Russia attacked again. Fifty missiles and 8 drones were launched on Ukrainian territory. The Ukrainian air defense claims to have shot down the 8 drones, but there are videos suggesting otherwise. Russian troops were also advancing on land. The fate of Ukraine seems to be sealed. The US Congress does not approve new funds and most of the aid that is still available goes to Israel. In any case, the Americans and the British are pressing for further assistance to Kiev. The member countries of the Union are tired, at least their citizens. Today German agricultural producers took to the streets and covered them with manure. The fact did not prevent Olaf Scholz from asking for more support for Ukraine. 

 

The European arsenals are empty and there is no way to continue giving effective military support to the Ukrainians. There is no shortage of those who worry about what the American and British reaction to a fall of Ukraine might be. Some even suggest that they could appeal to nuclear weapons. It seems unlikely to us. The country in the world with the most nuclear weapons and the most modern weapons is not the United States, not even China, the most powerful nuclear country is Russia. The other option that is being studied is to send American or other troops to Ukrainian territory. In that case it could be Moscow that was tempted to appeal to tactical nuclear weapons. 

 

Everything is complicated by the election year in the United States. The Democrats are going to have to face their Ukrainian defeat at the American polls. It is easy to understand that in such circumstances the whole negotiation becomes very slow. The Russians will continue to advance. One option that the Anglo-Saxons have is to convince some other European country to get directly involved in the war. Poland seems to be the ideal candidate. The problem is that the Poles are part of NATO, and the attack on one of those countries is the attack on all, unless the aggressors are the Poles themselves. As if that wouldn't be enough, the situation in the Middle East is getting more and more complicated and North Korea is showing itself more and more hostile. The Americans could find themselves facing conflicts on several fronts at the same time. It is difficult to accept, but the United States did not destroy only Europe, they also put themselves on the edge of the abyss.

There seems to be no consensus among the United States, Israel and Great Britain and within each of those countries, on how to confront the Iranian question in the Hamas-Israel conflict, which is adding new actors. It seems to be Tehran that financed at least Hezbollah and the Yemeni rebels. While some British propose strengthening the presence in the Red Sea and attacking the Houthi rebels, many in the United States mention the possibility of a direct but limited attack on Iran. The risks of a total attack on Iran are well known, but it is unknown what the Iranian reaction would be to a limited attack. Neither one option nor the other resolves the issue. Iran has enough enriched uranium to build three atomic bombs, which seriously complicates the situation in the Middle East.

 

A good part of Israel's ground forces are made up of reservists, that is, they live from a regular full-time job, which cannot be abandoned without serious consequences for their personal economy and for the economy of the State of Israel. That would be at least one of the reasons why Israel is withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas, but especially Hezbollah and the Houthis remain very active in the fight and the risk of an escalation has not decreased but rather appears to be increasing, leading to the possibility of an even bloodier if not total war in the region.  

 

We know of the existence of an Israeli intelligence report that warned about the possibility of an attack on the border between Gaza and Israel dating back to a year before the event occurred. It is also known that Biden sent $6 billion to Tehran in ransom for hostages, to which the question arises: did the conflict grow due to the incompetence of the American president and a visceral reaction from Netanyahu or has it been allowed despite the foreseeable consequences? In the case of Biden, we lean towards incompetence since a second front was opened for him when the war between Russia and Ukraine was still very far from being resolved. Now Ukraine is being left to its own devices with the consequences visible on the battlefield. Netanyahu, on the other hand, seems to be dealing with more than he can handle. The end, far from being in sight, seems to keep bluring. 

There seems to be no consensus among the United States, Israel and Great Britain and within each of those countries, on how to confront the Iranian question in the Hamas-Israel conflict, which is adding new actors. It seems to be Tehran that financed at least Hezbollah and the Yemeni rebels. While some British propose strengthening the presence in the Red Sea and attacking the Houthi rebels, many in the United States mention the possibility of a direct but limited attack on Iran. The risks of a total attack on Iran are well known, but it is unknown what the Iranian reaction would be to a limited attack. Neither one option nor the other resolves the issue. Iran has enough enriched uranium to build three atomic bombs, which seriously complicates the situation in the Middle East.

 

A good part of Israel's ground forces are made up of reservists, that is, they live from a regular full-time job, which cannot be abandoned without serious consequences for their personal economy and for the economy of the State of Israel. That would be at least one of the reasons why Israel is withdrawing troops from the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Hamas, but especially Hezbollah and the Houthis remain very active in the fight and the risk of an escalation has not decreased but rather appears to be increasing, leading to the possibility of an even bloodier if not total war in the region.  

 

We know of the existence of an Israeli intelligence report that warned about the possibility of an attack on the border between Gaza and Israel dating back to a year before the event occurred. It is also known that Biden sent $6 billion to Tehran in ransom for hostages, to which the question arises: did the conflict grow due to the incompetence of the American president and a visceral reaction from Netanyahu or has it been allowed despite the foreseeable consequences? In the case of Biden, we lean towards incompetence since a second front was opened for him when the war between Russia and Ukraine was still very far from being resolved. Now Ukraine - at least to some extent - is being left alone, with the consequences visible on the battlefield. Netanyahu, on the other hand, seems to be dealing with more than he can handle. The end, far from being in sight, seems to keep bluring. 

A US B1B LANCER STRATEGIC BOMBER CRASHED

 

The most diverse general and specialized media, both American and international, are reporting on the accident of a B1B Lancer bomber. The plane crashed and burst into flames during landing after a training mission. The incident occurred near or at the United States Air Force Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. The Accident took place yesterday around 5:50 p.m.. The four crew members - two pilots and two engineers - managed to eject in time. We understand that the the aircraft is completely destroyed. 

 

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a four-engine strategic bomber with a variable geometry wing, used by the United States Air Force (USAF) since 1986. Initially conceived in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber with sufficient range and payload capacity to replace the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, finally in the 1980s it was developed mainly to carry out low-level raids, with long range and high-altitude supersonic flight capabilities. The configuration of its engines gives it great speed, range and survivability in hostile environments.

 

From 1984 to 2001, ten B-1s were lost due to accidents and 17 crew members or people on board died. 

 

(Source of technical information: Wikipedia)

 

 

Dos misiles Kh-22 y bombas montadas en un Tu-22M3 ruso - Foto: Jno

 

"SOONER OR LATER" THE HOUTHIS WILL HIT A WARSHIP

 

While the situation in the Red Sea is getting more and more complicated, it seems inevitable that the price of oil will rise at least somewhat. While Iran is sending one of its destroyers to the area, a former Royal Navy commander told the British YouTube channel Forces News that Britain should send the HMS Queen Elizabeth carrier battle group to the aforementioned sea. He assured that, otherwise, it would be only a matter of time before the Houthis hit a warship. Former Commander Tom Sharpe suggests that British forces attack rebel positions. The Iranians are increasing their influence in the area with the presence of the destroyer as a response to the sinking of three Houthi boats by the United States. Meanwhile Russia threats to sink a British ship either with its own means or by transferring some kind of missile to do it to the insurgents operating in (from) Yemen. Israel continues to bomb border areas in Lebanon, further complicating the picture.  

 

In the Black Sea things are not calm either. Turkey prevented the entry of two minehunters donated by the United Kingdom tu Ukraine to the Black Sea, based on international law regarding the use of the straits in wartime. It was a sensible move on the part of the Turks. The Poles, for their part, called for continued support for Ukraine and to supply it with even more powerful weapons, which not only does not contribute to peace but exposes Poland to become the target of a possible Russian attack. 

 

Russia already seems to have taken a stance of continuing to attack until someone sits down to negotiate peace, obviously on its terms since it considers itself the winner of the conflict. In recent days, it has demonstrated its bombing capabilities, either with drones or missiles. The Americans are trying to block China, a major Russian supplier in terms of technology. Washington is trying to interrupt the supply of some high-tech machines to the Chinese, thereby trying to curb Chinese support for Russia. We doubt that this will turn out to be very effective as the economic blockade was not effective. The supplier companies, private European companies that supply the equipment, will not want to lose money for an order from the Americans. Biden and his entourage were very weakened, to verify it it is enough to look at the polls.

RUSSIA THREATENS TO ATTACK A BRITISH DESTROYER

 

When the Russians recently took the town of Marinka, the Ukrainians attempted to divert attention or retaliate by attacking a large Russian landing ship. In response to that, the Russians launched an immense missile attack against various Ukrainian targets. Again there was a Ukrainian response in the form of attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod. The Russians are responding with massive missile and drone stikes. Let's highlighting something, the Russians claim that the attack on their landing ship was made possible by both missiles and data from Great Britain, so they now say they could attack a British ship, specifically the destroyer HMS Diamond. This is reported by Pravda in its digital version. Although, since Russian retaliation is taking the form of attacks on targets in Ukrainian territory, this is considered unlikely,  the message to Great Britain was clear and there is a certain risk of an escalation of the conflict at a time when secret peace talks are taking place; one of them was the recent secret meeting of the G7.

 

Such direct British involvement is pernicious for the European Union, from which the United Kingdom conspicuously withdrew through the Brexit and which it is now pushing into a war that it constantly fuels with provocations and deliveries of weapons and information to the Ukrainians. It is the Ukrainians themselves who suffer the most since the loss of soldiers in the Ukrainian counteroffensive was tremendous without great progress being made. On the contrary, Russia is advancing on the territories that the Ukrainians were able to recover during their counteroffensive.

 

If the G7 and other meetings fail, the war could drag on for a long period of time. Besides, Moscow's missiles reached as far as Lviv, on the border with Poland. Russia is preparing for an eventual long war by manufacturing and acquiring weapons, modernizing them, and recovering and reconditioning old tanks. Satellite photos recently appeared on the Internet showing how Russia was recovering old tanks and modernizing them, even outdoors. It would be advisable for the G7 talks to be accompanied by actions on the part of Europe, which is being harmed by the continuation of this war. The Red Sea is also warming and the world's attention is now focused there.

 

RUSSIA THREATENS TO ATTACK A BRITISH DESTROYER

 

When the Russians recently took the town of Marinka, the Ukrainians attempted to divert attention or retaliate by attacking a large Russian landing ship. In response to that, the Russians launched an immense missile attack against various Ukrainian targets. Again there was a Ukrainian response in the form of attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod. The Russians are responding with massive missile and drone stikes. Let's highlighting something, the Russians claim that the attack on their landing ship was made possible by both missiles and data from Great Britain, so they now say they could attack a British ship, specifically the destroyer HMS Diamond. This is reported by Pravda in its digital version. Although, since Russian retaliation is taking the form of attacks on targets in Ukrainian territory, this is considered unlikely,  the message to Great Britain was clear and there is a certain risk of an escalation of the conflict at a time when secret peace talks are taking place; one of them was the recent secret meeting of the G7.

 

Such direct British involvement is pernicious for the European Union, from which the United Kingdom conspicuously withdrew through the Brexit and which it is now pushing into a war that it constantly fuels with provocations and deliveries of weapons and information to the Ukrainians. It is the Ukrainians themselves who suffer the most since the loss of soldiers in the Ukrainian counteroffensive was tremendous without great progress being made. On the contrary, Russia is advancing on the territories that the Ukrainians were able to recover during their counteroffensive.

 

If the G7 and other meetings fail, the war could drag on for a long period of time. Besides, Moscow's missiles reached as far as Lviv, on the border with Poland. Russia is preparing for an eventual long war by manufacturing and acquiring weapons, modernizing them, and recovering and reconditioning old tanks. Satellite photos recently appeared on the Internet showing how Russia was recovering old tanks and modernizing them, even outdoors. It would be advisable for the G7 talks to be accompanied by actions on the part of Europe, which is being harmed by the continuation of this war. The Red Sea is also warming and the world's attention is now focused there.

 

HMS Vanguard - Foto: CPOA(Phot) Tam McDonald - Este archivo tiene licencia de Open Government Licence versión 1.0 (OGL v1.) nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/  (La imagen original fue redimensionada)

The Royal Navy Submarine Service operates 4 ballistic missile vessels and 6 nuclear attack submarines, 5 of the Astute Class and 1 of the old Trafalgar Class, which helps to keep the number of units in the 2 digits. As far as our information goes, all of these submarines have nuclear reactors with civilian-grade, not military-grade, safety measures. This fact and the age of some of them makes them particularly vulnerable.

 

The missions of nuclear missile submarines are becoming extremely extensive, testing the physical, mental and moral health of their crews. To this fact we should add the lack of dry docks for the maintenance of British submarines, which are occasionally repaired in the water by divers.

 

The British armed forces in general and the Royal Navy in particular, face another fact that jeopardizes them: the lack of recruits interested in serving in the armed forces. The British submarine service seems to be the most affected as very few people seem to be willing to sign up for a job in which missions will extend for more than six months in immersion without access to social networks that allow them to communicate with the rest of the world.

 

We must also mention the extensive history of incidents and accidents of all the mentioned classes of British submarines, from which it follows that a catastrophe or serious accident seems not only possible, but highly probable. If serious measures are not taken, they could become a mere matter of time.

Learn more: 

geoestrategia.webnode.es/news/los-submarinos-britanicos-clase-vanguard-operan-al-limite-de-sus-capacidades/

geoestrategia.webnode.es/news/lo-habiamos-anticipado-un-submarino-britanico-clase-vanguard-estuvo-a-metros-del-desastre/

 

THE OSPREYS ARE GROUNDED AND INVESTIGATED BY THE US CONGRESS

 

At the end of November we reported the fatal crash of a United States Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft that had been lost near the small island of Yakushima, off the southern coast of Japan. In that same article we published a list of recent accidents and incidents involving these aircraft that have recently suffered various mishaps. Now a United States Congressional commission is initiating an investigation into their safety.

 

Most of this convertiplanes have been grounded for safety and prevention reasons. This includes Japanese Ospreys. Only some exceptional flights are authorized for the United States Marine Corps. The last accident, the one in Japan, would have been the result of a technical failure. Among the technical problems that the Ospreys have are engine failures, reduced visibility and some gearboxes issues.

 

The V-22 Osprey is a multipurpose military convertiplane or tiltrotor aircraft, which has the capacity for both vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing. These convertiplanes can transport a significant number of military personnel much faster and much further than conventional helicopters but questions are being raised about their safety. 

THE OSPREYS ARE GROUNDED AND INVESTIGATED BY THE US CONGRESS

 

At the end of November we reported the fatal crash of a United States Air Force CV-22 Osprey aircraft that had been lost near the small island of Yakushima, off the southern coast of Japan. In that same article we published a list of recent accidents and incidents involving these aircraft that have recently suffered various mishaps. Now a United States Congressional commission is initiating an investigation into their safety.

 

Most of this convertiplanes have been grounded for safety and prevention reasons. This includes Japanese Ospreys. Only some exceptional flights are authorized for the United States Marine Corps. The last accident, the one in Japan, would have been the result of a technical failure. Among the technical problems that the Ospreys have are engine failures, reduced visibility and some gearboxes issues.

 

The V-22 Osprey is a multipurpose military convertiplane or tiltrotor aircraft, which has the capacity for both vertical takeoff and landing and short takeoff and landing. These convertiplanes can transport a significant number of military personnel much faster and much further than conventional helicopters but questions are being raised about their safety. 

 

Una aeronave CV-22 Osprey de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos se estrelló hoy miércoles en las proximidades de la pequeña isla de Yakushima, frente a la costa del sur de Japón. Llevaba a bordo ocho personas. Así los informan los más diversos medios generales y especializados. La Guardia Costera de Japón aseguró que se había confirmado la muerte de al menos uno de los ocupantes del aparato.

 

Recientemente hubo varios accidentes e incidentes protagonizados por estos convertiplanos. Hace tres meses tres marines estadounidenses murieran en otro accidente de un Osprey. Cuatro soldados estadounidenses fallecieron en marzo del año pasado en un accidente aéreo de uno de estos convertiplanos, en una ciudad noruega en el Círculo Polar Ártico, durante un ejercicio de la OTAN. A fines de ese mismo mes, dos V-22 Osprey del Cuerpo de Marines de los EEUU realizaron aterrizajes de emergencia en un aeropuerto en la isla de Ishigaki, en la prefectura de Okinawa, en el sur de Japón. En junio del pasado año 2022, una aeronave militar de rotores basculantes MV-22B Osprey se estrelló en el condado de Imperial, en el Estado de California, EEUU, cerca de la frontera con Arizona. El convertiplano pertenecía al Cuerpo de Infantería de Marina de los Estados Unidos (USMC).

 

 

El V-22 Osprey es una aeronave militar polivalente, catalogada como convertiplano o aeronave de rotores basculantes, que tiene capacidad tanto de despegue y aterrizaje verticales como de despegue y aterrizaje cortos. Estos aparatos fueron diseñados para combinar la funcionalidad de los helicópteros convencionales con las capacidades de alta velocidad de crucero y largo alcance de aviones turbohélice.

 

HMS Vanguard - Foto: CPOA(Phot) Tam McDonald - Este archivo tiene licencia de Open Government Licence versión 1.0 (OGL v1.) nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/  (La imagen original fue redimensionada)

 

WE HAD ANTICIPATED IT: A BRITISH VANGUARD CLASS SUBMARINE WAS METERS AWAY FROM THE DISASTER (updated)

11/20/2023 17:47

 

British and international media echoes a news that was initially published by The Sun. It concerns a British Vanguard-class nuclear submarine carrying a crew of 140 that nearly sank during an incident involving a depth gauge failure. According to The Sun, the submarine descended to an extremely dangerous depth, which could have had catastrophic consequences.

 

The incident would have taken place shortly after the submarine left its base. According to the aforementioned British medium, the depth gauge, an important instrument that controls the submergence of the submarine, stopped working and as a consequence of the failure, the ship inadvertently dived to a depth that could have been critical for its structure and, therefore, for the safety of its crew. Fortunately, the team was able to detect the problem in time and correct the submarine's position, thus avoiding a probable accident.

 

Just days ago we published an article about the dangers these submarines faced due to their failures, including at least one radioactive leak. We finished the article stating: "At Geoestrategia we have drawn attention to the state of the British submarine fleet on numerous occasions... As far as we know, the British SSBNs will remain operational until at least 2028. In these circumstances, five years could seem like centuries. " Time proved us right sooner than expected.

 

Updated on 21 November 2023: While The Sun (the source that published the news as a scoop) does not indicate when the incident described above occurred, the BBC (which published a note the following day) says that it happened more than one year ago. We prefer not to comment further until we have more information.

 

Updated on 22 November 2023: In a video from the YouTube channel of the renowned site forces.net published just a few hours ago, a former British submariner with more than 30 years of experience said that the Royal Navy "will" conduct a meticulous investigation into the serious incident described above. Given that there was talk of an "urgent investigation" at all times, we wonder if the (very scarce) versions that the incident occurred more than a year ago are not somehow erroneous or partial. We continue to investigate some rumors that could lead to new details of this increasingly disturbing event.

 

 

Learn more: geoestrategia.webnode.es/news/los-submarinos-britanicos-clase-vanguard-operan-al-limite-de-sus-capacidades/