Battles continue to rage across northern Iraq, pitting jihadist group the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant against Iraqi security forces and their allies. The growing reach of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant has escalated an already brutal campaign in Iraq. Alarmingly quick advances by the militants across an important region of the Middle East could draw in regional powers as well as the United States.
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Archive for June, 2014
Problems With The Harrier Jump Jet
From Wired:
Developed in the 1960s, the Harrier is marvelous for its ability to hover like a helicopter. The jet engine pumps air through four nozzles, two on each side of the fuselage, right under the wings. They rotate to propel the plane forward or straight up, allowing for very short takeoffs and vertical landings, and unchaining the plane from the need for long runways. The Harrier can operate out of clearings in the jungle (think Vietnam), a landing dock designed for helicopters, or downtown Miami (where Arnold Schwarzenegger uses one to win the day in “True Liesâ€).
The Hypocrisy Of Brown University
Emma Watson was protected by armed guards at her graduation at Brown, but Brown pretends to be a “gun-free zone”.
From Downtrend:
When asked if this mystery undercover bodyguard was part of the Brown University campus security, representative Mark Nickel said he could not answer any questions and was unable to help.
One of two things is going on here. Either Brown approved this armed presence and they don’t want to seem like hypocrites or they found out about it later and don’t want to take action against such a famous graduate. Either way, this is elitism at its finest. There’s one rule for regular schlubs and another for rich and important people.
SWAT June 2014
Articles:
Reloading Slugs and Buckshot
Glock Long Slide Model 41 .45ACP
Krebs Custom KV-s13 VEPR
Airsoft Training
German K-43 Designated Marksman Rifle
GORUCK Challenge
Firearms Training and Mindset
Preventing Stress When Disaster Happens
President Denied Requested Airstrikes Against al-Qaeda In Iraq
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 14/Jun/2014 12:25
From The New York Times:
As the threat from Sunni militants in western Iraq escalated last month, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki secretly asked the Obama administration to consider carrying out airstrikes against extremist staging areas, according to Iraqi and American officials.
But Iraq’s appeals for a military response have so far been rebuffed by the White House, which has been reluctant to open a new chapter in a conflict that President Obama has insisted was over when the United States withdrew the last of its forces from Iraq in 2011.
Worsening Violence in Iraq Threatens Regional Security
Posted by Brian in Opinion, Threat Watch on 13/Jun/2014 14:37
“Worsening Violence in Iraq Threatens Regional Security is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
Summary
Analysis
Using hit-and-run tactics, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, also known as ISIL, has sought to keep Iraqi security forces dispersed and under pressure. ISIL has achieved this by striking at areas where security forces are weak and withdrawing from areas where Baghdad has concentrated its combat power. The jihadists have been working hard to improve their tradecraft by developing skill sets ranging from staging complex ambushes to using Iraqi army equipment effectively in surprise raids. ISIL has also sought to better develop its ties with local Sunni communities. Read the rest of this entry »
Geopolitical Journey, Part 2: Borderlands
“Geopolitical Journey, Part 2: Borderlands is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
Editor’s Note:Â Stratfor’s George Friedman is continuing his trip this week across the region, including the countries of Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Poland, Serbia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. This report on the same region was written in 2010, as he was returning from a similar journey that explored the geopolitical imperatives of those nations. The observations and forecasts then in many ways mirror the reality today, four years later.
By George Friedman
Founder and Chairman
A borderland is a region where history is constant: Everything is in flux. The countries we are visiting on this trip (Turkey, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine and Poland) occupy the borderland between Islam, Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity. Roman Catholic Hapsburg Austria struggled with the Islamic Ottoman Empire for centuries, with the Ottomans extending northwest until a climactic battle in Vienna in 1683. Beginning in the 18th century, Orthodox Russia expanded from the east, through Belarus and Ukraine. For more than two centuries, the belt of countries stretching from the Baltic to the Black seas was the borderland over which three empires fought. Read the rest of this entry »
Islamists Taking Over Iraq
Posted by Brian in Threat Watch on 12/Jun/2014 16:20
From MilitaryTimes:
Experts say ISIS totals no more than 10,000 fighters throughout Iraq and Syria, while the force that specifically seized the city of Mosul this week probably totaled about 800 fighters. That force overpowered two Iraqi Army divisions totaling about 30,000 troops.
Taliban Attack Karachi Airport
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 12/Jun/2014 12:23
From The New York Times:
A squad of militant commandos, disguised as government security forces, stormed Karachi’s international airport after dark. They carried food, water and ammunition, apparently in preparation for a long siege, and big ambitions: perhaps to hijack a commercial airliner, government officials said Monday, or to blow up an oil depot, or to destroy airplanes on the tarmac.
On Being A Good Gun Ambassador
Open letter from the NRA to all gun owners:
Here at NRA, we are big fans of responsible behavior … legal mandates, not so much. We think the Founders of this country were right to trust its people with the freedom to make their own choices. We also think they were wise to build checks into our constitutional system so that one view could not easily dominate the others and so that officials could be held accountable for their decisions.
As gun owners, whether or not our decisions are dictated by the law, we are still accountable for them. And we owe it to each other to act as checks on bad behavior before the legal system steps in and does it for us. If we exercise poor judgment, our decisions will have consequences. These consequences could be simple and transitory, such as watching a trophy buck bound away into the woods after a missed shot from an improperly sighted rifle. They could also be lasting and consequential, such as turning an undecided voter into an antigun voter because of causing that person fear or offense. In ways small and large, we are all in this together, and we all have a role to play in preserving our cherished freedoms for ourselves and future generations. (emphasis added) Read the rest of this entry »
Borderlands: First Moves in Romania
“Borderlands: First Moves in Romania is republished with permission of Stratfor.”
By George Friedman
I arrived in Bucharest, Romania, the day after U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel will be here in a few weeks. The talk in Bucharest, not only among the leadership but also among the public, is about Ukraine. Concerns are palpable, and they are not only about the Russians. They are also about NATO, the European Union, the United States and whether they will all support Romania if it resists Russia. The other side of the equation, of course, is whether Romania will do the things it must do in order to make outside support effective. Biden left Romania with a sense that the United States is in the game. But this is not a region that trusts easily. The first step was easy. The rest become harder.
If this little Cold War becomes significant, there are two European countries that matter the most: Poland and Romania. Poland, which I visit next, stands between Germany and Russia on the long, flat North European plain. Its population is about 38 million people. Romania, to the south, standing behind the Prut River and bisected by the Carpathian Mountains, has a population of about 20 million. Of the roughly 82 million people along the eastern frontier (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria), approximately 58 million live in Poland and Romania. Biden’s visit to Romania and U.S. President Barack Obama’s planned visit to Poland provide a sense of how Washington looks at the region and, for the moment at least, the world. How all of this plays out is, of course, dependent on the Russians and the course of the Ukrainian crisis. Read the rest of this entry »
Dillon Blue Press July 2014
Articles:
Taurus Model #85VTA .38 Special View
High Round Count 3 Gun Matches
Savage Model 99 Rifle
Christopher Oosthuisen: All-American Boer
SCCY Industries CPX-2 9mm Pistol
The Just Right Carbine
dillon blue press
Tintype Photographs of Modern Soldiers
From Reviewed.com:
Tintype photography is a perfect example. The style was invented in the mid–19th century as a simpler alternative to the daguerrotype. Since the photos were exposed directly onto a thin sheet of iron—sort of like an early Polaroid—the finished product could be delivered to customers in a matter of minutes. That made it a favorite of both studio and street photographers in the 1860s and 1870s.
Vet Ditched Nursing Home To Attend D-Day Ceremony
From Daily News:
Bernard Jordan, the 89-year-old World War II veteran who sneaked out of his British nursing home to attend France’s D-Day commemoration, is back in the UK.
Jordan — who served in the Royal Navy and later became the mayor of Hove — said he’d do it all again.
Actress Has Armed Bodyguard At “Gun-free” University
Posted by Brian in News, Threat Watch on 9/Jun/2014 07:42
From Fox News:
A Brown University rep says he is unable to answer questions about why Emma Watson had an undercover armed guard with her during graduation ceremonies.