Matt, That's a keeper
Hey John, You old buzzard - we hate all of those dudes (well, at least until we get another president with another agenda).
Where have you been anyway ? On some sort of sabbatical
As I needed to check the definition of that word, I ran across far too many definitions at the Urban Dictionary and decided on the following
This, BTW, has jack to do with this thread !1. Of or pertaining to the crotchular region.
2. Of a sexually promiscuous nature.
1. Ray-Ray was experiencing a crotchety itch, so he jiggied on down to the clinic on the corner.
If you want to blend in, take the bus
Maybe we can just send them Sean Penn and call it good. Please?
"On the plains and mountains of the American West, the United States Army had once learned everything there was to learn about hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare."
T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War
Falkland Islands: Britain 'would lose' if Argentina decides to invade now
The Brits don't make them like this anymore... to their cost!Idyllic though his retirement seems, Woodward insists his views are relevant. “I have stayed very much in touch with what’s going on. I don’t hesitate to tell the First Sea Lord if I think he’s getting it wrong, and he, bless him, actually does take some notice. I am, after all, the only senior naval officer still alive who has taken the Navy to war. That doesn’t mean to say I’m right, but I’m probably worth listening to. Albeit with a pained expression.”
'One Hundred Days’ by Admiral Sandy Woodward (HarperPress) is available from Telegraph Books for £8.99 plus £1.25 p&p. Call 0844 871 1516 or go to books.telegraph.co.uk
A short article:A few grim passages, that is the reality of combat:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...t-Longdon.htmlMajor General Jonathan Shaw CBE is Colonel Commandant of The Parachute Regiment and the Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff. Earlier this year, he returned for the first time in three decades to the Falklands with his wife Gillie and children Tom, 14, Ella, 10, to tell them the story of a battle he’ll never forget.
davidbfpo
The UK media has had it's fill of anniversary articles and several documentaries, the best IMO by Max Hastings (who had "yomped" across the Falklands in 1982):http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode..._Max_Hastings/
Listening to a radio discussion, with only British voices, it was made clear that Argentina has neither the will or capability to launch another invasion (with no new spending on ships & planes since 1982); the diplomatic offensive started last year when Argentina's economy caught a cold - so is a political distraction and provided the UK has adequate warning within days air reinforcement could land at the airbase.
So it was interesting to see how the Falklands War looked from an Australian perspective, thanks to the Lowy Institute: 'What the Falklands War means for Asia':http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...-for-Asia.aspx and 'Australian lessons from the Falklands War':http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...Falklands.aspx
The later author is a retired Australian Army general and I was struck by this concluding remark, which has far wider application:The Falklands War has great value as an object of study for Australians, not just for its military content based on the technology of the day, nor for its obvious tragedy and successes, but as a study in unpreparedness, unpredictability, the impact of national leadership, and the need to align strategies to capability. And that is only from the British side. There are even more lessons for our part of the world if you study the Argentinians.
davidbfpo
Falklands War memorial unveiled at National Arboretum
A service is being held to dedicate a new memorial to the 255 Britons who died in the Falklands War.
The memorial was commissioned by British veterans' organisation, the South Atlantic Medal Association 1982
This thread prompted me to recall the television coverage of the aftermath of one of the successful Argentine attacks upon a Royal Navy vessel -- probably the HMS Sheffield, but I am not certain -- at the time. As best I can remember it generated a strong mix of confusion, curiosity, and concern for me at the time. I guess that is to be expected given that I was a six-year-old who had witnessed precious little non-fictional violence and none that I can recall (non-fictional or otherwise) on TV. Was the coverage of the aftermath of the attack upon the Sheffield (or of any other British ships) notable in Britain or Argentina?
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
n.b. Article 5 was invoked for Afghanistan. Ref: above discussion.
In an "Empire Strikes Back" turnabout The Commonwealth sits not only on the vast oil reserves discussed but the geostrategic key terrain of lands & seas dominating both the Drake Passage & The Northwest Passage, yes that long sought secret high speed route to Asia, its only existed since 2007 to regular shipping, unintended consequence of "global warming".
Although their ability to project Air-Sea dominance is presently minimal, for a moment which will not last, The UK remains capable of projecting power vis-a-vis amphibious forces. They also have access to Airfields in Canada, New Zealand & elsewhere, in support and old island "coaling" ports in between. Most importantly they have one of the best levels of access to Troopship Service which is an economic and more reliable, if slower, way of moving an Army than airpower and doesn't require an airhead but a beachhead, with tenders or landing crafts. As such the Argentines should do well to fear the BA as well as the RN. So this small war question isn't merely a littoral issue.
It could also be argued that they, The British, presently control a degree of access to the Panama canal via the B.W.I. Overall the Atlantic is still the domain of the Scepter'd Isle and little has changed since the Battle of the Spanish Armada, especially with their present serene alliance, our special friendship. This is in spite of a present Communist Bulge in The Western Hemisphere, about the Panama Canal Zone, our own Hong Kong, expansion of which may yet cause consternation and civil engineering crises in Bayonne and elsewhere due to increased shipping tonnage.
From a Small Wars perspective, the threat is globalist communist incursion in South America. Enslavement of the populations & thievery of their resources of gas, oil, precious metals, woods, minerals, gems and water will be sought by the enemies of the American way of life.
To what degree are China and Cuba influencing action in the region?
Have North Korean and Iranian agents spread their influence there also?
Do circumstances indicate future obligation and investment on our part?
http://www.nato.int/terrorism/five.htm
Respectfully submitted
A mix I suggest... what do you think?
Hundimiento del Sheffield || Sinking of the Sheffield
If you don’t read the newspaper, you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper, you are misinformed. – Mark Twain (attributed)
Do you really expect the UK to regain the capacity to project Air-Sea dominance? Hardly seems likely, given he state of their economy.
Probably a matter for another thread, but I'd be curious about how that conclusion was reached.
Yes, they lack our altruism.
“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary”
H.L. Mencken
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