Syrian government offensive slowed, pushed back in places
The much vaunted Russian-Iranian-backed offensive in northern Syria is not going well. US and Saudi aid to rebels has increased to counter the moves by Russia and Iran. The TOW missile is seen as especially important in blunting the drives, but this strikes me as overstated. The Saudis hint at providing “more lethal weapons” which might mean shoulder-fired missiles to counter Russian fighters but probably more importantly Syrian helicopters.
The US and Saudi Arabia may be challenging Russia and Iran to up their troops commitments in the stalemated war in order to draw them deeper into the morass.
Pentagon pays for military ceremonies
The ceremonies seen at sports events have been paid for by the Defense Department as part of a public relations program. The events, then, are not patriotic acts by sports teams; they are commercials for recruitment and efforts to garner public support for the military. It is disgraceful that teams take money to act patriotically – or appear to.