Free Republic

So, is China going to attack? Short answer: Only Xi knows. Absent that information, here are a few thoughts. A range of pressures, including an aging population, unresolved territorial disputes, and a slowing economy, is conspiring to challenge the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) legitimacy, which is premised on a post-Tiananmen promise of prosperity. These pressures may lead Xi to take action over Taiwan before Beijing’s economic and military advantages dwindle – the so-called “Davidson Window.” Then there is the “Pax Olympics” school that sees concern over global image forestalling Chinese aggression till after the 2022 Winter Olympics. There are ready...

In 1958, the Navy proposed overhauling the Iowa-class ships by removing all of the 16-inch guns and replacing them with anti-aircraft and anti-submarine missiles. The new “guided missile battleships” would also carry four Regulus II cruise missiles, each of which could flatten a city a thousand miles distant with a nuclear warhead more than 100 times as powerful as the bomb used on Hiroshima.

The Project B tests were held in the Chesapeake Bay in July 1921. Airplanes of the First Brigade sank a captured German destroyer and then a an armored light cruiser. Next was the German battleship Ostfriesland, considered “unsinkable” due to its extensive compartmentalization. After a day of 230- and 600-pound bombs dropped by Marine, Navy, and Army aircraft, the battleship settled three feet by the stern with a five-degree list to port. Ostfriesland, it turned out, was not unsinkable from the air.

First, last month still saw sales of some 2.2 million units in total, exceeding every year prior to 2020. Moreover, for the first three quarters of 2021, firearms sales reached nearly 30.5 million – compared to 28.6 million for the same period a year earlier. Clearly, that was the result of the pandemic, followed by a wave of violent protests across the country that occurred following the killing of George Floyd over Memorial Day weekend 2020. It is true as well that last year’s fourth-quarter sales were strong, driven in no small part to the election of President Joe Biden,...

Xi Jinping’s options Let us go through his options in broad terms. First, Beijing would doubtless prefer to win without fighting, true to Chinese strategic traditions.[6] That is not because party magnates harbour scruples over using violence, or goodwill towards Taiwan. It is because aggressors love peace.[7] A bloodless triumph lets them get their way while sparing them the dangers, hardships, and costs of war. But it is increasingly doubtful that Taiwan will capitulate without warfare. Polls reveal that an overpowering majority of islanders now define themselves not as Chinese but as Taiwanese.[8] As a corollary, they reject the legitimacy...

Competition between the United States and China might look less like a single sharp, decisive conflict between Washington and Beijing, and more like a series of militarized conflicts in a broader context of trade and cooperation. This would represent more of an 18th-century appreciation of international conflict, seeing no wars as particularly decisive in themselves, but rather each as a step to improving a state’s position for the next conflict. As Paul von Hindenburg said of annexing the Baltic States into the German Empire during World War I, “I need them for the manoeuvring of my left wing in the...

“A default could potentially — but not necessarily — delay the payment of Social Security benefits, which reach about 65 million Americans in some form,” the Times said. “It could also delay payments to government contractors, including hospitals that accept patients who use Medicare and Medicaid benefits.” A default would also have effects that trickle down further, including to state-run programs, as well as the expanded child tax credit. The next scheduled payment from that is October 15, which is before the possible default date, although another payment is due November 15.

Will no one rid us of this troublesome A-10 ‘Warthog’? The United States Air Force (USAF) has spent almost two-thirds of its existence as an independent service trying to get rid of the A-10, one of its most well-known aircraft. But has the Air Force finally given up? It is odd to think that a fifty-year-old aircraft might have more job security now than at any time in its long history, but it does seem that the Warthog now has a relatively secure space in the USAF fleet.

Smith & Wesson Brands Inc. has called Massachusetts home for 170 years, but the company’s CEO said that legislation pending in Beacon Hill could bar the manufacturer from making certain types of firearms – including AR-15 style modern sporting rifles – in the Bay State. As a result, the company decided to move its headquarters and facilities to the Volunteer State, which has stronger support for the Second Amendment as well as a lower cost of living.

What really gets lost in all of this talk is how much soldiers will miss the M9 Beretta handguns. Travis Pike, a former Marine machine gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for five years, recently wrote on Sandboxx that “I couldn’t help but feel a little tinge of nostalgic sadness. I’m not saying the Beretta was better than the Sig, but I loved the M9.”

Have you ever wanted to have a Glock 19 and Glock 17 contained in the same gun? The Glock 19x just might have you covered. It started out as a submission for the military’s new sidearm, but it was passed on. The 19X was then made available for civilians to purchase where it’s enjoyed a favorable reception.

This pistol is tiny. And of course, it was designed this way with concealed carry in mind. The Glock 43 is remarkably small and can fit in pockets (or a safe) nicely as well as ankle holsters and bags of all sorts. This pistol is the perfect size for really any kind of way you want to carry it, but it does have its limitations.

A long time ago I found myself searching up the “quietest pistol” on Google. What came up was a Ruger Mark IV outfitted with a suppressor. Watching that video is what started my love affair with .22 caliber firearms. Since then I’ve dabbled with plenty of handguns and rifles for plinking. The Rock River Arms LAR-22 is next up. Is it any good, or should you pass this one up?

Everyone loves a good .22 LR shooting session. There’s nothing quite like casually sending rounds down range after a long day. What’s better is that shooting a .22 won’t break the bank. This tiny caliber isn’t just for fun either (although that’s what I use it for); it can also be used as a training caliber, usually to mitigate costs of more expensive calibers like 556. The Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 certainly fits the bill for that. Is it any good?

The Washington Post published a bombshell report on Tuesday that claims the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark A. Milley, took it upon himself to reach out to our greatest potential rival, China, and offer to give them advance warning of U.S. military action directed against them. Though far from the only violation of Milley’s oath of office revealed in the article, that is enough to warrant the president immediately relieving Milley of duty.

Jacksonians hew to bareknuckles realism. They hold that “international life is and will remain both anarchic and violent,” and thus that “the United States must be vigilant and strongly armed. Our diplomacy must be cunning, forceful and no more scrupulous than anybody else’s. At times, we must fight preemptive wars.” And Jacksonian sentiment perseveres over time when the community is convinced vital national interests are at stake, as in World War II, the Cold War, and Desert Storm. As a corollary, though, Jacksonians evince little interest in foreign enterprises undertaken for reasons not directly related to defending the national interest....

Washington’s war on terror has cost some $8 trillion dollars and some 7,000 American lives, as well as thousands more maimed mentally or physically. The only significant beneficiaries appear to be U.S. defense contractors and Washington’s global rivals, especially China, who likely watched in disbelief as America wasted vast amounts of blood and treasure.

September 11, 2001 was a preventable tragedy in a long line of preventable tragedies. So was the disorganized withdrawal from Kabul, which could have been prevented if the Biden administration hadn’t put too much faith its evaluation of the durability of the Afghan government, and instead held onto Bagram as an insurance policy. Seven decades of preventable tragedies have taken a heavy toll on American lives, American treasure, and the American psyche. They have done little to change the structure of American power. There is no denying that 9/11 changed the lives of millions of people, mostly for the worse....

President Joe Biden is doing the unthinkable. On the 20th anniversary of the dark day that terrorists struck New York City and Washington, D.C., he — more than any other world leader — is preparing the way for the next 9/11. Sept. 11, 2021, ought above all to be a day of remembrance, a reflection on loss, a homage to bravery, and a recommitment to our steely resolve to never let this happen again. And without question, the president will invoke that message at ceremonies in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Penn. What most of the world will pay attention...

The immediate danger is Afghanistan itself, where Biden Administration policies are enabling the victors and increasing threat levels. Secretary of State Blinken wants a Taliban government of “real inclusivity,” as if the presence of other Afghan factions will somehow dilute the impact of Taliban rule. The terrorists’ media charmers have surely learned from post-World War II “coalition” governments in Soviet-dominated Europe how to conceal political reality with make-believe “inclusivity.” If Taliban deigns to play this game, their siloviki will control the key security agencies, such as defense, police, and intelligence. The rest is window-dressing, mere pretense for a White House...