The view from the front: military matters and motivation for 6/21/22.

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Hi friend,

Happy Tuesday! Hope you had an excellent weekend and Father’s Day.

I’ll begin today’s newsletter with Ukraine, but we’ll keep that portion short andnd the entire newsletter light today. (Because dang, there’s just so much bad news out there.)

The war in Ukraine drags on, with again little to report. But Ukraine will soon be getting its rocket artillery from the West.

I think this will play a decisive role, but as with any piece of news, this is something that’s up for debate.

The Atlantic Council claims it won’t have a decisive effect. You can read their story below.

Melinda Haring @melindaharing

Excellent piece: Our @AtlanticCouncil military fellows say that "HIMARS will NOT have a decisive effect on the Donbas campaign." We didn't send enough and the munitions we sent only go 70 km.

atlanticcouncil.orgRussia Crisis Military Assessment: The impact of multiple rocket launcher transfers to UkraineTo help Ukraine expel Russian forces from its territory, the United States must begin its full transition to US-made equipment now, write our military fellows. Here’s what that means.

But if you want to hear the opposite view, you can jump on Twitter and read the thread below. It’s quite compelling and doesn’t get into the weeds too badly.

Trent Telenko @TrentTelenko

People making this claim: "HIMARS will NOT have a decisive effect on the Donbas campaign." ...are ignorant of the logistical and precision guided munition capabilities of the platform in terms of Desired Mean Point of Impact (DMPI) serviced per combat day for a TEL**🧵 1/

Melinda Haring @melindaharing

Excellent piece: Our @AtlanticCouncil military fellows say that "HIMARS will NOT have a decisive effect on the Donbas campaign." We didn't send enough and the munitions we sent only go 70 km. https://t.co/uHEbQttUX8

Speaking for myself, I certainly hope the latter view about the rockets is correct. Ukraine has already been through way too much and they could use a decisive advantage.

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Moving along, it’s worth mentioning this small story below. Iran is apparently again trying to flex its muscles a bit.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet @US5thFleet

Three vessels from Iran’s IRGCN interacted in an unsafe & unprofessional manner as U.S. Navy ships transited the Strait of Hormuz, June 20. U.S. naval forces remain vigilant & will continue to operate where international law allows. Read more ⬇️ dvidshub.net/r/w5bzhf

You can read more about it in this NBC story: U.S., Iran in tense sea encounter; Tehran prepares enrichment escalation.

Here’s a bit more about the backdrop of the situation, from the story:

The incident on Monday involving the Guard and the Navy comes as tensions remain high over stalled negotiations over Iran’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers and as Tehran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels under decreasing international oversight.

I feel like things have been tense with Iran for thirty or forty years now, and I don’t see that ending anytime soon.

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In other news, China recently launched its third aircraft carrier. (See below.)

OSINTdefender @sentdefender

The Ship is said to be one of the most Modern Aircraft Carriers in the World with a displacement of around 100,000 Tons, making it more Advanced than the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-Class and French Charles de Gaulle and around on par with the U.S Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-Class.

CNN had a good write up about the new ship and China’s growing naval ambitions here: China launches third, most advanced aircraft carrier named 'Fujian.'

But several American military officers pointed out what many fail to consider, which is that it takes decades to become proficient at naval operations from an aircraft carrier.

See this example:

Farva Price @FarvaPrice

We should rightfully be concerned with China’s industrial capacity. But they have a long way to go before they can launch 100+ combat/support sorties a day in a blue water environment.

OSINTdefender @sentdefender

The Ship is said to be one of the most Modern Aircraft Carriers in the World with a displacement of around 100,000 Tons, making it more Advanced than the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-Class and French Charles de Gaulle and around on par with the U.S Navy’s Gerald R. Ford-Class. https://t.co/DTLMX9WbzL

And also this one.

Mike Jason @mikejason73

Concur. We are about to see if you can just cut and paste nearly 100 years of naval aviation experience. I have my doubts. https://t.co/RcgypUivTd

Farva Price @FarvaPrice

We should rightfully be concerned with China’s industrial capacity. But they have a long way to go before they can launch 100+ combat/support sorties a day in a blue water environment. https://t.co/U0UuDt1Wtv

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Let’s move on to a couple of cool tech news stories that I came across.

First, this:

Task & Purpose @TaskandPurpose

If WALL-E and a T-1000 had a child

bit.lyUkraine now has killer robots with machine gunsWhat you’d get if WALL-E went to war.

And then there was also this, which is almost too big to believe (literally; lol):

CNN International @cnni

As the quest for less environmentally damaging aviation continues, one Spanish airline has thrown its hat into the ring by ordering new hybrid airships -- which pack as much of a punch visually as they are said to do environmentally.

cnn.itThis European airline just ordered a fleet of airshipsAir Nostrum, a Spanish airline, has ordered 10 Airlander 10 aircraft to make regional journeys around Spain.

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In the department of I’m a sucker for amazing military photos, how about this one?!

U.S. Navy @USNavy

Do you remember your first sunset at sea? ⚓ @USSHARRYSTRUMAN (CVN 75) transits the #AdriaticSea, June 6, 2022. 📸 by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Conner Foy

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And in cool historical news that you probably didn’t know, how about this little fact?

U.S. Naval Institute @NavalInstitute

For #WestVirginiaDay, here is USS West Virginia (BB-48) in NY in 1934. The "WeeVee" was sunk on December 7, 1941, but refloated and rebuilt. When she returned to the firing line at the Battle of Leyte Gulf in 1944, she flew the same colors that she had flown at Pearl Harbor.

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All right, let’s end this edition with some motivation and wisdom.

But first, there’s just so much bad news in the world and our country, that I have to say that this story absolutely made my day. (Great read if you have about two mins.)

CNN @CNN

For the first time, the world’s rarest species of sea turtle has laid eggs on Magnolia Beach in Texas.

cnn.itFor the first time, a sea turtle has laid its eggs on this Texas beachFor the first time, the world’s rarest species of sea turtle has laid eggs on Magnolia Beach in Texas, experts say.

And here’s some motivation and wisdom.

Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_Videos

“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” -- Helen Keller #InspirationalQuotes

Success Minded @_SuccessMinded_

"Be SO positive that negative people do not want to be near you."

Daily Dose of Philosophy @PhilosophyDose_

"The purpose of knowledge is action, not knowledge." - Aristotle

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.

And if you love what you’re reading, throw a couple bucks in the hat by subscribing below. (Here’s why you should.)

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 IIand one about Afghanistan.

P.P.S. And here’s a short bio about me and what I’m trying to do with the newsletter.