Commentary
-
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
Hi, everyone, Peter Zion here coming to you from New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which I don’t know if you guys have been here before. But it used to be not so much the place where Hope went to die, but went to get tortured for all eternity with adult penknife. And now, it’s not just glorious, it’s functional. And that’s just fantastic. This merging of the old and new, I thought it would be a good backdrop to talk about one of the more recent developments in the Ukraine war, we are looking at in the next few weeks, the Americans starting to provide a different technology to the Ukrainians, specifically J dams or joint direct attack munitions. If you remember back, and you know, for anyone who’s under age 45, this is going to be nothing. But if you remember back to the first Gulf War, we saw a lot of footage in American propaganda of direct strikes on Iraqi military targets, basically live footage that for the first time showed the US military from the bombs point of view. And it was impressive, and it was fun to watch. But we found out after the war, that it’s not that it was staged, but we were only seeing the best on average, it took 24 attacks, to destroy each piece of infrastructure, because these were dumb bombs. And so it was the tomahawks that kind of stole the show because they could maneuver. Well, in the aftermath, United States created the JDM products. And I’m oversimplifying here, but you basically put a bunch of fins, and a GPS transceiver on the bomb, and use the satellite network to provide the location information. And once you do that, you can hit within a few feet of what you’re aiming at. And the JDM kits are very cheap. They’re only about $25,000 a pop, and you can take anything in your arsenal, that’s a dumb bomb, basically planted on it, and then you know, go to town. No, normally, this wouldn’t make a big difference. Because the Ukrainians are wildly outnumbered in terms of airpower, the Russians just have so many more fighters and fighter bombers. But in the environment that we’re moving into where the Russians have been targeting civilian infrastructure, everyone in Europe has decided that now is the time to provide the Ukrainians with as much air defense as they can operate. And in that sort of environment, all of a sudden, Russian jets are largely banned from Ukrainian airspace, without NATO providing any fighter jets at all. In that sort of environment, the Ukrainians now can actually fly offensive air attack missions rather than purely defensive. And that means they can get in range of Russian targets, not just in Ukraine proper, but in Russia itself. And now they can hit them with pinpoint accuracy. So this is one of those technologies that when we get past mud season into next May, is going to prove crucial. Because all of a sudden, you’ve got a country with unrestricted air access, who can target whatever they want, anywhere within range of all of the technologies that come into play, whether it’s javelins, or hammers, or whatever else this is now but one that could actually change the tactical and strategic picture in every place that the Ukrainians choose to operate. So things to look for. Oh, wow. There’s a petting zoo down here. All right, I gotta go Y’all take care. Bye. Bye.
-
Russia unveils drone-resistant ‘turtle tanks’
The Russian military has unveiled a new drone-resistant tank, which has gained the nickname “turtle tank” due to its heavy shell-like armor and low mobility. While heavy artillery can stop the advance of these turtle tanks, Ukrainian forces have run desperately low on artillery and heavy munitions. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan dives into…
-
Texas heat challenges a strained energy grid
As May begins, much of the country is experiencing the gradual onset of warmer weather. Texas is already feeling the full force of it, with temperatures in many areas reaching the 80s and 90s. During this time of the year in Texas, power grids can become strained due to increased demand spurred on by early…
-
Japan’s navy gets an upgrade
Following their defeat in World War II, the people of Japan pursued a largely pacifist foreign policy. Today, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and with near-daily news regarding China’s threatening activities throughout the greater Pacific, the Japanese are reinvesting in military defense and reaffirming their alliances with Pacific partners like Australia and the United States.…
-
How could RFK Jr. impact 2024 election?
Many Americans speculated about how a potential RFK, Jr. campaign might impact the 2024 elections. While RFK is neither a Democrat nor a Republican, many of his positions favor Donald Trump’s base over Joe Biden’s, particularly his various conspiracy theories on a wide range of subjects. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan says that GOP…
-
Global warming won’t impact Russian-Chinese shipping
The seas above Russia’s northern coastline are too frozen for shipping, but some have wondered whether global warming might change that in the decades to come. If those seas were to become navigable for commercial shipping, new direct routes between Russia and China could theoretically open up. Straight Arrow News contributor Peter Zeihan throws more…
Latest Stories
-
EPA says San Francisco dumped billions of gallons of wastewater into ocean
-
Bill would have immigrants reported to ICE if they illegally try to buy guns
-
A US county is seeing success with 32-hour workweeks
-
VP hopeful Kristi Noem faces further backlash for memoir yet to be released
-
New EV tax credit exemption will benefit US consumers, but also China
Popular Opinions
-
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Latest Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum. We hope these different voices will help you reach your own conclusions.
The opinions published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Latest Commentary
We know it is important to hear from a diverse range of observers on the complex topics we face and believe our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions.
The commentaries published in this section are solely those of the contributors and do not reflect the views of Straight Arrow News.
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical StrategistTexas heat challenges a strained energy grid
Japan’s navy gets an upgrade
How could RFK Jr. impact 2024 election?
Dr. Frank Luntz
Pollster and Political Analyst‘We want to find common ground’: Gen Z’s stubborn optimism
‘Take the job seriously’: Why Americans are fed up with Congress
‘If we can shrink it, it will stop growing’: Americans talk debt, deficit
Pete Ricketts
U.S. Senator for Nebraska