Scary Sight in the Sky

[Yazata]

People in the northeast US who looked up in the sky today were faced with this Cold-War style scene. A fleet of B-52's headed out over the Atlantic towards Europe.

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Turns out that it's a B-52 squadron from Minot AFB, headed out to participate in the big US/Israeli Juniper Oak Exercise.

https://www.afcent.af.mil/News/Article/3...r-oak-232/

[Yazata]

And this train was seen somewhere in the middle of Kansas. Given events in Ukraine it attracted interest. Opinion is that it was probably headed to or from Ft. Riley Kansas. Chances are it doesn't mean anything other than a military unit headed for training at Ft. Irwin California (where the Army drives tanks around the desert) or someplace like that.

https://twitter.com/WarMonitors/status/1...8606416897

[Magical Realist]

I heard on the news this evening that Biden was sending some abram tanks over to Ukraine. It's part of a deal with Germany promised to Ukraine. Here's the news on that:

https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/24/politics/...index.html

"The pending announcement appears to break a diplomatic logjam with Germany about the provision of tanks to Ukraine. German officials had openly stated that they would only send their Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine if the US sent the M-1 Abrams tank, a system US officials had repeatedly stated was overly complex and difficult to maintain.

The US decision to provide Abrams tanks to Ukraine is an abrupt about-face from its stated position, one that allows Germany to send its tanks and to clear the way for the approval of other European countries to send in more of the German-made Leopard 2 tanks as well.


Top national security officials in the administration have actively considered steps they could take to convince Germany to send the Leopards.

On Friday, at a meeting of western defense leaders in Germany, the US and its allies failed to convince German officials to send them as part of Berlin’s next round of military assistance to Ukraine. But on Tuesday, the German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said “We are preparing our decision, which will come very soon” on the tanks.

Later on Tuesday German newspaper Der Spiegel reported that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has decided to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine after “months of debate."

[Yazata]

This morning an unusual amount of heavy strategic bombers from bases in several states are operating above me in California and just offshore. They include B-1's, B-52's and B-2's.

San Diego locals report lots of jet fighters taking off from Miramar as well.

But military members are saying relax, it's an exercise. It was pre-announced in military circles and is scheduled to last three days.

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