SPECIAL DELIVERY: Congressman Glenn Grothman (R, WI) told DailyMail.com recently that lots of foreign nationals from China, Iran and Russia and have been caught trying to gain access to U.S. military bases and other sensitive sites. The Daily Mail says that Chinese nationals tried at least 100 times to enter U.S. military bases and related sites last year, often posing as tourists or lost food delivery drivers. Grothman told the news organization that “There have been reports of Russians, there have been reports of Iranians, there have been reports of people from throughout the Middle East - people who are members of terrorist organizations - also being caught near military bases.” Exactly what terrorist organizations he did not say – but the subject reportedly was discussed during a classified House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs hearing last week.
CARE PACKAGE FROM KYIV: Another disloyal former member of the Ukrainian armed forces has reportedly met his maker. Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Kulakov, reportedly deserted Ukrainian forces during Russia’s 2014 invasion of Crimea and subsequently served in the Russian military. He was said to have been killed when his former Ukrainian colleagues launched a Storm Shadow missile at the Russian air defense base where Kulakov was serving in Crimea. It is unclear if Kulakov was personally targeted or whether he just happened to be at the site when it was struck. In either case – we’re told his former Ukrainian colleagues were not broken up about his passing.
UK SECRET RECRUITMENT DRIVE: What has been described as the “most secretive unit in the British Armed Forces, the “Defence Human Intelligence Unit” (DHU) is reportedly struggling to fill their ranks. Like brother and sister intelligence services around the globe, the DHU is said to be under strength. National Security News quoted a “senior defence source” saying that “The DHU recruits across all three services and is finding it difficult to recruit enough men and women with the appropriate skill set. The unit needs people who are very fit and motivated. They must also have a very persuasive personality because they need to convince people to undertake some very dangerous tasks. The work is very stressful but very rewarding.” Apparently, less stressful but still very rewarding jobs are more sought after these days.
DON’T TELL US HOW IT COMES OUT: CNN is launching a four-part documentary called “Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game.” The first episode airs on Sunday June 2 at 10PM ET/PT. CNN says it offers a behind the scenes look at how the U.S. and the Soviet Union went head-to-head during the height of the Cold War in the 1980s. Of special focus will be two double agents: Soviet Oleg Gordievsky and American Aldrich Ames. The series trailer can be seen here. CNN promises “rare archival interviews and never-before-heard audio from double agents Gordievsky and Ames, as well as interviews with former CIA, FBI, MI6, MI5, KGB officers and former aides to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former President Ronald Reagan.”
MUST HAVE LOST SOMETHING IN THE TRANSLATION: Russian Media Monitor Julia Davis captured a clip of Russian State TV talking head Vladimir Solovyov engaging with his cohorts about the helicopter crash that took the life of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and several other Iranian officials. Solovyov solemnly quoted a French television channel as saying they had a source claiming the downed chopper was flown by an Israeli Mossad agent by the name of “Eli Copter.” Get it? Apparently Solovyov didn’t, because he didn’t crack a smile and went on to assert that Israel is well-known for conducting political assassinations and he added that “America has conducted a colossal number of political assassinations,” adding that he didn’t recall any instances of either Israel or the U.S. admitting “Yes, it was us.” We suspect another Mossad agent must have fatally killed Irony, pushing it out of a Moscow high-rise window if folks like Solovyov believe Russia holds the moral high ground when it comes to political assassinations.
IMAX’D OUT: There is a new IMAX documentary showing in theaters around the country with the unimaginative title of: “The Blue Angels.” The film is about – well, you guessed it – the U.S. Navy flight demonstration team – “the Blue Angels.” The folks at The Hollywood Reporter got an advance peek at it and were alternatively awed – and underwhelmed. The film chronicles the 2022 airshow season for “the Blues” (only amateurs call them “the Angels.”) Some of the same people who did the aerial photography for “Top Gun: Maverick” shot the aloft footage of the six-plane flight demonstration team – and as you might expect – the results are reportedly spectacular. After a short run in movie theaters, the film will be available for streaming on Amazon Prime. You can see the trailer here. The Hollywood Reporter reviewer strongly recommends that if you can – see it in an IMAX theater. They caution that the 1 hour 32-minute film would have made a great 45-minute documentary. Apparently, there is lots of padding in the film in between the flight scenes. It sounds like the old saying about military aviation which observes that flying is “hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” Or in this case – moments of exhilaration.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
JOURNAL OF SCIENCE DISCOVERS “RHIP”: If you are not familiar with the acronym, RHIP stands for “rank has its privilege.” A recently released study quoted in the Journal of Science about U.S. military emergency medical departments reveals that patients who out rank the physicians assigned to treat them generally receive better care than their lower ranking patients. Color us shocked.
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