RC-135U intercepted by an SU-27

[Toad]

Earl, I  you right back for your service. A friend told me you flew the RB-50; that had to be a tougher job than mine, not to mention a lot more dangerous.

There are things the RC can do that satellites cannot and vice versa. I think there's still room for airborne intelligence collecting in the greater scheme of things.

I think you are probably right though about the biggest threat to the US. Our undefended borders provide easy access to anyone that wants to do us serious harm.

[FBKampfer]

You would be surprised (maybe) how frequently this is happening in the last 4-5 months in the Baltic and Black Seas.  Some of the encounters are reported and some are not.


Putin is not happy with that NATO is establishing an increased military footprint (NFIUs and other command entities) in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland (MNC-NE), Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania (MND-SE).

And understandably so, given that NATO still isn't quite comfortable with Russia owning rifles, much less advanced weapons that would let them put up an actual fight it push comes to shove.


IMO, the thing to do is make allies the of them. Senior members of NATO, allowing them to keep their own calibers, and joint military exercises, active efforts to strengthen economic ties, and exchange cultures.

[earl1937]

Earl, I  you right back for your service. A friend told me you flew the RB-50; that had to be a tougher job than mine, not to mention a lot more dangerous.

There are things the RC can do that satellites cannot and vice versa. I think there's still room for airborne intelligence collecting in the greater scheme of things.

I think you are probably right though about the biggest threat to the US. Our undefended borders provide easy access to anyone that wants to do us serious harm.

Thank you Toad! My biggest fear is that the powers that be will sit on their hands and political positions until something bad happens and then a lot of Americans are going to suffer or die because of just plain being stupid about what is going on at our borders!

[FBKampfer]

Toad, here is a personal  to you sir for your service! You certainly bring up a good point with your questions!
I just wonder, personally, if the "airborne" intelligence program is worth the trouble anymore, considering that we have satellites in space which can read the serial number on a dollar bill!
My personal fears these days is that 150 lb refugee wading across the Rio Grande river with the knowledge of how to put together a "dirty" bomb from the internet and the person who wants to be remembered as the "hero" who took on the U.S. and won! Kind of like the kid who took on the giant with a sling shot and won type of mentality!
Hope I am wrong!

 

Dirty bombs actually aren't a significant threat in themselves. Very ineffective and inefficient use of nuclear material. The virtue of dirty bombs are that they don't need weapons grade fissile material. They don't even need fissile material come to that, nuclear byproducts, or other radioactive elements lower down the table would accomplish much the same thing.

The bigger threat is shortages and what not caused by our average American idiot not understanding that it really poses no threat, or simply disbelieving it, simply because it doesn't fit with the scenario their conspiracy-addled minds have already formulated.


I suspect they could use technetium and get largely the same results as using plutonium or uranium, simply due to the ignorance of the American people, and conditioned fear of "radiation", big scary thing that it is.

[Toad]

I don't worry about a dirty bomb.

I worry about simple things, like the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. 10 Pakistanis did an incredible amount of damage.

Imagine 10 clowns hitting the Mall of the Americas during Christmas time.

[PR3D4TOR]

And



Life goes on.

[earl1937]

See Rule #14

[FBKampfer]

Natural disaster is far more likely to take out the Internet and power grid. I was speaking with a veteran of Naval Intelligence, he was eating at the restaurant I work at, and we both happened to step out for a smoke.

But he was telling me how the Internet would be a lot harder to take down than many people think. Since it's just connections between computers more or less, one would have to severely disrupt the web to cause significant loss of connection. Simply cutting one link between computer A and B, since both A and B are still connected to C or D, and can still communicate with each other, albeit slowly.


I gather power is similar. You can redirect to necessary areas from available supplies, but with reduced efficiency and capacity.


As for ordering food, I've got to get on the horn with suppliers at least once a month, and it doesn't even officially fall under my job description to find so.

[FBKampfer]

I don't worry about a dirty bomb.

I worry about simple things, like the 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai. 10 Pakistanis did an incredible amount of damage.

Imagine 10 clowns hitting the Mall of the Americas during Christmas time.

While it would be bad, it's not really something that can be easily stopped. Frankly, it's a miracle nothing has slipped by since 01.

Air planes, bombs, etc, that's high profile stuff. But guns are easy to come by, and they can't (or shouldn't be able to) hold you before you actually commit a crime.


And the other side of the coin is that sometimes that's just the cost of doing business. Securing US interests affects people outside of the US, and sometimes that doesn't sit well with them.

Do we respect their sovereignty, or accept the consequences of interfering? Obviously we should try to mitigate violent responses, but we must also accept that some things will slip through.

[Skuzzy]

Natural disaster is far more likely to take out the Internet and power grid. I was speaking with a veteran of Naval Intelligence, he was eating at the restaurant I work at, and we both happened to step out for a smoke.

But he was telling me how the Internet would be a lot harder to take down than many people think. Since it's just connections between computers more or less, one would have to severely disrupt the web to cause significant loss of connection. Simply cutting one link between computer A and B, since both A and B are still connected to C or D, and can still communicate with each other, albeit slowly.


I gather power is similar. You can redirect to necessary areas from available supplies, but with reduced efficiency and capacity.


As for ordering food, I've got to get on the horn with suppliers at least once a month, and it doesn't even officially fall under my job description to find so.

Actually, bringing down the Internet is easier than you think.  All one would have to do is bring down the thirteen root servers of the Internet, which are housed in thirteen separate locations and the Internet would be dead.

Granted, it would take a coordinated attack, but if it was done, it would bring down the Internet all over the world.

Check http://www.root-servers.org/

If someone was going to take down the Internet, that would be route to take.

[Swoop]

Shhhhh!   

[SIM]

"I gather power is similar. You can redirect to necessary areas from available supplies, but with reduced efficiency and capacity."

 Most people do not realize that this happens on an almost hourly basis. Every power company in the nation buys and sells generation, as needed, to neighboring companies. The electric grid is much more robust than most of the so-called experts will ever admit.

 Fear mongering is a big business.......

[Serenity]

Not quite as benign of game as you may believe.


http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FAir-to-air_combat_losses_between_the_USSR_and_US&ei=Zqo1VYSgDfeKsQSz_4HQAQ&usg=AFQjCNGprBqwH3zctaoe_SDjqmSDlAC3sQ&sig2=QmAClB8-hCj-ZqdT4Q1nLg

We have a few EP-3 guys here at Whiting, and my adviser on NASP was an EP-3 NFO. Trust me when I say, they know what they're getting into, and they're not particularly worried. This game has been going for DECADES, and the EP-3s and RCs KNOW when there's an intercept coming. They can decide to flee if it's a threat, or stay.

And again, pilot fatigue in formations is insane. You would be hard pressed to find someone who could hold an F-15 in that close for even a fraction of the mission.

[earl1937]

Actually, bringing down the Internet is easier than you think.  All one would have to do is bring down the thirteen root servers of the Internet, which are housed in thirteen separate locations and the Internet would be dead.

Granted, it would take a coordinated attack, but if it was done, it would bring down the Internet all over the world.

Check http://www.root-servers.org/

If someone was going to take down the Internet, that would be route to take.

Sorry Skuzzy, didn't realize I was treading on something I should not have been talking about!
and I fully support rule 14! This place would be a mad house without that rule!!!

[PR3D4TOR]

Yeah Skuzzy, but doesn't each root server have a number of instances at different locations? Wouldn't you have to take out all the instances to bring down a server?