●● Post-War Military ..
● Military Power Comparisons - post WW2 ..
Publications
Saturday, September 30, 2017
●● Post War & Cold War
●● Cold War & Balance of Power ..
●● Post-War Military ..
● Military Power Comparisons - post WW2 ..
●● Post-War Military ..
● Military Power Comparisons - post WW2 ..
Friday, September 29, 2017
Cold War
Cold Tensions - Baltic, Nordic
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History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
Cold Tensions - Baltic, Nordic ..
Cold Tensions - political, economic divisions
Ideology of the Cold War: Capitalism vs Communism - tcw > .
How the Cold War Ended in 1991 - athe > .
How the Cold War Ended in 1991 - athe > .
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
Cold Tensions - political, economic divisions - RaWa >> .
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
þBoP - Clash of Ideology - tb >> .
þBoP - Economics - tb >> .
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
þBoP - Clash of Ideology - tb >> .
þBoP - Economics - tb >> .
Cold Tensions - Sovietization
How the Cold War Ended in 1991 - athe > .
Thursday, September 28, 2017
Acheson Line (1950)
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24-3-27 Deterrence in Defense of Taiwan | Acheson (50-1-12) | Hoover > .> Philippines >>
Excerpts from Dean Acheson's speech to the National Press Club:
"... there is no intention of any sort of abandoning or weakening the defenses of Japan, and that whatever arrangements are to be made, either through permanent settlement or otherwise, that defense must and shall be maintained.
This defensive perimeter runs along the Aleutians to Japan and then goes to the Ryukyus. We hold important defense positions in the Ryukyu Islands, and those we will continue to hold. In the interest of the population of the Ryukyu Islands, we will at an appropriate time offer to hold these islands under trusteeship of the United Nations. But they are essential parts of the defensive perimeter of the Pacific, and they must and will be held.
The defensive perimeter runs from Ryukyus to the Philippine Islands. Our relations, our defensive relations with the Philippines are contained in agreements between us. Those agreements are being loyally carried out and will be loyally carried out. Both peoples have learned by bitter experience the vital connections between our mutual defense requirements.
So far as the military security of other areas in the Pacific is concerned, it must be clear that no person can guarantee these areas against military attack. But it must also be clear that such a guarantee is hardly sensible or necessary within the realm of practical relationship."
"... other problems are not capable of solution through military means. These other problems arise out of the susceptibility of many areas, and many countries in the Pacific area, to subversion and penetration. That cannot be stopped by military means...."
Dean Acheson's Press Club Speech Reexamined UNB
Remember the Acheson Line K JA DThis defensive perimeter runs along the Aleutians to Japan and then goes to the Ryukyus. We hold important defense positions in the Ryukyu Islands, and those we will continue to hold. In the interest of the population of the Ryukyu Islands, we will at an appropriate time offer to hold these islands under trusteeship of the United Nations. But they are essential parts of the defensive perimeter of the Pacific, and they must and will be held.
The defensive perimeter runs from Ryukyus to the Philippine Islands. Our relations, our defensive relations with the Philippines are contained in agreements between us. Those agreements are being loyally carried out and will be loyally carried out. Both peoples have learned by bitter experience the vital connections between our mutual defense requirements.
So far as the military security of other areas in the Pacific is concerned, it must be clear that no person can guarantee these areas against military attack. But it must also be clear that such a guarantee is hardly sensible or necessary within the realm of practical relationship."
"... other problems are not capable of solution through military means. These other problems arise out of the susceptibility of many areas, and many countries in the Pacific area, to subversion and penetration. That cannot be stopped by military means...."
Dean Acheson's Press Club Speech Reexamined UNB
"Although there is no credible evidence that Acheson’s line helped lead to the 1950-53 Korean War by stimulating communists like Kim Il Sung, it remains a controversial concept. Two years before the announcement, the Soviet Union pulled out its forces from North Korea followed by the United States’ withdrawal of its forces from South Korea in June 1949. As a result, Acheson’s announcement of the line could have offered a precious opportunity for communists in the area to expand their influence."
...
"Washington signed a treaty with Seoul on mutual defense and aid on Jan. 26, 1950. The treaty was more advanced than the Acheson Line in terms of a pledge to protect South Korea from outside attacks. On Feb. 10, the U.S. Congress also passed a bill to aid South Korea."Afghanistan - Progress to Failed State
21-8-24 How Afghanistan became a failed state - Caspian Report > .
24-1-2 Stans: Why Central Asia Is So Big Yet So Weak - Versed > .
23-12-1 Khorasan: Taliban vs ISIS K - Afghanistan still at war - Caspian > .
23-11-5 [XIR] Corrupt, Sanctioned Iran's Military, Proxies, Power Projection - Perun > .
23-10-10 Hamas: Gazan terrorist militants behind atrocities in Israel | ABC > .
23-9-14 Iran and Afghanistan headed to war over water? - Caspian > .
23-7-15 Why Pakistan's on the Brink of Collapse - T&P > .
23-5-12 Pakistan is dying ⇒ global problem - Caspian > .
22-8-22 Does Afghanistan have a future? - Caspian Report > .
X
> Pakistan >> vs > India >>
23-9-22 75-Yr Conflict India (+USSR) vs Pakistan (+USA) vs Kashmir (+X) - gtbt > .
Afghanistan - Progress to Failed State ..
ANZUS, CENTO, SEATO
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The treaty was one of the series that the United States formed in the 1949–1955 era as part of its collective response to the threat of communism during the Cold War. New Zealand was suspended from ANZUS in 1986 as it initiated a nuclear-free zone in its territorial waters; in late 2012 New Zealand lifted a ban on visits by United States warships leading to a thawing in tensions. New Zealand maintains a nuclear-free zone as part of its foreign policy and is partially suspended from ANZUS, as the United States maintains an ambiguous policy whether or not the warships carry nuclear weapons and operates numerous nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines; however New Zealand resumed key areas of the ANZUS treaty in 2007.
The Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO), originally known as the Baghdad Pact or the Middle East Treaty Organisation (METO), was a military alliance of the Cold War. It was formed in 1955 by Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkey and the United Kingdom and dissolved in 1979.
US pressure and promises of military and economic aid were key in the negotiations leading to the agreement, but the United States could not initially participate. John Foster Dulles, who was involved in the negotiations as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, claimed that was due to "the pro-Israel lobby and the difficulty of obtaining Congressional Approval." Others said that the reason was "for purely technical reasons of budgeting procedures."
In 1958, the US joined the military committee of the alliance. It is generally viewed as one of the least successful of the Cold War alliances.
The organisation’s headquarters were in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1955 to 1958 and in Ankara, Turkey, in 1958 to 1979. Cyprus was also an important location for CENTO because of its location in the Middle East and the British Sovereign Base Areas on the island.
US pressure and promises of military and economic aid were key in the negotiations leading to the agreement, but the United States could not initially participate. John Foster Dulles, who was involved in the negotiations as U.S. Secretary of State under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, claimed that was due to "the pro-Israel lobby and the difficulty of obtaining Congressional Approval." Others said that the reason was "for purely technical reasons of budgeting procedures."
In 1958, the US joined the military committee of the alliance. It is generally viewed as one of the least successful of the Cold War alliances.
The organisation’s headquarters were in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1955 to 1958 and in Ankara, Turkey, in 1958 to 1979. Cyprus was also an important location for CENTO because of its location in the Middle East and the British Sovereign Base Areas on the island.
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954.
Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia, SEATO is generally considered a failure because internal conflict and dispute hindered general use of the SEATO military; however, SEATO-funded cultural and educational programs left longstanding effects in Southeast Asia. SEATO was dissolved on 30 June 1977 after many members lost interest and withdrew.
The Present Viability of NATO, SEATO, and CENTO:
Primarily created to block further communist gains in Southeast Asia, SEATO is generally considered a failure because internal conflict and dispute hindered general use of the SEATO military; however, SEATO-funded cultural and educational programs left longstanding effects in Southeast Asia. SEATO was dissolved on 30 June 1977 after many members lost interest and withdrew.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), and the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO) were considered necessary in the postwar period to protect member countries from Communist aggression and conspiracy. Subsequent developments have not always reflected the tidiness of inflexible and implacable confrontation, however. Thus, the viability of this postwar structure of alliances is raised ever more insistently. Do NATO, SEATO, and CENTO serve any longer the interests of the West? Or has the time now arrived for their complete reappraisal? The view gains ground in western Europe that there is now considerable diversity in the Communist world, and that a policy of positive coexistence should be pursued in the tackling of common problems with such countries as are ready to do so. In this fluid situation, a policy of movement is desirable, especially in Europe, where economic as well as political initiatives on behalf of a reconstructed NATO can provide pointers for the continued viability of CENTO and SEATO. The pending renegotiation of the NATO Pact can provide such economic initiatives. It can also provide the model of a self-supporting security system under the Soviet-American nuclear balance.
Australian Cold War Spies
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
For forty years the Australian Intelligence & Security Organistion (ASIO) hunted spies and subversives. In the process it opened files on students, unionists, Aboriginal activists, and writers and as many as half a million other citizens.
For forty years the Australian Intelligence & Security Organistion (ASIO) hunted spies and subversives. In the process it opened files on students, unionists, Aboriginal activists, and writers and as many as half a million other citizens.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
BRIXMIS '46-'90
British Spies - Cold War Intel On Soviet War Machine • BRIXMIS 1 > .
British & Russian Spies ⇒ Cold War Hotspots • BRIXMIS 2 > .
Secret Soviet HQ In East Germany • BRIXMIS 3 > .
How British Spies Hid In Cold War East Germany • BRIXMIS 4 > .
Meet The Real Cold War Spies Of BRIXMIS • FULL > .
British & Russian Spies ⇒ Cold War Hotspots • BRIXMIS 2 > .
Secret Soviet HQ In East Germany • BRIXMIS 3 > .
How British Spies Hid In Cold War East Germany • BRIXMIS 4 > .
Meet The Real Cold War Spies Of BRIXMIS • FULL > .
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was a military liaison mission which operated behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany during the Cold War.
The British Commanders'-in-Chief Mission to the Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS) was a military liaison mission which operated behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany during the Cold War.
BRIXMIS existed from 1946 – shortly after the end of the Second World War – until the eve of the reunification of Germany in 1990. Created by an agreement to exchange military missions, the stated object of BRIXMIS – and the Soviet equivalent in the British Zone, SOXMIS – was "to maintain Liaison between the Staff of the two Commanders-in-Chief and their Military Governments in the Zones".
This liaison was undertaken by 31 members – 11 officers and no more than 20 others – appointed to each mission. These liaison staff were issued passes allowing freedom of travel and circulation, with the exception of certain restricted areas, within each other's zone. Such "tours", as they became known, were conducted in uniform and in clearly identifiable vehicles. Nevertheless, although never openly stated, this liaison role also presented an ideal opportunity for the gathering of military intelligence through reconnaissance and surveillance and the occasional 'borrowing' of military matériel. This opportunity was fully exploited by both sides.
BRIXMIS was ideally placed to "test the temperature" of Soviet intentions from its privileged position behind the Iron Curtain. However, and perhaps more importantly, it offered a channel for communication between West and East via its secondary but significant role of liaison – the initial reason for its establishment.
British Military 1950s
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
The National Service Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of "National Service". After a bill with the same purpose had been approved in 1947, expected to be implemented 1 January 1949, the Cold War and the Malayan Emergency caused a revised and extended version of the new legislation to be approved in December 1948, only days before the new arrangements came into force.
The act had much in common with the National Service Act of September 1939, which it superseded, but its aim was to continue National Service even at times when the country was not at war. The National Service Act of September 1939 had not addressed this issue.
The National Service Act 1948 applied to all healthy young men (women did not have to do National Service) who were not registered as conscientious objectors. It did not affect the exemption from service of registered conscientious objectors, nor the procedure for registration.
The National Service Act 1948 was an Act of Parliament which extended the British conscription of the Second World War long after the war-time need for it had expired, in the form of "National Service". After a bill with the same purpose had been approved in 1947, expected to be implemented 1 January 1949, the Cold War and the Malayan Emergency caused a revised and extended version of the new legislation to be approved in December 1948, only days before the new arrangements came into force.
The act had much in common with the National Service Act of September 1939, which it superseded, but its aim was to continue National Service even at times when the country was not at war. The National Service Act of September 1939 had not addressed this issue.
The National Service Act 1948 applied to all healthy young men (women did not have to do National Service) who were not registered as conscientious objectors. It did not affect the exemption from service of registered conscientious objectors, nor the procedure for registration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Service_Act_1948 .
https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/what-was-national-service .
Bundeswehr 1991
The Nationale Volksarmee or East German Army looked very similar to the old Wehrmacht. This video explores why this happened and what kind of identity East Germany tried to create for its People's Army and how much it actually took from older German armies. The end result was a fascinating miss-mash of German military traditions and uniforms and a surprisingly efficient army.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
CGWHQ - Central Government War Headquarters
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It was commissioned in 1955, after approval by prime minister Anthony Eden. However it became outdated shortly after it was built, due to intercontinental ballistic missiles being able to target it, and the formulation of other plans (such as PYTHON). Nevertheless the complex continued to have a role in war plans and remained in operation for thirty years.
The complex was known variously as "Stockwell", "Subterfuge", "Burlington", "Turnstile", "Chanticleer", "Peripheral", and "Site 3". It was also nicknamed "Hawthorn" by journalist Duncan Campbell, who first revealed its existence in his 1982 book War Plan UK. It was also mentioned by Peter Laurie in his 1979 revised edition of Beneath the City Streets.
In December 2004, with the underground reservoir drained, emptied of fuel and supplies, and with a skeleton staff of just four, the site was decommissioned. In October 2005, it became public that the MoD was putting the site up for sale in a package deal that included the CGWHQ with the military base above it. Proposed uses include a "massive data store for City [financial] firms or the biggest wine cellar in Europe".
In October 2015 certain areas of the complex including the Telephone Exchange were put on the Historic England "At Risk" register due to their immediate threat of being lost or damaged beyond recognition.
In December 2004, with the underground reservoir drained, emptied of fuel and supplies, and with a skeleton staff of just four, the site was decommissioned. In October 2005, it became public that the MoD was putting the site up for sale in a package deal that included the CGWHQ with the military base above it. Proposed uses include a "massive data store for City [financial] firms or the biggest wine cellar in Europe".
In October 2015 certain areas of the complex including the Telephone Exchange were put on the Historic England "At Risk" register due to their immediate threat of being lost or damaged beyond recognition.
- Civil Contingencies Secretariat .
- RAF Rudloe Manor .
- MoD Corsham .
- Corsham Computer Centre .
- Continuity of government .
The Bunker for sale
Soviet Nuclear Programme
British Nuclear Programme
Close brushes with total nuclear war
CIA vs KGB
Spies: CIA & KGB | Cold War ('44–'94) > .
'53-'73 Inside the Secret CIA MK Ultra [mind control] Program > .
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
There are plenty of conspiracy theories out there about the CIA and, in particular, CIA mind control. When it comes to Project MKUltra, however, the conspiracies are frighteningly accurate. The public doesn’t have to rely on hearsay and rumors to judge the project, as there are still MKUltra survivors alive and willing to share their stories, as well as a host of highly redacted documents somewhat detailing the experiments of the program.
Cold War: Germany Split 1949
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
From today's point of view, what happened back then seems logical. Today we also know that the German-German divide lasted a long time, but it was not irreversible. And it seems almost inevitable that the democratic values of the West German constitution 1949 would prevail as the basis of society - including in the reunified Germany. But the Germans in 1949 couldn't even have guessed at all this. They were experiencing an unprecedented historical experiment in both East and West. It was a radically new situation: What if they made fundamental mistakes in the founding of their states? What if they were unable to overcome the curse of fascism? The documentary not only reconstructs the major events surrounding the founding of the two states in 1949, but also attitudes to life at the time. We meet contemporary witnesses from both countries who talk about embarking on a political and social journey, the course and destination of which were still quite open at that time.
46-9-24 Containment
1946-9-24 'Containment' suggested to President Truman - HiPo > .
1946-2-22 'Long Telegram' sent by George Kennan, senior US diplomat in Moscow > .
22-7-21 Why Every NATO Member Joined (Why Others Haven't) - Spaniel > .
The report helped to shape Truman’s decision to follow a policy of containment. It had a direct impact on the introduction of the Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan, and on the formation of NATO.
The report was a detailed appraisal of relations between the USA and the Soviet Union, elaborating on the points raised in the ‘Long Telegram’ that had been composed by George F. Kennan at the US Embassy in Moscow. Kennan’s telegram highlighted the USSR’s ‘perpetual war’ with capitalism, stating that the communist and capitalist worlds could never peacefully coexist.
These warnings were picked up by Clifford and Elsey, who also noted Kennan’s comments regarding the likelihood that the Soviets would back down from any direct conflict in their attempts to expand communism. Consequently they recommended ‘restraining and confining’ Soviet influence in an attempt to maintain some form of coexistence. Elsey suggested that this could be achieved by persuading the USSR that the USA was ‘too strong to be beaten and too determined to be frightened’. The term ‘containment’ was first used to describe this approach in an expanded essay in the Foreign Affairs journal.
Ten copies of the report were printed, the first of which was presented to the President. Truman’s daughter Margaret wrote that, having stayed up most of the night to read it, her father ordered all copies to be brought to him and locked away since the content was a serious threat to US-Soviet relations.
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
The report was a detailed appraisal of relations between the USA and the Soviet Union, elaborating on the points raised in the ‘Long Telegram’ that had been composed by George F. Kennan at the US Embassy in Moscow. Kennan’s telegram highlighted the USSR’s ‘perpetual war’ with capitalism, stating that the communist and capitalist worlds could never peacefully coexist.
These warnings were picked up by Clifford and Elsey, who also noted Kennan’s comments regarding the likelihood that the Soviets would back down from any direct conflict in their attempts to expand communism. Consequently they recommended ‘restraining and confining’ Soviet influence in an attempt to maintain some form of coexistence. Elsey suggested that this could be achieved by persuading the USSR that the USA was ‘too strong to be beaten and too determined to be frightened’. The term ‘containment’ was first used to describe this approach in an expanded essay in the Foreign Affairs journal.
Ten copies of the report were printed, the first of which was presented to the President. Truman’s daughter Margaret wrote that, having stayed up most of the night to read it, her father ordered all copies to be brought to him and locked away since the content was a serious threat to US-Soviet relations.
62-10-16 Cuban Missile Crisis 62-10-28
22-10-7 What If Pootin Nukes Ukraine? - OBF > .
History of the Cold War: Every Month - Dec '45 to Dec '91 > .Berlin Wall: Escaping for Freedom and Love - Geographics > .
Weapon Specs - CoCa >> .
Cuban Missile Crisis Day by Day - tgh >> .
Cuban Missile Crisis - BelP >> .
MAD World - History of the Cold War | Free >> .
Cuban Missile Crisis - BelP >> .
MAD World - History of the Cold War | Free >> .
Cold War mapped - '45-'91 ..
1962-2-7 Cuban Crisis & JFK - 1962, 7 Feb ..
62-10 Cuban Missile Crisis ..
Although the missiles were identified by American reconnaissance on 15 October, the thirteen days of the crisis officially began when President John F. Kennedy was informed the following morning.
Threatened by the discovery of the missiles on Cuba, which lay barely 90 miles from the coast of Florida, the USA responded by enforcing a naval blockade around the island in an attempt to stop any more missiles being delivered. The Soviet Union initially refused to recognize the blockade, but the ships carrying missiles later turned back while Kennedy and Khrushchev continued a series of tense negotiations.
An agreement was eventually struck in which the USSR would publicly remove the missiles from Cuba while the USA would secretly remove its own from Turkey and Italy. The Soviet Union broadcast its intention to remove the missiles on Radio Moscow on the morning of 28 October, and the first dismantled missiles were shipped out of Cuba on 5 November.
Because America’s part of the agreement was kept secret, Khrushchev appeared to have ‘lost’. The reality is that both sides made concessions.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis of 1962 (Crisis de Octubre), the Caribbean Crisis (Карибский кризис, Karibsky krizis), or the Missile Scare, was a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union initiated by Soviet ballistic missile deployment in Cuba. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.
In response to the failed Bay of Pigs Invasion of 1961 and the presence of American Jupiter ballistic missiles in Italy and Turkey, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to Cuba's request to place nuclear missiles on the island to deter a future invasion. An agreement was reached during a secret meeting between Khrushchev and Fidel Castro in July 1962, and construction of a number of missile launch facilities started later that summer.
Meanwhile, the 1962 United States elections were under way, and the White House had denied charges for months that it was ignoring dangerous Soviet missiles 90 miles (140 km) from Florida. The missile preparations were confirmed when an Air Force U-2 spy plane produced clear photographic evidence of medium-range (SS-4) and intermediate-range (R-14) ballistic missile facilities.
When this was reported to President John F. Kennedy he then convened a meeting of the nine members of the National Security Council and five other key advisers in a group that became known as the Executive Committee of the National Security Council (EXCOMM). After consultation with them, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade on October 22 to prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. The US announced it would not permit offensive weapons to be delivered to Cuba and demanded that the weapons already in Cuba be dismantled and returned to the Soviet Union.
After several days of tense negotiations, an agreement was reached between Kennedy and Khrushchev. Publicly, the Soviets would dismantle their offensive weapons in Cuba and return them to the Soviet Union, subject to United Nations verification, in exchange for a US public declaration and agreement to avoid invading Cuba again. Secretly, the United States agreed that it would dismantle all US-built Jupiter MRBMs, which had been deployed in Turkey against the Soviet Union; there has been debate on whether or not Italy was included in the agreement as well.
When all offensive missiles and Ilyushin Il-28 light bombers had been withdrawn from Cuba, the blockade was formally ended on November 21, 1962. The negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union pointed out the necessity of a quick, clear, and direct communication line between the two Superpowers. As a result, the Moscow–Washington hotline was established. A series of agreements later reduced US–Soviet tensions for several years until both parties began to build their nuclear arsenals even further.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Missile_Crisis .
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igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum
igitur quī dēsīderat pācem praeparet bellum therefore, he who desires peace, let him prepare for war sī vīs pācem, parā bellum if you wan...
