State Dept Evacuation. Epic Fail.

I wrote a post here on the possibility of the US Military conducting an NEO in Egypt.  I received this comment this morning and just have to respond.  Anonymous wrote:

Ok, if we do a NEO we will only put in a few very small security forces at a couple of airports - Cairo, Alex, Luxor - and we would contract a bunch of commerical airliners (or even cruise ships) to haul out all the US (and EU, Japanese, etc) tourists. We'd do that in cooperation and coordination with (especially)the EU. If we have to RESCUE those tourists as opposed to a NEO then it is a whole different ball game. Not at that point yet. Keep in mind that we already have quite a few US military folks there as part of the training/advisor mission... Such a NEO is most definitely NOT "mission impossible" - just a trifle difficult, expensive and a big operation - and, oh by the way, it is already underway.

Wow.

He/She/It seems quite sure of themselves.  I had to check this out...from CNN...

...At least 220 Americans had been evacuated from Egypt as of Monday evening, according to the State Department. Another 175 were boarding a flight to Athens, Greece, Monday evening, according to the agency.The first plane out was a Cyprus-bound flight with 42 people aboard, the government said. It landed Monday afternoon.
Despite earlier reports that flights would be subject to Egypt's 3 p.m. curfew, the State Department said flights would depart around the clock. U.S. officials hoped to evacuate 900 people on Monday.
About 52,000 Americans are believed to be in Egypt. Of those, more than 2,400 have asked to be evacuated, Jacobs said. But she expected those numbers would rise as the unrest continues...

Sorry, but if this were a military operation, I'd be lambasting the Officer in Charge for non-performance.

Operations are underway and they have initially evacuated 220 people?

2400 people have asked to be evacuated and the number is almost certain to rise?

Not text book in my mind.

Also I'm sure that the writer is speaking about troops in the Peace Keeping force out in the desert.  Do you think that they can be easily retasked?  I don't know the unit and really its irrelevant.  The point remains that the US State Department much like USAID in Haiti is in over its head.

I've tried to remain open minded but it appears that the current Commander in Chief is attempting to usurp traditional military missions and give them to civilian agencies.

EFV is dead...Time for a new gun for the LCS.

With the EFV suffering an unwarranted death (well maybe, it was expensive but maybe pressure could have been applied to the manufacturer to lower it) its time to ditch the ATK gun and get something designed from the outset for service aboard naval vessels.

My candidate is the Oerlikon Millennium 35 mm Naval Revolver Gun System...the following information and photos are from NAVWEPS.com

Prototype 35 mm Naval Gun System (GDM-008) Millennium on the Lockheed Martin Sea Slice
Note the triple-coil muzzle velocity gauge and fuze setter
Photograph copyrighted by Oerlikon Contraves AG

Stats via Wikipedia...Oerlikon Millennium 35mm Naval Revolver Gun System
Type	CIWS
Place of origin	Germany, Switzerland
Service history
In service	2003
Used by	Denmark
Production history
Designed	1995
Manufacturer	Rheinmetall, Oerlikon Contraves
Specifications
Weight	Gun: 450kg Turret: 3300kg
Length	5.5 m
Width	2.39 m
Height	1.94 m
Crew	unmanned
Shell	35 x 228 mm
Caliber	35 mm
Action	Revolver cannon
Elevation	-15 / +85 degrees rate: 70 degree/s
Traverse	360 degrees rate: 120 degrees per second
Rate of fire	Single shoot Short Burst: 200 rounds per minute Full automatic fire: 1000 rounds per minute
Muzzle velocity	AHEAD: 3,445 fps (1,050 mps) HEI: 3,854 fps (1,175 mps) APDS/T: 3,950 fps (1,440 mps)
Effective range	3500m (3830 yards)
Feed system	252 linkless rounds on turret

Long story short, Rheinmetall-detc has created a modular weapon system that can be changed out in 30 minutes, is tailor made for the LCS mission and is in worldwide service. It can be had for a song (relatively) and is effective against air and surface targets.

Non-combatant Evacuation (NEO) of Egypt???

Information Dissemination has posted an interesting article with the dangling fruit of the POSSIBILITY (remote in his opinion) of there being an NEO in Egypt.

It is worth remembering there are some 90,000 Americans in Egypt. Nothing has been decided, but preparations are being made just in case.

The U.S. Marines have a pair of warships -- the USS Kearsarge and the USS Ponce -- just hanging around the southern end of the Red Sea waiting to see if they're needed to rescue U.S. diplomats and citizens from Cairo. They're half of the Marines' 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, a mini-armada that recently dispatched 1,400 of its 2,000 Marines into Afghanistan. But they've got a "fair number" of helicopters, and Marines, still aboard.

Something to keep an eye on.

Can you imagine?

Even if only half those people request to be moved then you're looking at a "mission impossible"...

Think about it.

You'd have to fully commit the remainder of the 26th MEU.

You'd probably have to fly in the 82nd Airborne Division Ready Brigade.

An entire wing from the Air Forces Air Mobility Command would have to be deployed....

All while a friendly nation other than Israel was lined up to take in this massive infuse of humanity.

The whole idea gives me shivers.  And we haven't even begun to think about terrorist mixing with refugees blowing up airplanes or even gaining body counts in the crowds.  Not even considered the population turning violent.  Not even thought about the Egyptian military attempting to stop the effort.

Is it time for the US Military to rethink its understanding with Americans in foreign countries?  Is it time for it to be understood that if trouble erupts they should be PREPARED---and be ready to protect themselves---cause as much as we'd like to, help might not be coming?

I think so.  If you can change my mind, I'm all ears.

Mountain Sniper Course...

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper takes an observer, watching to see the any position changes in his target Monday during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:37 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A shooter and his spotter prepare a shot Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:39 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-Marine scout snipers wait for word in their dug in position at the top of a mountain Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:41 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper prepares his shot on target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:52 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper takes an observer, watching to see the any position changes in his target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif., Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 7:53 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A shooter and his spotter prepare a shot, Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif.
, Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 8:00 AM

MARINE CORPS MOUNTAIN WARFARE TRAINING CENTER BRIDGEPORT, Calif.-A scout sniper prepares his shot on target Jan. 24, 2011, during the Mountain Scout Sniper Course at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Bridgeport, Calif. His class 1-11 graduated Jan. 25, 2011. , Lance Cpl. Sarah Anderson, 1/24/2011 8:39 AM

Latest Centennial of Aviation Aircraft...

An F/A-18 Hornet sits in an overflow hangar at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Jan. 12, awaiting its return to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 122 in Lemoore, Calif. The aircraft is part of the Centennial of Naval Aviation’s Heritage Paint Project to recreate vintage paint schemes on modern aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts/Released)

On Jan. 13, F/A-18 Hornet Pilot Cmdr. Mitch Conover prepares for takeoff at NAS Jacksonville, Fla., in a jet painted in a vintage WWII paint scheme used from late 1943 to late 1944. Painters at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast are applying heritage color schemes to several military aircraft for the 100th anniversary of Naval Aviation. (Photo courtesy of NAS Jacksonville Air Operations)

On Jan. 28, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast in Jacksonville, Fla., completes a heritage paint scheme on a P-3C Orion for Patrol Squadron (VP) 9 attached to Marine Corps Base Hawaii. The squadron chose to honor the VP-6 “Blue Sharks” by using the defunct squadron’s insignia on the modern aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts/Released)

Pic of the day. Jan, 28, 2011.

NAVAL AIR STATION, NORTH ISLAND, Ca. (Jan. 26, 2011) An E/A-18G Growler from the "Vikings" of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 129, based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Whidbey Island, Wash., arrives at NAS North Island. The Growler is painted in a throwback three-tone paint scheme (circa 1944), honoring Air Group 85 which operated from USS Shangri-La (CV 34) during World War II. The specially-painted Growler is one of more than 200 naval aircraft, from pre-World War II to the present day, participating in a Parade of Flight over San Diego Bay, kicking off a series of nationwide events celebrating the Centennial of Naval Aviation. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Briana C. Brotzman/Released)

M-1A3?

I saw this over at MilitaryPhotos.net...

I'm slightly intrigued.  Could that be the prototype for a new M-1A3 that the US Army is developing?  The only external difference seems to be the turret but some are speculating that a new larger gun is being used.

I report, you decide.

Large Vessel Interface Lift-on/Lift-off (LVI Lo/Lo) crane

*Note, this is a follow on to the "LCS Tender" post. What do we need to make it work? How about something as mundane as a good crane to transfer gear, containers and such at sea in almost any sea state. The Office of Naval Research already has it covered with the LVI Lo/Lo Crane.

via Office of Naval Research...

What Is It?

The LVI Lo/Lo crane is an advanced motion-compensated at-sea cargo transfer system that will be able to transfer fully-loaded cargo containers between ships at sea in Sea State 4 and below by providing six degrees-of-freedom control of the payload without taglines.

How Does It Work?

The system enables the rapid and safe at-sea transfer of standard ISO containers and other heavy loads from military and commercially available ships onto the Sea Base. Capability details include:

• Ability to maintain optimal cargo throughput rates through Sea State 4
• Ability to transfer cargo between two ships directly alongside each other at zero forward speed or underway at slow speed in the open ocean.
• Motion sensing and compensation for the ships and/or the cranes will allow safe and efficient transfer of cargobility to transfer car

What Will It Accomplish?

The LVI Lo/Lo crane is a key technology for enabling the fl ow of joint logistics through the Sea Base. Currently, to off -load a container ship,
it must have a safe deep-water port.  By adding the LVI Lo/Lo crane to the Sea Base, the container ship can be off -loaded at sea, with the containers transferred to other modes of transportation for the final leg to the shore.  This eliminates the need for a secure deep-water port and enables the flow of containerized logistics through the Sea Base to the shore.

Rocket fire.

Marines use high mobility artillery rockets to support infantry

Marines with 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment launch a high mobility artillery rocket system from Forward Operating Base Delaram II, Jan. 26. These systems have been used to support Marine infantry units operating throughout Helmand province in the fight against the Taliban

LCS Tenders.

USS Shenandoah

What does the LCS class desperately need?  Some are calling them motherships but the proper name for ships that would carry replacement crews, mission modules (if the tasking changes), extra munitions or even transport specialist or Special Operations troops to support the LCS mission are Tenders.  This from Wikipedia...

A destroyer tender is a ship designed to provide maintenance support to a flotilla of destroyers or other small warships. The use of this class has faded from its peak in the first half of the 20th century as the roles of small combatants have evolved (in conjunction with technological advances in propulsion reliability and efficiency).
Due to the increased size and automation of modern destroyers, tenders are no longer as necessary as they once were.

Replace the word 'Destroyer' in the above paragraph with the word 'LCS' and you realize the need exists.

My modest proposal.  Build a stripped down LPD-17 class hull, place cranes on it and you have instant modern day LCS Tender.

*While looking up information on the Dash Drone, I ran across this site which provides more information on Destroyer Tenders of old.  Check it out.

C-5.

A C-5A Galaxy strategic airlifter arrived at Lockheed Martin from the U.S. Air Force to begin major maintenance. This C-5A is assigned to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, home of the 105th Airlift Wing, and will be at the Palmdale site for five months.

A C-5A Galaxy strategic airlifter arrived at Lockheed Martin from the U.S. Air Force to begin major maintenance. This C-5A is assigned to Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York, home of the 105th Airlift Wing, and will be at the Palmdale site for five months.

Nigel is AWESOME!

A few days ago I ran the a video featuring Nigel Farage.  While I support his cause and his words echo my feelings... comments from my European readers were alot less than flattering.

I wrote the UKIP to get a response to the criticisms that flew Nigel's way.

Today I got that response.

Dear Solomon

Many thanks for writing to me about this.  I notice that the comments you mention, from your "readers in Europe", do not address the substance of my speech - which was all about the EU's Central Bank bailing out failing eurozone-countries - at all!

What those "readers" are saying amounts to an ad hominem attack - an ancient rhetorical device for avoiding an argument you can't win - and, in addition, this attack is the oldest canard in the book - "racism", if you please, when UKIP is a declared libertarian, inclusive, democratic Party, battling to remove the megalomanic grasp of the Brussels-bureaucrats from our social, economic, political and judicial throat!  

I don't think you can take it seriously.  UKIP always says , "love Europe - hate the EU!"  It is the neo-soviet EU-system, we are fighting, and the Quisling-conspirators in national governments, who have created this system, and who stay in power, because they are using taxpayers' money, via the EU and directly, to bribe the media and all society's opinion-formers to support them.

As for our neighbours, European and otherwise, we fear for  them - as the EU's power grows - just as much as we fear for ourselves.

What your critics are saying is cynical tosh.

Yours sincerely

Nigel

Wow.


Nigel rocks!

Navy/Marine Team Practice "Logistics" in the runup to Cobra Gold 11...

Marines and Navy personnel offload humvees from the USNS Lummus onto a causeway ferry as they perform a maritime prepositioning force offload during exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011 at the Sattahip Naval Station, Kingdom of Thailand.

Marines and Navy personnel offload humvees from the USNS Lummus onto a causeway ferry as they perform a maritime prepositioning force offload during exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011 at the Sattahip Naval Station, Kingdom of Thailand.

A Navy causeway ferry, top, docks with the USNS Lummus to offload hummvees and other military gear as part of Exercise Freedom Banner on Jan. 25, 2011, Sattahip Navy Base, Thailand. Exercise Freedom Banner utilizes a Maritime Prepositioning Force to offload gear in a timely manner that is unique to the U.S. Marine Corps and Navy.

“An MPF squadron, like MPSRON 3, can support a brigade sized element of more than 16,000 for up to 30 days. For Exercise Cobra Gold ’11, the MPF will provide 160 pieces of equipment that will be utilized by units within 3rd MEB,” said Lt. Col. Michael Curtin, 3rd MEB logistics officer. “MPSRON 3 is an operational asset to the Navy’s Seventh Fleet focusing on the Asia-Pacific region.”

F-35 final development jet.

A Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter comes in for a landing at Edwards AFB, Calif., Saturday, Jan. 22, after a 3.2-hour ferry flight from Fort Worth, Texas.

Appeasement is the proper policy towards Confucian China???

via The Telegraph.

The correct statecraft for the West is to treat Beijing politely but firmly as a member of global club, gambling that the Confucian ethic will over time incline China to a quest for global as well as national concord. Until we face irrefutable evidence that this Confucian bet has failed, 'Boltonism’ must be crushed.
Appeasement, your hour has come.

Wow!

Wow!

Wow!

Before any action is taken...after we have acquiesced to every demand...the pacifist want even more.

Wow!

If you feel like being highly pissed off then read the whole thing, but remember, I warned you!

I love this guy!

Rant Time. Cutting defense the Sweetman way.

Think Defence said this...

Sol, hear what you are saying and I have railed against the corrosive inter service bitching that has beset UK defence for far too long.

Unfortunately, it shows no sign of getting any better, at least at the higher echelons.

Looking in from the outside, the US has 5 air forces each operating manned, unmanned, rotary and fixed wing; Army, USAF, USN, USMC and SOCOM. Now I could be dead wrong but that looks like duplication to me which as I have said may be perfectly fine in times a plenty but of you look at all western nations, the budget deficits are crippling and simply have to be tacked with reductions in spending. Different countries will of course see defence as different priorities, that is only natural, but defence will surely form part of a deficit reduction plan so all armed forces and industry had better get used to that fact for the next 10 or 20 years

Lean times are coming

Sorry for picking on my boy Think Defence but he's thinking along the lines of Sweetman.

Time to bury this bone of thought, kick dirt on it and not let its ugly head rise again (this is a no zombie zone)!


First, lets take this to its most outrageous place...

If you get rid of Marine Air because the Navy and Air Force can perform that function then why not get rid of the Marines entirely.

But wait while we're at it, the US Army is always complaining that the US Air Force doesn't provide close air support or enough transport aircraft for its troops and we once had the Army Air Corps so....

LETS PUT THE Air Force back into the Army.

But wait their is more.  Lets kill the Coast Guard, fold its law enforcement functions into Customs, its rescue facilities into the Navy...

More you say????  We got along without a SOCCOM so we'll send all the snake eaters back to their respective services and save money there.

Who needs land based ballistic missiles?  We can put them all on subs and be more survivable that way...

Oh and the Army?  Yes we folded the Marines and Air Force into it but guess what, we need to downsize it so we'll have it maxed out at say 200,000 men.

Wait a second!  We already had that.  So really lets save money and KILL THE ARMY AND THE USAF AND LEAVE THE DEFENSE OF THIS NATION TO OUR SEA SERVICES!

The Marine Corps is 202,000 strong right now, and can certainly take care of any land battles!

So if you really want to save money, don't kill Marine Air...KILL THE ARMY, KILL THE AIR FORCE AND YOU HAVE ALL THE CUT BACKS YOU COULD EVER NEED!

F-117 wreckage bought by China used to help develop J-20?

via Fox News...

First this---

"At the time, our intelligence reports told of Chinese agents crisscrossing the region where the F-117 disintegrated, buying up parts of the plane from local farmers," says Adm. Davor Domazet-Loso, Croatia's military chief of staff during the Kosovo war.
"We believe the Chinese used those materials to gain an insight into secret stealth technologies ... and to reverse-engineer them," Domazet-Loso said in a telephone interview.
A senior Serbian military official confirmed that pieces of the wreckage were removed by souvenir collectors, and that some ended up "in the hands of foreign military attaches."

Then this---

Zoran Kusovac, a Rome-based military consultant, said the regime of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic routinely shared captured Western equipment with its Chinese and Russian allies.
"The destroyed F-117 topped that wish-list for both the Russians and Chinese," Kusovac said.
Russia's Sukhoi T-50 prototype stealth fighter made its maiden flight last year and is due to enter service in about four years. It is likely that the Russians also gleaned knowledge of stealth technology from the downed Nighthawk.

Hmm.

Either a viable counter measure to stealth already exists with earlier generations of stealth----or those airplanes (the escorts for the B-2's) were flying missile pickets or expendable targets if the jamming didn't work.

I would pay good money to hear what the escorting pilots briefing was before those missions.

Kill or Be Killed.

Update:  I originally had a little commentary with this film.  It didn't do this film justice.  Just watch it.

Sharkeys World Blog..

Did you think that the fight to get the Harrier back into service was over?  If so then you haven't read Sharkeys World Blog.

I don't know how wide spread the movement is, but British Forces will suffer a power projection nightmare for at least 5-10 years if this decision isn't reversed.  The Royal Air Force is professional but a Naval Air Arm is essential.

Update:
The Ark Royal is finally being paraded to the scrap yard  ...  this quote best states my opinion  ...

What will be the next strategic shock? I cannot predict it - nor can the Government. To lose our maritime strike capability in such dangerous times is short-sighted.

Lord West of Spithead

China Defense Blog on the new trainer.

China has a new trainer according to the China Defense Blog.

Aircraft retired too soon...Part 2!

In my previous post, I listed a few aircraft that were retired too soon.  But in light of technological advances this must be modified...my new roster....

F-14

Think about the capabilities of this beast with modern engines, AESA radar in that huge nose, it already had FLIR but add to it a modern derivative...and then add the possibilities with small diameter bombs and you have an early 4th gen that could compete with anything flying...they gave up on it way too soon.

S-3 Viking

The Viking.  Hoover.  First real deal multi-role platform in Navy service.  Name one airplane that served in the Anti-Sub, Anti-Surface, Refueling, Attack, and Electronic warfare roles besides the S-3.  You can't.  It was an original, its still available and should be put back into service.  Especially with the threat of Chinese subs.

C-141

Criticized by many but only because they never understood its role.  Strategic long range airlift.  Fast, and long ranged, it could carry tons of paratroopers to far off lands so they could do their LGOPs thing (Little Groups of Paratroopers rampaging across the country side).  The C-141 filled the role between the C-5 and the C-130...the C-17 is adequate but geared more toward moving gear.  The C-141 has longer legs, is a better people mover and with modern engines would be even more effective.


I'm sure their are many more.  You'll notice that airplanes from our allies aren't included.  If you have good candidates, then send them my way.

Pic of the day. Jan 22, 2011.

Another Joe Copalman special!  A Tucano in the desert of Arizona?  Interesting!

J-20...just a demonstrator?

If the J-20 is just a demonstrator then someone had better tell the Chinese people...and quick!  I love anime' and sci-fi wall papers.  While searching one of my favorite sites for the latest offerings, what did I run across?  I ran across a little bit of Chinese nationalism in the form of the J-20.  Nothing wrong with nationalism, nothing wrong with touting your latest and greatest.

But there is something wrong with our companies helping the enemy all in the name of profits.

There is something wrong with our President bowing to a foreign head of state as if he were subservient (with the implication that the US was subservient to that nation).

Consider this a rant but I'm not pleased with many aspects of our domestic and foreign policy.

Kicking Pirates since the N. Koreans aren't available.

Numerous people have hit me with articles about the S. Korean Navy/Marine Corps retaking a hijacked ship off the coast of Africa.

My take on this?

The N. Koreans weren't available so the Pirates were a poor second choice.

If you believe anything believe this.  The S. Korean Marine Corps, Navy, Army, Air Force, their Leadership and its people all want to taste N. Korean blood after the atrocities of a few weeks ago.

The pirates just nutted up and attacked the wrong ship.

This got beyond interesting.  It got deadly for some misguided idiotic little boys that picked the wrong target because they didn't have a clue when it came to the political power of the people when they're sufficiently enraged. 

The S. Korean government had no choice but to act forcefully.  Another black eye and they would have been forced out of power.

Russian uproar over AK-47 replacement talk.

via FoxNews...

"The AK-47 is outdated because of it’s not an accurate weapon,” Scales said. “What I suspect is the Russian are looking for something that's a little bit more refined, a little bit more versatile, more accurate -- and their willing to sacrifice what the AK-47 brought in 1947."
Scales says an accuracy target of 400 meters is not good enough for modern day warfare. The gold standard for weapons in the West is the American M-4, which is accurate to 600 meters and beyond.

Interesting.  The Russians have done good work with the AK-74 and its many derivatives so the call to possibly buy a foreign weapon is curious to me.

I don't know whats going on inside Russia but something appears to be brewing.

First the buy of the Mistral...

Second the attempt to buy Israeli UAVs...

Third the idea of buying IVECO armored vehicles...

and now the idea is being floated of buying Western small arms!

What is going on inside there?

Sweetman is at it again.

If Sweetman didn't write this then the "dark lord" has a new apprentice.

via Aviation Week...

Considering the immense deficit-reduction work that lies ahead to help restore U.S. economic strength—which underwrites the nation’s military power—the aerospace industry ought to have breathed a sigh of relief when Defense Secretary Robert Gates recently unveiled the Pentagon’s Fiscal 2012 budget. Even with $78 billion stripped from future spending and another $100 million reallocated internally, government suppliers for the most part still dodged the proverbial bullet.
One that did not was General Dynamics and its Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. The Marine Corps program was the poster child for paying more to get less. The same holds true for the intractable problems of other programs canceled over the past few years, such as the Army’s Future Combat Systems and the Navy’s DDG-1000 destroyer, among others. Whether they are actually gone is another matter. Most live on as declared goals of the U.S. military.
Ironically, by eliminating programs that were hopelessly over budget and behind schedule, Gates removed some of the anchors around the collective necks of industry and the Pentagon, while at the same time encouraging them to pursue more affordable systems that still satisfy the mission. Of course, the budget in which they must work will be incrementally smaller, but it is still gargantuan; what else would you call a spending plan of at least $553 billion and growing? In short, Gates effectively handed the Pentagon and industry a second chance to get it right.
That is not to say the challenge facing them will be easy. Underlying all the heated debates about how much money the U.S. really needs to spend to maintain robust national security are some inconvenient truths:
•Budget decisions made now will dictate what the force structure looks like in 2020. Yet increasingly those decisions are heavily influenced by the conflict in Afghanistan, undercutting the ability to build militaries prepared for different conflicts. In the U.K., for example, a question being asked is whether that country’s capabilities are overly skewed to land warfare as a result of its experience in south-central Asia. Many camps in the U.S. believe American forces must look very different in 2020.
•Too much emphasis has been placed on unit costs, with less and less consideration to the value that a new weapon system offers the warfighter. As long as Congress insists on funding weapon systems year-to-year, relying almost exclusively on metrics such as unit costs, we will continue to see program death spirals, virtually assuring truncated purchases of advanced capabilities that will be vital in the future such as active, electronically scanned array radar and imbedded sensors.
•Smarter purchasing practices by government customers and greater efficiency by industry have to go well beyond the usual arguments over whether one system or another makes sense in the global threat environment of the future. The competitive process dominates the front end of a program. The more complex and less frequent the new programs, the greater the incentive to underbid and overpromise. Result: a culture that suppresses reality until it is too late to fix a troubled program, and so it rolls on.
•It should not take 20 years to develop a tiltrotor aircraft or an F-35. Even the F-111 program, hardly a model of management oversight in the 1960s, delivered the first workable aircraft, the F-111E, in seven years from contract award.
•The Defense Department is long past the point where it needs to make tradeoffs in roles and missions. To put it another way, every armed service does not need to fulfill its own organic capability in all areas. For example, why couldn’t the Navy or Air Force be tasked with providing the Marines Corps with the air support it needs? Congress—which itself has failed in its duties lately—must stop allowing turf wars to block reforms.
•Industry has a credibility problem with its dubious record on program performance. The best strategy that contractors have in a severely fiscally constrained environment is to keep their promises, and fess up if they can’t. The Air Force may need a new bomber, and the Navy may want a new unmanned combat aircraft, but neither will be built on the unrealistic cost estimation process of the past.
Given the financial abyss in which this country finds itself, no one is going to support granting the defense community a special dispensation from responsible cuts in military spending. Nor should they. That means suppliers and customers alike better get it right going forward; a new generation of affordable weapon systems will be needed, and taking any longer than absolutely necessary to field them is not an option.

Talk about a personal jihad against land forces...against the Marine Corps...against anything that isn't USAF blue!  WOW!

Every bullet point I highlighted struck me as misguided but the last one takes the cake!

The Air Force may need a new bomber and the Navy MAY WANT A .....

Amazing!  Its obvious to me that Bill isn't grounded in American politics.  If he thinks that a Republican Congress is going to do away with Marine Air, or that his continued harping on the F-35 is going to sway policy makers then he's in for a serious disappointment.

As a matter of fact, several Ohio law makers are pushing against the EFV being canceled...one of them is the new Speaker of the House....

Bill ole' boy face it...what happened in the UK won't happen here.  Totally different style of government...two years ago when the Democrats were in control then yes...but now???  Not a snowballs chance in hell.

P-8 set for initial production.

via NAVAIR...

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - The U.S. Navy announced today the award of a $1.6 billion contract to Boeing for P-8A Poseidon aircraft Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) of six aircraft.

This first LRIP contract also includes spares, logistics and training devices. Production of the first LRIP aircraft will begin this summer at Boeing’s Renton, Wash. facility.

“In 2004, the U.S. Navy and the Boeing Company made a commitment to deliver the next generation maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft to support a 2013 Initial Operational Capability (IOC),” said Capt. Mike Moran, PMA 290 Program Manager. “This contract and these aircraft keep that commitment on track.”

Three of the six flight test aircraft, built as part of the System Development and Demonstration contract awarded to Boeing in 2004, are in various stages of testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. The Integrated Test Team has conducted sonobuoy releases and counter measures deployments.

Recently, one of two static test planes completed full scale testing on the P-8A airframe. The first static test aircraft underwent 154 different tests with no failure of the primary structure. The second aircraft will begin fatigue testing this year.

The U.S. Navy plans to purchase 117 production P-8A aircraft to replace its P-3 Fleet. IOC is planned for 2013 at NAS Jacksonville, Fla.

Wow.

Want to talk about a program that was designed to replace a cold war relic?

Want to talk about a program that was filled with the possibility of failure and delay?

Want to talk about a program that seems to have not only survived, not only thrived but also is being welcomed by the Fleet?

Then you want to talk about the P-8A.

LCS 3...the video.

Ok Mike...Time to come back!

worth a read!

Hey, do you all remember Mike at New Wars?

He put his blog in dry dock and in my opinion, its time for him to bring it back...

So Mike ole' buddy, if you're reading this...break time is over!  Get back in action!

Military Sealift Command had it right in 2003...

A single ship sea base.  Make sure to check out ThinkDefence's take on the "original" AFSB, the Atlantic Conveyor.

This from their website...

Afloat Forward Staging Base

MSC, through the CNO’s SeaPower 21 and sea-basing initiative, is developing the concept of the afloat forward staging base to rapidly and efficiently meet the U.S. Marine Corps’ future requirements and to support joint forces’ ability to launch combat power from the sea. MSC is exploring a commercial approach to the AFSB, taking advantage of our experience with the maritime community and industry’s research and development capabilities.

The proposed AFSB concept uses a 1,140-foot commercial container ship with a 140-foot beam, puts a flight deck on top to launch and recover helicopters and, potentially, short take-off and landing, fixed-wing aircraft. The ship would use modular berthing, feeding, medical and administrative spaces and would incorporate a selective cargo discharge system, automating supply selection and distribution.

Rapidly fielding the MPC.

How can we push forward a rapid fielding of the Marine Personnel Carrier?

We tag the purchase to the US Army's Stryker program and we kill a couple of birds with one stone.

BAE SEP Alligator

CV 90 Armadillo

First, while I would love the modularity that the SEP could bring to the table... while I'm intrigued by the idea of ignoring wheels and going with tracks with the CV90 Armadillo and while the French VBCI and the German Boxer all seem like capable vehicles...we need this quick...

French VBCI

German Boxer

The answer is the Piranha IIIC.

Its amphibious (on lakes and streams)...

Its has a degree (slight) of modularity...

Its in the same family as the Army Stryker...

Its a proven design in service with the Brazilian Marine Corps and the Romanian Army as well as several other armed forces worldwide.

If you want this done quickly then you select the vehicle that you want and write the requirements to fit it (sorta like the USAF did with the A-300 in the Tanker competition).

Its doable, its quick and it'll get a vehicle that our Marines need sooner rather than later.  Remember, a lack of urgency led to the EFV failure.

13th MEU receives combat certification

Marines from Amphibious Assault Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, drive their Amphibious Assault Vehicles onto the USS Green Bay in preparation for Certification Exercise, Dec. 6. From Dec. 7-17, U.S. Marines and sailors from the BOXER Amphibious Ready Group – 13th Marine Expeditionary Group team conducted CERTEX 2010 in order to validate essential MEU mission sets in preparation for their upcoming deployment. Marines conducted operations from long range helicopter raids to Humanitarian Assistance Operations to Visit Board Search and Seizure missions. Marines and sailors of the 13th MEU proved that they are a capable amphibious force in readiness. “Any mission, any time."

Marines from Tank Platoon, Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, ground guide a M1-A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Dec. 14, during Certification Exercise. From Dec. 7-17, U.S. Marines and sailors from the BOXER Amphibious Ready Group – 13th Marine Expeditionary Group team conducted CERTEX 2010 in order to validate essential MEU mission sets in preparation for their upcoming deployment. Marines conducted operations from long range helicopter raids to Humanitarian Assistance Operations to Visit Board Search and Seizure missions. Marines and sailors of the 13th MEU proved that they are a capable amphibious force in readiness. “Any mission, any time.”

Marines from Alpha Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepare to move to another defensive position after conducting a Amphibious Assault aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Dec. 14, during Certification Exercise. From Dec. 7-17, U.S. Marines and sailors from the BOXER Amphibious Ready Group – 13th Marine Expeditionary Group team conducted CERTEX 2010 in order to validate essential MEU mission sets in preparation for their upcoming deployment. Marines conducted operations from long range helicopter raids to Humanitarian Assistance Operations to Visit Board Search and Seizure missions. Marines and sailors of the 13th MEU proved that they are a capable amphibious force in readiness. “Any mission, any time.”

WW II Marine Corps Humor...

Five cannibals were employed by Marines as scouts and translators during one of the island campaigns during World War II. When the Commanding Officer of ground forces welcomed the cannibals he said, "You're all part of our team now. We will compensate you well for your services, and you can eat any of the rations that the Marines are eating. But please don't indulge yourselves by eating a Marine."

The cannibals promised.

Four weeks later the C. O. returned and said, "You're all working very hard, and I'm very satisfied with all of you. However, one of our sergeants has disappeared. Do any of you know what happened to him?"

The cannibals all shook their heads 'no'.

After the C.O. left, the leader of the cannibals turned to the others and said, "Which of you idiots ate the sergeant?"

A hand raised hesitantly, to which the leader of the cannibals replied, "You fool! For four weeks we've been eating Lieutenants, Captains, and Majors and no one noticed anything,.. then YOU had to go and eat an NCO!"

Must Read. Gates challenges Marine Corps missions.

via Forbes (read the whole thing here)

The Marine Corps is facing a historic defeat at the hands of Defense Secretary Roberts Gates, and hardly anyone inside or outside the Corps seems to grasp what is happening. On January 6, Gates disclosed a series of proposed budget cuts that included termination of an amphibious vehicle the Marines have been developing for 15 years. He said the vehicle cost too much — around $17 million per copy — and that the service therefore should extend the life of existing amphibious vehicles while searching for a more affordable replacement. Gates stressed that, “This decision does not call into question the Marines’ amphibious assault mission.”
Taking that assurance at face value, prime contractor General Dynamics launched a campaign to convince Congress and the Obama Administration that buying a smaller number of the vehicles while upgrading current amphibious systems would be more cost-effective than canceling the program and starting over. Many backers of the Marine Corps on Capitol Hill seem favorably disposed to the idea. But what neither Congress nor the contractor seem to understand is that the Gates move isn’t really about the cost of one program. It’s about the cost of the whole “forcible entry” mission at the heart of the modern Marine Corps identity, and the desire of competing claimants on the Pentagon’s budget to use that money for other purposes.

Is this the real reason for "Next Generation Bomber" and other programs that seem to suck money but provide no benefit?

Is it time to put guns back on amphibs?

Above you see the commissioning photo of the USS Tarawa.  Notice the two 5 inch guns on its bow?

What happened and why did we lose these weapons?

If the requirements are changing and we expect assault echelon ships to make runs toward the beach to disembark its Marines (since holding at 25 miles off shore is no longer considered any safer than 10 miles in)...then why don't we have these fabulous weapons, along with modern warheads to engage shore based missile batteries, small boats and other threats in the littorals.

Maybe its time to take a blast from the past and put guns back on amphibs!