Military Subjects & War Stories (Incldg the Cold War)

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What a war with North Korea could look like​

May 15, 2024


15:53
 
Tactics are a science, but applying tactics in combat is an art. A military force wins by seeing how general principles apply to a specific situation and being creative with combat solutions.

For two years, Ukrainians have been defending their country with creative combinations of tactics and technology. Ukraine was thrown into a conflict full of juxtaposed old and new tech, but in part because Ukraine’s tech-savvy population volunteered to serve, they were able to survive Russia’s assault and even make gains, especially in 2022. We call these tactical and technical talents of applying modern technology on the battlefield “techcraft.” American soldiers should go into battle with the same advantage. Fieldcraft means using what is available to survive in the field. By techcraft, we mean the field-expedient use of technology in war.

warontherocks.com

Techcraft on Display in Ukraine - War on the Rocks

Tactics are a science, but applying tactics in combat is an art. A military force wins by seeing how general principles apply to a specific situation and
warontherocks.com
 
This one is a podcast, there's nothing to see, can listen in one tab, play around the forum in a different tab.

MWI PODCAST: RUSSIA’S PURSUIT OF MILITARY AI​

Russian leaders—most notably, Vladimir Putin—have long expressed the view that artificial intelligence will be crucial to Russian security in the future. This sentiment has driven a pursuit in Russia of military applications of AI technology. But how much progress has been made in that pursuit? How have sanctions put in place in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine influenced the course of Russian AI research and development? Most fundamentally, how do Russian military leaders actually want to employ AI-enabled tools on the battlefield?

These questions are immediately relevant in the context of the war in Ukraine, which has seen a succession of new technological capabilities shape the conduct and outcome of battles. But they also have important implications for the confrontation between Russia and the West in the years—even decades—to come. To examine them, John Amble is joined on this episode of the MWI Podcast by Sam Bendett. He is an adviser and member of the Russia Studies Program at CNA and an adjunct senior fellow in the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, which published his recent report, “The Role of AI in Russia’s Confrontation with the West.”

More:

mwi.westpoint.edu

MWI Podcast: Russia's Pursuit of Military AI - Modern War Institute

Russian leaders—most notably, Vladimir Putin—have long expressed the view that artificial intelligence will be crucial to Russian security in the future. This sentiment has driven a pursuit in Russia of […]
mwi.westpoint.edu mwi.westpoint.edu
 

Navy ‘Hell Hounds’ Squadron Crafting Missions for Small, Lethal Drone Fleet​

CORONADO, Calif. – The Navy on Friday took another step toward creating a surface fleet seamlessly integrated with uncrewed vessels by formally establishing its second unmanned surface drone unit.

The new unit, the “Hell Hounds” of Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, has received the first four Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft of what’s expected to be “hundreds” of unmanned surface vessels that will deploy and operate with the surface force’s guided-missile destroyers, Navy officials said.

The squadron’s more immediate mission, however, is to continue testing and operating GARCs to determine concepts, plans and uses for future USVs that will integrate with fleet ships and requirements for its growing community of crews that will operate and maintain the small USVs.

More:

news.usni.org

Navy ‘Hell Hounds’ Squadron Crafting Missions for Small, Lethal Drone Fleet - USNI News

CORONADO, Calif. – The Navy on Friday took another step toward creating a surface fleet seamlessly integrated with uncrewed vessels by formally establishing its second unmanned surface drone unit. The new unit, the “Hell Hounds” of Unmanned Surface Vessel Squadron 3, has received the first four...
news.usni.org news.usni.org
 

Report to Congress on AUKUS Pillar 2​

The following is the May 21, 2024, Congressional Research Service report, AUKUS Pillar 2 (Advanced Capabilities): Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report​

AUKUS Pillar 2 refers to a suite of cooperative activities conducted by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to develop and field “advanced capabilities” under the AUKUS security partnership. To date, Pillar 2 activities have been coordinated among the three governments by a number of means, including topic-specific working groups. At least eight such groups are currently active: six address technological areas and two address functional areas. The current working groups are:

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news.usni.org

Report to Congress on AUKUS Pillar 2 - USNI News

The following is the May 21, 2024, Congressional Research Service report, AUKUS Pillar 2 (Advanced Capabilities): Background and Issues for Congress. From the report AUKUS Pillar 2 refers to a suite of cooperative activities conducted by the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia to...
news.usni.org news.usni.org
 

THE CASE FOR A PROSPECTIVE U.S. CYBER FORCE​

Imagine a scenario in which a junior Army captain is taking command of an airborne infantry company. This officer has never been to airborne or ranger school or completed an infantry field problem. But the officer has conducted countless offensive cyber operations, maneuvering through hostile networks to close with and destroy a digital adversary — and the Army has determined that kind of experience is the best preparation to lead an infantry company.

Now imagine a different scenario. Google has just announced new minimum qualifications to be considered for an entry-level software engineer role. In addition to specific educational and technical skills, applicants will be expected to demonstrate that they can throw a ten-pound medicine ball backward over their heads a certain number of meters as part of a physical fitness test.

These hypotheticals likely sound ridiculous to anyone who has served in an Army infantry battalion or a technical role at a technology company. When it comes to the U.S. military, none of the services would accept, let alone celebrate, a leader who lacks the foundational domain expertise to lead critical operational formations at the heart of each service’s mission. And yet, as military personnel have expressed in recent testimonials, this approach to selection and assignment of personnel is commonplace across the cyber formations within the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

More:

warontherocks.com

The Case for a Prospective U.S. Cyber Force - War on the Rocks

Imagine a scenario in which a junior Army captain is taking command of an airborne infantry company. This officer has never been to airborne or ranger
warontherocks.com
 

INDIA’S ENGAGEMENT WITH THE MIDDLE EAST REFLECTS NEW DELHI’S CHANGING WORLDVIEW​

In the early 1990s, India responded to the end of the Cold War with a new “Look East” policy, which it subsequently rebranded as “Act East” in 2014. Today, India has developed a “Think West” policy, focused on what those in the West call the Middle East. So which way is India thinking, looking, and acting today?

Much as India’s “Look/Act East” policy reflected a shift in India’s worldview following the end of the Cold War, New Delhi’s reinvigorated engagement with the Middle East today reflects a deeper, ongoing shift in the country’s external engagement. This includes a more muscular and assertive foreign policy that is less piecemeal and more strategic in its approach. Embedded within this is an Indian proclivity to align itself more closely with the United States and to develop a more ideologically driven foreign policy that is embedded in the Hindutva (Hindu nationalist) ideology of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

The challenge will be sustaining this in what is arguably the world’s most polarized and bifurcated region, particularly given the embryonic nature of diplomatic initiatives like the I2U2 (Israel-India-United States-United Arab Emirates) and the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor. Further complicating India’s westward engagement is the country’s divisive, identity-driven domestic politics and the chronic risk of a spillover of instabilities in the Middle East into South Asia.

More:

warontherocks.com

India’s Engagement with the Middle East Reflects New Delhi’s Changing Worldview - War on the Rocks

In the early 1990s, India responded to the end of the Cold War with a new “Look East” policy, which it subsequently rebranded as “Act East” in 2014.
warontherocks.com
 

Hell Below - Episode 1: The Wolfpack | Free Documentary History​

May 17, 2024 #FreeDocumentary #Documentary #History

Watch 'Hell Below - Season 1, Episode 2' here: • Hell Below - Episode 2: Hitler's Reve...

In this episode:The wolfpack tactic was made famous by Admiral Karl Dönitz, Hitler's mastermind of submariners. His strategy: to send teams of U-boats to bear against the convoys of ships heading from Canada to Britain, cut maritime lifelines, and starve the enemy into defeat. Take a deep dive into the North Atlantic as we go above and below sea level to relive one of the first attacks of Dönitz's lethal subs in 1940, headed by leader of the pack Commander Otto Kretschmer. Then follow Britain's war strategists as they race to combat this new deadly attack.

Hell Below is an event-based series charting the stealth game of sub sea warfare, tracking the dramatic narrative from contact to attack of the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. From the rise of the Wolfpack to the drive for victory in the Pacific, we profile the strategic masterminds and the rapid evolution of technology and tactics, as the threat of undersea warfare brings every sailor's worst nightmare to life. Expert analysis and stock footage are woven with narrative driven re-enactments filmed on authentic Second World War era submarines to place the characters at the heart of the action.


42:14
 

The Invasion Fleet that Liberated Europe​

Operation Neptune—the naval component of the Normandy invasion—was the most epic undertaking in the annals of amphibious warfare, unleashing a tidal wave of manpower onto France’s shores that marked the beginning of the end for the Third Reich.

Even after eight decades, its immensity in every aspect defies the imagination. Operation Neptune to this day remains the largest amphibious assault in world history.

On 5 June 1944, an Allied fleet of 5,333 ships and landing craft emerged from a score of British ports for the overnight journey to the German-held coast at Normandy. Shepherded by thousands of Allied fighters and bombers, the seaborne armada carried an advance formation of 175,000 soldiers. Their cargo totaled 100,000 tons of equipment, including 50,000 vehicles ranging from jeeps to tanks.

Depending on the port of embarkation and the assigned landing beach, the trip ranged from 60 to 100 miles across the roiling dark water.1

More:

 
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a running series of essays by Iskander Rehman, entitled “Applied History,” which seeks, through the study of the history of strategy and military operations, to better illuminate contemporary defense challenges.

t remains astonishing to me that we should have failed to make Suda Bay the amphibious citadel of which all Crete was the fortress. Everything was understood and agreed, and much was done; but all was half-scale effort. We were presently to pay heavily for our shortcomings.”
– Winston Churchill, reminiscing on the loss of Crete and its immense natural harbor, Suda Bay.

In the early morning hours of May 20, 1941, screaming swarms of German Messerschmitts and Stukas suddenly materialized in the cloudless cerulean skies over Crete. Ferociously strafing and dive-bombing the anti-aircraft batteries of the island’s sleep-addled defenders, they were closely followed by a rumbling phalanx of Dornier 17 and Junker 88 bombers. Behind this flew a veritable airborne armada — 70-odd gliders filled with troops from the Seventh Airborne Division’s Storm Regiment and wave upon wave of lumbering Junker 52s crammed to the gills with nervous young paratroopers. For Gen. Bernard Freyberg — the highly decorated commander of Crete’s 32,000-strong garrison of British, Australian, and New Zealander troops, supplemented by close to 10,000 Greek soldiers — there was little cause for undue alarm. Plied with a steady stream of Ultra intercepts, the burly New Zealander had known for weeks that the Germans were preparing an invasion of the island. He retained something of a blithe self-confidence in his defensive preparations. So much so, in fact, that he calmly continued to enjoy his breakfast on his villa’s veranda, even as the bright blue sky above him grew increasingly pockmarked with Luftwaffe aircraft. Convinced that the bulk of the enemy’s invasion force would be ferried in by sea, where they would run afoul of the Royal Navy, the World War I veteran, like many of his fellow officers, remained dubious of the effectiveness of any large-scale airborne operation.

warontherocks.com

Britain’s Strange Defeat: The 1941 Fall of Crete and Its Lessons for Taiwan - War on the Rocks

Editor’s Note: This is the first in a running series of essays by Iskander Rehman, entitled “Applied History,” which seeks, through the study of the
warontherocks.com
 
This post may contain affiliate links for which PM Bug gold and silver discussion forum may be compensated.

The Shipping Behind D-Day | Battle of the Atlantic | Europe vs Pacific | Liberty Ships & LSTs​

Jun 4, 2024 #dday #normandy #logistics

In this episode, Sal Mercogliano - a maritime historian at Campbell University (@campbelledu) and former merchant mariner - discusses the shipping and maritime logistics behind D-Day, the allied landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944.


34:15

00:00 Introduction
04:48 Battle of the Atlantic
12:24 Europe vs the Pacific
14:26 LSTs and Liberty Ships
28:06 Conclusion

- Neptune, Craig Symonds https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
- Normandy '44, James Holland https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
- US Army Green Books on WWII https://www.history.army.mil/html/boo...
- Uboat Net uboat.net
- Arnold Hague Convoy Database http://www.convoyweb.org.uk/hx/index....
- Oral History Edmond Moran https://www.usni.org/press/oral-histo...
 

George Hicks D-Day radio broadcast aboard the USS Ancon June 6th 1944​

Jun 6, 2014

Today marks the 70th anniversary of D-Day. On this date in 1944 160,000 Allied troops, 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft began the largest amphibious invasion in history. The Allied forces lost nearly 10,000 men and over 2,000 aircraft on the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. In honor of D-day I have recorded George Hicks radio broadcast aboard the USS Ancon on the morning of June 6th 1944. His broadcast was a raw glimpse of what is was like on the beaches that day. Hat's off to you, greatest generation, thank you for your service.


13:30
 

D-Day 80th Anniversary Live: Biden and world leaders in Normandy​


Summary:​

  • Veterans and world leaders are gathered in Normandy
  • The 80th anniversary is likely to be last major ceremony to include veterans
  • It is also made resonant by war in Ukraine and Gaza
  • Some 200 veterans, most of them American or British, are set to take part
  • On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers arrived in France by sea and air
  • "Our gratitude is unfailing," Britain's King Charles said
 

Report to Congress on Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile​

JUNE 6, 2024 8:54 AM

The following is the May 31, 2024, Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile (SLCM-N).

From the report​

Congress and the executive branch have debated the merits of a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) since the weapon was first proposed by the Trump Administration in 2018. The Biden Administration proposed cancelling the SLCM-N program following its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), a periodic assessment of U.S. nuclear policy. Congress has provided continued funding for the SLCM-N and its warhead; the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) requires the executive branch to ensure SLCM-N initial operational capability (IOC). Since the FY2024 NDAA, the Administration has taken steps to begin SLCM-N program implementation.

Background

The U.S. Navy first deployed a nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile in the mid-1980s, when it placed the TLAM-N—a nuclear-armed version of the Tomahawk land-attack cruise missile—on surface ships and attack submarines. With a range of 2,500 kilometers (about 1,550 miles), the missiles were not included in the limits in U.S.-Soviet arms control agreements.

More:

 
MWI podcast, nothing to see, can listen in one tab, play around the forum in a different tab.

SOCIAL SCIENCE OF WAR: PUBLIC OPINION AND THE USE OF FORCE​

06.06.24

Every four years, Americans choose a new commander-in-chief. US presidents have significant authority to use force, manage a global network of alliances and partnerships, as well as direct American grand strategy. How do voters decide who they want to be commander-in-chief? How are recent and ongoing foreign policy issues—like the Afghanistan withdrawal and US aid to partners in Israel and Ukraine—influencing the 2024 presidential election?

Those questions are the focus of Episode 7, Season 2 of the Social Science of War podcast. Dr. Alexandra Chinchilla is joined by three guests to examine American public opinion on foreign policy and the 2024 presidential election.

More:

mwi.westpoint.edu

Social Science of War: Public Opinion and the Use of Force - Modern War Institute

Every four years, Americans choose a new commander-in-chief. US presidents have significant authority to use force, manage a global network of alliances and partnerships, as well as direct American grand […]
mwi.westpoint.edu mwi.westpoint.edu
 

Report to Congress on Hypersonic Missile Defense​

The following is the June 24, 2024, Congressional Research Service report, Hypersonic Missile Defense: Issues for Congress.

From the report​

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and Space Development Agency (SDA) are currently developing elements of a hypersonic missile defense system to defend against hypersonic weapons and other emerging missile threats. These elements include the tracking and transport layers of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) and various interceptor programs. As MDA and SDA continue to develop these systems, Congress may consider implications for oversight and defense authorizations and appropriations.

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