British Military Current Events

[FJAG]

Which says to me that my passport is worthless if there is a financial gain to be had by Ottawa. They definitely do not have my back. It is good to know when planning to travel, not that I would ever go to China but the same conditions would apply if I were going anywhere outside of the country. Sucks

I think our government would be more likely to pick its battle with say the Bahamas rather than China.

Sunny places are better to go to anyway.

 

[Kirkhill]

If you can think in the long term and big picture then yes they are. If you live for the moment and let every provocation get under your skin then no they're not.

One needs to learn what fights to pick and how to pick them when one works at that level.

Chinese Gordon and the telegraph caused the 1884-85 Nile Expedition to relieve him at Khartoum.
Now everybody is Chinese Gordon.
Everybody wants everybody relieved.

 

[YZT580]

Chinese Gordon and the telegraph caused the 1884-85 Nile Expedition to relieve him at Khartoum.
Now everybody is Chinese Gordon.
Everybody wants everybody relieved.

We are only a middle power, if that, but regardless when a country subjects a citizen of Canada to abuse or illegal incarceration that country should do so with the certain knowledge that it will not be business as usual with Canada until the situation is rectified and yes, it may cost Canada initially but at the moment we are the laughing stock of the G20. We use pencils to draw our red lines

 

[Kirkhill]

We are a middle power.

 

[Blackadder1916]

We are only a middle power, if that, but regardless when a country subjects a citizen of Canada to abuse or illegal incarceration that country should do so with the certain knowledge that it will not be business as usual with Canada until the situation is rectified and yes, it may cost Canada initially but at the moment we are the laughing stock of the G20. We use pencils to draw our red lines

What do other "middle power" countries do differently than Canada when their citizens are "illegally incarcerated" that make us the "laughing stock of the G20"? Or even great power countries? The superpowers are a differently kettle of fish, at least one of them currently being the most often accused "state hostage taker" or incarcerator. A quick google of other countries' nationals who have been incarcerated on specious(?) grounds in other countries seemingly indicates that most do much the same as Canada - diplomacy - and with about the same results. I did find this 2023 report that discusses the situation; Canada (specifically the Two Michaels) is prominently featured.

THE SOUFAN CENTER SPECIAL REPORT
CITIZENS FOR LEVERAGE:
Navigating State Hostage-Taking in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

What did catch my attention in the report:

There are several issues that need to be examined to better understand the national context for Canada's approach to arbitrary detention in state-to-state relations. First is the legal framework. No Canadian law explicitly mandates the government of Canada to provide consular services to its citizens abroad. Unlike the United States and over forty other nations who view consular service delivery as a legal obligation, in Canada, provision of consular services is a discretionary prerogative of the government.

Similar to Canada, for the UK government, there is no legal obligation in international or domestic law to provide consular assistance,97 which raises similar concerns around whether discretionary power can lead to the unequal provision of services and discrimination among Britons.

 

[Kirkhill]

We are only a middle power, if that, but regardless when a country subjects a citizen of Canada to abuse or illegal incarceration that country should do so with the certain knowledge that it will not be business as usual with Canada until the situation is rectified and yes, it may cost Canada initially but at the moment we are the laughing stock of the G20. We use pencils to draw our red lines

The Brits have nukes and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and a written agreement with the Chinese and it isn't doing Jimmy Lai any good.

Mr. Lai is a British Citizen and resident of Hong Kong with strong political and economic connections. And he sits in the same penal system that held the two Michaels.

Jimmy Lai - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thucydides Melian Dialogue seems to have become quite popular recently

"the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must,"

....

Best advice? If you are going abroad be prepared to live by local laws, or don't go.

 

[Kirkhill]

Meanwhile, on a more productive British front - Project Rapstone

"the programme is focused on rapidly fielding systems designed to improve the Army’s ability to fight in a more contested environment, with particular emphasis on drones, counter-drone measures, electronic warfare and improved digital command-and-control tools."

“RAPSTONE is an Army initiative to accelerate the fielding of new capabilities into the British Army,” Pollard said.

He added that these include:

• “Tactical uncrewed airborne systems (UAS) – short and medium range tactical drones.”
• “Systems to detect, track and counter UAS at the tactical level.”
• “Medium range loitering munitions.”
• “Uncrewed ground vehicles for last-mile resupply of tactical units.”
• “Electronic warfare (EW) systems for specialist and generalist users.”
• “Dispersed digital sensor systems to enhance the intelligence capability of tactical units.”
• “Enhanced counter UAS protection for vehicles.”
• “Utility vehicles for tactical units (4×4 pick-ups and vans).”
• “Hybrid power supplies for tactical headquarters and deployed teams.”
• “Personal individual power packs.”
• “Digital tools for tactical logistic planning and enhanced deployed maintenance.”
• “Enhanced digital tools for fire control.”
• “Increased satellite communications capabilities for mobile tactical units.”
• “Develop dried blood plasma technology into a deployable medical capability.”

Army fast-tracks drones and loitering munitions via Rapstone

The Ministry of Defence has outlined a broad package of new battlefield capabilities being accelerated into service through Task Force Rapstone.

ukdefencejournal.org.uk

...


Maybe the real value of a war is that the lack of time, and the lack of money, forces you to look at doing the other thing.

Instead of completing those battleships that have been building for the last fifteen years perhaps it is just as well the money is spent on Sea Spitfires instead.

 

[daftandbarmy]

The Brits have nukes and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and a written agreement with the Chinese and it isn't doing Jimmy Lai any good.

Mr. Lai is a British Citizen and resident of Hong Kong with strong political and economic connections. And he sits in the same penal system that held the two Michaels.

Jimmy Lai - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thucydides Melian Dialogue seems to have become quite popular recently

"the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must,"

....

Best advice? If you are going abroad be prepared to live by local laws, or don't go.

It’s important to note that when using that quote from Thucydides, he was referring to the destructive intertribal dynamic that destroyed a thriving civilization through the suicidal Peloponnesian Wars. It’s not a good thing.

 

[Kirkhill]

It’s important to note that when using that quote from Thucydides, he was referring to the destructive intertribal dynamic that destroyed a thriving civilization through the suicidal Peloponnesian Wars. It’s not a good thing.

No it isn't.

Has much changed in the last 2500 years?

 

[YZT580]

What do other "middle power" countries do differently than Canada when their citizens are "illegally incarcerated" that make us the "laughing stock of the G20"? Or even great power countries? The superpowers are a differently kettle of fish, at least one of them currently being the most often accused "state hostage taker" or incarcerator. A quick google of other countries' nationals who have been incarcerated on specious(?) grounds in other countries seemingly indicates that most do much the same as Canada - diplomacy - and with about the same results. I did find this 2023 report that discusses the situation; Canada (specifically the Two Michaels) is prominently featured.

THE SOUFAN CENTER SPECIAL REPORT
CITIZENS FOR LEVERAGE:
Navigating State Hostage-Taking in a Shifting Geopolitical Landscape

What did catch my attention in the report:

A note of caution to all who think Carney is the cat's pJ's and believe business with China is a wonderful idea. The quote is from Terry Glavin but the information he states comes from outside sources.

Forging ahead with Justin Trudeau’s ‘post-national state’​

From the National Post today: A disturbing new investigation detailing the expansion of Beijing’s overseas influence infrastructure reveals there are now more than 2,000 organizations in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany that the Chinese Communist Party is capable of mobilizing to advance its agenda.

The report is Harnessing the People: Mapping Overseas United Front Work in Democratic States. It locates 575 organizations in Canada embedded in eight separate fields of “soft power” opportunity consisting of 182 identity-based organizations, 109 business and trade associations, 97 educational and student organizations, 76 cultural and “friendship” associations, 42 professional organizations, 18 organizations focused on political parties and policy and 51 media platforms of various kinds.

They are all functions of the United Front Work Department, usually through direct affiliation with the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference and their associations with the UFWD’s Overseas Chinese Affairs Office, which is run out of Beijing’s massive embassy in Ottawa and Beijing’s consulates in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Deploy the panoply!


British Army splashes $86M on AI gear to speed up the battlefield kill chain

British soldiers are to get an array of AI-ready kit that should mean they don't have to wait to see the "whites of their eyes" before pulling the trigger.

The £86 million contract covers the Dismounted Data System (DDS). According to an MoD statement, "the AI-capable equipment includes radios, headsets, display tablets, cables, batteries, pouches, and antennas."

This will deliver both voice and visual data, thereby "maximizing effectiveness across all battlefield situations."

The MoD said this digital panoply means troops will receive "precise information on surroundings and intelligence, meaning increased clarity on who are enemies and who are comrades."

The kit was already trialed in Estonia as part of the MoD's Project ASGARD. This week's statement said the "visual information element" allowed "soldiers to be less distracted by loud noises on the battlefield."

According to a statement last year, the DDS "harnesses artificial intelligence (AI) and innovative communication technologies, allowing battlefield decisions that once took hours to now be made in minutes."

Around the same time, the Army said "ASGARD uses artificial intelligence and secure communications to help soldiers make faster decisions about targets, saving crucial time in combat."

British Army rolls out £86M AI-ready battlefield gear

: Troops fitted with new comms kit as part of Project ASGARD

www.theregister.com