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A reminder that as the US continues to threaten countries around the world, fedposting is to be very much avoided (even with qualifiers like "in Minecraft") and comments containing it will be removed.

Image depicts Bolivian trade unionists on strike in La Paz, Bolivia.


Long preamble/summary below of recent news events.

summaryThe Iran ceasefire is grinding on. After a brief period over the weekend of heightened activity where it seemed that US strikes might be resuming, Trump announced a "Memorandum of Understanding" with Iran, which initially appeared to be an agreement along Iran's demands.

For those not following along with the diplomatic minutia, Iran's position for several weeks has been that the nuclear issue must be discussed separately - because, well, last time they started discussing the nuclear issue with the US, they got fucking bombed - and so have proposed a two-stage negotiation where the war is first officially ended with certain preconditions (e.g. the US has to end sanctions and unfreeze assets and presumably withdraw at least some military assets), and then the second stage will begin in which the nuclear issue is handled.

The reason why a deal has still not been signed after all this time is because the US disagrees with doing it this way, and wants the nuclear issue to be handled right away (and obviously also objects with things like Iran retaining control of the Strait). Therefore, Trump's announcement appeared to be him finally accepting reality, but it quickly became apparent that this was just another market manipulation. I'm definitely in the camp among several other analysts that believes another round of war is going to happen barring some very sudden circumstances (e.g. Trump being forced out of power one way or another, or Iran obtaining a nuke) because the US still seems agreement-incapable. And in Lebanon, consternation for the Zionists against Hezbollah's attacks continues as the FPV drone threat only continues to increase despite them desperately seeking countermeasures.

As I've been perhaps too focussed on Iran lately, here's a brief roundup of big news events from the last month or so.

  • Orban losing power: Pretty cool, though his replacement being Neoliberal #2980329891 means that big changes seem unlikely.

  • Strikes in Bolivia against that dipshit Paz: Very nice to see, as it appears that Bolivia has among the best widespread on-the-ground popular support for worker-centric policies and politicians in Latin America that makes it so they can genuinely pressure power (already, the Labor Minister has resigned).

  • Situation in the Sahel: "Mysterious" third parties sponsored a big offensive against the AES which they largely repelled with help from Russia. The situation there is still a little tenuous as I understand it with a greater focus by anti-government forces on blockades of cities to cause internal revolts. This tactic is currently broadly failing as armed convoys are getting fuel and food into the cities, but figures like Traore are aware that more needs to be done.

  • Ukraine War: Aside from the usual grinding advance by Russia on the front, there have been back-and-forth missile and drone strikes as Ukraine hit some targets in the outskirts of Moscow with drones and then Russia fired a shitload of missiles, including the iconic Oreshnik, directly at Kiev, as Simplicius and others have covered in greater detail.

I could go on and on with the recent aggressions against Cuba, Modi's recent victories in India and the AI/chip tech war between China and the US but this preamble has to end at some point due to the character limit.


Last week's thread is here.
The Imperialism Reading Group is here.

Please check out the RedAtlas!

The bulletins site is here. Currently not used.
The RSS feed is here. Also currently not used.

The Zionist Entity's Genocide of Palestine

If you have evidence of Zionist crimes and atrocities that you wish to preserve, there is a thread here in which to do so.

Sources on the fighting in Palestine against the temporary Zionist entity. In general, CW for footage of battles, explosions, dead people, and so on:

UNRWA reports on the Zionists' destruction and siege of Gaza and the West Bank.

English-language Palestinian Marxist-Leninist twitter account. Alt here.
English-language twitter account that collates news.
Arab-language twitter account with videos and images of fighting.
English-language (with some Arab retweets) Twitter account based in Lebanon. - Telegram is @IbnRiad.
English-language Palestinian Twitter account which reports on news from the Resistance Axis. - Telegram is @EyesOnSouth.
English-language Twitter account in the same group as the previous two. - Telegram here.

Mirrors of Telegram channels that have been erased by Zionist censorship.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Examples of Ukrainian Nazis and fascists
Examples of racism/euro-centrism during the Russia-Ukraine conflict

Sources:

Defense Politics Asia's youtube channel and their map. Their youtube channel has substantially diminished in quality but the map is still useful.
Moon of Alabama, which tends to have interesting analysis. Avoid the comment section.
Understanding War and the Saker: reactionary sources that have occasional insights on the war.
Alexander Mercouris, who does daily videos on the conflict. While he is a reactionary and surrounds himself with likeminded people, his daily update videos are relatively brainworm-free and good if you don't want to follow Russian telegram channels to get news. He also co-hosts The Duran, which is more explicitly conservative, racist, sexist, transphobic, anti-communist, etc when guests are invited on, but is just about tolerable when it's just the two of them if you want a little more analysis.
Simplicius, who publishes on Substack. Like others, his political analysis should be soundly ignored, but his knowledge of weaponry and military strategy is generally quite good.
On the ground: Patrick Lancaster, an independent and very good journalist reporting in the warzone on the separatists' side.

Unedited videos of Russian/Ukrainian press conferences and speeches.

Pro-Russian Telegram Channels:

Again, CW for anti-LGBT and racist, sexist, etc speech, as well as combat footage.

https://t.me/aleksandr_skif ~ DPR's former Defense Minister and Colonel in the DPR's forces. Russian language.
https://t.me/Slavyangrad ~ A few different pro-Russian people gather frequent content for this channel (~100 posts per day), some socialist, but all socially reactionary. If you can only tolerate using one Russian telegram channel, I would recommend this one.
https://t.me/s/levigodman ~ Does daily update posts.
https://t.me/patricklancasternewstoday ~ Patrick Lancaster's telegram channel.
https://t.me/gonzowarr ~ A big Russian commentator.
https://t.me/rybar ~ One of, if not the, biggest Russian telegram channels focussing on the war out there. Actually quite balanced, maybe even pessimistic about Russia. Produces interesting and useful maps.
https://t.me/epoddubny ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/boris_rozhin ~ Russian language.
https://t.me/mod_russia_en ~ Russian Ministry of Defense. Does daily, if rather bland updates on the number of Ukrainians killed, etc. The figures appear to be approximately accurate; if you want, reduce all numbers by 25% as a 'propaganda tax', if you don't believe them. Does not cover everything, for obvious reasons, and virtually never details Russian losses.
https://t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses ~ Pro-Russian, documents abuses that Ukraine commits.

Pro-Ukraine Telegram Channels:

Almost every Western media outlet.
https://discord.gg/projectowl ~ Pro-Ukrainian OSINT Discord.
https://t.me/ice_inii ~ Alleged Ukrainian account with a rather cynical take on the entire thing.


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[-] Tervell@hexbear.net 53 points 19 hours ago

https://archive.ph/ObIr4

74 Percent of U.S. Air Force Aircraft Missed Depot Maintenance Deadlines — Up from 31 Percent In 2019

A new Government Accountability Office report found that 74 percent of U.S. Air Force aircraft missed their depot maintenance completion deadlines, up from 31 percent in 2019. The GAO concluded that the Air Force has masked the true severity of these delays by revising target timelines after unplanned work is discovered, making depots appear to meet goals they have not actually met. The service’s three major maintenance depots — Hill in Utah, Robins in Georgia, and Tinker in Oklahoma — cannot compete with private-sector pay for skilled technicians. The Defense Logistics Agency has also lost roughly 22 percent of its vendor base.

more

The U.S. Air Force Has a Maintenance Problem

The Air Force is experiencing surging maintenance delays, with 74 percent of aircraft missing their depot completion deadlines—up from 31 percent in 2019. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report reveals that the true extent of these readiness delays has been masked by officials altering target timelines after discovering unplanned maintenance. The unplanned surprises found when aircraft are in the Air Force’s depots for maintenance aren’t being reflected in the statistics that the service uses in the assessments of depot maintenance.

A GAO Report States The Air Force Isn’t Meeting Deadlines

This latest report shows that the Air Force “is not reporting the full extent of depot maintenance challenges and may not be able to make accurate comparisons across the fleet,” the GAO says. Air Force maintainers have masked the delays because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work is discovered. These unplanned delays are hurting the service’s aircraft availability for training and operations. Air and Space Forces magazine reports that, “Depot maintenance is the highest, most intensive level of military maintenance, covering repairs requiring the overhaul, upgrading, or rebuilding of parts or structures, according to U.S. law.” The Air Force has three major maintenance depots:

  • Ogden Air Logistics Complex at Hill Air Force Base, Utah
  • Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia
  • Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma
What Are The Primary Factors In The USAF’s Maintenance Delays?

Several systemic challenges drive this Air Force maintenance crisis. The Air Force has an aging aircraft fleet, with age-related wear and tear on highly complex aircraft making them more susceptible to unplanned repairs and a critical shortage of skilled technicians. Making matters worse, the Air Force has masked the true severity of these bottlenecks by shifting target deadlines to match the actual, slower performance of its maintenance depots.

An Aging Aircraft Fleet Presents Constant Challenges

Surging unplanned maintenance is a direct result of the aging of its air fleet. As aircraft age, depots routinely uncover unexpected issues like corrosion or structural stress cracks during routine maintenance. This unplanned work has increased significantly, making it difficult to stick to the original schedule. The masked metrics in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft experienced delays. However, the scale of the problem was hidden because officials regularly revised target timelines after unplanned work was discovered, making it appear as though depots were meeting their goals.

The Air Force’s Losing Battle Against the Private Sector

Workforce shortages are reaching critical levels. Maintenance depots struggle with critical staffing challenges because the Air Force can’t compete with the private sector on pay and benefits. The Air Force’s challenge of recruiting and retaining engineers and mechanics has been constant. The GAO Report highlighted, “The depots have taken some steps to mitigate this challenge by selectively using incentives and emphasizing the nonfinancial benefits of a federal career. “However, the Air Force has not fully addressed pay competition with the private sector because DOD has not conducted a comprehensive assessment of pay gaps for occupations affected by private sector competition. “Such an assessment would enable the depots to make informed decisions to address competition with the private sector for occupations critical to aircraft readiness.”

Creating A Pathway For Recruitment

A recent article in War on the Rocks suggests that to address maintenance workforce issues, the Air Force should launch a targeted recruitment campaign in high schools and technical schools that emphasizes service career opportunities and benefits. “Streamlined pathways for obtaining certifications, such as an Airframe and Powerplant (A&P), can make the Air Force more appealing in an increasingly competitive hiring field. Tying these certification programs to service commitments can ensure a steady influx of qualified maintainers.”

Supply Chain Issues Plague All Of The Services

Supply chain and parts delays aren’t just an Air Force problem but a Pentagon-wide issue. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) lost thousands of vendors (roughly 22 percent of its total supplier community) over recent years, which has drastically increased pricing and lead times. However, complex aircraft, such as the F-35 and F-22, require highly specialized parts, technical training, and logistical support systems, and these systems have struggled to keep pace. Primary factors include contractor shortages, reliance on foreign-sourced parts, and cyber vulnerabilities. The USAF is actively mitigating these risks using AI

classic

and predictive logistics frameworks.

this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
115 points (100.0% liked)

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