That's some really great info on wood types and characteristics Mal! Thanks!
I've got a small bit of commercial fire starters (Esbit and Wet Tinder) and know how to make more home made ones.
I also have a couple hundred pounds (maybe 700+, I need to check exactly) of charcoal (I stocked up when it was on sale 2 years ago) that can be used to help get wood going.
Quote:
Originally Posted by American Patriot
There's always pellet stoves, Ryan.
Problem is until the bombs start dropping, I can't go installing anything permanent, cutting holes in walls, etc.
Plus then you've got pellets to worry about storing.
I've got kerosene heaters and about 65 gallons of kerosene store, which if used judiciously, should last until I can get something else set up.
Military bosses were taking part in a ‘future-of-the-Army’ panel in Washington
By MARK HODGE
7th October 2016, 9:11 am
AMERICAN military bosses have confessed that World War 3 is “almost guaranteed” and will be “extremely lethal and fast.”
Speaking at a ‘future-of-the-Army’ panel at the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington, generals and other leading figures laid out their depressing forecasts for upcoming conflicts.
Smart weapons and artificial intelligence will dominate these ultra-violent wars between super-aggressive nation states.
According to a report by Defense One, Major General William Hix said: “A conventional conflict in the near future will be extremely lethal and fast, and we will not own the stopwatch.
“The speed of events are likely to strain our human abilities.Oddball TV show from North Korea's tyrannical regime shows actors mocking President Obama's shock at nuke test
“The speed at which machines can make decisions in the far future is likely to challenge our ability to cope, demanding a new relationship between man and machine.”
Hix warned that the US is preparing for “violence on the scale that the U.S. Army has not seen since Korea” when over 30,000 American troops were slaughtered.
The General said that China and Russia are both developing huge militaries which are driven by new technologies.
Lt. General Joseph Anderson said America faces frightening threats “modern nation-states acting aggressively in militarised competition.”
He said: “Who does that sound like? Russia?”
Army Chief of Staff General Mark A. Milley added that war between nation states “is almost guaranteed”.
Miley warned that America’s enemies could end their superiority in the air which it has enjoyed since the Korean War in 1950 and stop its Naval forces through a mixture of anti-access and area-denial capabilities. https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/...4352.jpg?w=960 Getty Images
He said: “Land forces will have to enable sea forces.
“(The Army) is definitely going to have to dominate the air above our battle space.”
The strikingly honest military chief said America must prepare for advanced cyber warfare and fight guerrilla-style in complex urban settings.
Miley also cited a strengthened Russia, an increasingly dominate China, expanding smaller nation states and climate change as factors which could lead to instability.
He said: “While we’re ready now, we are being challenged.
Speaking about future weapons, Katharina McFarland, acting assistant Army secretary for acquisition, logistics, and technology, revealed plans to make tanks and other military machines user-friendly.
Addressing the soldiers and other military personnel in the room, she said: “You travel all over the world, don’t you?
“You can pretty much get in a car anywhere and drive it.
“As an engineer, I think in terms of a simple interface — no matter what helicopter, you can get in and operate it.”
October 14th, 2016, 19:58
vector7
Re: World War Three Thread....
Quote:
Originally Posted by MinutemanCO
I'm not even certain how to present this scenario, as it's pure conjecture. I'll put it out there anyway. We've postulated on more than one occasion that Obama will attempt to retain the presidency beyond his two term stint. The timing of this potentially nuclear global conflict arrived concurrent with our election cycle. Is it possible the Obama Admin is orchestrating global conflict to jettison the election and retain power?
EXECUTIVE ORDER
- - - - - - -
COORDINATING EFFORTS TO PREPARE
THE NATION FOR SPACE WEATHER EVENTS
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to prepare the Nation for space weather events, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Space weather events, in the form of solar flares, solar energetic particles, and geomagnetic disturbances, occur regularly, some with measurable effects on critical infrastructure systems and technologies, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite operations and communication, aviation, and the electrical power grid. Extreme space weather events -- those that could significantly degrade critical infrastructure -- could disable large portions of the electrical power grid, resulting in cascading failures that would affect key services such as water supply, healthcare, and transportation. Space weather has the potential to simultaneously affect and disrupt health and safety across entire continents. Successfully preparing for space weather events is an all-of-nation endeavor that requires partnerships across governments, emergency managers, academia, the media, the insurance industry, non-profits, and the private sector.
It is the policy of the United States to prepare for space weather events to minimize the extent of economic loss and human hardship. The Federal Government must have
(1) the capability to predict and detect a space weather event,
(2) the plans and programs necessary to alert the public and private sectors to enable mitigating actions for an impending space weather event,
(3) the protection and mitigation plans, protocols, and standards required to reduce risks to critical infrastructure prior to and during a credible threat, and
(4) the ability to respond to and recover from the effects of space weather. Executive departments and agencies (agencies) must coordinate their efforts to prepare for the effects of space weather events.
Sec. 2. Objectives. This order defines agency roles and responsibilities and directs agencies to take specific actions to prepare the Nation for the hazardous effects of space weather. These activities are to be implemented in conjunction with those identified in the 2015 National Space Weather Action Plan (Action Plan) and any subsequent updates. Implementing this order and the Action Plan will require the Federal Government to work across agencies and to develop, as appropriate, enhanced and innovative partnerships with State, tribal, and local governments; academia; non-profits; the private sector; and international partners. These efforts will enhance national preparedness and speed the creation of a space-weather-ready Nation.
Sec. 3. Coordination.
(a) The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in consultation with the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), shall coordinate the development and implementation of Federal Government activities to prepare the Nation for space weather events, including the activities established in section 5 of this order and the recommendations of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), established by Executive Order 12881 of November 23, 1993 (Establishment of the National Science and Technology Council).
(b) To ensure accountability for and coordination of research, development, and implementation of activities identified in this order and in the Action Plan, the NSTC shall establish a Space Weather Operations, Research, and Mitigation Subcommittee (Subcommittee). The Subcommittee member agencies shall conduct activities to advance the implementation of this order, to achieve the goals identified in the 2015 National Space Weather Strategy and any subsequent updates, and to coordinate and monitor the implementation of the activities specified in the Action Plan and provide subsequent updates.
Sec. 4. Roles and Responsibilities. To the extent permitted by law, the agencies below shall adopt the following roles and responsibilities, which are key to ensuring enhanced space weather forecasting, situational awareness, space weather preparedness, and continuous Federal Government operations during and after space weather events.
(a) The Secretary of Defense shall ensure the timely provision of operational space weather observations, analyses, forecasts, and other products to support the mission of the Department of Defense and coalition partners, including the provision of alerts and warnings for space weather phenomena that may affect weapons systems, military operations, or the defense of the United States.
(b) The Secretary of the Interior shall support the research, development, deployment, and operation of capabilities that enhance the understanding of variations of the Earth's magnetic field associated with solar-terrestrial interactions.
(c) The Secretary of Commerce shall:
(i) provide timely and accurate operational space weather forecasts, watches, warnings, alerts, and real-time space weather monitoring for the government, civilian, and commercial sectors, exclusive of the responsibilities of the Secretary of Defense; and
(ii) ensure the continuous improvement of operational space weather services, utilizing partnerships, as appropriate, with the research community, including academia and the private sector, and relevant agencies to develop, validate, test, and transition space weather observation platforms and models from research to operations and from operations to research.
(d) The Secretary of Energy shall facilitate the protection and restoration of the reliability of the electrical power grid during a presidentially declared grid security emergency associated with a geomagnetic disturbance pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 824o-1.
(e) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall:
(i) ensure the timely redistribution of space weather alerts and warnings that support national preparedness, continuity of
government, and continuity of operations; and
(ii) coordinate response and recovery from the effects of space weather events on critical infrastructure and the broader community.
(f) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall:
(i) implement and support a national research program to understand the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the solar system
to advance space weather modeling and prediction capabilities applicable to space weather forecasting;
(ii) develop and operate space-weather-related research missions, instrument capabilities, and models; and
(iii) support the transition of space weather models and technology from research to operations and from operations to research.
(g) The Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) shall support fundamental research linked to societal needs for space weather information through investments and partnerships, as appropriate.
(h) The Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of relevant agencies, shall carry out diplomatic and public diplomacy efforts
to strengthen global capacity to respond to space weather events.
(i) The Secretaries of Defense, the Interior, Commerce, Transportation, Energy, and Homeland Security, along with the
Administrator of NASA and the Director of NSF, shall work together, consistent with their ongoing activities, to develop models, observation systems, technologies, and approaches that inform and enhance national preparedness for the effects of space weather events, including how space weather events may affect critical infrastructure and change the threat landscape with respect to other hazards.
(j) The heads of all agencies that support National Essential Functions, defined by Presidential Policy Directive 40 (PPD-40) of July 15, 2016 (National Continuity Policy), shall ensure that space weather events are adequately addressed in their all-hazards preparedness planning, including mitigation, response, and recovery, as directed by PPD-8 of March 30, 2011 (National Preparedness).
(k) NSTC member agencies shall coordinate through the NSTC to establish roles and responsibilities beyond those identified in section 4 of this order to enhance space weather preparedness, consistent with each agency's legal authority.
Sec. 5. Implementation. (a) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall develop a plan to test and evaluate available devices that mitigate the effects of geomagnetic disturbances on the electrical power grid through the development of a pilot program that deploys such devices, in situ, in the electrical power grid.
After the development of the plan, the Secretary shall implement the plan in collaboration with industry. In taking action pursuant to this subsection, the Secretaries of Energy and Homeland Security shall consult with the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(b) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the heads of the sector-specific agencies that oversee the lifeline critical infrastructure functions as defined by the National Infrastructure Protection Plan of 2013 -- including communications, energy, transportation, and water and wastewater systems -- as well as the Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector, shall assess their executive and statutory authority, and limits of that authority, to direct, suspend, or control critical infrastructure operations, functions, and services before, during, and after a space weather event. The heads of each sector-specific agency shall provide a summary of these assessments to the Subcommittee.
(c) Within 90 days of receipt of the assessments ordered in section 5(b) of this order, the Subcommittee shall provide a report on the findings of these assessments with recommendations to the Director of OSTP, the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, and the Director of OMB. The assessments may be used to inform the development and implementation of policy establishing authorities and responsibilities for agencies in response to a space weather event.
(d) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce, the Administrator of NASA, and the Director of NSF, in collaboration with other agencies as appropriate, shall identify mechanisms for advancing space weather observations, models, and predictions, and for sustaining and transitioning appropriate capabilities from research to operations and operations to research, collaborating with industry and academia to the extent possible.
(e) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretaries of Defense and Commerce shall make historical data from the GPS constellation and other U.S. Government satellites publicly available, in accordance with Executive Order 13642 of May 9, 2013 (Making Open and Machine Readable the New Default for Government Information), to enhance model validation and improvements in space weather forecasting and situational awareness.
(f) Within 120 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and in coordination with relevant agencies, shall lead the development of a coordinated Federal operating concept and associated checklist to coordinate Federal assets and activities to respond to notification of, and protect against, impending space weather events. Within 180 days of the publication of the operating concept and checklist, agencies shall develop operational plans documenting their procedures and responsibilities to prepare for, protect against, and mitigate the effects of impending space weather events, in support of the Federal operating concept and compatible with the National Preparedness System described in PPD-8.
Sec. 6. Stakeholder Engagement. The agencies identified in this order shall seek public-private and international collaborations to enhance observation networks, conduct research, develop prediction models and mitigation approaches, enhance community resilience and preparedness, and supply the services necessary to protect life and property and promote economic prosperity, as consistent with law.
Sec. 7. Definitions. As used in this order:
(a) "Prepare" and "preparedness" have the same meaning they have in PPD-8. They refer to the actions taken to plan, organize, equip, train, and exercise to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate the effects of, respond to, and recover from those threats that pose the greatest risk to the security of the Nation. This includes the prediction and notification of space weather events.
(b) "Space weather" means variations in the space environment between the Sun and Earth (and throughout the solar system) that can affect technologies in space and on Earth. The primary types of space weather events are solar flares, solar energetic particles, and geomagnetic disturbances.
(c) "Solar flare" means a brief eruption of intense energy on or near the Sun's surface that is typically associated with sunspots.
(d) "Solar energetic particles" means ions and electrons ejected from the Sun that are typically associated with solar eruptions.
(e) "Geomagnetic disturbance" means a temporary disturbance of Earth's magnetic field resulting from solar activity.
(f) "Critical infrastructure" has the meaning provided in section 1016(e) of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)), namely
systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.
(g) "Sector-Specific Agency" means the agencies designated under PPD-21 of February 12, 2013 (Critical Infrastructure Security and
Resilience), or any successor directive, to be responsible for providing institutional knowledge and specialized expertise as well as leading, facilitating, or supporting the security and resilience programs and associated activities of its designated critical infrastructure sector in the all-hazards environment. Sec. 8. General Provisions.
(a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an agency, or the head thereof; or (ii) the functions of the Director of OMB relating to budgetary,
administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity
by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
October 13, 2016.
-----------------------------------
Quote:
President Obama Orders Government to Plan for 'Space Weather' Chaos
Oct 13 2016
by Jon Schuppe
President Obama directed the federal government Thursdayto come up with a plan to deal with "space weather."
Space weather, by the way, is a catch-all fordisturbances in the area between the sun and Earth, such as solar flares, that wreak havoc on the electrical power grid, GPS systems, aviation equipment, satellites and other technology that have become integral to human life.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to prepare the Nation for space weather events, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. Space weather events, in the form of solar flares, solar energetic particles, and geomagnetic disturbances, occur regularly, some with measurable effects on critical infrastructure systems and technologies, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), satellite operations and communication, aviation, and the electrical power grid. Extreme space weather events -- those that could significantly degrade critical infrastructure -- could disable large portions of the electrical power grid, resulting in cascading failures that would affect key services such as water supply, healthcare, and transportation. Space weather has the potential to simultaneously affect and disrupt health and safety across entire continents. Successfully preparing for space weather events is an all-of-nation endeavor that requires partnerships across governments, emergency managers, academia, the media, the insurance industry, non-profits, and the private sector.
It is the policy of the United States to prepare for space weather events to minimize the extent of economic loss and human hardship. The Federal Government must have (1) the capability to predict and detect a space weather event, (2) the plans and programs necessary to alert the public and private sectors to enable mitigating actions for an impending space weather event, (3) the protection and mitigation plans, protocols, and standards required to reduce risks to critical infrastructure prior to and during a credible threat, and (4) the ability to respond to and recover from the effects of space weather. Executive departments and agencies (agencies) must coordinate their efforts to prepare for the effects of space weather events.
October 14th, 2016, 22:29
American Patriot
Re: World War Three Thread....
Space weather, machines, artificial intelligence, computers, super people (yeah, they are out there already boys and girls. Just wait and see). Big tanks, heavy cruisers, and space warfare.
None of this stuff is science fiction any more.
I'm TRULY surprised that people "find it surprising".
After 40 years of watching computers "grow up" and the people working on AI, building super powerful machines, robots, equipment, and even genetic research (which by the way has been going on since the 1970s, outlawed or not, it's GOING ON) we will see a fast, nasty war.
Fortunately, it will affect those who are in the military more than it will the average citizen.
However, nuclear weapons will affect us all.
We're about to be in trouble and no one even grasps the consequences.
October 14th, 2016, 23:25
vector7
Re: World War Three Thread....
CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia
The Obama administration is contemplating an unprecedented cyber covert action against Russia in retaliation for alleged Russian interference in the American presidential election, U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.
Current and former officials with direct knowledge of the situation say the CIA has been asked to deliver options to the White House for a wide-ranging "clandestine" cyber operation designed to harass and "embarrass" the Kremlin leadership.
The sources did not elaborate on the exact measures the CIA was considering, but said the agency had already begun opening cyber doors, selecting targets and making other preparations for an operation. Former intelligence officers told NBC News that the agency had gathered reams of documents that could expose unsavory tactics by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Vice President Joe Biden told "Meet the Press" moderator Chuck Todd on Friday that "we're sending a message" to Putin and that "it will be at the time of our choosing, and under the circumstances that will have the greatest impact."
When asked if the American public will know a message was sent, the vice president replied, "Hope not."
Retired Admiral James Stavridis told NBC News' Cynthia McFadden that the U.S. should attack Russia's ability to censor its internal internet traffic and expose the financial dealings of Putin and his associates.
""Probe with bayonets. When you hit much, proceed. When you hit steel withdraw.""
"It's well known that there's great deal of offshore money moved outside of Russia from oligarchs," he said. "It would be very embarrassing if that was revealed, and that would be a proportional response to what we've seen" in Russia's alleged hacks and leaks targeting U.S. public opinion.
Sean Kanuck, who was until this spring the senior U.S. intelligence official responsible for analyzing Russian cyber capabilities, said not mounting a response would carry a cost.
"If you publicly accuse someone," he said, "and don't follow it up with a responsive action, that may weaken the credible threat of your response capability."
President Obama will ultimately have to decide whether he will authorize a CIA operation. Officials told NBC News that for now there are divisions at the top of the administration about whether to proceed.
Two former CIA officers who worked on Russia told NBC News that there is a long history of the White House asking the CIA to come up with options for covert action against Russia, including cyber options — only to abandon the idea.
"We've always hesitated to use a lot of stuff we've had, but that's a political decision," one former officer said. "If someone has decided, `We've had enough of the Russians,' there is a lot we can do. Step one is to remind them that two can play at this game and we have a lot of stuff. Step two, if you are looking to mess with their networks, we can do that, but then the issue becomes, they can do worse things to us in other places."
A second former officer, who helped run intelligence operations against Russia, said he was asked several times in recent years to work on covert action plans, but "none of the options were particularly good, nor did we think that any of them would be particularly effective," he said.
Putin is almost beyond embarrassing, he said, and anything the U.S. can do against, for example, Russian bank accounts, the Russian can do in response.
"Do you want to have Barack Obama bouncing checks?" he asked.
Former CIA deputy director Michael Morell expressed skepticism that the U.S. would go so far as to attack Russian networks.
"Physical attacks on networks is not something the U.S. wants to do because we don't want to set a precedent for other countries to do it as well, including against us," he said. "My own view is that our response shouldn't be covert -- it should overt, for everybody to see."
The Obama administration is debating just that question, officials say—whether to respond to Russia via cyber means, or with traditional measures such as sanctions.
The CIA's cyber operation is being prepared by a team within the CIA's Center for Cyber Intelligence, documents indicate. According to officials, the team has a staff of hundreds and a budget in the hundreds of millions, they say.
The covert action plan is designed to protect the U.S. election system and insure that Russian hackers can't interfere with the November vote, officials say. Another goal is to send a message to Russia that it has crossed a line, officials say.
While the National Security Agency is the center for American digital spying, the CIA is the lead agency for covert action and has its own cyber capabilities. It sometimes brings in the NSA and the Pentagon to help, officials say.
In earlier days, the CIA was behind efforts to use the internet to put pressure on Slobodan Milosevic in Serbia in 1999, and to pressure Iraqi leadership in 2003 to split off from Saddam Hussein.
According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the CIA requested $685.4 million for computer network operations in 2013, compared to $1 billion by the NSA.
Retired Gen. Mike Hayden, who ran the CIA after leading the NSA, wrote this year: "We even had our own cyber force, the Information Operations Center (IOC), that former CIA director George Tenet launched and which had grown steadily under the next spy chief, Porter Goss, and me. The CIA didn't try to replicate or try to compete with NSA… the IOC was a lot like Marine Corps aviation while NSA was an awful lot like America's Air Force."
"I would quote a Russian proverb," said Adm. Stavridis, "which is, 'Probe with bayonets. When you hit mush, proceed. When you hit steel withdraw.' I think unless we stand up to this kind of cyber attack from Russia, we'll only see more and more of it in the future."
October 14th, 2016, 23:32
American Patriot
Re: World War Three Thread....
I'm sorry. The Russians did WHAT? They exposed some shit? And Obama is fucking pissed so he will use American assets to attack the Russians?
Hmmmmmmmmmmm
If anything, this is definite act of war if accomplished.
You see, we, America, has one of the things listed as "infrastructure" as one of our MAJOR "attack points" where we WILL absolutely respond (and even go nuclear) if someone attacks the Internet, Water, Electrical Grid, Fuel and a few other things.
Where the fuck does Obama get off thinking that the Russians won't respond in kind?
Boys and girls... this is the edge of a precipice....
October 14th, 2016, 23:45
American Patriot
Re: World War Three Thread....
I'm sorry. The Russians did WHAT? They exposed some shit? And Obama is fucking pissed so he will use American assets to attack the Russians?
Hmmmmmmmmmmm
If anything, this is definite act of war if accomplished.
You see, we, America, has one of the things listed as "infrastructure" as one of our MAJOR "attack points" where we WILL absolutely respond (and even go nuclear) if someone attacks the Internet, Water, Electrical Grid, Fuel and a few other things.
Where the fuck does Obama get off thinking that the Russians won't respond in kind?
Boys and girls... this is the edge of a precipice....
October 14th, 2016, 23:46
American Patriot
Re: World War Three Thread....
Alright ladies and gentlemen... Allow me to elaborate a bit here.
First off, what did the "Russians" do to interfere with the US Elections? Let me see... oh, yes, they EXPOSED some emails that were passed from Clinton and others about rigging the elections. So, they didn't exactly interfere, but more accurately they gave us information about how they are trying to cheat the other side out of winning.
Got that yet? The only "interference" was with those already INTERFERING.
Ok. So, if this article is true and accurate (and I've not vetted it completely yet) then there's a serious issue. Here's the link:
The "issue" is pretty simple. In the past, the US listed several items as reason for going to war, in fact, using nuclear weapons in such a war. Attacks on our infrastructure is one. Infrastructure includes the electrical grid, energy, manufacturing (cars, tanks, planes, etc), Economic attacks on our banking system and a few other things.
How Obama and his minions have NO CLUE that this works both ways, I'm not quite sure.
But attacking (using Cyber attacks) against the Russians could be construed as an act of war. Yeah, North Korea and China routinely hit our servers and yet, we don't take any overt actions against them (and we DO have anti-cyber military arms to prevent incoming attacks... but usually we do not attack back).
To attack the Russians for "interfering" with the US Elections for "exposing" the bad guys in this is tantamount to a bullshit accusation by Obama and an attempt to start an overt war and take us out the "Cold War".
Is this Administration so corrupt and blind they can not see this?
OR are they planning to make this an actionable event allowing the current administration to create a situation so tenuous as to allow him to remain in office for another little while, or install his own people? In particular military leaders who will be beholden to him and Clinton?
Please understand this is NOT some Right or Left wing news source (actually, it's technically a Left wing source, but I digress here) that is full of conspiracy theories. This is not one of the rabidly Right Wing "nut job papers" pushing this crap (Alex Jones comes to mind right now for instance). Instead this is a main stream news source reporting this.
NBC news is a Left leaning group. But, honestly, do we all NOT see what is happening here?????
UPGRADED: The US is getting closer to nuclear war, it has been claimed
The defense readiness condition, dubbed DEFCON, is an alert system used by the US military to indicate the risk of nuclear war.
The system has five levels of readiness, or states of alert, increasing in severity from DEFCON 5 – the least severe – to DEFCON 1 – the most severe.
The current DEFCON level is understood to be 5 – the lowest state of readiness.
But conspiracy theory website DEFCON warning system claims the threat has been upgraded to level 3, meaning the US Air Force is ready to mobilise in just 15 minutes.
In a statement on its website, it claims that while there are no imminent nuclear threats against the US the situation is considered “fluid and can change rapidly”.
The website, which bases its warning on "current affairs", writes: “Tensions between Russia and the United States have reached levels beyond the cold war in the recent week.
“The situation between Russia and the United States is extremely fluid at the moment. In all likelihood as dynamic as at times during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.
“At this time, the DEFCON Warning System feels that an increase to DEFCON 3 would be a prudent move.”
Singling out Syria as “trigger point” for increased conflict between the US and Russia, the website says the situation is very sensitive and “has the potential to spiral out of control”.
Tthe website stresses it is not affiliated with the US government or military and advises the public to “make their own evaluations”. http://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dy...ded-675461.jpg
GETTY
CRUNCH TIME: Obama will have a crunch meeting on Syria today
With diplomatic relations between Moscow and Washington at their lowest point since the Cold War, turning on Russian television can be an alarming experience. For the past month, Russian media outlets have been punctuated with reports asking people whether they are ready for nuclear war.
"If it should one day happen, every one of you should know where the nearest bomb shelter is. It’s best to find out now," according to one particularly fevered report on the Russian state-owned channel, NTV.
Russia’s main current affairs show, hosted by a presenter known by critics as the country’s propagandist-in-chief, recently spent two hours warning that Russia would defend itself with nuclear arms.
"We’ve had it with American abuse over Syria," the show’s host, Evgeny Kiselyov, told his audience. "Impudent behavior," from the U.S. towards Russia, he said, can now take on "nuclear dimensions."
Anti-Americanism is not rare on Russian state news, nor is an inclination for the apocalyptic. But more notable than the intensity of the warnings has been how Russian government ministries have joined in the alarms in recent weeks. Since September, Russia has conducted a nationwide civil defense drill, purportedly involving 40 million people, preparing them for catastrophes -- among them nuclear fallout. Russia’s military announced who would run the country in the event of war and ran an exercise simulating that in the south.
Even more bluntly, Russia announced this week it was moving nuclear-capable ballistic missiles into its Northern European enclave, Kaliningrad, putting them within striking distance of Western capitals. In the same week, Russia test-fired 3 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
Such moves have further raised the temperature with the West, already exceptionally high since the U.S. publicly accused Moscow of trying to interfere in its presidential elections and efforts by the two countries to reach a cease-fire deal terrorists in Syria, collapsed amid mutual recrimination and the renewal of ferocious airstrikes by Russian jets on the besieged city of Aleppo.
But the blood-curdling statements and military posturing, however, are very far from heralding imminent war, analysts said.
"It’s ridiculous," said Aleksander Baunov, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Center. "It’s not preparation for war."
Like other Russia observers, he said the atomic-fueled reports and exercises may have several purposes, but none of them were to prepare the populace for major conflict. The nuclear threats, while frightening, reflected an sense in Russia that they could be made without real fear of being taken sincerely.
"The ease with which people in this country use the nuclear threat in their aggressive rhetoric is truly amazing and of course alarming," Maria Lipman, a veteran Russian analyst and editor-in-chief of Counterpoint journal.
That relative unconcern is perhaps reflected in that the war talk does not appear to have much traction among Russians. What's more Baunov said, anti-Americanism not especially high among ordinary people currently, limited he said to official discourse.
That discourse, rather than heralding war, Baunov said, was meant to deter Western countries from intervening in Syria and in particular perhaps was meant to prevent the U.S. from responding too strongly to suspected Russian interference in the U.S. elections. Moscow, he said, is trying to set the field ahead of an incoming U.S. president, whoever wins.
"They want to touch bottom and then to try to go up," he said. "Any responsible politician ... if you are responsible and experienced, it cannot start with further downgrading already bad relations, if they are already at bottom."
The fevered rhetoric on television and pointed deployments of nuclear launch vehicles recalled the height of the Ukraine crisis in 2014, when Russia too sought to guarantee against Western intervention and buttress support for its actions at home. This time, the chances of a real military confrontation between Russia and the U.S. have risen dramatically since Washington indicated it was considering launching airstrikes against the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to halt his brutal bombardment of Aleppo and push Moscow and Assad back to the negotiating table. Russia’s Defense Ministry has bluntly warned the U.S. not to intervene, threatening to shoot down any aircraft targeting Assad’s forces.
But still few expect the Obama administration to approve such an intervention, which would abandon years of policy avoiding direct military intervention against Assad, at a moment when it also risked provoking an armed clash with Russia.
Lipman warned the two countries' perilously diverging goals in Syria and an escalating logic in their exchanges, could see that confrontation spiral unpredictably out of control. "I think this is unprecedented," she said. "One reckless move could turn what until know has still been a Syrian conflict into something I don't even want to think about."
Beyond geopolitical clashes, though, there may also be a more prosaic reason for the war talk -- Russia's military budget is currently up for consideration at a time when the economy is in trouble, weighed down by low oil prices and Western sanctions over the Kremlin's foreign military ventures.
"The more tension the better for the Russian General Staff," Pavel Felgenhauer, a military analyst in Moscow, said. "Tensions are going to rise and rise and rise."
"The good news is no one really wants a war," he added. "But it’s going to be a good show."
For ordinary Russians it appeared an overly familiar show. Though often describing themselves as outraged by U.S. behavior in Syria, most seemed inured to the suggestions of possible nuclear doom, taking a more realistic view of the television warnings. Photos appeared on social media from a suburban apartment block where pranksters or enterprising fraudsters had pinned fliers to a stairwell asking residents to begin donating cash for the construction of a local bomb shelter.
"Hurry, places are limited," the fliers read.
October 15th, 2016, 03:08
Ryan Ruck
Re: World War Three Thread....
Quote:
Originally Posted by American Patriot
Not sure about the web site they mentioned (Conspiracy theorists? The Defcon site that is)/
Yeah, the news article seems to mistake it for an official DEFCON rating.
It's just a private site. But, apparently it is a pretty decent site. I've been checking in on them and they keep track of some pretty detailed information and word I've seen is some experienced people are involved with it.
I suspect it's a new startup designed to compete with Stratfor and Jane's.
Russia is expected to sail its only aircraft carrier through the English Channel later this month amid strained relations between London and Moscow over the Syria crisis.
Royal Navy chiefs and their Nato allies are drawing up plans to escort up to eight Russian warships which are due to leave port imminently to join the country’s air strike campaign against Syrian rebels.
Admirals believe the Kremlin will use the voyage as an opportunity for a show of strength as it passes Britain, and expect the carrier’s aircraft to launch flying drills off the British and French coasts.
Nato navies have been preparing a major operation to track the 55,000 tonne Admiral Kuznetsov and its escorts in a game of “naval cat and mouse” down through the North Atlantic to the Bay of Biscay and then into the Mediterranean.
Boris tells people to protest outside Russian embassies over Syria Play! 01:37
One Nato naval source said the Russian vessels were due to leave Severomorsk near Murmansk imminently and could pass Britain as early as next week.
The source said: “It’s not catching us by surprise, we are working up what to do and we are all over it. The most likely thing is that they will go through the North Sea, down the Dover Strait and through the Channel.
“They might even stop off the North East coast to fly for a bit.”
But the source said it was also possible the Russian warships would split, with some going through the Irish Sea or down the West coast of Ireland, “to cause more trouble”.
The source said: “Even if it splits five ways and we can’t man mark them, it doesn’t matter, we have got this covered.”
One Royal Navy Type 23 frigate and one Type 45 destroyer are being prepared to monitor the Russians, while an RAF Rivet Joint spy plane, C130 Hercules and Typhoon jets will also be on standby.
But sources said, with the Royal Navy short of ships and sailors, the warships would have to be diverted from other missions to meet the Russian vessels.
Sergei Shoigu, Russian defence minister, has said the carrier will be escorted by six warships and three or four support vessels. The Russian vessels are expected to include the battlecruiser Peter the Great and a Udaloy class destroyer.
Once in the Mediterranean, the Kuznetsov is set to take up position off the coast of Syria for four to five months, where it could uses its complement of MiG-29K/KUB jets and helicopters to carry out airstrikes.
Lord West of Spithead, a former First Sea Lord, said the Russians were entitled to sail down the Channel, and the ageing carrier was not fully operational, but he said the country’s posturing over Syria would risk inflaming tensions.
He said: “When people start posturing, things become dangerous. It all raises tensions and makes things more difficult and that’s not a clever thing to do.
“It makes sense to have them monitored by a couple of Nato ships. The fact that the Navy is scrabbling around for a frigate is symptomatic of the fact that it’s a national disgrace we only have 19 surface escorts.
He said: “I find Russia very worrying at the moment. Their economy is on a war footing.”
Dr Igor Sutyagin, a Russia expert at the Royal United Services Institute, said that as the country’s economy foundered it was left only with its military might to project influence.
October 15th, 2016, 04:39
Ryan Ruck
Re: World War Three Thread....
Quote:
Originally Posted by vector7
CIA Prepping for Possible Cyber Strike Against Russia
Depicted TFR data may not be a complete listing. Pilots should not use the information on this website for flight planning purposes. For the latest information, call your local Flight Service Station at 1-800-WX-BRIEF.