Dead Drop: December 13

MUST MAKE VLAD GLAD:  The Reagan Foundation recently released the results of a national survey on a variety of issues.  Among the interesting findings is that confidence in institutions like the military remain high 86% and Congress low 33%.  But perhaps one of the most interesting findings is that 46% of “Armed services households” identify Russia as an American ally compared to just 25% of those households identified as “not armed services.” Russia is an ally?  With friends like these…

IT SLICES, IT DICES: But it doesn’t explode.  That’s the conclusion of some folks as reported in TheDrive.Com about a variant of the Hellfire missile that may have been used against high profile targets like ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  The missile, known as the AGM-114R9X, reportedly substitutes the standard exploding warhead with a set of folding sword-like blades designed to minimize collateral damage. The article includes a photo of a minivan with a hole in its roof but otherwise largely intact.  That vehicle was not involved in the al-Baghdadi raid but may have been driven by other nearby terrorist suspects. The Wall Street Journal reported in May that the secret missile is designed to kill only terrorists but not nearby civilians and that the CIA and Pentagon have worked to keep its capabilities a secret. Popular Mechanics has dubbed the weapon a “flying Ginsu” missile.