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'The Terror: Infamy' brings creepy supernatural folklore to WW2
Shannon Corbeil
Posted On April 29, 2020 15:51:53
The first season of The Terror centered around a failed British expedition to find the Northwest Passage. The second season of this horror anthology takes place in the (fictional) Colinas de Oro War Relocation Center, a Japanese Internment Camp during World War II.
Star Trek's George Takei stars in the show and came aboard this season as a consultant.
"Set during World War II, the haunting and suspenseful second season of the horror-infused anthology The Terror: Infamy centers on a series of bizarre deaths that haunt a Japanese-American community, and a young man's journey to understand and combat the malevolent entity responsible," reads the official synopsis.
The Terror: Infamy Season 2 Trailer | Coming This August
Watch the trailer:
"Anywhere you go, it follows you," warns George Takei's Yamato-san, a community elder well-versed in its lore..
'It' being racism evil shapeshifting spirits that haunt at least three generations of a Japanese-American community in what is expected to be an eerie follow-up to a successful first season.
Takei was actually imprisoned in Japanese-American internment camps with his family during World War II. Since then, he has become a social rights activist; he came aboard the project to help ensure historical accuracy.
Also read: What life was like in an American concentration camp
Nightmare fuel.
Screenshot from official trailer for 'The Terror: Infamy'
The 10-episode season is co-created by Max Borenstein (Kong: Skull Island) and Alexander Woo (True Blood). The first season was praised for its supernatural suspense and currently has a 95 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second season will premiere on Monday, August 12 at 9/8c.
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Spiders will help produce the newest military uniforms
Posted On February 05, 2020 18:59:27
Military uniforms have been made from a variety of fabrics over the years: Cotton, wool, polyester blends… all have had their turn as what uniforms are made of. Now a new spin on one of the oldest fabrics could come into play.
That fabric, of course, is silk, which first entered the scene in China almost four millennia ago. Only this isn't the silk that is used for the high-fashion dresses you see on the red carpet. That is from silkworms. According to a report from Marketplace.org, this silk is from spiders.
A female spider wraps her prey in silk. (Wikimedia Commons)
Okay, before you get carried away – no, this is not quite like the Spider-Man suits. The key, though is that the spider silk is strong. It has to be. Spider silk makes webs, which spiders usually use to catch food.
There's just one problem. You need a lot of spiders to make silk, and spider's just don't get along with each other. We're not talking things that can be worked out. Face it, when the critters you are counting on to produce material try to eat each other, productivity's gonna be taking a nosedive. That doesn't get the uniforms made.
A small piece of artificial spider silk produced in a lab. (Wikimedia Commons)
So, the answer has been to genetically engineer silkworms to produce spider silk. This is not the only method in operation. Michigan State University researchers have figured out how to make a silk-like product from the deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, of spiders, and DNA sequencing is becoming much cheaper than it was in the past.
Either way, the material that is produced will have far more applications than the Kevlar used in the uniforms of present day. The spider silk could also be used to make protective underwear as well as improved body armor. That's good news for the troops.
Tehran warns the US about waging 'economic war' against Iran
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has said during a meeting in Tehran with Germany's foreign minister that Iran thinks the nuclear deal it struck with world powers in 2015 is worth saving despite current tensions.
"We still believe in saving the deal, and Germany and the EU can play a decisive and positive role in this process," Rohani's office quoted him as saying during his June 10 meeting with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned after his talks with Maas that countries waging an "economic war" against Iran by conducting and supporting U.S. sanctions cannot expect to "remain safe."
"One cannot expect an economic war to continue against the Iranian people and that those waging this war and those supporting it remain safe," Zarif said on June 10.
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Zarif said U.S. President Donald Trump "himself has announced that the U.S. has launched an economic war against Iran" after Washington in 2018 unilaterally withdrew from the agreement aimed at preventing Tehran from building nuclear weapons.
"Whoever stars a war with us will not be the one who finishes it," he said.
"The only way to decrease tensions in the region is to stop the economic war," Zarif said, adding that Germany and the European Union could have an "important role" to play in defusing the tensions.
For his part, Maas said Germany and other European countries want to find a way to salvage the deal. But he said there were limits.
"We won't be able to do miracles, but we are trying as best as we can do to prevent its failure," Maas said.
Also read: After lost court battle, US ends friendship treaty with Iran
"There is war in Syria and in Yemen, fortunately not here," Maas said. "We want to do everything we can to keep it that way" for Iran.
"Nevertheless, the tensions here in the region are worrying, and we fear that single events can trigger developments that end in violence, and we want to prevent this under all circumstances."
Ahead of his trip, the German minister expressed hope that the talks would help both sides find "constructive ways" to preserve the Iran nuclear agreement, while Zarif said he wanted to know "what exactly the partners have achieved to rescue" the accord.
The Western European signatories to the nuclear pact — France, Britain, and Germany — have been trying to salvage it after the United States withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Iran's economy.
Trump argued that the terms of the agreement were not tough enough to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons and that the accord did not address the country's ballistic-missile program or its role in conflicts around the Middle East.
The European signatories of the deal share the same concerns as Washington over Iran's ballistic-missile development and regional activities.
Maas called Iran's ballistic-missile program problematic during a visit to the United Arab Emirates on June 9.
In response, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said that European officials "are not in a position to question Iran's issues beyond the nuclear deal."
Iran denies it supports insurgent activity and says its nuclear program has been strictly for civilian energy purposes.
Related: Secretary of State visits Baghdad to warn of 'imminent' Iranian threat
In May, Tehran announced it was suspending several commitments under the nuclear deal, and threatened to step up uranium enrichment if European countries did not act to protect it from the effects of the U.S. sanctions.
Tensions between Tehran and Washington and its allies in the Persian Gulf have flared up in recent weeks, with the United States beefing up its military presence in the Middle East, citing "imminent threats" from Iran.
Tehran has rejected the U.S. allegation.
In Vienna, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog said on June 10 that Iran had followed through on a threat to accelerate its production of enriched uranium.
Departing from his usual guarded language, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Yukiya Amano also said he was "worried about increasing tensions" over Iran's nuclear program.
"I…hope that ways can be found to reduce current tensions through dialogue," Amano said as he opened a meeting of the agency's board of governors.
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Hurry up and watch: The military classic 'Starship Troopers' in under 3 minutes
August Dannehl
Posted On January 28, 2019 18:38:53
Giant bugs, unrealistic space travel and lots and lots of NPH all make it into our rundown of the classic military sci-fi flick 'Starship Troopers' — presented in under 3 minutes… 'cause you're busy and stuff.
Want to watch more? Check out more episodes of "Hurry Up And Watch" only on the Go90 platform. Download the Go90 app on your mobile device from the iTunes or Google Play store, or head over togo90.com to access We Are the Mighty's exclusive Go90 content like "Elite Forces," "Hurry Up and Watch," and "Max Your Body" — and stay tuned for even more original WATM content available only on Go90.
So hurry up, download, and watch!
Russian secret agents were reportedly stationed in villages in the French Alps
US and European intelligence agencies discovered Russian military intelligence members to be working from the French Alps, according to an NBC News report published Thursday. News of the operation was first reported by French newspaper Le Monde.
Up to 15 members of the GRU, the Kremlin's military intelligence agency, had lived in the French Alps, where they established their base for European covert operations, according to the reports. Some of the alleged officers' names were previously published by Bellingcat, an independent investigative group.
Two of the Russian agents, Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Roshirov, were accused of poisoning defected Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the UK in 2018. The two Russian agents reportedly used aliases and a military-grade nerve agent to poison the Skripals. Both of them recovered after being hospitalized.
Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov during an interview, Sept. 12, 2018.
(RT News)
The Russian government denied involvement and said it did "not understand why that was done and what signal the British side is sending."
"We heard or saw two names, but these names mean nothing to me personally," Russian diplomat Yuri Ushakov told reporters at the time, according to Russia's Tass news agency.
The French Alps's roughly 620-mile-long chain of mountains is the longest in Europe. It includes a number of hiking trails, natural parks, and skiing destinations.
The GRU has been accused of orchestrating cyber operations against the West. In 2018, it was accused of a global hacking campaign against anti-doping agencies, a nuclear power company, and a chemical-weapons watchdog, according to Reuters.
Head of the Russian General Staff's Main Intelligence Department Igor Kostyukov.
In addition to cyber operations, the GRU also reportedly has a special operations unit composed of Russian military service members. The agency also recruits sleeper agents "reserved for the most sensitive or deniable tasks across the spectrum of GRU operations," according to a Western report acquired by Reuters.
Several of the agency's leaders have been sanctioned by Western countries, including the US, UK, and the Netherlands.
This article originally appeared on Business Insider. Follow @BusinessInsider on Twitter.
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This is how Robert E. Lee's house became Arlington National Cemetery
Blake Stilwell
Before the Civil War, Robert E. Lee's mansion was part of a Virginia estate on the Potomac River, across from the nation's capital. It was land his wife inherited from her father. At 1,100 acres, it was an idyllic area to raise George Washington's adopted great-grandchildren (his father-in-law, was George Washington Park Custis, the adopted son of the first Commander-in-Chief and our nation's first First Lady).
They must have been really upset when the Union Army came by in May of 1861 and seized it from them.
Taking photos at the enemy commander's house was all the rage. Probably.
Also Read: The Civil War started and ended at the same guy's house
The previous month, South Carolinian contingents of the Confederate Army fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. The Civil War had begun. President Lincoln called up the U.S. Army, who came to the capital and took control of the Arlington side of the Potomac. The area was a prime position for Union Artillery.
In April 1861, Lee was appointed commander-in-chief of Virginia's military forces. Though the state had not yet seceded, it was widely expected to do so. When Virginia left the Union, Lee was appointed to a Brigadier General's rank in the Confederate Army in May 1861. That's when the U.S. government took his land and home. Lee was with his army in nearby Manassas when the U.S. Army came knocking on May 24th.
Though the war started well for Lee and Virginia, it didn't end well. After his defeat at Gettysburg, the Army of Northern Virginia would never recover and Lee would be forced to surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865. In the meantime, the land was used by Lee's (and other) former slaves to grow food to feed the Union Army.
General Irvin McDowell and staff, Arlington House 1862. I told you it was all the rage.
Related: Robert E. Lee may have lost Gettysburg because of a heart attack
After the war, the Lee family decided to try to get their land and home back through a series of legal battles. The main sticking point? Lee's unpaid tax bill. The U.S. government charged the Lees $92.07 in taxes on their land ($2130.52 in today's dollars). Mary, Lee's wife sent her cousin to pay the bill, but the U.S. would only accept the payment from Lee herself. When she didn't show, they put the property up for sale.
Then they hoisted a giant American flag on it, just for funsies.
Now that the land was delinquent on its taxes the government could purchase it, which it did. For $26,800, the equivalent of just over $620,156 today. Except in 2017, 1100 acres of Arlington, Va. is worth millions. But in 2017, that specific 1100 acres is actually priceless, because it's now called Arlington National Cemetery. It's where the United States inters its honored war heroes.
The first graves in Arlington National Cemetery were dug by James Parks, a former slave. Parks was freed in 1862 but still lived on Arlington Estate for the duration of the war.
The U.S. long ago turned it into a cemetery for those troops lost in the Civil War. Union troops were buried there beginning in 1864, partly to relieve the overflowing Union hospitals and partly to keep the Lee family from ever returning. As late as 1870, the year Gen. Lee died, Mary Lee petitioned Congress to get her home back and remove the dead. The petition failed and Mary Lee died in 1873.
Her son, however, sued the government, claiming its 1864 tax auction was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court agreed and ordered the government to either remove the bodies from the cemetery or pay the Lee estate a fair market price for the land. The government paid $150,000 for the now-priceless land.
This is why the 1st Marine Division ships out to 'Waltzing Matilda'
Posted On September 12, 2019 02:53:55
When considering music that we'd want to play as we ship out to a combat zone, very few of us would think of choosing a 19th century Australian folk song about a hobo who stole a sheep. And yet, that's exactly what the Marines of the 1st Marine Division do en masse. It may seem odd that United States Marines choose to deploy using Australia's unofficial national anthem, but a closer look at the history of the unit (and how the song ends) helps make sense of it all.
During World War II, the Marines of "the Old Breed," the 1st Marine Division, famously began the first Allied offensive against Japan in the Pacific at Guadalcanal. Armed with old Springfield M1903 rifles and meager stores of food and ammunition, the Marines wrested control of the island from Japan in just over six months, earning them their first of three Presidential Unit Citations in WWII and a well-deserved rest in Australia.
Say "no" to Bull Halsey. See what happens.
After the months of fighting and privation, the Marines were looking worse for wear. Sick from dysentery and weak, the men were just worn out. When they first docked in Brisbane, they were housed in what amounted to a series of shacks in swampland.
When the Marines' commander, General Alexander Vandegrift, ordered that the entire division be moved, the Navy told him there was no way to spare the number of ships needed — and they had nowhere to go, anyway. That's where Admiral William "Bull" Halsey and the city of Melbourne came in. Australia's second-largest city offered to take them with open arms and Halsey would get them there.
Camps of already-pitched tents and bunks were waiting for them as they landed in Melbourne. The sick and wounded were transferred to a newly-finished hospital in nearby Parkville and the rest were given unlimited liberty for the next 90 full days. One account says the citizens of Melbourne opened their homes to the Marines. It was a mutual love affair for the guys who left their homes in the U.S. to fight with and for the Aussies.
On George Washington's birthday, Feb. 22, 1943, the Marines marched a parade through Melbourne. During this parade, the 1st Marine Division Band decided to play the Australian folk favorite, Waltzing Matilda. The Australian onlookers loved it and cheered loudly for the procession.
Thus began the love affair between the 1st Marine Division and Australia.
When winter came, the Australians even gave the Marines their winter jackets, which were soon adopted by the USMC uniform board (no small feat). This is also where 1st Marine Division's now-famous blue diamond patch was designed. Aside from the the red "one" and "Guadalcanal" markings, the patch also features the constellation Southern Cross, which is a symbol of Australia.
Every camp set up by the 1st Marine Division is called "Matilda."
Marines hit three feet of rough water as they leave their LST to take the beach at Cape Gloucester, New Britain.
(National Archives)
The Australians were jubilant for the Marines' victory on Guadalcanal. It was bad news for the Japanese who had invaded nearby Papua New Guinea, an Australian protectorate. After their rest, the Marines' next move prevented the Imperial Japanese Navy from invading mainland Australia by taking the war to them yet again, invading New Guinea via Cape Gloucester.
As for the sheep thief in Waltzing Matilda, he was confronted by police for his theft and refused to surrender, instead throwing himself into the nearby body of water, a billabong, to evade capture.
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These Army drink packets can deliver the hydration of an IV
Posted On July 04, 2018 15:10:41
The Army used to have a powder chock full of electrolytes to add to water for rehydration. But there was a problem.
"It was terrible — tasted so bad that nobody would use it," said Gregory Sumerlin, senior director of Government Military Accounts for DripDrop ORS (Oral Rehydration Solutions).
Enter DripDrop, with packets of lemon-, cherry- and watermelon-flavored powders that were on display Tuesday at the Association of the U.S. Army's annual convention in Washington.
Sumerlin said the packets, which cost about $1.82 a piece, have been used by the Army for about four years. The other services also have shown interest, he said.
Medics in Afghanistan and Iraq have carried a supply of the packets, and troops also can keep a few stuffed in their packs, he said.
DripDrop is medical grade rehydration. (Image DripDrop Facebook)
According to DripDrop's website, the powders have "proven to hydrate better and faster than water or sports drinks, and are comparable to IV therapy."
"By solving the taste problem, DripDrop ORS has made the most highly effective oral hydration solution known to medical science, practical for use by anyone who finds themselves with a hydration need where water and sports drinks just aren't enough," the site says.
The packets contain a balanced amount of electrolytes, including sodium citrate, potassium citrate, chloride, magnesium citrate, zinc aspartate and sugars to provide what DripDrop called "a fast-acting, performance-enhancing hydration solution."
The product also has an endorsement from Bob Weir, co-founder of the Grateful Dead:
"There is no better test of a hydration drink's effectiveness than a summer tour. If I didn't have DripDrop, I'd have to rethink about how I would go about performing a 3.5-hour show."
New leadership course brings officers closer to the fire
The Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course (BOLC) implemented a new change to its capstone exercise, Red Leg War, giving students a more realistic experience before entering their respective units.
This change now allows students to approach the impact zone while calling in fires during the Fires Support Coordination Exercise.
"We want them to have the experience of fires impacting much closer than they have in the past," said Lt. Col. Terry Hilt, 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery commander. "They will now be able to potentially walk through the craters as they move from objective to objective.
Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course students conduct a walk-through of the impact zone during a fire support coordination exercise (FSCX) Jan. 17, 2019, at Fort Sill.
(Photo by Daniel Malta, Fort Sill Public Affairs)
"We have a safety on Dailey Hill counting rounds as the lane [of soldiers] advances," he said. "We also have an EOD [Explosive Ordnance Disposal] team out there."
If a round doesn't explode and it's in the path of the soldiers, then the lane is stopped and the EOD team takes care of the unexploded ordnance, Hilt said.
2nd Lt. Anderson Simmons approaches the impact area Jan. 17. He and his classmates graduated Jan. 23, 2019, to become the Army's newest field artillery officers.
In the past, after planning, briefing and rehearsing, students had been brought to an observation point where they would call in fires on designated targets.
Field Artillery Basic Officer Leader Course students do a quick huddle as they approach the impact zone Jan. 17, 2019.
Now, students get to fully realize the effects of that planning by getting as close as 750 meters from impacting rounds, while simultaneously calling in fire from mobile positions.
This also allows students to more realistically adapt their fire commands while moving to contact, and exposes them to the devastating effects of those artillery rounds, Hilt said.
This article originally appeared on the United States Army. Follow @USArmy on Twitter.
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The top 8 disasters to prepare for in 2018
Mike's Gear Reviews
For most, if not all, of us, surviving is our number one priority. We may not be consciously craving it, but every little thing we do is to survive this race called life. So, it's important to know all the things most likely to end that life.
We pursue education to be prepared for the future. We work because we need money to buy what we need to sustain ourselves (and enjoy a lot of other luxuries in between). When we watch our favorite TV shows and geek out on fictional characters, we take care of our mental health.
And all of that is crucial to surviving life. But what if there are threats that are beyond your control? What if the danger to your life is something that you can't prevent from happening? What if, for example, a new disease has spread worldwide and everyone is vulnerable to catching it – even you? What would you do then?
It sounds like a plot for a fictional story, but it's actually a very plausible scenario. We have had many outbreaks of deadly diseases in the recent times, and we could have them again in the future. With all the political and social unrest happening these days, it's also not unlikely that we'll see civil turmoil close to our neighborhood. How would you keep yourself safe then?
The world is not a perfect place, much less safe. We always have to look out for ourselves to survive. Keeping ourselves safe in normal situations is already a challenge, but with all the disasters that are possible (or expected, in some cases) to happen to us, it's going to be much more difficult. You don't have to be helpless, though.
Here are some tips on what you can do to survive in case of disasters presented by the guys over at Mike's Gear Reviews.
(Mike's Gear Reviews)
Army recruit gets first haircut in 15 years before shipping out to basic training
A 23-year-old California native received his first haircut in 15 years to enlist in the US Army.
US Army Pvt. Reynaldo Arroyo of Riverside donated 150 inches of hair to Locks of Love and enlisted in the Army as an infantryman on Aug. 15, 2019.
"I'm just really excited to be enlisting in the US Army," Arroyo said in a Facebook video. "Hopefully, some lucky little girl's going to get it."
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that donates hair to disadvantaged people with long-term medical conditions resulting in hair loss, such as cancer and severe burns.
Arroyo is scheduled to ship out to Ft. Benning, home of the Army's infantry school, within the next two weeks, a US Army spokesperson told INSIDER.
US Army Recruit Pvt. Reynaldo Arroyo holds up his donation bag containing his hair.
(U.S. Army)
But Arroyo will not be sporting his fresh haircut for long.
Upon arriving at Ft. Benning, he is expected to receive a buzz cut like all the other male recruits. After graduating and at his commander's discretion, he may grow out his hair again, so long as it remains "neat and conservative," according to Army regulations.
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Watch CIA Chief of Disguise break down iconic spy scenes
Posted On May 04, 2020 22:05:14
Joanna Mendez, former Central Intelligence Agency Chief of Disguise, watched spy scenes from a variety of films and television shows in order to break down how accurate they really are. From Jason Bourne finding his cache of passports and foreign currency to Carrie Mathison's (Homeland) half-assed "disguise" through airport security, Mendez doesn't hold back in her opinions and expertise.
During her 27-year career, her position in the CIA's Office of Technical Service involved providing operational disguises and alias training in hostile theaters of the Cold War from Moscow to Havana. Her duties included clandestine photography and preparing CIA assets with the use of intelligence-collecting equipment like spy cameras, as well as processing the information brought in.
Think "Q" — James Bond Q, not Star Trek…
Now retired, Mendez continues to consult with the U.S. Intelligence community as well as lecture with her husband Antonio Mendez, also a retired intelligence officer, with whom she has published several books about their covert experience including Spy Dust, which reveals "the tools and operations that helped win the Cold War," and Argo, which would become an Academy Award-winning film of the same name that told the story of "the most audacious rescue in history."
In the video below, Mendez lets her critiques fly. Check it out:
Former CIA Chief of Disguise Breaks Down 30 Spy Scenes From Film & TV | WIRED
"Carrie's disguise, which basically consisted of dying her hair…was absolutely ineffective. She's still Carrie…but with dark hair. She could have cut her hair and restyled it. She could have changed her makeup. She could have put on sunglasses to hide that crazy-eyed look she has…" claps Mendez.
She then jumped to a scene from Alias where Jennifer Garner nails her disguise. "She didn't just dye her hair — she dyed it outrageously red and then adopted the whole persona to go with it. We could have used that as a training film!" she laughed.
Mendez moves on to Matthew Rhys' character in The Americans. "He was never trying to look good. He came really close to projecting 'the little gray man' that we would talk about at the CIA. You wanted to be forgettable," she commended.
Mendez then moves on to a "quick change," the name for a move where an agent clandestinely changes his appearance in 37 seconds. She commented on Mission Impossible III, and in particular discusses why Tom Cruise's "priest" would have been ethically off-limits.
From Megan Fox in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, to Ansel Elgort in Baby Driver, Mendez breaks down the "quick change" further — and also warns against stealing.
The video covers blending in with the crowd in James Bond — and CIA inventions that helps its agents remain discrete; being assigned a new identity in Spy; cultural customs in Inglorious Bastards; and life-like masks that cover the entire face in order to give the appearance of a completely different face.
The video is highly entertaining, not just because it grabs clips from iconic pop culture favorites (Austin Powers and Sherlock Holmes make appearances) but also because Joanna Mendez has a great, wry humor ("we never tried to disguise ourselves as furniture at the CIA…").
Watch the full video above and find out what the CIA really thinks about black cat suits and seducing the enemy!
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Moscow reacts warily to NATO's largest military exercise in 25 years
Real Clear Defense
Russia's political-military leadership frequently criticizes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for its enlargement and for staging military exercises close to Russian borders. This pattern has intensified since Russia's intervention in Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent downturn in its relations with the United States and its allies.
Surprisingly, therefore, Moscow's official reaction has been somewhat muted during the current run up to the active phases of NATO's largest exercise in Europe in 25 years—though some Russian military experts have been making critical comments to the media.
On January 23, the US Department of Defense confirmed that a redeployment of United States military personnel had commenced, transferring forces from the homeland to Europe as part of the NATO exercise Defender Europe 2020. The wide-spanning maneuvers will focus on the Baltic States, Poland and Georgia, involving more than 36,000 personnel from 11 countries (Lenta.ru, January 26, 2020).
Russian news outlets have highlighted that this year's Defender Europe exercise scenario is based on a war breaking out on the continent in 2028, between NATO and an enemy close to its borders. Additional reports stressed the scale of the exercise, with 28,000 U.S. military personnel participating, including the deployment of 20,000 from the United States. Referring to the magnitude of the drills, Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Russian Academy of Military Sciences, compared them to the 1983 Able Archer, which resulted in Soviet forces being placed on alert.
Despite the scale of Defender Europe 2020 not even coming close to Able Archer 1983, a number of the upcoming exercise's features may well cause concern for the Russian defense establishment (Lenta.ru, January 26, 2020). Kozyulin asserted, "Such large-scale exercises will seriously aggravate the situation. Moreover, the main events will be held in Poland, Georgia and the Baltic countries, which not only border Russia, but also [exhibit] an unfriendly attitude toward our country" (Km.ru, January 27).
These reports also stressed a number of aspects of the exercise that may help explain the lack of an official response from Moscow thus far. Defender Europe will become an annual NATO exercise with a large-scale iteration planned for even-numbered years and smaller versions occurring in between. US military personnel will constitute the bulk of the force this year, with European allies collectively providing only 8,000 personnel.
As Russian analysts expect, moving the forces, equipment and hardware will prove quite challenging to the North Atlantic Alliance forces. Moreover, Defender Europe 2020 is the first exercise of its kind, which may have persuaded Russia's defense leadership to cautiously study the exercise in all its various elements before responding to it (Km.ru, January 27, 2020; Lenta.ru, January 26, 2020; Rusvesna.su, January 25, 2020).
In a detailed commentary in Izvestia, the Moscow-based military analyst Anton Lavrov assesses the implications of the exercise, and identifies areas that will be closely monitored by Russia. Lavrov notes that Defender Europe will work out how the Alliance will fight a "war of the future" by testing an experimental strategy and some of its latest military equipment, adding, "Almost 500 American tanks, self-propelled guns and heavy infantry fighting vehicles, hundreds of aircraft, [as well as] tens of thousands of wheeled vehicles will take part in the exercises."
The force buildup for the maneuvers will continue until April, and then NATO will conduct a series of drills forming part of the overall exercise. Crucially, this will provide an opportunity for the US to road-test its latest doctrinal development, namely "multi-domain battle," which adds space and cyberspace to the traditional domains of land, sea and air. Lavrov states, "The concept will be tested in a series of command and staff exercises of the allied forces" (Izvestia, January 26, 2020).
The exercise divides into three related elements: transferring 20,000 US troops from the homeland to Europe and back again, moving US personnel based in Europe, and conducting a series of smaller exercises alongside allied forces.
Lavrov also points to the fact that Defender Europe 2020 will rehearse both defensive and offensive operations. One feature of the offensive operational aspects relates to US airborne forces conducting three joint airborne assault landings. In each case, the leading role is assigned to US forces. In the drop into Latvia, they will be joined by forces from Spain and Italy; in Lithuania, they are aided by personnel from Poland; and an additional multilateral airdrop is planned for Georgia (Izvestia, January 26, 2020).
As noted, one key challenge relates to the logistical tasks of moving troops and equipment over such vast distances. US military personnel and equipment will land at airports across Europe and seaports in Antwerp (Belgium), Vlissingen (Netherlands), Bremerhaven (Germany) and Paldiski (Estonia).
Russian military expert Vyacheslav Shurygin explained the nature of the challenge: "The transport infrastructure of Europe has not encountered such large-scale movements of military equipment for a long time." Indeed, the redeployment of forces and hardware involved cannot be compared to standard US battle group rotations (Izvestia, January 26, 2020).
Clearly, one of the objectives of the exercise is to assess the efficiency of these deployments into a potential theater of military operations. Lavrov adds, "Even for the modern US Army, the transfer of heavy tank and infantry divisions from continent to continent is a difficult, lengthy and expensive task. Twenty thousand units of equipment that the Americans will use in the maneuvers will arrive from the US, and another 13,000 will be received by the military from storage bases on the spot.
In Europe, there are now four large storages of American military equipment. Each one has everything, from tanks and artillery to trucks and medical vehicles, to equip a tank brigade. Another similar base is being built in Poland and will be commissioned in 2021″ (Izvestia, January 26, 2020).
One commentary in the Russian media stressed not only that NATO was deploying forces for exercises close to Russia's borders but pointedly also referenced Belarus, which fits with Moscow's scenario planning for its Zapad series of strategic military exercises: "However, the fact that such a powerful group of US and NATO forces is practicing deployments near the borders of Belarus and Russia, against the background of a growing American military presence in Poland and the Baltic countries, is a matter of concern" (Rusvesna.su, January 25, 2020).
It remains to be seen whether Russia's political-military leadership will continue to be cautious about Defender Europe, restricting its criticism to public rhetoric, or if it will ultimately try to engage the Alliance in political or information warfare on this front.
This article originally appeared on Real Clear Defense. Follow @RCDefense on Twitter.
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