The more Russian troops pile in there in a nice tight spot the greater the chance they are gonna get hit. Depending on the scale they get their teeth kicked in I wonder who will get the blame................Israel? Not saying they will touch this with a ten foot pole but I'm sure the Iranians would have a hard time not smiling if their Russian buddies got a very large surprise hit and it just happen to look like the country they hate worse than us did it.
Now the Russians have been in the region for a very long time but the escalation will make this interesting. Now they are committed to see this thing through so they could wind up in another Afghanistan failure. There a multiple ways we get sucked into this staring at them from across the isle............interesting times.
Indeed. With Russian and American troops in such close proximity, this could be quite the powder keg and bears close attention.
On a side note, as I was about to turn in for the night, I heard Ambassador John Bolton on a re-run on Gretta Van Susteren's show saying that Russia has assembled (by name) an Axis consisting of a number of nations.
Russia's launch of airstrikes in Syria is prompting discussions within the Pentagon about whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S.-trained and equipped Syrian rebels if they come under fire by the Russians.
U.S. officials said Thursday that senior military leaders and defense officials are working through the thorny legal and foreign policy issues and are weighing the risks of using force in response to a Russian attack.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter declined to discuss the problem when asked about it this week. But U.S. officials acknowledged that this is one of the questions being asked as they debate the broader dilemma of how the administration should respond to what White House press secretary Josh Earnest described as Russia's "indiscriminate military operations against the Syrian opposition."
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss ongoing deliberations publicly.
Tensions between the U.S. and Russia are escalating over Russian airstrikes that apparently are serving to strengthen Syrian President Bashar Assad by targeting rebels -- perhaps including some aligned with the U.S. -- rather than hitting Islamic State fighters it promised to attack.
Turkey's Foreign Ministry says Ankara and its allies in the U.S.-led coalition are calling on Russia to immediately cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to focus on fighting Islamic State militants.
Meanwhile, a joint statement by the United States, France, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Britain expressed concern over Russia's military actions, saying they will "only fuel more extremism and radicalization." The text of the statement was released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Friday, and confirmed by the French Foreign Ministry.
The Pentagon on Thursday had its first conversation with Russian officials in an effort to avoid any unintended U.S.-Russian confrontations as the airstrikes continue in the skies over Syria. During the video call, Elissa Slotkin, who represented the U.S. side, expressed America's concerns that Russia is targeting areas where there are few if any Islamic State forces operating. Slotkin is the acting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs.
A key concern is the prospect of the U.S. and Russia getting drawn into a shooting war in the event that Russian warplanes hit moderate Syrian rebels who have been trained and equipped by the U.S. military.
At U.N. headquarters in New York, Secretary of State John Kerry said: "What is important is Russia has to not be engaged in any activities against anybody but ISIL. That's clear. We have made that very clear."
"We are not yet where we need to be to guarantee the safety and security" of those carrying out the airstrikes, he said.
In an interview late Thursday on CBS's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," Kerry described the military consultations as "a way of making sure that planes aren't going to be shooting at each other and making things worse."
"What is happening is a catastrophe, a human catastrophe really unparalleled in modern times," Kerry said of the Syrian crisis, adding that Russia should help the United States "persuade Assad to be the saver of his country, not the killer of his country."
U.S. officials made it clear earlier this year that rebels trained by the U.S. would receive air support in the event they are attacked by either IS or Syrian government troops. Currently, only about 80 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels are back in Syria fighting with their units.
The U.S. policy is very specific. It doesn't address a potential attack by Russian planes and does not include Syrian rebels who have not been through the U.S. military training, even though they may be aligned with the U.S. or fighting Islamic State militants.
So far, the Russian airstrikes have been in western Syria. The Syrians trained and equipped by the U.S. have primarily been operating in the north.
U.S. officials said the issue is one of many being hashed out by top leaders within the department and the military's Joint Staff. One official said they are weighing the potential fallout.
At worst, if Russia bombs rebels trained by the U.S. and American fighter jets intercede to protect the Syrians, the exchange could trigger an all-out confrontation with Russia -- a potential disaster the administration would like to avoid.
Fueling the concerns is the fact that Russia has aircraft in Syria with air-to-air combat capacity, even though IS has no air force and the only aircraft in the skies belong to U.S.-led coalition or the Syrian government.
Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook would not provide details of the talks with Russia. But much of the discussion involved proposals for avoiding conflict between U.S. and Russian aircraft flying over Syria.
Kerry said he foresees further consultations with the Russians about air operations. And Cook said the U.S. side proposed using specific international radio frequencies for distress calls by military pilots flying in Syrian airspace, but he was not more specific about that or other proposals.
Russia's defense ministry said that over the past 24 hours it had damaged or destroyed 12 targets in Syria belonging to the IS fighters, including a command center and ammunition depots. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, Col. Steve Warren, said he had no indication that the Russians had hit Islamic State targets.
"While there is always danger of conflict, of inadvertent contact" between coalition and Russian warplanes, "we are continuing with our operations," Warren told reporters at the Pentagon.
The move is a blow to Britain and America’s mission to wipe out Islamic State but maintain an opposition to brutal dictator Assad
October 5, 2015
Russia has sent its crack special troops into Syria to back up * President Bashar al-Assad’s bid to wipe out his opposition.
Vladimir Putin’s feared Spetsnaz unit and a covert para battalion ghosted into the war-torn country and are preparing for an all-out assault on rebels fighting the regime – including moderate units such as the western-backed Free Syrian Army.
A military source said last night: “Putin’s marines are there to guard the airbases they are using against *sabotage by rebels. But Spetsnaz and air-assault troops are not there to provide security to static objects, they are extremely aggressive and highly trained.
“They are there to mop up after air strikes, call in air strikes, go on extremely covert missions against rebels and ultimately wipe them out.
“And they will not be as accountable as British or US special forces. They are there for one reason, to wipe out anyone threatening Assad. By any means. And by doing that they will be consolidating Russia’s position on the Med and in the Middle East.”
Putin claims the mission is to defeat IS – but his warplanes have been helping Assad by smashing rebel *positions. Most of the targets in Northern Syria have been al-Qaeda affiliates or less extreme rebel groups opposed to the leader, some of which are CIA-trained and MI6-backed.
Spetsnaz – Special Purpose Soldiers – have been joined by the 7th Air Assault Mountain Division.
They are among Russia’s toughest and most shadowy troops, many of whom have fought dirty wars in Chechnya where they built up a deep hatred of jihadists.
They went on bloody revenge missions against local jihad units to punish them for atrocities against Russian troops and civilians.
America has vowed to step up its attacks on IS in reaction to Putin’s air strikes on Assad’s opponents. And Nato yesterday urged Russia to end its rebel attacks and focus on beating IS.
Saudi clerics called on Muslim countries to back holy war against Syria and its Iranian and Russian backers. The Sunni-ruled land is suspected of supporting al-Qaeda and IS against Shia supporters of Assad. Saudi has joined air strikes on IS in Syria.
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Nikita Khrushchev:"We will bury you"
"Your grandchildren will live under communism."
“You Americans are so gullible.
No, you won’t accept To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. outright, but we’ll keep feeding you small doses of To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll finally wake up and find you already have communism.
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We’ll so weaken your To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. until you’ll To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 15 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. like overripe fruit into our hands."
"I've seen the future. You know what it is? It's a 47 year old virgin sitting around in his beige pajamas, drinking a banana-broccoli shake, singing 'I'm an Oscar Meyer Weiner'."
Fucking nailed it!
(Ryan Ruck, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute.)
The one thing about grooming the youth into beta males is that they become super easy to herd. When the balloon goes up, I'll become the ruler!
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Two Russian fighter jets may have flown into Turkish air space accidentally, a senior U.S. military source said Monday.
Although NATO had suggested the Su-30 and Su-24 planes flew into Turkey this weekend, the military source told Fox News the intelligence into the “alleged incursion” of the Russian jets has not been validated.
“We don’t believe the Russians are poking the Turks intentionally. At least one of these planes may have been lost,” the unnamed source said.
NATO said two Russian jets intruded into Turkey's airspace Sunday, and it called urgent consultations on the issue. The alliance strongly protested the Russian violations and noted "the extreme danger of such irresponsible behavior." NATO issued a statement Monday calling the Russian actions “provocative violations” and “dangerous incursions,” demanding the Russians “cease and desist.”
But a well-placed senior U.S. military source says the U.S. military is still trying to determine the exact flight plans of both planes. The source did not believe either plane intentionally crossed the border into Turkey.
“They were flying along the border and the radar is not too precise from the location where they were spotted,” the official said.
Meanwhile, Turkey's prime minister vowed Monday to take all necessary measures to protect the nation's borders from violation after the Russian fighter jet allegedly entered its airspace, prompting Turkey to scramble jets and summon the Russian ambassador in protest.
Russia admitted to the first incursion Saturday, but said it intruded "by mistake" and assured Ankara it wouldn't happen again, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said in a televised interview.
In Madrid, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday that Washington is conferring with Turkish leaders about the infringement.
The incident comes amid Turkish concerns over Russian airstrikes in Syria that have targeted some foreign-backed insurgents. Turkey and Russia also have conflicting positions on the Syrian government, with Russia backing President Bashar Assad and Turkey insisting on his ouster.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said during an interview with Haber Turk television that NATO-member Turkey would enforce its rules of engagement if its airspace is violated. Those rules call for the treatment of any element approaching the Turkish border from Syria as an enemy.
"The Turkish armed forces have their orders," he said. "The necessary will be done even if it's a bird that violates Turkey's border ... Our rules of engagement are clear."
A Foreign Ministry statement said Monday that a Russian warplane entered Turkey's airspace near the town of Yayladagi, in Hatay province on Saturday. Two F-16 jets intercepted the Russian aircraft and forced it to fly back into the Syrian airspace.
Also Monday, Turkey's military said a MIG-29 jet had harassed two Turkish F-16s for five minutes and 40 seconds on Sunday by locking its radar onto them. In a brief statement, the military said the incident occurred while 10 F-16s were patrolling the Turkish-Syrian border. The military said it didn't know which country the MIG-29 belonged to.
Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador and demanded that Russia avoid future infringements, the Foreign Ministry statement said. It warned that Russia would be held "responsible for any undesired incident," that may occur. The same message was also relayed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by telephone.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed solidarity with Turkey and said the situation would be taken up at a meeting later on Monday. Davutoglu was also scheduled to chair a security meeting in Ankara in the evening.
"I call on Russia to fully respect NATO airspace and to avoid escalating tensions with the Alliance," Stoltenberg said.
"I urge Russia to take the necessary steps to align its efforts with those of the international community in the fight against ISIL," he added, using an alternative acronym of the Islamic State group.
Davutoglu told Haber Turk television that Russia assured Turkey that the airspace would not be violated again.
"The information we got from Russia this morning is that it was an incident that occurred by mistake," he said. "They said they are respectful of Turkey's borders and that it would not happen again."
Last week, Turkey issued a joint statement with its allies involved in the U.S.-backed campaign against the Islamic State group asking Moscow to cease attacks on the Syrian opposition and to focus on fighting ISIS.
On Sunday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Russian airstrikes were unacceptable and a grave mistake that could alienate Moscow in the region.
Russia says the airstrikes that began Wednesday are targeting ISIS and al Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, but at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied claims Russian aircraft struck the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra, state media report.
"All reports by foreign media that Russian planes allegedly struck the city of Palmyra are an absolute lie," a spokesman for the ministry was quoted as telling the TASS news agency. "Our planes in Syria do not strike populated areas and especially ones with architectural monuments."
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its air force flew 20 missions in Syria, striking 12 Islamic State targets, according to Reuters.
Moscow’s statement Tuesday follows activist and media reports Russia's airstrikes in Syria have damaged Palmyra, as well as the village of Serjilla in Idlib province. The Syrian National Coalition said the attacked area didn't have any ISIS presence.
Turkey's military, meanwhile, said more of its jets patrolling the border with Syria were placed in a radar lock by Russian planes and surface-to-air missile systems.
Also Tuesday, the Pentagon urged Moscow to meet with U.S. officials for talks after NATO's secretary-general rejected Russia’s claims its military excursion into Turkish airspace was accidental.
“We await a response from them and we expect a response from them,” Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told the Associated Press. U.S. and Russian officials met once by video conference late last week.
"It's only professional that you follow through on the request they made and they've not done that yet, and that may be a further sign of their strategic confusion,” he added.
On Tuesday, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alleged intrusions were "very serious." He said there were two separate incidents and "the violation lasted for a long time."
Turkey's military reported Tuesday that eight Turkish F-16 jets patrolling the Turkish-Syrian border were harassed by a MIG-29 plane as well as surface-to-air missile systems based in Syria.
"It's unacceptable to violate the airspace of another country," Stoltenberg told the Associated Press.
Stoltenberg also said he was concerned that Russians are not targeting ISIS in Syria, "but instead attacking the Syrian opposition and civilians."
NATO spokesperson Carmen Romero said Stoltenberg later confirmed that organization's generals would be contacting Russia about the alleged entry. On Monday, NATO ambassadors met in a special session and called on Russia to cease such “irresponsible behavior."
NATO defense ministers are scheduled to meet Thursday in Brussels, during which Russia’s actions in Syria and any resulting measures the U.S.-led alliance needs to take will be at the top of the agenda.
"Incidents, accidents, may create dangerous situations," Stoltenberg added. "And therefore it is also important to make sure that this doesn't happen again."
Russian fighter jets shadowed U.S. predator drones on at least three separate occasions high above Syria since the start of Russia’s air campaign last week, according to two U.S. officials briefed on this latest intelligence from the region.
Meanwhile, U.S. Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters a U.S. aircraft flying over Syria had to be rerouted to avoid a Russian fighter jet at least once.
“We have taken action to maintain safe separation,” Davis said, adding that the U.S. aircraft "changed path a little bit." He did not disclose which type of U.S. aircraft was involved.
U.S. officials tell Fox News the drone encounters took place over ISIS-controlled Syria, including its de facto headquarters in Raqqa, as well as along the Turkish-Syrian border near Korbani. Another occurred in the northwest, near the highly contested city of Aleppo.
“The first time it happened, we thought the Russians got lucky. Then it happened two more times,” said one official.
The U.S. military's MQ-1 Predator drone is not a stealth aircraft.
"It is easy to see a predator on radar," said one official.
The Russians have not attempted to shoot down any of the U.S. drones, but instead have flown "intercept tracks," a doctrinal term meaning the Russians flew close enough to make their presence felt, according to one official.
One other official said, “the Russians flew very close, but did not impede the drone flight.”
Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook, traveling with the defense secretary in Europe leading up to a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels Thursday, said the Pentagon is open to more military-to-military talks with the Russians. No immediate date has been established to conduct the next round of talks, according to one defense official.
This development comes as Russia has moved some of its Mi-24 gunships and transport helicopters from an air base along the Mediterranean to another air base outside Homs, roughly 100 miles away. Russian ground forces, hundreds of Russian marines -- as well as four BM-30 Smerch rocket launchers capable of firing cluster munitions, mines as well as high explosive warheads -- are now in position to strike, but there is no evidence they have done so according to multiple defense officials. Infantry fighting vehicles and more a conventional artillery battery has also been seen by the intelligence community.
All these movements demonstrate the Russians are forming a "protective belt" around Latakia, the stronghold of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and are carrying out airstrikes against anti-Assad rebel forces, some backed by the CIA, to protect both regime and Russian interests, including a Russian naval base in Tartus established in the 70s.
The Pentagon maintains the vast majority of strikes from its forward operating base at Bassel al-Assad airport in Latakia including some 30 fighter/bomber jets have been against Syrian opposition forces and not ISIS, and one official pushed back on Russian defense ministry claims on the number of strikes the Russians have launched.
"The Russians carried out only one half or at best a quarter of the strikes they claim to have conducted," said a senior military official.
Over the past weekend, Turkey claims that Russia on two separate occasions violated its airspace. Despite Turkish pressure on NATO and top US government officials calling the action "unprofessional" and a "provocation" two senior US military officials downplayed the incident.
"The Russians flew along the border and we still don't know for sure what happened."
At least one of the alleged incidences occurred in Turkey's Hatay Province.
In 1939, land belonging to Syria and the Assad family in the northwest, along the Mediterranean bordering Latakia where the Russia has established an air base, was annexed by Turkey. Syria has never recognized the action and the two countries have been bitter enemies ever since.
Russia’s Caspian Sea fleet on Wednesday launched a complex cruise missile strike against Syrian rebels from nearly 1,000 miles away, a potent exhibition of Moscow’s firepower as it backs a government offensive in Syria’s multi-faction civil war.
The bombardment was the first naval salvo of Russia’s week-old military intervention in Syria, where it has already launched more than 100 airstrikes against the Islamic State and factions of Islamist and U.S.-backed rebel forces opposed to President Bashar al-Assad.
The attack showcased Russia’s advanced military capabilities and closer coordination with the governments of Iran and Iraq, whose airspace the missiles traversed before striking targets in Syria held by the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, an affiliate of al-Qaeda.
Like Russia, Iran is a key backer of Assad. Iraq’s leadership has close ties with Iran but also depends on support from the United States and Western allies.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a nationally televised briefing that the ships launched 26 cruise missiles, destroying 11 targets and killing no civilians. He also said that Russian planes continued to carry out airstrikes Wednesday.
The naval strikes on Wednesday were the first known operational use of state-of-the-art SSN-30A Kalibr cruise missiles, which were still being tested by the Russian navy in August.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the strikes spoke to the professionalism of Russia’s revamped army.
“We know how difficult it is to carry out this kind of anti-terrorist operation,” Putin told Shoigu. “Of course, it is early to draw conclusions. But what has been done so far deserves a highly positive assessment.”
The strikes came as Syrian troops backed by Russian air power launched their first major ground offensive since Moscow began its intervention in the conflict Sept. 30.
News reports and video of fighting uploaded to the Internet on Wednesday showed that the Syrian army was moving from the city of Hama toward Idlib, a stronghold held by a coalition of mostly Islamist rebels.
While the Kremlin’s stated aim in the conflict is to fight the Islamic State in Syria, the United States and its allies say Russia is concentrating its firepower against other rebel groups to prevent Assad from being overrun. One video on Wednesday appeared to show the Free Syrian Army, a moderate force backed by the West, firing anti*tank missiles at government troops advancing with Russian air support.
“Russia is targeting civilians and the Free Syrian Army brigades that are supported by America. They are not targeting the Islamic State as they claimed,” said Raed Fares, a Syrian activist in Idlib. “Russia is here to keep Assad in power, so they will strike what Assad strikes.”
In televised remarks on Wednesday, Putin encouraged the Free Syrian Army to join an alliance with Assad’s troops against the Islamic State. At the same time, he belittled the influence of moderate rebels on the conflict.
“True, we don’t currently know where it is and who is leading it,” Putin said of the Free Syrian Army.
Russian news reports Wednesday said Syrian forces launched a heavy artillery bombardment and were moving toward Idlib, but they added that it was not yet clear how far the Syrian troops had advanced.
The news reports also said Syrian troops used advanced rocket-launch systems similar to the ones that Western officials say Moscow shipped to Syria last week.
In a video posted to YouTube from the town of Kafranboudah, in the western part of the Hama countryside, a Syrian rebel commander said government forces* began shelling his unit’s position on the front line early Wednesday. Kafranboudah is about 16 miles east of Latakia province, a Syrian regime stronghold. More than a dozen rebel groups formed a coalition to oust government forces* from Hama in August.
Regime soldiers on Wednesday stormed the town from three sides with Russian air support, the rebel commander said, and the fighting has extended nearly 20 miles southeast to the town of Maan. He did not say whether his fighters suffered any losses* but said Syrian rebels destroyed at least four regime tanks with anti*tank missiles.
The West, which has launched more than 7,000 airstrikes against the Islamic State in the past year, has bristled at Moscow’s military build*up in Syria. Russia has deployed surface-to-air missiles, fighter jets and radar-jamming equipment that officials say is meant to interfere with Western forces.
On Tuesday, U.S. and Russian officials tentatively agreed to resume talks on how to coordinate in the skies over Syria. Turkey, a NATO member that shares a border with Syria, has already accused Russia of violating its airspace.
In Rome, Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter did not respond directly when asked by reporters about the Russian military’s apparent support for the Syrian government’s ground offensive.
But the Pentagon chief for the first time ruled out any cooperation with Moscow in the fight against the Islamic State, saying that Russia’s strategy was clearly just to support Assad and his government.
“We believe Russia has the wrong strategy. They continue to hit targets that are not ISIL. This is a fundamental mistake,” Carter said, using one of the acronyms for the Islamic State.
In the past, the Obama administration has publicly held out hope — however faint — that Moscow might cooperate in the military campaign against the Islamic State.
In his most hard-line comments to date about Russia, Carter rejected the possibility of teaming up with the Russians in that regard. He said the Pentagon still wanted to talk with Moscow about finding ways to manage the crowded airspace above Syria and avoid any hostile or inadvertent encounters. “That’s it,” he said flatly.
There have been no reported close encounters or unsafe incidents involving U.S. and Russian warplanes so far in Syria, according to a senior U.S. defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military operations.
Russian aircraft have “come closer” to U.S. drones on at least one occasion, the official said, but it was not a dangerous incident.
“Certainly they are in similar battle space, so they see each other and they are aware of each other,” the official said of Russian and U.S. warplanes.
Pentagon officials have said the Russian intervention in Syria has not forced the U.S. military or its coalition partners to alter the rate or location of their surveillance missions and airstrikes against the Islamic State.
The two sides have jousted in recent days over the conditions for holding another round of talks. Washington wants to limit the discussion to technical factors about aviation safety, while Moscow has said it wants a broader conversation about possibly coordinating military operations — something the Pentagon steadfastly opposes.
The senior U.S. defense official said the Pentagon drafted a document last week for the Russians that lays out “basic rules of flight conduct,” such as what language and radio frequencies pilots would use in a hostile or inadvertent encounter.
The Russians have not responded to any of the particulars, the official said.
According to Radio Free Europe, there has been a surprise attack by Russia against targets in Syria, using sea-launched cruise missiles.
The Russian Minister of Defence, Sergei Shoigu, described the incident while speaking in Moscow on October the 7th during a televised meeting with President Vladimir Putin. He said that four boats of the Caspian Flotilla, launched 26 cruise missiles against targets in western Syria, that the missiles all hit their targets and that the mission was successful.
This the first time Russia has launched cruise missiles from a warship platform against land targets in combat.
...
According to the available information, the frigate Dagestan, the corvettes Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliki Ustyug are equipped with 2 × 4 UKSK Vertical Launch System cells for eight 3M-14T “Kalibr” missiles (NATO: SS-N-30A).
This was only a matter of time, and we should realize that they just started down a path we first travelled in our first combat use of land attack cruise missiles; 1991.
From yesterday - this should look familiar.
The SS-N-30A is, in many ways, a superior weapon - and more flexible weapon - than our TLAM. This should not be shocking. We have been complacently living off the hard work of the 1970s for awhile.
This actions by the Russians is significant, but in this way. We were hesitant in using our TLAM, but when we finally did, we became rather fond of it.
The Russians have broken the seal on its use, and I think they will like it. Why not? For the last quarter century the USN has set a global norm on the use of this one-way armed drone. We have no room at all to argue against it use. None.
Expect more use from Russia of this weapon. They will get an inventory of hundreds to thousands. Western Europe, when it is through converting their churches in to mosques, will have to ponder this capability.
Russia is inching closer to the deployment of a new missile that can target all of Europe with nuclear or conventional warheads, according to defense officials.
The new missile, the SS(sic)N-30A, with Russian President Vladimir Putin behind the wheel, has allowed Moscow to reemerge as an existential security threat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter warned Thursday.
...
The new naval missile, nicknamed the "Kalibr" missile, can be fired with both nuclear and conventional warheads and can put most of Europe in it's cross-hairs when fired from a naval ship in the Black Sea, Pentagon officials stated, noting that the long range version of the missile can reach targets between 620 and 923 miles
The new supersonic missile is capable of being used to strike targets both at sea and on land.
“This system is about ready to be deployed,” said one official who voiced concerns for U.S. interests and those of allies in Europe. “It allows the Russians to cover most of Europe from the Black Sea on naval vessels.
...
Mark Schneider, a former Pentagon nuclear strategy expert, said the Kalibr is a capable, supersonic, very accurate nuclear and conventional missile.
The missile is expected to see “a very widespread deployment” on both submarines and surface ships, including the new type 885 Yasen class submarine, older submarines and cruisers, and newer models of destroyers.
That's right Shipmate; roughly six weeks.
From a professional point of view, we should give a nice clap to our Russian Navy counterparts on their first operational use of their Kalibr family of impressive cruise missiles in such a short turnaround.
Huge PR, PSYOPS, INFO OPS act - and a great demonstration of the utility of projecting power at sea.
They learned from us well.
Firing over the Caspian Sea was genius. Out of left field - with a flight path over Iran, Iraq, and Kurdistan before doing the good work in Syria killing Islamic radicals. Strong horse.
Via Sam - let's see what the Kurdish Peshmerga saw ... watch the whole thing.
The Russian Caspian Sea Flotilla has two new Gepard-class frigates, Tatarstan and Dagestan, six Buyan-class corvettes (Project 21631), Astrakhan, Volgodonsk, Mahachkala, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, Veliki Ustyug, three Buyan M-class corvettes, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich, Veliky Ustyug and one Tarantul-class corvette, the MAK-160.
I would refer you to the post here earlier this week. Specifically Dmirty Gorenburg's point;
As for the conventional naval force, the Russian Navy has decided (quite rationally) to focus on rebuilding its coastal defense mission first and foremost. It is building a fair number of highly capable smaller ships in the current rearmament program (i.e. through 2020) that will allow it to fully carry out this mission.
...
So rather than facing imminent collapse, the Russian Navy is going to continue to grow, but primarily with smaller ships coming in the short term, and larger ships entering the fleet no earlier than eight to ten years from now. What’s more, the new small ships will be well-armed, carrying the latest Oniks anti-ship missiles and Kalibr multi-purpose missiles, both of which can both be fired through universal vertical launch systems.
Let's look at those ships. Ton by ton ... that is an impressive amount of tactical, operational, and strategic effects:
Length: 335.1 ft
Displacement: 1,930 tons full load.
Range: 4,000NM @ 10kts
Weapons:
8 × Kh-35 Anti-Ship missiles (two quadruple launchers) or 8 × Kaliber NK ASM (Dagestan)
1 × Osa-M surface-to-air missile system (one twin launcher, 20 SA-N-4 Gecko missiles)
1 × 76.2 mm 59-caliber AK–176 automatic dual-purpose gun (500-round magazine)
2 × 6-barreled 30 mm AK-630 point-defense guns (2,000-round magazine for each)
4 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (two twin launchers)
1 × RBU-6000 12-barreled Anti-Submarine rocket launcher
12–20 mines
This class, mostly aimed at the export market, was originally laid down in the early 90s, though finally completed much later. A few for Russia, and the balance to Vietnam.
Look at her condition ... and at the 00:30 mark ... I have that clock.
A more modern ship first laid down a decade after the Gepard class.
Length: 246 ft
Displacement: 949 tons full load.
Range: 2,300NM @ 12kts
Weapons: 1 × 100 mm A-190 [3]
2 × 30 mm AK-630 (AK-630-M2 in 21631)
1 × 40 retractable A-215 "Grad-M" (only 21630)
2 × 4 UKSK VLS cells for 3M-54 Klub (SS-N-27) (only 21631)
1 × 4 3M-47 Gibka (Igla-1M) (2 × 4 in 21631)
1 × DP-65 anti-saboteur grenade launcher
2 × 14.5 mm
3 × 7.62 mm (only 21631)
If you are keeping score, that is 27% the displacement of the LCS-1 Class.
So, there you go. Well played Russia. Well played. A little "how do you like those apples" moment via the Russian Navy, again from the Caspian Sea Flotilla, if you will pardon the pun - a relative backwater that was last on most people's radar when it had this;
Ok..........what do we think of all this??? From what I can tell, not sure the only thing the Russians are hitting is the supposed American backed Assad opposition. Not sure if they are hitting ISIS as well. The only thing I do know is they are taking a stand at propping up Assad........why now? The obvious problem to me was Assad needed to go but the power vacuum and boots on the ground for security was a lemon of a deal.
Russia obviously rather just prop up their puppet..........if Assad was to meet his demise sooner rather than later this could get really interesting.
Russia breaching NATO air space is also troubling to say the least. Needless to say it is getting crowded there with all the players involved.
I am just thinking out loud here so if I am off base well......then I am just wrong or haven't investigated all the players well enough.
If Putin brings in a very large ground force then I feel everything goes back to the 80's again.
What will make me get very nervous is if he does bring in a large ground force, Hezbollah launches a major offensive against Israel and Putin escalates the incursion into Ukraine.
I see all this Putin support from facebook types and the comments about he his the man just make me feel like I am in the twilight zone.
The map I posted above would seem to indicate the Russians are only making token strikes on ISIS, nothing at all serious. On the other hand most of their attacks have been aimed at front line areas between the Assad regime and rebel forces.
As to the "why" and "when"... Your guess is as good as mine.
Like you said Assad has been a Russian puppet for a while and the Russians do like their ports in Tartus and Latakia. They also recently (before all of this fun kicked off) began refurbing the ports. Perhaps Assad's position of power was becoming too tenuous and the Russians decided now is the time to step in to ensure he remains in power. Perhaps the Russians knew there was some American move planned and decided to preempt us. The presence of ISIS probably just gave them a plausible reason to act. I'm not sure...
As to a ground force. I'd say it is definitely possible if they don't see air and sea power accomplishing what they want or, to act as a tripwire if we step up our actions in an effort to deter us.
I don't think, though I could be wrong, that there's much more Russia is going to do in Ukraine. Ukraine's largely been neutralized and since they aren't a NATO partner I doubt we'll step in to do anything, especially this late in the game. Russia can afford to just wait them out and/or wear them down at this point.
Looks like a close call between a couple of our F-16s out of Turkey and Russian jets. US pilots now have orders to divert away from Russian jets if they close to within 20nm.
Also looks like the Russians secretly taped the talks over Syria between the US and Russia and posted them to YouTube.
Re: Syria
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