The cost of doing business | 73 comments (73 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

The cost of doing business (none / 0)

See how "Defense Industrial Complex" is pinned open at the top? Savvy!

For anything less than $750B, these "innnovative technologies" wizards can't be bothered to install a translation widget. Comical or tragic? You be the judge.

by Cat on Wed Jan 25th, 2023 at 11:01:35 PM EST

The cost of doing business (none / 1)

Ukraine has laready received 250 applications within the Advantage Ukraine investment platform

..."Investors are primarily interested in tax benefits when it comes to the prospects for opening new factories, partnerships, or purchasing Ukrainian assets. Besides, many strategic investors are interested in establishing trade relations with Ukrainian manufacturers to further integrate them into their global supply chains," said Oleksandr Hryban, Deputy Minister of Economy.
Among the project initiators' requests, the agro-industrial sector and the fields of innovations and technologies, as well as energy received the biggest number of proposals.
As a reminder, the investment attraction initiative "Advantage Ukraine" was presented on September 6 as part of a major campaign developed by the WPP [?] with the support of the President of Ukraine. The platform includes investment projects and opportunities in 10 sectors of the economy with a total capacity of more than $400 billion. The Advantage Ukraine project team works with the support of the USAID Competitive Economy Program....

Slava Ukraini! Zelensky opened trading on the New York Stock Exchange

by Cat on Thu Jan 26th, 2023 at 12:29:50 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business (none / 1)

archive.is Reuters | U.S. arms exports up 49% in fiscal 2022, 25 Jan

Sales of U.S. military equipment to foreign governments rose 49% to $205.6 billion in the latest fiscal year, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday.
Sales approved in the year included $13.9 billion worth of F-15ID fighter jets to Indonesia, $6.9 billion worth of Multi-Mission Surface Combatant ships to Greece, and $6 billion worth of M1A2 Abrams tanks to Poland.
There are two major ways foreign governments purchase arms from U.S. companies: direct commercial sales negotiated between a government and a company, and foreign military sales in which a foreign government typically contacts a Defense Department official at the U.S. embassy in its capital. Both require U.S. government approval.
The direct military sales by U.S. companies rose 48.6% to $153.7 billion in fiscal 2022 from $103 billion in fiscal 2021, while sales arranged through the U.S. government rose 49.1% to $51.9 billion in 2022 from $34.8 billion the prior year, the State Department said.
[...]

best seller
Brown, J. S., The Social Life of Information (2000)

by Cat on Sat Jan 28th, 2023 at 11:04:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

SIDEBAR wayback organizational hygiene (none / 1)

Retrieving digital files dated > 30 years and, more recently—post-911 rash of subscriber circulation coupled to G7 message hygiene policies— articles archived by the "Wayback Machine" innerboob crawler is an old hat hack for some, not I.

I've only noticed two associated URLs after a month of casual (post, get) trial 'n' error: archive.is and archive.org. *.org failed both tests, and this very morning, *.org not only refused certain HTTP requests, that server responded with a HTTP 505 "suspicious activity" error message. May be or not traced to persistent Chrome client cookie data. (I might or might not look into that. I'm not the cumpulsive sort given to circumventing slide-rule "Big Data" knowledge management with proxy DNS or VPN. I'm the sort who still drinks unfiltered tap water so I know with whom I'm dealing.)

Conversely, *.is delivered Bloomberg "Hints at Russian Involvement in Swedish Koran Burning" (28.01.23). Hold that thought. YLE media finished months of unmet demands for not 4, 33, or 73 but 120 trrrst extraditions from SE, HISTORIC neutrality, biomass carbon sinks, and free press indemnity with "Court finds two HS journalists guilty of disclosing state secrets. This week, YLE media is already struggling to translate Erdoğan hints into the cost of two-speed, dues-paying NATO membership believed to secure Finland's national security messaging system.

ICYMI, Daily Sabah quotes Erdoğan's cryptic statement in part, in *-Eng.

"We may deliver Finland a different message (on their NATO application) and Sweden would be shocked when they see our message. But Finland should not make the same mistake Sweden did," Erdoğan said in a televised speech aired on Sunday [29.01.23].
He also repeated his demand for Sweden to hand over suspects sought by Ankara. "If you absolutely want to join NATO, you will return these terrorists to us," Erdoğan said. "We gave Sweden a list of 120 persons and told them to extradite those terrorists in their country. If you don't extradite them, then sorry about that," Erdoğan added.

I for one will be immensely entertained should Erdoğan reveal a list of fugitives who've since uhh migrated from SE to FI. To further f* with the charade of invoilate NATO by-laws, benefits, and procedures is after all his style.

by Cat on Mon Jan 30th, 2023 at 04:05:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: SIDEBAR wayback organizational hygiene (none / 0)

Trolling through the intimate details of your digital laundry, I find that you discovered the Russian connection of the Swedish koran-burning. Through the wayback machine.

Do you also get the weather report from the same source?

Disapponting that Erdogan should fall for such an obvious manipulation.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 10:29:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

mmm, no. (none / 1)

Paludan torched a Koran in SE last April around the time HU and TR first objected to NATO package applications. The latest flaming Koran demo in SE had been appeared for a Japanese minute in G7 media nearly a week ago—without much notice of protest in "mostly muslim" countries, I might add.

The Bloomberg headline implying Russian bribes was recently cited in an "offshore" publication. This was news to me with uncanny sympathy for "Qatargate" paranoia that has seized the EP this month.

I resorted to Wayback archive in order to read the full text Bloomberg article the same day. I am not a subscriber. Sometimes, I use icognito, when an cited article date is unknown to me. Sometimes, I don't need to, because Bloomberg syndicated some of its material, and I can read an edited-to-fit version—same headline—published same day by comparatively small circ outlets like yahoo!, US News, and even Arab News.

In any event, the subject of my comment is Wayback DOS. The subtext of my comment is ICT censorship.

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 02:50:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

SIDEBAR wayback organizational hygiene (none / 1)

Foote, et al, "Managing the knowledge manager," The McKinsey Quarterly, July 2001

Know thy self if not the European Media Freedom Act.

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 02:54:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

SIDEBAR charade of invoilate NATO by-laws (none / 0)

NATO+ Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Mediterranean Dialogue partners, Istanbul Cooperation Initiative partners, Emerging Global security partners, International organisation partners

NATO | Relations with partners across the globe, Aug 2021 jr varsity bench

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 05:26:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Finland and SIGINT Dark Spot of Secrecy (none / 1)

[Btw ... Google search delivered zero hits, had to use another search engine to find the answers]

Finnish SIGINT and support for NATO espionage on Russia

Finnish Defence Intelligence (DNI) Agency
According to a 2014 interview with Chief of Intelligence, then Brigadier General Harri Ohra-aho, the merger enabled a more comprehensive intelligence overview and enhanced analytical cooperation. The Agency's main elements are situated in Helsinki and Jyväskylä with separate elements around Finland. According to a news report, it employed 150-200 persons and its budget was 15 million euros in 2014. The preceding SIGINT and IMINT arm of the military, the Finnish Intelligence Research Establishment (Finnish: Viestikoelaitos, Swedish: Signalprovanstalten) operated principally as a part of Finnish Air Force Headquarters at Tikkakoski, near Jyväskylä. The facility received its orders from Defence Command and employed 120-140 personnel according to a 2007 news report. It was renamed the Finnish Intelligence Research Centre (Finnish: Viestikoekeskus, Swedish: Signalsprovancentret) when it became a subunit of the Agency.
According to a 2017 exposé by the Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the Finnish Intelligence Research Centre is responsible for monitoring the Russian Armed Forces by capturing and analysing electromagnetic radiation and maintaining an electronic intelligence mapping that contains information on the Russian military, such as unit types, command and control structures, air defences, readiness plans and missions. During peacetime, the Centre monitors at least the Leningrad Military District while only a fraction of its monitoring is focused on the Western world.
The Centre reports its findings first to the Intelligence Division and finally to the President, Prime Minister, Defence Minister and high command of the Defence Forces. The newspaper released examples of the Intelligence Research Centre's analysis topics, such as Russian synthetic-aperture radars from 2005, security-related effects of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, electronic countermeasures against Buk missiles, and Russian military action during the Russo-Georgian War of 2008.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 07:34:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Finland and SIGINT Dark Spot of Secrecy (none / 0)

Ministry of Justice, Finland -- Act on the Openness of Government Activities -- TOP SECRET
Europe's future cannot be based on permanent confrontation. However, Finland must be prepared for various alternative development paths and be flexible and fast in its own operations. This also means increasing defense and internal security costs.
Finland should bring global security challenges to the center in cooperation with Russia. In global challenges, the scale rises above edge battles and zero-sum games. Global challenges include the state of the environment, the effects of immigration, different forms of cross-border crime, and the structural change of societies due to digitalization. Cooperation in the fight against the most fundamental global challenge, i.e. climate change, must be highlighted and practical research and technological cooperation must be sought.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 07:35:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

SIDEBAR wayback organizational hygiene (none / 0)

archive.ph, 30 Jan 2023
"Now, this isn't the first time I've written about the disconnect between economic perceptions and reality."

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 09:30:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

SIDEBAR wayback organizational hygiene (none / 1)

HRW | Ukraine: Banned Landmines Harm Civilians, 31 Jan

Remnants of KPFM-1S-SK cassettes manufactured in 1988 that Human Rights Watch researchers found in Izium in October 2022. These cassettes are used for the delivery of PFM mines by the 9M27K3 Uragan mine-laying rocket. The cassette opens in flight using a small explosive charge to separate it from the rocket motor section of the weapon and scatters 312 PFM mines into an area. © 2022 Human Rights Watch
Update: Human Rights Watch welcomes Ukraine's commitment to duly study the below report on antipersonnel landmines, as announced in a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on January 31. We hope that the government will carry out a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation into our findings. We welcome further dialogue with the Ukrainian authorities on this issue. ...

cockroach alert Sun Nov 13th 2022, Thu Oct 13th, 2022, Sun Jul 20th 2014

by Cat on Wed Feb 1st, 2023 at 12:48:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - reputation (none / 1)

Biden says U.S. won't be providing F-16s to Ukraine, 30 Jan

...Kyiv has made it clear it would like to have fighter jets such as the F-16s, a hope renewed by the U.S. announcing last week the approval of the transfer of M1 Abrams fighter tanks. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's defense minister, told CNBC last week, "We will get F-16s." ...

archived Sat Mar 5th, 2022

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 07:14:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - reputation (none / 1)

Which NATO Countries are Ready to Share Their Jets With Ukraine?
• Turkey will not rejoin the F-35 program, House Armed Services Committee says
• Biden Administration to Ask Congress to Approve F-16 Sale to Turkey
• F-16 Deal Contingent on Turkey's Support for NATO Expansion, Syria
• Top U.S. lawmaker objects to potential F-16 sale to Turkey
• Biden hopes Ankara will drop its objections to the accession of Finland and Sweden into NATO
• Türkiye vows it won't buy F-16 fighter jets 'it can't use'

by Cat on Wed Feb 1st, 2023 at 02:41:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

doing business - UPDATE (none / 0)

Politico.eu.com | Germany to send 88 Leopard I tanks to Ukraine, 3 Feb non-party status

...local media reported Friday [3 Feb].
The move further signals a reversal of Berlin's policy on tanks for Ukraine, nine days after the chancellery announced it would send one company of Leopard 2 tanks [=14 tanks; co x 4 = 1 tank battalion] to Kyiv as part of a European coalition.[...]

4-person crew per tank is a lot of "training"

The German government is also considering buying back 15 Gepard tanks it had sold to Qatar [!] -- but might also face some issues there, since ammunition for these is made in Switzerland, which has so far refused to approve re-exports to Ukraine on the grounds that it would breach its neutrality. However, some Swiss lawmakers are pushing for the country to reconsider its position....

6 Leopard 1 companies + 1 Leopard 2 company = 7 tank battalions, 408 total trainees

by Cat on Fri Feb 3rd, 2023 at 12:25:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: doing business - UPDATE (none / 0)

archive.is | Germany Studies Tapping Coal-Exit Funds for Defense Projects, 3 Feb

Germany is considering re-routing existing subsidies for eliminating coal-fired power plants to help defense manufacturers build new production facilities, according to people familiar with the matter.
The discussions between Germany's federal government and regional states are aimed at providing the country's armed forces with more weapons and ammunition and creating jobs in regions that are affected by the shift away from coal, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the talks are confidential.
[...]

archive.ph | German govt security council OKs delivery of 178 Leopard 1 tanks to Ukraine - source, 7 Feb

The report emerged as German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius made a surprise appearance in Kyiv. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov [?!] tweeted a picture of him and Pistorius posing with a scale model Leopard in a display case, writing: "The 'first' Leopard 2 has arrived in Kyiv."
Some would be sent in the summer but the bulk of the Leopard 1s would be delivered next year, Der Spiegel reported.
[...]
Earlier, the head of Leopard-maker Rheinmetall said it would send Ukraine 20-25 [?] Leopards this year, with another 88 to be sent next year.
[...]

by Cat on Tue Feb 7th, 2023 at 06:04:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - reputation (none / 0)

Politico.eu.com | Cool your jets: Why the West is making Ukraine wait for fighter planes, 1 Feb
nope
Readovka | At what airfields will Ukraine deploy F-16s?, 1 Feb map

Assessing the possibility of using F-16 fighters on the territory of Ukraine, many experts agree that the use of aircraft that is very demanding on the quality of runways from Soviet-style military airfields is almost impossible. Indeed, most of the departmental airfields of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the Soviet tradition, are lined with PAG-14 reinforced concrete slabs, which allows them to be quickly restored after strikes, but significantly worsens the quality of the coating.
Soviet tactical aviation aircraft (MiG-29 and Su-27) have a much more reinforced chassis than their Western counterparts (F-16 and F-15), which are sharpened for [read: designed for] the use of asphalt concrete strips with improved surface quality. If the F-16s are nevertheless delivered to Ukraine, then the only way out will be to use them from civilian airfields with asphalt concrete strips.
[...]
with a high degree of probability, the Ukrainian Air Force will use airfields in Odessa and Lvov, where there are airstrips of the required quality and aircraft repair plants.....

by Cat on Fri Feb 3rd, 2023 at 01:34:38 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - reputation (none / 0)

US Department of State Daily Press Briefing, 2 Feb

QUESTION: Thank you. Today 27 senators, both Democratic and Republican, sent a letter to President Biden asking him to not approve the sale of F-16 until Türkiye agrees to let the Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Do you share the same position with the sale of those? Can you explain to us, since the technical talks have been concluded, why you are delaying to send the official - the formal notification to the Congress?
PRICE: ...We've made clear to Congress our support for the F-16s. Congress has made its position clear, or I should say individual senators - or groups of senators, in some cases - have made their positions clear. We're continuing to engage Türkiye. We're continuing to engage the Hill. But our point is that Türkiye is a valuable NATO Ally. It's role in the Alliance has been a profoundly important one over the course of decades now. And so we'll continue to find ways to see to it that we can work together with Türkiye, even as we seek to make the NATO Alliance even stronger. And we think making the NATO Alliance stronger would entail bringing the membership from 30 to 32.
[...]
QUESTION: Thank you. Russian media - state media - are citing a comment made by Under Secretary Nuland [?] in an Al Jazeera ["- state media -"] interview. And the comment is that, and I quote, "The U.S. is working to meet Ukraine's needs, including long-range missiles." Is the U.S. considering giving Ukraine long-range missiles?
PRICE: You know we don't preview security assistance announcements that have not yet been made, but what I can say generally is that we are always in conversation with our Ukrainian partners.[...]So these are conversations that are ongoing on multiple fronts when it comes to the needs of our Ukrainian partners, but I don't have anything to announce or to preview.

AP | US to send Ukraine longer-range bombs in latest turn[-]around, 2 Feb non-party status

After months of agonizing [28.11.23], the U.S has agreed to send longer-range bombs to Ukraine as it prepares to launch a spring offensive [read: defensive] to retake territory Russia captured last year, U.S. officials said Thursday [2 Feb], confirming that the new weapons will have roughly double the range of any other offensive weapon provided by America.
[...]
The U.S. [DOD] package includes $425 million in ammunition and support equipment that will be pulled from existing Pentagon stockpiles and $1.75 billion in new funding through the [FY2022, FY2023] Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which is used to purchase new weapons from industry. The assistance initiative, which will pay for the longer-range bombs and the air defense system integration, also funds two HAWK [howitzer] air defense systems, anti-aircraft guns and ammunition, and counter-drone systems
[...]
The addition of longer-range bombs to the latest aid package was first reported by Reuters.

by Cat on Fri Feb 3rd, 2023 at 12:46:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business (none / 1)

with world's largest criminal organization

reuters | Top U.S. Treasury official to warn UAE, ~~Turkey~~[Türkiye, Oman] over sanctions evasion

Brian Nelson, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, will travel to Oman, the United Arab Emirates [UAE], and Türkiye the week of Jan. 29 and meet with government officials as well as businesses and financial institutions to reiterate that Washington will continue to aggressively enforce its sanctions, according to a Treasury statement.
"Individuals and institutions operating in permissive jurisdictions risk potentially losing access to G7 markets on account of doing business with sanctioned entities," the department said.
[...]Nelson will visit Ankara, the Turkish capital, and financial hub Istanbul on Feb. 2-3. He will warn businesses and banks that they should avoid transactions related to potential dual-use technology transfers, which could ultimately be used by Russia's military, a Treasury spokesperson told Reuters on Friday.

articles, BTC, biomass, carbon, cars, china, currency, drugs, food, fuel, gender, grains, guns, race, religion, water, winter, words...

by Cat on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 at 03:00:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The cost of doing business (none / 1)

In which year will Ukraine's innovative technologists roll the first "green hydrogen" fueled tank off an assembly line in, say, Lv*v or Melitopol?

by Cat on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 at 04:10:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 1)

How to fix a howitzer: US offers help line to Ukraine troops, 28 Jan

"What do I do?" he asked the U.S. military team member, far away at a base in southeastern Poland. "What are my options?"
Using phones and tablets to communicate in encrypted chatrooms, a rapidly growing group of U.S. and allied troops and contractors is providing real-time maintenance advice -- usually speaking through interpreters -- to Ukrainian troops on the battlefield.
[...]
The exchange is part of an expanding U.S. military help line aimed at providing repair advice to Ukrainian forces in the heat of battle. As the U.S. and other allies send more and increasingly ["]complex["] and high-tech weapons to Ukraine, demands are spiking. And since no U.S. or other NATO nations will send troops into the country [FALSE] to provide hands-on assistance -- due to worries about being drawn into a direct conflict with Russia -- they've turned to virtual chatrooms.
[...]

here it comes...

A key problem, said one officer, is that Ukrainian troops are pushing the weapons to their limits -- firing them at unprecedented rates and using them long after a U.S. service member would turn them in to be [either] repaired or ~~retired~~ scrapped...."They're using these systems in ways that we didn't necessarily anticipate," said the officer, pointing to the tablet. "We're actually learning from them by seeing how much abuse these weapon systems can take, and where's the breaking point."
The Ukrainian troops are often reluctant to send the weapons ~~back~~ out of the country for repairs. They'd rather do it themselves, and in nearly all cases -- U.S. officials estimated 99% of the time -- the Ukrainians do the repair and continue on.[...]

cockroach alerts Sure: Skunk works enter, GAO 1996 Abrams depots, optimal maximum operating range, GAO 2022 service and parts plans, service level agreement

Here's every weapon US has purportedly supplied to Ukraine, a/o 26 Aug 2022, of which ...

[...]
• 155mm Howitzers
A towed field artillery piece that can hit targets up to 30 km, or 18 miles away. The U.S. has sent 126 of these howitzers, along with 806,000 155mm artillery rounds and 126 tactical vehicles to tow the howitzers

The M198 Howitzer is currently in active service with both the US Army and the Marine Corps though it is being replaced by the M777 ultra-lightweight 155mm howitzer in selected units.
• 105mm Howitzers
The U.S. committed to sending 16 105mm howitzers [towed Hawkeye, M101, or M119 series? Or self-propelled?] and 108,000 105mm artillery rounds to go with the howitzers. The U.K. has already provided the L119 model, which is a light weight howitzer that can provide direct fire support at armored vehicles or buildings or indirect fire to support combat arms in ranges over 10 km, or 6 miles.
[...]

cockroach alert GAO | Army and Marine Corps M198 Howitzer: Maintenance Problems Are Not Severe Enough to Accelerate Replacement System (1995)

by Cat on Sun Jan 29th, 2023 at 06:26:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 0)

And since no U.S. or other NATO nations will send troops into the country [FALSE]

[reference needed]

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Mon Jan 30th, 2023 at 12:44:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 0)

Pls stop dreaming and believe what Austin and Stoltenberg spout to the compliant media.

'Sapere aude'

by Oui (Oui) on Mon Jan 30th, 2023 at 01:08:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 0)

Who they?

Which NATO troops are on the ground, where?

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Mon Jan 30th, 2023 at 03:17:48 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - capEx (none / 0)

Sky | Ukraine 'shows tanks are still needed on the battlefield' - but UK numbers have plummeted, 30 Jan Bleak House

...[UK Defence Select Committee chair] Tobias Ellwood told Sky News' Kay Burley that the capability of the armed forces has been "whittled down", giving the example that two decades ago the UK had 900 tanks but is now looking at going down to 148.
He said the UK should be "very concerned" after an exclusive report from Sky's security and defence editor Deborah Haynes that a US general had warned the UK's armed forces are no longer top-tier....

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 03:44:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: The cost of doing business - capEx (none / 0)

"The French" have the same problem. Like the British, they made the best tanks in the world blah blah, 20 years ago, and equipped the national army, and didn't manage to sell them to anyone else.

So they shut down the production lines, mothball half the stock for spare parts, and once they're broken, they have no tanks.

The Eurotank is a panzer.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue
- Queen Elizabeth II}

by eurogreen on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 04:21:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 1)

tabloid Sun Mirror | SUB STANDARD Nuclear security alert after botched attempt to fix Trident submarine with super glue, 30 Jan GRAPHIC WARNING

The bodged repairs to vital cooling pipes were only discovered when one bolt fell off during checks aboard the 16,000-ton HMS Vanguard.
[...]
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace demanded a meeting and "assurances about future work" after The Sun raised the alarm. A Navy source said [Wallace] was furious Babcock, one of the UK's biggest defence contractors, failed to come clean with the Navy.
[...]

(American) legion.org | Why Ukraine's 'MacGyver' military is winning, 15 Dec 2022 "meme"

...Now, compare the reactions of Russians being coerced into a war of aggression with the reactions of Ukrainians. In the former, those who have the means are fleeing, and those without the means are hiding, shooting themselves to avoid combat, refusing to fight, and killing their commanding officers. In the latter, a people's army of shopkeepers and artists, young women and old men, students and soldiers, farmers and techies are rushing to the fight, picking up weapons, and crafting their own makeshift weapons to defend their country and cause. From Kiev during those crucial first days of the war, to Kharkiv this past summer, to Kherson today and into Crimea tomorrow, they are winning the war Putin began....

sofrep | Combat Sandbox: Ukraine's 'MacGyver Army' Tests Western Weaponry "meme", 11 Jan instance
reference
MacGyver (2016-2021) secret agent
MacGyver (1985-1992) secret agent
archived Fri Feb 4th, 2022 in Blinken Sounding Out EU Appetite for War, Tue Mar 8th, 2022, Today -100: April 28, 1917

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 09:01:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - no SLA (none / 0)

thedefensepost | Estonia Sending All Its 155-mm Howitzers to Ukraine, 24 Jan

...Estonia currently operates 24 NATO standard FH-70 towed howitzers. Apart from the howitzers, Tallinn will send thousands of 155-mm artillery shells and hundreds of Karl-Gustaf anti-tank grenade launchers.
[...]
Estonia's defense minister Hanno Pevkur assured its people that the decision to send its 24 FH-70s to Ukraine would not affect the country's national defense because Tallinn is transitioning to K9 self-propelled howitzers produced by South Korea. The Estonian Ministry of Defense signed a contract last year for 12 K9 artillery systems.

F24 | 4:42pm: French Caesar artillery system announcement, 31 Jan

"They've been very successful in Ukraine, so the Ukrainians will be delighted, I am sure, to get another 12. I think that brings that total to over 40 now, closing on 50 Caesars in Ukraine. And the fact that the French are stepping up their training of Ukrainian troops will be welcome too. It's not just the French who are doing it; the British are contributing even more, I think, to the training [?!] than the French are."

by Cat on Tue Jan 31st, 2023 at 09:45:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

no SLA - INCONTINENCE ALERT (none / 0)

Politico | [Alexander] Vindman leads new push to send military contractors to Ukraine, 2 Feb

The Trump impeachment figure is raising money to help with vehicle and weapons repairs on the front lines.
[...]
A group of former military officers and private donors is raising money to send Western mechanics close to the Ukrainian frontlines, where they will repair battle-damaged donated weapons and vehicles that have been flooding into the country.
[...]
Vindman's group has secured enough private funding to launch a pilot project in March, and has some backing from at least one company, which declined to be named but confirmed to POLITICO their interest in getting parts and material to Ukraine for more rapid repairs.

archived Twin Lts. Colonel Vindmans in US Congress impeaches self

by Cat on Fri Feb 3rd, 2023 at 02:37:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business - upside risk (none / 0)

archive.ph | Ammo supply chain crisis: Ukraine war tests Europe in race to re-arm, 7 Feb "critical mineral" supply

The dramatic shift to a war footing [for parties to the conflict] is creating a supply chain crisis in Europe as defence manufacturers struggle to ramp up production to replenish national stockpiles as well as maintain supplies to Ukraine.
[...]
"It is a war about industrial capacity," said Morten Brandtzæg, chief executive of Norway's Nammo, which makes ammunition and shoulder-fired weapons.
[...]
It has led to a scramble to source materials, from chemicals for explosives to metals and plastics for fuses and artillery shell casings. Most companies have increased production shifts ahead of expected orders from national governments, and are hiring more people, another challenge since the start of the pandemic [!].
Yves Traissac, deputy chief executive at military explosives producer Eurenco, said the company is looking to increase production capacity to meet the higher demand from customers that include Germany's Rheinmetall and Britain's BAE Systems.
[...]
Mick Ord, chief executive of Britain's Chemring, which supplies a range of explosives and propellants to defence contractors, said some customers have asked if it is possible to "increase output of certain materials by 100-200 per cent".
[...]
UK-based Denroy, which makes shell casings and other components for a range of defence companies, has benefited from pre-ordering certain materials such as polymers and composites.
[...]

by Cat on Tue Feb 7th, 2023 at 11:10:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

The cost of doing business | 73 comments (73 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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