War
Pentagon: Iran Could Flight-Test ICBM Capable Of Striking U.S. By 2015
Here’s a bit of disturbing news concerning Iran’s advancing nuclear capability I caught yesterday from Defense Update, an online defense magazine published in Israel. From their website:
A new Pentagon assessment of Iran’s military power maintains that in two years time, Iran could flight-test an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of striking the United States, given “sufficient foreign assistance”, is provided to Tehran. The new assessment reiterated a longstanding estimate of the U.S. intelligence community. Iran could test such a missile by 2015 with assistance from nations like North Korea, China or Russia.
Apparently, this comes from an unclassified portion of the Annual Report on Military Power of Iran, dated January 2013 and made available by the Pentagon on April 25, 2013.
You can read the rest of the article on the Defense Update site here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Signs Of The Time, Part 61
Late last night I took some “me” time to watch the remake of that 1984 cult classic Red Dawn. I blogged back on August 13, 2012:
“Cold Warriors” might remember the flick, which incidentally was the first film to be released with a PG-13 rating. From the IMDb website:
It is the dawn of World War III. In mid-western America, a group of teenagers bands together to defend their town, and their country, from invading Soviet forces.
I also added:
On November 21, 2012- the day before Thanksgiving- Red Dawn 2012 will be released in American movie theaters. According to the IMDb storyline:
A group of teenagers look to save their town from an invasion of North Korean soldiers.
North Korea?
Already, some are saying that the People’s Republic of China with its fast-growing military should have been cast as America’s fictitious adversary in the remake.
Or even the bad-a** Russians (Soviets) again.
But according to Wikipedia:
In June 2010, release of the film was delayed due to MGM’s financial difficulties. The delay came amid growing controversy in China after excerpts of the script were leaked on the website The Awl. The film drew sharp criticism from the Global Times, one of the leading Chinese state-run newspapers, with headlines such as “U.S. reshoots Cold War movie to demonize China” and “American movie plants hostile seeds against China.” One of the articles stated: “China can still feel U.S. distrust and fear, especially among its people. Americans’ suspicions about China are the best ground for the hawks to disseminate fear and doubt, which is the biggest concern with the movie, Red Dawn…
In March 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that MGM is changing the villains in its Red Dawn remake from Chinese to North Korean in order to maintain access to China’s lucrative box office.
So, North Korea became the “new” bad guys.
But get a load what was printed up on the Netflix DVD sleeve label:
“When Chinese military forces invade…”
Too funny.
As for the 2013 remake- not bad. I was pleasantly surprised that the storyline wasn’t exactly the same as the original movie. However, the movie ended somewhat abruptly, I thought. Still, the film was better than I expected. I especially liked the North Korean invasion scene- my butt popped off the couch for that part. And Kalashnikov aficionados will be impressed by the prolific use of AK-variants in the movie.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Tinley Park, Illinois, Site Of Urban Warfare Training Exercise
A little over a year ago, I blogged about Chicago hosting one of these military training exercises that since have popped up with increasing frequency in the news. From that April 16, 2012, post:
The City of Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC) released the following statement about the scheduled urban warfare training exercise today:
The City of Chicago is providing support for a routine military training exercise in and around the Chicagoland area on April 16 -19. This routine training is conducted by military personnel in cities across the country, designed to ensure the military’s ability to operate in urban environments as service members meet mandatory training certification requirements and prepare for upcoming overseas deployments.
The training sites have been carefully selected to minimize the impact on the daily routine of residents.
The training is not open to the public.
“The training is not open to the public.”
I guess downtown Chicago residents and workers were supposed to close their eyes and pretend the helicopters that buzzed them during last year’s event didn’t exist.
Anyway, last week, another one of these exercises took place in the Chicagoland area- in the southwest Chicago community of Tinley Park, Illinois. From the Chicago Tribune website today:
Department of Defense training exercises that included explosions heard miles away and helicopters flying over Tinley Park angered residents.
Residents said they heard “bomb” noises from about 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. on April 23 during what was an urban warfare training exercise at the former mental health center. Tinley Park police received about 25 calls from residents who were either fearful or angry, especially in the wake of the bombings in Boston the previous week.
Defense officials followed up with another exercise April 24 involving helicopters that flew over Tinley Park for much of the night. Residents reported hearing them from 8:30 p.m. until about 12:45 a.m…
Local police were not involved with the training, said Pat Carr, Emergency Management Agency director.
Like the Chicago urban warfare exercise last year, the public was not allowed to view the training. But that didn’t prevent a few from trying.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Source:
“Urban warfare exercise rattles Tinley Park residents.” Chicago Tribune. 2 May 2013. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/suburbs/tinley_park/ct-tl-tinley-park-dod-exercise-20130502,0,7645588.story). 2 May 2013.
CBS Chicago Asks: Is Chicago, Cook County Safe From Terrorists?
From a CBS Chicago news broadcast last night:
ROB JOHHNSON: Chicago’s Mayor and Police Superintendent have said they would use lessons learned from the Boston Marathon bombings to make Chicago safer.
KATE SULLIVAN: But tonight, we’ve learned that they’ve already made some changes. Chief Correspondent Jay Levine sat down with Superintendent McCarthy and began by asking the simple question, “Are we safe?” So what do you say, Jay?
JAY LEVINE: One word Kate- absolutely.
Tuesday night, CBS Chicago’s Levine focused on Cook County as the second most populous county in the U.S. refines its anti-terrorism plans and procedures in the wake of the Boston terror attack (video segment here).
Personally, as long as our borders are as porous as they are, I won’t feel safe from terrorists. It won’t stop me from doing what I want, when I want, but you won’t see me at some mass gathering or in some other situation that screams “juicy jihadist target” anytime soon.
Besides, I dislike crowds.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Infowars: DOD, Army Warn Of May 2 Terror Threat On 2nd Anniversary Of Bin Laden Death
“Thursday, May 2, is a day to be especially watchful. Jihadists are particularly fond of celebrating anniversaries and on that day in 2011 Seal Team Six found and killed Osama bin Laden. September 11. 2001 is now an indelible part of U.S. history and on September 11, 2012, jihadists attacked and killed an American ambassador and three others.”
-Alan Caruba, RenewAmerica.com, May 1, 2013
Did you know that tomorrow, May 2, 2013, is the second anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death?
To be honest, it totally slipped my mind. Until I happened to stumble across the following on Alex Jones’ Infowars website. Paul Joseph Watson wrote earlier today:
The Department of Defense and the US Army are warning of a possible terror threat to coincide with the second anniversary of the death of Osama Bin Laden, according to a memo sent to Infowars by a source based at Fort Hood.
The entire memo is posted on the Infowars site.
I haven’t heard/seen anything else about a potential terrorist attack tomorrow, although it wouldn’t be too shocking if Al-Qaeda, their affiliates, or someone/some people motivated by their cause attempt to carry out something on the second anniversary of bin Laden’s death.
Watch your six. As always.
You can head over to the Infowars site here to read what Jones and Watson have supposedly unearthed. Mind you, the memo is “unclassified/for official use only.”
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Boston Marathon Explosions Al-Qaeda’s Work?
“President Barack Obama has described al Qaeda as having been ‘decimated,’ ‘on the path to defeat’ or some other variation at least 32 times since the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, according to White House transcripts.”
-CNSNews.com, November 1, 2012
If the horrific explosions in Boston earlier today are confirmed to be the result of terrorism (MSNBC is still calling them “blasts”), I, for one, wouldn’t be surprised.
After all, I’ve constantly warned Survival And Prosperity readers that the threat of terrorism is alive and well these days, particularly from Muslim extremists.
Consider what I wrote on September 10, 2012:
Since I started blogging in 2007, I’ve noticed that complacency seems to be growing over a major terror attack by Al-Qaeda. I guess it’s only natural, considering the amount of time that has passed since September 11, 2001, and the successive blows suffered by the leadership of Al-Qaeda and their affiliates. Still, security was heightened in the U.S. with the 10-year anniversary of 9/11 and in Great Britain with the 2012 London Olympics. But as September 11 rolls around again tomorrow, and being informed that the terror group is big not only on anniversaries but on raising the bar on casualties, I sense a huge degree of complacency as it concerns another terror attack in the United States tomorrow and down the road…
Al-Qaeda is like the Rodney Dangerfield of terrorist organizations these days- can’t get no respect. Look at these recent headlines on some mainstream media websites:
“Terror takes back seat; Americans safer now”
-From the Associated Press on Yahoo! News, September 8, 2012“Never have so few been able to frighten so many”
-Philly.com (joint project of The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Daily News, September 9, 2012)“On anniversary of 9/11, fear is present but not all-consuming”
-The Boston Globe, September 10, 2012There’s even this out of Hong Kong:
“Americans stop fretting about the threat of terrorism”
-South China Morning Post, September 10, 2012I loathe Al-Qaeda as much as any other American. But let’s not call the outcome of the game (Al-Qaeda is now kaput) while it’s still in the early innings, as the next generation of terrorists- inspired by the American response and presence in the Middle East after 9/11- start to replace their predecessors who have been captured, incapacitated, and killed.
As such, keep watching your six, because I don’t think Al-Qaeda is all out of bullets just yet.
So, was today’s incident in Boston Al-Qaeda’s handiwork?
I don’t think so. From what I’ve learned about the terror group, their modus operandi would have demanded significantly more casualties than were suffered today. 9/11 is now supposedly the “bar.” An American Hiroshima- their “wet dream.” Remember their goal: 4 million Americans dead- 2 million of these children. Initial reports claimed the blast occurred well-after the first runners reached the finish line, when many reporters and news cameras had already departed. It’s widely-known Al-Qaeda recognizes the importance of the news media in broadcasting their message- and terrorist activity. Unless it’s subsequently discovered a glitch delayed the explosions, this doesn’t sound like an Al-Qaeda operation.
Plus, I understand that Al-Qaeda is fond of “celebrating” anniversaries. As far as I know, April 15 isn’t a significant date for them.
However, that’s not to say today’s carnage wasn’t the work of one of their affiliates. Or someone motivated by their cause.
Hopefully, time will tell exactly what transpired this afternoon in Boston. And if it was terrorism, who was behind it.
At which point, may justice be served.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
North Korea Capable Of Crippling U.S. With Super-EMP Weapon?
“A furious North Korea threatened Thursday to attack America with nuclear weapons as punishment for perceived Western aggression – saber-rattling that came as the United Nations readied more sanctions against the Kim Jung-un’s rogue regime.
An unnamed spokesman in Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry office said North Korea will launch “a preemptive nuclear attack to destroy the strongholds of the aggressors,” The Associated Press reports.
The spokesman referred to Washington as being the aggressor in a nuclear attack on North Korea, AP states.”
-The Washington Times, March 7, 2013
The last time I blogged about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s nuclear warfare capabilities was on January 27. From that post:
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has been doing a lot of saber-rattling since I last blogged about the Communist state last month. At that time, I asked:
So what kind of timeframe are we talking about here before North Korea has an ICBM capable of reaching and hitting the continental U.S.?
Based on expert opinion, it could just be 4 short years.
And how does America know North Korea’s intentions are to target it with nuclear weapons? Ju-min Park and Choonsik Yoo reported on the Reuters’ website last Thursday:
North Korea said on Thursday it would carry out further rocket launches and a nuclear test that would target the United States, dramatically stepping up its threats against a country it called its “sworn enemy”…
“We are not disguising the fact that the various satellites and long-range rockets that we will fire and the high-level nuclear test we will carry out are targeted at the United States,” North Korea’s National Defence Commission said, according to state news agency KCNA.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Park and Yoo added:
North Korea is not believed to have the technology to deliver a nuclear warhead capable of hitting the continental United States, although its December launch showed it had the capacity to deliver a rocket that could travel 10,000 km (6,200 miles), potentially putting San Francisco in range, according to an intelligence assessment by South Korea.
Now, the above discussion focused on a nuclear attack against the United States with intercontinental ballistic missiles as they’re traditionally-intended to be used.
However, earlier this week I stumbled upon material which suggests North Korea may already have the capability to cripple America via unconventional nuclear warfare.
Enter Dr. Peter Vincent Pry, Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security and Director of the U.S. Nuclear Strategy Forum, both congressional advisory boards. Dr. Pry, a former intelligence officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, wrote on the Family Security Matters website on February 26:
The West consistently and unwittingly cooperates with North Korea and Iran by underestimating the advancement, sophistication, and strategic implications of their nuclear weapon and missile programs.
Despite North Korea’s successful long-range missile test in December 2012, and now its third successful nuclear test on February 12, 2013, the Obama administration and the press keep reassuring the American people that North Korea is not yet a fully fledged nuclear weapons state – that a North Korean nuclear missile threat to the United States is still years in the future.
The facts do not support this judgment. North Korea is already a major nuclear threat to the United States–an existential threat.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Dr. Pry went on to say:
North Korea now appears to be armed with a FOBS capability to make a surprise nuclear attack against the United States–or against any and all nations on Earth–with Super-EMP.
FOBS? Super-EMP? The author of Apocalypse Unknown: The Struggle To Protect America From An Electromagnetic Pulse Catastrophe explained:
A Super-EMP warhead is a nuclear weapon specially designed to produce an enormous burst of gamma rays that generates an extraordinarily powerful electromagnetic pulse, capable of destroying even the best protected electronics, thereby paralyzing military forces and blacking out power grids and collapsing critical infrastructures everywhere–across an entire nation the size of the United States…
During the Cold War, the USSR experimented with a secret weapon, the Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS), that used an ICBM like a Space Launch Vehicle to put a nuclear warhead into orbit, like a satellite. Instead of using the ICBM to lob the warhead on a more accurate arcing ballistic trajectory, flying along the shortest range to target, like an artillery shell, the FOBS lofted the warhead into a “fractional” or partial orbit, sacrificing accuracy for limitless range.
FOBS could reach any nation or threaten any target anywhere on Earth.
A Super-EMP warhead does not weigh much, and could probably be delivered by North Korea’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment System, successfully tested in December 2012, against any nation on Earth. Thus, North Korea already possesses an ICBM and poses a mortal nuclear threat to the United States, and to all nations on Earth–right now.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Real disturbing stuff. Even more so now that the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday for tougher sanctions against North Korea.
You can read Dr. Pry’s warning about the North Korean Super-EMP threat in its entirety on the Family Security Matters website here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
False Flag Bombing To Frame Anti-Government Militias, Start Civil War, Thwarted By Feds
“False flag” events.
Incidents designed to deceive in such a way that they appear as if they were carried out by other entities.
Conspiracy theory?
Hardly.
From a February 8 press release out of the San Francisco office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation:
Federal Agents Arrest Man After He Attempts to Bomb Bank in Oakland
OAKLAND, CA—Federal agents arrested Matthew Aaron Llaneza, age 28, of San Jose, California, this morning after he allegedly attempted to detonate a vehicle-borne explosive device at a bank branch in Oakland.
Llaneza’s arrest was the culmination of an undercover operation during which he was closely monitored by the FBI’s South Bay Joint Terrorism Task Force.
Unbeknownst to Llaneza, the explosive device that he allegedly attempted to use had been rendered inoperable by law enforcement and posed no threat to the public. Llaneza was charged this morning by criminal complaint with attempted use of a weapon of mass destruction against property used in an activity that affects interstate or foreign commerce.
The arrest was announced by Melinda Haag, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of California; Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; and FBI Special Agent in Charge, San Francisco Field Office, David J. Johnson.
According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, on November 30, 2012, Llaneza met with a man who led him to believe he was connected with the Taliban and the mujahidin in Afghanistan. In reality, this man was an undercover FBI agent. At this initial meeting, Llaneza proposed conducting a car-bomb attack against a bank in the San Francisco Bay Area. He proposed structuring the attack to make it appear that the responsible party was an umbrella organization for a loose collection of anti-government militias and their sympathizers. Llaneza’s stated goal was to trigger a governmental crackdown, which he expected would trigger a right-wing counter-response against the government followed by, he hoped, civil war.
The complaint further alleges that Llaneza subsequently selected the Bank of America branch at 303 Hegenberger Road in Oakland as the target for the attack. Llaneza ultimately specified a spot next to a support column of the bank building as a good location for the bomb, expressed a desire for the bomb to bring down the entire bank building, and offered to drive the car bomb to the bank at the time of the attack.
According to the complaint, in January and February 2013, Llaneza and the undercover agent constructed the purported explosive device inside a sport utility vehicle (SUV) parked inside a storage facility in Hayward, California. As part of the process of assembling the device, Llaneza purchased two cell phones to be used in creating and operating the trigger device for the car bomb. One of these cell phones was incorporated into the trigger device itself. The other was reserved for use on the night of the attack.
The criminal complaint alleges that on the evening of February 7, 2013, Llaneza drove the SUV containing the purported explosive device to the target bank branch in Oakland. He parked the SUV beneath an overhang of the bank building where he armed the trigger device. He then proceeded on foot to a nearby location a safe distance from the bank building, where he met the undercover agent. Once there, Llaneza attempted to detonate the bomb by using the second cell phone he had purchased to place two calls to the trigger device attached to the car bomb. Federal agents then arrested him.
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Many times, things just aren’t as they seem. I try to keep this in mind when I digest the daily news and what look to be longer trends going on in the world today.
You can read the entire press release on the FBI website here.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Has A Currency War Begun?
A currency war.
Like what happened in the 1930s.
There’s growing talk about it these days. From Matt Clinch on the CNBC website this morning:
As countries try to weaken their currencies to boost exports, the risk of a currency war similar to events seen in the 1930s has heightened and policymakers are making sure they are on the winning side, according to Morgan Stanley.
The balance of power now rests with Japan, according to the bank, as Japan’s policy-makers’ more dovish approach looks set to bring the world a step closer to a currency war…
“If a weaker yen is an important pillar of the strategy to make this export-oriented economy more competitive again, it brings into the picture something that was missing from earlier interactions among central banks of the advanced economies- competitive depreciation,” it said in a research note.
“This, in turn, takes us one step closer to a currency war.”
(Editor’s note: Italics added for emphasis)
Yesterday I mentioned trends forecaster Gerald Celente. The founder and director of The Trends Research Institute appeared on the FOX Business Network’s The Tom Sullivan Show on January 26 and talked a good deal about currency wars, and thinks one is already underway. Celente told viewers:
Pick up the Financial Times, pick up the Wall Street Journal, pick up anything. Read the headlines. Currency Wars, Currency Wars, Currency Wars, Currency Wars. That’s what I’m concerned about. We’re seeing a replay in time. The Crash of 1929, a Great Depression, Currency Wars, Trade Wars, World War. The Panic of ’08. The Great Depression is a depression going on in a lot of places around the world. There’s Currency Wars.
Listen to Weber, the head of the UBS, former president of Deutsche Bank. His words at Davos- there’s a currency war. Listen to Mervyn King, the outgoing head of the Bank of England- there’s a currency war. Listen to Mantega, Brazil- there’s a currency war.
Celente went on to predict trade wars are on the horizon.
“Gerald Celente – Tom Sullivan on Fox Business News – January 26, 2013”
YouTube Video
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
Source:
Clinch, Matt. “Currency Wars Return, 1930s Style: Who Will Lose Out?” CNBC. 7 Feb. 2013. (http://www.cnbc.com/id/100441340). 7 Feb. 2013.
Doomsday Prepper Peter Larson’s Underground Shelter
Fans of the National Geographic Channel hit TV show Doomsday Preppers- remember Peter Larson? Larson appeared in the series pilot back in the summer of 2011. I blogged back then:
The Larson family- Peter Larson lives with his wife, children, and grandchildren in a suburb of Salt Lake City, Utah. Fearing a nuclear strike (it looks as if Peter is describing an electromagnetic pulse attack in the show), the Larsons have constructed a Rocky Mountain retreat for twelve. For those of you who don’t know what an EMP attack is, it’s when a nuclear device is detonated in the atmosphere, where it’s theorized the resulting electromagnetic pulse generated by the blast will “fry” microchips at the heart of electronic devices, rendering them useless.
Well, Mr. Larson is back in the spotlight again these days. From the CNN website last night:
Inside a Doomsday Prepper bunker
Gary Tuchman talks to a peaceful man in Utah who is proud to call himself a survivalist. He built an elaborate $65,000 bunker stocked with supplies, money and weapons. Watch this up close look at his hideout.
Nice setup. And nicely done by Gary Tuchman and CNN, considering the number of hack-job pieces out there these days on underground shelters and their owners.
By Christopher E. Hill, Editor
Survival And Prosperity (www.survivalandprosperity.com)
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