The Presidential Flight also has a couple of MV-22's available.

By Paul Howard (Raven) on Monday, September 22, 2025 - 05:23 am: Edit

Marine One.... I would also guess the number of aircraft/helicopters* that can refuel it (low speed etc) is very limited?

* - I am sure some Helicpoters can act as a Refuelling vehicle - but as they also go slow - that wouldn't be an issue?

I am guessing there isn't a practical way to refuel it therefore - and any value in having it refuelable in the area, is offset by the danger/hassle factors that would introduce.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 22, 2025 - 06:23 am: Edit

They refuel from KC130s, which can go slow enough for a chopper to catch.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, September 22, 2025 - 12:27 pm: Edit

My thought, unless it was really an emergency...
No pilot with the President on board would want to
fly a straight, slow route while refueling....
Think, even the possibility of an accident much less an attack would lessen them even wanting to....

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 22, 2025 - 03:36 pm: Edit

I certainly agree. I don't think they have ever refueled a chopper with the president on board.

Anyone know if AF1 has refueling? I know it has decoys and I heard it has some kind of missile jamming laser.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Monday, September 22, 2025 - 03:54 pm: Edit

I have seen references to fuel caps, like on large bombers, can't say for sure...

AF1, whichever aircraft they are using, is pretty much stuck flying straight and level....

Took a quick view, they say it's definitely able to refuel in flight... It also saying the new one coming soon, won't have that capability...

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - 04:44 pm: Edit

Pres. Trump, after meeting with Ukraine's Pres. Zelenskyy at the U.N. today, stated that he now believed Ukraine could, with military support from NATO and the United States, regain all of the territory it has lost to Russia and restore its prewar borders.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - 04:54 pm: Edit

That’s a change.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - 04:58 pm: Edit

A welcome one, yes.

By Robert Russell Lender (Rusman) on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 - 11:17 pm: Edit

Tick Tock...
Tick Tock...
11:59 is approaching.

By Kosta Michalopoulos (Kosmic) on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 03:34 am: Edit

I see two possibilities with regards to President Trump's apparent reversal on the Russia-Ukraine War. He may just be spouting off in a fit of pique at Putin. Or there is intelligence showing that the Russian Army is essentially burned out and will not be able to hold the lands it has taken. Stay tuned.

By Robert Russell Lender (Rusman) on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 09:48 am: Edit

I was also thinking perhaps it was an attempt to push the Russians to a peace treaty of some kind to end the war.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Wednesday, September 24, 2025 - 11:16 am: Edit

Could this be actual realism from Trump?

Any "solution" that is not a Ukrainian victory is likely to be quickly violated by Putin.

The problem, of course, is that we don't know if Trump will stay the course.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, September 26, 2025 - 09:19 am: Edit

A YouTube video says the US has sent 4500 troops from the 82nd Airborne to a base in Poland only 50 miles from the border of Ukraine. Can anyone confirm this?

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Friday, September 26, 2025 - 09:25 am: Edit

The articles I see, show they deployed 4700 in 2022....
Addition 82/101 Troops preparing... Probably to rotate the earlier deployment out....

Believable that this is the third or fourth deployment as to not keep the earlier troops from being there longer than a year....

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Friday, September 26, 2025 - 09:29 am: Edit

Ran across video, looks like a Challenger, plowing a field....

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, September 26, 2025 - 09:38 am: Edit

SecDefWar Hegseth has ordered all flag officers as well as their senior NCO advisors to a meeting at Quantico on 30 SEP. No explanation has been given.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, September 27, 2025 - 04:42 pm: Edit

We're invading Greenland? Canada? Monaco?

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 08:09 am: Edit

It might be the Secretary of Defense doing a “Face to face” presentation to his field commanders detailing what is going to change as the U.S. Military converts from “Department of Defense” back to “the War Department”.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 11:50 am: Edit

Secretay of War

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 12:14 pm: Edit

Just to throw something out there?

Might Secretary Hegseth be interested in feedback on how the troops have responded to changes he's already made, or want input from the People who Know on further changes THEY may recognize as important (but which people in Washington are too isolated from)?

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Sunday, September 28, 2025 - 04:55 pm: Edit

Still the Department of Defense. I didnt see an Act of Congress yet.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 29, 2025 - 03:51 pm: Edit

NBC Weapons: Russia Resorts to Chemical Warfare
September 29, 2025: In late 2024 the Ukrainians accused Russia of using Chloropicrin gas against Ukrainian soldiers. Chloropicrin is currently used to fumigate the soil before crops are planted. It was frequently used by both sides during World War One. After the war everyone agreed that it was best to ban the use of chemical weapons. That ban generally held until the Russians resumed manufacturing Chloropicrin for use against the Ukrainian. Not content with that, Russia is using malware against NATO countries. The Russian cyber threat group APT 28 is distributing the malware throughout NATO countries in an effort to disrupt aid for Ukraine.
FYEO

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 29, 2025 - 03:53 pm: Edit

Paramilitary: Criminals Control Russia Ukraine Border
September 28, 2025: The Ukraine war has been underway for three and a half years, and it has created a violent atmosphere all along the border with Ukraine. A growing number of armed Russian soldiers are operating as criminal gangs, stealing what they can and living off plunder. The local Russian police are unable to control this mayhem. In some cases the police establish an understanding with the groups of armed ex-soldiers to stay out of each other’s way. Civilians who complain to local government officials are advised to move away from the border area until the violence fades. The central government in Moscow doesn’t want to be bothered with this border violence issue and tells local officials to do what they can. If any of the violence ground attempts to advance farther into Russia, then soldiers will be sent to prevent the spread of the violence.
Russia believes the situation will get worse as more Russian soldiers desert or are allowed to go home because their tour of duty is over. Most of these marauding soldiers are deserters. Desertion has been on the increase and Russian officers are unable or unwilling to deal with this and let the armed deserters go. Morale among Russian soldiers in Ukraine is about as low as it can go. Officers commanding units at the front do what they can to keep troops in defensive positions. There are still attacks, but these usually involve units that have not been destabilized by poor morale and leadership. Russia has been hiring more mercenaries and using them for attacks. First it was North Korean soldiers but now there are mercenary recruits in Central Asian countries bordering Russia as well as nations like Cuba. The Cubans still depend on Russia for oil and other items and have not interfered with Russian efforts to recruit Cuban men to fight in Ukraine. The Russians offer high pay as well as equally generous death benefits.
FYEO

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, September 29, 2025 - 03:53 pm: Edit

Armor: Poland Has The Largest Tank Force in Europe
September 27, 2025: As a result of the Ukraine War, Poland, which borders Ukraine, decided to expand its armed forces and that included purchasing a thousand new South Korean K2 tanks. Most of these tanks will be produced in Poland under license, in cooperation with the South Korean manufacturer that continues to supply some components. This will begin in 2026 and make Poland the largest user of K2s because the South Korean only have a few hundred of them. Poland will also become the European country with the largest force of modern tanks. This is mainly to deter any Russian attacks on Poland or the neighboring Baltic States.
Currently, Poland has 160 K2 tanks, 192 K9 self-propelled 155mm howitzers and 192 Homar-K rocket launchers. Homar is similar to the Americans Himars vehicles. The Homar fire control system can handle rockets used in Himars along with several other rocket types. Poland can use Himars rockets as well as a wide variety of South Korean rockets.
South Korea’s 400 K2s are enough to deal with any threat from North Korea, which has a tank force consisting of ancient Russian T-62 tanks modified, but not much improved, by North Korea. North Korea has designed and manufactured a more modern T-2020 tank but could only afford to build fourteen so far, with indications that mass production may eventually happen. Whether the T-2020 is any good or not remains to be seen. During military parades in North Korea, the nine T-2020s are always present.
South Korea is not only much wealthier than North Korea but also a major manufacturer and exporter of industrial goods. That includes modern South Korean designed weapons. One of the best examples is the K2 Black Panther tank, which compares favorably with the latest version of the American M1. Unlike earlier South Korea designed tanks, the K2 contains no American technology and is a completely South Korean creation. That means the K2 can be freely exported and that has led to over a thousand K2s in production or on order, most of them for export customers. The high quality of the K2 carries with it a high price of over $8 million each. That makes the K2 the most expensive tank in the world.
In 2023 South Korea approved the production of the fourth batch of K2s, giving South Korea a total of 410 K2s. That’s less than the 980 K2s Poland is getting. Poland has a more formidable threat in Russia than South Korea faces from North Korea. While the K2 was a significant investment in South Korea’s defense capabilities against the persistent threat posed by North Korea, it was also a very profitable export item. Poland received its first 180 K2s in 2025 and has slowly begun producing the other 820 in Poland under a manufacturing license.
The K2 was developed by the South Korean Agency for Defense Development and manufactured by Hyundai Rotem. The K2 was introduced in 2014, after over two decades of development. The first model was a 56-ton tank armed with a 120mm NATO compatible main gun, with 40 shells on board. The main gun has an autoloader, which allowed the crew size to be reduced from four to three. The autoloader enabled the K2 to fire ten or more aimed shells a minute. Tank-to-tank combat is usually short and intense. That tank that can fire first and fire the most well aimed shells will win, even against several opponents.
K2 armor includes metal and ERA/explosive reactive armor in addition to an APS/Active Protections System to intercept anti-tank guided missiles/ATGMs as well as rocket propelled anti-tank grenades or RPGs. The 12.7mm machine-guns on top of the turret can be operated from inside the tank using RWS/Remote Weapons System technology. The K2 also includes NBC/nuclear-biological-chemical protection.
The K2’s armament is equally impressive. Its main armament is a domestically produced Rheinmetall 120mm L/55 smoothbore gun equipped with an automatic loader. This gun, compatible with all standard NATO tank rounds, can also launch the advanced KSTAM/Korean Smart Top-Attack Munition– an intelligent, fire-and-forget projectile that attacks the thinner top armor of most tanks.
Secondary armament includes a 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a 7.62mm machine gun. The tank is further enhanced by a domestically developed auto-target detection and tracking system, incorporating hunter-killer functionality. The K2’s electric gun and turret driving system and the stabilization of its gunner’s primary sight and commander’s panoramic sight, enable effective day and night operations.
The K2 also has an advanced suspension system that offers multiple positioning options to maximize combat effectiveness across various types of terrain. With a top speed of 68 kilometers an hour on roads and 40 kilometers an hour cross country. An auxiliary power unit enables the tank to remain stationary, waiting for something to happen, without operating the main engine. The success of the K2 design has attracted a number of export customers.

FYEO