This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Foreign Policy

  • Jailed American, Paul Whelan,  not exactly the Secret Squirrel Ivan was hoping for.  

    Jailed American, Paul Whelan,  not exactly the Secret Squirrel Ivan was hoping for.  

    Russia’s deputy foreign minister is brushing back suggestions that an American being held in Moscow on suspicion of spying could be exchanged for a Russian.

    I have no idea how useless a Russian would have to be in order for me to exchange a guy with a Bad Conduct Discharge from the Corps for him.   Let me think …  ah …  nah, Ivan can keep this dirtbag as long as he wants to.

    Whelan’s Marine record also would likely prevent U.S. intelligence from hiring him. He began active duty with the Marines in 2003 and was deployed twice to Iraq, rising to staff sergeant. But his military career ended with a court martial in 2008, when he was convicted on charges that included attempted larceny and dereliction of duty.

    Court documents released by the military show he was accused of attempting to steal more than $10,000 while on duty in Iraq, where he worked as a clerk, in September 2006. He was also convicted of using a false social security number and profile for a military computer system to grade his own examinations, and of writing 10 bad checks totaling around $6,000.

    He was dropped two grades in rank and given a bad conduct discharge from the Marine Corps.

    Let Putin feed his ass for a while.  Not sure where a guy that works for a Temp Agency gets money to travel.  He seems to like Russia, let him stay for a while.

     

    Source: Jailed American spent years collecting Russian contacts

  • Brazil’s Bolsonaro takes a number for a US military base

    braZIL

    One of our usual suspects sent me this American Thinker link, which is a bit on the ironic side. It’s one of my daily go-to sites and I missed this article. There may be another reason as well, but without further ado:

    By Monica Showalter
    So much for Mitt Romney’s claim that the U.S. has alienated its allies.

    Actually, they’re lining up, and not just to be friends, but to ask for U.S. military bases stationed on their soil.

    When was the last time you heard of nations lining up to ask for U.S. military bases? Not under President Obama, that’s for sure.

    The latest is Brazil, whose new president, Jair Bolsonaro, put the idea on the table. The Russians over at RT News, naturally, noticed:

    Brazil’s newly-sworn-in right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has said that he might consider hosting a US military base in the future and called a Brazilian embassy move to Jerusalem a done deal in a new interview on Thursday.

    Brazil’s newly-sworn-in right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro has said that he might consider hosting a US military base in the future and called a Brazilian embassy move to Jerusalem a done deal in a new interview on Thursday.

    Bolsonaro, dubbed the ‘Trump of the Tropics’ for his rhetoric, uncannily similar to that of US President Donald Trump, lived up to his nickname as he floated the idea of welcoming US soldiers on a permanent basis, reiterated his support for Israel, while calling Venezuela ‘a dictatorship’ and Russia its enabler.

    In an interview with SBT broadcaster on Thursday, Bolsonaro said that while he considers physical presence of foreign forces a symbolic move in a globalized word, he is open to the idea of hosting US troops on Brazilian soil.

    Brazil joins other nations that have requested military bases, starting with Poland, which offered to call its potential base “Fort Trump,” and to pay for it themselves, too. That interest is not hard to understand, because Poland has the Russian bear at its door, the bear is growling, the bear is bothering other nations, and the bear has been there before. It makes sense for the plains-covered country that always gets run over to have some big, bulky American troops in the vicinity to ensure that the bear thinks twice.

    Believe I’d have to do a site survey to ensure the proper amenities were available. Hey, it’s for the troops! Read the rest of Monica’s article here: American Thinker

    Tip of the hat to Poetrooper for the link. Thanks buddy, keep ’em coming!

  • US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan to have little impact, official says

    us marinesU.S. Marines stand in formation during a ceremony in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw up to half of the 14,000 American troops serving in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said, marking a sharp change in the Trump administration’s policy aimed at forcing the Taliban to the peace table after more than 17 years of war. (Massoud Hossaini/AP)
    By: Amir Shah, The Associated Press

    KABUL, Afghanistan — The withdrawal of half of the 14,000 U.S. troops serving in Afghanistan will have little impact on the fighting capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces, the spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani said Friday.

    Haroon Chakansuri was responding to reports the Pentagon is developing plans to withdraw 7,000 American soldiers by the summer. He said Afghanistan’s military has been in charge of the country’s security since 2014 when more than 100,000 NATO troops withdrew.

    Since then, U.S. forces have provided training and advice, assisting in military operations only when requested by Afghan troops.

    However, the Taliban are stronger today than they have been since their ouster in 2001. They control or hold sway over nearly half the country, carrying out near daily attacks that mostly target Afghan security forces.

    A Taliban official, who did not want to be identified because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, called the planned withdrawal a “positive step” that can aid efforts at a negotiated end to the fighting.

    Since leading the multi-nation invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the U.S. has lost more than 2,400 soldiers and spent more than $900 billion in its longest war

    First Syria, now Afghanistan. President Trump has directed the Pentagon to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from there as well, ending the 17-year deployment of American forces in-country.

    More than 7,000 service members will begin returning from Afghanistan in coming months, per White House order. This comes shortly after Trump signaled plans to remove all U.S. forces from Syria, declaring that “We have won against ISIS.”

    This and Syria are quite a Christmas present. Standing by for the obligatory howls of angst from IVAW and others of chattering class, who just a short while ago were protesting our military presence there.

    The rest of the article may be viewed at: The Military Times

  • Moscow To Set Up Military Base In Caribbean

    tu 160 blackjackTU-160 ‘Blackjack’
    Image by Rob Schleiffert
    Text by L Todd Wood

    Vlad’s setting up shop in Venezuela, as if those poor folks didn’t have enough trouble already. Manning a base on an island in ‘our’ pond, the Caribbean, won’t set well at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This is pretty obvious gamesmanship, with our excursions into the Black Sea, backing the Ukraine and stepping away from an antiquated nuclear arms treaty.

    Russia has decided to develop a long-term military presence in the Caribbean in conjunction with the socialist nation of Venezuela, on one of its islands in the Caribbean Sea. The move seems to be a response to the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The recent flights of Russian Tu-160 long-range nuclear bombers are part of this effort.

    “According to military envoys, Russian authorities have made a decision (and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro did not object) to deploy strategic aircraft to one of Venezuela’s islands in the Caribbean Sea, which has a naval base and a military airfield. Ten years ago, Russian experts and Armed Forces commanders had already visited the island of La Orchila, located 200 kilometers northeast of Caracas. Venezuelan laws prohibit the setup of military bases in the country, but a temporary deployment of warplanes is possible,” reported Russian state news agency TASS.

    “The arrival of Russia’s Tu-160 strategic bombers to Central America is kind of a signal to Trump to make him realize that abandoning nuclear disarmament treaties will have a boomerang effect,” added another Russian military expert.

    Your move, Mr. President.

    Read the entire article at: Tsarizm, tovarich.

    Tip of the chapeau to Poetrooper for the link.

  • On the European Front

    I swear, we had nothing to do with it!

    News from Germany:  Change in Germany’s migrant policy is being suggested by Merkel’s CDU replacement, Annegret-Kramp Karrenbauer. Remember, Merkel’s party lost votes in the recent elections, so she has to step down. Germans are fed up with being pushed around by Angela’s protegees.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/angela-merkel-migration-christian-democrats-annegret-kramp-karrenbauer-germany-a8675041.html

    In Germany, Friedrich Merz, another potential replacement for Merkel, wants to discuss whether the post-World War II asylum doctrine should stay in Germany’s constitution.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/germany-asylum-friedrich-merz-merkel-replacement-immigration-refugee-cdu-leader-a8648171.html

    Merz is planning to run for office to replace Merkel next year. He stands for a more right-wing approach to immigration than Ms Merkel, as does another leadership contender, health minister Jens Spahn. The party is seeking to reduce the appeal of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), which has capitalized on discontent over immigration.

    In Poland, NATO drills proceed against unspecified Russian threats. (Dated 11/17/2018)

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/long_reads/nato-military-drill-poland-putin-russia-russia-cyber-chemical-warfare-defence-a8634686.html

    It not only involves Poland, but four other countries as well. The base where we will be putting our troops is at Katowice, where the recent climate conference was held. To accommodate all the people attending the climate conference, Katowice had to have annex housing built, the equivalent of a small city.

    In France, the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests which occurred over the weekend inspired similar protests in Brussels, Belgium, and in the Netherlands. Russia-linked social media accounts are being accused of encouraging these protests. However, the Kremlin on Monday denied involvement in the “yellow vest” protests that have rocked France, after reports that Russia-linked social media accounts are waging a campaign to encourage unrest.  Poor old Vlad can’t catch an even break.

    https://www.france24.com/en/20181210-france-yellow-vest-russia-denies-involvement

    Nothing to see here. Move along.

    And Hungary is now accusing Soros of interfering in their elections. Katalin Novak is a Hungarian minister interviewed in the video by France24. (A little eye-candy for you guys, too, but she does have a family.)

    https://www.france24.com/en/20181210-talking-europe-katalin-novak-hungary-minister-family-orban-soros-migrants-eu-press-freedom

    This follows the Central European University in Budapest finally closing its doors and leaving, after legal and rhetorical fights with the Hungarian government (mostly with Orban). Viktor Orban’s party won a third term in the April elections. There is more on Hungary vs the EU at this link:  https://www.france24.com/en/tag/hungary/

    The dissension rose from CEU’s issuing US degrees with no US university campus, prompting CEU through Soros’s foundation to set up a campus at Bard College in New York.

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/dec/03/dark-day-freedom-george-soros-affiliated-central-european-university-quits-hungary

    The Grauniad’s take on this is biased, refusing to acknowledge Hungary’s sovereignty and dissing its anti-immigration stance – which is the Grauniad’s problem, not ours. They also note in a sidebar that Soros’s Open Society Foundation is pulling out of Turkey. Looks like Soros and his cash aren’t as welcome as he expected. But the Grauniad seems to think that Hungary should just knuckle under to Merkel’s demands. This comes after all the hell Hungary and the rest of eastern Europe went through, until the Iron Curtain fell.

    And now, Merkel is going to be replaced in the Spring election. And Brexit is slowly getting underway. There is even a hint of a Frexit. Looks like we’ve come full circle.

     

  • Fort Trump? Maybe.

    exerciseAn armored vehicle and AH-64 Apache helicopters secure an area during an exercise at Bemowo Piskie Training Area, Poland, on June 15. (Spc. Hubert D. Delany III/Army)

    Mattis, Polish leaders talk possibility of ‘Fort Trump’
    By: Kyle Rempfer

    The possibility of a permanent U.S. military base in Poland moved a few steps forward this week.

    U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met with his Polish counterpart Mariusz Blaszczak Tuesday to discuss Poland’s offer to spend $2 billion on a permanent base for U.S. troops and their families in the country. The base was jokingly called “Fort Trump” by Poland’s president after meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump.

    “We are working out the details on what the offer is, what can best contribute to alliance unity, to alliance security and to the continued strengthening of the bilateral relationship,” Mattis told the press prior to his talks with Blaszczak.

    Mattis also praised the Polish government for meeting NATO’s defense spending commitments prior to heading into discussions with other Pentagon officials to discuss the potential base.

    “It’s obviously something we’ll discuss with all of the allies as well,” Mattis added. “We have a very strong bilateral relationship with the Polish military, and the minister and the ministry of defense, and we’ll further discuss it when we’re in Brussels with them.”

    f22An F-22 Raptor from the 95th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Wing, Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., participates in a multi-aircraft flyover in Warsaw, Poland during the 100th Anniversary of Polish Independence and Armed Forces Day. (Senior Airman Joshua Magbanua/Air Force)

    The details of Poland’s offer are still being worked out, Mattis said. He noted that officials are looking at what can best contribute to the NATO alliance’s unity and security, not just the U.S.-Poland bilateral relationship.

    Trump is so deep in Putin’s pocket he’s contemplating a military base in an Eastern European country. One that shares a boarder with Ukraine. Got it.

    The entire article may be viewed at The Military Times

  • Mexican News Outlet: 14,000 Honduran Migrants Heading to U.S.

    Mexican News Outlet: 14,000 Honduran Migrants Heading to U.S.

    I have no idea what the purpose in all these people marching toward the U.S. is all about.  Maybe it has something to do with them not wanting to live in a “shit hole”.

    The Mexican El Universal news outlet is reporting that more than 14,000 Hondurans — not counting people from other countries who are marching toward the United States — are leaving that Central American nation to seek asylum here.

    “That is an assault on our country,” Trump said during a rally with supporters in Houston, Texas on Monday.

    The government of Mexico would not be helping to organize this nonsense, would they?

    Source: Mexican News Outlet: 14,000 Honduran Migrants Heading to U.S.

  • Why today’s troops fear a new war is coming soon

    Why today’s troops fear a new war is coming soon

    Nearly half of all current military troops believe the United States will be drawn into a major war soon, a jarring rise in anxiety among service members worried about global instability in general and Russia and China in particular, according to a new Military Times poll of active-duty troops.

    About 46 percent of troops who responded to the anonymous survey of currently serving Military Times readers said they believe the U.S. will be drawn into a new war within the next year. That’s a jarring increase from only about 5 percent who said the same thing in a similar poll conducted in September 2017.

    Another 50 percent think the country will not end up in a major conflict during the next year. But that number is falling, down from more than two-thirds of those surveyed last fall who said a war was unlikely.

    The fears of war come as President Donald Trump in the last year has repeatedly emphasized improving military readiness in the face of growing threats from foreign adversaries, both loosely affiliated terrorist groups and traditional major power rivals. At the same time, top Pentagon officials have spoken publicly about the need to prepare for a conflict against a “near-peer” adversary.

    When asked about specific countries, troops said Russia and China were among their top concerns. The poll showed a big increase in the number of troops who identify those two countries as significant or major threats: About 71 percent of troops said Russia was a significant threat, up 18 points from last year’s survey. And 69 percent of troops said China poses a significant threat, up 24 points from last year.

    According to their study, the Air Force supports the President the least and the Marine Corps supports the President the most.  How shocking is that?  I doubt their study actually reflects what most “Troops” think but the data is interesting to play with.

    Source: Why today’s troops fear a new war is coming soon