SITREP

Engaged on all flanks . . .






. . . we're short on ammo . . . short on spare parts, fuel, medical supplies, food & water . . .




. . . short on everything except enemy . . .




YES Ladies and Gentlemen . . .


AUGUST IS SHAPING UP TO BE A PRETTY GOOD MONTH ! ! !




Things are going to Hell in a handbasket over here . . . Blog STORMBRINGER will suffer accordingly . . . posts will be sporadic and possibly few & far between while I sort this shi'ite out . . . bear with me and enjoy the madness . . .

STORMBRINGER SENDS


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THE DIVERSION YOU’RE IGNORING . . .

. . . is the enemy’s main attack (Murphy’s Law of Combat; Rule #14). Murphy's Laws apply equally across the tactical to the strategic level; they work all the way from the lowly grunt in the foxhole right up to generals and Field Marshals leading armies across the plains of Europe and Asia.

While the Nancy Pelosi waterboarding soap opera develops and Obama’s socialization of the economy continues to dominate headlines, our strategic opponents are moving to outflank us on two significant fronts: Russian moves in the Arctic, and Chinese advances in cyberwarfare.

In August of 2007 a Russian a deep sea submersible descended 14,000 feet and dropped a titanium Russian tricolor onto the seabed, formally laying claim to the North Pole:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1559165/Russia-claims-North-Pole-with-Arctic-flag-stunt.html

The prize sought is the Arctic’s vast energy resources; according to some estimates up to a quarter of the world’s untapped energy reserves. Because of the Global Warming phenomena, these resources may now be more accessible than ever before.

The last time a modern nation pulled an eighteenth century-style land grab, the result was the 1982 Falklands War. Moving with creeping incrementalism, in May of 2008 Russia sent a fleet of nuclear-powered ice breakers into the Arctic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/1976314/Russia-accused-of-annexing-the-Arctic-for-oil-reserves-by-Canada.html

Canada has accused Russia of annexing the Arctic for oil reserves. This past September President Medvedev called on his security chiefs to establish a formal border in the region, claiming a vast section of the Arctic has “strategic importance” for Russia.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4773567.ece

Tensions in the Arctic are heightening; hardly a week passes without Russian aircraft flying over the North Pole, simulating strikes on "enemy" bases and shipping. Russia’s demonstrated ability to enforce a physical presence in the hostile Arctic environment has unnerved its international rivals. Canada's Defense Ministry intends to build a special fleet of patrol boats - eight armed ships capable of cutting through the ice - to guard the North West Passage. Canada also plans to open an army training center for cold-weather fighting at Resolute Bay and a deep-water port on the northern tip of Baffin Island, both of which are close to the disputed region.

IN THE MEANTIME . . .

. . . most Americans are not aware that we are ALREADY engaged in a war with the world’s most populated nation:

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/may/12/china-bolsters-for-cyber-arms-race-with-us/

As was vividly demonstrated to the world on September 11th, 2001, modern wars do not require the seizing of territory or taking of cities. The early stages of a “cyberwar” are developing between China and the United States. In March, the security firm Solutionary detected 128 cyber intrusions per minute. More recently, China began installing a more secure operating software, known as Kylin, on its tens of millions government and military computer systems.

Kevin G. Coleman, a private security specialist who advises the government on cybersecurity, states that the deployment of Kylin is significant because the system has "hardened" key Chinese servers, making its networks impenetrable to U.S. military and intelligence agencies, thus limiting U.S. offensive cyberwarfare capabilities

Of course, Murphy's Law of Combat Rule # 14 is followed by Rule # 15:
15. The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: A) when they are ready, and B) when you are not.

The ball’s in your court, Mr. Obama; you’re the President of the United States – what are you gonna do now, Mister President?

Murphy’s Law of Combat Operations

This post represents the beginning of a series on Leadership. I was first exposed to this brilliant piece of wisdom as a private, when I signed into A Company, 1st/325 Airborne Infantry Regiment (known throughout the 82nd Airborne as the infamous 'AlphaTraz'). There was a copy of these Murphy's Laws over the CQ Desk, decorated with a skull in a maroon beret over crossed M16's. Over the years I've seen a few different versions of this, but the core Laws remain the same - SEAN LINNANE

1. Friendly fire – isn’t.
2. Recoilless rifles – aren’t.
3. Suppressive fire – won’t.
4. You are not Superman.
5. A sucking chest wound is Nature’s way of telling you to slow down.
6. If it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.
7. Try to look unimportant; the enemy may be low on ammo.
8. If at first you don’t succeed, call in an airstrike.
9. If you are forward of your position, your artillery will fall short.
10. Never share a foxhole with anyone braver than yourself.
11. Never go to bed with anyone crazier than yourself.
12. Never forget that your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.
13. If your attack is going really well, you’re walking into an ambush.
14. The enemy diversion you’re ignoring is their main attack.
15. The enemy invariably attacks on two occasions: A) when they’re ready, B) when you’re not ready.
16. No OPLAN ever survives initial contact.
17. There is no such thing as a perfect plan.
18. Five-second fuzes always burn three seconds.
19. There is no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole.
20. A retreating enemy is probably just falling back and regrouping.
21. The important things are always simple; the simple are always hard.
22. The easy way is always mined.
23. Teamwork is essential; it gives the enemy other people to shoot at.
24. Don’t look conspicuous; it draws fire. For this reason, it is not at all uncommon for aircraft carriers to be known as bomb magnets.
25. Never draw fire; it irritates everyone around you.
26. If you are short of everything but enemy, you are in the combat zone.
27. When you have secured the area, make sure to inform the enemy.
28. Incoming fire has the right of way.
29. No combat ready unit has ever passed inspection.
30. No inspection ready unit has ever passed combat.
31. If the enemy is within range, so are you.
32. The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.
33. Things which must be shipped together as a set, aren’t.
34. Things that must work together, can’t be carried to the field that way.
35. Radios will fail as soon as you need fire support.
36. Radar tends to fail at night and in bad weather, and especially during both.
37. Anything you do can get you killed, including nothing.
38. Make it too tough for the enemy to get in, and you won’t be able to get out.
39. Tracers work both ways.
40. If you take more than your fair share of objectives, you will get more than your fair share of objectives to take.
41. When both sides are convinced they’re about to lose, they’re both right.
42. Professional soldiers are predictable, but the world is full of dangerous amateurs.
43. Military Intelligence is a contradiction of terms.
44. Fortify your front; you’ll get your rear shot up.
45. Weather ain’t neutral.
46. If you can’t remember, the Claymore is pointed towards you.
47. Air defense motto: shoot ‘em down; sort ‘em out on the ground.
48. Flies high, it dies; low and slow, it’ll go.
49. The Cavalry doesn’t always come to the rescue.
50. Napalm is an area support weapon.
51. Mines are equal opportunity weapons.
52. B-52s are the ultimate close support weapon.
53. Sniper’s motto: reach out and touch someone.
54. Killing for peace is like screwing for virginity.
55. The one item you need is always in short supply.
56. Interchangeable parts aren’t.
57. It’s not the one with your name on it; it’s the one addressed “to whom it may concern” you’ve got to think about.
58. When in doubt, empty your magazine.
59. The side with the simplest uniforms wins.
60. Combat will occur on the ground between two adjoining maps.
61. If the Platoon Sergeant can see you, so can the enemy.
62. Never stand when you can sit, never sit when you can lie down, never stay awake when you can sleep.
63. The most dangerous thing in the world is a Second Lieutenant with a map and a compass.
64. Exceptions prove the rule, and destroy the battle plan.
65. Everything always works in your HQ, everything always fails in the Colonel’s HQ.
66. The enemy never watches until you make a mistake.
67. One enemy soldier is never enough, but two is entirely too many.
68. A clean (and dry) set of BDU’s is a magnet for mud and rain.
69. The worse the weather, the more you are required to be out in it.
70. Whenever you have plenty of ammo, you never miss. Whenever you are low on ammo, you can’t hit the broad side of a barn.
71. The more a weapon costs, the farther you will have to send it away to be repaired.
72. The complexity of a weapon is inversely proportional to the IQ of the weapon’s operator.
73. Field experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
74. No matter which way you have to march, it’s always uphill.
75. If enough data is collected, a board of inquiry can prove anything.
76. For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism (in boot camp).
77. Airstrikes always overshoot the target, artillery always falls short.
78. When reviewing the radio frequencies that you just wrote down, the most important ones are always illegible.
79. The tough part about being in charge is that the troops don’t know what they want, but they know for certain what they don’t want.