Open Thread.

 Turned out to be busier than expected. Go at it. 

"Peace Deal" Soap Opera.

Russian Baltic Fleet alone can devastate all NATO fleets in Baltic. But then, of course, explaining that there is now revived Leningrad Military District in play. Not gonna be pretty. 

For Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth a reminder from late Senator Fulbright: "It is simply not necessary for us to go around, forever proclaiming: ‘I am the greatest!’ The more one does this sort of thing, in fact, the more people doubt it." (c) Yep. Eat the humble pie and accept the fact that the US military is not what it thinks it is. 

Of Course, The Music Must Fit.

 Some insights into 404's power (lack of) generation. 

This is the result, among others, like a slaughter of 404's male population at the front, of the soap opera which is in the progress in Geneva. 

GENEVA, Feb 17 — RIA Novosti. The first day of negotiations on the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine ended in Geneva. According to the source, they were bilateral and trilateral in nature and were very tense. In total, the meeting lasted six hours and was held in Russian and English behind closed doors to the press. It was reported that it would discuss the key parameters of the settlement - military, political and humanitarian. Secretary National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov claimed that Kiev will raise the issue of an energy truce.

For those who still think that Russians are naive and do not see through US kindergarten level "strategy", I cannot help you. It all reminds of a favorite New Year theatrical play for kids in Russia in every club in every city and village, where some ruffian (often Baba Yaga) kidnaps Snegurochka and Ded Moroz begins to look for Snegurochka and cannot find her, while in reality Snegurochka is behind the Christmas Tree on stage and kids, the whole audience of them, begin to scream at Ded Moroz trying to help him find his kidnapped Snegurochka. But, of course, the plot is always the same--Ded Moroz is played by an actor and he knows damn well where Snegurochka is.

Of course, the scene of "rehabilitation" from Idiocracy comes to mind.

Don't live in Idiocracy))

Ian Proud and Yours Truly ...

 ... today. 

LOL. Yes, Warning My Ass.

Before that--the author of this drivel. 

He is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer and Distinguished Military Graduate with five years of military experience. Brent has earned a PhD in Political Science/ Public Policy, an MA in Political Science/ International Relations, an MS in Journalism, and a BA in English. Brent lives with his wife and son in Washington, DC.

In other words he has no idea that sinking decommissioned ships for training is as old as the artillery in the navies around the world. Today you add missiles, torpedoes, what have you. 

SINKEX: Why the U.S. Navy Sinks Its Own Warships as a Warning to Russia and China.

I have news for Mr. Brent M. Eastwood--with such background as his:

It will be nearly impossible to explain to him why Russians are not impressed. I assume he can handle basic tables in Excel where he should put ranges and velocities of missiles, torpedoes and AD capabilities of two respective navies and maybe he will get the message. I doubt, though. Especially difficult to do so against the background of the US losing the arms race by a knockout. What's left is coping. But then again--he should know basics, forget about in depth.

I doubt he has a tool kit to grasp it. So, cope harder. 

Wrong Term ...

 ... "shelved" is not the applicable term. More like removed into the deep recesses of archives of naval curiosities, never to be shown to public again in order to avoid embarrassment. I always stress--it is sometimes even painful for me seeing mighty US Navy, with its glorious heroic history, becoming a butt of jokes around the world, and not only because of the obsolete carrier-centric concept, but this:

The US Navy’s Trump-class battleship will be 'quietly shelved'. Summary and Key Points: The proposed Trump-class “guided-missile battleship” (BBG(X)) is pitched as a revival of American sea power, but the concept clashes with how modern naval war is actually fought. The platform is missile-centric—more like a bloated destroyer than a true battleship—while remaining highly vulnerable to submarines, long-range missiles, and ISR-driven targeting. Exotic add-ons like railguns and shipborne lasers are power-hungry and still unreliable at sea, while bigger hulls simply create bigger, pricier targets. Worse, U.S. shipyards are already strained, meaning BBG(X) would likely crowd out submarines and logistics ships that matter more in a China fight.

Child-emperor loves expensive shiny toys and he doesn't care, nor can grasp modern warfare, naval or not.

This is the thing which many US generals (and Admirals) still cannot grasp--the opposite side has as good ISR as the US. ISR means targeting and firing solutions, after that--all bets are off. Salvo Model rules and real serious militaries plan and fight based on model, some of them being in the process of constant update and modifications, 24/7 literally. This is how Russian General Staff operates, its GOU--Main Operational Directorate. Same goes for Main Staff of the Russian Navy. And the author correctly states, when it comes to China and her PLAN--the US Navy has only one avenue to pursue--submarine forces which still (emphasis on "still") maintains a sizeable, generational, lead over PLAN's submarine force. In terms of surface fleet--US Navy's readiness is a huge question mark. But in the end, it is not just arithmetic of MK41 VLS, it is what is in those VLS which makes all the difference.   

Some Tactical Visuals ...

... from liberated Tsvetkovo in Zaporozhe. Courtesy of 218th Tank Regiments of Russian Army.