Lame, Lame, Lame.
Tried to watch the second season, no one seems to have any real grasp of how occupiers or insurgencies operate. You would think SOMEONE would have read the Lithuanian "How to" manual or something, but I see no evidence.
Will post about other things later in the week.
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Friday, July 8, 2016
The New York Times Book Review and Military History
There isn't any. Or very little. I mean, the Fourth of July weekend (Issue dated Jul 3, 2016); Nothing. This also being the centenary of the Battle of the Somme (July 1, 1916), you would expect at least a brief note about current World War One publications. Or even an essay about their absence. There was an Op-Ed in the paper itself on July 1st about Tolkien on the Somme, but without a certain amount of context and background history it really has no more relevance (or interest) than any other piece of literary theory.
World War One remains one of the defining events of the recent past. Hitler and the Nazis, still the touchstone for evil were a direct consequence of the flawed peace process in 1919.
Shouldn't an educated person pretend to have some knowledge of these events?
Among other things, it is the "worst case" on why we should care about European Unity.
World War One remains one of the defining events of the recent past. Hitler and the Nazis, still the touchstone for evil were a direct consequence of the flawed peace process in 1919.
Shouldn't an educated person pretend to have some knowledge of these events?
Among other things, it is the "worst case" on why we should care about European Unity.
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Operation Barbarossa: June 22, 1941
Just wanted to note that today is the 75th “Anniversary” of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union.
This was one of the pivotal events of the twentieth century. While the “net effect” was two of the most reprehensible dictatorships the world has ever seen tearing at each other, at a tragic cost of their own populations, it also shifted the balance of power in the global struggle against Fascism.
Without the Red Army, the Allies would have had a much harder struggle to defeat Nazi Germany (The American War in the Pacific was never in “Doubt”, it was a matter of American Resolve).
A simple Google search will bring up several informative web sites and articles, I just wanted to note the date.
Allied Victory in World War II is one of the basic foundations of our liberal society, without it we would be living in a VERY different world.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Occupied (Norwegian TV series)
I've been trying to watch this since it popped up on the "New Things" list on Netflix.
OK, I can suspend disbelief for parts of Jo Nesbo's setup, the US pulls out of NATO? Really? Even a President Cruz with his strings being pulled by the Kochtopus would have trouble getting that one past well, everyone else in Washington. The only thing more awkward than having allies is NOT having any allies. NATO is deeply embedded in our national security infrastructure, we are in the process of DELIVERING F-35's to Norway.
I have personal connections and interest in Norway, although I know diddly about their current domestic politics.
Being approximately half way through the series, I'm bored. It should be fascinating to me, due to my personal interest in Scandinavia (The Swedes just going along with the Russians? When they are trying to raise their military budget because of recent Russian activity?), and not just as a place we (The United States) should look to for better examples of how to structure our society, instead of say Somalia or Zimbabwe, which seem to be the examples the Plutocrats want to emulate. The Water Supply in Flint Michigan anyone?
The series is just so . . . lame?
One of the few shows I have binge watched was Lillehammer. They don't even have a decent theme song, no (folksy) Fiddle music (Like Lillehammer)? Now that said "Norge" to me.
Part of the problem is, I just can develop no real interest or identification with any of the principal characters. The Russians could round them all up and ship them off to the Gulag for all I care.
And the Norwegian Defense establishment is entirely missing. Hey, surely they could dig some people out of retirement familiar with resistance planning from the bad old 1980's. Yes, I am SURE in the 1980's there were SERIOUS plans for that. And I visited the "Resistance Museum" (About the WW II Resistance Movement) in Oslo in 1979(?) Do they not take Junior High Trips to things like that any more?
It's the entire absence of the defense establishment from the political process that contributes to the epic fail on the disbelief. Or any real popular involvement, lefty save the planet tree huggers may be more common in Norway than in the USA, they may even be a plurality in Norway, more so than Tea Party Republicans have a genuine majority in the US anyways, (no matter what the Right Wing media says). But what would the mushy middle our there on Constitution day in their native costumes feel about the whole situation?
OK, I can suspend disbelief for parts of Jo Nesbo's setup, the US pulls out of NATO? Really? Even a President Cruz with his strings being pulled by the Kochtopus would have trouble getting that one past well, everyone else in Washington. The only thing more awkward than having allies is NOT having any allies. NATO is deeply embedded in our national security infrastructure, we are in the process of DELIVERING F-35's to Norway.
I have personal connections and interest in Norway, although I know diddly about their current domestic politics.
Being approximately half way through the series, I'm bored. It should be fascinating to me, due to my personal interest in Scandinavia (The Swedes just going along with the Russians? When they are trying to raise their military budget because of recent Russian activity?), and not just as a place we (The United States) should look to for better examples of how to structure our society, instead of say Somalia or Zimbabwe, which seem to be the examples the Plutocrats want to emulate. The Water Supply in Flint Michigan anyone?
The series is just so . . . lame?
One of the few shows I have binge watched was Lillehammer. They don't even have a decent theme song, no (folksy) Fiddle music (Like Lillehammer)? Now that said "Norge" to me.
Part of the problem is, I just can develop no real interest or identification with any of the principal characters. The Russians could round them all up and ship them off to the Gulag for all I care.
And the Norwegian Defense establishment is entirely missing. Hey, surely they could dig some people out of retirement familiar with resistance planning from the bad old 1980's. Yes, I am SURE in the 1980's there were SERIOUS plans for that. And I visited the "Resistance Museum" (About the WW II Resistance Movement) in Oslo in 1979(?) Do they not take Junior High Trips to things like that any more?
It's the entire absence of the defense establishment from the political process that contributes to the epic fail on the disbelief. Or any real popular involvement, lefty save the planet tree huggers may be more common in Norway than in the USA, they may even be a plurality in Norway, more so than Tea Party Republicans have a genuine majority in the US anyways, (no matter what the Right Wing media says). But what would the mushy middle our there on Constitution day in their native costumes feel about the whole situation?
Leftist Delusions about the Pentagon Budget
This is a generic rant (mostly copied from a comment I made on another blog) about the Generic Lefty idea that there would be plenty of money for their causes if we would just cut the Pentagon's bloated budget.
Er, NO.
Sorry folks, whenever there is a natural disaster anywhere in the world (or peacekeeping, or whatever) the first thing other countries do is look around for a contribution or participation by the US Military. Yes, there is Bloat and waste, but that seems to be a feature of any complex organization. Bureaucracies make decision for their own twisted rationale (Why does every University need a Dean of Minority affairs?). Nice work if you can get it.
A real world recent example is the Pentagon's decision to close the C-17 Production Line (176 of a planned 300?), but if you do NOT know off the top of your head what a C-17 is and it's role, you are not qualified to make a meaningful comment.
Cutting the Pentagon Budget would more than likely lead to LESS resources for all the OTHER things the world relies on the US Military for. We remain the essential great power. Would you rather rely on China for services in a humanitarian crisis?
So let's just raise taxes on the Plutocrats, and use that money to rebuild our infrastructure. Their are plenty of underemployed National Guardsmen (and women) who would be happy to help run a CCC type organization, like their grandfathers did in the 1930's.
Lefty Fantasies about getting money from the Pentagon Budget are as delusional as Right Wing ones about the savings to be wrung out of fraud in the welfare system.
Er, NO.
Sorry folks, whenever there is a natural disaster anywhere in the world (or peacekeeping, or whatever) the first thing other countries do is look around for a contribution or participation by the US Military. Yes, there is Bloat and waste, but that seems to be a feature of any complex organization. Bureaucracies make decision for their own twisted rationale (Why does every University need a Dean of Minority affairs?). Nice work if you can get it.
A real world recent example is the Pentagon's decision to close the C-17 Production Line (176 of a planned 300?), but if you do NOT know off the top of your head what a C-17 is and it's role, you are not qualified to make a meaningful comment.
Cutting the Pentagon Budget would more than likely lead to LESS resources for all the OTHER things the world relies on the US Military for. We remain the essential great power. Would you rather rely on China for services in a humanitarian crisis?
So let's just raise taxes on the Plutocrats, and use that money to rebuild our infrastructure. Their are plenty of underemployed National Guardsmen (and women) who would be happy to help run a CCC type organization, like their grandfathers did in the 1930's.
Lefty Fantasies about getting money from the Pentagon Budget are as delusional as Right Wing ones about the savings to be wrung out of fraud in the welfare system.
Thursday, August 20, 2015
The Tianjin Explosion: A Chernobyl Equivalent?
So, will this be the Chinese Regimes Chernobyl?
It's the role of Chernobyl in discrediting regime governance;
As Nixon demonstrates, it is not the crime, it is the cover up, and they are still covering up.
The explosions and follow up have already largely disappeared from the front pages of Western Media, But the toxic mess left behind will require years to remediate from the fragmentary reports that have emerged.
OK, the Fertilizer Plant explosion in Waco has NOT cause the fall of the Republicans in Texas. But their day of reckoning will arrive eventually.
And this disaster is orders of magnitude worse, add in a stalling (Chinese Domestic) economy and a world pretty much saturated with Chinese goods. China needs a new growth model, and are being very slow to implement the shift to a model based on domestic based consumption. Add in their effort to repeal the laws of (Stock) market speculative bubbles.
Revolutions of the sort I am describing take YEARS to work out; I just think there is a possibility that this will be seen by future historians as a "key" event.
And you read it here first.
It's the role of Chernobyl in discrediting regime governance;
As Nixon demonstrates, it is not the crime, it is the cover up, and they are still covering up.
The explosions and follow up have already largely disappeared from the front pages of Western Media, But the toxic mess left behind will require years to remediate from the fragmentary reports that have emerged.
OK, the Fertilizer Plant explosion in Waco has NOT cause the fall of the Republicans in Texas. But their day of reckoning will arrive eventually.
And this disaster is orders of magnitude worse, add in a stalling (Chinese Domestic) economy and a world pretty much saturated with Chinese goods. China needs a new growth model, and are being very slow to implement the shift to a model based on domestic based consumption. Add in their effort to repeal the laws of (Stock) market speculative bubbles.
Revolutions of the sort I am describing take YEARS to work out; I just think there is a possibility that this will be seen by future historians as a "key" event.
And you read it here first.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Bad Paper (General) Discharges
A story on NPR about this subject this morning (12/12/2013); an estimated 100,000 Iraq/Afghanistan veterans with this problem. Nothing new there, what is new is the number of "Bad Paper" discharges generated by PTSD issues when units rotated back into garrison, After WW II and Korea, the men got of the boat and spent a week or so in a transit center (?) until their paperwork was done, so there were far fewer individuals locked out of the Veterans Benefits system, and of course, you could go down the street and get a job in the plant, or at least a job as a janitor that would pay your bills.
And the discharge process after Vietnam was even more expedited, Fly them home and put them on the street. Plenty of guys where happy to finish their two years and go back home and get a job in the plant too, I see one of the major issues as being that $8 an hour at a Walmart or Amazon warehouse just does NOT support a life any more.
And even guys with MAJOR issues, the goal was to put them out the door without creating a lot of bureaucratic complexity. Long ago, I edited a series of Oral History Interviews on Company Command in Vietnam (I explained I have a diverse and odd background...). One of them was a Medical Service Corps Officer who ran an "In Country" detox center (In Vietnam), the goal was to hold the (Heroin?) addicts long enough, if necessary throwing them in a Connex to detox Cold Turkey, that they would NOT test positive on the drug screen, so they could be put on an Airplane back to the World. And out the door, presumably with an Honorable Discharge, and no longer the Army's problem. But maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong about the nature of the discharges granted.
And the discharge process after Vietnam was even more expedited, Fly them home and put them on the street. Plenty of guys where happy to finish their two years and go back home and get a job in the plant too, I see one of the major issues as being that $8 an hour at a Walmart or Amazon warehouse just does NOT support a life any more.
And even guys with MAJOR issues, the goal was to put them out the door without creating a lot of bureaucratic complexity. Long ago, I edited a series of Oral History Interviews on Company Command in Vietnam (I explained I have a diverse and odd background...). One of them was a Medical Service Corps Officer who ran an "In Country" detox center (In Vietnam), the goal was to hold the (Heroin?) addicts long enough, if necessary throwing them in a Connex to detox Cold Turkey, that they would NOT test positive on the drug screen, so they could be put on an Airplane back to the World. And out the door, presumably with an Honorable Discharge, and no longer the Army's problem. But maybe someone will correct me if I am wrong about the nature of the discharges granted.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
World War I Books
A Couple of old WW I titles that are favorites of mine, and in some way influenced my thinking.
The Battle for Europe: 1918 by H. Essame. Charles Scribners Son's, New York, 1972. 216pp, Index.
A nice short "popular" account of the time, I probably bought and read it in 1976 (It still has an Edward McKay price sticker inside, a bookstore in Fayetteville, North Carolina). Covers the period from the Kaiser's Offensive to the end of the war, mostly from the British perspective. The author himself and his viewpoint are much closer to how the participants probably viewed the events than anything you will find in current "Mainstream" literature about the period.
The Unknown Soldiers: Black American Troops in World War I. by Arthur E. Barbeau and Florette Henri. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1974. 279 pages, Index, Illus.
Another "Find"; I am not sure when I acquired this, probably as a mail order discount book (1981?), but it is not marked as a remainder. This book certainly influenced my thinking on the subject, I hesitate to call it an "Early" work, but it is not loaded with the scholarly analysis modern titles tend to be lumbered with. Worth seeking out because when it was written, these events were within living memory, closer to the authors than WW II is to most people living now. Certainly by this time ever National Guard and Army Reserve center had an "Army Heritage" poster featuring the (Black) 369th Infantry in action.
The Battle for Europe: 1918 by H. Essame. Charles Scribners Son's, New York, 1972. 216pp, Index.
A nice short "popular" account of the time, I probably bought and read it in 1976 (It still has an Edward McKay price sticker inside, a bookstore in Fayetteville, North Carolina). Covers the period from the Kaiser's Offensive to the end of the war, mostly from the British perspective. The author himself and his viewpoint are much closer to how the participants probably viewed the events than anything you will find in current "Mainstream" literature about the period.
The Unknown Soldiers: Black American Troops in World War I. by Arthur E. Barbeau and Florette Henri. Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 1974. 279 pages, Index, Illus.
Another "Find"; I am not sure when I acquired this, probably as a mail order discount book (1981?), but it is not marked as a remainder. This book certainly influenced my thinking on the subject, I hesitate to call it an "Early" work, but it is not loaded with the scholarly analysis modern titles tend to be lumbered with. Worth seeking out because when it was written, these events were within living memory, closer to the authors than WW II is to most people living now. Certainly by this time ever National Guard and Army Reserve center had an "Army Heritage" poster featuring the (Black) 369th Infantry in action.
The Kennedy Assasination
Fifty years ago (Yesterday)
(oops)
Well, since we are all (maybe) going to live forever here in cyberspace, what I remember, and why.
It was my Birthday (4th Grade?) We were munching my Birthday treat I had brought in (Ice Cream); Someone came in from another class and told us the President had Been Shot. Kind of put a damper on the rest of the day, I recall lying in front of the console stereo listening to the Radio during what was supposed to have been my party.
And I few days later, I may have seen the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald live on the second (Old, B&W) TV in the Basement. Not that I had a clue what it meant at the time, most interesting at this remove of how limited our choices of TV were even in a "Major" market like Detroit (we lived in Birmingham). No cable, MTV or DVD player, you watched one of the Network channels or the couple of independents there might have been in the market.
(oops)
Well, since we are all (maybe) going to live forever here in cyberspace, what I remember, and why.
It was my Birthday (4th Grade?) We were munching my Birthday treat I had brought in (Ice Cream); Someone came in from another class and told us the President had Been Shot. Kind of put a damper on the rest of the day, I recall lying in front of the console stereo listening to the Radio during what was supposed to have been my party.
And I few days later, I may have seen the killing of Lee Harvey Oswald live on the second (Old, B&W) TV in the Basement. Not that I had a clue what it meant at the time, most interesting at this remove of how limited our choices of TV were even in a "Major" market like Detroit (we lived in Birmingham). No cable, MTV or DVD player, you watched one of the Network channels or the couple of independents there might have been in the market.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
The Last of the Doughboys by Richard Rubin (Book Review)
The Last of the Doughboys: The Forgotten Generation and their forgotten World War.
by Richard Rubin, New York, Houghton-Mifflin, 2013, 518 pages, illustrated, maps, index.
ISBN 978-0-547-55443-3
This has been on the "New Books" Display for a couple of months at Barnes & Noble, it revolves around the last ditch effort of the author to collect oral history from the last surviving American veterans of WW I. By the time the author started, most of the Gentlemen (and one lady) were pretty much on their last legs and living in "Assisted Living" of some sort. But the book succeeds on many levels, it is much more than a collection of half remembered war stories
The author obviously did some thorough research on his subject once started. The book could serve as a decent "Drum and Trumpet" introduction to American military participation in the war.
There has been a flurry of books on the beginning of World War I, this is an excellent way to introduce students to how different the world was then, and the human dimensions of the conflict. And includes some interesting discussion of veterans lives postwar. Complemented by what are (these days) pretty good maps, and introducing the issues of Race and Women quite well, if not really exploring the participants feelings on those subjects.
I am very happy my local Public Library added a copy to their collection.
by Richard Rubin, New York, Houghton-Mifflin, 2013, 518 pages, illustrated, maps, index.
ISBN 978-0-547-55443-3
This has been on the "New Books" Display for a couple of months at Barnes & Noble, it revolves around the last ditch effort of the author to collect oral history from the last surviving American veterans of WW I. By the time the author started, most of the Gentlemen (and one lady) were pretty much on their last legs and living in "Assisted Living" of some sort. But the book succeeds on many levels, it is much more than a collection of half remembered war stories
The author obviously did some thorough research on his subject once started. The book could serve as a decent "Drum and Trumpet" introduction to American military participation in the war.
There has been a flurry of books on the beginning of World War I, this is an excellent way to introduce students to how different the world was then, and the human dimensions of the conflict. And includes some interesting discussion of veterans lives postwar. Complemented by what are (these days) pretty good maps, and introducing the issues of Race and Women quite well, if not really exploring the participants feelings on those subjects.
I am very happy my local Public Library added a copy to their collection.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Immigration Issues, the "Atlantic" culture and WEIRD
A rather ambiguous article in the New York Times this morning (8/26/13), not sure what the point is. But I'll paste my comment in here to preserve it in case I ever develop a fan base.
With emendations, I owe my comment about the unlimited supply of "unskilled" labor to General Odom, but I may have invented a new concept. It refer to the reference to an "Atlantic" culture, shorthand for a "Mid-Atlantic" Anglo-Saxon culture, thus taking some of the loaded terms off the table. Less cumbersome than Jared Diamond's WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Developed).
Afro-Americans are DEEPLY Anglo Saxon culturally, President Obama and Colin Powell are "More Anglo-Saxon" than my inbred rural third cousins here in Arkansas as far as I am concerned.
I am not sure what the point of the article was. Personally, I have no problem with the ambiguous status of Mr. Wajskol, obviously he is a useful and productive resident whose children will probably grow up to be useful and productive citizens.
The larger problem with our immigration system is as the article notes in passing, ""Legions Dream of an American Passport." Is Mr Wajskol somehow depriving them of this opportunity? I don't think so, and I would welcome any literate, English speaking member of the larger "Atlantic" culture who wants to move and work here.
BUT, the rest of the world has an essentially unlimited supply of low skill workers for whom this country is still the last best hope. Too bad, so sad, the lifeboat is pretty full, we are not creating enough jobs for our own low-skill workers.
Low skill immigrants (however you describe that category) are simply used to depress the wages of the American Working class. I'm sure given the opportunity half the population of Haiti would be on a plane tomorrow, and that is a country with a population of what, nine million?
Yes, a little diversity is good, but we can not assimilate all the potential refugees and immigrants from non-Atlantic cultures that would like to move here. And some of them, once granted Green cards, singularly fail to assimilate, most spectacularly recently the Fort Hood Shooter.
Further Points:
1. I got the population of Haiti correct off the top of my Head!!!
(My netbook insists on closing the window before opening a new one).
2. Unassimilateable Immigrants. OK, I am specifically concerned about people with a Grandfather Named Mohamed. Yes, there are MANY of them who become fully assimilated. But a significant portion who don't, if only the media would cover these stories as assiduously as they do every School and Workplace Shooting. You pick up the odd story about alleged "Honor Killings" by chance. What concerns me is how many "go along to get along," travel back to the home village and marry their 1st Cousins, making them (the 1st Cousin) instantly eligible for a US visa and Green card, and shifting the problem to the next generation. It's a classic case of Chain Migration (look it up) to bring in more of the same, who sustain and grow these self contained and self referencing communities. We have enough home grown communities of that sort already.
With emendations, I owe my comment about the unlimited supply of "unskilled" labor to General Odom, but I may have invented a new concept. It refer to the reference to an "Atlantic" culture, shorthand for a "Mid-Atlantic" Anglo-Saxon culture, thus taking some of the loaded terms off the table. Less cumbersome than Jared Diamond's WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Developed).
Afro-Americans are DEEPLY Anglo Saxon culturally, President Obama and Colin Powell are "More Anglo-Saxon" than my inbred rural third cousins here in Arkansas as far as I am concerned.
I am not sure what the point of the article was. Personally, I have no problem with the ambiguous status of Mr. Wajskol, obviously he is a useful and productive resident whose children will probably grow up to be useful and productive citizens.
The larger problem with our immigration system is as the article notes in passing, ""Legions Dream of an American Passport." Is Mr Wajskol somehow depriving them of this opportunity? I don't think so, and I would welcome any literate, English speaking member of the larger "Atlantic" culture who wants to move and work here.
BUT, the rest of the world has an essentially unlimited supply of low skill workers for whom this country is still the last best hope. Too bad, so sad, the lifeboat is pretty full, we are not creating enough jobs for our own low-skill workers.
Low skill immigrants (however you describe that category) are simply used to depress the wages of the American Working class. I'm sure given the opportunity half the population of Haiti would be on a plane tomorrow, and that is a country with a population of what, nine million?
Yes, a little diversity is good, but we can not assimilate all the potential refugees and immigrants from non-Atlantic cultures that would like to move here. And some of them, once granted Green cards, singularly fail to assimilate, most spectacularly recently the Fort Hood Shooter.
Further Points:
1. I got the population of Haiti correct off the top of my Head!!!
(My netbook insists on closing the window before opening a new one).
2. Unassimilateable Immigrants. OK, I am specifically concerned about people with a Grandfather Named Mohamed. Yes, there are MANY of them who become fully assimilated. But a significant portion who don't, if only the media would cover these stories as assiduously as they do every School and Workplace Shooting. You pick up the odd story about alleged "Honor Killings" by chance. What concerns me is how many "go along to get along," travel back to the home village and marry their 1st Cousins, making them (the 1st Cousin) instantly eligible for a US visa and Green card, and shifting the problem to the next generation. It's a classic case of Chain Migration (look it up) to bring in more of the same, who sustain and grow these self contained and self referencing communities. We have enough home grown communities of that sort already.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Soviet War Plans, 1979-1989
Russian (Soviet) Cold War plans and Sir John Hackett
I wrote this as a post on another Blog, because this is a recurring theme, it is worthwhile to post here as a semi-permanent record of my knowledge of the subject.
One of the more interesting aspects of the debate is the way people with little real knowledge of the facts seem to believe they "know" the truth.
It happens that I DO know a lot more about these issues than most people, the first is the refusal of otherwise rational and intelligent people to understand that there was a whole society controlled by a group who believed in a Malevolent Ideology (Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist thought, pick your label, usually refereed to as Communism or the Eastern Bloc for convenience) which was a threat to the entire "Western Way of Life" (Democracy and all that).
Having worked in the (US) V Corps HQ (Frankfurt) in 1978-89 and various other exercise and training environments through the 1980's.....
Among other things, every major exercise (V Corps) we had "Representatives of an (unidentified) Friendly Foreign Power" present as "observers." Or something. Funny enough, they all spoke French and wore strange (to me) uniforms (Kepis Featured, with plenty of Gold Braid) that I have always assumed were French. But I suppose it made their Government happy to pretend they were outside the NATO command structure.
And by "Exercise" I include the "Command Post Exercise" (CPX) cycle, ten (?) or so (Total) a year, much cheaper to deploy the Staff, etc (300-400 personnel?) somewhere for a week than the "Field" exercises when you have all those Tanks etc rolling around the countryside.
At some point in the 1980's, in addition to doing a significant number of (Official) war games/exercises, I matured into a good enough Soviet Specialist to be aware that they had a parallel and much deeper (intellectual) level of "Operations Research" (OR) than we did, or at least a broader distribution of this specialized knowledge. Really, I met at least one US OR specialist who studied the Soviet (Open Source) literature.
To skip a couple of steps, with the end of the Cold War, they (accidently?) left a copy of their basic War Plan (Schliefen plan for the 80's?) in a Polish Barracks, which was subsequently published in the Journal of Soviet Military Studies.
Nuke Everything in sight, (US/NATO Barracks and Installations) then get (the Warsaw Pact) Troops moving out of the Kasernes.
(Straight across the North German Plain, there is a variety of supporting evidence in their Force Structure and Training that this really was "The Plan")
OK, what I thought was important was:
1. I knew from (US) Games and Exercises, that a Soviet conventional Offensive was a Dubious Proposition;
2. Presumably their exercises showed the same thing.
3. In Soviet Experience/Political/Military Theory, there is no substitute for Victory.
(Example, Sidorenko, The Offensive, USAF Translation. Too turgid for me to actually read, but at least I am "familiar" with the work)
4. It's Not Much of a Plan, But.....
My question was, why did no one ever suggest I connect the dots? Did anyone ever?
(Which should come our from behind the Green Door in another twenty or thirty years).
I wrote this as a post on another Blog, because this is a recurring theme, it is worthwhile to post here as a semi-permanent record of my knowledge of the subject.
One of the more interesting aspects of the debate is the way people with little real knowledge of the facts seem to believe they "know" the truth.
It happens that I DO know a lot more about these issues than most people, the first is the refusal of otherwise rational and intelligent people to understand that there was a whole society controlled by a group who believed in a Malevolent Ideology (Marxist-Leninist-Stalinist thought, pick your label, usually refereed to as Communism or the Eastern Bloc for convenience) which was a threat to the entire "Western Way of Life" (Democracy and all that).
Having worked in the (US) V Corps HQ (Frankfurt) in 1978-89 and various other exercise and training environments through the 1980's.....
Among other things, every major exercise (V Corps) we had "Representatives of an (unidentified) Friendly Foreign Power" present as "observers." Or something. Funny enough, they all spoke French and wore strange (to me) uniforms (Kepis Featured, with plenty of Gold Braid) that I have always assumed were French. But I suppose it made their Government happy to pretend they were outside the NATO command structure.
And by "Exercise" I include the "Command Post Exercise" (CPX) cycle, ten (?) or so (Total) a year, much cheaper to deploy the Staff, etc (300-400 personnel?) somewhere for a week than the "Field" exercises when you have all those Tanks etc rolling around the countryside.
At some point in the 1980's, in addition to doing a significant number of (Official) war games/exercises, I matured into a good enough Soviet Specialist to be aware that they had a parallel and much deeper (intellectual) level of "Operations Research" (OR) than we did, or at least a broader distribution of this specialized knowledge. Really, I met at least one US OR specialist who studied the Soviet (Open Source) literature.
To skip a couple of steps, with the end of the Cold War, they (accidently?) left a copy of their basic War Plan (Schliefen plan for the 80's?) in a Polish Barracks, which was subsequently published in the Journal of Soviet Military Studies.
Nuke Everything in sight, (US/NATO Barracks and Installations) then get (the Warsaw Pact) Troops moving out of the Kasernes.
(Straight across the North German Plain, there is a variety of supporting evidence in their Force Structure and Training that this really was "The Plan")
OK, what I thought was important was:
1. I knew from (US) Games and Exercises, that a Soviet conventional Offensive was a Dubious Proposition;
2. Presumably their exercises showed the same thing.
3. In Soviet Experience/Political/Military Theory, there is no substitute for Victory.
(Example, Sidorenko, The Offensive, USAF Translation. Too turgid for me to actually read, but at least I am "familiar" with the work)
4. It's Not Much of a Plan, But.....
My question was, why did no one ever suggest I connect the dots? Did anyone ever?
(Which should come our from behind the Green Door in another twenty or thirty years).
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Africa Corps Order of Battle (DAK)
You know, Field Marshall Rommel's guys. Just another example of the triumph of German Historiography, I recently had an opportunity to play the old SPI Boardgame on Operation Crusader. Interesting little game, seemed to have a slight pro-Axis Bias in various ways, but no real commentary on Board Game Geek to sort it out.
BUT, while examining the counter mix, I realized that both myself and my opponent probably knew more about the Axis Forces than we did about the British/Commonwealth. Oh sure, we "know" there was 7th Armored Division (UK) and the NZ Division, but after that it was a bit fuzzy. Now the Germans, well, you have 15th and 21st Panzer, 90th Light (Technically still Division Africa zBv at the start of the campaign?), Ariete (The Italian Armored Division), plus an assortment of other Italians. We got bogged down on which (German) Panzer (5th or 8th) Regiment belonged to Which Panzer Division?
The Answer is, 8th Panzer Regiment belongs to 15th Panzer Division, and 5th is (nominally) subordinate to 21st. The Four Panzer Battalions (Two per regiment) are the Major source of combat power for the Axis. Against Ten (Much Weaker) British Tank Regiments (Battalion size units).
Short version (More on the game later, plans to play again). I went home and pulled a book off the top of one of my piles with the answer (above), and realize once again I have three (separate) published sets of German Order of Battle Documentation, plus at least two specialized works on the Africa Corps. But I own NO comparable work on the British. I tried to buy one ten years ago, what was billed as an "Order of Battle" was really a "Bathtub" game guide. Forget the various Osprey "OB Guides", which seem to be more "Handbooks" than OB reference works.
BUT, while examining the counter mix, I realized that both myself and my opponent probably knew more about the Axis Forces than we did about the British/Commonwealth. Oh sure, we "know" there was 7th Armored Division (UK) and the NZ Division, but after that it was a bit fuzzy. Now the Germans, well, you have 15th and 21st Panzer, 90th Light (Technically still Division Africa zBv at the start of the campaign?), Ariete (The Italian Armored Division), plus an assortment of other Italians. We got bogged down on which (German) Panzer (5th or 8th) Regiment belonged to Which Panzer Division?
The Answer is, 8th Panzer Regiment belongs to 15th Panzer Division, and 5th is (nominally) subordinate to 21st. The Four Panzer Battalions (Two per regiment) are the Major source of combat power for the Axis. Against Ten (Much Weaker) British Tank Regiments (Battalion size units).
Short version (More on the game later, plans to play again). I went home and pulled a book off the top of one of my piles with the answer (above), and realize once again I have three (separate) published sets of German Order of Battle Documentation, plus at least two specialized works on the Africa Corps. But I own NO comparable work on the British. I tried to buy one ten years ago, what was billed as an "Order of Battle" was really a "Bathtub" game guide. Forget the various Osprey "OB Guides", which seem to be more "Handbooks" than OB reference works.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
The Military Industrial Complex
Sources:
Why We Fight (Documentary Film, 2005)
Drift, Rachel Maddow (2012)
Little America, Rajiv Chandrasekaran (2012)
What a mess. I understand this years election is going to be settled based on domestic issues, but both Maddow and the film call for rational discourse on the subject. Which I am not hearing.
While Little America is more about operational matters, what is striking is how we repeated the Vietnam experience ("We fought the war for one year, seven times"); We forgot and had to relearn "Counterinsurgency", and however adaptable our forces are, they are still limited crippled by inter service particularism and even less supported by the USAID and State Department than they were in Vietnam.
Following up on the arguments made by Baskevich, yes, there is some bipartisan blame, but it was the (Republican) "neo-cons" who lead us over the Rubicon into Iraq under false pretenses, with no rational follow up plan. I wouldn't trust those guys (or their contractors) to run the county animal shelter.
Why We Fight (Documentary Film, 2005)
Drift, Rachel Maddow (2012)
Little America, Rajiv Chandrasekaran (2012)
What a mess. I understand this years election is going to be settled based on domestic issues, but both Maddow and the film call for rational discourse on the subject. Which I am not hearing.
While Little America is more about operational matters, what is striking is how we repeated the Vietnam experience ("We fought the war for one year, seven times"); We forgot and had to relearn "Counterinsurgency", and however adaptable our forces are, they are still limited crippled by inter service particularism and even less supported by the USAID and State Department than they were in Vietnam.
Following up on the arguments made by Baskevich, yes, there is some bipartisan blame, but it was the (Republican) "neo-cons" who lead us over the Rubicon into Iraq under false pretenses, with no rational follow up plan. I wouldn't trust those guys (or their contractors) to run the county animal shelter.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Human Intelligence (HUMINT)
You know, Spies and other good stuff.
Actually, this is provoked by a post on Charles Stross's blog
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/08/spies-1.html
Nothing special. a short meditation on what the potential for HUMINT is in the 21st Century.
BUT, with over 400 comments form a well informed and interested population, well, most of them don't have a clue. They confuse Hollywood and James Bond with the well documented (Memoirs, etc) process of recruiting "agents" and the difference between that and limitations of "Direct Action".
Direct Actions is things like sending Seal Team 6 after Osama; Drones and Black Helicopter stuff.
HUMINT is one of the tools to develop targeting information.
OK, I'm weird I actually READ the court filings about the recent case of the (Russian) SVR Illegals in New York/New Jersey.
Yes, it is a complex process often spoken of in hushed tones. But it's not a deep dark secret. Actual knowledge of the identities of our "Case Officers" (See Valerie Plame) is secret, and should be protected.
The "SECRETS" that must be protected are the identity of any agents they (The Case Officers) have recruited. Techniques are pretty straightforward and widely reported; one of my favorites was the MICE acronym (Money, Ideology, Compromise, Excitement).
I recall a throway in a memoir about the KGB establishing twenty "rings" of Illegals in the US in the 1950's. The accidental compromise of Colonel Abel (The guy we traded for Francis Gary Powers) closed down ONE of them. What ever happened to the other nineteen? And was the recent New York operation a sample of a similar scale of effort?
And if people are that (generally) clueless, how do I get a job with (as?) the Wake Up Walmart Rezident?
Actually, this is provoked by a post on Charles Stross's blog
http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/08/spies-1.html
Nothing special. a short meditation on what the potential for HUMINT is in the 21st Century.
BUT, with over 400 comments form a well informed and interested population, well, most of them don't have a clue. They confuse Hollywood and James Bond with the well documented (Memoirs, etc) process of recruiting "agents" and the difference between that and limitations of "Direct Action".
Direct Actions is things like sending Seal Team 6 after Osama; Drones and Black Helicopter stuff.
HUMINT is one of the tools to develop targeting information.
OK, I'm weird I actually READ the court filings about the recent case of the (Russian) SVR Illegals in New York/New Jersey.
Yes, it is a complex process often spoken of in hushed tones. But it's not a deep dark secret. Actual knowledge of the identities of our "Case Officers" (See Valerie Plame) is secret, and should be protected.
The "SECRETS" that must be protected are the identity of any agents they (The Case Officers) have recruited. Techniques are pretty straightforward and widely reported; one of my favorites was the MICE acronym (Money, Ideology, Compromise, Excitement).
I recall a throway in a memoir about the KGB establishing twenty "rings" of Illegals in the US in the 1950's. The accidental compromise of Colonel Abel (The guy we traded for Francis Gary Powers) closed down ONE of them. What ever happened to the other nineteen? And was the recent New York operation a sample of a similar scale of effort?
And if people are that (generally) clueless, how do I get a job with (as?) the Wake Up Walmart Rezident?
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Dissing the Tsar
OK, I need followers, but....
I just couldn't put "Pussy Riot" in the title.
Not nice to dis the Tsar. There was a throwaway reference to Tsar Putin the V in a really BAD science fiction novel I read a couple of years ago.
Like anyone needed any more proof they (he?) really isn't ready to be considered a responsible member of the international community.
I just couldn't put "Pussy Riot" in the title.
Not nice to dis the Tsar. There was a throwaway reference to Tsar Putin the V in a really BAD science fiction novel I read a couple of years ago.
Like anyone needed any more proof they (he?) really isn't ready to be considered a responsible member of the international community.
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Stalin's General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov by Geoffrey Roberts
This looks like it will be the only "Mass Market" Soviet military history title this year.
There was a Wall Street Journal book review, and I have seen it in the local Barnes & Noble.
More information if I actually get to read it.
There was a Wall Street Journal book review, and I have seen it in the local Barnes & Noble.
More information if I actually get to read it.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Down the Memory Hole
All of History basically.
About three months ago I became aware that Wizards of the Coast (A subsidiary of Hasbro) had "Eliminated the Positon" of Richard Baker.
He was the manager for the various "Historical" Collectible Miniatures Games (CMG); Specifically, Axis and Allies Miniatures, and Axis and Allies: War at Sea. So much for Historically themed product from our major toy manufacturers.
About three months ago I became aware that Wizards of the Coast (A subsidiary of Hasbro) had "Eliminated the Positon" of Richard Baker.
He was the manager for the various "Historical" Collectible Miniatures Games (CMG); Specifically, Axis and Allies Miniatures, and Axis and Allies: War at Sea. So much for Historically themed product from our major toy manufacturers.
Friday, June 22, 2012
We Meant Well by Peter van Buren
Originally published 10/1/11! (My Bad, trying to edit/update, accidently republished)
Another book about the seamy underside of our misadventures in Iraq, heard him on NPR this morning (10/1/11), telling about the Chicken Plant fiasco.
Another book about the seamy underside of our misadventures in Iraq, heard him on NPR this morning (10/1/11), telling about the Chicken Plant fiasco.
It makes me wonder what kind of systemic incompetence leads to that kind of mistake, and how we can begin to address it in the large organizations that comprise our society.
I know, too many polysylables for the local Republicans.
(6/22/12) OK, I know I went down to my local Public Library and filled out a suggestion form on this book. Still waiting.
Oh yeah, despite at least one other request for Rachel Maddow's Drift (I overheard), not that one either.
Going in Circles: Hitler's Panzers by Showalter
I'll admit, this morning I entirely forgot the significance of todays date (See this date's post from last year).
Last weekend I bought a recent book (new to me), the only thing at Hastings I could find of marginal interest to me I could afford:
Dennis Showalter
Hitler's Panzers: The Lighning Attacks that revolutionized Warfare.
Berkely Caliber, New York, 2009. ISBN 978-0-425-23004-6
Pretty good actually, I really liked his treatment of the organizational expansion issues. As a popular overview for beginners, outstanding, well written (I've tried to read a couple of pieces of real dreck recently), and only a couple of minor technical errors.
Repeated discussion of how NOT nice the Germans were. Only two mentions of recent contemporary western Historians I noticed, Dave Glantz is discussed primarily in the context of Operation Mars, and Catherine Meridale is the only other modern historian metioned by name. And a mention of "Order of Battle" and "Rivet Counter" hobbyists..... (Which one am I?)
The final, "Epilogue" chapter could have been usefully expanded. I undersand the goal of a brief, non-scholarly popular account (The metion of Adolf in the title ought to boost sales somewhat); But suggestions for wider reading would have been appropriate, and a fuller discussion of the cold war historiography issues so brilliantly analyzed by Dave Glantz in his Voprosy Istorii article. (Note: When you enter "Glantz Voprosy Istorii" in the search Box, it will pop right up).
But recommended for bright eighteen year olds interested in the subject, I'll be sending it on to my nephew, er, eventually. I got my $6.99 worth.
Because....
Yesterday I told the volunteer ladies at our communtity center library to just take the stack of Nazi Glorification coffee table books (Walmart donations?) and put them in the forthcoming book sale. This morning I wander in, and another person has "cataloged" them (It's not a real catalog, but that's another issue) and hands them to a different volunteer, saying we don't have room on the shelves, so "we" will store these until we do (there never will be room on the shelves, it is a fixed space).
At least there is a convenient brick wall for me to beat my head against. Oh, that feels so good.
Last weekend I bought a recent book (new to me), the only thing at Hastings I could find of marginal interest to me I could afford:
Dennis Showalter
Hitler's Panzers: The Lighning Attacks that revolutionized Warfare.
Berkely Caliber, New York, 2009. ISBN 978-0-425-23004-6
Pretty good actually, I really liked his treatment of the organizational expansion issues. As a popular overview for beginners, outstanding, well written (I've tried to read a couple of pieces of real dreck recently), and only a couple of minor technical errors.
Repeated discussion of how NOT nice the Germans were. Only two mentions of recent contemporary western Historians I noticed, Dave Glantz is discussed primarily in the context of Operation Mars, and Catherine Meridale is the only other modern historian metioned by name. And a mention of "Order of Battle" and "Rivet Counter" hobbyists..... (Which one am I?)
The final, "Epilogue" chapter could have been usefully expanded. I undersand the goal of a brief, non-scholarly popular account (The metion of Adolf in the title ought to boost sales somewhat); But suggestions for wider reading would have been appropriate, and a fuller discussion of the cold war historiography issues so brilliantly analyzed by Dave Glantz in his Voprosy Istorii article. (Note: When you enter "Glantz Voprosy Istorii" in the search Box, it will pop right up).
But recommended for bright eighteen year olds interested in the subject, I'll be sending it on to my nephew, er, eventually. I got my $6.99 worth.
Because....
Yesterday I told the volunteer ladies at our communtity center library to just take the stack of Nazi Glorification coffee table books (Walmart donations?) and put them in the forthcoming book sale. This morning I wander in, and another person has "cataloged" them (It's not a real catalog, but that's another issue) and hands them to a different volunteer, saying we don't have room on the shelves, so "we" will store these until we do (there never will be room on the shelves, it is a fixed space).
At least there is a convenient brick wall for me to beat my head against. Oh, that feels so good.
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