Category: Military

Bokken Tori Shomenuchi Kokkyunage

This is an aikido technique that has its roots in jujutsu.  Aikido comes from a synthisis of many different styles of jutsu, both armed and unarmed.  As a result, you will find some form of weapons training and familiarization in most aikido dojo.

Just like any instance of combat with an armed opponent, these sword techniques would never be easy to execute on the battlefield.  The samurai were still taught these skills to give them a small chance of success should they lose their weapon, or some other factor were to present itself to allow them that fighting chance.

In reality, however, the chances for success in a situation like this would have been very slim, but not altogether impossible.

Still, in aikido, we practice, train, and study these movements on both sides. That is to say we study the movements of the attacker (uke, teki, uchidachi) and the movements of the defender (nage, ware, shidachi).

How does a soldier fight an enemy that he cannot see?

This is one of the areas where Sun Tzu’s advice in Art of War really comes into play. Know youself and you will win 50% of your battles. Know your enemy and you will win 50% of your battles. Know yourself and your enemy and you will win 100% of the time.

In todays modern age of technology it makes it very hard to remain unseen on the battlefield for very long. So one can stay hidden, but for how long is a real concern among troops wishing to remain unseen.

Before the invention of radars blind soldiers were used to listen for approaching aircraft that were still out of sight.

Aside from satellite, various detection devices and cameras, the methods used to locate an unseen enemy come in small stages of getting to know your enemy. You start to learn certain habits and patterns and then find ways to exploit those.

Skills like tracking, intelligence gathering, laying traps and ambushes all become part of an overall strategy to locate and flush out the enemy. Takes a little time, in some cases a lot of time and patience, especially if the enemy is good at remaining unseen while still engaging on the battlefield, but these are some of the methods put into practice.

https://www.quora.com/How-does-a-soldier-fight-an-enemy-that-he-cannot-see/answer/William-Stynetski

What do Spec Ops (Rangers SEALs SF) think of Night Stalkers?

To these special operations members, Night Stalkers are about as close to God as you can get. In addition to other missions, not only will the Night Stalkers get them where they need to be, but they will also pick them up and take them back to the nearest FOB (Forward Operating Base).

These pilots are some of the most skilled in the military. They will fly anywhere and under any conditions to do their job, and do it safely.

Yes, Navy pilots launching and landing from a carrier requires a lot of skill and practice. Night Stalkers rank right up there in what is known as the pucker factor, often delivering and extracting special ops teams from rugged terain and/or under enemy fire, or participating in direct action engagements as well.220px-Two_UH-60M,_160th_SOAR_on_USS_Bataan_on_10_Feb._2006

Think about this…a special ops team has just completed a mission behind enemy lines. Every enemy troop on the ground and in the air is scrambling around in a frenzy trying to figure out what just went down and looking and hunting for any soldier that speaks english as their first language.

Now picture yourself as one of those special ops members just trying to get out of there as fast as you can, and hopefully without having to engage the enemy in any numbers.

The enemy is not stupid either. You are on their turf. They are going to begin looking for possible exfil methods and points to prevent you from escaping. Time is critical on both sides.

Now imagine one of the other members of your team took a hit to the leg. You are all moving towards the rendevous point (RP) and you are spotted by an enemy patrol.220px-MH6_at_NASCAR

An engagement ensues as both sides open fire while continuing to move to the RP. Then you radio your friendly neighborhood Night Stalker and wait for them to fly in. While waiting, you are still keeping at a distance an enemy that will soon be reinforced, if it hasn’t already.

When those Night Stalkers make it over the exfil zone to pick you and your team up, greatful to see them and appreciative of the job they do is probably a huge understatement. These pilots are about as close to God as you can get when it is time to go back home, and I know they are treated with the utmost respect by those that hitch a ride in their helecopters.

https://www.quora.com/What-do-Spec-Ops-Rangers-SEALs-SF-think-of-Night-Stalkers/answer/William-Stynetski

Pictures used are from Wikipedia.

 

 

What are some defining characteristics of the Japanese Samurai culture?

Theirs was a culture rising from war. From the very beginings they served their employer or daimyo in protecting cities. This was before they rose up to power as a class, or in politics. They were servants bred in warfare and combat.

They were experts in warfare and trained for the battlefield. They were experts with weapons such as the bow, spear and sword, and experts in unarmed combat.

They trained constantly in the use of these weapons, for the purpose of combat.

Theirs was a culture of service in war and peace. They were fierce, and for the majority of them, loyal warriors.

Those that survived the many major battles throughout Japan’s barbaric history, walked, limped or crawled away from battlefields. where tens of thousands on both sides lay dead, and another tens of thousands on both sides lay screaming or in shock waiting to die from their wounds.

It was not until around the 10th century that samurai grew into a ruling class in Japan.

  • William Stynetski

https://www.quora.com/What-are-some-defining-characteristics-of-the-Japanese-Samurai-culture/answer/William-Stynetski

Why do countries publicize their military inventory nowadays? Shouldn’t it be a secret?

I was asked to answer this on Quora by Quora member Paolo Anderson today.

Paolo, thanks for asking me to answer your question.

Much of it does stay classified, even if the platform is known. For instance with aircraft carriers, no big secret, but its top speed and range remain classified aspects of that platform.

Even then, some of those secrets don’t stay secret for long. Satellite and other forms of intel gathering and espionage have their place and can be effective, even if the information gathered about a platform is limited in scope.

The older systems tend to have more information out there than newer systems and capabilities. New weapons platforms in the research and development stage are highly classified. However once those systems become operational, efforts to collect intel and data on those new systems begins.

Remember the stealth bombers? Those were a big secret once upon a time. They are not such a big secret any longer, but much of their capabilities still are classified.

B-2 Stealth williamstynetski.com

What does stay classified are the TT&P, or the Techniques, Tactics and Procedures in which those weapons are deployed and employed in theatre. The where, when and how. So even if the capabilities of a weapon system are known, the element of surprise can still, hopefully to some degree, be exercised.

Even then, there will be a combination of different weapon platforms used in conjunction to achieve mission success on the battlefield. Then you have the added benifit of a show of force and capability to hopefully deter future hostilities. In this case, it isn’t so much about the platform itself, and how much of it is known (numbers, capabilities, results) but the how and when it is used. Once that gets out, any enemy force, or future enemy force has to begin to consider and train other alternatives and scenarios. Then, once that happens, we continue our intel gathering on those changes in their training methods, and the cycle continues.

So things stay secret, until they are not secret any longer.

  • William Stynetski

 

https://www.quora.com/Why-do-country-publicise-their-military-inventory-nowadays-Shouldnt-it-be-a-secret/answer/William-Stynetski

How Do You Fight Defensive Battles?

It is all relative. There can be no defense without offense, and no offense without defense. They are inseperable.

Battles are very fluid. There are constant changes taking place from moment to moment. Makes no difference if these changes are realized at a troop or command level or not. They are taking place.

Some of these changes could be so minor as to be insignificant, and others could be major changes on the battlefield in terms of troop numbers, armament, equipment, and position.

The key is being able to recognize and discern which changes illicit a response or reaction. Not always easy to do, cosidering that some of the most experienced generals on a battlefield have lost battles either by not recognizing these changes, or by issuing orders that resulted in an incorrect response to those changes.

Next it comes down to how well trained and fluid your own forces are. Remember the saying the key to a good offense is a good defense? Well the same holds true for defense. The key to a good defense is a good offense, and preferably, in this case, one that is swift, powerful, and completely unexpected.

The question then is: At what point does this change take place? When does the defensive battle become more of an offensive battle, and to what degree(s)? It is all very much yin and yang.

How defensive do you want to be? Are your troops so defensive that they will not deal with any threat until the first shot is fired? Or is there enough autonomy to handle actual and percieved threats as those threats are forming and taking shape before the repercussions of those threats are introduced into the battle?

As stated earlier, position is a key element. Does this current defensive position also offer the opportunity to fluidly go into offensive maneuvers when the time arises?

That pretty much is the key. Being able to fluidly switch from one to the other, and knowing when to do so.

Of course this goes full circle to offense and defense are inseperable. They are really one and the same. It is how and when the strategies and tactics of each (for the purposes of this discussion) are used in a battle, and to what degree.

William Stynetski

https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-fight-defensive-battles#mwebmodal-0

I decide to sneak aboard a US navy ship for the fun of it. How do I stay hidden, and what happens to me if I’m caught?

To hide, you would pretty much need to know the layout of the ship. Simple blueprints will not work. You would need to know every nook, cranny, and vestibule. You would also need to know the times of those areas that are most populated and least populated, and even take into account a random sailor happening to spot you outside of those times.