Everything Is Driven ...

 ... by PR by people with zero understanding of the tactical-technical and operational realities of modern warfare. So, they lament and come up with BS. 

Australia’s controversial decision to transfer 49 retired M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to Ukraine remains a source of contention among Western allies. That’s because the performance of those older Australian tanks has highlighted the weaknesses of MBTs in modern combat more generally, and, specifically, has shown that the vaunted Abrams MBT might not be the king of battle any longer.

Two points:

1. MBT is "weakened" in NATO (US) only whose staff structures do not understand that 404 poured Niagara of military BS into their ears, which tells you about a very low intellectual level of those staffers who missed the whole point that if anything else MBTs resurrected themselves as a critical element of modern battlefield and Russian tanks can take punishment no NATO tank can. But then again--NATO was building its fighting doctrine based on fairy tales from defeated Wehrmacht generals. I already elaborated on this matter here. 

2. Abrams IS vaunted, much talked up. It is not a good tank(c) per Colonel Macgregor who commanded a regiment of those. There is very little military (combat) value in blowing away backward monkey model (basic ballistic computer and basic optics) Iraqi T-72As and totally another meeting something like T-72B3 let alone T-90V Proryv which are fully netcentric systems with excellent optronic suite, comms and most importantly great gun and ability to launch ATGMs through it. 

So, it all comes down to PR and carefully constructed US military mythology which has very little if anything to do with the reality--only with this: 

Michael Bay has been tapped to direct a movie centered around Operation Epic Fury at Universal Pictures, the studio confirmed Wednesday. The untitled film tells the true story of a massive rescue effort to save two pilots downed during the April 2026 attacks in Iran. The film adapts a book from Mitchell Zuckoff coming in 2027 from Harper Collins.

Well, you get my drift, right? 

Nima and Me...

 ... live in 45 minutes. 

Yet Another Reminder ...

 ... for consumers of Hollywood version of war and owners of the movie Patton DVD. Pentagon doesn't have experience with this whatsoever, the US excels at killing civilians. Here is Lavrov on the issue, again: 

MOSCOW, May 20 - RIA Novosti. During a special military operation, Russia does not want to cause excessive damage to the territories where Russian people live, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "We are consistently solving the tasks of the special military operation. President Russia Vladimir Putin I have repeatedly said that we do not use the means that we could use, because we do not want to cause excessive damage to the territories where, by and large, our people live, whom the Nazis are trying to suppress," he said Lavrov in Interview Shanghai Media Group SMG. He noted that about 80 settlements were liberated in 2026, including 35 in March and April.

Let me remind you again--NO US serviceman ever fought in modern times in defense of own country and experienced the loss of everything dear to him (her)--loved ones, property et al. This war factor is absent from American military psyche and culture. That is why US "elites" view cautious approach in SMO and Russia' openness to negotiations as a weakness not an attempt to avoid inflicting unnecessary suffering. That is why German so called "historians" love so much fairy tales about Red Army "raping" millions upon millions German women based on a data on abortions from a single Berlin hospital--much of it unreliable--it is an attempt to cover up atrocities and crimes against humanity of the European Third Reich. That is why many want to believe delirious delusions about millions of Red Army soldiers "executed by NKVD"--anything to cover an ugly mug of a civilization which continues to murder all around the world. 

I want to remind you again--Russian drone. 

Things like that happen every day in former 404. Enough to say that initially this video was stolen and presented by ... VSU and their NATO handlers as 404 drone saving Ukie family--honor, humanity, consciousness do not exist in the West and their convulsing bloody Nazi regime in Kiev. 

The Fate of Il-96-400.

Vladimir Putin departing Beijing on President's Il-96-300 and when you look at the Il-96-300 you cannot fail to notice the elegance, if not outright beauty, of this plane. No, this is not Russian rah-rah. I, for once, consider B-747-400 to be one of the most beautiful aircraft in history, but Il-96-300 is an aerodynamic porn. 

Russia does have a very dynamic program for PD-26 (PD-35) engine which theoretically could serve as a substitution for a couple of reliable and still modern PS-90-As on each wing (or rather consoles--planes have only one wing and two consoles). As Andrei Tupolev famously noted--only beautiful aircraft fly well(c). Il-96-300 (400) is this beautiful aircraft, ironically from a rival of Tupolev's own design bureau. I personally love Ilyushin (and later Genrikh Novozhilov's) magnificent machines. I always felt safe in them, and comfortable. 

A few of them still fly. But they are a dying breed, Il-96? Is re-motorising possible for Il-96. For once, the wing will have to redesigned dramatically--one massive engine instead of two large ones. That immediately affects fuselage--loading everywhere changes. I can tell you one thing though, these four engine monsters will continue to fly, including its latest iteration--Il-96-400M. 

And what I want to say here--FUCK you, airlines, and your "bottom line" and profit margins. Despite all this talk about increased reliability--and it is true to a large degree--of the modern jet engines which pushed on us two-engine design of modern commercial aircraft, but ... 

... these are four engines which give these aircraft their unique and beautiful look. And yes, all professionals agree--four engines even today are better in terms of safety than two. My heart ached when they rolled out the last B-747 from a gigantic facility in Everett. 

No Uncertain Terms.

Rick, it was Zelenograd. Scott gives a very good rundown and yes, China is aware of all proceedings. Rumor has it--there are China's military people who are embedded with Russian MoD. 

Spirit of Beijing ...

 ... and 87% of British military delusion. 

A Short But A Very ...

... good graphics on global balance of power through Iran War scam by the US and Israel. 

Semantics.

Recall Orwell, newspeak--it is all about neurolinguistic programming. The removal or obscuring the meaning. 

"He slammed", "she scorched", "they annihilated" and on, and on, and on. This is how not only herpes of American legacy journalism talks using aggressive militant rethoric, this is how US top brass expresses itself. It is a pathetic attempt at hiding own impotency and failure. Remarkably, real military professionals in Russia continue to express themselves even at the highest political level in dry, precise military terms. If misunderstood--they will give you a precise definition, a meaning that is, of the terms they use. Here Commander of CENTCOM Admiral Brad Cooper is being brought back to reality in purely linguistic terms. 

The Visit Has Officially ...

 ... begun. Now to real work. 

Let Me Tell You ...

 ... immediately comes to mind ... Chicago, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191. DC-10. Now ... same type of plane MD-11, exactly same horror--losing engine at the take-off. 

The reasons for two crashes are different of course, in case of AA Flight 191 all possible instructions during servicing and reattaching left engine have been violated, including forced tightening of the the bolt. Here--metal fatigue. 

Sulaiman Ahmed and Me.

 Live now. 

Financial Times ...

 ... is a human sewer, because normal people do not work there. They do not work in media in general--human waste does. 

President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump during their high-level summit last week that Russian President Vladimir Putin may ultimately end up regretting his full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The revelation, first reported by the Financial Times citing officials familiar with the US assessment of the Beijing summit, comes at a delicate diplomatic moment. The information surfaced just as Putin is about to arrive in China for a critical bilateral summit with Xi.

But then ...

Well, from the boss' mouth, verbatim. Real boss meanwhile ...

For simpletons who believe that Putin's visit is somehow related to Trump's--I have a bridge to sell. This visit has been in preparation for a long time and 40+ contracts are to be signed and communique to be issued including declaration of the fait accompli of multipolar world. In related news, Boeing confirmed contract for 200 aircraft, primarily B-737 with the option of additional 750. It will be interesting to see what will be agreed upon between China and Russia in this sector. 

A Warning To One "User" ...

 ... he knows who he is, recently (a few days back) he brought in another pile of bovine Neural Network (AI) excrement from 404 propaganda creep Mylovanov about Ryazan. This was from this "source". Here is an example of the quality of these "sources" (all of them under the supervision and control of GUR, SBU, MI6 and CIA). Sappy sentimental bullshit they feed 404 and West's hoi polloi. 

Translation: 12 year old Ukrainian boy saved his brothers and sisters, doing what many soldiers cannot do under pressure. Anatoly Prohorenko grabbed fiberoptic cable, directly connected to Russia (yes, it was directly connected to Putin's office in Kremlin) and stopped the drone seconds before it struck children playing not far from his house.  

There will be many imbeciles who will swallow this hook, line and sinker and you cannot help them, but I will start banning people who continue to bring this shit to this forum from all kinds of infosewers and propaganda outlets like this. Coming soon to a forum near you--11 years old girl from Kiev stopped Oreshnik seconds from it hitting her brothers and sisters playing near her home. The girl is in stable conditions in hospital, recovering from this ordeal. Well, in related news--404 drones destroyed Russian industry (all of it), Moscow is in ruins and Putin is ready to escape and hide in China. In all, if anyone wants to consume infogarbage, be my guest but not in this blog. 

The Best Version Of ...

 ... Erika, with a major purely instrumental segment. I mean it. It is great march and this version is the best. 

Now that I have your attention with this tender sentimental German music piece about the girl, flowers and bees--introduction to FOBS. That is Fractional Orbital Bombardment System. As you might expect, Russians had something to do with it, like in inventing it. Here is some historic background: 

Soviet interest in global or orbital attack options appeared early in the space age. The same rocket progress that made human spaceflight possible also made military planners think about routes that bypassed existing warning networks. By the early 1960s, Soviet design bureaus were studying systems that could exploit orbital mechanics for nuclear delivery. Sergei Korolev pursued the GR-1 concept, while other design teams advanced rival ideas. The system that moved toward deployment came from Mikhail Yangel ’s design bureau as the R-36O, also known by its GRAU designation 8K69. American intelligence tracked these efforts with rising concern. Declassified intelligence estimates from the 1960s tied Soviet tests to either a fractional orbital bombardment system, a depressed-trajectory ICBM, or both. Those estimates reflect a period when the United States still faced real uncertainty about Soviet technical direction. That uncertainty mattered in itself. A weapon that complicates warning can alter decisions even before it reaches maturity, because military planning has to account for possibility as well as established fact. 

So, I merely use available (and good) information here and here is a very decent explanation of what FOBS is. 

A useful definition has to separate FOBS from three related categories that are often mixed together. The first is the ordinary ICBM. An ICBM does not go into orbit. It climbs, coasts on a ballistic trajectory through space, then reenters. The second is a true orbital bombardment system, which would place a nuclear weapon into full orbit and potentially keep it there until commanded to attack. The third is the modern pairing of an orbital or near-orbital booster with a hypersonic glide vehicle . That pairing can look FOBS-like from the outside, yet the operational logic is not identical. The Soviet system sat between the first two categories. It used orbital flight as a partial path, but not a standing bomb-in-orbit posture.

Correct for highlighted in yellow. I also omit here any legal points because the US abrogated pretty much every single arms control treaty, so it is irrelevant for the Russian (and ONLY in the world) variant of FOBS. Enter RS-28 Sarmat, it is a 200 ton monster with a payload of 10 tons with Power-to-equipment ratio (энерговооруженность), aka PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) without rivals in nuclear delivery systems. 

In missile engineering, the power-to-equipment ratio refers to the relationship between the available propulsion power (thrust, specific impulse, or energy output) and the total mass of the missile’s propulsion system and other equipment. It is a key performance metric that influences range, speed, payload capacity, and overall mission effectiveness. 

There is no contest, Sarmat is a FOBS system and it can deliver the payload to ranges unheard of before--35,000 + kilometers. Here is illustration from WiKi:

It launches in any direction it wants and inserts up to ten Yu-71(74) Avangards into suborbital path, after that you know the story. Mach=27, violent maneuvers et al. And it is always cute how Early Warning Systems (radar and sats) are presented in graphics as if somehow they make a difference--they don't, because there is nothing out there capable of real intercepts of hypersonic systems of any kind anywhere in the West. In other words, FOBS doesn't even need to fly around the world and attack from the "behind" of early warning installation most of which are directed at the North Pole. It can fly towards them and they literally are useless in any role other than the tripwire. Kinetically the US, let alone Europe, are simply defenseless. No professional will take mentioning of GBI (Ground Based Interceptors) in such conversation seriously. They also are useless. Hey, don't blame Russians--they wanted to preserve ABM Treaty, but some neocons with degrees in political "science" thought that Russia is backward. Well ... 

As you might expect, there is a whole lotta coping going on in the Western media. Vladimir Putin was dead wrong in 2018 when he stated that the West (well, US) is 5-7 years behind Russia in hypersonic weapons and anti-hypersonic defense. Looks today more like 15-17 years, at best, in hypersonic weapons. In terms of something equaling S-500 (550), S-300V4 and A-325--maybe 20-25, if ever. After SMO and Iran, the US air and anti-missile defense cannot be taken seriously, especially in matters involving latest generations of intercontinental delivery systems with the US still deploying 1970s, granted updated, technology of Minuteman-III and 1980s technology of Trident II-D5. And that brings us to this:

Mozyr’s cancellation in 1991 was a victim of Soviet collapse, not failure of technology. Some histories claim that work was suspended to prevent triggering U.S. withdrawal from the 1972 ABM Treaty a treaty which, as subsequent analysis reveals, limited deployment of systems that could defend ICBM fields. The United States investigated an analogous concept, “Swarmjet,” for its MX missile silos, employing thousands of unguided rockets, but it did not get beyond design studies.

What is Mozyr? Here:

Modern computational capabilities brought this system back and Sarmats' silos will be defended, apart from their hardened reinforced design, by this system starting this year. Mozyr creates an impenetrable projectile field at the elevation of the 6 kilometers which disables any MIRV. If MIRV detonates at this elevation it represents no danger to silos' functionality. Remember this BS about some super-duper "trigger" for MIRVs of Trident II D5? It was a desperate attempt to somehow detonate MIRVs at least closer to the target (silo) because of the low yield and very bad accuracy of Trident's MIRVs when launched on suppressed trajectories for faster delivery. Basic physics.

The CEP (Circular Error Probable) in this mode increases to many hundreds of meters as opposed claimed for Trident II D5 as 100 meters. FYI--Avangard's CEP is ... 10 meters. When I say that the United States lost the arms race--I mean it, it is not a hyperbole. Then, of course, consider the fact that the Avangard FOBS flies around the world at will, while the range of Trident II D5 is 11,500 km. 

Now, you may ask, especially after listening to fairy tales by some MIT professor, and how can Russians control Avangards during flight, especially when it flies around the world. Well, for those who still believe that Russian Early warning System is blind--a reminder. Russia operates a constellation (currently 6 satellites) of Kupol Early Warning System which flies at Tundra Orbits with a very long so called dwelling period. 

There are always multispectral satellites looking down at the Earth from the apogee of 36,000 kilometers. But those are not just Early Warning satellites for Russia's SPRN, Kupol controls Russia's nuclear forces providing constant communications for any element of Russia's strategic nuclear forces. As you may have already surmised, this also includes Avangards which are fully controlled no matter trajectory. In other words, this is the most advanced system of the strategic containment in history. Now back to my favorite version of Erika. 

Sydney Sweeney Argument ...

 ... REAL summit starts tomorrow. 

An Interesting Bit.

Make no mistake, lowlives exist everywhere--in the US, Russia, Europe, China et al, but khohol lowlife is a special case. 

Now this scumbag laments: 

Lytvynchuk’s attorney, Myles Breiner, has publicly defended his client. “I want to be resoundingly clear to the public — he never intended to injure the monk seal,” Breiner told KHON-TV. Breiner said Lytvynchuk believed he was trying to protect sea turtles that were resting on rocks near the shoreline. “He wanted to scare the seal away from the honu he saw there,” Breiner said. “Apparently, there were two large turtles and one had already been knocked off the rock by the seal.” According to Breiner, Lytvynchuk was unaware that Hawaiian monk seals are endangered and was influenced by previous experiences with aggressive sea lions while fishing in Washington state. “Sea lions are very aggressive,” Breiner said. “They’ll take your bait, they’ll take your fish — that’s been his experience.” Asked in a separate interview if Lytvynchuk was apologetic, Breiner told Hawaii News Now, “absolutely, no, he’s devastated at the notion that people thought he wanted to injure the seal.”

Ah yes, the art of lawyering (a euphemism for BS), he didn't seem devastated when he told people that they can do nothing about him because he is rich. Doesn't sound to me like a valiant, environmentally-friendly attempt to save poor turtles. 

Something Positive ...

 ... to close off the weekend. 

And people correctly noted the phrase "Family is a good way to start"--that could be an awesome corporate logo. Agree, and this is not just nostalgia, it is much more than that.

Face-palm.

 Ah, yes, Robert Gates, big honcho. 

Yet, this former CIA Director and SecDef who prides himself in "working on USSR and Russia" for decades still cannot grasp simple geopolitical truths and delivers this pile of a bovine excrement as his conclusions. 

"I'm not sure even in a face to face that you can judge Putin's intention," said Gates, who served as defense secretary under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. "My own view, having dealt with him and having spent most of my life working on Russia and the Soviet Union, is Putin feels that he has a destiny to recreate the Russian Empire. And as my old mentor, Zbigniew Brzezinski once said, without Ukraine, there can be no Russian Empire." 

Not surprising for a guy whose mentor was possessed Polish political pseudo-science Ph.D. who lived on hatred of Russia and Russians and, as his "forecasts" demonstrated was nothing but a hack. Gates' knowledge and grasp of Russia is minimal, based around same sources of fringe Russian so called "liberals" who in 1990s and 2000s still have been in positions of power and influence. The intellectual and expertise collapse of the American "elites" is complete. Robert Gates just proved it. Are you surprised that we all find the US in the present state of a complete disarray? It was inevitable ...  

Randy Credico on Friday.

Did interview with Scott Ritter, Andrei Martyanov, Sevim Dagdelen & Garland Nixon.

Zelenograd Yesterday.

 This is a classic leaker. 

Here is Zelenograd on the map. 

In reality it is more than 30 kilometers from the center of Moscow, more like 35-36 kilometers. As you can see yourself--this is the only modus operandi of NATO (because all of this is supplied by NATO) and it is pure terrorism--attacks on civilian targets, many of them apartment blocks. Well, for those emotional and immature types who demand immediately some "action" I want to stress--lucky for you you are not in any decision-making circuit. Having said that, I want to stress words by Dmitry Polyansky from his yesterday's interview to Daniel Davis. It is about European population which soon wake up to a new European reality. 

I am not going to delve deep into the operational peculiarities of what is coming and decision, highly likely, was already made, but there are ways, as I stated yesterday, to finish off France's nuclear deterrent without it being able to launch. After that France will be reduced to a drab poor poodle with no real military capabilities and that may coincide with strikes on whatever remains of Germany's military industry. No nukes will be used. Some people say that Kiev must go. Certainly possible, but in general--Europe as it exists today will go too. This is for those morons who watched too many movies and read to much hack BS by Tom Clancy. I post it here again:

An obsessive desire that in recent years has already broken through to the slogan to inflict a "strategic defeat" on Russia, reflecting a long-term, centuries-old strategy, as it now turns out. At some point in our history, after the creation of the UN, the OSCE and the disappearance of the Soviet Union, the prospects for coexistence and even cooperation with the West seemed very realistic to us. All this has gone into oblivion. Open war has been declared on us. For this, the Kyiv regime is used as a "tip". But everyone knows that this "tip" is helpless without material filling with Western weapons, intelligence, satellite systems, assistance in the training of military personnel and much more - everyone knows this. The Kiev regime and the Ukrainian state are openly being used as a geopolitical battering ram. Here some outspoken guys, I think, in the Belgian General Staff, publicly stated that they were preparing for a war with Russia, that Ukraine was helping them buy time. As they say, much more frankly.

This is Lavrov three weeks ago. Russia's diplomats, intel community, military are much more professional than their West's counterparts and they are very precise in definitions and meanings. When Russian diplomacy's top echelon--Lavrov, Ryabkov, Polyansky, Zakharova et al begin to speak in these terms that means only one thing--the decision has been made. Who will be first--that remains to be seen, many juicy and prestigious targets.  Anybody who thinks that the US will engage--I have news for them, or rather the question--with what? Does the US want to go nuclear? It is not about exchanging Chicago for St. Petersburg--this paradigm is long gone. It is more about if both US seaboards (hence my tireless work in trying to warn about realities--I live on the beautiful Pacific shore and I want the US to survive, vested interest, you see) survive at all. 

In related news, US self-proclaimed "expert" (who completely discredited and paraded himself as a hack with the "destruction"  of Rostov-on-Don SSK, which is fine and is in the first line service with Black Sea Fleet) H.I. Sutton continues coming to grips with underwater technologies which are beyond the grasp of the US Navy. 

Khabarovsk is an all-in bet on the Poseidon weapon. Her capabilities as a regular attack submarine without this weapon, while still viable, are sorely compromised. Poseidon (2M39, NATO reporting name Kanyon) is a strategic weapon designed to threaten coastal cities and strategic targets. Although much reporting on it is exaggerated or overly speculative, we can determine that operates as a weapon, not a general-purpose drone. Russia also claims that it can be used to attack tactical targets including aircraft carrier battle groups. The longer-term impact of Poseidon has yet to be felt. It has to be taken seriously by NATO navies but has not become the focus or pivot which Russia might have been hoping for.

LOL. He cannot even grasp strategic and operational realities of the Russian Navy, but then again--he is a product of the system (even without knowing his C.V.) which produced no viable military technology in ages and loses all its wars even against subpar opponents. 

So, naturally, he operates within tactical, operational and strategic rut which is in the foundation of a humiliation of the US Navy in and around Strait of Hormuz.  

Europe On the Verge ...

 ... and post visit summary. Taiwan issue. 

Excellent Point, Dmitry.

Unlike all kinds of info shysters and self-proclaimed "advisers", all those Karaganovs, Dugins, Sladkovs and other adventurists who are not allowed anywhere near decision making processes in Russia, Dmitry Polyansky is a bona fide top level Russian diplomat positioned in the middle of the hornets' nest in OSCE and he knows what he is talking about. 

A very good interview. Kudos to Colonel Daniel Davis. 

A Puzzle.

 A very good song for Friday)) No, this is not 1973. 

Scott Elaborates On The Matter ...

 ... as a military professional.

Karaganov is NOT military professional, he is a demagogue who failed to insert himself into any position in the Russian Foreign Ministry and was always in the business of self-promotion and self-proclamation of being "adviser" to whoever was a flavor of the decade. He is not and never was any "adviser" to President Putin and he has no a faintest idea about issues related to Russia's Military Doctrine and the use of nuclear weapons (Foundation of State Policy on Nuclear Containment). In general, he is an incompetent hack who simply uses his position of being born and tied to privileged Soviet families and that's the extent of his "skills". In fact, his statements are the statements of a media attention-seeking whore. He is fake. 

Now, per strikes--all indicators are that Russia will strike Europe. Russia doesn't need to use nukes because she has more than enough conventional means for both destruction of a critical industrial infrastructure involved in support of 404 and, if it comes down to it, decapitating governments of hostile countries. The conditions for the use of nuclear weapons are not met yet. But they are already within the legal vicinity for the possible use. Here they are:

19. The conditions determining the possibility of the Russian Federation using nuclear weapons are:

a) receipt of credible information regarding the launch of ballistic missiles attacking the territory of the Russian Federation and/or its allies;

b) the use by an adversary of nuclear weapons or other types of weapons of mass destruction against the territory of the Russian Federation and/or its allies, or against military formations and/or facilities of the Russian Federation located outside its territory;

c) an adversary’s impact on critical state or military facilities of the Russian Federation, the disablement of which would lead to the disruption of the retaliatory actions of its nuclear forces;

d) aggression against the Russian Federation and/or the Republic of Belarus—as participants in the Union State—involving the use of conventional weapons, which poses a critical threat to their sovereignty and/or territorial integrity;

e) receipt of credible information regarding the mass launch (takeoff) of aerospace attack assets (strategic and tactical aircraft, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, hypersonic and other aircraft) and their crossing of the state border of the Russian Federation.

Other considerations come into play here, but pp. d is "getting there". Karaganov doesn't understand operational let alone technological implications of all that--he simply has no tool kit or background to pass judgement on the matter. But that brings us back to the starting point--Russia has enough conventional means to strike at any facility in Europe and the US IS NOT coming for a simple reason--it has no resources. Demilitarizing NATO was one of the key strategic aims of SMO (once it became clear that the US sabotaged Istanbul talks) and Iran has demonstrated it fully. Who will be hit first? Yeah, I am inclined to see Germany "getting the message"--it is long overdue. 

Since The Issue Came Up ...

 ... here is CENTCOM's Commander Admiral Brad Cooper.  

I am not going to elaborate on CENTCOM's stunning "victory" in Iran, but here is Cooper's bio. 

Admiral Brad Cooper is the proud son of a career Army Officer. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and earned a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University. He studied international relations at Harvard and Tufts Universities. Cooper is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. A career Navy Surface Warfare Officer, he has deployed on ships to every combatant command theater of operation and served a tour on the ground in Afghanistan. His command tours include service in Bahrain as commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, FIFTH Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces; commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic; commander, Expeditionary Strike Group 7 in Okinawa, Japan; and, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Korea in Busan, South Korea. His ship commands include USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Gettysburg (CG 64). Ashore, he most recently served as Deputy Commander, U.S. Central Command. Other leadership tours include service as the Navy Chief of Legislative Affairs and Director, Surface Warfare Officer assignments (Pers-41). He has also served in a variety of executive and military assistant roles in the White House, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Africa Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet headquarters.

OK, that's fine, that's honorable and respectable but here is the Eisenhower's conundrum.  

Ike, actually, did win a huge campaign, he also planned it together with George Marshall, a no small feat against however depleted and weakened Wehrmacht. But what are those awards Admiral Cooper wears? Judging by the massive display of awards he is the equal of Chester Nimitz at least and makes Ike look like an amateur, despite the fact that Ike was bestowed upon in full sincere admiration and respect the awards which Admiral Cooper can only dream about, Ike's name is even enshrined on the Kremlin Wall. One is left wondering what kind of display this is. I will omit commenting on the content of this Admiral's presentation, suffice it to say--it is preposterous. 

About Ben Wallace And ...

 ... "inexpensive hypersonic missiles")) Xi and Trump. 

Judge For Yourself.

This is what the US has become. 

It is ungovernable. 

Nima and Me.

Live in 35 minutes. 

Garland and Me.

 In an hour ten minutes. 

Ben Wallace Is A Wanted Man

 ... this is for those who didn't listen to me.

The Russian Interior Ministry has put Ben Wallace, the former British Defense Minister (2019-2023), on the wanted list. The corresponding card appeared on the department's page.

Just saying. 

Exactly. This Is Called Truism ...

 ... that is the statement which is obviously true and is universally accepted as such. It is present in different iterations across all cultures. As Larry notes: If You Have to Tell People You’re the G.O.A.T., Then You Are Not. Correct. Larry elaborates:

I think most of you reading this post will agree that Donald Trump is an insecure, toxic narcissist, but he posted a flurry of posts on Truth Social on Monday that sealed the deal. This is not normal behavior. For those of you not familiar with current slang, G.O.A.T. stands for Greatest Of All Time.

Here is the complete list of the 12 Truth Social posts (original posts and reposts) made by President Donald J. Trump between 10:24 PM and 10:30 PM ET on May 10, 2026 that triggered me. This was part of a much larger evening posting spree (over 40–55 posts total that night) focused on self-praise, election-related claims, and supporter-generated memes. Most items in this narrow 6-minute window were rapid reposts of flattering content from supporters rather than original long-form text from Trump. Instead of focusing on Americans who are paying soaring prices for gasoline, diesel and food — all a consequence of Trump’s boneheaded, dangerous policy gambits — Trump pretended he was the wicked Queen in Snow White and asked the mirror, Who is the Greatest Of All Time:

Read the whole thing at Larry's blog. And here is GOAT verbatim:

I don't think any comments on his priorities are necessary. 

Gas Station And ...

 ... omega. 

You Do Not Fight ...

... with dollars, you fight with actual capability which US military-industrial-congressional complex is incapable of delivering, period!

It takes way more than bloated military budget--it is a systemic problem which now cannot be resolved within present, utterly corrupt, political and economic system. Simple as that. 

It Doesn't Matter ...

 ... what kind of "Dome", golden, silver or brilliant, will be invented. Nothing can stop it. 

And for those (primarily in the West) who still continue to deny reality, here is some data (again):

MOSCOW, May 12 — RIA Novosti. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Sarmat complex the most powerful in the world, congratulating the Strategic Missile Forces on the successful launch of the latest intercontinental ballistic missile. "The total power of the delivered warhead is more than four times higher than the power of any existing most powerful Western analogue," he said. In addition, the missile can move not only along a ballistic, but also along a suborbital trajectory, and the flight range exceeds 35 thousand kilometers. This makes it possible to overcome all existing and future missile defense systems. The first missile regiment will be put on combat duty by the end of the year.

To understand--this thing can fly around the globe on any trajectory, it also carries up to ten hypersonic maneuvering blocks. Good luck ... 

Open Thread.

Very busy. Go at it. 

Another War ...

 ... lost. IDF is being pulverized. Aren't they, like the US military, the finest, the greatest and the most moral military ever? I am being facetious, of course. 

 

Something Really ...

 ... nice for a change.  

Yep, 100%.

That is exactly what it would have been without Obama's uncle who liberated Auschwitz. 

MOSCOW, May 9 - RIA Novosti. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova responded to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who promised a conversation to Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who chose Victory Day in the Russian Federation instead of Europe Day, noting that there would be no Europe Day without the USSR. Merz said at a press conference that Fico is waiting for a conversation about his visit to the Russian capital on Victory Day. "There would have been no Europe Day without the victory of the Soviet people. There would be one continuous concentration camp with gas chambers," she told RIA Novosti. 

And always remember, these were only Jews who have been exterminated, killing those subhuman Slavs, especially those 17 million primarily Russian, Ukrainian and Belorussian civilians, and millions of Poles with Serbs do not count, because as you all know it was about Jews only/s. 

Meanwhile, Stalingrad (Volgograd) celebrates!!

Do they even know what Mamaev Kurgan is or do they teach them what Rodimtsev Division was in the US military academies. Do not answer ... 

A Reminder ...

 ... no comments are necessary. 

Sure, Let The Acrimony Begin.

 And yes, we all here are morons who cannot see obvious things/s. 

Who really dragged whom into the war with Iran? Did Netanyahu persuade Trump to attack Iran? "That narrative rests on a mistaken assumption." Did the Mossad assess that the regime could be toppled? In fact, it was the US war secretary who believed that more than anyone. Diplomatic and security sources tell Israel Hayom, in an exclusive investigation, what really happened in these decisive meetings. 

Well, it really takes some ass-kicking to expose a degree to which the US is filled with so called "Christian" Zionists and military amateurs whose loyalty is to Israel, not to the US. And no, Zionists: 

Moreover, reports published, among others, in The New York Times and The Washington Post, claiming that Netanyahu had "dragged" Trump and the US into war, partly by arguing that the regime could be brought down, are plainly wrong. The conversations I held indicate that at least some senior Trump administration officials, and Trump himself, were the ones who assessed that the regime could be toppled, while the Israeli team presented a far more cautious assessment on this issue. 

As much as every slimebag (that is the majority of them) in NYT and WaPo elicits a vomiting reflex, they are, surprisingly, not wrong. It was Israel and its bootlickers, POTUS and most of his cabinet, who have been convinced through the blackmail (Epstein Files et al) and other means of manipulation, such as selling utter bullshit of Christian Zionism to feeble-minded cretins like Hegseth, that it will be easy. Well, since then, Israel and the US have been paraded as military paper tigers (didn't I warn about it?) and other than nuclear option, neither has anything remaining with what to fight a real war. 

I also have news for these Israeli spin doctors--Trump cannot "assess" anything, he doesn't have a tool kit, neither does Mossad, IDF or Pentagon. So, let the acrimony begin, but it has to be understood that Israel and its government in the US fucked it up so royally, that the tectonic shift has manifested itself. But in the end--the failure is systemic and it is vertical, from metaphysical, to cultural, to social, to military, to technological et al. One can BS only so much before reality kicks the door and it flies off the hinges. Let Israel and Israel 2.0 (they are joined at the hip) start the blame game. There is no difference--both are culpable, both debased themselves. US likely will survive in some form, Israel, likely, will not. 

On This Victory Day.

 A reminder. 

The West is busy rewriting the history of World War II, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated ahead of the 81st anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. Russian officials have repeatedly accused the US and EU member states of distorting historical truth and belittling the crucial role of the Soviet Union, which lost an estimated 27 million people in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War. Speaking on Thursday, Zakharova said that defending historical memory is a fundamental priority for Russia. This is all the more important in light of revanchist tendencies in the West, according to the spokeswoman.

Correct, West was defeated in Europe and they cannot take it. Third Reich WAS Europe. 

And a reminder of why West's legacy media are war criminals and literal prostitutes. Normal people do not work there. 

George nails it. 

A Great Archeological ...

 ... discovery)

Ah, Yes. Those Proverbial ...

 ... and for some reason non-existent "Judeo-Christian Values" Zionist media in the US try to impose on hoi polloi. 

You can see yourself how IDF creep "honors" Virgin Mary because their "religion" tells them that they are the best chosen people. Many so called Christians in the US agree. 

Danny Haiphong and Me.

Live in 30 minutes.

This World Is Ending.

They finally ran into the wall. And everyone now knows. 

This Is What Bothers Them ...

 ... especially London which saw its bet (a house that is) burn. 

Oil and gas revenues of the federal budget in April increased by 239 billion rubles, or almost 40%, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance. The reason for the increase in fees is the price of Urals, which increased in March (taxes are paid with a monthly lag) to $77 per barrel. This is the first monthly increase in oil and gas revenues caused by the conflict in the Middle East that began at the end of February. In May, additional revenues should grow further - in April, Russian oil cost an average of $95 per barrel. In general, for the four months of 2026, the subsidence of oil and gas budget revenues by the same period in 2025 still remains, but then it will decrease rapidly. In April, federal budget tax revenues from the production and sale of oil and gas amounted to 855.6 billion rubles, which is 238.6 billion rubles, or 39%, more than it was in March, follows from the data released by the Ministry of Finance on May 6.

How much is R 1 Trillion, which Russia will surpass just about today or tomorrow. People who still do primitive math in USD will necessarily divide 1 trillion by a current Ruble to USD exchange rate and will get roughly $ 13.5 billion. Still huge sum but completely misleading, because Russians do not really pay that much attention to USD domestically and they love their Rubles, which, when adjusted for at least PPP, which still doesn't reflect the economic reality, because these Rubles will be spent primarily domestically, the actual "volume" of this sum grows dramatically. 

E.g. This is the newest pr. 885M (Yasen M class) submarine Perm'. At the outset it is a designated carrier of 3M22 Zircon and its further modifications. 

It is state-of-the-art. Her cost? R 41 billion. Just to demonstrate--if Russia would have decided to use all R Trillion on such submarines only, Russian Navy would have received ... 24 such submarines. What does the US Navy get for the exchange rate of $ 13.5 billion? Well, it gets one single CVN of Gerald Ford class (I will abstain from comments here), or it gets  around 2.3 Virginia-class subs or five Arleigh Burke-class DDGs. For the same R 1 Trillion (or $ 13.5 billion) Russia can get 23 project 22350M (Gorshkov M class FFG) or as they call it Super-Gorshkov hybrid (heavy frigate-light DDG) which can load all of its 64 VLS with all kinds of hypersonic weapons and is capable with a single salvo sink something like Marine Nationale. That's just one frigate out of those 23. But you get my drift, right?

So, for a "final blow" and those who still don't get the message. Of course, Russia has poverty and poor people, of course Russia has shit-holes. Everybody does, but what is being missed constantly--outright extreme wealth in Russia is not admired, especially when flaunted. Yet, lookie-lookie, that's from the World Bank. 

Somebody, get those ignoramuses to Russia (how about starting from Sarah Paine) and get them a tour (some CIA guys can join) of modern Russia from Kaliningrad to Vladivostok to get a grasp on why Russia is a first world high earning industrial society. Have a psychiatrist  accompanying them, because they may need help due to a severest cognitive dissonance. Don't get them to Moscow or St. Petersburg immediately, start easy on them, like Khabarovsk or Omsk, let them acclimatize.