XBradTC

Eastern Europe, here comes the cavalry.

The U.S. Army says it will soon be sending armored Stryker vehicles on a 1,100-mile convoy through six European countries to show solidarity to allies in the wake of recent Russian actions in the Ukraine and Crimea that have Eastern Europe on edge.

The move was first reported Thursday in the military newspaper Stars and Stripes. U.S. Army Europe posted the Stripes story on its website on Friday.

The convoy is “a highly visible demonstration of U.S, commitment to its NATO allies and demonstrating NATO’s ability to move military forces freely across allied borders in close cooperation,” U.S. Army Europe spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Childs, said in a statement, according to the Stripes report.

via U.S. Army sending armored convoy 1,100 miles through Europe – CNN.com.

Apparently the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry (SBCT) is going for a bit of a drive in the countryside.
Honestly, a single Stryker Battalion (which, in spite of the Cavalry name is really an Infantry unit) isn’t a lot of combat power. But that’s not the point, is it? Simply showing the flag and demonstrating some goodwill is the whole idea here.

Interestingly, for all the criticism some quarters like to rain upon the Stryker, this shows one of its strengths. Wheeled vehicles may lack some off road mobility, but they also have a much greater ability to self deploy within a given theater. A Combined Arms Battalion of tanks and Bradleys would require massive support from Heavy Equipment Transporters or rail transport to make similar movements.

Of course, rather than thinking of the Stryker as an armored fighting vehicle, I tend to think of it more as a truck that can repel small arms fire. The real purpose, the “main battery” of the Stryker is the rifle squad it carries.

Just as an historical aside, I’ve been right there where this picture was taken. As the 1st Armored Division deployed to Desert Shield, my (then) unit wasn’t tasked to deploy, but the other battalions on post were. We helped those units with loading their vehicles onto a series of trains. If I recall correctly, the railhead was fairly close to the NCO club.

Last Thursday the ASUCI Legislative Council voted 6-4-2 to ban the display of the American flag in the ASUCI lobby. This triggered a huge backlash among students opposed to the measure and received national media attention. UCI administration immediately went into damage control mode, releasing a statement that these students were “misguided” and that this decision was in no way supported by campus leadership. Chancellor Gillman promptly followed up, lamenting how it is “inevitable” when you get a bunch of “young people” together that some of them will occasionally express views that are “unconventional and even outrageous.” “It was outrageous and indefensible,” he exclaimed “that they would question the appropriateness of displaying the American flag on this great campus.”

Where on earth could these “misguided” students have gotten such an “outrageous” idea? Where are they getting their guidance from? Could it be from the administration constantly suffocating the student body with statements about how we need to enhance our “diversity” and “inclusivity?” Could it be their complete failure to identify and champion American values in any meaningful way? Let’s take a closer look.

via UCI student’s epic response to his school’s ‘flag ban’ exposes truth behind decision.

Mr. Gallo’s response is spot on.

My only quibble is this:

I believe the flag is an uncompromising tribute to our honored veterans and our fallen soldiers who sacrificed so much to secure the fragile liberty which we have been so fortunate to inherit.

While that’s true, I also believe it is insufficient, and part of the thinking that lead to the ill informed attempt to ban the flag. The flag should not merely be identified with veterans and war. It is the symbol of our entire nation, and our ideals, the vast majority of which I think are outside the scope of war or even service.

The very fundamental precept of the United States is a recognition of the dignity and rights of the citizen. Those members of the ASUCI Legislative Council who are concerned about diversity and inclusion should be celebrating a flag that symbolizes our commitment to the very ideals they cherish.

I would draw the attention of our Dear Readers to a certain kerfluffle that has arisen over the last few days involving 47 members of the United States Senate and a letter they wrote to the Iranian Government. (Just as an aside – a kerfluffle is the same as a brouhaha, but with less actual grounding in fact and more sound and fury, signifying nothing.) The short version, as I understand it, is that Said Senators have pointed out to the Iranian government that any deal they make with us regarding the Iranian nuclear program is subject to approval by Said Senate, and anything else is simply a handshake deal that could be changed at any time once President Obama moves on, much like keeping one’s fingers crossed behind one’s back. On the other hand, the Secretary of State and a great many of the Usual Suspects on the President’s side of the argument are saying that this was an Incredible Affront To The Dignity Of The POTUS and a clear effort to sabotage what is clearly the last hope for Peace In Our Time. The word ‘treason’ has been tossed about, and a petition to have Said Senators charged with treason is actively being pushed and trumpeted apparently in the belief that if three-tenths of one percent of the total population of this country has no idea what they’re talking about, it’s pretty damned important.

via In Which Someone Actually, You Know, READS The Constitution | Trust Me, I’m an NCO.

The depressing thing for me, is this. No small percentage of the half-wits who signed the online petition calling for the arrest of the 47 Senators labor under the illusion that the White House is under some legal, constitutional obligation to actually follow through and make arrests just because a fraction of a percent of the population bothered to click on a link.

Seriously. They think that.

Intelligence services like the Russians and Chinese look for high-level U.S. Government communications with intense interest, and their technical acumen is impressive. Kremlin spy penetration of the White House is not a new problem, but it has taken on new angles in the Internet age. Smart counterintelligence officers assume that all unclassified .gov networks are compromised — many have similar doubts about more secure networks too — and anything sent out unencrypted, with the Clinton name right on it, could be intercepted by many intelligence services with ease.

We are at the point now where, thanks to Team Clinton’s destruction of tens of thousands of “private” emails, the American public will never know what the Secretary of State was up to — but the Kremlin surely does. Kudos to the Associated Press for suing to see what can still be seen, but anybody acquainted with Clintonian ways should not expect much to emerge, ever. If Hillary was up to anything shady in those destroyed emails — and given recent revelations of foreign fundraising by the Clinton Global Initiative that appears at least unethical, anyone sentient must wonder — people in Moscow who do not like us will be aware of it. The word you are looking for is kompromat.

via Why Hillary’s EmailGate Matters | The XX Committee.

Not only has the communications of the highest levels of our government been utterly compromised, because of Clinton’s destruction of emails, we don’t even have the ability to reconstruct just what has been compromised.

The Imitation Game, a recent movie, celebrated the efforts of Alan Turing and others to crack German coded communications. Great effort and expense were used to achieve modest penetrations.

Here, Clinton simply gave away the store. It’s flabbergasting.

It’s been a loooong time since we’ve played Kremlinologist.

Russia’s Vladimir Putin hasn’t been seen much since March 5th, which is apparently about the longest stretch since he took power.

And now there’s word that the Kremlin is telling reporters that there will be a major announcement this weekend. No idea what it will be.

There has been speculation about Putin’s health, but old time Kremlin watchers also recall that “health concerns” was sometimes code for “lost at political infighting.”

We’ll see. Eventually.