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Author: TriSec    Date: 05/25/2021 11:01:45

Good Morning.

We're going to stay with our Saturday theme, and head right back to Afghanistan.


Things remain strangely quiet ( or at least un-reported ) as we begin our long-awaited pullout from Afghanistan. As I thought on Saturday - "You came in here, but didn't you have a plan for getting out?" As it seems to be, the answer is "Of course not."


WASHINGTON (AP) — When he pulled the plug on the American war in Afghanistan, President Joe Biden said the reasons for staying, 10 years after the death of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, had become "increasingly unclear.” Now that a final departure is in sight, questions about clarity have shifted to Biden's post-withdrawal plan.

What would the United States do, for example, if the Taliban took advantage of the U.S. military departure by seizing power? And, can the United States and the international community, through diplomacy and financial aid alone, prevent a worsening of the instability in Afghanistan that kept American and coalition troops there for two decades?

The Biden administration acknowledges that a full U.S. troop withdrawal is not without risks, but it argues that waiting for a better time to end U.S. involvement in the war is a recipe for never leaving, while extremist threats fester elsewhere.

“We cannot continue the cycle of extending or expanding our military presence in Afghanistan, hoping to create ideal conditions for the withdrawal, and expecting a different result,” Biden said April 14 in announcing that “it's time to end America's longest war.”

A look at some of the unanswered questions about Biden's approach to the withdrawal... [please read the rest of the story at the source - ed]


Ah, but if only "pulling out" applied to such things as contracts for useless things. It has yet to fire a shot in anger, but the "flying turd" could already headed for the boneyard. So far, it's been a $406 billion (circa 2017) boondoggle. The lifetime cost is projected to be somewhere north of $1.5 trillion when it's all done.


The U.S. Air Force could retire some of its older-model F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, which are used for training, over the next decade in favor of acquiring the most advanced variants of the jet, according to a top general.

Older versions of the premier stealth jet may be retired instead of receiving expensive upgrades to keep them viable for a future conflict, said Lt. Gen. S. Clinton Hinote, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for strategy, integration and requirements.

"It's not in our plans right now, but that would be something that we would have to take into consideration," he said in an interview Tuesday. "Because the big question is, 'Are we going to go back and retrofit [them]?'

"Retrofit cost is a key consideration for, 'Do we want to take training jets that are older [software] blocks and upgrade them to new blocks?'" Hinote said. "Are we maybe overinvested in training tails? There are some indications that maybe we are."

Hinote was referring to the ratio of training jets to combat-coded jets -- those ready for a wartime mission at any given time -- across the service's seven fighter fleets as it prepares for a near-peer conflict. The Air Force counts the A-10 Thunderbolt II close-air support aircraft as part of its fighter fleet, along with the F-35, F-22 Raptor, F-15C/D Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the new F-15EX Eagle II.

For example, one-third of the fifth-generation F-22 fighter fleet is not combat-coded, with most of those jets reserved for training pilots.

"It's true with a lot of our aircraft that we have some they're dedicated solely to training," Hinote said. "We're questioning, in a new era [of great power competition], where training is going to look different. Perhaps we have overinvested in training aircraft, and the ratio of training to fighter aircraft could be improved on the fighter side, i.e. more tails available for combat."


Let's at least end on a positive note today. It's been almost five months, but the National Guard are finally finishing their mission to guard the nation. The Guard's mission is scheduled to end on Monday and they'll be headed home - turning over protecting the Capitol back to the Capitol police. I wonder if our Washington, DC bureau can report on what the Mall looks like these days?


WASHINGTON — Nearly five months after being deployed to the U.S. Capitol to help quell the Jan. 6 insurrection, National Guard troops were set to leave and turn over security of the area to Capitol Police.

Guard troops, their mission ending Sunday, were expected to be leaving on Monday, a person familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to discuss the plan by name and requested anonymity.

The Pentagon announced earlier in the week that an extension of the Guard presence — 2,149 troops — had not been requested.

The planned departure came as Democrats and Republicans sparred over how to fund fortifications of the Capitol and whether to form an independent bipartisan commission to investigate the attack that sought to overturn former President Donald Trump’s loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Some Republican lawmakers have begun downplaying the event despite the handful of deaths, injuries to scores of police officers, hundreds of arrests, damages to the building and shouted threats against lawmakers from many of those who stormed the building. Much of the violence was caught on camera.

Retired Lt. Gen. Russel Honore, who oversaw a security review in the wake of the rioting, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the Capitol itself will be secured by Capitol Police but that the complex will remain closed to the general public because of the strain on the police force.

“God bless the National Guard,” Honore said. “They’ve done significant work.”


One would presume the political fallout will continue for quite some time.




 
 

8 comments (Latest Comment: 05/25/2021 21:14:22 by BobR)
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Comments:

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Comment by wickedpam on 05/25/2021 13:12:19
Morning

Comment by Scoopster on 05/25/2021 13:56:40
Mornin' all..

Comment by livingonli on 05/25/2021 14:16:34
Comment by BobR on 05/25/2021 15:00:24
six meetings today. Blergh...

Comment by Raine on 05/25/2021 15:59:33
Lotta planning for an unexpected trip tomorrow.
UGh.

Comment by TriSec on 05/25/2021 18:28:33
It’s Official! Just got my financing approved, so I am now the proud owner of a BMW G310R!!!

Comment by BobR on 05/25/2021 21:14:22
Quote by TriSec:
It’s Official! Just got my financing approved, so I am now the proud owner of a BMW G310R!!!

w00t!