We are trying something new today, well, new for TDI anyway. This edition of TDI Friday Read will offer a selection of links to items we think may be of interest to our readers. We found them interesting but have not had the opportunity to offer observations or commentary about them. Hopefully you may find them useful or interesting as well.
The story of the U.S. attack on a force of Russian mercenaries and Syrian pro-regime troops near Deir Ezzor, Syria, last month continues to have legs.
- Over at his new home at Task & Purpose, Tom Ricks relates a conversation he had with Eliot Cohen regarding the prospects for Russian retaliation against the U.S. for the attack: “How And Where Will Russia Retaliate For The US Airstrike That Killed Mercenaries In Syria?”
- Newsweek reported on alleged intercepted phone calls by Russian mercenaries employed CHVK Wagner, a Russian private military company, describing the action at Deir Ezzor: “‘A Total F***up’: Russian Mercenaries in Syria Lament U.S. Strike That Killed Dozens.”
- FRANCE 24 cited an alleged Russian paramilitary facilitator who stated that 218 Russian mercenaries died in the attack: “The business of war: Russian mercenaries in Syria.”
- The Defense Post has an article describing the use of mercenaries in Syria by Russia: “An experimental playground: The footprint of Russian private military companies in Syria.”
- The Jamestown Foundation’s Eurasia Daily Monitor has an interesting article by Pavel Felgenhauer, who has detected a familiar pattern in Russia’s supposed “gray zone” tactics: “Russia’s New (Old) Heavy Army.”
And a couple stories related to naval warfare…
- The National Interest has a summary of the current dead/undead state of the U.S. Navy’s electromagnetic railgun program: “The Navy’s Electromagnetic Railgun Is Both Alive and Dead.”
- Japanese researchers may have identified the remains of the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Hiei, sunk by U.S. naval aircraft in November 1942: “Wreck of Japanese battleship Hiei may have been located off Solomon Islands.”
Finally, proving that there are, or soon will be, podcasts about everything, there is one about Napoleon Bonaparte and his era: The Age of Napoleon Podcast. We have yet to give it a listen, but if anyone else has, let us know what you think.
Have a great weekend.
