Meanwhile in Iraq & Syria

[Hastur]

There has to be a reaolution at some point. This can't last forever. The doomsday clock is real.

Well nothing lasts forever, but I don't see how it's on a clock per se, how does that work? Who is counting down? Hold on, let me just check the big board... nope, DEFCON 5, 15 minutes notice to launch, I'm not seeing any countdown here, what are you seeing?

The doomsday clock has been recalibrated to take climate change into account so it's now been set forward to two and a half minutes before the hour. Apparently people need to be more afraid.
http://thebulletin.org/clock/2017

IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
[img]DoomsdayClock_black_2.5mins_regmark%20(1).png[/img]

2017: For the last two years, the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock stayed set at three minutes before the hour, the closest it had been to midnight since the early 1980s. In its two most recent annual announcements on the Clock, the Science and Security Board warned: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.” In 2017, we find the danger to be even greater, the need for action more urgent. It is two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms. Wise public officials should act immediately, guiding humanity away from the brink. If they do not, wise citizens must step forward and lead the way. See the full statement from the Science and Security Board on the 2017 time of the Doomsday Clock.

[ssu]

Also bear in mind, Mahanian Eternal Seapower, nothing gets too serious, unless it gets taken to the high seas, but if it goes there, gets real serious real fast.

Somebody initiates contact out of the AO, on the high seas? OK, you can start digging your bomb shelter then.

No torpedoes, no biggie, first torpedo goes under a keel, the fur is gonna fuckin' fly, and it would be moving real fast, if you feel the need, at that point, you have my permission to shit your pants, if you think it would help.

Extremely remote that the tit-for-tat would ever be done at the high seas. A land based anti-ship missile can be fired through a Proxy likely at a Proxy (like the Houthi's sinking a Saudi frigate), but not anything else. Syria can do attack, not Russia itself. The littorals are different from the high seas.

Saudi frigate getting hit... with the usual death to America and death to Israel chants.


From the viewpoint of a Saudi ship, an Yemeni (Houthi) attack:


We have already a lot to look from at just how this is going to go. With the "silk gloves" like in the Cold War, when something happens, people are really carefull not to escalate. Just like during the Cold War if a spyplane was shot down, it was and nothing came of it if there wasn't any political reason to make a huge fuss about it (like with Gary Powers).

The likely "escalation" would be a downing of a NATO drone.

Turkey shoots down a Russian Fencer --> Russia protests, make some diplomatic moves --> yet now Turkey and Russia are quite OK with each other.

US hits a Syrian Air base --> makes really sure that no russians are in harms way.

[Smitty-48]

The doomsday clock has been recalibrated to take climate change into account so it's now been set forward to two and a half minutes before the hour. Apparently people need to be more afraid.

What is this clock, where is it, and how does it factor into the chain of command?

Hold on a second, stand-by...

All stations, all stations, radio check, radio check, this is Nightwatch Actual, confirm; DEFCON 5, 15 minutes notice to launch, and holding.
.
.
.

All stations, Nightwatch Actual copies, DEFCON 5, out.


Nope, no countdown, you can go ahead and relax for now, squire.

[Fife]

Immanentize the eschaton.

[TheReal_ND]

SKY KANG SKY KANG DO YOU COPY

*Pacman music*

"What did they mean by this?"

"That's Australians. The biggest shit posters on the internet and the airwaves."

[Smitty-48]

Extremely remote that the tit-for-tat would ever be done at the high seas. A land based anti-ship missile can be fired through a Proxy likely at a Proxy (like the Houthi's sinking a Saudi frigate), but not anything else. Syria can do attack, not Russia itself. The littorals are different from the high seas.

We have already a lot to look from at just how this is going to go. With the "silk gloves" like in the Cold War, when something happens, people are really carefull not to escalate. Just like during the Cold War if a spyplane was shot down, it was and nothing came of it if there wasn't any political reason to make a huge fuss about it (like with Gary Powers).

The likely "escalation" would be a downing of a NATO drone.

Turkey shoots down a Russian Fencer --> Russia protests, make some diplomatic moves --> yet now Turkey and Russia are quite OK with each other.

US hits a Syrian Air base --> makes really sure that no russians are in harms way.

Well I'm not suggesting anybody run out and start digging a bomb shelter at this juncture, as while I would assert that nuclear deterence is not assurance, it's still some mighty deterence none the less, that being said, by Cold War standards, Syria would be "precarious" to say the least, if this was the Cold War and that was the Soviets in their backing their proxy Assad against American proxies, I seriously doubt the Americans would go anywhere near it with actual US forces, silk glove would have mandated keeping a hell of a lot more distance between than this. Maybe they'd send the CIA in there, deniable NOC's, but not forces which were not denable and which would as a result warrant a response if attacked.

To wit, U-2, F-22, not the same at all, neither Gary Powers nor his U-2 were uniformed United States Air Force, moreover, Gary Powers had neither options for, nor inherent right to, self defense, whereas an F-22 could shoot down a whole a flight of Su-27's, just kicking the door to make its way out of a jam and/or more likely kicking the door to come to the aid of some 4Gens which were in a jam, if Ivan had shot first, he wouldn't need NCA clearance to do so.

Again, tho, so what? No torpedoes, no biggie, silk gloves could come off for a full on fur ball, and that still wouldn't get past DEFCON 3.

[Smitty-48]

See, since the F/A-18 shot down the Syrian Su-22, the Russians are now stating that any "American or British" forces "west of the Euphrates" will now be treated by Russia as "targets", now in the Cold War, that certainly would have gotten everybody's attention, because it's one thing to shoot the Americans down and say "whoops, sorry bout dat", and quite another to announce that you will shoot them down and then follow through, one passed off as confliction perhaps, the other an unambigiously overt and deliberate act of war.

Now, if the Russians are going to enforce a total exclusion zone and mean it, you may actually see the F-35 in action here at some point, block 3i software notwithstanding.

[The Conservative]

There has to be a reaolution at some point. This can't last forever. The doomsday clock is real.

Well nothing lasts forever, but I don't see how it's on a clock per se, how does that work? Who is counting down? Hold on, let me just check the big board... nope, DEFCON 5, 15 minutes notice to launch, I'm not seeing any countdown here, what are you seeing?

The doomsday clock has been recalibrated to take climate change into account so it's now been set forward to two and a half minutes before the hour. Apparently people need to be more afraid.
http://thebulletin.org/clock/2017

IT IS TWO AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
[img]DoomsdayClock_black_2.5mins_regmark%20(1).png[/img]

2017: For the last two years, the minute hand of the Doomsday Clock stayed set at three minutes before the hour, the closest it had been to midnight since the early 1980s. In its two most recent annual announcements on the Clock, the Science and Security Board warned: “The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon.” In 2017, we find the danger to be even greater, the need for action more urgent. It is two and a half minutes to midnight, the Clock is ticking, global danger looms. Wise public officials should act immediately, guiding humanity away from the brink. If they do not, wise citizens must step forward and lead the way. See the full statement from the Science and Security Board on the 2017 time of the Doomsday Clock.

Pfft... it should be at midnight if they are using that as a gauge...

[TheReal_ND]

Hune 21 developments
Slow news day edition:
>Air Defense in Tartus shoots down unidentified object
ISIS blows up al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul Old City
>Significant advance in western district of east Ghouta
>Iraqis progress in Mosul's Old City
>Macron: we don't see any replacement for Assad, France won't pursue his departure
>SAA liberate Tall Raynabah and Bir Qassab in E Damascus CS
>US F-15 shoots down Iranian drone near al-Tanf
>Tiger Forces liberate 18 villages in Raqqa CS
>Russia vows to shoot down all flying objects over Syria, sends warning to USA
>SAA advances up Ithriya-Tabqa Highway, aims to link with Tigers
>Tiger Forces liberate Resafa
>Russia holds rocket testing drills off Syrian coast, Iran & China hold drills in Strait of Hormuz
>IRGC missiles hit IS targets south of DeZ
>SAA controls Iraqi border all the way to DeZ province



















More pics here ---> https://mobile.twitter.com/IvanSidorenk ... 0160515072

[BjornP]

Hune 21 developments
Slow news day edition:
>Air Defense in Tartus shoots down unidentified object
ISIS blows up al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul Old City

As a point of interest, that's the mosque in which al-Bagdadhi declared himself caliph of the "caliphate" of ISIS. Was built in 1172.