The view from the front: military matters and motivation for 6/7/22.
Hi friend,
Happy Tuesday! Hope your week is off to a great start!
I thought we’d begin by sharing several quick items about Ukraine, then bring up some news about China, then finish with several cool pieces of tech news. Following it all up with plenty of motivation and wisdom, of course.
In Ukraine news, Vladimir Putin claimed “that Russia was not blocking Ukrainian wheat from being exported,” according to an article in The Economist. Putin made the comments while meeting with Macky Sall, the head of the African Union. There have been many countries in Africa concerned about the wheat situation in Ukraine, since high prices will impact the continent worse than most countries.
In fact, The Economist stated that Africa is on the brink of famine because of Russia’s war, something the United Nations has been warning about. Prior to the war, Russia and Ukraine combined for almost 30 percent of international wheat sales each year.
Back to what Putin stated, this is certainly an interesting comment by Putin.
On the one hand, I don’t trust a word the man says. But on the other, Russia wants to continue to have influence in Africa. And I could see him allowing the grain out as a way to show that the West is hyperventilating and over-reacting to Russia’s actions.
But while we wait to see what will happen with the wheat, Ukrainian farmers are already paying a higher price. (See below.)
#KhersonOccupation\n\nThe price of this year's bread in the South of Ukraine. People are blown up by mines in the fields, trying to cultivate agricultural land. ","username":"hliebushkina","name":"Oksana Hliebushkina","date":"Mon Jun 06 03:54:47 +0000 2022","photos":[{"img_url":"https://pbs.substack.com/media/FUimZP...
Oksana Hliebushkina @hliebushkina#KhersonOccupationThe price of this year's bread in the South of Ukraine. People are blown up by mines in the fields, trying to cultivate agricultural land. 
June 6th 2022
3,437 Retweets7,050 LikesBesides worrying about whether these folks survived the mines, you also have to wonder who’s going to pay to replace the tractors. Does Ukraine have an operating insurance system? Does the government have the money in place to do so?
These are the kinds of questions that I’m not sure there are pleasant answers to.
But the leadership happening inside Ukraine is still OFF the charts good, in my opinion.
As proof, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy actually visited the most-active part of frontline. (See below.)
Oliver Carroll @olliecarrollZelensky actually went right into the Severodonetsk salient. Remarkable June 6th 2022
6,910 Retweets42,803 LikesAs I saw someone mention on Twitter, this would have been as if FDR or Churchill had visited the frontline during the Battle of the Bulge.
I’m sure anyone who’s served will tell you that having a leader visit bolsters your morale and inspires you to even greater efforts. It’s no wonder these Ukrainians are fighting so hard.
Moving along, one other thing I wanted to share was the increase in attacks against Russians on ground they already control. (See below.)
economist.com/europe/2022/06… from @TheEconomist ","username":"StanRMitchell","name":"Stan R. Mitchell","date":"Mon Jun 06 01:49:39 +0000 2022","photos":[],"quoted_tweet":{},"retweet_count":4,"like_count":22,"expanded_url":{"url":"https://www.economist.com/europe/2022... partisans are hitting Russian soldiers behind their own lines","description":"In Russian-occupied cities like Melitopol, covert resistance continues","domain":"economist.com"},"video_url":null}">
Stan R. Mitchell @StanRMitchellUkraine’s partisans are hitting Russian soldiers behind their own lines economist.com/europe/2022/06… from @TheEconomist 
Ukraine’s partisans are hitting Russian soldiers behind their own linesIn Russian-occupied cities like Melitopol, covert resistance continueseconomist.comJune 6th 2022
4 Retweets22 LikesFrom the story, which documented the attacks in the strategic rail-hub city of Melitopol:
Every few days brings a surprising report: an armoured train destroyed and a grenade attack on a command post (May 18th); railway tracks and a radar station blown up (May 22nd); a pro-Ukrainian rally (May 29th); and a collaborator’s house hit by an explosion (May 30th). Ukraine claims its partisans have killed more than 100 Russian soldiers behind enemy lines in Melitopol.
Besides these partisan attacks, Russia is also waking up to new realities on the artillery front, as shown below.
Julian Röpcke🇺🇦 @JulianRoepckeSign of hope?Russian propagandists with Tos-1 flamethrower.50 seconds after the first launch, Ukrainian counter artillery fire begins.130 seconds after the first launch, they are running for their lives. June 3rd 2022
4,632 Retweets25,854 LikesSpeaking of artillery, this news isn’t going to help anything for the Russians.
Chuck Pfarrer @ChuckPfarrerIN THE NORWEGIAN WAY: Without fanfare, Norway reveals that it delivered 20 upgraded M109/A3GN 155mm self-propelled howitzers to Ukraine. Oslo made the announcement days AFTER these weapons entered service with Ukrainian forces. Norway's M109/A3GNs are on the front lines now. 
June 5th 2022
2,699 Retweets16,430 LikesBut so far, the Russian population seems more than willing to pay the price of this foolish war, as evidenced below.
Visegrád 24 @visegrad24Russian “Z woman” confronts another Russian woman who is protesting against the Russian war of aggression in public.According to independent pollsters, most Russians still support Putin and the war. June 4th 2022
302 Retweets931 LikesMoving away from Russia to China, this bit of news broke, which seems pretty significant.
Derek J. Grossman @DerekJGrossmanChina’s second *official* base is coming soon in Cambodia. Djibouti has stood alone since 2017 as only base. But unofficially, Beijing has maintained bases in the Spratly & Paracels in SCS for years. Plus, starting ~2016, a paramilitary base in Tajikistan.
China secretly building PLA naval facility in Cambodia, Western officials sayThe establishment of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia — only its second such overseas outpost and its first in the strategically significant Indo-Pacific region — is part of Beijing’s strategy to build a network of military facilities around the world in support of its aspirations to become a true g…washingtonpost.comJune 7th 2022
39 Retweets59 LikesThe scramble for allies in the Pacific clearly continues.
Moving to tech news, I had written several months ago about Project Origin, an unmanned system, that uses a vehicle armed with medium and heavy-weight machine guns (M240 or M2/MK19 automatic grenade launchers).
At that time, the unmanned system was being used by Green Berets of the 1st Special Forces Group. But in the time since I last wrote about the weapon system, it’s now being used by regular troops, as you can see below.
In the video above, soldiers with 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment out of Germany are doing some basic training with the weapon.
Not sure how soon this vehicle will be issued and used by all units, but the weapon system is clearly moving forward rapidly with development and delivery.
Two other quick tech news items.
First this.
Defense One @DefenseOneIN COMMENTARY: Outside the United States, weaponized drones have already been used to attack heads of state and government officials 
We Need a New Law to Counter Domestic Drone ThreatsThe White House sent Congress a plan to protect Americans. It’s not a moment too soon for lawmakers to act.buff.lyMay 26th 2022
7 Retweets7 LikesSecondly, there was this.
Task & Purpose @TaskandPurposeNavy leaders are eyeing a drone that can fly up to eight times longer than the MQ-9 Reaper and at a much lower cost. 
The Navy is eyeing a drone that can fly for a week without refuelingNavy leaders are eyeing a drone that can fly up to eight times longer than the MQ-9 Reaper and at a much lower cost.bit.lyMay 18th 2022
3 Retweets15 LikesFinally, let’s end with some motivation and wisdom.
Motivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Success doesn’t just find you. You have to go out and get it."June 7th 2022
10 Retweets36 Likes
Success Minded @_SuccessMinded_It's never too late- to change yourself- to be better- to become what you might have beenJune 7th 2022
186 Retweets691 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_Stop thinking. Start doing. Do what you have to do. Start. Now.June 6th 2022
165 Retweets771 Likes
Life Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBe kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. – PlatoJune 6th 2022
24 Retweets96 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_"Focus on the step in front of you, not the whole staircase."June 6th 2022
592 Retweets2,332 LikesMotivational Quotes @motivation_qot"Win in silence. Let them think you're losing."June 6th 2022
17 Retweets91 LikesSuccess Minded @_SuccessMinded_It only takes one person to change your life: YOUJune 5th 2022
350 Retweets1,691 LikesLife Quotes @RTLifeQuotesBe like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. – Josh BillingsJune 5th 2022
41 Retweets236 LikesMotivational Quotes @motivation_qotPsychology says, sometimes you have to stay busy so you don’t have time to feel.June 7th 2022
7 Retweets32 LikesThat’s it for this edition.
As a reminder, please be kind and endeavor to love your fellow Americans. We need to pull this country together, and that starts with all of us.
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Semper Fidelis,
Stan R. Mitchell
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my books. I’ve written a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a leadership/biography book, and two realistic war novels: one about World War IIand one about Afghanistan.
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