THREAD

1)
U.S. to designate #Iran-backed Houthis in #Yemen as a foreign terrorist org (FTO)
https://t.co/ILBCg3Pfvs

Iran’s IRGC is funding/arming/provided & ... for the Houthis.

Dec 30—Missile attack on Aden airport. Yemen gov holds Houthis

THREAD

1)
#Iran’s regime is increasing its measures aimed at interfering in U.S. elections.

@DNI_Ratcliffe shed light on this important matter.

Americans should be aware that Iran is pursuing this initiative specifically through its US-based lobby arm @NIACouncil.

#BREAKING
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo

Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of #Iran. We ignore this Iran/al-Qaeda nexus at our own peril.

Al-Qaeda has had a relationship with Iran for nearly three decades.

THREAD

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#Iran's echo chamber at work

@JZarif describes Qassem Soleimani as a "national hero" who defeated ISIS

Iran apologists/lobbyists begin

THREAD

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U.S. charges political scientist Kaveh Afrasiabi with acting as an agent of #Iran's regime.

https://t.co/fJq6jRtBha

Afrasiabi is one of many “scholars” lobbying & pushing Tehran’s talking points in the West.

cc:
@TheJusticeDept

“We’re stronger than things are terrible.”
-@jordanbpeterson

A thread on suffering, overcoming, and narcissism

//THREAD//

The reason that those born between 1900-1927 are “The Greatest Generation” is because of the characteristics they developed through suffering.

They were raised during the Great Depression, then were the primary fighters in World War II.

The hardships and suffering of the twentieth century was unprecedented.

To contrast, as we have entered the twenty-first century, we now experience unprecedented levels of comfort.

Our aptitude for greatness is directly tied to our ability to withstand suffering.

Comfort creates a society of unhappy narcissists.

Today we are trapped in loops of vanity based on minor empirical achievements over one another.

This achievement-based fulfillment is why we base our self-worth on our social and intellectual status over others.

195 #terrorists neutralized in 86 operations this year in #Jammu & #Kashmir. #Pakistan in Panic.
Year 2020 saw an all out assault on terror outfits including crackdown on terror-funding, OGWs as well as clampdown on separatists supporting these terror outfits.
(1/9)

Some of the top #terrorists eliminated this year included Hizbul’s Commander Reyaz Naiko, Junaid Sehrai, Dr Saifullah, Sajad Nawabi, Asif Dar, AGH Commander Burhan Koka, Tahir Bhat, IED expert Ikram alias Faujibhai, Zubair Wani, Waleed & Jaish #Kashmir Chief Qari Yasir.
(2/9)

Such coordinated actions has left the terror outfits in #Kashmir with no leadership, no money or weapons. Todays most of the new recruits are running around with country made/Chinese pistols.
(3/9)

Rattled by #Indian security forces relentless operations against terrorism in #Kashmir, #Pakistan is showing clear signs of desperation by resorting to more than 4000 ceasefire violations this year, highest in last 2 decades.
(4/9)

#Pakistan even resorted to new methods to smuggle weapons across the border by using drones and digging long tunnels across LC. Each such attempt was comprehensively thwarted by the every vigilant #IndianArmy.
#Kashmir
(5/9)

I keep thinking about the parallels between terror groups like Al-Queda, the Taliban, etc and the recent domestic insurrection.

Both start with people who feel they have been wronged. It doesn't matter if it's true or not, it doesn't matter if it's devastating or a slight.

Add to that, their religious leaders driving into them thru rhetoric that gives them someone to blame. Their religious leaders (Pastor, Minister, Imam, Cleric etc) focus on one or two things, and forsake all the rest of the teachings of their faith.

They then explain how their deity expects them to go and make it right in the name of [deity]. It's not remotely relevant if it's Jesus, God or Allah. They find the people they want torn down and have sent them off.

Add to that, their false idols like Donald Trump, Osama bin Laden, or whoever, who never stops telling them "the truth" (well, as they see it). They tell them to ignore the [mainstream media, infidels, etc] and isolate them from any kind of semblance influence that disagrees

It's a constant barrage of preaching, and false idols telling them that they are somehow chosen, and that what they do is "right".

A thread on S.L.A. Marshall & the Ratio of Fire.

Marshall is controversial.

His central claim is that only 25% of soldiers in the line fired their weapons.

Several military historians have disputed this.

My own views on Marshall are framed by my work on Small Arms.

1/

If you've ever had anything to do with Knowledge Management then you'll know that Marshall gave us the After Action Review.

This method facilitated group discussion with a view to identifying what happened and how to do better.

It has shaped business & military practices.

2/

In Marshall's case this created a feedback loop between inputs and outputs in which the soldier's (& not just the commander's) experience was also put at the centre of winning the battle [more on tech & OODA loops later].

Source: Army of None @paul_scharre

3/

But the extent to which he systematically applied this new method has been repeatedly criticised.

By Roger Spiller

By Harold P. “Bud” Leinbaugh

A few thoughts on belly loading. No, not our collective plans for the xmas period, a primer on the science behind allowing the belly of a vehicle to contact the terrain, and the implications therein to mobility (spoiler: its always bad) #AFVaDay #miltwitter #tanktwitter

Usual disclaimer - this is Twitter, I don’t have much space and so some things are simplified or omitted for simplicity. This is a hugely complex science; I’m just giving a flavour of the considerations inherent in AFV design. With that out the way…

Another outwardly unexciting concept, but actually quite critical to off road performance. Belly loading is the condition where the tracks have sunk in terrain to the extent that the belly of the vehicle is now partially or fully resting on the terrain

Belly loading is a cascade situation. With the belly only contacting terrain in a situation where mobility is already challenging and ground pressure/grip maybe be failing, contact of the belly begins to transfer load from tracks to hull, further reducing the tractive performance

Eventually, a vehicle can become entirely stuck where weight is fully loaded on the belly, or so much so that the tracks are fully unloaded and can gain no traction any longer. At this point there is little that can be done and it may need recovery or digging out by hand