Iridium 1010......

what's your interest in joining the armed forces....??????????????

My son is currently in Afghanistan and i wondered what attracted you to the armed forces...

So my homework tells me that a country's air space extends the same as their waters. So 12 nautical miles (22km), which would put Damascus on the border of the range of the aircraft, it'd be a big risk if they're engaged by Syrian air craft.

Australian troops allegedly cut off hand

t has been claimed a defence investigation into misconduct in Afghanistan relates to allegations special forces soldiers cut hands off a dead insurgent.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) chief General David Hurley revealed in May that an inquiry was under way but gave no details of what was was being investigated.

He referred to this as only 'an incident of potential misconduct'.

In a statement released on Friday, Defence gave no details but said the investigation was ongoing.

'The ADF takes any potential occurrence of misconduct by Australian personnel very seriously,' it said.

However, the ABC says it understands the investigation is into the removal of the hands from the corpse of at least one insurgent and that these were taken back to the base at Tarin Kowt, possibly for fingerprinting.

Australian troops seek to identify all dead insurgents for intelligence purposes.

This claim related to an operation, in which four insurgents were killed, that targeted an insurgent commander and involved Afghan forces and Australia's Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) in Zabul province on April 28. Zabul adjoins Oruzgan Province where the SOTG is based.

'An incident of potential misconduct during the operation has been raised through the internal national command chain,' General Hurley said in the statement in May 8.

It was being investigated by the ADF in cooperation with the International Security Assistance Force.

Defence said on Friday that Australian troops operated under strict rules of engagement designed to protect troops, while ensuring their actions remained consistent with obligations under Australian and international law.

'The ADF also takes all reasonable steps to ensure its operations do not breach Afghan customs or cause offence by inadvertently disrespecting religious beliefs or norms,' it said.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he had full confidence in Australia's men and women in Afghanistan.

'If any matters have arisen concerning their conduct, I have full confidence in the chief of the defence's capacity to investigate,' he told reporters in Perth.

'I believe we should wait for that investigatory process to reach a conclusion.'

I thought Afro answered it, I've always been interested in global politics as well as armed forces, I can't really explain why, maybe it's just big guns but also the strategy involved.



The aircraft can attack targets anywhere in Syria with standoff weapons, they were mentioning last night that with aerial refueling, the French could attack the Syrian coast from their airbase in Corsica.



http://bigpondnews.com/articles/TopStories/2013/08/31/Australian_troops_allegedly_cut_off_hand_901668.html?cid=ZBP_NEWS_L_L1-3_Australiantroopsallegedlycutoffhand_RSS_300813






Edited by iridium1010: 31/8/2013 01:12:27 PM

so what enrty level and which force are you considering????? how old are you?

The French are using F/A-18's though aren't they? That gives them a much more broad combat range than most US aircraft in the region.

Top 10 Most Successful Military Commanders

There have been many men who have achieved great successes through their military knowledge and actions. But only a select few military geniuses can truly be considered the greatest military commanders who ever lived. This is a selection of the ten greatest. If you think someone else deserves to be here, or want to have a guess at ranking 11 – 15, be sure to tell us in the comments.

10
Georgy Zhukov

Georgi Zhukov In 1940Georgy Zhukov would lead the Red Army in liberating the Soviet Union from the Axis Power’s occupation and advancing through much of Eastern Europe to conquer Berlin during World War II. He is one of the most decorated heroes in the history of both Russia and the Soviet Union. After the fall of Germany, Zhukov became the first commander of the Soviet occupation zone in Germany.

9
Attila the Hun

Atilla-1Attila the Hun was the leader of the Hunnic Empire which stretched from Central Asia to modern Germany. He was one of the most fearsome enemies of the Western and Eastern Roman Empires. Attila was well known for his cruelty. He invaded the Balkans twice and marched through Gaul.
8
William the Conqueror

William The ConquerorWilliam the Conqueror led the Norman invasion of England which was the last time that England was successfully conquered by a foreign power. His army defeated the English army at the battle of Hastings preceding his march to London. English resistance was futile as he took control of England and his reign would begin. He would make many major reforms to the traditional Anglo-Saxon culture of England and bring into existance the Anglo-Norman culture.

7
Adolf Hitler

Hitler-480Hitler led Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers in occupying most of continental Europe and parts of Asia and Africa. He defeated and conquered France while holding off the U.S., British and Russians during World War II. His armies would gain numerous victories through their mastering of the military tactic; Blitzkrieg. Hitler ultimately lost the war and committed suicide.

6
Ghengis Khan

Ghengis Khan 2Ghengis Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire; the largest contiguous empire in history. The Mongol Empire occupied a substantial portion of central Asia. He achieved this through uniting many of the nomadic tribes and confederations in northeast Asia and strategically raided much of the area in China and throughout Asia. The Mongol Empire would go on to include most of Eurasia and substantial parts of Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East. Ghengis Khan waged successful campaigns against the Western Xia and Jin dynastys as well as the Khwarezmid Empire through excellent military intelligence and tactics.

5
Hannibal Barca

Bust Of HannibalHannibal invaded the mighty Roman Empire through the Alps. He defeated the Romans in a series of battles at Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae. Never personally losing on the battlefield to the Romans, he maintained his Carthaginian army in Italy for more than a decade after the Second Punic War. He is considered one of the greatest military strategists ever, his Roman enemies even adopted some of his tactics for their own use.

4
Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon was a General during the French Revolution. He would eventually take absolute control of the French Republic as Emperor of the French. He became King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine. He reformed the government and economy of the island of Elba when he was exiled there.

3
Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar StatueJulius Caeser took absolute control of the Roman Republic and it’s armies. He defeated the optimates led by Pompey in a Civil War, and defeated the Gauls at the battle of Alecia during the Gallics Wars, led by Vercingetorix who had united them against the Romans. He was ultimately murdered by Brutus.

2
Alexander the Great

Alexander The Great BiographyAlexander the Great conquered much of the known world by the age of 30. He crushed the once mighty Persian Empire, defeated the much larger army of Darius III at the battle of Issus, and influenced the spread of Hellenistic culture throughout his empire. Alexander mastered the use of the phalanx formation in his armies.

1
Cyrus the Great

T373813ACyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire through his conquering of the Median, Lydian and Neo-Babylonian Empires. His empire spanned across three continents. Unlike many others, his empire endured long after his demise due to the political infrastructure he created. He is considered by many to be equal if not greater than Alexander the Great in his accomplishments.Notable mention: Douglas MacArthur, Ramses the Great, Robert E. Lee, Sargon the Great, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, Pyrrhus of Epirus, Scipio Africanus, Mao Zedong

I think the french use the Eurofighter and Rafale(not sure if i spelled that right), but with cruise missiles launched from aircraft they can target over another 400+km.

They just showed the apparent location of the U.S. destroyers, they're all preety close to Cyprus.

A guy just made a preety good point, the U.S. has given the Syrian military over a week to prepare in case of a U.S. strike.



http://listverse.com/2008/10/11/top-10-most-successful-military-commanders/

HITLER!?!? he was a fool, Blitzkreig wasnt his design, i would replace him with Khalid ibn al Walid


Edited by Iridium1010: 1/9/2013 12:44:37 AM

Could Syria strike back if United States, allies, attack?

(CNN) -- As the United States and its allies debate military intervention in Syria, the nation's president, Bashar al-Assad, has warned that Syria will "defend itself against any aggression."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Wael Nader al-Halqi struck a similar note Saturday, saying the Syrian Army "is on maximum readiness and fingers are on the trigger to confront all challenges."

Their words raise the question: what could Syria do to retaliate in the event of strikes by international forces, and who might be in range?

Edward Hunt, a senior analyst at IHS Jane's, predicts that U.S. or other forces would mount any initial attacks using weapons that can be fired from a considerable distance, such as Tomahawk cruise missiles, "to avoid anyone having to get within the range of Syrian systems."

Those attack weapons would likely be launched from vessels in the Mediterranean Sea -- where five U.S. destroyers equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles are positioned.

The Tomahawk has a range of about 1,000 miles and can be targeted with a high degree of precision, making it a very capable "stand-off" weapon, according to IHS Jane's.

So would Syria be able to reach the vessels firing such missiles?

The P-800 Oniks/Yakhont anti-ship missiles, of which Syria has at least 20, would probably be the most useful conventional weapon, said Hunt.

But the missile has a range of only 62 to 186 miles (100 to 300 kilometers), depending upon flight profile. "It is a fairly sophisticated weapon if anyone sails close to the coast," said Hunt.

Tamir Eshel, editor-in-chief of Defense Update, an online defense magazine published in Israel, wrote in 2010 that the arrival of Syria's Yakhont missile system was "a serious threat" in the Mediterranean, since it "has the capability to strike its target at supersonic speed, flying at very low level, leaving the defender much shorter time to react."

Many U.S. and European naval vessels have defense systems that can handle that, he said, but some smaller vessels may be vulnerable.

Syria also has naval fast-attack craft and anti-submarine warfare helicopters, as well as its remaining air force combat aircraft, Hunt said. These, however, would be more vulnerable if they tried to attack a U.S. or other naval vessel, he said.

Scud missiles

Syria possesses a large number of Scuds, thought to be 500 plus, and similar surface-to-surface weapons, but these are not designed to be used against moving targets such as U.S. warships, Hunt said.

The Scuds, with a range of 186 to 435 miles (300 to 700 kilometers), could be fired instead at land-based targets in Turkey or Jordan, or could be turned toward Israel, which has recently moved part of its Iron Dome anti-missile network north toward the Syrian border, he said.

Analysts estimate that Syria may also have several dozen SS-21 and up to 100 FROG-7 short-range ballistic missiles, according to IHS Jane's.

It does not, however, have any intercontinental ballistic missiles, limiting the threat of Syrian missile strikes beyond the Middle East region.

Russia appears not to have delivered the S-300 surface-to-air missile system it has promised to Syria, Hunt noted.

The United States put pressure on Russia this summer not to fulfill the order because of concerns it would give the Syrian government a much greater ability to target American, Israeli, NATO or other aircraft that might try to strike targets on the ground in future.

Overstated air strength?

Some experts have warned that venturing into Syria's air space could be very risky for foreign air forces.

According to information from IHS Jane's and the Institute for the Study of War, Syria has scores of attack helicopters at its disposal. It also has MiG 21/25 air-to-air combat aircraft, as well as MiG 23/29 attack aircraft and SU-22/24 attack aircraft in its hangars.

But Shiraz Maher, a senior fellow at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation at Kings College London, believes that any threat of defensive action by al-Assad is "saber-rattling" -- and that the danger posed by Syria's air forces is overstated.

"We've heard a lot about the supposed sophistication of the Syrian air force systems, (but) it's not yet proven itself," he said.

He points out that Israel has attacked targets inside Syria on three occasions since its civil war began, bombing arms depots and also Syrian arms movements when it believed that ballistic missiles were being moved to Hezbollah, "and yet the Syrians were either unable or unwilling to respond."

This is despite the fact that the last raid a few months ago on a military installation near Damascus caused a huge fire and an explosion big enough to register on the Richter scale, he said. Israel has traditionally been regarded as a sworn enemy of Syria, making the lack of response even more marked.

Defectors from the Syrian military, particularly the air force, also say that the country's air defense systems aren't as good as they're made out to be, Maher said, although their assessments have to be taken with a pinch of salt since they aren't impartial.

At the same time, he said, Syria's government realizes that while the United States has been pushed toward action by its suspected chemical weapons attack, any reprisal against American forces would inevitably escalate the conflict.

This would be inconvenient because it comes at a time when the Syrian military has been making key gains against the rebel forces, for example in the strategically important Homs region, he said, and is also committed to operations elsewhere, for example protecting Latakia, an Alawite stronghold in the north.

President Barack Obama has said there will be no U.S. "boots on the ground" in Syria. He has also ruled out any open-ended commitment and shown no enthusiasm for setting up a no-fly zone.

Unconventional warfare

If the forces involved in any foreign intervention are out of reach, another potential threat is that Syria could make use of what analysts believe is a large stockpile of chemical weapons, or launch terror attacks through its proxies.

Syria is believed to have the capability to deliver chemical weapons agents by a variety of methods, including ballistic missiles, according to IHS Jane's.

The Syrian military's apparent chemical weapons attack on a rebel stronghold outside Damascus on August 21 has "demonstrated a propensity to use it against its own," said Maher.

But he believes al-Assad's calculation will be "that if he doesn't use these weapons of mass destruction he will be basically allowed to get on with it," and so continue the conventional warfare that has already seen more than 100,000 people killed nationwide without concerted international action.

As for proxy attacks, Syria's civil war is already spilling over the borders of its neighbors in the form of bombings and refugees and is widely seen as a proxy war among different regional powers.

Juan Cole, a professor of Middle East history at the University of Michigan, said al-Assad's government might try to strike back by targeting American military, diplomatic or commercial interests in the Middle East, perhaps employing its allies in the Lebanese militia Hezbollah -- which has a long and bloody track record targeting Americans during Lebanon's long civil war.

"If Washington bombs things in Syria, I wouldn't want to be an American in Beirut within reaching distance of Hezbollah," he said. "You could see a return to 1980s types of things happening, when our embassy was blown up in Beirut and our CIA station chief was kidnapped and killed in the woods."

Ex-Navy planner Chris Harmer warns of the danger that Syrian chemical weapons could be passed to Hezbollah in the wake of any strike. "The worst possible outcome for the United States and the West in general is for these chemical weapons to transfer from Assad to Hezbollah," he said.

Hezbollah could also decide to strike back on its own behalf if its key interests are hit in Syria, said Harmer.

"If Hezbollah believes that this is really affecting the Assad regime's ability to stay in power, you could see Hezbollah do any one of a number of things," he said. "They could fire some rockets at Israel -- they may do that anyway. They could engage in asymmetrical warfare terrorist attacks abroad, and theoretically if there are severe attacks and Hezbollah is really threatened, theoretically they could decide to target Western interests, most likely in the region."

However, Maher argues that since Hezbollah has already contributed thousands of fighters on the ground in Syria, its capacity to act elsewhere could be limited.

Cyberattacks

Some worry that a U.S.-led strike on Syria would increase the likelihood of cyberattacks.

The Syrian Electronic Army, a group of hackers which backs the al-Assad regime, took The New York Times offline for a period this week in what experts said was a significant escalation of its operations. It had previously targeted other U.S. and European media organizations, including CNN.com.
Helmi Noman, a researcher at the Munk School of Global Affairs' Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, predicts these hackers will look for more chances to exploit weaknesses in America's cybergrids.

But U.S. agencies will be looking to counter the Syrian Electronic Army's efforts, which so far have caused embarrassment rather than major damage.
"It's clearly a nuisance, but its tactics aren't all that sophisticated," a U.S. official told CNN. "And while the regime probably welcomes its efforts, Damascus isn't necessarily calling the shots."

Defensive measures

Of course, military planners for the United States and its allies are well aware of the threat that Syria could pose in the event of any foreign intervention and will be making preparations.

Britain's Ministry of Defence said Thursday that it was moving six Typhoon interceptor fast jets to a Royal Air Force base on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus as a defensive measure, shortly before lawmakers in the House of Commons voted down a proposal on UK military intervention.

"This is a precautionary measure, specifically aimed at protecting UK interests and the defense of our Sovereign Base Areas at a time of heightened tension in the wider region," the ministry said. "They are not deploying to take part in any military action against Syria."

Cyprus Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides said he believed the likelihood of any reprisal from Syria "is very remote"

But, he said, Cyprus's security services are considering certain security measures, including "vigilance against any asymmetrical activity in Cyprus, terrorism" and will be prepared to help out in case any mass evacuation is needed of Europeans or "citizens of other friendly countries."

Maher also thinks retaliation by al-Assad is unlikely.

"I think he will weather the storm, absorb what will be a token gesture in terms of a few cruise missile strikes, and will go back to business as usual," he said.

CNN's Barbara Starr, Nick Paton Walsh, Henry Shirley, Nic Robertson, Christian DuChateau, Matt Smith, Brian Todd, Forrest Brown and Chris Lawrence contributed to this report.

@ Iridium:

Trotsky proved himself a brilliant military commander when he effectively built the Red Army from scratch and won the Russian Civil War in 1917-20 which also included defeating the British and French forces that were sent into Russia post-1918 to help fight and destroy the communists. And all without a great deal of military experience from what I understand.

Which btw is why Stalin hated and feared him (and his popularity) in the subsequent 20 years and finally had him eliminated.

Thanks, I actually didn't know the british and French sent soldiers to Russia, Stalin had most of the original communist leadership killed didn't he?

In regards to Ghenghis Khan, the success of the Mongols was due to there skill on the horse and mass cavalry, they could also travel much quicker than the ancient Greeks who travelled by foot. Watched something last night that said under his rule they killed 40million people.

In regards to Ghenghis Khan, the success of the Mongols was due to there skill on the horse and mass cavalry, they could also travel much quicker than say the ancient Greeks who travelled by foot, so it's no surprise the mongolian empire was bigger.


Watched something last night that said under his rule they killed 40million people.

Edited by iridium1010: 2/9/2013 08:48:02 PM

Syria 'welcomes' proposal to put chem weapons under international control

Washington (CNN) -- Syria on Monday embraced a Russian proposal for Bashar al-Assad to put his nation's chemical weapons under international control as part of an effort to head off a possible military strike from the United States over an alleged poison gas attack.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem told reporters in Moscow on Monday that his nation "welcomes" a statement from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said his country would urge Syria to take that step if it would avert a U.S. military response.

"During our talks with Foreign Minister Lavrov this morning, he launched an initiative related to chemical weapons. I listened carefully to his statement this evening in regards to that. I declare that the Syrian Arab Republic welcomes Russia's initiative, on the basis that the Syrian leadership cares about the lives of our citizens and the security in our country. We are also confident in the wisdom of the Russian government, which is trying to prevent an American aggression against our people," Moallem said.

The comments came as Secretary of State John Kerry also seemed to endorse a similar scenario.

Assad "could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week," Kerry said during a news conference with British Foreign Secretary William Hague. "But he isn't about to do it and it can't be done obviously."

Kerry made the remark in London during the final leg of a trip that also included stops in Lithuania and France.
But the State Department sought to clarify Kerry's comment.

"Secretary Kerry was making a rhetorical argument about the impossibility and unlikelihood of Assad turning over chemical weapons he has denied he used," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The Obama administration says the al-Assad government was responsible for the August 21 chemical weapons attack outside Damascus that it said killed more than 1,400 people.

President Barack Obama is seeking congressional approval for a military strike in response but is so far meeting resistance from lawmakers and the public, concerned about the United States again intervening militarily in a foreign crisis.

Syria has been engulfed in a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people over the past two years, according to U.N. estimates.

Kerry's point "was that this brutal dictator with a history of playing fast and loose with the facts can not be trusted to turn over chemical weapons, otherwise he would have done so long ago," Psaki said. "That's why the world faces this moment."

Kerry is due to participate in a classified briefing about Syria to members of the House of Representatives after his return from London later on Monday.

The Gustav railway gun was just fucking insane. Rounds were so big they could only fire one every 45 minutes - 30 minutes if they were quick about it. Needed a crew of 250 to just reload and build the fucking thing - and 2,500 men to lay the track for it. Insane. It's no wonder guns like that never took off. Needed at least 2 flak battalions just to keep it safe from air battalions too.

I'd hate to be standing next to one when it went off. Fuck.

On my iPhone but could someone post up the Katyusha?

It's the weapon that effectively won WW2.

I think when he said effectively, he meant it was probably the reason for the beginning of the end.

Is that those things that the Soviets used?

I think when he said effectively, he meant it was probably the reason for the beginning of the end.

Official says CIA-funded weapons have begun to reach Syrian rebels; rebels deny receipt

Washington (CNN) -- CIA-funded weapons have begun flowing to Syrian rebels, a U.S. official told CNN. But opposition groups say they have yet to receive any.

The official confirmed details first reported by the Washington Post but would not speak publicly.

"That is something we are not going to dispute, but we are not going to publicly speak to it," the official said.

The weapons are not American-made, but are funded and organized by the CIA. They started to reach rebels about two weeks ago, the official said.

The artillery was described as light weapons, some anti-tank weapons and ammunition.
The Syrian National Coalition and the Free Syrian Army deny they have received weapons from the United States.

"We have some promises from the U.S. administration of shipment of weapons in a short period of time, but until now we have not received any," said Free Syrian Army Political and Media Coordinator Louay al-Mokdad.

"We have logistical help, but we didn't get weapons until now. We hope that in the next short period of time we will start receiving weapons, because we have promises from EU countries and the U.S. that they will help us and support us."

The supply is in addition to the non-lethal aid that the United States has been providing the rebels since April, when the Obama administration first altered the nature of the aid to include items such as body armor, night vision goggles and other military equipment.

The official insisted the effort has been in the works for some time, and did not start as an effort to appease those calling for more rebel aid during the new diplomatic initiative with Russia.

Kerry hints at transfer

Secretary of State John Kerry said Tuesday during a Google+ Hangout discussion that "many of the items that people complained were not getting to them are now getting to them." He did not elaborate on specifics.

A spokeswoman for the National Security Council declined comment.

"We aren't able to inventory or provide timelines for every type of assistance we provide to the Syrian opposition," spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said.

CNN could not reach members of the rebel forces early Thursday morning.

Congress approved supply

The supply of weapons was approved by Congress after the Obama administration asserted the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had used chemical weapons on a small scale. But no progress toward physically supplying the rebels had been reported since then.

"Some things have not been getting to the opposition as rapidly as one would have hoped," Kerry said Tuesday.

CNN first reported on the plan to arm Syrian rebels with small arms and ammunition in June, but officials refused to lay out a time line on delivery.

Obama's national security team and members of Congress have repeatedly urged the president to increase direct aid for the rebels.

They argue such a step would strengthen the hand of moderate members of the Syrian opposition, and make them less reliant on well-armed extremist elements within their ranks.

Other developments

The latest developments come on the eve of new diplomatic negotiations between the United States and Russia, which begin Thursday in Geneva, Switzerland.

Secretary Kerry will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for two days to discuss a Moscow proposal to avert a U.S.-led strike in Syria by having the Syrian government put its chemical weapons stockpile under international control.

But as Russia continues to supply Bashar Al-Assad's regime with weapons while the U.S.

supplies the rebels, and Putin writes a piece in the New York Times questioning the authority of Obama's call for military strikes, the baggage being brought to the negotiation table continues to pile up before talks have even begun.

CNN's Elise Labott, Jamie Crawford, Samira Said and Jim Acosta contributed to this report.

I'm pretty sure the nuclear bomb effectively won WW2.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/12/politics/syria-arming-rebels/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

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