Who are the security bubbas at the pipeline protest?

Thanks to Michael for the link!

Michael sent me this link to a Breitbart story on the pipeline protest with a note to take a look at the hardware in the pic.  That's on Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) mounted on that MRAP!

Who are the security bubbas at this pipeline protest?  These aren't minor league security contractors if they have this type of gear....and no, you generally don't see corporate security (unless they're nuclear or some other sensitive location types) having access to this.

The main stream media is missing the big story here.  The protesters have a certain point of view and I get that.  The corporation wants to get their project done and I get that too.  But that's not the real story.  I want to know who these security types are, what company farmed them out (I get a whiff of Triple Canopy...everyone else is ate up with overseas commitments, you'd be amazed at all the staffings out there for trainers, personal security details etc at an undisclosed Airbase that are floating around) and how long the contract is for (on a side note I wonder since this is on Indian Nation ground do they get the tax free thing!).  Yeah.  These guys are operating with a different mindset (remember the firehose thing) and I want to know where they're from.

Spanish Army Leopard 2 hitting the beach.

Sukhoi-33 Jet Crashes While Landing On Admiral Kuznetsov Carrier

via TASS

Russia’s Sukhoi-33 fighter jet crashed in the Mediterranean while landing on the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement obtained by TASS.

"After performing a combat mission over Syria, a Sukhoi-33 fighter-jet overran the runway while trying to land on The Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier. The arresting cable’s rupture was the reason," the report says.

The pilot ejected himself and was promptly taken on board the Admiral Kuznetsov by search and rescue service. His live is not in danger, the Defense Ministry said.

"Deck aircraft keep performing their missions," the report runs. The Russian aircraft carrier-led group keeps operating in the Mediterranean in accordance with the long voyage plan.

In an earlier blog post I asked why the Russian Navy would push for this deployment.  There are secure air bases for Russian Naval Aviation to operate from and if it was about getting a piece of the action then they could get their pilots into the fight without rushing the carrier out to sea.

Now we have these crashes and the thinking of Russian Naval Command has to be questioned.  Don't get me wrong.  Accidents happen, but to see this number of crashes on a ship that carries so few aircraft indicates that they weren't ready for prime time.

Russian surface ships have shined in firing off cruise missiles at select targets.  Surface ships have integrated themselves into Syria's air defense net and extended the eyes of their network.  Russian Marines have shown brightly as have Russian paratroops.  Russia's bomber force had their day in the sun performing long range strikes.

The only hiccup has come with their carrier aviation. I wonder how many heads will roll because of this.

IAF Lavi Training Flight

Open Comment Post. Dec 5, 2016.

British Army’s Combined Arms Manoeuvre Demonstration

New Israeli APC may be produced in US

via Globe English

The planned new IDF armored personnel carrier (APC) - the Eitan - will be manufactured in the US and purchased by Israel with US military aid, according to internal discussions by the IDF land forces and the Ministry of Defense. Such a decision is liable to disappoint Israeli defense companies and dozens more small and medium-sized companies in Israel involved in the Merkava tank program. These companies hoped that their involvement in the new APC program would increase the volume of their business.
The APC, which is in the advanced stages of development by the Ministry of Defense and IDF, was first unveiled four months ago, and is in the midst of a series of tests. A prototype of the APC has already been built, and two more will be completed in the coming months.
The Nahal brigade is due to conduct a series of tests on the APC in the coming weeks. Defense sources said that the tests might be completed in the coming months, in which case the IDF and Ministry of Defense would discuss its procurement. If this occurs, procurement is likely to begin during the Gideon multi-year plan, under which the IDF is already operating.

Makes sense.  I wonder if they'll go with BAE, General Dynamics or SAIC?

Nationalism claims the Italian PM's scalp

via CNN

Italian center-left Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said he will resign on Monday, after conceding an "extraordinary clear" defeat on an Italian constitutional referendum.
"Tomorrow the President of the Republic will have a meeting with me and I will hand in my resignation," Renzi said. "I take on full responsibilities for defeat and so I say I lost, not you," he told supporters.
The defeat of the referendum was resounding, with nealy 60% of voters saying "no." It is considered a win for eurosceptic populist and nationalist parties in Italy, which campaigned heavily against Renzi and his promise to stimulate Italy's sluggish economy.
"When you lose you cannot pretend that nothing has happened and go to bed and sleep. My government ends here today," Renzi said.

The worldwide populist movement just claimed the Italian PM's scalp and is taking aim at the EU.  2017 is gonna be fun.

U.S. Navy aims to buy more Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets: source

via Reuters

The U.S. Navy plans to divest its older model Boeing Co (BA.N) F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets in coming years and hopes to buy dozens of F/A-18E/F Super Hornets to deal with a shortfall of strike fighters aboard its carriers, a Navy official said.
The plan, which is still being finalized, could be implemented as early as part of the fiscal 2018 budget, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly.
"To decrease the strike fighter shortfall and to best prepare future air wings for likely threats we will soon divest from legacy Hornets, look to buy several squadrons worth of Super Hornets and continue with efforts to bring on the F-35 carrier variant," said the official.
The Navy also plans to field and deploy a new unmanned carrier-based refueling plane, the official said.


Sources familiar with Navy plans say delays in the fielding of the carrier variant of the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) F-35 fighter jet, longer-than-expected maintenance times for older model Hornets, and higher usage rates have left the Navy facing a shortfall of about 70 fighter jets in coming years.

We've been hearing this for at least two years.  The Navy needs to do it or shut up.

FNSS & PT Pindad - 105mm Modern Medium Weight Tank Simulation

American Heroes Channel (formerly Military History Channel) Collaborators.

With the interest in a previous post I wanted to inform people that might not know of the series by AHC covering Nazi Collaborators.  If you haven't seen it you're missing out.  They cover a wide range of figures that were unknown to me and it goes from southern to northern Europe.  A definite must see.

Finnish experimental armored “Valmet”. 1989

pic via bmashina.tumblr.com