Mark Greenmantle
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markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Mark Greenmantle
@markgreenmantle.bsky.social
430 followers 610 following 270 posts
Ethics, strategy, counterterrorism, anti-misogynist, and a dose of fella mischief. Commercial aviation, military, history in photography and design. #NAFO #Aviation
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markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Babet again trying to get firearms into the hands of his far right mates. Disinformation designed to cause alarm and risking harm from gun owners in Australia - unbelievably stupid. There's no place for unhinged Trumpism down under. He's unfit for Senate.
October 3, 2025 at 6:11 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Retired Australian Army Major General Mick Ryan summarises a few topics on global security in this post, all worthy reads, yet I'll focus here on the one, Ukraine. Txt in screenshot, link follows. @warinthefuture.bsky.social
mickryan.substack.com/p/trumps-pea...
August 10, 2025 at 7:26 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
They hadn't paid attention to Pentagon Pizza Orders. 🫣🦝
June 13, 2025 at 7:48 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
June 11, 2025 at 9:31 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
www.dod.mil/dodgc/defens... oh look, DoD has removed their Ethics Regulations site. The PDF "Political Activities Guidance for Members of the Armed Forces" link to DoD Directives 1344.10 gave a 404 error. Wish I could say this surprised me.
Examples of political activities that are prohibited include campaigning for a candidate, soliciting contributions, marching in a partisan parade and wearing the uniform to a partisan event. For a complete list of permissible and prohibited activities, please consult DoD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces Guidance for Military Personnel. Q6. Does that mean a service member can vote, but not actively support a particular candidate or cause? A6. Unquestionably, service members can exercise their right to vote. However, AD members will not engage in partisan political activities and will avoid the inference that their political activities imply or appear to imply DoD sponsorship, approval, or endorsement. For a list of permissible and prohibited activities, please consult DoD Directive 1344.10, Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces (reference (c)).
June 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
10 points for creativity and sass.
June 4, 2025 at 9:17 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Reference map for what Trump really wants from Greenland. Of course it's all to do with him wanting to steal every tonne of these deposits as he can. He's not at all interested in the defence of Greenland.
March 30, 2025 at 3:52 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Okay that made me laugh.
March 8, 2025 at 9:15 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
NATO Article 5 and the argument against transactional strategic military pacts. How Trump disrespects everything NATO stands for in his current threats. His threats serve only one nation, and it's not the US, it's Russia.

#NATO #Article5 #ISAF
There was a post on another platform by a former Australian counterterrorism officer on strategic defense pacts, looking at threats by Trump to take Canada and Greenland and to make them part of the US, despite Canada being a NATO member and British Commonwealth nation (like us in Australia), and Greenland is officially territory of Denmark which is a founding NATO member. Aggression against either country amounts to a trigger for NATO Article 5, wherein all NATO states respond to defend the attacked country. One comment was that Article 5 has not ever been activated and why expect other nations to stand up to aggression. Except that NATO triggered Article 5 for the 9/11 war on terror. The allied nations of NATO and Australia and Ukraine and others collectively spent trillions fighting in the war the US called, with more than $2 trillion spent by the US then thrown away by Trump's ill devised deal with only the Taliban (instead of the Afghan government) while also leaving them 18 to 19 billion in equipment in the awful exit he left for Biden to inherit as a failed deal to shoulder. The total cost of Australian military operations in Afghanistan over the 20 years was $8.5 billion. The total cost of Australian operations in Iraq to June 2021 was $4.1 billion (figures from ASPI), while official calculations stated that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined cost the UK £20.3 billion (up to but not beyond June 2010, and that ignores UK costs expanding through to 2011 in Iraq and 2021 in Afghanistan). Canada's involvement in the Afghanistan war, from 2001 to 2014, resulted in a total cost of approximately $18 billion, including the loss of 158 Canadian soldiers, one diplomat, and one journalist, along with 2,500 injured. Canada's involvement in the Iraq War, primarily through Operation IMPACT, is estimated to have cost taxpayers over $1 billion by the end of March 2020, including $650 million spent between the start of the operation in 2014 and March 2018. Denmark spent half a billion US$ aiding the US in Iraq, and another $3 billion supporting the US war in Afghanistan. I don't hear our PM Albanese, UK PM Starmer, Canadian PM Trudeau, or Danish PM Mette Frederiksen demanding Trump pay us back. I've not yet found the costs on Ukraine for the Afghanistan war, but Ukraine was a participant in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan and deployed troops as part of NATO's ISAF mission to the country. It contributed medical personnel supporting Provincial Reconstruction Teams, and provided instructors for NATO's Training Mission. To treat it as anything other than an ally is worse than abhorrent. Really, Trump has absolutely no notion of what NATO is meant to be because he's so self involved and ego led, he gives zero value to strategic agreements based on promises, trust, and mutual strength, plus he's beholden to Putin for all the kompromat. Make it make sense. https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_77646.htm?
March 6, 2025 at 2:04 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
"We're going to make this the bigliest deal ever. Only I can make this deal, the orcs really respect me, not like those ungrateful elves.."
March 6, 2025 at 12:17 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Resist.
There is a Japanese legend that says, "If you get on the wrong train, get off at the nearest station; the longer it takes you to get off, the more expensive the return trip will be." It's not only about trains.
March 4, 2025 at 10:23 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
March 2, 2025 at 5:31 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Haltbakk Bunkers, one of Norway's biggest fuel suppliers has immediately stopped refuelling US Navy ships because of the "stshow" at the White House on Friday.

"Not a litre of fuel will be delivered until Trump is finished."
March 2, 2025 at 3:55 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
This. Every damn day this.
Appeal to the Congress from Former Secretaries of Defense February 27th, 2025

William J. Perry
Leon E. Panetta
Chuck Hagel
James N. Mattis
Lloyd J. Austin III
Appeal to the Congress from Former Secretaries of Defense February 27th, 2025 William J. Perry Leon E. Panetta Secretary of Defense 1994-1997 Secretary of Defense 2011-2013 Chuck Hagel James N. Mattis Secretary of Defense 2013-2015 Secretary of Defense 2017-2019 Lloyd J. Austin III Secretary of Defense 2021-2025
March 1, 2025 at 3:26 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
This is from a discussion with other professionals in the national security field. It's a call for a very fresh look at stepping sideways from the blockages of corrupt nations to create a real league of nations again.

Keen for feedback from NatSec, diplomatic staff and Intelligence professionals.
Concept discussion: On a massive scope, obviously as a 'best possible scenario' moving forward long term, I would posit a new multi-agency approach with a NATO similar agreement involving EU nations *1 Australia, NZ, Norway, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, possibly India, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. Within that agreement, rules for strict adherence to ICJ laws, human rights laws, and to not commit the act of aggression *2, and rules requiring democracy is upheld and elections proven fair. This is all expanding on the existing NATO style framework but in exchange ensuring states having foreign interference issues in elections are supported and protected from that interference by the group as a whole, and sovereignty is protected from the likes of Russian GRU injecting political actors into election processes as it recently did in Romania. There the far right wing Russian linked asset used an illegal process to gain votes falsely and the election was delayed after intelligence documents were declassified stating that Russia had run a coordinated online campaign to promote ultra nationalist Georgescu. Teaming up as a multinational movement to put the brakes on ongoing grey war attacks by Russia, China, and others, would strengthen democracy for all involved. The alliance would also be a size and strength such that the risk of triggering the equivalent of an Article5 has strong deterrence, and with the expanded nations, places members in a better security stance than just with current NATO membership. Thoughts, faults? *1 sans Hungary until it's resolved it's corrupt allegiance to Putin's axis; 2* thus for example ensuring Armenia and Azerbaijan don't fall back into conflict, and also restricts Turkish strikes into Syria except on multinationally approved counterterrorism actions
March 1, 2025 at 2:50 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Lost, one torpedo. If found, please return to ????

Anyone recognise the type? We did just have a Chinese Naval group sail through doing live fire exercises so ..... Unexpected tourist.
#intelligence #navy #GoldCoast
February 27, 2025 at 12:53 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Every time Poland and Lithuania step up to bat against autocrats and dictators, I picture the statement coming from a Hussar in full C17th shock cavalry armour, engaging the Russians in the he Battle of Klushino, or the Battle of Kłuszyn, in 1610.
Early #NAFO soldiers. Some things haven't changed.
17th century NAFO, the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth Hussar shock cavalry armour
February 24, 2025 at 5:38 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
It's easy to see how the reach of Russian influence pushed AfD though mostly it's former Soviet region of old East Germany.
AfD not winning the election doesn't mean we don't have to keep holding them to acount for their ties to Russia, extremism, and Nazi ethos.
🛡️Keine platz für Rechtsextremist🛡️
February 24, 2025 at 3:11 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Putin fears the risks and challenges associated with reintegrating over 700,000 veterans into Russian society and thus remains unlikely to demobilize fully or rapidly - so as always, there would be no reason to trust any claimed ceasefire or truce. #NAFOarticle5
understandingwar.org/backgrounder...
Putin fears the risks and challenges associated with reintegrating over 700,000 veterans into Russian society and thus remains unlikely to demobilize fully or rapidly - so as always, there would be no reason to trust any claimed ceasefire or truce. #NAFOarticle5 #NAFO
February 23, 2025 at 4:07 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
it's a Nope.
February 23, 2025 at 4:02 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Since Musk and Vance showed support for AfD and displayed their Nazi glee, far right Russian/NeoNazi linked AfD party in Germany dropped 2% in two of the main political polls.
🛡️ Keine platz für Rechtsextremist 🛡️
#NAFOarticle5 #Deutschland #Democracy
February 22, 2025 at 3:29 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Long list of Russian invasions from 1939 to 2022
February 22, 2025 at 2:41 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
If Trump cuts Starlink to Ukrainian troops, I suggest we boot the US out of Pine Gap, Australia, at least until the US has flushed the cheeto turd reich into prison where it belongs. Clearly the US is captured by the enemy. Five Eyes is compromised. #FunnyNotFunny
#NAFO #Article5 #GreyWar
Musk and Trump go to Gulag
February 22, 2025 at 1:27 AM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
February 19, 2025 at 11:45 PM
markgreenmantle.bsky.social
Wait, when did aviation photographers get upgraded to god status? Do I get better pay and conditions with that promotion? haha
February 2, 2025 at 3:35 AM