#military installation

[soillodge]

Duga OTH radar system remains. Soviet Union

Original photo by Jorge Franganillo

[truegeorge]

Weekend Drill

Not sure what was the idea behind this type of dream that occurred. Maybe it was the news, anyway, I dreamed that I was still in the National Guard and was going on a weekend drill. The normal things that we do to prepare for a drill was done, but when I went on the bus to go to the military installation where the drill was supposed to take place. I saw that there were families of the recent…

[justacynicalromantic]

In early 2014, Ukraine was a neutral country, with a pro-Russian president, and with 70% of Ukraine's population against NATO membership. Yet Russia bluntly violated Ukraine's neutrality and annexed Crimea, then launched a covert invasion of Ukraine in the east.

Petro Poroshenko won the presidential election later in 2014 having promised a settlement with Russia, keeping a special status of the Russian language in Ukraine. He was initially sceptical regarding NATO accession, underlined Ukraine must rely on its own strength to provide security.

Did Putin meet Poroshenko halfway? Not at all. The regular Russian army entered the Ukrainian territory in mid-2014 to fight the Ukrainian troops, which led to the Minsk-1 agreement signed in September 2014.

Further text - down under the cut, or you can follow the Twitter link to the original post:

Few weeks later, Ukraine's parliament adopted a law that would guarantee the then Russia-controlled part of Donetsk and Luhansk regions additional economic, financial and cultural powers.

How did Putin react? Russia staged sham local elections in the occupied Donbas, and then sent the regular army again to Ukraine in early 2015, which led to the Minsk-2 agreement signed in February 2015.

Zelensky was even more sceptical regarding NATO accession. Asked about NATO, he once famously said he never pays anyone a visit if he has not been invited. He won the presidential election promising to compromise with Russia - to stop shooting, sit down with Putin and talk.

Did Putin meet Zelensky halfway? Not at all. He actually raised the stakes by issuing the Russian passports on the occupied territories of Ukraine even before Zelensky assumed the office, putting him in a difficult political position since the start.

Zelensky was ready to drop Ukraine's NATO bid in an exchange for the Russian troops withdrawing from Ukraine. The talks were held already before 2022. What did Putin do? He launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In the first weeks of the invasion, Zelensky was yet again ready to drop Ukraine's NATO bid. But he wanted to obtain international security guarantees. What did Putin do? He demanded that Russia must be consulted before any aid would be given to Ukraine in the event of aggression.

To sum up, Ukraine has consistently tried to reach a deal with Russia over the last decade, and was open to giving up on its NATO bid in exchange for the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Ukraine. Russia never reciprocated, never showed a good will, kept raising the stakes.

Both Poroshenko and Zelensky were initially sceptical regarding Ukraine's accession to NATO. Both wanted to get a deal with Putin. And Putin himself pushed both of them to seek NATO membership out of no other viable alternatives.

Up till now, Putin has shown absolutely no willingness to compromise with Ukraine. His war aims remain maximalist - subjugating Ukraine and changing its regime. He seeks Ukraine's partition, and will turn what is left of Ukraine into Russian protectorate.

Russia's imperial self-conception is that of Russian elites at large, and not just Vladimir Putin. The Russian leadership simply cannot reconcile with the existence of a sovereign Ukrainian statehood.

Therefore any sustainable Ukrainian-Russian compromise is currently not possible unless the Russian cost-benefit calculus changes. Only credible risk to the stability of the Russian regime would impact this calculus. The easiest way goes through defeating Russia in Ukraine.

[nocternalrandomness]

Spangdahlem Airbase Germany - 1990

[girlactionfigure]

After posting earlier today about the THAAD Battery going to Israel, it’s surprising to me how many didn’t know about “Site 512” which is the only Permanent U.S. Military Installation in Israel. 

Site 512, which is operated by the 1st Space Brigade of the U.S. Army and sits atop Mount Har Qeren in Southern Israel, was opened in the Early 2000s by the Bush Administration as a Top Secret Radar Facility featuring less than 100 Soldiers; but since then the Base has received several Expansions, including one in 2017 and one 2023 which constructed enough Barracks Space to house roughly 1,000 Personnel.

 Currently around 300 American Service members are stationed at the Base, alongside a AN/TPY-2 Surveillance Transportable Radar and several Early-Warning Systems focused on Iran; in addition, there is believed to be a MIM-104 “Patriot” Surface-to-Air Missile Battery and at least some of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Battery located at the Site.

[general-cybernetics]

[nando161mando]

Hamas should stop building their military installations underneath hospitals ~ Incoming Secretary of State, Marco Rubio

[deadpresidents]

What is the closest military base to the white house?

The White House IS a military installation.

It is the home and workplace of the Commander-in-Chief of United States military forces, so that alone makes it an important command and control headquarters. The various branches of the military have an active role in the everyday logistics of running the White House campus and supporting the Executive Office of the President. The White House's complex and extensive communications agency is staffed by members of each individual branch of the military. The U.S. Navy is responsible for the White House Mess and providing food services to the President, the First Family, any potential guests, and the President's staff. The White House Medical Unit is staffed by military doctors who have a round-the-clock presence in the White House and the official Physician to the President is usually an active-duty military officer.

While the Secret Service -- which includes the traditional plainclothes agents and the more visible uniformed division -- is responsible for protecting the President, his family, and the White House itself, the military also has a protective footprint in and around the White House complex. It's believed that amongst the White House's protective measures -- most of which are highly classified -- are anti-aircraft defenses, which are almost certainly manned by the military rather than the Secret Service. Marine Corps guards also are stationed at the White House (often seen opening and closing doors while manning the entry and exit points around the West Wing) as sentries and sometimes act as military valets during events hosted by the President in the White House. The role of the Marine sentries is purely ceremonial as opposed to protective.

And one of the most important White House responsibilities of the military is transportation. The White House Transportation Agency is responsible for all aspects of the President's travel, and the military works in tandem with the Secret Service on planning and carrying out the immense logistical challenges of transporting the President anywhere in the world -- a challenge magnified by the sheer size of Presidential traveling parties. A Presidential motorcade consists of, on average, 50-60 vehicles. And the majority of those vehicles actually have to be transported from the United States to wherever the President is traveling -- even if it is to several different foreign countries or continents. The Air Force is, obviously, responsible for the President's plane, along with any other aircraft making the trip which are usually carrying White House staff, members of the press, or cargo. For short distances that can be made by helicopter, the Marine Corps takes the lead. And any ground travel by motor vehicles is handled by the Army.

Security and the President's personal protective detail is always led by the Secret Service, but the military is responsible for many of the day-to-day logistics of the institution of the Presidency, which illustrates why the White House is an important military command and control base.

[geometricalien]

I'm so fine <- the words of a liar after finding out one of her favorite fanfics has been deleted

[retrogamer2099]

Retro_G is back with a sample music from Halo Infinite. With the new season's pass this is called "Survive the Undead". Happy Haloween! Like comment and Subscribe! THX.

[finelinens1994]

this essay made me wanna scream a little like it's unbelievable how the united states has been able to hide their crimes in korea so successfully for so long, including the crimes they directed koreans from the south to commit against dissidents. the united states saw a people who had just been freed from one imperialist power, and recognized it as an opportunity. like a vulture. it's sickening. it makes me think of palestine as well. our struggles are connected by the same greedy imperial power, even if in different ways. like just look at this excerpt:

"U.S. policy to target refugees in battle zones, for example, was justified by the rationale that civilians and guerrillas were indistinguishable, and the precedent of U.S. military conduct during the so-called "Indian Wars" — namely the necessity of total destruction — was explicitly invoked to describe and defend these practices. [...] U.S. historian Bruce Cumings offers a tidy summary of the Genocide Convention’s grim entanglements with mass killings in Korea: "[The Genocide Convention] was approved in 1948 and entered into force in 1951 — just as the [United States Air Force] was inflicting genocide, under this definition and under the aegis of the United Nations Command, on the citizens of North Korea.""

[gingerwerk]

That text post the went around asking what’s y’all’s Valentine’s Day plans??? And I jokingly said the Vietnam war??? After the day I had at work I feel like I am now a Vietnam veteran

[myrfing]

he WHAT

[louisvuittonandleadpipes]

PNW coastal horror

[minnichan]

Tagged by @greighish , thank you!

Rules: shuffle your “on repeat” playlist from Spotify or the music service of your choice and post the first 10 tracks.

I mainly listen to music on youtube or stuff I downloaded on my phone illegally, not sure what best fits that spotify on repeat playlist but youtube has compiled a winter recap 2023 playlist so I'll shuffle that I guess?

Zhu Yilong's performance of 谢谢侬

Kalafina - Kantankatan

Zhu Yilong - Life's Important Events

Zhou Shen's performance of 达拉崩吧

Chen Xueran - We Won't Be Falling

MDZS audio drama version of Wangxian.mp3

Lion from Macross F (never watched it but it's part of my karaoke playlist)

Within Temptation - The Reckoning

Reol - Gokusaishiki

Zhu Yilong, Yang Enyou - Planting Stars (I usually skip the first 30 secs of random kids singing lol)

Tagging anyone who wants to share!

Also funny thing about my winter recap, I don't know what's that private video at 6th place??

[strawberry-milkbunny]

Yk maybe Obito was right to kill Minato…..

I hope this guy’s in jail.