Open Thread.

 Go at it. 

Garland Nixon and Yours Truly ...

 ... live in about 15 minutes. 

Nothing New Here ...

 ... and it was discussed on so many occasions. 

The US military would be unprepared for a protracted war with China due to shortcomings in the defense industrial base, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Joint Chiefs of Staff has said. In his written testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday – part of the confirmation process – retired Lieutenant General John Caine stressed that rivalry with China remains one of the most pressing issues facing the US. ”The threat posed by China to American interests in the Indo-Pacific is real and growing. The US needs to work with allies and partners to deter China’s aggression in this region,” he claimed.

Let's rewind a little bit. It is 1971 and Nixon jumps off the ship of the Gold Standard. Behind all "investment" and monetary psychobabble hiding the reason for that was, of course, Vietnam War, which towers as the main reason for Nixon Shock. The US of 1971 industry-wise would make modern US look like a third world country but even then, the US couldn't sustain it. 

John Caine is correct, however, when pointing this out:

He added, however, that Beijing “still has deficiencies in commander proficiency, long-distance logistics, urban warfare, and… modern warfare experience writ large.”

What he forgets to say is that the US also lacks such an experience and in terms of combined arms of scale the US, largely self-proclaimed, "lead" is gone forever--continental warfare imposes a completely different set of conditions and requirements on the nation-state with which the US is simply unfamiliar. Not to be outdone, however, are these guys:

FIRST ON FOX: A group of influential conservatives and lawmakers is warning the Trump administration that the U.S. does not have the tactical nuclear weapons to fight China if war breaks out in the Indo-Pacific. A 13-minute video obtained by Fox News Digital and set for release Thursday by the Heritage Foundation argues the U.S. nuclear arsenal is outdated, with the newest weapons nearly 40 years old – about as modern as a grandpa's vintage Corvette. Military experts across Washington have begun gaming out the potential scenario if China invades Taiwan and the U.S. comes to the island democracy’s aid. 

They are also not wrong when stating that the US nuclear arsenal is outdated. No, these are not physical nukes which are outdated, these are delivery systems which are nothing more than classic ballistic ICBMs which are facing their greatest challenge of preserving the credibility against the background of (primarily Russian) fast developing anti-ballistic and anti-hypersonic capabilities. But whenever the term "democracy" is used--I laugh. So, popcorn, popcorn ... bring it on))

Nima And Yours Truly ...

 ... live at 11:30 Seattle time. 

At First I Thought It Was A Joke ...

 But then, it was not: 

Сербская армия самостоятельно освободила свою страну от немецко-фашистских захватчиков во время Второй мировой войны, помощь Красной Армии была ограничена, заявил президент Сербии Александр Вучич в интервью блогеру Марио Науфалу. «Да, мы получили помощь Красной Армии, но в основном это была наша армия. Помощь была ограниченная», — сказал он.

Translation: The Serbian army liberated its country from Nazi invaders on its own during World War II, and the Red Army's assistance was limited, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an interview with blogger Mario Naufal. "Yes, we received help from the Red Army, but it was mostly our army. The assistance was limited," he said.

Well, Fyodor Ivanovich Tolbukhin and 300, 000 of his men of the Third Ukrainian Front, including legendary 4th Armored Stalingrad Guards Corps and 17th Air Army, are spinning today in their graves. Yes, the guys who conducted Belgrade Strategic Offensive Operation. But ... but ... let's rewind back to 1877 ...

How prescient ...

P.S. "Serbian Army" then was called People's Liberation Army of Yugoslavia. 

When You See This ...

 ... thing--don't despair)) This is merely a representation of the kill chain, as well as the decision (Probabilities) tree. 

All this is in the foundation of C2 (Command and Control), and I explain why it is easy to spot weakness on the battlefield operationally. 

The Best Comment ...

 ... of the day)) She looks like what I imagined she would look like.

So, this is the face of the so called "left", but in reality, of the sheer madness which was imposed on the West by ... the West itself.