cdrsalamander

Everyone takes things the wrong way on twitter, and that is why we can't have fun.

📑“Maneuvering to Obsolescence: The Death Ride of the Armor Branch” “Like its horse cavalry antecedent, the U.S. Army’s Armor branch is on a death ride of its own making." In this #SWJEssay, Dr. Amos Fox explains how we got here– and how to pull the Armor community “pull the Armor community out of terminal decline.” @USArmy @Future_of_War @ASU smallwarsjournal.com/2026/07/13/man…

Here goes a huge oversimplification. Let say you have a group of numbers. They have the interesting property that if I multiply any two of those numbers together, none of the other numbers will evenly divide that product. A simple example would be the three numbers (3,5,7) since they are 3 primes. However, (3, 5, 14) would also be an example. I can keep adding new numbers to this group as long as it meets the criteria. (e.g. I could 22 to either group and the condition would still hold) As I add more and more numbers to the group (could be infinite, since there are infinite primes) we will call the amount of the numbers in this set "n". Paul Erdos conjectured that if you let n get bigger and bigger, there is a formula, involving the product of all the numbers in the set, some powers of n and the logarithm of n, that will approach n. The AI tool apparently proved the formula correct. I am still waiting for AI to tell me if the Reimann Hypothesis is true or if there are any odd perfect numbers.

I will have a comment once @goatmaster89 explains this to me as if I were a young child, or a golden retriever.

@cdrsalamander Remains the most accurate redesign of the @GWOTMF memorial

@cdrsalamander You are showing your age.

Has the Falkland Islands smack-talking started yet? I’ve been looking for some with England v. Argentina coming up, but alas…silence.

@MsMelChen I think the Scottish condition was best explained to me in Trainspotting. youtu.be/xCtPBFHKSNg?is…

Okay, this might stir up a hornet’s nest… At first, I thought Scotland’s 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 habit of cheering for whoever England plays - even Argentina - was just banter. But now I’m not so sure. It feels like it runs much deeper. What I find truly intriguing is how some Scottish nationalists blame English identity (and often the English people collectively) for British colonialism, while painting Scotland as its very first victim. Yet many Scots were enthusiastic participants in the empire, often serving as key figures in its ruling elite. After the 1707 Union, Scotland’s educated middle class, military tradition, and economic pressures pushed many talented Scots into imperial service. They excelled in law, engineering, medicine, and administration. Scots comprised roughly one-third of colonial governors-general in the later Victorian/Edwardian era. They were disproportionately represented in colonial governance, the military, and civil service, making up a significant portion of governors, administrators, and officials relative to Scotland’s population. Scots were prominent as governors in the Carribean, India, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya, and African colonies. They also dominated roles in the East India Company and later imperial services. Rather than acknowledging Scotland’s active role, the narrative often shifts to claims of “internalised Anglo-phobia” or some sort of Stockholm syndrome. It’s as if Scotland was forced into complicity like Django Unchained’s ‘Stephen,’ the loyal house slave who sides with the master. The reality seems simpler. Scotland fought bravely, eventually lost, joined the winning side, and then did rather well out of the arrangement - certainly better than most of the world’s colonized peoples. Am I wrong?

Updated: Two Decisive Theaters for Safeguarding America in Dangerous Times: As the rivalry with China intensifies, the U.S. Navy must concentrate its limited forces where they matter most. In 2020, The Heritage Foundation identified two decisive maritime theaters—the Eastern Mediterranean and South China Sea—where naval presence best deters rivals and enables an economy of force. Since then, the strategic landscape has shifted dramatically: Russia’s war in Ukraine, conflict with Iran, the fall of Venezuela’s Maduro regime, and intensifying pressure on China’s “dark fleet” energy shipments. ThisBackgrounder updates the concept, arguing that the two decisive theaters should now be the South China Sea and the Arabian Sea and offers recommendations to reposition U.S. and allied naval forces accordingly. heritage.org/sites/default/…

They weren’t wrong.

🇺🇦 For the first time in history, Ukrainian troops took part in the Bastille Day parade in Paris Ukrainian service members marched down the Champs-Élysées alongside French forces and allied troops during France's national day celebrations. Two Ukrainian pilots also flew over Paris in French-made Mirage fighter jets, highlighting the growing military partnership between Kyiv and Paris.

No. 1,000 times “no.” Also, the last person I want to hear from on military advice right now is retired Gen. McKenzie.

Do you see the trend yet?

On November 25, 2018, Ukrainian Navy vessels Berdyansk, Nikopol and the tug Yany Kapu were making a planned passage from Odesa to Mariupol through the Kerch Strait. Russia blocked the route under the Kerch Bridge with a cargo ship, rammed Yany Kapu with the FSB patrol ship Don, then pursued the Ukrainian group as it turned back. Russian forces opened fire on Berdyansk, wounded 6 Ukrainian sailors and captured all three vessels with 24 crew members. FSB patrol ship Izumrud was part of that attack. It took direct part in the pursuit and opened fire on Berdyansk. Now Izumrud is feeding fish at the bottom of the Black Sea. 🎥 Izumrud can be seen on this video filmed from the Russian FSB patrol ship Don

There's a reason the first amendment is listed first and not, say, eighth. The founders knew how easy it is for dumb people to fall into this form of flawed reasoning.

I'm not sure the utility of a yellow globelt in broad daylight while wearing white from head to toe...but I guess the bad habits from GWOT will stay with us for awhile.

I did attend Harvard and have spent a lot time around the place off and on ever since. I have no problem with @infantrydort's description. What did he get factually wrong, Tom?

Well, they found out @HolmesJosh

They're the kind of neighbors who put their fence up 6 inches inside your side of the property line. open.substack.com/pub/cdrsalaman…

@brentdsadler @supbrow @mercoglianos That's easier to put on a patch.

@supbrow @mercoglianos I like “Guardians of the Gulf” personally

"Guardians of the Hormuz Strait"? @mercoglianos

If ever there was a time to push back on something, it’s this toll absurdity.

Very impressive example set by the future Queen of Spain in completing her cadetships here in the Royal Spanish Navy, Army, and Air Force, over the last 3 years - her parents, the Spanish King & Queen, and the extended Royal family, must be very proud of her. BZ