Russia will occupy Ukraine, Georgia, the Baltic states and Finland first, so there is still time!
And did you know our armed forces are allegedly the size of Netherlands or Spains military now? (I'm not saying our military is large, but the Dutch and Spanish are small ..) , so we'll fight for weeks.
All NATO countries cut the fighting forces after the fall of the Soviet union, as they should. but the re-militarisation of Russia has happened at the same time as the economic crisis in much of western Europe. As a result 22 of NATO's 28 member states have cut their military spending since the millienium. Only 6 have somewhat increased their spending. My guess is Norway, some or all the Baltic states, Poland and/or Turkey and the US.
All NATO countries cut the fighting forces after the fall of the Soviet union, as they should. But the re-militarisation of Russia has happened at the same time as the economic crisis in much of western Europe. As a result 22 of NATO's 28 member states have cut their military spending since the millienium. Only 6 have somewhat increased their spending. My guess is Norway, some or all the Baltic states, Poland and/or Turkey and the US.
Double posting.
Sorry.
Lee JohnBeautiful British Columbia Posts: 90MI6 Agent
Having worked in the Plans and Policy Division at a NATO regional hq for over three years and having maintained contact with others I'd worked with there, let me state that one of the main factors in downsizing military forces has a lot to do with advances in technology. The public in general is not always kept abreast of this. Even when civilian jobs are cut in many areas, it is shocking for many to find out it wasn't due to outsourcing to other countries or the economy - it was due to outsourcing to technology.
From cruise missles to laser guided bombs to stealth aircraft to drones and advances in even what a frontline soldier is equipped with, technology has and will continually change the size of the armed forces of the nations who are on the leading edge of it.
Masses of ground troops anywhere today may seem fearsome to many (and anytime an all out war looms large), but one must realize that this type of force today is extremely vulnerable to destruction from the air. An entire
area seething with tanks and troops can be wiped out in a shockingly short amount of time now and even with little or no warning, because the attacks can be launched a night and from great distances without any noticeable buildup of forces from the other side.
Make no mistake, countries like Russia have considerable firepower and their technology is not totally out of date, but when matched up against the tech power of NATO, especially the US, UK, Germany, etc., they have a critical disadvantage.
The problem with basing any plot idea involving the criminal use of the internet or the villain using blackmail is that in an action film genre like the Bond films they have to result in action set pieces. SF used the villains mastery of the internet to intimidate and eventually attempt the killing of M, so unless their is another more violent purpose outside a blackmail or internet plot, you're left with scenes of actors staring at computer monitors cut with scenes of what's on the monitors.
Bond films are about action as much as about spying, his adventures need to involve physical challenges, even though so much of intel today involves computers and satellites and drones with cameras.
For example, giving Bond a villain he must actually assassinate by sniping in the pre-credits sequence, but then being discovered and having to escape would make up a good action scene, but then we discover that his target turns out to actually be an imposter/double and that the villain is a master of disguise gives one a physical as well as emotional story. Bond not only has to deal with creating a strategy for the assassination and escape, he then has to deal with the emotional turmoil of learning he has failed to kill the real villain and that perhaps the double he killed turns out to be a duped innocent.
With this kind of scenario, one can than bring in a plot involving the use of the internet or blackmail. For example, the villain was targeted because he is using the net to blackmail someone in charge of shipping nuclear or bio weapons...or because he is using the net to gather information that would somehow threaten Great Britains security.
Given all that, the trick will be to come up with a plot that won't involve the use of the internet at all, or one that will relegate it's use to a very small degree, so it doesn't seem as though it's in any way similar to the way it was used in SF.
It was done successfully in TND where Carver used his paper to precipitate war between Chin and Britain, as well when he phoned Bond in his car because of his access to mobile networks and having a ready made news item about the death of Bond and Paris Carver. It has also been done very well in the Bourne trilogy where the Black Ops guys try to find Bourne as he tries to infiltrate them. This creates great suspense and allows for a combination of action and computer screens. In my idea, Bond would be trying to get to the secret base where the servers for the evil search engine were located but the villains would be using the search engine to track him via GPS, satellite cameras, CCTV etc etc. The information aspect (what people know and don't know) plays off the action scenes and vice versa. Its definitely doable.
Haven't read the whole thread, but I want:
- Skiing scenes
- Diving (scuba) scenes
- Less action, I think the newer movies are too afraid of the quiet narrative, which I really miss from the older movies
- Less focus on Bond's personal issues and more focus on the task in hand.
I agree with the last two posters. Lars has some good thoughts and Nobody Lives Forever looks like a good staqrting point for a movie. Are you of Scandinavian decent, Lars? Or to put it like this:
Er du norsk, Lars?
Velkommen! Let's keep it in English out of common courtesy. I guess you like me hope the rumours about a Scandinavian Bond girl in the next movie are true
As Bond has lost his flat and belongings, I think the PTS could have
Bond going to various estate agents, picking up flyers on available
dwellings. Picking curtains, fabrics and wallpaper. Building up the
Tension until Bond pops down to DFS ( with luck they'll have a sale on )
To pick up some furniture, before Moneypenny arrives with some brushes
& rollers to help with the painting. Before the phone rings, it's M. With a
Mission ?, No he berates Bond for not properly sanding down his woodwork !
Then cue titles. )
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
If Bond is buying another flat in west London, they will have to show him selling a kidney or two to save up for the deposit and he'll only be wearing outfits from Primani and living on baked beans to pay the rent...
But I thought MI6 had money just spilling out of desk drawers and such. ?:)
Making car-subs and laser watches & stuff... I though Double-O's got paid handsomely (Bond drives an Aston Martin for crikey's sake!).
Is this just a fantasy of mine?
If Bond is buying another flat in west London, they will have to show him selling a kidney or two to save up for the deposit and he'll only be wearing outfits from Primani and living on baked beans to pay the rent...
His flat? I think Bond won it in it a card game. It's how he supplements his income.
)
Didn't M say they had sold Bond's flat and Skyfall lodge had also
been sold. So I guess Bond has a few quid in the bank to splash out
on a new flat and Aston.
"I've been informed that there ARE a couple of QAnon supporters who are fairly regular posters in AJB."
Comments
And did you know our armed forces are allegedly the size of Netherlands or Spains military now? (I'm not saying our military is large, but the Dutch and Spanish are small ..) , so we'll fight for weeks.
Double posting.
Sorry.
http://apbateman.com
From cruise missles to laser guided bombs to stealth aircraft to drones and advances in even what a frontline soldier is equipped with, technology has and will continually change the size of the armed forces of the nations who are on the leading edge of it.
Masses of ground troops anywhere today may seem fearsome to many (and anytime an all out war looms large), but one must realize that this type of force today is extremely vulnerable to destruction from the air. An entire
area seething with tanks and troops can be wiped out in a shockingly short amount of time now and even with little or no warning, because the attacks can be launched a night and from great distances without any noticeable buildup of forces from the other side.
Make no mistake, countries like Russia have considerable firepower and their technology is not totally out of date, but when matched up against the tech power of NATO, especially the US, UK, Germany, etc., they have a critical disadvantage.
I welcome the interest shown in the west from our new glorious Russian
Overlords.
( I've already made this joke, but I always do repeats )
+1
It was done successfully in TND where Carver used his paper to precipitate war between Chin and Britain, as well when he phoned Bond in his car because of his access to mobile networks and having a ready made news item about the death of Bond and Paris Carver. It has also been done very well in the Bourne trilogy where the Black Ops guys try to find Bourne as he tries to infiltrate them. This creates great suspense and allows for a combination of action and computer screens. In my idea, Bond would be trying to get to the secret base where the servers for the evil search engine were located but the villains would be using the search engine to track him via GPS, satellite cameras, CCTV etc etc. The information aspect (what people know and don't know) plays off the action scenes and vice versa. Its definitely doable.
- Skiing scenes
- Diving (scuba) scenes
- Less action, I think the newer movies are too afraid of the quiet narrative, which I really miss from the older movies
- Less focus on Bond's personal issues and more focus on the task in hand.
Er du norsk, Lars?
Danish here
Bond going to various estate agents, picking up flyers on available
dwellings. Picking curtains, fabrics and wallpaper. Building up the
Tension until Bond pops down to DFS ( with luck they'll have a sale on )
To pick up some furniture, before Moneypenny arrives with some brushes
& rollers to help with the painting. Before the phone rings, it's M. With a
Mission ?, No he berates Bond for not properly sanding down his woodwork !
Then cue titles.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Sounds like something from the Moore era.
Making car-subs and laser watches & stuff... I though Double-O's got paid handsomely (Bond drives an Aston Martin for crikey's sake!).
Is this just a fantasy of mine?
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
His flat? I think Bond won it in it a card game. It's how he supplements his income.
Didn't M say they had sold Bond's flat and Skyfall lodge had also
been sold. So I guess Bond has a few quid in the bank to splash out
on a new flat and Aston.