MBT's

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Maybe a Patch by Christmas, New Years or whenever you Dam well feel like would be in order FOR THE BOTH of you!!

When's the last time you guys even played your own game??

Read a book, listened to some music and just plain spent some time with the family and friends.

All those things will exercise your mind and relax your body.

The STRESS to meet some kind of arbitrary deadline or expectations of others just because it's what you BOTH do, and what we expect PALES to the realities of what has been an ongoing battle for many years now.

If you BOTH feel the need "to get your hands dirty" an hour or two a day AT MOST should take care of the "ITCH".

For some of us the game is changing metaphorically speaking and we had BETTER all of us RESPECT that whether we want to or not.

Hence my post in the Patch Thread.

When my ashes are put into the URN (A Submarine one would be most cool with a separate compartment for CINCLANTHOME. We would just have to figure out who would be in the Forward Compartment and or the Aft one!?! ) it won't say "He gave his all for the Game".

I DO NOT apologize to either of you for my bluntness.

We might all be working on our OPUS concerning the game but for me I intend to come out on the other side and enjoy the rest of my life with whatever time I'm given by the "Chairman of the Board. "

You both live in beautiful countries see some of it. Given the size of Ireland when we were there for the Centenary of Easter Sunday 1916 we were surprised as we made our way around the whole island at how many people had no idea of some of places we went to.

I find that sad. So, see the above makes some sense.

Sometimes these "uncomfortable" things need to be said as we want to just stay in our "bubble" until someone comes along and asks "Is there anyone in there? "

Go BUST THE BUBBLE!!

Our next reality check comes later today when we find out how much it'll cost to install a new HVAC system. Can't complain as our TRANE system lasted for 28 years without any major issues.

I have a feeling it'll cost more than it did at ~$3650 just a feeling but as they say "Life Goes On" and it does until the next thing comes along.

Regards,
Pat

[DRG]

Originally Posted by FASTBOAT TOUGH

When's the last time you guys even played your own game??

ntil the next thing comes along.

Regards,
Pat

Well.......YOU DID ASK...........
Andy plays MUCH more often that I do

I cannot remember when I last sat down to play out a game start to finish.......think in YEARS. ( also... a lot has happened since Christmas that makes remembering events with clarity "difficult" ). If I DO play I usually play to test, and when I get the answer to my test I stop playing, generally.

When I need to test a code change, I play until I get the answer I need then compare notes with Andy.

My main focus in testing is " do the graphics I added display the way I expected them to"

if YES, then I move on to the next graphic.

Don

PS......... Ah........ wait. I think I ran a nearly full game ( UKN / RUS ) just after Christmas... but a lot has happened since Christmas 2024 so don't bet your mortgage that I am remembering this correctly.

[Mobhack]

Yep, I usually have a WW2 Long Campaign on the go, play every day or so, usually as Soviets or British.

Haven’t played MBT since last summer IIRC - and generally play UK or USA 1950s to about 75 or so. Cubans vs South Africa can also be interesting. Me likes Scorpions and Sheridans, but they do go boom a lot...

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Well, that's encouraging to hear from the both of you. Seems like I'm closer to Don or worse.

Still trying to setup my 8th battle of 25 in my long campaign Ukraine versus Russia Oct. 2022 - Nov. 2023.

The issue is that my START also means when I start playing.

That's nothing more than short of sad!?!

June 2027 can't get here soon enough.

Amana HVAV 3 Ton came in better than I thought by $2000 to $4500 less.

Good now take care of yourselves.

Regards,
Pat

[DRG]

Originally Posted by FASTBOAT TOUGH

June 2027 can't get here soon enough.

Regards,
Pat

I assume that is your retirement date?

This December 22 I'll have been retired 19 years

If June 2027 is indeed your retirement, make the most of the next 26 months.

One guy I worked with lasted less than 10 days after he retired.

There are no guarantees

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Yeah, that'll be my retirement date at 68.

For CINCLANTHOMEs birthday also in June we'll be in Atlanta to see the Simple Minds, Soft Cell and Modern English.

The next day we will be going to the Atlanta Aquarium which is now I believe the largest in the country. When we were last there, it was in preparation for a major renovation and expansion done a few years back.

It was awe inspiring to sit in the theater looking at one of the largest tanks in the world and seeing the 2 Whale Sharks swimming around with some other fish. I didn't have a care in the world watching them.

We are certainly looking forward to that!!

Halifax in Oct. as noted for our 39th never got to there as I just stayed in Dartmouth across the river where we were moored on both port calls, we made there when I was on the NEBRASKA.

I understand they have a Military Tatoo Pipes and Drum Corps ALMOST as good as the "Black Watch" in Edinburgh.

For our 40th we'll book an MSC Cruise to which if the dates work out, we'll "crack open" what was in Oct. 2016 a 12-year-old bottle of Bushmills we bought at the distillery. They personalized the label to mark our 30th anniversary and were told at that time you could only buy it in Ireland.

On the very rare occasion I prefer a Tullamore Dew for "Beer" it's Smithwick's Red Ale (Prefer it to Guiness) or Innis & Gunn aged in a Bourbon, Whiskey or Rum Oak Casks (As I had with dinner Sunday.)

If it's NOT in a bottle I won't buy it. My degree is in Hotel and Restaurant Mgmt. when an Associate one still mattered. Started at age 13 and would end up with 14 yrs. in the field to include my last 4 on active duty on a not to interfere with my military responsibilities. There were many times I would have to call off due to an operational situation, they NEVER said a word about it and the staff were at my retirement.

Bottomline is a bottled Beer or Ale if stored in the back of your Refrigerator will last over a year and taste as fresh as you if you had it on the first day. CINCLANTHOME will tell you I can make a 6-pack last a year or little more. I buy the best I want at the time and can say I've had both of the above from every continent.

I have something called "TYPE II" and I have to respect it when I have a drink besides all the rest of it. 8 months before I retired is when I found out in March '02.

It's the small things in life I really appreciate such as a Full or Near Full Moon anytime but especially when I walk my 23 Magazines I check at the end of my watch on Saturdays (My Friday.)

I started as a News Paper Delivery boy at 10 years old. I grew up in the part of NY State where it SNOWS. Up at 0400-0430 to sort my newspapers and in my 75 homes (The paper actually had you apprentice under the person responsible for the route.) before my second year that went to 125/30 homes seven days a week. During school I had to have a bigger breakfast and make the bus by 0700.

I actually had a young MA (Navy uniformed Police.) a few years back ask me "But Mr. Conklin how could have delivered your newspaper if you weren't old enough to drive?" Nice person as I recall but however obviously it was a generational thing which here deserves a

I'll be ready for JUN 2027 I'll need to keep the mind sharp (Love reading real books.) and will definitely need to keep physically active as well.

One of my co-workers just turned 70 he's afraid to stop as he's a person who that it's "Retirement to the Rocking Chair to the Grave" I say ONLY if you let it be that way.

Bored you guys enough sorry about that. It's the "little things in life" that will touch you and provide the balance needed for the other things going on in your life.

At work one of these things beside the Moon is in the last few months I'm seeing ID cards that are expiring in 2027 THAT'S MOTIVATION FOR ME.

Oh, before I forget TANKS HAVE GUNS (Just not Innis & Gunn.).

Regards,
Pat

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

Poland there looks like there might be a delay to FOC for our export version of the M1A2P UNIT 007 from the Polish Ministry of Defence are two issues of concern concerning game START.

1) They 4 days ago started their first "Live Fire" training exercise.
"On April 7, 2025, the Biedrusko training ground near Poznań marked a historic milestone for Poland’s armored forces. The newly acquired M1A2 Abrams SEPv3 tanks conducted their first live-fire exercises, marking a new phase in the Polish Land Forces’ fast-paced modernization process"

2) Based on the issues with ABRAMS in the Ukraine I'm sure and what appears to be shortage of TROPHY systems and more importantly...
"...is designed to support the integration of active protection systems (APS), though this capability remains unutilized in the Polish fleet. "

"Despite the significance of this achievement, concerns remain regarding the integration of active protection systems. The Polish M1A2 SEPv3 tanks are “fitted for” but not equipped with the Trophy APS. To date, the Polish Ministry of Defence has not confirmed any procurement of this system, and the availability of Trophy modules is uncertain—especially in light of the delays observed in the UK’s Challenger 3 program, which has also been affected by APS supply chain challenges. The question of whether and when such systems will be ordered remains open, with implications for both timelines and budgetary priorities.

These concerns are not limited to the Abrams platform alone. Future armored vehicles, including the K2PL tanks to be produced under South Korean license, are also expected to feature both soft-kill and hard-kill protection systems. Given the current context of the war in Ukraine, where anti-tank threats are widespread and evolving, the absence of operational APS on new platforms represents a vulnerability that could impact battlefield survivability in high-intensity conflict environments."

"With these acquisitions, Poland becomes the third country to operate the SEPv3 version after the United States and Australia, which received its first units in November 2024. While training and delivery are proceeding as planned, achieving full operational capability depends on critical decisions—particularly regarding the implementation of active protection systems. In the context of ongoing regional tensions, these decisions will directly influence the Polish Army’s capacity to counter advanced battlefield threats.

The inaugural live firing of the M1A2 SEPv3 tanks at Biedrusko marks a tangible step in Poland’s move toward higher technological standards in armored warfare. However, this technical progress also highlights a key issue: modernization of platforms must be accompanied by the integration of complete protection solutions. As regional instability and modern warfare continue to evolve, aligning equipment acquisition with defensive system implementation remains a strategic imperative for Poland."

These to some extents were the same factors why we kept pushing back (~4-5 years) the START/FOC for our M1A2C. The other factor also was that the USA required full training/qualification of the crews and number of Brigades that got fully equipped with that tank.

The current Polish decision on FOC was clearly stated above from their "MOD" but what also abundantly clear was the Polish crews are still qualifying/training on those tanks as we speak.

We should not be surprised by this at all as noted above for M1A2C/SEP 3 and when I submitted the ABRAMS M1A2 SEP2 to a somewhat lesser extent.
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news...t-test-firings

The comparison between us (Then) and Poland (Now) are closely related with the fact as well that neither of us were or currently are in a state of war that would change the ""dynamic" of what was discussed above concerning all to include FOC.

Regards,
Pat

[DRG]

The start date in the master OOB that I am using is 6 months beyond today . Let me know how they are doing in October

[FASTBOAT TOUGH]

For now, your "master date" was close to what I was thinking for about Oct.

We'll see and track by that time they should have significant progress on the training side but for now seems TROPKY could be the main issue the military and government need to sort out.

Regards,
Pat

[zovs66]

Again, I ask the AI (since I am now forced at work to learn to be a good little prompt engineer) to summarize and make this more like a military report. The AI's response was:


Subject: Operational Status Update – Polish M1A2 SEPv3 Main Battle Tanks

Overview:
The Polish Ministry of Defence (MoD) has initiated live-fire training with the newly acquired M1A2 SEPv3 main battle tanks as of 07 April 2025 at the Biedrusko Training Area near Poznań. While this marks a significant milestone in the Polish Land Forces’ armored modernization program, Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the platform remains delayed due to the following key factors:


1. Crew Training and Qualification:
- Polish armored units have only recently begun live-fire exercises.
- Tank crews are in the early stages of qualification and tactical proficiency development.
- As observed in the U.S. Army’s M1A2C (SEPv3) rollout, FOC is contingent upon full training and brigade-level equipping.
- The current status aligns with standard readiness timelines in peacetime acquisition cycles.

2. Absence of Active Protection Systems (APS):
- The Polish M1A2 SEPv3 fleet is fitted for but not equipped with the Trophy Active Protection System (APS).
- No formal procurement contract for Trophy APS has been confirmed by the MoD.
- APS module availability remains uncertain due to global supply chain constraints—similar to those impacting the UK’s Challenger 3 APS integration.
- Without APS, the SEPv3 platform remains vulnerable in high-threat anti-armor environments, particularly in the context of lessons learned from the Ukraine conflict.


Strategic Implications:
- Lack of operational APS and incomplete crew certification postpone FOC status.
- Future Polish platforms, including K2PL tanks, are also expected to integrate APS (both soft-kill and hard-kill variants), raising similar procurement and timeline concerns.
- Current regional security dynamics (e.g., Russian activity) elevate the urgency of full defensive capability integration.

Comparative Analysis:
- U.S. experience with the M1A2C/SEPv3 showed similar delays (4–5 years) due to training, integration of APS, and unit fielding requirements.
- Neither Poland nor the U.S. faced wartime urgency, allowing for extended acquisition and readiness cycles.
- The current Polish approach mirrors established NATO peacetime modernization practices, though operational risks remain until APS is fielded.

Conclusion:
While Poland’s acquisition and fielding of the M1A2 SEPv3 represents a substantial upgrade in armored warfare capability, FOC remains dependent on:
- Completion of crew training and unit-level readiness.
- Final decisions regarding APS procurement and integration.

Delays in these areas, if unaddressed, could limit the platform’s survivability and operational effectiveness in high-intensity combat scenarios.