities that this can go for,” she said. “There’s a lot of big programs that are looking for midsize UAS systems, and we’re trying to advertise to that.”

Still, the experience AEVEX has now gained from working on the now less-secretive Phoenix Ghost effort for Ukraine could give the company an important leg up as kamikaze drones continue to make their mark worldwide.

Contact the author: [email protected]

https://www.twz.com/air/secretive-phoenix-ghost-kamikaze-drones-rushed-to-ukraine-finally-come-out-of-the-shadows

Europe | Between BRICS and a hard place

The limits of Turkey’s strategic autonomy

Choosing between autocrats and democracies


FOR OVER a decade, BRICS summits have featured the same cast of characters, meaning the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. That will change on October 22nd, when the presidents of Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia, and the United Arab Emirates, which joined the club earlier this year, pose alongside Vladimir Putin and other BRICS veterans in Kazan, in south-western Russia. But an even more unusual guest, the leader of a NATO country no less, is expected to make an appearance. Russia has announced that Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will be on hand to make the case for his country’s BRICS membership.

Flanked by autocrats and populists who say they speak for the global south and hope to shape BRICS into a viable alternative to the Western world order, Turkey’s leader should feel right at home. Turkey has long sought to diversify its foreign-policy portfolio, by building new bridges and repairing old ones, with the Middle East, the Caucasus, Africa and Central Asia. But Mr Erdogan has gone farther, especially over the past decade, and begun to preach “strategic autonomy”. This is the idea that Turkey needs to chart its own path, reduce its dependence on the West, especially when it comes to the defence sector, and co-operate with allies only when this suits its own interests. Other NATO members can settle for the fixed menu. Turkey dines á la carte.

This has come into focus in Ukraine, where Turkey has supplied the Ukrainians with drones and other weapons, sometimes on the sly, while staying chummy with Russia. Turkey has refused to implement Western sanctions, which has allowed its trade with Russia to soar, reaching $56.5bn last year, up from $34.7bn in 2021, and continues to depend heavily on Russian oil and gas. Russia is also building Turkey’s first nuclear-power plant, and vying to build its second.

Mr Erdogan has been marching to the beat of his own drum elsewhere. Turkey has clashed with Greece and France by staking a claim to swathes of the eastern Mediterranean, challenged America by launching offensives against US-backed Kurdish insurgents in Syria, and taken on NATO as a whole by holding up the membership bids of Sweden and Finland. It has refused to be drawn into America’s stand-off with China. Mr Erdogan is also the only NATO leader to openly embrace Hamas.

But Turkey has no desire to break with the West, and its BRICS bid has been a clear case in point. As soon as Russia leaked the news that Turkey was keen on joining the group, officials in Ankara rushed to say this would not come at the expense of relations with Europe and America. Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, went so far as to suggest that the move was less of a geopolitical pivot than a cry for attention. “Perhaps we would not be on such a quest,” said Mr Fidan, had Turkey been a member of the EU.

Western capitals might take a dim view of Turkey’s BRICS gambit, but they are not alarmed. Membership of BRICS, which remains little more than a talking-shop, is a poor alternative to NATO or the EU, with which Turkey has a customs union.

Still, BRICS may not be ready to roll out the welcome mat just yet. India is rumoured to oppose Turkey’s accession, because of Mr Erdogan’s support for Pakistan in its dispute over Kashmir. Russia, too, is of two minds. On paper, Turkey’s BRICS membership would be a coup for Moscow, which welcomes any chance to drive a wedge between Turkey and its Western allies. But the Russians may be uneasy about having a NATO state in BRICS, fearing to water the group down even further.

Turkey may be backpedalling already. At a conference in Istanbul on October 14th, a Turkish diplomat said he was “not aware” whether his government had lodged an application to join BRICS. The BRICS bid was supposed to shine the spotlight on Turkey’s global ambitions. It may end up exposing their limits. ■

https://www.economist.com/europe/2024/10/17/the-limits-of-turkeys-strategic-autonomy

Attached File

South Korean Forces on the Yeonpyeongdo Island Chain, off the Western Coast of the Country, have reportedly been placed on High Alert due to “Unusual Movements” having been observed from North Korean Shore-Artillery Batteries. pic.twitter.com/4IAMYjN4pG

OSINTdefender  (@sentdefender) October 17, 2024

2 min video of dead ass MFer 👇

https://x.com/sentdefender/status/1846973422376505364

Cold due to xitter restrictions.

Sounds like Orban should just be offed at this point.  Hes nothing more than a puppet and will gladly sell Hungary out to the Russians no matter how right he is for being angry with the EU for their previous bullshit.

Or maybe this is the story to be told the world since who knows how many of these double dealing douchebags secretly tried to keep Israel from offing him.

Disappointed there wasn’t a bag of dynamite.

Some of The items Sinwar carried:

Mentos, money, a weapon and an UNWRA Teacher ID pic.twitter.com/oYmpZ2ddzo

Mossad Commentary  (@MOSSADil) October 17, 2024

Any confirmation is was actually Sinwar?

It has been confirmed via dental and dna.

German Military Aid to #Ukraine updated with (BIG UPDATE) 👇

DELIVERED IN THE PAST ~ 4 WEEKS
— 1 IRIS-T SLM SAM system (already known)
— 2 IRIS-T SLS SAM launchers (already known)
— 30 Vector UAVs
— 6 PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems
— 8 Leopard 1A5 MBTs
— 20 Marder 1A3 IFVs
— 4 FFG MRAPs
— 1 bridge-laying tank Biber
— 1 mine plough
— 2 WiSENT 1 MC mine clearing tanks
— 3,000 RGW90 MATADORs
— 100 man-portable mine clearing systems H-PEMBS
— 90 mine detectors
— 30 CR 308 rifles
— 90 HLR 338 precision rifles
— 460 MK 556 assault rifles
— 3,000 SFP9 pistols
— 25,000 40mm ammunition for automatic grenade launchers
— ? ammunition for Leopard 1A5 MBTs
— ? ammunition for Leopard 2A6 MBTs
— ? ammunition for Marder 1A3 IFVs
— 24,000 155mm shells
— ? IRIS-T SL missiles
— ? RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles
— 2 mobile antenna mast systems
— 57 laser range finders
— 150,000 chest seals
— 75,000 tourniquets

PLEDGED
— 67,000 40mm ammunition for automatic grenade launchers
— 361 Songbird UAVs (pledge known, just clarified the drone)
— 4,000 loitering munitions (pledge known, just clarified the amount)
— AIM-9L/I-1 Sidewinder missiles
— winter clothing

NOTES
Interestingly, the German government has removed three Cheetah SPAAGs from the pledged list, leaving only a total of nine.

If this is not a mistake, this would mean Germany is either only financing 12 Cheetah SPAAGs bought from Jordan, not 15 as announced in summer 2023, or three originally pledged ones can't be refurbished.

German Military Aid to #Ukraine updated with (BIG UPDATE) \uD83D\uDC47

DELIVERED IN THE PAST ~ 4 WEEKS
— 1 IRIS-T SLM SAM system (already known)
— 2 IRIS-T SLS SAM launchers (already known)
— 30 Vector UAVs
— 6 PzH 2000 self-propelled artillery systems
— 8 Leopard 1A5 MBTs
— 20 Marder 1A3… pic.twitter.com/Q4bPycMfQm

German Aid to Ukraine  (@deaidua) October 17, 2024

Alarming, but not surprising.

Russia, Iran, and North Korea are part of a new axis of evil regimes that have seized on a vacuum of American leadership.https://t.co/jnYWCqNJ76

Mike Pompeo  (@mikepompeo) October 17, 2024

The real drama unfolds due to the sending of two Croatian officers to the NATO mission to support Ukraine: But no one is talking about this

The real drama of the last few days surrounding the sending of two Croatian officers to Germany in a NATO mission to support Ukraine. But no one is talking about the fact that many more Croatian soldiers participate in combat missions in several European countries. As part of the NATO shield. And they will send more and more.

By Ivana Pezo/DNEVNIK.hr , October 17, 2024 @ 7:52 p.m.


Far from the Ukrainian front - there is still no peace at the top of Croatian politics. Because of Ukraine. So the HDZ again demanded that the head of the army come to the Parliament and explain whether the two Croatian officers are going
to war in the new NATO mission or not - which the president forbade .

" Andrej Plenković's wishes are his wishes," said Arsen Bauk , the president of the Defense Committee (SDP), adding: "The head of the GS will be invited, whether he will come to that session does not depend on me or Mr. Plenković!"

But it will depend on the president - whose order he must carry out. And Zoran Milanović is defying the Government's decision to send them to the base from which they will coordinate aid to Ukraine.

"NATO territory - and not Ukraine. NATO territory is Germany and the city of Wiesbaden where they should be!" said Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia (HDZ).

Despite Milanović, Plenković criticizes again from Brussels.

"Where are these Croats in essence, where do they stand today? That is what remains, that is what my colleagues here are asking. Well, I appeal nicely to the opposition to shake their heads a little, and not let Milanović shake their heads," he said. is Plenković.

"I see that some are hiding behind the profession. To hear what the profession says - that is the biggest misconception," said  Nikola Grmoja , MP (MOST), adding: "We should not enter into this mission because it will lead to an additional escalation of the conflict !"

Even before the Russian aggression, Croatian soldiers were part of the NATO shield along the Eastern European borders. In a fiery environment with serious tasks. Now the plan is to send more than 500 of them to several European battle groups.

The plan for 2025 and 2026 is to send up to 170 soldiers with armored fighting vehicles to Poland. Up to 120 members with howitzers to Lithuania.
There would be 220 of them in Hungary, while 10 soldiers would be stationed in Bulgaria. NATO is already strengthening the first battle lines, but no one is worried or making a fuss about it.

"We don't have soldiers on a mission related to the conflict in Ukraine," said Arsen Bauk, chairman of the Defense Committee (SDP).

- And which one is in Wiesbaden? No, no, it's a mission for Ukraine... But... I will suggest to the president of the committee for tourism that she call a meeting concerning this mission, because apparently they are going there for tourism purposes!"

And in the president's office they remind that the allies they have a common role - in the event of an attack, they are obliged to protect each other.

"But Ukraine, I repeat, is not in NATO. If it joins and if we agree with that, that's another thing. And we have no obligation to participate in a war," said  Orsat Miljenic , head of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia.

However, even before the war, Milanović spoke as follows:

"We will have nothing to do with it! I guarantee that. Not only will they not be sent, but if there is an escalation, they will retreat to the last Croatian soldier!" said Zoran Milanović (January 25, 2022)

They didn't do it. Where they left off - they will continue after the weekend. A session of the Defense Committee has been scheduled, from which the HDZ expects a lot because it is seeking support for military missions and a sufficient number of hands in the Parliament.
And the leading people in the country are far from a political truce.

https://dnevnik.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/prava-drama-odvija-se-zbog-slanja-dvojice-hrvatskih-casnika-u-nato-misiju-potpore-ukrajini-ali-nitko-ne-govori-o-ovome---874834.html

Pretty direct “now what?”.

Following the Elimination of the Leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar; Israel sent a Message to Negotiators and Qatar stating that now was the chance to achieve a Ceasefire, but that Senior Hamas Officials outside of Gaza must realize that the Condition of the Hostages is now their…

OSINTdefender  (@sentdefender) October 17, 2024

Trump blames Ukraine's Zelenskiy for starting war with Russia

https://www.reuters.com/world/trump-blames-ukraines-zelenskiy-starting-war-with-russia-2024-10-17/

WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - Donald Trump on Thursday blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for helping start that nation's war with Russia, a comment that further suggests Trump is likely to radically shift U.S. policy toward Ukraine if he wins the Nov. 5 election.

The Republican former president has frequently criticized Zelenskiy on the campaign trail, repeatedly calling him "the greatest salesman on Earth" for having solicited and received billions of dollars of U.S. military aid since the war broke out in 2022.

Trump has also slammed the Ukrainian leader for failing to seek peace with Moscow, and he has suggested Ukraine may have to cede some of its land to Russia to make a peace deal, a concession Kyiv considers unacceptable.

Trump's comments on the PBD Podcast on Thursday with Patrick Bet-David went a step further than his previous criticism. He said Zelenskiy was to blame not just for failing to end the war, but for helping start it, even though the conflict broke out when Russia invaded Ukrainian sovereign territory.

"That doesn't mean I don't want to help him because I feel very badly for those people. But he should never have let that war start. The war's a loser," Trump said.

Zelenskiy presented his "victory plan" to end the war to Trump during a meeting in New York in September, an encounter both leaders described as cordial.

Trump's public comments, however, suggest he could seek to wind down aid for Ukraine if he defeats Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, on Nov. 5. He has repeatedly said he could end the conflict before he takes office in January, but he has not said how.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t a “mistake”. They put a shell onto terrorists but just didn’t know their names.

“Enough warheads on foreheads solves problems.”

Drone footage image of the final moments of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, wounded after being spotted by IDF troops operating in Rafah's Tel Sultan. Moments later he was eliminated. pic.twitter.com/kuYqj0vhYG

— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) October 17, 2024

Ah yes, more victim blaming

I know lol.  I would look into the background of the author of that report, but I did not have time.

A spool of the fiber optic cable from a recovered Russian fiber controlled FPV is examined, showing it is very strong in tensile strength but will break if bent too sharply. https://t.co/cEk3MfTfnh pic.twitter.com/SlN57pnTiT

— Roy\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6 (@GrandpaRoy2) October 17, 2024

FFS, don't break this stuff.

WATCH \uD83D\uDEA8\uD83D\uDEA8\uD83D\uDEA8

Sinwars last moments. He is missing an arm pic.twitter.com/qFF17R3EZ6

Open Source Intel  (@Osint613) October 17, 2024

He tried to throw a stick at the drone \uD83D\uDE02 https://t.co/o1C5ajBpqJ

Open Source Intel  (@Osint613) October 17, 2024

Think about how wild modern war is. This happened only hours ago

Attached File

The Prime Minister of Canada says under oath that RT, which the U.S. State Department alleges is engaged in "information operations, covert influence, and military procurement," is funding Jordan Peterson and Tucker Carlson. https://t.co/9mYUmCFBfI

Michael Weiss  (@michaeldweiss) October 17, 2024

Under oath, Trudeau says Russia (RT) is funding disgraced Psychologist Jordan Peterson.  

Turns out Jordo’s 3 month Russian sponsored Benzo rehab coma was good for business. \uD83D\uDE09\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6pic.twitter.com/7B5fJ9BdZm

— Dean Blundell\uD83C\uDDE8\uD83C\uDDE6 (@ItsDeanBlundell) October 16, 2024

Attached File

NEW!!!  For the first time, U.S. says, “we actually saw a Chinese company manufacturing a weapon itself for using on the battlefield by Russia, was sent to Russia” to be used in Ukraine.

My exchange with DoS Spox \uD83D\uDC47\uD83C\uDFFB pic.twitter.com/H8heqg9WIF

Alex Raufoglu  (@ralakbar) October 17, 2024

US, Philippines launch war games a day after China's Taiwan drills

Thousands of United States and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday (Oct 15), a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan.

The annual… pic.twitter.com/v7JnuC71oT

— Indo-Pacific News - Geo-Politics & Defense (@IndoPac_Info) October 17, 2024

US, Philippines launch war games a day after China's Taiwan drills

Thousands of United States and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday (Oct 15), a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan.

The annual Kamandag, or Venom, exercises are focused on defending the north coast of the Philippine main island of Luzon, which lies about 800km from self-ruled Taiwan.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed it will never rule out using force to take it, calling Monday's drills a "stern warning" to "separatist" forces on the island.

The joint US-Filipino exercises come amid a series of escalating confrontations between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety.

Philippine Marine Corps commandant Major-General Arturo Rojas stressed at Tuesday's opening ceremony in Manila that Kamandag was long planned and had "nothing to do with whatever is happening in the region".

The drills' primary focus will be live-fire exercises along Luzon's north coast, while other activities will be conducted on tiny Philippine islands between Luzon and Taiwan.

"It's a coastal defence doctrine. The doctrine says that a would-be aggressor might be directed towards our territory," Filipino exercise director Brigadier-General Vicente Blanco told reporters.

"We are not exercising to join the fight (over Taiwan)," he added.

US Marines representative Colonel Stuart Glenn said the exercises were aimed at helping the United States and its allies respond to "any crisis or contingencies".

The western Philippine island of Palawan, facing the disputed South China Sea, will also host part of the drills.

The US and Philippines are fielding just over a thousand participants each, while smaller numbers of Australian, British, Japanese and South Korean forces are also taking part.

An amphibious landing and training on how to defend against chemical and biological warfare were also among the activities planned, according to a press kit.

As the war games began on Tuesday, the Philippine government announced that one of its civilian patrol vessels had sustained minor damage on Oct 11 when it was "deliberately sideswiped" by a "Chinese Maritime Militia" vessel.

The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources said the collision, which dented the front right section of the BRP Datu Cabaylo, took place about 9.3km from Thitu, a Philippine-garrisoned island in the Spratly group.

The crew were unhurt and later sailed the vessel to Thitu and completed their routine maritime patrol mission, the statement said.

Beijing has for years sought to expand its presence in contested areas of the sea, brushing aside an international ruling that its claim to most of the waterway has no legal basis.

China has deployed military and coast guard vessels in recent months in a bid to eject the Philippines from a trio of other strategically important reefs and islands in the South China Sea.

https://channelnewsasia.com/asia/us-philippines-launch-war-games-day-after-china-taiwan-drills-4679226

Holy fuck, and it is the anniversary of the Nürnberg trial executions.

— kraut ? (@Der_Parrot) October 17, 2024

huh. interesting coincidence.

You are primarily talking about democrats. Neocons are not much better but Bush left office Jan 2009. For the past 16 years demo-commies have ruled for 14 of those years.

So it's common for Russian to be hauling ass at night near the front in various civilian vehicles? You would think they would see them things for 1/4 mile away unless the idiots are drunk and doing 160.

No one has told Orban that Putin is NOT negotiating? Or "negotiating" in Hungary now means surrender?

Either they are afraid of fighting Russia or they are sympathetic to the Russian SMO. NATO, and especially the USA, had numerous opportunities to put Ukraine at a tactical, even strategic advantage with equipment that they had on hand but failed to supply it. What is your theory on why this is? Another "brilliant frog boil" advocate who thinks NATO/USA is intentionally allowing Ukraine to bleed Russia dry? For reasons?

They are fucking COWARDS afraid of Russia and if it wasn't for Poland and England doing it first, NATO/USA would still be debating sending the first fucking tank, fearing escalation.

Zelensky was literally the peace candidate. He was not a nationalist hardliner by any means, and he ran on a platform blaming Poroshenko for the ongoing conflict in the Donbas, arguing that he could make things better and end the conflict. He had the UAF unilaterally withdraw from grey territory in the Donbas. Funding for the UAF significantly slowed down under his presidency pre-2022, and that's actually something that reportedly caused a rift between him and a lot of the military. He also refused to mobilize in the face of Russian troops massing on the border. To be honest, Putin most likely missed an opportunity to compromise with Zelenskyy pre-2022 and come away with a good portion of the Donbas and Crimea, but "compromise" is not something that Russian nationalists are very fond of when it comes to what they view as their vassal states. Every Ukrainian president has been viewed with contempt and disdain by Russia, including those who attempted to accommodate Russia (Kuchma, certainly Yanukovych, and somewhat pre-2022 Zelenskyy). Ukrainian attempts to appease Russia under Yanukovych were met with additional demands. But alas, Trump does not possess the intellectual abilities to understand any of this.

Yep.

Geolocation for where Sinwar's body was found in Tal as-Sultan area. House is located at 31.3055, 34.2467. Gazebo (green) is visible with white tower (red) and house across the street (pink) visible in other reference imagery.

Map link: https://t.co/bYZCvt6vKF

CC: @GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/OswxlmDhLe

Jake Godin  (@JakeGodin) October 17, 2024

Reference imagery:

IDF photos and video from the site released today: https://t.co/2um9Gsq2za

Video of IDF soldier driving by the house from September (geolocated by @NemoAnno): https://t.co/kpRmBsrFfi

Video with white tower visible in background: https://t.co/hRuuoLbc2V

Jake Godin  (@JakeGodin) October 17, 2024

I figured he had exfil'd to Egypt long before the Israelis took over southern Gaza. Glad I'm wrong.

I won’t make excuses or pretend to know wtf their intentions or motivations were previously, but here we are. There is no altruism in this game. It’s dirty as fuck and to expect anything different is to be ignorant of how the world works. Everybody only thinks and acts for themselves.

Russia showed itself to be a clown show militarily a few years ago and they are now a significantly reduced clown show.

The story of "Yaris", an operator of the Special Forces group of the 8th Regiment of the Lukas Squad Company

??????? ??? "?????",????????? ????? ???????????? ??????????? 8 ????? ??? "Lukas squad company" pic.twitter.com/t4NSkEJ4Le

— ????????? ?? ?????? (@small10space) October 17, 2024

Moldova has antifa!

Statement issued by the Islamic Resistance Operations Room:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
“Permission has been given to those who fight because they have been wronged, and indeed, God is Able to grant them victory.”
God Almighty has spoken the truth

The Islamic Resistance continues to confront the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, and the Israeli enemy army has suffered heavy losses in its equipment and many officers and soldiers, along the front lines of confrontation in southern Lebanon, all the way to its locations deep in occupied Palestine. Since the start of ground operations on the front edge near the Lebanese-Palestinian border, the Israeli enemy army has brought in 5 military divisions, including more than 70,000 officers and soldiers, and hundreds of tanks and military vehicles. On the other hand, hundreds of Islamic Resistance fighters were fully prepared and ready to confront any Israeli ground incursion towards the villages of southern Lebanon.

1- Ground confrontations:

The beginning of this week witnessed an escalation in the pace of heroic confrontations waged by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance with the officers and soldiers of the Israeli enemy penetrating from several paths in the eastern and western sectors towards the villages of Al-Adaysa, Rab Thilaine, Blida, Markaba, Al-Quzah, Aita Al-Shaab, and Ramya, with heavy fire coverage from weapons. Air and artillery targeted the aforementioned villages and their surroundings. According to pre-prepared field plans, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance confronted the enemy forces in the vicinity and inside some of the villages by targeting the paths of advance, and luring these forces into some advanced ambushes inside some of the border villages, where violent clashes took place with the enemy from zero distance, especially in the towns of Al-Quzah and Rab. Thirty, resulting in the enemy suffering 10 killed and over 150 wounded and the destruction of 9 Merkava tanks and 4 military bulldozers.

2- Missile force:

- The missile force in the Islamic Resistance continues, and gradually increases day after day, targeting the Israeli enemy’s concentrations in military sites and barracks along the Lebanese-Palestinian border and in the occupied settlements and cities in the north, all the way to its military bases deep in occupied Palestine, with various types of missiles, including precision missilesthat are being used for the first time.

3- Air Force:

- The Islamic Resistance’s air force continues, and gradually increases day after day, targeting enemy military bases from the Lebanese-Palestinian border, all the way deep into occupied Palestine, with various types of attack drones, including the type that is being used for the first time. In addition to reconnaissance and information gathering missions.

4- Air Defense Unit:

- The Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in the Air Defense Unit confronted, with appropriate weapons, the Israeli military aircraft attacking Lebanon, both reconnaissance and warplanes, as they were able to shoot down two Hormuz 450 reconnaissance aircraft.

The total number of enemy losses, according to what was monitored by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance, amounted to about 55 dead and more than 500 wounded officers and soldiers of the Israeli enemy army, in addition to the destruction of 20 Merkava tanks, the destruction of 4 military bulldozers, an armored vehicle and a personnel carrier, in addition to the downing of two “Hormuz 450” drones. ". This tally does not include the losses of the Israeli enemy in military bases and barracks along the Lebanese-Palestinian border, reaching deep into occupied Palestine.

Based on the directives of the resistance leadership, the Islamic Resistance Operations Room announces the transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with the Israeli enemy, which will be discussed in the course of the coming days.


“And victory is only from Allah, the Mighty, the Wise.”
Friday 10-18-2024
14 Rabi’ al-Thani 1446 AH

https://t.me/C_Military1/62901

Burn in hell.

Magyar show and tell.

ROE? Will they be allowed to attack Russians with them?

Since I have zero trust an the MSM "interpretation" of what Trump says, I'm standing by to hear an actual quote from Trump.

Very curious as to how Z or Ukraine started the invasion...

The video will be interesting.

beat by the actual video.

Jesus.