Globalism / Great Reset –
Upcoming meetings of importance
- WHO pandemic ‘treaty’ May 2024
Lawmakers in Canada are considering legislation that, if passed, could criminalize quoting Scripture in defense of biblical marriage, sexuality, and other Christian views. Bill C-367 would repeal “religious exemption” in Section 319 of the Criminal Code, which critics say could open up Christians and other religious groups to “hate speech” charges over any comments or criticisms of the LGBT movement.
OBSERVATION - WEF/globlist goals are to silence fundamental Christian beliefs and subordinate under the developing globalist new religion. This is seen in many ways across the globe. Canada is leading the way with it new laws moving to essentially outlaw Christianity in total. Think our 1st Amendment will protect use here - guess again - as efforts are well underway to do similar here.
Terrorism -
Ramadan begins March 10th.
This warning UPDATED as of March 3, 2024
ELEVATED RISK - Potential military action against Iranian assets for the attack that killed US forces in Jordan could result in Iranian terror groups here in the US to activate and conduct terror ops here. These attacks can range from infrastructure destruction (water, power, communications, etc) to mass casualty events or attacks on political candidates - heavily leaning against current administration but also Trump as well. So far the govt hasn’t come out with any warnings but the risk has increased significantly the last 24 hours, based on common sense and stated goals of the Islamist movement/Iran.
RELATED - Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday issued a travel warning for Ramadan, warning of the possibility of attacks on Israeli and Western targets around the world.
Military / Strategic Activity / Deployments –
An Aug 22, 2022 USAF memo from Gen C.Q Brown, now biden’s chair of the joint chiefs, directed the service to “develop a diversity and inclusion outreach plan aimed at achieving ‘set numerical quotas for the racial composition of officer applicant pools’. “
OBSERVTION - This is another step in the degrading of the military - moving from merit based promotions and assignments towards a DEI style system that threatens the high standards of leadership necessary for the modern military. Brown now is likely the process to push thru similar onto the other branches of the military.
***
The F-35A Lightning II, has been operationally certified to be equipped with B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs for the first time.
“The F-35A is the first 5th generation nuclear capable aircraft ever, and the first new platform (fighter or bomber) to achieve this status since the early 1990s. This F-35 Nuclear Certification effort culminates 10+ years of intense effort across the nuclear enterprise, which consists of 16 different government and industry stakeholders,” F-35 Joint Program Office spokesman Russ Goemaere told military blog Breaking Defense.
Goemaere said, “The F-35A achieved Nuclear Certification ahead of schedule, providing US and NATO with a critical capability that supports US extended deterrence commitments earlier than anticipated. ”
POLITICAL FRONT –
Ronna McDaniel officially resigned as RNC Chair, Michael Whatley and Lara Trump voted in as new Co-Chairs.
OBSERVATION - Lara Trump is there as a bone to MAGA elements because Whatley is another Bush era establishment republican. One will need to wait and see how quickly Trump will be maneuvered to the sidelines.
***
Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) delivered the Republican response to the State of the Union address Thursday night. She has received rather mixed reviews. Rumored reports that a much sharper response was desired and that Ramaswamy was the one wanted, but McConnell intervened and overruled, playing Britt in front of the camera.
***
The Senate on Friday approved a $460 billion package of spending bills in time to meet a midnight deadline for avoiding a shutdown of many key federal agencies, a vote that gets lawmakers about halfway home in wrapping up their appropriations work for the 2024 budget. The bill is ladened with billions in pork project earmarks by both parties.
RELATED -
House Republican lawmakers who advocate for reducing federal spending to bring down the budget deficit are defending the use of earmarks as Congress passes a spending package that include $13 billion of them.
“When Democrats are in control, if we don’t have the opportunity for our elected representatives to weigh in on these types of issues, then we’re sending our tax dollars to Washington, D.C. and bureaucrats are deciding where it goes,” said Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., during an interview with Just the News.
Rep. Burgess Owens, R-Utah, said he’s thankful for the earmarks process, which is now formally titled, “Community Project Funding,” noting that his “district was not being serviced at all” when earmarks were banned prior to 2021.
There were about 6,000 earmarks taking up 605 pages in the minibus spending package that passed. The package contains 6 appropriations bills.
OBSERVATION - Corruption runs across the board. Even the ‘conservatives’ are diving into the feed trough.
Biden / Harris Watch –
Biden said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the two of them were headed for a “come to Jesus” meeting over the issue of getting humanitarian aid into Gaza, according to a video clip posted on Friday.
“I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting,” Biden said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “I’m on a hot mic here. Good. That’s good.”
OBSERVATION - He later denied the comment then went on to blame the ‘media’ for it. From a biblical standpoint, biden is playing with fire.
Illegal Immigration –
Senate Democrats just voted unanimously to defeat an amendment that would have stopped counting illegals for congressional seat apportionment and electoral college (presidential) votes.
OBSERVATION - It has been recognized that one of the goals of the democrat induced illegal tsunami was to eventually force an issue and get a blanket amnesty issued, an act that would likely generate nearly 10 million new democrat voters. A secondary effect was to continue the counting of illegals in the census for the purpose of congressional seat apportionment - tipping the scales into blue regions getting more seats. The resurgence of this effort comes at a time where in 2022, a major shift in legislative seats were made from blue regions to red - as a result of the Great Migration. Now , even if they can’t legally vote, the left is willing to use them to shift the balance of power anyway.
This will also be a contributor to CW2 anger in the coming years.
***
Two U.S. National Guard members and a Border Patrol agent were killed and a fourth person was injured when a helicopter went down near Rio Grande City, Texas, on Friday, officials said.
The UH-72 Lakota helicopter crashed around 2:50 p.m. local time while it was “conducting aviation operations” in the area, according to a statement from the Defense Department’s Joint Task Force North.
The helicopter had been assigned to a support mission at the Southwest border of the U.S., the statement said.
OBSERVATION - Some outer fringe websites reporting that it was taken down by a cartel manpads. Seriously doubt it. On the worrysome side, there have been a number of military helicopter accidents lately - and this coincides to an unusual number of civilian air incidents too.
***
The city of Denver is emailing property owners, asking them to house “newcomers” aka illegals over actual citizens. Denver is being overrun by illegals after Democrats made it a sanctuary city.
OBSERVATION - Denver is among a growing trend of leftist cities trying to get homeowners to house parts of the illegal population - unscreened and unsanitized. Many note that the next likely step is to mandate that homeowners house illegals - like it or not. As this progresses, I’m watching to see what levels of crime and the like start happening, and I’ll be the homeowners will be essentially powerless to remove undesirable tenants.
China –
Border conflict between nuclear powers China and India heats up. India announced a plan to add 10,000 troops to guard the shared border.
OBSERVATION - This still simmers from the ‘rock and stick’ battle of several years ago. China sees the territory it is claiming as essential to maintain a land bridge of sorts to Mongolia and other territories in the Himalayan mountains. India and China have grown more abrasive to each other as economic competition has increased as well.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the third year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Feb 21, 2024.
Russia has taken advantage of Ukrainian ammo shortages, forcing them into primary defensive operations, and has seized the initiative following the fall of Avdiivka. Russia has reportedly concentrated 40,000 troops to sustain this offensive. The attacks associated with this offensive do not appear to be supportive of each other in a manner but are scattered along the front, concentrating on five axises of attack -
- Avdiivka,
- Maryinka,
- Robotyne,
- Kremenka and
- Bakhmut.
Russia has been able to gradually enlarge the number of soldiers in the theatre to the 400,000 range. Training and equipping of these forces is still rated very poor. Russia has drawn heavily upon ‘volunteers’ from penal colonies for their “Z” shock troops- the primary element of their meat attack (human wave) assaults against Ukraine defenses. It has been documented that ‘enforcement’ squads follow behind these ‘shock troops’ with orders to shoot any who attempt to retreat.
With the exception of Avdiivka, initial Russia attacks along the other axises have had poor results and exceptionally heavy losses. Russia continues to suffer heavy tank and APC losses. Old, cold war era tanks and APCs are becoming more and more common sights in battle fields. (formerly) Elite units like the Russian marines are routinely seen with T54/55 series tanks instead of the T72/80/90 series they were commonly equipped with. In some cases, over 70% of these newer tanks have been destroyed or captured by Ukraine.
In these other attacks, Russia continues to make poor use of fire and maneuver, preferring tank/armor ‘charges’ across open areas and down roads. This brings them into prepared kill zones where these forces are stopped and destroyed. However, as seen in Avdiivka, when Ukraine lacks the artillery, Russian forces are able to penetrate in mass and overwhelm the fewer Ukrainian defenders.
Russian organization and capabilities make it unlikely that they will be able to quickly take advantage of penetrations into Ukrainian defenses. Poor training and lack of leadership at all levels, combined with poor logistic trains, will prevent any major breakouts beyond initial penetration of lines.
Shortages of Ukraine artillery ammo has permitted Russia to regain some degree of local superiority on the battlefield. Some estimates give Russia a 3:1 advantage. This is down substantially from the start of the war where it had a 10:1 advantage. Russia is relying heavily on N Korean artillery rounds and Iranian drone/missiles.
Russian appears to be continuing to shepherd its stockpile of missiles/drones for a potential effort to take down the Ukraine power grid as they did winter 2022./23 This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage. Ammo shortages are starting to impact Ukraine ADA defenses as well.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. In the latest, large missile / drone attack, the Black Sea fleet was noticeably out of action. Ukraine continues to engage and destroy Russian naval vessels..
While the Russia air force has taken significant losses at the hands of Ukraine, early in this winter/spring offensive, Russian has more aggressively conducted CAS in support of ground troops, reflecting ADA shortages. As a result, Russia has been able to locally seize air superiority at key locations along the front - the first time in two years of fighting. This has been at a cost, with 7 Su-34/35 aircraft being lost in the last part of February alone.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace. putin is struggling to place his economy on wartime footing to accomplish this goal.
Unknowns at this time are how soon ammo supples will start hitting Ukrainian units. Long range ATACMS and German Taurus cruise missiles may be coming on line soon for Ukraine as well as F-16s (now reportedly due in late spring/early summer).
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures in the 20-40 range. Rain and snow in the forecast..
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Ukrainian air defense shot down 12 of 15 Shahed drones overnight. Kryvyi Rih, area was the recipient of most of these drones.
Russian Ministry of Defense says 3 drones were shot down over Volgograd region, 41 over Rostov region, 2 over Kursk region and 1 in Belgorod region.
Advances in Avdiivka area as well as continued positional engagements along the entire line of contact have been in progress.
Avdiivka -
Russia is attempting to push northwest of Avdiivka along a major highway towards Ocheretyne. These are reportedly confirmed advances
Outlook —
Russia has resumed operations along the Avdiivka axis as Ukraine struggles to reestablish a defensive line. Indicators are that Russia managed to push faster and farther than Ukraine had anticipated after the fall of the city, negating defensive lines to the city’s west and northwest. They are now struggling to establish new lines. This axis is also a recipient of Russia air support as evidenced by the number of jets shot down in the region earlier in the month. Russia for once has recognized the advantage they’ve gained and are attempting to exploit it.
ISRAEL –
Now the war is in its 5th month.
Dates to remember -
Ramadan March 10 - April 8
Key overnight developments -
- Air drops of food continue, even though there have been some killed by standing under the pallets as they come down.
-Houthi launched large anti-ship drone attacks with up to 37 drones.
——— GENERAL ——————————-
Lest we forget - there are still 105 being held hostage in Gaza.
***
Biden at the SOTU- “I told him, Bibi, and don’t repeat this, but you and I are going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ meeting,”
***
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres once again caused an uproar on Friday, after he mentioned the sexual crimes committed by Hamas in its October 7 attack in Israel in the same breath as “reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees”.
The UN chief made the remarks in a speech he gave during an event on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The crimes committed by Hamas were confirmed in a report released by UN Special Rapporteur Pramila Patten on Monday.
UN experts have accused IDF soldiers of raping Palestinian Arab women and girls in detention but have not provided evidence to back those claims.
Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, said in response to Guterres’ comparison, “Today at the event to mark International Women’s Day at the United Nations, the Secretary-General once again openly demonstrated his bias and hatred against Israel.”
Ambassador Erdan added, “What kind of twisted conscience does the Secretary-General have to dare to compare evidence of sexual abuse, rape and war crimes that Israeli women went through on October 7 and that our hostages are still going through, and between false and unsubstantiated claims of physical searches of Palestinian women suspected of terrorism?”
https://harbingersdaily.com/israel-at-war-week-23/
***
The U.S. military port that is intended to provide humanitarian assistance to Gaza is expected to take up to two months to construct and requires over 1,000 U.S. servicemembers to complete, the Pentagon said.
In a press conference on Friday, Press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters that that port would take at least 1,000 U.S. forces.
“We anticipate that it’ll take over 1,000 U.S. forces to participate in building this capability,” Ryder said.
“As far as time frame, several weeks, likely up to 60 days in order to deploy the forces and construct the causeway and the pier,” he said.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
Ongoing search and destroy operations throughout Gaza. Some troop rotations ongoing, bringing in fresh forces.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
Lower intensity exchanges of fire by both sides.
———WEST BANK——————————-
Arrests continue in numerous cities in the West Bank. Associated with those raids, clashes break out between arabs and Israeli security forces.
Palestinian gunmen set off an improvised explosive device near Israel Defense Forces troops in the West Bank town of Silat ad-Dhahr on Friday afternoon, wounding seven soldiers, the military and medics said.
The IDF said soldiers were carrying out “proactive activity” in the town when they came under attack.
Clashes broke out between youths and security forces in the village of Hajjah, east of Qalqilya
Confrontations broke out between rioters and security forces in the town of Osrin, south of Nablus
———“ISLAMIC RESISTANCE” ———————————
Houthi’s launched 15 drones according to the U.S. Navy with vessels and aircraft along with multiple coalition navy ships and aircraft shooting them down.
The Houthi claim they targeted American war destroyers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden with 37 drones.
***
Thousands of supporters of Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists staged anti-American and anti-Israeli protests in Yemen on Friday, vowing that the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which starts Sunday night, “is a month of jihad before it is a month of worship.”
———INTERNATIONAL ——————————-
Peruvian police on Friday reported arresting two individuals – an Iranian and a Peruvian national – over alleged plans to attack an Israeli businessperson at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), scheduled later this year.
***
The Iranian national, Majid Azizi, 56, is reportedly a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). He is said to have obtained a Peruvian citizenship through marriage.
——— FORECAST ————————-
Israel continues to conduct search and destroy operations throughout Gaza as Hamas et al forces are destroyed in piecemeal fashion.
Be it 17 or 37, the latest drone attack by the Houthis is one of the largest to date. Until the US and coalition decide to get serious and bomb the living daylights out of Houthi positions and command, this will only go further south.
Trying to monitor indicators by either Hezbollah and Israel on the timing or immanency of a ground operation start by either element. Preemptive strike option by Hezbollah grows with Ramadan fervor. However, movement of ground forces by Hezbollah will be a challenge given the intense surveillance Israel has on the region. Israeli preparations will be a little more set piece as I expect to see Reserve call-ups prior.
Misc of Note –
There is considerable speculation across the inter webs as to just how the other shoe will drop here in the US before the elections. Everything from a massive false flag event that the regime can use to justify marital law, to terror/unconventional warfare by terror or national-based (i.e. Chinese) illegals (again with one goal to be disruptions of the elections), to actual war with Russia or China - and everything in between.
In the New Normal setting we find our selves in, many of these scenarios once were considered to be totally unreasonable now have become very possible. My most significant concerns in order are -
1 Illegals inciting violence, either by Chinese or Iranian/islamic elements or by just massive rioting by the unwashed throngs wanting more and more freebies.
2 Assassination of Trump and / or key govt individuals. Besides Trump, conservative USSC members and congressmembers, even governors.
3 Financial collapse - Not a high finance guru, I continually see a lot of behind the doors reporting on banking, the Fed and other aspects of the economy to know that much of what the MSM has put forth as economic good news is lipstick on a pig. Remember back to 2008, how quickly Lehman’s scandal knocked the legs out from under everything. Things can happen very quickly.
4 International conflict - Growing Israel - arab conflict soon to spread to Lebanon and even Iran. US being caught in it and having naval assets targeted and hit by Iran. Another danger zone is Taiwan and if China sees weakness, it will put the screws on to a level of at least a blockade of some form.
5 Items 1,2 and 3 above could trigger a much hotter CW2 scenario with local / state forces lethally engaging rioters or even fed forces.
6 Massive vote fraud / election theft - Don’t mistake this for being at #6 at this point. With many months left to go, the above items are poised to make an impact first, and this will rise accordingly the closer we get. Mixed into this are
- Martial law in response to the above
- Riots/protests if Trump manages to be reelected, approaching or meeting CW2 levels and standards
7 And finally, globalist maneuvering under the cover of global chaos to incrementally to rapidly implementing key goals such as digital ID, digital (programmable) money, global medical control, the whole sexual pervasion movement of the LGBT et al community with globalist blessing (now expanding from transgender to a full on push for acceptance of pedophilia) and other global money policies.
To say that the country is at its most dangerous time in history is an understatement. And to fully map out actions with secondary and tertiary impacts is massive, as any one of the above can and likely would trigger another on the list- generating a domino effect.
There are milestones I’m marking as the year progresses now.
- The restless summer - high probability of nation-wide protests/riots - and on what grievance (Gaza, Trump, etc)
- Party national conventions
- Israel -arab war phases
- Illegal immigration and associated crimes and terrorism’
- Fed decisions later this year.
As I conduct my OODA loops, these will become more and more refined. But the outlook is increasing gray - there is a storm coming.
I’m reviewing my preparations and increasing my spiritual readiness, food and ammo stockpiles. reviewing medical and comms readiness (going for my General Ham license). Paying closer attention to locals (leaders and general population) because even here in the Redoubt there are those who are questionable in their love of country.
Thanks
When illegals are asked where they want to go in the US they pull out of piece of paper and read the name of a city.
NOT ONE reporter yet has asked them 'why' that city. The fact they all have pieces of paper with city names on them tells me that the city is being chosen by the cartels or by democrats pr both.
I'm guessing democrat thugs and goons via 'nonprofits' and NGO's are making the choices. With cartels choosing what whore houses and what drug rings...
Globalism / Great Reset –
Upcoming meetings of importance
- WHO pandemic ‘treaty’ May 2024
The Irish people overwhelmingly rejected two referendums to erase “woman” and “mother” from the Constitution and to make it gender neutral.
OBSERVATION - This is a repudiation of the WEF/globalist continued efforts to tear down the nuclear family via the whole ‘gender’ attack. Ireland is already swamped by migrants - mostly from N Africa - causing another attack on the Irish culture.
CW2 / Domestic violence - Heightened THREAT
Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the entrance to Cleveland airport on Saturday. They caused massive delays and traffic. People had to get out of their cars and walk to make their flights.
***
Additional thoughts on the NYC deployment of NG and State police to patrol the subway system. This is an incipient reading of the public (in NY anyway) of the establishment of a police state. Wait, what?. Tyranny creates the problem - rampant crime due to lack of police, lax prosecution and no jail for crimes - then ‘solves’ it via a militaristic solution, a creeping police state where the ‘police’ eventually have no accountability to the public for the rights lost, and as the NY governor openly stated - you don’t like to have your bags checked to ride the subway, find your own way to work.
Now project this onto national level chaos that is being created by the left. See the trend. The lawlessness is deliberate - necessary to ‘justify’ the police state.
***
With the declining pro-hamas protests ‘energy’, the radical, Antifa left is back down to lowered levels of operation. Spotty attempts to spread the ‘Stop Cop City’ vandalism and protests to other areas is seeing only sluggish responses.
However, I fully expect that things will kick into high gear once spring - fall better weather kicks in and the 2024 election approaches.
The pro-hamas supporters continue to be a plague to democrats more than republicans, since biden and the senate are maintaining a nominally pro-israel stance. But so far nothing has really kicked in to take the protests to the next level. Ramadan may trigger the islamic components - but the predominantly white, areligious liberals that have supplied much of the protest bodies knows or cares little about the holiday.
Speaking of Islam, globally the pro-hamas protests have increasingly morphed into islam to take over governments and cultures. Similar trend in some cases here. Oct7 triggered something globally, igniting the massive numbers of Muslims who’ve swarmed into Europe and the US (and other countries as well, but to a lesser extent) into pushing for dominance over the country they’ve planted themselves in. This is a very rapidly growing trend that may be the driver of further protests/riots and misc violence.
Terrorism -
Ramadan begins March 11th.
This warning UPDATED as of March 3, 2024
ELEVATED RISK - Potential military action against Iranian assets for the attack that killed US forces in Jordan could result in Iranian terror groups here in the US to activate and conduct terror ops here. These attacks can range from infrastructure destruction (water, power, communications, etc) to mass casualty events or attacks on political candidates - heavily leaning against current administration but also Trump as well. So far the govt hasn’t come out with any warnings but the risk has increased significantly the last 24 hours, based on common sense and stated goals of the Islamist movement/Iran.
RELATED - Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) on Wednesday issued a travel warning for Ramadan, warning of the possibility of attacks on Israeli and Western targets around the world.
Economy-
Analysts are becoming concerned because on March 11, the Federal Reserve will end the bank term funding program (BTFP), a year after it began in response to the failures of regional banks Signature, Silvergate and Silicon Valley. These banks were brought down by customers withdrawing deposits en masse, both because many were tech or crypto businesses that needed money to cover losses, and because there were better savings rates available elsewhere.
Banks have had a year to adjust to higher interest rates, plus they can still borrow from the Fed through another facility called the discount window.
Nonetheless, the BTFP’s closure is likely to increase banks’ borrowing costs, meaning their profit margins will fall.
https://theconversation.com/why-economists-are-warning-of-another-us-banking-crisis-224092
IN RELATED! American banks saw their profits almost halve in the last quarter of 2023, with institutions facing more downside risk this year, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC).
Fourth-quarter net profits of 4,587 commercial banks and savings institutions insured by the FDIC came in at $38.4 billion, a decline of $30 billion, or 43.9 percent from the previous quarter, according to a Thursday press release from the organization. Full-year 2023 net profit dropped by 2.3 percent from the previous year.
“Ongoing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, continuing inflationary pressures, volatility in market interest rates, and emerging risks in some bank commercial real estate portfolios pose significant downside risks to the banking industry,” said FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg.
“These issues, together with funding and earnings pressures, will remain matters of ongoing supervisory attention by the FDIC.”
The decline in quarterly earnings was driven by “non-recurring, non-interest expenses” at large banks, which could refer to the special assessment fee that large banks had to pay the FDIC.
Following the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and two other larger financial institutions last year, the FDIC’s deposit insurance fund lost $16 billion. The FDIC then directed banks to pay a special assessment fee to recoup these losses and replenish the fund.
OBSERVATIONS - The above two articles should bring a great deal of concern. I’ve noted before that smaller banks are feeling the pinch as the Fed keeps the rate high - placing them at risk. Further reflections found in the touchstone housing and even commercial real estate sectors.
***
There seem to be growing concerns about interest rate hikes (!)) this year due to the risk of inflation and better-than-expected economic data. This would be a BIG pivot by the Fed, as expectations for a while now are that a drop in the prime rate would occur. If interest rates continue the developing trend to rebound - another hike could knock the legs out from under the economy in general. The “non” political Fed is aware of this to some degree, trying to stage a semblance of a ‘good’ economy in support of biden, but may find themselves painted into the corner.
Military / Strategic Activity / Deployments –
“Effective immediately, the issuance of reenlistment bonuses is suspended,” the March 1 memo said. The suspension is for bonuses that would have a payout between now and the end of 2025, effectively including anyone who would reenlist now, though existing contracts are not impacted, according to the document.
The sudden suspension is due to a miscalculation by Army National Guard planners who forecast the amount of funds needed and the anticipated volume of troops planning to continue their service, a spokesperson said. Guard officials are aiming to have bonuses back on track in April, meaning service members who reenlist now won’t be entitled to incentives, but could be in a few weeks if they wait.
This requires a pause to assess fiscal resources that will determine when we can resume offering new bonuses with the issuance of new reenlistment contracts,” Paul Swiergosz, a National Guard Bureau spokesperson, told Military.com in a statement.
The Army National Guard is facing a retention slump, missing its goal of keeping 36,000 soldiers from leaving the force by 1,000 last year. Meanwhile, the active-duty component of the Army has met its retention goals for the past half-decade with relative ease, and is already showing early signs of meeting its goal this year.
POLITICAL FRONT –
March 22, second funding deadline
***
Biden on Saturday signed a package of six government funding bills, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown, though a second tranche of bills has yet to be finalized ahead of a looming March 22 deadline.
***
The Jan. 6 select committee suppressed testimony from former White House deputy chief of staff Anthony Ornato that proves former President Donald Trump was “willing to ask for” 10,000 National Guard troops to safeguard the nation’s capital on Jan. 6, 2021, according to Rep. Barry Loudermilk, chairman of the Committee on House Administration’s Subcommittee on Oversight.
https://www.newsmax.com/us/trump-jan-6-loudermilk/2024/03/09/id/1156615/
OBSERVATION - We owe Richard Nixon and apology. The corruption uncovered by the democrats (and affiliated anti-Trump republicans) against Trump is unbelievably staggering by comparison. Add to this the fact that this J6 star chamber illegally DELETED files and testimonies just adds more fuel to the fire that this was a political hit.
What is even more aggravating to me is that no one, not a single person, on that committee will be held accountable for this gross breach of public trust and authority.
***
Members of the New York Fire Department (FDNY) who are fed-up with Trump-hating fascist attorney general Letitia James during a recent promotion ceremony are now facing severe consequences.
In response to the incident, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh has initiated a hunt for those responsible for the outburst. FDNY Chief of Department John Hodges sent an email to the department’s leadership, stating that the Bureau of Investigation and Trials (BITS) would be conducting an investigation into the matter.
He urged those involved to come forward voluntarily, implying that consequences would be less severe for those who did not wait to be “hunted down.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/03/outrageous-fdny-firefighters-who-booed-tyrant-ag-letitia/
OBSERVATION - Hunted down and re-educated - that is the threat. This in response to a valid, 1st amendment issue - though potentially ill placed at a promotion ceremony. The union is not supporting the action either.
Biden / Harris Watch –
In an interview with MSNBC President Joe Biden said he regretted using “illegal” to describe the illegal immigrant charged for the murder of Laken Riley in the State of the Union address and did not want to “disrespect” any immigrants in the country.
China –
An individual drove his car into Xi’s home overnight. No word on if deliberate or an accident.
Russia -
WAR WATCH - into the third year of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine - Feb 24th, 2022
CURRENT ASSESSMENT - Updated Feb 21, 2024.
Russia has taken advantage of Ukrainian ammo shortages, forcing them into primary defensive operations, and has seized the initiative following the fall of Avdiivka. Russia has reportedly concentrated 40,000 troops to sustain this offensive. The attacks associated with this offensive do not appear to be supportive of each other in a manner but are scattered along the front, concentrating on five axises of attack -
- Avdiivka,
- Maryinka,
- Robotyne,
- Kremenka and
- Bakhmut.
Russia has been able to gradually enlarge the number of soldiers in the theatre to the 400,000 range. Training and equipping of these forces is still rated very poor. Russia has drawn heavily upon ‘volunteers’ from penal colonies for their “Z” shock troops- the primary element of their meat attack (human wave) assaults against Ukraine defenses. It has been documented that ‘enforcement’ squads follow behind these ‘shock troops’ with orders to shoot any who attempt to retreat.
With the exception of Avdiivka, initial Russia attacks along the other axises have had poor results and exceptionally heavy losses. Russia continues to suffer heavy tank and APC losses. Old, cold war era tanks and APCs are becoming more and more common sights in battle fields. (formerly) Elite units like the Russian marines are routinely seen with T54/55 series tanks instead of the T72/80/90 series they were commonly equipped with. In some cases, over 70% of these newer tanks have been destroyed or captured by Ukraine.
In these other attacks, Russia continues to make poor use of fire and maneuver, preferring tank/armor ‘charges’ across open areas and down roads. This brings them into prepared kill zones where these forces are stopped and destroyed. However, as seen in Avdiivka, when Ukraine lacks the artillery, Russian forces are able to penetrate in mass and overwhelm the fewer Ukrainian defenders.
Russian organization and capabilities make it unlikely that they will be able to quickly take advantage of penetrations into Ukrainian defenses. Poor training and lack of leadership at all levels, combined with poor logistic trains, will prevent any major breakouts beyond initial penetration of lines.
Shortages of Ukraine artillery ammo has permitted Russia to regain some degree of local superiority on the battlefield. Some estimates give Russia a 3:1 advantage. This is down substantially from the start of the war where it had a 10:1 advantage. Russia is relying heavily on N Korean artillery rounds and Iranian drone/missiles.
Russian appears to be continuing to shepherd its stockpile of missiles/drones for a potential effort to take down the Ukraine power grid as they did winter 2022./23 This task has become increasingly difficult as Ukraine adds air defense systems and gets better coverage. Ammo shortages are starting to impact Ukraine ADA defenses as well.
The Russian Black Sea fleet is is essentially impotent and hesitant to deploy into now contested waters. In the latest, large missile / drone attack, the Black Sea fleet was noticeably out of action. Ukraine continues to engage and destroy Russian naval vessels..
While the Russia air force has taken significant losses at the hands of Ukraine, early in this winter/spring offensive, Russian has more aggressively conducted CAS in support of ground troops, reflecting ADA shortages. As a result, Russia has been able to locally seize air superiority at key locations along the front - the first time in two years of fighting. This has been at a cost, with 7 Su-34/35 aircraft being lost in the last part of February alone.
Russian leadership reportedly planning for a long duration conflict, hoping to wear the Ukraine army down and cause European allies to tire of their support - forcing some sort of cease fire and negotiated peace. putin is struggling to place his economy on wartime footing to accomplish this goal.
Unknowns at this time are how soon ammo supples will start hitting Ukrainian units. Long range ATACMS and German Taurus cruise missiles may be coming on line soon for Ukraine as well as F-16s (now reportedly due in late spring/early summer).
Logistics –
Open-source researchers analyzed satellite imagery and assessed that Russia has reportedly removed 25 to 40 percent of its tank strategic reserves, depending on the model, from open-air storage facilities. The higher percentages represent removal of ‘newer’ tanks like the T72/80/90 series.
Ukraine –
WEATHER FORECAST – Temperatures in the 20-40 range. Rain and snow in the forecast..
24 HOUR ROUND UP –
Ukrainian air defense shot down 35 of 39 Shahed drones across several regions in Central and Eastern Ukraine overnight.
Bakhmut -
Increased action to the south of the city.
Avdiivka -
After a pause in action, fighting has picked up west and northwest of Avdiivka.
Russian Territory –
Fire at oil depot in Kursk region after drone strike.
Ukrainian forces reportedly conducted drone strikes targeting Rostov Oblast on March 8-9 and may have struck a Russian aircraft plant refurbishing and modernizing Russian A-50 long range radar detection aircraft.
OSINT analysts utilizing satellite imagery to assess the impact of a Ukrainian UAV attack say the imagery validates the damage sustained by the facility.
Outlook —
It looks like Russia is trying to resume its efforts to maintain the initiative in its offensive. It appears that the biggest effort is being directed along the Avdiivka front, with secondary efforts on the Bakhumt and Kremenka fronts.
Ukraine, for its part, has greatly expanded its UAV productions and are increasingly attacking un to poorly defended key targets in Russia - oil depots, factories, etc.
Russia in response has largely been limited to Shahed drone strikes and some tactical ballistic missile attacks.. Launches from Black Sea and strategic bombers have disappeared. Again, speculation is that they are trying to conserve their missiles for a series of much larger attacks. This was the theory based on last years assault on Ukraine power supplies. A similar attack has not developed this year. The question I have is whether or not the supplies of Iranian and NK missiles will alter this status.
Wild Card is going - that of potential deployment of French and Polish troops on Ukrainian soil. See below under “Europe / NATO General”
Europe / NATO General –
The increasing rhetoric, especially from France and now Poland, seem to be trending toward actual boots on the ground in Ukraine. This would cause an order of magnitude escalation in the fight and an almost guaranteed expansion of Russian attacks outside of Ukraine. This comes with an overall mobilization of NATO forces to prepare to confront Russia on the battlefield - especially if Ukraine falls.
ISRAEL –
Now the war is in its 5th month.
Dates to remember -
Ramadan March 10 - April 8
——— GENERAL ——————————-
Lest we forget - there are still 105 being held hostage in Gaza.
***
Spain’s prime minister says he will propose that parliament recognizes a Palestinian state
Israeli PM Netanyahu responds to Turkish President Erdogan comparing Netanyahu to Hitler: we don’t take morality advice from Erdogan. He supports Hamas killers & rapers. He persecutes the Kurds in his own country. We follow the laws of warfare
The Israeli Mossad said in a statement: Hamas is striving to set fire to the area during Ramadan at the expense of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip
***
The Hamas terrorist organization is starving Palestinians in Gaza by stealing food that arrives in humanitarian aid shipments and then selling it on the black market, according to Zvika Klein, editor of the Jerusalem Post.
Those who cannot afford to pay the exorbitant prices are going hungry, he said — not for lack of aid deliveries, but because Hamas seizes the aid on entry and uses it to enrich itself and fund its ongoing war against Israel.
——— GAZA FRONT ———————————-
Ongoing search and destroy operations throughout Gaza. Some troop rotations ongoing, bringing in fresh forces.
——— LEBANON / HEZBOLLAH——————————-
The Israeli Army: We bombed Hezbollah sites in Aita al-Shaab, Khirbet Salam, Al-Habaria, and Aitaroun southern of Lebanon
———WEST BANK——————————-
Arrests continue in numerous cities in the West Bank. Associated with those raids, clashes break out between arabs and Israeli security forces.
Security forces entered the town of Salem, east of Nablus
——— FORECAST ————————-
Ramadan is starting and who knows just what will ensue as islamic fervor rises.
Israel continues to conduct search and destroy operations throughout Gaza as Hamas et al forces are destroyed in piecemeal fashion.
Overall, things have hit a plateau for the moment. Israel is maintaining steady pressure on Hamas et al and progressing towards the Rafah assault.
Houthi may be assessing the latest barrage in order to adjust its tactics to be more successful.
Central / South America General-
Ha𝗶𝘁𝗶 𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗽𝘀𝗲 with gangs having essentially taken control of the hellhole country. Prisions have been attacked, releasing more gang members, police and govt buildings are under attack and many set on fire and after declaring a national emergency the PM flees the country.
OBSERVATION - Why worry? Because every other episode of violence like this has initiated a flood of illegal ‘refugees’ into the US. These feed off the public trough and bring with them the same violent tendencies and culture they reported have fled.
Argentina -
Argentine President Javier Milei starts implementing the policies of El Salvador’s Pres. Nayib Bukele’s policies against criminal gangs & drug traffickers
Misc of Note –
A great deal of reporting on the spat of airline incidents - doors blowing off, wheels falling off, engines catching fire, collisions on the tarmac, etc with the question being - is this the result of DEI?
I really don’t have an answer to connect the dots to DEI. I am suspicious in that post-wuhan plandemic “New Normal”, the inability of airline industry in general to (re)hire qualified individuals has suffered like the other industries - suggesting to me that poorly (or shudder, unqualified) hires have moved in.
What we are seeing could also be information bias - sudden fixation and reporting of incidents that have occurred at same levels for a long time - only now being brought to the forefront. I place a lower likelihood on this.
Issues are brewing in the airline industry and the FAA (recent scary job ads for even unqualified and mental cases - in our control towers and radar rooms!)