It has been a while since I posted anything and there have been plenty of new developments in this crazy world of ours.
Lets start with one of the most recent: The Baltimore riots from yesterday and last night. All this riot showed me was that the Baltimore police department was not even remotely equipped to deal with a riot that size. They showed remarkable amounts of restraint when it came to dealing with the rioters. From watching the news coverage it was clear why all their lines only had around two ranks in them or less there were simply not enough officers to have sustained a clash with the rioters. The lines of the officers would have been broken and the individual officers now fending for themselves would have been mobbed. The Baltimore police were just not equipped to deal with these riots and it led to them being forced to just try and contain the riot as opposed to breaking it up.
What I think this will mean: You will see big city police departments get increasingly militarized. If they can't have enough officers they will make it so that what officers they have can have a bigger impact. I think you can look forward to police rolling around in MRAPs while dealing with riots. My fear is that if the police get increasingly militarized the rioters will get even more violent and we might not be far off from rioters using guns, molotovs, IEDs, and EFPs in response to and increasingly militarized police.
Next thing is the 2015 Victory Day Parade in Red Square celebrating 70 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany. This year the Russians will be showcasing the first truly new armored vehicle designs since the 1960s. The T-14 Main Battle Tank, T-15 Heavy Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Krugnets-25 Infantry Fighting Vehicle, the Bumerang APC and others. At the same time a report has just come out of Germany saying that the Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot Rounds used by the German Army is completely ineffective against the last incarnation of Russian Cold War Tank designs the T-90.
What I think this means: The arms race which never ended is now once again very visible.
Finally something I think most people have not heard of a new agreement has just been signed by the US and the Philippines. It was an agreement to open 8 US military bases in the Philippines.
What I think this means: I think it means the beginning of US involvement with the Philippine government in fighting MILF.
Tell me what you think!
