The 10/29/21 dispatch.

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Happy Friday! Hope everyone has had a great week.

I thought I’d lead this week’s edition with a pretty scary story from The Economist.

In the October 30th edition, The Economist published the article: “Israel again rattles its sabre at Iran. A military response is readied as hope for a nuclear deal fades.”

The article lays out both the increasing sense of urgency, as well as the increasing potential, for Israel striking Iran’s nuclear facilities, as they’ve done to other countries in the past.

The Economist described a massive recent aerial exercise by Israel, which curiously simulated the strike-package needed for Iran. The article also reminded readers that Israel has twice bombed its enemies’ nuclear facilities — striking an Iraqi nuclear reactor in 1981 and a Syrian one in 2007.

But this time it would not be simple. This would not be an easy strike for Israel. The attacks would have to occur more than 1,000 miles away, and air-to-air refueling would certainly be required. (See map below.) Additionally, Iran’s anti-air defenses are pretty good, and clearly, this would lead to a war between the two countries, which could spread wider than initially expected.

As The Economist noted:

Iran “sponsors proxy militias—in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon—that give it military reach across the region. Hizbullah in Lebanon has thousands of rockets that can be rained down on Israel’s cities, as well as guided missiles and drones that can strike accurately. Israel, military officials note, has just a handful of power stations and desalination plants, and a single international airport. Hitting these would cause strategic damage.”

Read the article if you get a chance. You can pick up the most recent paper edition or subscribe; it’s definitely a great publication.

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I guess while we’re frightening each other today, I should also share this article below:

buff.ly/3vUkn6m ","username":"DefenseOne","name":"Defense One","date":"Thu Oct 28 18:11:25 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FCzjHJ...Defense One @DefenseOneNEW in Ideas: Don’t Assume the US Will Fight China and Russia One at a Time | buff.ly/3vUkn6m

October 28th 2021

7 Retweets15 Likes

The article goes in-depth about recent increasing coordination and training between China and Russia. I’m not going to go too in depth into the article. It’s free to read at the link, if you’re needing that additional pre-Halloween scare:

Don’t Assume the US Will Fight China and Russia One at a Time. Beijing and Moscow are boosting their strategic coordination along with their militaries.

Moving along, for your tech hit this week, there’s this:

trib.al/4jUdDqX ","username":"defense_news","name":"Defense News","date":"Thu Oct 28 19:01:44 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FCzuoY...Defense News @defense_newsUnmanned tech dominates Turkey’s border security summit trib.al/4jUdDqX

October 28th 2021

28 Retweets117 Likes

Full article link: Unmanned tech dominates Turkey’s border security summit.

In European news, I thought President Joe Biden did a first-rate job trying to repair the rift with France over the nuclear sub deal. See video below.

If you’ve missed this whole mess, and it WAS a mess, you can read all about that rift here, in a previous edition that I wrote.

Zach Purser Brown @zachjournoBIDEN: "What we did was clumsy" The President tries to smooth over the diplomatic spat that resulted in France recalling its ambassador to the U.S., telling Macron that the handling of AUKUS weapons deal "was not done with a lot of grace".

October 29th 2021

25 Retweets93 Likes

Finally, I thought I’d wrap up this edition with two things.

First, here’s a beautiful picture of an Osprey, just because I love the Marine Corps and all our service members protecting us across the world.

@USNavy sailor directs the landing of an MV-22 Osprey during flight operations aboard #USSKearsarge. ","username":"DeptofDefense","name":"Department of Defense 🇺🇸","date":"Fri Oct 29 19:00:07 +0000 2021","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FC4315...Department of Defense 🇺🇸 @DeptofDefenseSunset landing. 🌅A @USNavy sailor directs the landing of an MV-22 Osprey during flight operations aboard #USSKearsarge.

October 29th 2021

27 Retweets148 Likes

And secondly, here’s some habits to make sure you’re practicing.

#Inspirational","username":"IMQuotes_Videos","name":"Inspired Motivation Quotes","date":"Wed Oct 27 14:00:16 +0000 2021","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":112,"like_count":282,"expanded_url":{},"video_url":null}">Inspired Motivation Quotes @IMQuotes_Videos10 habits of happy people: 1) Kind to others2) Optimistic and appreciative3) No sense of entitlement4) Forgiving5) Honest and humble6) Good manners7) Purposeful work8) Mindful and self-aware9) Physically and mentally fit10) Quality time with loved ones#Inspirational

October 27th 2021

112 Retweets282 Likes

That’s it for this post. Stay safe and be kind. And I’d love to hear any comments that you may have below. And, as always, please share this post if you enjoyed it.

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Every Tuesday and Friday, I write about conflicts and military matters that are happening throughout the world. I do this from a moderate perspective that focuses on unity in our country. I also don’t believe in clickbait, over-the-top headlines, or other tactics that increase fear or panic, all in the hope of web traffic. You will always get the sober, mature view, with a slight bit of my optimism peering through. 

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Semper Fidelis,

Stan R. Mitchell

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I write fast-paced military and mystery thrillers. You can find all ten books here: amazon.com.