Friday, July 14, 2006

News From Elsewhere

  • Colonel MacFarland,  commander of the 1st Brigade, 1st Armor Division describes plans for a combined US-Iraqi pacification of Ramadi. "I am confident that we can secure Ramadi without a Fallujah-type offensive. And with each new section of Ramadi that we move into and establish a patrol base and begin to move out into the neighborhoods, I become more and more confident that a Fallujah-type of offensive is not going to be necessary, certainly not across the entire city. I mean, there's always the chance the enemy may establish a final redoubt that has to be reduced by force. And if necessary, we'll be formidable with them that will not be sociable. But we will try to diminish the numbers of the insurgency through our non-lethal means to avoid that."
  • Rumors of Fidel Castro's death or serious incapacity at the Babalu blog. Still rumors, mind you.
  • Claudia Rossett reports Tongsun Park is convicted of being Saddam's agent in corrupting the UN's Oil-for-Food Program.
  • Haaretz says Israeli experts think Hezbollah has Zelzal-2 rockets, with a 200 km range and 600 kilogram (1,320 pound) warhead that can reach Tel Aviv.
  • The Counterterrorism Blog is quoting anonymous sources claiming an Egyptian civilian vessel was attacked by a UAV firing a Raad anti-tank missile, marking the use of an unmanned vehicle as a missile platform.

5 Comments:

Blogger wretchardthecat said...

US ground force air defenses have not been emphasized of late against an enemy with no airforce. The appearance of terrorist UAVs may change this situation.

7/14/2006 09:27:00 PM  
Blogger Doug said...

Bet they have, or shortly will, come up with some amazing ideas and devices.
Then will the axis copy our defenses?
Somehow hard to imagine the Islamists doing that, but what do I know?

7/14/2006 09:47:00 PM  
Blogger James Kielland said...

Wretchard,

As to small, remotely controlled devices, I feel that this is where China could possibly be the most dangerous in the future. While the US persues F-22s and such incredibly expensive systems as the Future Combat Systems, it becomes kind of worrisome to note that swarms of cheaply manufactured and remotely controlled vehicles could quickly frustrate such elaborate and expensive platforms. And, much like Russian anti-tank weapons, the Chinese will undoubtedly find many enthusiastic customers who might be concerned about being on the wrong end of US policy.

7/14/2006 10:48:00 PM  
Blogger Mad Fiddler said...

Seems to me the most likely problem with a U.S. armed forces defense against enemy UAV attacks will be the outcry from U.S. ecology groups when some rara avis (literally) gets zapped inadvertantly by a system designed to plug remotely-piloted flying bombettes.

7/14/2006 10:54:00 PM  
Blogger Val Prieto said...

habu and rufus,

WTF is wrong with you two? The people of Cuba have lived in squallor and slavery for almost 50 years and may just see an end in sight and you two wankers are talking about nailing ten year old Cuban girls?

7/17/2006 06:02:00 AM  

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