General Military News

[CaptainCrunch]

Russia, china and Iran make a almost perfect economic and military alliance.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

Libya, where Turkey and Egypt appear to be ready to support GNA and LNA respectively, is potentially becoming a trigger for a wider North African/Middle Eastern war.

Perhaps the western media has finally stopped ignoring the looming catastrophe for north Africa and the region (still in denial as to the fruits of US-NATO "liberated" Libya after Gaddafi was overthrown and killed).
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...against-haftar

For years, the Jihadist ratline was Libya-Turkey-Syria. It has now reversed: Syria-Turkey-Libya.

In an ironic plot twist, the same jihadists the CIA trained to topple Assad in Syria are now back in Libya, furthering the proxy war chaos at Sultan Erdogan's bidding and against former (still current?) CIA asset and LNA leader (or as Bloomberg calls him - "strongman") General Khalifa Haftar.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Probably important:

One of the more popular figures in Iraq, cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr (after paying condolences for the assassination of Soleimani) has ordered Jaysh Al-Mahdi (JaM) and the Promised Day Brigades (PDB) to be “fully ready to defend #Iraq”.

JAM and PDB have been dormant for years, replaced by Saraya Al-Salam. Another hint at war.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1212993817500168192

The Mahdi army caused many a problem for the Americans, especially in the Basra area of operations, and that was back when there were 100,000 Americans in Iraq.

[Baron von Kriterium]

The players are moving their chess pieces around.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1213172260095320073

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

I wouldn't say that's entirely true. The Russians have learned a couple of valuable lessons over time.

1.You can mass deploy average tanks against smaller quantities of superior tanks and prevail.

2. You can't win a spending war against the West/USA when you don't have the luxury of the Ruble being the world's reserve currency.

The T-72 with its upgrades and the T-90 are more than capable of engaging what NATO offers on the battlefield. The T-72 is also attractive for foreign military sales.

So, I'd say the Russians, with 10x smaller defence budget than NATO, have to find more efficient solutions.

Not sure about the T-90, but the Israeli's Merkavas ripped apart a Syrian tank brigade of T-72s with no losses, but I guess those weren't the T-72B variants.

[Fuzz]

That video has to be one of the most annoying ways to deliver information possible. Only way to make it worse is portrait mode. It's text and pictures! Why make it into a video?

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by peter12

Not sure about the T-90, but the Israeli's Merkavas ripped apart a Syrian tank brigade of T-72s with no losses, but I guess those weren't the T-72B variants.

Are those the same Israelis who retreated from Lebanon with the tails between their legs?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

Are those the same Israelis who retreated from Lebanon with the tails between their legs?

Yes, but wasn't that due to guerrilla attacks? Tactically, in the field, the Israelis dominated the Syrians. Or so I have read.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by peter12

Yes, but wasn't that due to guerrilla attacks? Tactically, in the field, the Israelis dominated the Syrians. Or so I have read.

Which battle was it that the Merkavas took out a brigade of T-72s?

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

Which battle was it that the Merkavas took out a brigade of T-72s?

I could be wrong, but weren't there several clashes along the Beirut-Damascus Highway where TOW and Merkavas inflicted significant losses against Syrian T-72s while receiving none in return?

As well, disproportionate losses in the First Gulf War between American M1s/British Challengers and Iraqi T-72s must also indicate some deficiencies in Russian strategy of deploying large numbers of slightly older MBTs against newer Western models.

Interested in your perspective as I'm only an interested amateur.

[La Flames Fan]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

That video has to be one of the most annoying ways to deliver information possible. Only way to make it worse is portrait mode. It's text and pictures! Why make it into a video?

That was like a bad cut scene from a Nintendo game.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by peter12

I could be wrong, but weren't there several clashes along the Beirut-Damascus Highway where TOW and Merkavas inflicted significant losses against Syrian T-72s while receiving none in return?

No.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

No.

Just found my source here (https://www.paljourneys.org/sites/de...zid_sayigh.pdf).

I was wrong. Most Syrian tanks were destroyed with ATGMS from the IAF.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by peter12

...indicate some deficiencies...of deploying large numbers of slightly older MBTs against newer Western models.

What it indicates is poor Iraqi tactics with the defensive employment of their armour.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Originally Posted by peter12

Just found my source here (https://www.paljourneys.org/sites/de...zid_sayigh.pdf).

I was wrong. Most Syrian tanks were destroyed with ATGMS from the IAF.

A brigade from the SAA 1st Armd Div crossed the Leb/Syr border to hit the right flank of the Israelis, who were advancing up the Beka'a Valley. The SAA engaged knocking out several M60s.

Syria/Russia claimed no T-72s lost. Some claim T-72 vs Merkava never actually engaged each other. Israelis say 10-12 T-72s taken out, mostly from TOW/ATGM. Only one T-72 taken out by tank fire.

[peter12]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

A brigade from the SAA 1st Armd Div crossed the Leb/Syr border to hit the right flank of the Israelis, who were advancing up the Beka'a Valley. The SAA engaged knocking out several M60s.

Syria/Russia claimed no T-72s lost. Some claim T-72 vs Merkava never actually engaged each other. Israelis say 10-12 T-72s taken out, mostly from TOW/ATGM. Only one T-72 taken out by tank fire.

So I stand totally corrected. That's really interesting. So it is true that Western forces have never faced properly deployed T-72s, T-80s, or T90s?

[Baron von Kriterium]

Eyes on Syria this evening. With everyone's attention directed at Iraq, Israel will probably strike targets in Syria.

[Baron von Kriterium]

Apparently two more vehicles targeted north of Baghdad tonight. Not confirmed.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1213229125105782784

https://twitter.com/user/status/1213226663397511168

[Baron von Kriterium]

Another moving chess piece. The scrapped exercise is AFRICAN LION. I attended that two years ago. It was a good go.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1213229903497383939

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Baron von Kriterium

Another moving chess piece. The scrapped exercise is AFRICAN LION. I attended that two years ago. It was a good go.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1213229903497383939

clearly a sign of how much more stable the US thinks their actions have made things in the region