#Asset based carrier

[wolflogisticssolutions]

Asset Based Carrier

Wolf Logistics Solutions offers reliable asset-based carrier services, ensuring efficient and affordable freight shipping. As one of the top freight brokerages, we provide excellent supply chain services to meet all your logistics needs.

Visit us: https://wlsfreight.com/services/asset-based-carrier/ for more information

[tmxintermodalwasc]

http://www.tmxintermodal.com/

Phone: (833) 307-3700

Address: 135 Eason Dr, Pooler, GA 31322

Email: tmxcsr@tmxintermodal.com

TMX Intermodal is an asset based trucking company. providing fast and accurate container drayage service from New Jersey Ports, New York Ports, Norfolk Ports, Houston Ports, Wilmington Ports, Charleston Ports, Savannah Ports, Jacksonville Ports, Atlanta Rails, Mobile Ports, Boston Ports, Houston Ports Philadelphia Ports, Baltimore Ports, and Richmond Ports.

[tmxintermodalpova]

http://www.tmxintermodal.com/

Phone: (833) 307-3700

Address: 606 Chautauqua Ave, Portsmouth, VA 23707

Email: tmxcsr@tmxintermodal.com

TMX Intermodal is an asset based trucking company. providing fast and accurate container drayage service from New Jersey Ports, New York Ports, Norfolk Ports, Houston Ports, Wilmington Ports, Charleston Ports, Savannah Ports, Jacksonville Ports, Atlanta Rails, Mobile Ports, Boston Ports, Houston Ports Philadelphia Ports, Baltimore Ports, and Richmond Ports.

[tmxintermodallatx]

http://www.tmxintermodal.com/

Phone: (833) 307-3700

Address: 1532 W F St, La Porte, TX 77571

Email: tmxcsr@tmxintermodal.com

TMX Intermodal is an asset based trucking company. providing fast and accurate container drayage service from New Jersey Ports, New York Ports, Norfolk Ports, Houston Ports, Wilmington Ports, Charleston Ports, Savannah Ports, Jacksonville Ports, Atlanta Rails, Mobile Ports, Boston Ports, Houston Ports Philadelphia Ports, Baltimore Ports, and Richmond Ports..

[tmxintermodalfl]

http://www.tmxintermodal.com/

Phone: (833) 307-3700

Address: 5714 Buffalo Ave, Jacksonville, FL 32208

Email: tmxcsr@tmxintermodal.com

TMX Intermodal is an asset based trucking company. providing fast and accurate container drayage service from New Jersey Ports, New York Ports, Norfolk Ports, Houston Ports, Wilmington Ports, Charleston Ports, Savannah Ports, Jacksonville Ports, Atlanta Rails, Mobile Ports, Boston Ports, Houston Ports Philadelphia Ports, Baltimore Ports, and Richmond Ports..

[probablyasocialecologist]

THE REGIONAL WAR in the Middle East now involves at least 16 different countries and includes the first strikes from Iranian territory on Israel, but the United States continues to insist that there is no broader war, hiding the extent of American military involvement. And yet in response to Iran’s drone and missile attacks Saturday, the U.S. flew aircraft and launched air defense missiles from at least eight countries, while Iran and its proxies fired weapons from Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

[...]

While the world has been focused on — and the Pentagon has been stressing — the comings and goings of aircraft carriers and fighter jets to serve as a “deterrent” against Iran, the U.S. has quietly built a network of air defenses to fight its regional war. “At my direction, to support the defense of Israel, the U.S. military moved aircraft and ballistic missile defense destroyers to the region over the course of the past week,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Saturday. “Thanks to these deployments and the extraordinary skill of our servicemembers, we helped Israel take down nearly all of the incoming drones and missiles.” As part of that network, Army long-range Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense surface-to-air missile batteries have been deployed in Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and at the secretive Site 512 base in Israel. These assets — plus American aircraft based in Kuwait, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia — are knitted together in order to communicate and cooperate with each other to provide a dome over Israel (and its own regional bases). The United Kingdom is also intimately tied into the regional war network, while additional countries such as Bahrain have purchased Patriot missiles to be part of the network. Despite this unambiguous regional network, and even after Israel’s attack on Iran’s embassy in Syria earlier this month, the Biden administration has consistently denied that the Hamas war has spread beyond Gaza. It is a policy stance — and a deception — that has held since Hamas’s October 7 attack. “The Middle East region is quieter than it has been in two decades,” Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in an ill-timed remark eight days before October 7. “We don’t see this conflict widening as it still remains contained to Gaza,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said the day after three U.S. troops were killed by a kamikaze drone launched by an Iran-backed militia at a U.S. base in Jordan. Since then (and even before this weekend), the fighting has spread to Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and Yemen.

[yanderes-galore]

Noticed there's one iconic Sangheili still missing on this blog, so: Rtas 'Vadum (Halo) Concept? Either or both Human and Sangheili darling, Romantic/Platonic intentions.

You are so right, we need more Rtas content. Here you go!

Yandere! Rtas 'Vadum Concept

Pairing: Romantic/Platonic

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Overprotective/Possessive behavior, Manipulation, Mentions of "mate", Human/Sangheili darling, Some violence, Threats of isolation/kidnapping, Dubious companionship.

Rtas, compared to a lot of other Sangheili, probably wouldn't mind a Sangheili or Human darling.

He is similar to Thel but even during the war he probably wouldn't mind too much.

Rtas is known to not follow the Sangheili way if it does not benefit him.

He'd be more likely to have a Sangheili Darling during the Human/Covenant war and The Great Schism.

Yet near the end of The Great Schism and the end of the war he'd be more likely to have a human Darling.

Rtas is similar to Thel as they both worked with one another for so long.

They've both seen how capable John was as a human which changed their view on humans.

I feel like Rtas is, surprisingly, not the most intense yandere.

I feel that for this concept I'd focus on an AU after the war.

He'd keep the one he's obsessive about on his ship as he continues his duties.

After the war Rtas is much more tame due to not being in battle as often anymore.

He'd probably be more intense during the end of the war but he certainly tones himself down later.

Instead of going everywhere with this concept to try and tackle every possible outcome… I'll try to stick with the base idea that came to mind when I think of Yandere Rtas.

Yandere Rtas with his obsession who is part of his ship crew/a crewmate.

This could work with both Sangheili and human darlings.

You were recruited on the Shadow of Intent due to your skills with technology.

You are either a Sangheili who worked with Covenant carrier ships often or a human that happens to be skilled in adapting to Covenant tech.

Either way you are placed on the ship due to your skill.

You'll fit in more as a Sangheili as most of the ship crew is Sangheili.

As a human you'll experience a bit more push back from your fellow crew, yet Rtas would call them off.

Rtas has been shown to care deeply for his crew.

Even when he worked for the Covenant he cared for even the Unggoy under his command.

That doesn't change now.

Rtas looks after you as part of his crew.

This care soon extends into his obsession towards you, romantic or platonic.

While you can guess a romantic obsession would happen more likely with a fellow Sangheili, a human isn't impossible after the war.

Rtas can get defensive of you on his ship.

He would see his obsession as a close member of his crew, even when they're new.

He listens to every report you give and has each repair you do monitored.

During meetings you are often called to listen in.

Rtas is one of the few Sangheili who doesn't have prejudice.

He doesn't care about your gender or species.

He just sees you for your skills and respects you for that.

Even if your combat isn't the best, you're still an important asset.

Due to the fact he cares about you, Rtas may give you a high ranking on the ship if he feels you've earned it.

Other Sangheili say this is unfair, only for Rtas to threaten them with kicking them out.

Rtas by this point in his life is a tame yandere.

His violent streak has settled down, although he is fully capable of fighting.

His primary goal has been to hunt down those who have wronged the Sangheili.

The ship docks at times but you're rarely let off of it.

Rtas claims he needs someone to make sure the ship isn't hijacked or damaged.

All of which are valid concerns yet the biggest concern he doesn't tell you.

He doesn't want you to become a casualty, especially if you're human.

Rtas’ obsession is subtle.

For the most part you just assume he does what he does due to him caring for his crew.

Yet as time goes on you'll notice that isn't entirely the case.

Rtas soon begins to call you in private to chat with you.

His obsession is still very slow and planned, very subtle.

When you first entered the Shadow of Intent you were already locked in.

Rtas does mean well when it comes to you yet he begins to show possessive tendencies.

He calls you in to sit beside him, he growls at other Sangheili around you.

It's clear to the rest of the crew he's taken claim to you.

If you try to leave his crew he threatens you under his breath.

He still has holding cells on this ship… don't comply and you may be sent there.

For the most part Rtas is subtle and protective of you.

Although like most Sangheili, Rtas has a possessive side.

He prefers to hide that side of himself.

Although he isn't above putting other Sangheili of his crew in their place when it comes to you.

He can either see you as a close comrade or, well… a mate.

He's more possessive if you're seen as a mate obviously.

The good news is he doesn't mean any harm to you.

You're a skilled crewmate that matters so much to him.

The others on the ship may think their Shipmaster is acting weird.

But he isn't acting weird…

Not as long as he has you.

While Rtas isn't a very intense yandere…

He'll do anything to keep you on his ship to himself… including locking you away until needed.

[diejager]

Chapter 2

Pairing : Simon “Ghost” Riley x fem!reader

Cw: canonical violence, blood, death, injuries, Soap throw boom boom, tell me if I missed any. Wc: 994

Series masterlist

previous

The flash grenade Soap threw into the room left a ringing in his ears, lasting while he stormed into the room in duos to shoot down the - momentarily - blinded AQ soldiers hiding within the small, mountain village. Walking in a line, Price - Bravo-06 - led the way through the windowless, mud houses and out on the streets.

They spread into two when Price sent half of the squad to the other side of the village, wanting to infiltrate the place on both ends from the darkness of the night. Laswell had briefed them that the villagers were driven out, fearful as they left everything to the invading AQ cell in the Urzikstan village. It made their duty simpler, not having to watch out for civilians or hostages.

Ghost directed the second squad, left to the one Price led, into a house, kicking down the door with his rifle raised as he quickly shuffled through the entrance to let Soap and Roach follow behind him, along with the five other corporal and sergeants. Swiping left and right, they moved quickly around the space, taking down men - double taped in the torso or once in the head.

He called over whenever they cleared an area, Price doing the same to let them know his progress. Over the sound of gunshots and screams, he realized that he hadn't heard you once since they started. It was radio silence, but he wasn't worried, he'd seen you train with them the first few days of your arrival. Though silence was expected from you, being the assigned sniper in this mission instead of Ghost.

You jumped off the carrier, sniper slung over your shoulder as you saluted, smiling at them. You'd have to trek up the mountainside from what Laswell and Price told you. Ghost watched you walk off, steps strong and steady up the rocky terrain at sundown. His eyes followed your figure until it disappeared behind a wall.

"I'm all set up, Cap," you called after a while, letting them know that they could leave.

Giving Nikolai the signal, they took off. When Ghost gazed through the window, he saw your position from the corner of his sight. You laid stomach first, one leg straightened and the other bent to stop any recoil, elbows supporting your upper body and hands around your sniper. A sleek, black bolt-action sniper rifle that you called your “Baby” before you boarded the aircraft.

They met back before the walled mansion, probably the house of a rich family that decided to live on the farther side of Urzikstan. Ghost walked behind Price's group, rifle cocked and alert, they made their way through the open gate.

Bang!

A body fell from the roof.

Bang!

Another one crashed to their feet, weapon clanging to Gaz's left.

"Winter, how copy?" Price rasped, his eyes - along with the others - straining through the night vision goggles.

"Cover, Cap, there are two more 'round the corner," you finally spoke, voice low and monotone.

If it weren't for their current situation, Ghost would've been shocked, the change in your tone drastic. Your shots were unpredictable, and random at times but they always made their mark. If you weren't talking to them, you were sniping off men, quick and efficient, opening up a passage for them to bust into the house.

"Asset's on the second floor, sir, east wing, " your voice entered the line, scope focused on the man they wanted to capture. "Four guards, armed to the teeth."

They spread out, one on one while they stalked down the hall and up the stairs in a concentrated frenzy, arms ready to shoot down armed guards in the base. Reaching the last door, Price counted down before he pushed in, the guards clamoring to protect their boss.

Bang!

The window cracked, shattering around the entry when the guard standing before the window fell. Your shot made their target more panicked, fumbling around for his gun. Within a few minutes, it was over, the AQ target slumped down after being shot in the thigh.

"Target acquired, " Ghost announced, head tilted to his right. "Meet at exfil, Winter."

"Rog, Lieutenant."

When they reached your location, Ghost watched your stiff figure, keen eyes steeled for any movement outside of yours and the aircraft. The usual soft calmness was replaced by an uncanny state of indifference and coolness - how fitting, Ghost thought, your sudden change and actions were unpredictable, all changing as winter, from mild to freezing in a day, changing winds drastically even after being warned.

Your head bobbed at them, sitting on the nearest seat, which happened to be left of Soap and Roach, not too far from Ghost's little corner in the dark. Once the hangar door closed, Nikolai flew up, back to their safe house until they were able to go back to the British Isles.

"Quiet, aren't ya, Winter?" Soap suddenly pipped up, facing you with a lazy grin. "All cold and dead, 'ts almost like L.T.," his shoulders shook with a loud chuckle that he shared with Gaz.

Ghost grumbled lowly, sending a glare at the Scot and Brit that were jabbing you about your resemblance to him, however, when you blinked, lashes fluttering, light drifted back into your eyes, bright and gleaming as a teasing smile reached your lips.

"Don't be an arse, Soap, L.T still has feelings."

"She's right, Soap, don't be an arse, " Gaz returned your mischievous look, snapping at Soap who sat between you both.

He gasped, whipping his head from you to Gaz, squinting his eyes with a mock of a whine: "Aye, ya gangin' up on mae!"

Ghost closed his eyes, sighing silently as you returned to your previous energy, smiling and chuckling with the rest of TF 141, ignoring the disapproving frown from Price, Roach's attempt to hide his laugh, and the rest of the momentary team.

Next

Tag list (reply here if you want to be tagged): @lauraliisa @iirosietumbles @thefairybird @jemandderkeinenusernamenfindet @tayaisback @deadpoetsandhoney @ghost-reine @raidenmylove @sollucifer @dontfollowmepleaseitsannoying @mandythemint @static-knight @suzuyamitsuki @rk111 @shuttlelauncher81 @discowizard88 @v1naco @imjustabebeh2003 @tbrfic @hotchlover @mstosi @beakami

[diabolus1exmachina]

Alfa Romeo Disco Volante by Touring Superleggera 

The Disco Volante is a two-seater Gran Turismo. It is based on the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupé with its front-central mounted 4.7 litre V8 engine and a transaxle rear drive with unmodified specifications. Each unit, of which the construction requires 4,000 hours of manual work.The present Disco Volante celebrates the myth of the 1952 style icon. The new design briefing required to blend ingredients as innovation, emotion and aerodynamic properties into a timeless and essential shape.During the development stage, Head of Design Louis de Fabribeckers and his team cooperated with the engineers on an almost daily basis. “We focused on the preservation of the design essence. – says de Fabribeckers – Once the design frozen, we had to understand the manufacturing problems and solve them right away without compromising the design.”In consistency with the car’s design philosophy the interior has a ‘science fiction’ feel to it. Part of this ‘spaceship’ atmosphere was created by elements like the red LED interior light profiles. Also, aeronautics has been the inspiration for parts like the dashboard, instruments and seat adjustment lever.The Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione chassis was chosen for its light and rigid structure and its outstanding dynamic properties. Therefore it forms the perfect basis for the coach-built bodywork of the Disco Volante, integrally conserving the rolling chassis and drive train.The Alfa Romeo 8C’s steel space-frame and other structural elements were retained to guarantee torsion stiffness, high performance and the quality standard. The frame members and the central carbon cell remained unchanged. Elements of the underpinning and the body, such as the engine bay and firewall, the windscreen and cowl, the a-pillar and the locks and hinges have been retained too, just as the dashboard and instruments, the pedals and the steering wheel. Parts like doorframes, the roof frame and the c-pillar have been modified to match with the new shape.The layout of a front-central mounted engine, a transaxle transmission and rear-wheel drive offers an optimal weight distribution of 49-51% between the front and rear axles. To ensure excellent handling the front and rear double-wishbone suspension scheme is combined with hub carriers of forged aluminium and additional trailing arms for the rear suspension.The lightweight and compact 4.7 litre V8 engine delivers 450HP and 480Nm peak torque. It is coupled with a six-speed sequential transaxle gearbox with electronic control and paddle-shift gear selection. Together with a limited-slip differential and a state-of-the-art braking system with large diameter, ventilated discs a precise, dynamic and proactive drive is ensured. The Disco Volante can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 4,2 seconds and has a top speed of about 290 km/h (181 mph).

All new and modified components of the Disco Volante have been CAD designed. In this process, which covers feasibility, safety, homologation, aerodynamics and structural analysis, the most advanced IT tools and simulation techniques have been used.

Since torsion stiffness and noise reduction are of critical importance, special attention has been paid to the under-body structure and its elements, like the tubular frames supporting the rear wings and bumper, and the roll bar joining the c-pillars. Other complex design issues were the tailgate hinges, the 3d-cambered door window, and the front wheel covers.

The Disco Volante was then submitted to a CFD aerodynamic study to enhance the airflow and ensure optimal downforce in the rear section. After that, FEM calculations were run to assess resistance and rigidity of all parts subject to homologation.

Touring Superleggera is synonymous with the manufacture of lightweight bodywork. The weight advantage of aluminium is one of the assets of Touring Superleggera’s construction methods. Nowadays however, the craft of hand-beating aluminium panels is combined with the use of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). For the Disco Volante, Touring decided to use this combination of aluminium and CFRP. This has been the result of a study conducted to define optimal use of materials for the bodywork in terms of weight, resistance, precision, finish and quality, and ease of repair in case of damage.

The CFRP is used for specific components like the front bumper and grille, the bonnet, the skirts, the boot lid and the integrated rear-window frame. The bonnet and the boot lid are sandwich-built with Nomex filler in-between to obtain a better stiffness/weight ratio and to dampen vibration and noise.

The aluminium panels are hand-beaten using an epoxy mould. Since the inner frames of most parts of the bodywork are made of CFRP, this requires gluing of aluminium on carbon fibre. This technique adds to the rigidity as the glue has structural properties.

The body panels are pre-assembled on a laser measurement platform using a jig. This ensures that the strict tolerance required is respected. After adjustment, the panels are either welded or glued. The body-in-white is then used to preassemble and fit all trim components, brightware and moulding.

[shadeops21]

Hello! I love your Cosplay Guides for COD! It’s very detailed and well done! But I can’t seem to find the character I’d like to cosplay beside Soap! I even found and looked on your DeviantArt, but he wasn’t there. Would it be possible to consider adding Gary ‘Roach’ Sanderson? Thank you in advance! :)

Ah, here’s where it gets difficult as there isn’t a “canon” reboot appearance of Roach that is able to be properly broken down. A lot of the “remaster” Roach images out there are actually just using modified or “kitbashed” versions of AI NPC skins or generic MP “milsim” skins, which share a lot of the same core assets as the campaign characters in terms of clothing, plate carriers, and pouches, albiet in different configurations and colourations.

The OG trilogy doesn’t give us much to work on either as we didn’t really see more than his arms from the first person mode, and what glimpses of his body we do get, he’s wearing the same kit as the other TF141 characters as their appearance was a lot more uniform than the reboot is. The other issue with the OG trilogy is that the equipment, even in the remaster, is too low-poly and generic to really make any kind of identification of specific equipment nearly impossible.

(Post-note: This is turning into a longer response than I expected so I’ll throw this under the cut)

Personally, if I were building a cosplay for Roach that was in line with the reboot’s aesthetics, then I would start with what “theme” I want to capture based on existing trends. Looking at what the other boys have there are about three, maybe four distinct themes:

- Night Raider: the “nightwar” gear where they’re all in black and navy blue, night vision goggles, all that “going dark” angle

- Field Work: what the boys wear a lot during MW19 and MWIII, your more conventional SF look with the green, brown, and camouflage printed clothing and gear, maybe helmets or hats, etc.

- Urban Ops: essentially streetwear or civilian attire with their combat loads just thrown over the top, maybe a thinned out load for mobility or “short duration” actions. Think Soap’s tee & jeans load or what is worn during the tunnel fight in the end of MWIII.

Once you have a theme in mind, draw inspiration from the others for what Roach might have, and don’t be afraid to incorporate headcanons if you so choose.

Here’s what I would do if I were building a Roach costume, using what is known from the canon trilogy and commonly adopted fanon.

Theme: Urban Operations

Clothing:

- Ranger Green Crye G3 combat shirt, rolled up sleeves to below the elbow. UK IR flag patch on right shoulder pocket flap.

- Faded blue and torn denim jeans, single kneepad on the right knee.

- Mechanix Original gloves in Coyote Brown, cutoff the trigger finger halfway on the right glove.

Platform (vest):

- Crye CPC in coyote brown

— Condor Tactical Annex Admin pouch on the top velcro section of the vest

— 2x HSGI Twin AR Taco rifle mag pouches on the front MOLLE panel, occupying wearer’s left and centre row pairs

— Flashbang pouch occupying right row pair of the front molle panel

— Left cummerbund, running front to back: HSGI Single AR Taco rifle mag pouch, Spritus Systems GP pouch, Tactical Tailor PRC-152 radio pouch - all coyote brown

— Right cummerbund, front to back: flashbang pouch, Spritus Systems GP pouch

— Rear platebag just remains empty to accommodate a backpack when needed

— Patches: Green IR UK flag patch attached to the admin pouch

- Ronin Tactics TF Belt, coyote brown

— Left hip: ESSTAC twin pistol magazine pouch, with single HSGI AR Taco behind it

— Small of back: Blue Force Gear Micro Trauma NOW IFAK

— Right Hip: holster of some kind on a low-ride platform, suitable for a sidearm of your choosing. Recommend Safariland brand.

Headwear:

Beanie/watch cap with Opscore AMP headset over the top, half-face neckwrap in black or grey, with tinted wrap sunglasses.

Haven’t covered footwear as I have a few boots I wear personally, can’t go wrong with either Underarmour or Oakley tactical boots, or cross reference my guides and see what the others wear.

I hope this serves as a helpful guide or something to help you out with your own Roach cosplay. And believe me, if we do get a Roach character in the reboot verse you can bet that I’ll have their loadout breakdown done!

Thanks for the ask!

[airsllides]

airsLLide No. 19672: LV-YPA, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-41, Dinar Lineas Aereas, Buenos Aires-Aeroparque, November 30, 2000.

Argentinian Dinar focussed mainly on domestic flights from its base in Salta, but also flew selected leisure flights to destinations in Brasil and in the Caribbean. Founded in 1992 with two Fokker 28 leased from the Argentinian Air Force, it had switched to flying a mix of DC-9 and MD-80 aircraft by the year 2000. It enjoyed a high customer regard for its over-average service and punctuality, but was no less victim to the difficult economic situation in Argentina with its high inflation and uncertainty than its competitors ranked lower by the travelling public.

In October 2002, Dinar had to cease operations. Its remaining assets were acquired by American Falcon.

As a side note: The latest livery of Dinar, shown above, had a striking ressemblance to the livery of European commuter airline Crossair of the period. This applies especially to the two-colored 'blots' along the fuselage and in the tailfin that were red and blue with Crossair, as opposed to green and blue with Dinar. The similarity was however anything but a coincidence: In 1996, Dinar leased its first MD-82 from Crossair stock, later deciding to acquire more aircraft of the same type. In the initial deal, the CEO's of the two airlines were reported to have respected each other's concepts and ideas so much that they agreed on Dinar being allowed to adopt this livery as its own identity. The MD-80s were even painted accordingly by Crossair before their ferry to Argentina.

HB-INW, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83), Dinar Lineas Aeres, Zürich, May 4, 1997.

Having returned from its seasonal lease with Dinar just the night before, HB-INW, the first MD-80 to operate for Dinar, returns to flying for its owner Crossair. Due to the immediate entry into service here, she does so still wearing the full colors and titels of the Argentinian carrier. She will be repainted into the standard Crossair livery within a few days time, keeping all the local photographers on their toes trying to catch her while she still is in her 'exotic' dress.

[darkmaga-retard]

American defense officials are bracing for a potential escalation in the Middle East after a rocket attack injured several U.S. personnel at a military base in Iraq.

The attack has prompted U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the deployment of additional military assets to the region, including fighter jets, carrier strike groups, and ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers.

That attack involved the use of Soviet-era Katyusha rockets that successfully targeted the joint American-Iraqi-controlled Al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq. Seven U.S. personnel were injured in the attack.

This heightened military posture comes amid rising tensions as Iran threatens retaliation against Israel for the recent assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. (Related: Iranian analyst warns of harsher response to Haniyeh's killing than previous strike on Israel.)

An Iraqi military source reported that two rockets landed inside the base, while others hit a nearby village without causing significant damage.

Pro-Iranian armed groups in the region have been known to target U.S. bases during periods of heightened tension, though no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack. The rocket fire at the U.S. base is part of a broader pattern of attacks on American interests in the region.

The U.S. response includes an increase in military capabilities to bolster defense and support for its regional allies. The U.S. claims this decision to increase its military presence in the Middle East is aimed at defending its forces and bolstering regional stability.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "Homecoming"

Hera's daddy issues, and lots of fanservice for TCW fans.

Oh hey, one of my husband's favorite episodes!

Three guesses as to why.

Yep it's because of the Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier.

Anyway, the need for such a thing is demonstrated right with this opening scene, with an ill-fated A-wing getting blown up as it tries to dock.

The A-wings get a raw deal in this show, seems like any time they need a fighter to blow up they do an A-wing.

:(

You know by now Hera's started to get to know the pilots under her command, so every loss is a little bit more personal now.

Kanan being silently supportive as Hera goes to call home.

Cham appears and cue TCW fans freaking out.

Not sure why we forwent the fanfare this episode, I don't think the circumstances are quite serious enough for it.

Kanan acting all cutely nervous to be meeting Hera's father kjhkjds.

And him getting everyone's names wrong lol, look at their faces. They're all just like, "Dad. Dad, that's not my name."

Numa introduced and though I have only seen the episode where she appears once I understand TCW fandom's base instinct to sob uncontrollably at how big she's gotten.

Cham being all, "NO I won't let you have this carrier I have to BLOW IT UP as a SYMBOL of RYLOTH RESISTANCE!" is absolutely annoying, Sato and Hera are saints for putting up with it.

I love the immediate cut to Ezra helping Hera tune Chopper up, implying he did his whole "follow you out of concern" routine and got invited to stay. :)

This is becoming a familiar sight isn't it? Ezra's role as heart of the team, peacemaker, counselor, and "bridge" is particularly emphasized this season. Not surprising, we collect most of our finale-important assets and allies this season.

Hngh that vulnerable little, "More important than family?" Fandom sometimes like to portray Mira and Ephraim as workaholics who had no time for Ezra between their broadcasts and resistance but this little line here, that Ezra would be so quietly horrified at the idea of rebellion being more important than one's own family, suggests otherwise.

Also! "Well, there's nothing more important to me." Throw that shade baby boy, love you for it.

Hhhmgngnll shut uuuuuuuuup Cham. When Ezra was preoccupied with concern over his homeworld he wasn't nearly so obnoxious. And, you know, actually accepted that other people and other worlds need help too.

Hera slipping back into her Rylothi accent when talking to her father. <3

Kanan implying his grandmaster Mace Windu talked to him about Clone Wars adventures. <3

Hera's absolutely sour sulk face. XD

This whole scene really, Gobi teasing Hera about "your Jedi", Kanan gushing about Cham, Hera cutting her father off with the doors twice.

It has all the vibes of "surly adult daughter reluctantly visiting estranged home to show off the grandkids and being annoyed that husband and dad get along so well".

Kanan's fake accent here is kind of amazing.

Hera's devotion to authenticity dislodges and reveals the supply of grenades in Numa's sack. Honestly, Cham reminds me a little bit of Saw with how obsessive he is about his own personal cause. He and Saw are both fighting for a good reason, true, but their attachments--Cham to Ryloth's freedom in particular, Saw to being right about the Death Star stopping the Empire from inflicting more loss at all costs--have blinded them, made them single-minded and selfish, hostile to others and uncaring about their plight.

Ezra, on the other hand, though he's always very worried for his world, his people, still is able to put them aside in order to do things for the wider cause, still able to access his compassion for people outside of his immediate circle.

(This would take a brief backslide in Season 3 after Malachor but come back with internal character development at the beginning of Season 4.)

Lol I knew as soon as that mouse droid got trapped that it would be used later.

Synchronized Force Push FTW.

And I love this moment where they throw each other forward, it's so awesome. Been a while since we've heard the Main Titles theme used to denote heroism too.

Ezra bouncing excitedly once he pulls off the Mind Trick, like Kanan knew he could aww.

Hera's double-take lol.

"I must destroy this ship for Ryloth!" Oh take a chill pill.

This is another case of, "Wow, that's a fast turnaround." but it's way less egregious than Ketsu's turn, since there are multiple other voices chiming in in support of Hera after her speech and all Cham does is take a step back and let Hera have the floor, he doesn't actually help until later.

Sounds like a muted version of the TIE Fighter Attack track here.

Right, so, this moment is touching and all but pulling harder on the yoke wouldn't actually do anything, this is orbit not atmosphere.

Imperial theme here, and then a snippet of "Shenanigans".

Ezra has an idea! Bet Sabine loves it because it involves blowing stuff up lol.

Love the teamwork here with this moment.

Eyyyyy everyone wins! The Rebels get the carrier, Cham gets his symbolic firey ship explosion of justice, way to go Ezra, that was a good idea, nice "bridging".

Hugs! <3

An almost Stargate-esque cue here (no surprise, Kiner worked on Stargate SG-1) which... it's not Hera's theme I don't think, at least I can't find another occurrence in "Wings of the Master". Cham's maybe? It definitely sounds like a leitmotif.

Aaaaaand a nice moneyshot of our spacefamily.

Another quality Hera-focused episode, expanding on her backstory without contradicting what we already knew. (Which I've already talked about was a bit of a problem with Sabine and "Blood Sisters".) Hera doesn't really develop much but then, again, she never really needed to. Still nice to see her reconcile with her father.

Another variation on the Friendship Fetch Quest--though Cham reappears later he's not a crucial asset to the finale like the other allies we gain this season, and once more the most important gain this episode is a ship. That Quasar carrier is going become a familiar marker and staple of the Phoenix Cell and we're going to get very used to seeing it in establishing shots... which makes the great big hero moment in "Zero Hour" it gets hurt a LOT more.

Honestly it's worth watching just for how seamlessly synchronized Kanan and Ezra are getting in combat. :)

[mariacallous]

Recent coverage of the war in Ukraine in the Western media has focused heavily on Kyiv’s land offensive, especially attempts to push toward the Black Sea coast. Much of the scrutiny, rightly or wrongly, has been on Kyiv’s lack of significant progress so far this year, with nothing comparable to last year’s breakthrough offensives in Kharkiv and Kherson.

While some of this criticism may be justified, the almost singular Western focus on territorial breakthroughs has distracted from the fact that Ukraine is fighting a medium- to long-term war on multiple fronts against a significantly larger and heavily entrenched foe. What’s more, the lack of a major Ukrainian land advance obscures the very real battlefield successes Ukraine has had in other theaters of the conflict—most notably in Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.

A crucial part of Kyiv’s long-term plan for the war is to push Russia out of the Crimean Peninsula and the rest of the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine’s coastline. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, headquartered at the Crimean port of Sevastopol, has been a critical component of Moscow’s war effort. Russian warships operating out of Sevastopol have enforced a blockade of Ukraine’s coastline and launched cruise missiles to rain hell onto Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

But over the last several months, Ukraine has achieved a series of startling victories in and around Crimea, including missile strikes against the Kerch Strait bridge and multiple daring attacks on the Black Sea Fleet itself—with major impacts on the Russians’ ability to operate on the peninsula and in the western Black Sea.

In September, the Ukrainians carried out a series of missile strikes against Russian naval assets in Sevastopol, including a landing ship, a submarine, and the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet itself—reportedly while several high-ranking commanders were inside. Some of these strikes were carried out using Storm Shadow cruise missiles recently supplied by Britain and France. The Ukrainians have also ratcheted up their strikes against Russian logistics, repair, and infrastructure hubs on the peninsula with the intent of degrading Russia’s ability to support its fleet. Earlier this month, Kyiv claimed responsibility for two further attacks on the Russian fleet, using a new type of sea drone to strike the Russian cruise missile carrier Buyan and carrying out a sabotage attack on the Pavel Derzhavin, a Russian patrol ship. These strikes came after the Ukrainians had methodically attrited Russian anti-missile defense structures in Crimea over the previous weeks.

These successes constitute a major breakthrough for Ukraine. Its strikes against Crimea have now made it all but impossible for the Russian Black Sea Fleet to continue to operate freely in the western Black Sea. The Russian Navy has responded by moving its warships farther east, to the naval base in Novorossiysk, a port city on the Russian mainland. The effect is to push the Russian fleet farther and farther into the eastern recesses of the Black Sea—a step toward Kyiv’s long-term objective of removing the Russians from the occupied peninsula by rendering it unfeasible for operations. This combination of attrition and displacement has had the effect of diminishing the Russian fleet’s capacity to patrol the waters near the Ukrainian ports, partially relieving pressure on the international shipping lanes in the Black Sea. This could allow Kyiv to achieve another goal of these operations: opening up Odesa’s three deep-water ports to international merchant shipping for grain and other goods.

The Russian blockade of the Ukrainian ports had been alleviated by a Turkish and U.N. deal brokered in the summer of 2022 that had allowed certain amounts of Ukrainian goods—especially grain—to be exported through civilian shipping corridors. Moscow had been offered limited sanctions relief in exchange. The Kremlin withdrew from the agreement in July 2023, reestablished a blockade of all commercial shipping flowing to Odesa, and began a series of drone and missile strikes against Ukrainian grain export facilities. The cumulative effect of the blockade was to make insurance prices for shipping in and out of Ukraine spike and allow Russian grain exports to start dominating the markets. In August, Kyiv’s response was to institute an alternative humanitarian sea corridor that ran closely along the Ukrainian coast and would be protected by the navies of NATO members Bulgaria and Romania. The gamble that Russian threats to interdict shipping were a bluff and that they would not fire on internationally flagged ships paid off. By now, 32 intrepid international vessels have left Ukraine’s ports for Africa and elsewhere with their holds full of grain.

Ukraine has also undertaken successful commando raids by small teams of elite naval infantry to achieve its objectives. In Crimea, Ukraine managed to destroy or disable Russian anti-air missile installations in preparation for bombardment of the peninsula. Among other objectives, these actions allowed Ukraine to retake strategically located oil and gas drilling rigs captured by the Russians at the start of the war, which they had used for maritime radar surveillance. The fact that Kyiv only has a limited arsenal of Western-provided precision long-range missiles means that the Ukrainians have had to be very resourceful with their deployment, including by eliminating as much of Russia’s air defense as possible before launching them.

At the same time, the Ukrainians have also been successful in developing a new generation of sophisticated, locally made sea drones capable of striking past the defenses of the Russian fleet. The Russian anti-missile and traditional ship defense systems have proved incapable of offering protection against this new generation of sea drones, including the Ukrainian “Sea Baby” series of partially submerged attack drones. Representing a tiny fraction of the cost of an advanced Russian battleship, landing ship, or submarine, these relatively inexpensive and quickly constructed drones have proved themselves to be a radical innovation.

By the end of the summer, the Ukrainians had proved not only capable of sinking or maiming serious Russian naval assets, but also of making the further use of Sevastopol unsustainable for the Black Sea Fleet. The British Ministry of Defense assessed that Russia had “relocated many of its prestige assets—including cruise missile capable ships and submarines—from Sevastopol to operating and basing areas further east, such as Novorossiysk.” Furthermore, on Oct. 5, the leader of the Russian-occupied Georgian region of Abkhazia, which is located even farther east than Novorossiysk, made public statements that his Moscow-backed region would soon host a “permanent point of deployment” for the Russian Navy. Such a base would be located almost at the very eastern end of the Black Sea, suggesting that the Russians have concluded that stationing naval assets anywhere near Ukraine and its now heavily mined shoreline is untenable.

These successes have had the effect of severely restricting Russia’s range of mobility in the Black Sea. British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said, “The functional defeat of the Black Sea Fleet, and I would argue that is what it is, because it has been forced to disperse to ports from which it cannot have an effect on Ukraine, is an enormous credit.”

Given that the total liberation of Crimea is a key objective for Kyiv, these significant Ukrainian successes must be put into the same context as the other developments in this multifront conflict—something that much of the Western press and commentariat have failed to do. By effectively dislodging the Russian Black Sea Fleet from Sevastopol and unilaterally opening a grain shipment corridor, Kyiv has achieved stunning successes with only limited naval capabilities. While Ukraine is still a long way from hoisting its flag over Simferopol, the Crimean capital, this kind of progress would have been unthinkable last year.

The success of Ukrainian naval operations against the Russian fleet has been all the more remarkable as Ukraine functionally no longer has a navy. Since 2014, the Russians have sunk, captured, or incapacitated all major Ukrainian warships except the flagship frigate Hetman Sahaidachny, which the Ukrainians themselves scuttled in early 2022 to prevent it from falling into Russian hands. Ukrainians have begun to routinely crack jokes about the mighty Russian Black Sea Fleet being sunk by a nation with no navy, but Russian naval officers are unlikely to be smiling.

The Ukrainian military has proved itself capable of incorporating new equipment into its arsenal quickly and to devastating effect—whether that be homegrown sea drones or Anglo-French-supplied missiles. If Western governments want to see more successes on the battlefield, providing Ukraine with more and longer-range missiles to continue denying Russia the freedom to move in Crimea would be a good place to start. Either way, Western observers should stop focusing only on the land war and put these remarkable Ukrainian achievements into the context they deserve. Otherwise, arguing in favor of providing Kyiv with the tools it needs to liberate its territories will be harder than it needs to be.

[probablyasocialecologist]

When an Iraqi militant group killed three U.S. service members at a base in Jordan over the weekend, the militants were clear about their motives: It was retaliation for American support for Israel. “As we said before, if the U.S. keeps supporting Israel, there will [be] escalations,” a senior official from an alliance of Iraqi militia groups said in claiming responsibility for the attack. “All the U.S. interests in the region are legitimate targets, and we don’t care about U.S. threats to respond.” The statement is not new or surprising. While the need for U.S. troops to be stationed at the Tower 22 military base — a dusty outpost on the Syria–Jordan border — has a dubious, if any, relationship to U.S. national security, the U.S. presence has been very helpful to Israel. The U.S. military in the region serves to deter Iran as well as Israel’s many other enemies. Now, establishing deterrence against Israel’s adversaries is threatening to suck the U.S. back into a broader, open conflict in the Middle East. Take, for example, the recent U.S. attacks against the Houthis in Yemen, which began after the rebels attacked ships in the Red Sea to force an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza. Especially at a time when the U.S. is trying to pivot away from the region, Israel increasingly looks like a liability to U.S. interests in the Middle East. American officials are forced to expend significant economic, political, and military resources to shield Israel’s government from local threats and deflect international outrage over its campaign in Gaza. Israel, it turns out, extracts a tremendous cost from the U.S. — often in treasure but, as the world saw over the weekend in Jordan, sometimes in blood — with few discernable strategic gains for the Americans.

[...]

U.S. military officials periodically criticize the impact of uncritical U.S. support for Israel on American interests in the region, where Israel remains unpopular for its policies against Palestinians. These complaints, even from U.S. military officials, have often been walked back under political pressure. Despite repeated vows by American leaders to reduce the country’s footprint in the Middle East, the U.S.’s commitment to Israel has turned into military involvement across the region. There are strikes against the Houthis in Yemen, aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean to deter Hezbollah in Lebanon, and skirmishes with Iranian-backed militias in Syria and Iraq. The costs for the U.S. from this new era of conflict are rapidly adding up. According to a recent report in Politico, an estimated $1.6 billion has already been spent on unanticipated U.S. military expenses in the region since October 7 — a price tag Pentagon officials say they cannot pay without a new budget from Congress. Global ammunition shortages are also forcing the U.S. to scramble to replenish its depleted supplies at a time when it is also struggling to contain threats in Europe and East Asia. For Israel, however, the U.S.’s presence only fortifies its strategic initiatives. “The Israelis view the American presence in the region as very important, because it creates a backstop for them,” said Parsi. “The U.S. presence gives Israel greater maneuverability to carry out strikes in places like Syria and Lebanon, but also a sense of deterrence against those who would like to retaliate against them, since it may mean that the U.S. is dragged into the conflict as well.”

[ariesgamesandminis]

Huge restock from Death Ray Designs!

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