The Stan R. Mitchell report for 3/22/22.
Discover more from The View from the Front. By Stan R. Mitchell.
The Stan R. Mitchell report for 3/22/22.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! Hope everyone’s week is off to a great start!
Russia’s military continues to stumble in its advances, while dropping massive loads of ordinance on several city centers. (See latest map below.)
The current primary objective remains Kyiv, according to the intelligence folks.
For a succinct elaboration on the situation in Kyiv, and how Russian forces are split and now digging in, take a listen to this. (Also has an incredible map.) Plus, Clint Watts describes an attempt by Russians in the east to cut off Ukrainian forces, as well as their attempts in the southern part of the country.
Continue to think (and pray) for Ukraine as they fight this monstrous invasion. There are reports that there are some counter-attacks happening by Ukraine, so I hope they can push these invaders all the way back to their original borders.
In horrible news for the U.S. this week, America lost four of its finest to training accident in Norway. An Osprey crash claimed the lives of four Marines.
From a previous newsletter, I had researched Osprey crashes. When I was recounting a story of the closest I ever came to dying when I served, I mentioned in passing how scared we used to be of flying in Ospreys, the helicopters/planes that were brand-new back then.
But after mentioning that, I researched just how dangerous the tilt-rotor planes actually are compared to regular helicopters. It turns out, if you read the article below, that they’re much safer than I originally believed.
This latest accident will hurt the numbers, but apparently, terrible weather played a role in this most recent crash. (The cause of the crash is under investigation, but Norwegian police reported bad weather in the area.)
In tech news, there were a few things I wanted to highlight.
In the article above, you can read how the Marine Corps is integrating UAVs with its air units. Previously, smaller UAVs have been used to help improve the fighting capabilities of ground forces.
The most recent exercise represented “a tighter integration between manned and unmanned aviation assets than the service typically sees,” the article stated.
The Air Force seems even further along on this idea.
The article states that in the near-future “up to five unmanned, autonomous and attritable aircraft controlled by a single piloted that is ‘calling plays’” is a part of the department’s plans.
Finally, you might have heard some noise about Russia using a hyper-sonic weapon in actual combat. I tend to believe the below: it’s not that big a deal.
Moving on to something else, I’ve been meaning to share this from a month or so ago, but too much has been happening.
But I don't think you fully realize the power of the U.S. Navy until you go out to sea with them for six months.
And the two posts below (as well as the video) give you just a glimpse of the sheer weight our Navy can throw at an enemy.
Can you imagine trying to sink or stop that much firepower?!
That is not something most countries can pull off. And our Navy has spent 200-plus years mastering resupplying at sea, while also striking targets or defending zones in the ocean. Just an awesome power that takes so many people working together to pull off.
Now, to the best part of each newsletter. Let’s end with some motivation and wisdom.
That’s it for this edition. As a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
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Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a leadership/biography book, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.
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