Nimble Books LLC » Against A Dark Background

#heroes of Delta Flight 253

Fred Zimmerman — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 00:03:27 +0000

Syed Jafry of Holland, Mich., a U.S. citizen who had flown from the United Arab Emirates, emerged from the airport and said he was a passenger on the flight. He said people ran out of their seats to tackle the man.Jafry was sitting in the 16th row when he heard “a pop and saw some smoke and fire.” Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him.”Jafry said there was a little bit of commotion for about 10 to 15 minutes.He said the way passengers responded made him proud to be an American.

via Reports: NWA passenger was trying to blow up flight into Detroit | freep.com | Detroit Free Press.

First responders rock.

#USAF B-3 bomber = “unambiguous statements” for “our national leaders”

Fred Zimmerman — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:46:06 +0000

“I would tell you that a long-range, penetrating ISR/strike aircraft yields great advantages over any other kind of system,” Deptula says. “It's about putting flexibility and the ability to introduce unambiguous statements [for the consideration] of our national leaders. When

via New Bomber to Focus Heavily on ISR.

An unambiguous statement like “boom”?

Japan calls for deniable deterrence #naval #nuclear

Fred Zimmerman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 01:36:56 +0000

This seems to amount to a call for a deniable flavor of deterrence. A new wrinkle! Not exactly a clarion call of confidence, in anything …

Tokyo sees the Tomahawk, especially submarine-launched cruise missiles, as the most logical weapon of deterrence in the neighborhood, since the last tactical bombs were removed from US bases in South Korea and aboard US Navy aircraft carriers nearly two decades ago.

This summer Japanese embassy officials in Washington quietly but strongly lobbied against American plans to retire the nuclear version of the Tomahawk in the context of the Congressional Commission on Strategic Posture of the United States. Its recommendation will go into Washington's forthcoming Nuclear Posture Review, which will determine the basic nuclear defense, disarmament and proliferation policies for the next decade.

The body, headed by two former defense secretaries, was formed in 2008 and issued its first report in May. It said: “One particularly important ally has argued to the commission privately that the credibility of the US extended [nuclear] deterrence depends on the specific capability to hold a variety of targets at risk in a way that is either visible or stealthy as circumstances warrant.”

It went on to elaborate: “In Asia extended deterrence relies heavily on the deployment of nuclear cruise missiles on some Los Angeles-class attack submarines… it has become clear that some allies in Asia would be very concerned about [Tomahawk] retirement.”

via Asia Sentinel – Japan: Save the Endangered Tomahawk!.

ISO authors for Decisive Battles of the 21st Century series

Fred Zimmerman — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:13:16 +0000

I am looking for authors for concise monographs (48 – 150 pp.) for books in a new series called DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE 21ST CENTURY. My inspiration is THE FIFTEEN DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE WORLD by Sir Edward Shephard Creasy. I am thinking of key moments like 9′/11, Tora Bora, Operation Anaconda, Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Surge, etc., but I am open to out of the box ideas like Mumbai, Lehman Brothers, Bush-Gore, the Russia-Georgia War, etc. If this strikes a chord, please contact me at wfz at nimble books dot com

The first book in the series is a “nimble” republication of the U.S. Senate’s report on Tora Bora.

Iraq/health care style disingenuousness killed Poland’s missile defense

Fred Zimmerman — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:31:26 +0000

As so often seems to be the case, the problem with missile defense was not the actual plan, but the stated rationale.

The net effect of the Eastern European missile defense shield would have been

1) moderately increased security against Iranian nuclear threat (helpful, but not something one would want to rely on …)

2) an infuriated Russia …

3) because it perceived its nuclear influence over Europe to be weakened …

4) closer relationships with the historically oppressed peoples of Eastern Europe.

IMHO, #3 and #4 would be beneficial to the national interests of the United States. the question is whether #2 is worth the benefits of 1, 3, and 4. Reasonable for Obama to say “no,” but sort of like shooting fish in a barrel, b/c #3 was not a publicly admissible rationale.

#naval Pocket Battleship Deutschland (Lutzow): Kriegsmarine Illustrated Ship Histories: Antonio Bonomi, Abram Joslin: Books

Fred Zimmerman — Fri, 29 May 2009 13:45:58 +0000

This handsome illustrated history of Lutzow is up and available for pre-order at Amazon.com and other booksellers.

Amazon.com: Pocket Battleship Deutschland (Lutzow): Kriegsmarine Illustrated Ship Histories: Antonio Bonomi, Abram Joslin: Books.

Great review for BUILDING THE PT BOATS by Frank J. Andruss, Sr.

Fred Zimmerman — Mon, 25 May 2009 16:05:01 +0000

BUILDING THE PT BOATS is vastly exceeding my sales expectations. Terrific book.

It was waiting for me when I got home from work this afternoon. I haven’t read it yet, but have looked through it a number of times. Bottom line, I think this is the most significant book on PTs in decades!! I’m just delighted to have it. Ya done gud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A nit pick – there is no PT-200 sub-class. Boats in this group began with 197.

Thanks again for creating this important work.

Al Ross

via The PT Boat Message Board – Your book has arrived, Frank….

Some complaints later in the post about picture quality. Bottom line: the photos tell a story that comes through just fine. Glossier paper, higher dpi would have meant much higher production cost. Higher cost = no book. It’s well worth it anyway.

Should CENTCOM abjure torture? Krauthammer says no. Also, #usagefail

Fred Zimmerman — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:04:47 +0000

Disagree. That is exactly the sort of person that you entrust with the military decisions upon which hinge the safety of the nation.

Also, if the safety of the nation can hinge upon decisions (which is doubtful — are decisions doors?) then, since it’s “decisions,” plural, it’s “hinge”, plural.

Some people, however, believe you never torture. Ever. They are akin to conscientious objectors who will never fight in any war under any circumstances, and for whom we correctly show respect by exempting them from war duty. But we would never make one of them Centcom commander. Private principles are fine, but you don’t entrust such a person with the military decisions upon which hinges the safety of the nation.

via Charles Krauthammer – The Use of Torture and What Nancy Pelosi Knew – washingtonpost.com.

#agriculture kills

Fred Zimmerman — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:25:09 +0000

This makes sense if you think of agriculture as a device for enabling leaders to concentrate resources for their own benefit.

Agriculture and cities made human life better, right? Wrong, say archaeologists who presented stunning new evidence at the American Association of Physical Anthropologists meeting. They pooled data on standardized indicators of health from skeletal remains, including stature, dental health, degenerative joint disease, anemia, trauma, and the isotopic signatures of what they ate, and gathered data on settlement size, latitude, and socioeconomic and subsistence patterns. They found that the health of many Europeans began to worsen markedly about 3000 years ago, after agriculture became widely adopted in Europe and during the rise of the Greek and Roman civilizations.

via Civilization’s Cost: The Decline and Fall of Human Health — Gibbons 324 (5927): 588 — Science.

#Gates #defense budget: back to 1963? 1975? 1993?

Fred Zimmerman — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 23:07:51 +0000

This defense budget is a liberal dream, the rolling back of scores of hitherto invulnerable mega-programs. but …
It remains to be seen what the budget will actually be after Congress gets done saving programs that protect jobs in the midst of the worst recession since 1945.
People seem to forget that these defense spending waves are cyclical. A surge of dovish sentiment and force reduction in the 70s was followed by the Reagan rearmament. How much do you want to bet that we see another spending surge in 2017?

Defense Secretary Gates just proposed the most sweeping overhaul of America’s arsenal — and of the Pentagon budget — in decades. Major weapons programs, from aircraft carriers to next-gen bombers to new school fighting vehicles, will be cut back, or eliminated. Billions more will be put into growing the American fighting force, both human and robotic.

via Gates Proposes Radical Overhaul of Pentagon Arsenal | Danger Room from Wired.com.