Sunday, December 11, 2011
Silencers in use by Designated Marksmen
Just noticed in these pics that I posted earlier that either an assigned Sniper or a unit Designated Marksman is using a silencer on his weapon.
Absolutely awesome.
I do wonder what happened to the initiative that was to see silencers become widely used by all Infantry Marines though. It would make sense and its something that we can get done today.
Is the US Army relevant in the near term?
National Defense Blog has a titillating article on the relevance of the US Army in the near term and a interesting view of the Air-Sea Battle concept in general. Definitely worth the read. Check it out here but a tidbit.
Another topic of discussion was how the Army would maintain its presence in strategic areas of the world, such as Asia, when it will have fewer foreign bases and most of its forces will be stateside.A few points just jump out at me.
This concern harkens back to the late 1990s, when the Army feared for its relevance as its forces were deemed to slow and heavy to deploy to urgent crises. For a U.S.-based force, the ability to rapidly move troops is “going to be a problem for the Army,” said Steven Metz, a strategist at the Army War College.
Another theme that emerged from the seminar is the notion that, barring a major war, the Army might not be needed, or even wanted, in many parts the world. In Africa, for instance, foreign allies typically need help building roads, hospitals or assistance in humanitarian relief, but they do not always welcome U.S. military presence. “How to you work with someone who needs you but doesn't want you?” asked Lt. Col. Thomas Talley, an advisor at U.S. Africa Command.
First we're back to transformation. God help us we're back to Rumsfield's transformation. Air-Sea Battle smacks of it.
Second, we have a US Army that's still too damn heavy! The JLTV that's being pushed on the Marine Corps is the most obvious example of it. The double hulled Stryker is another example. Lastly the biggest villain is the Ground Combat Vehicle. US Army procurement today is killing it for tomorrow.
Lastly the US Army is extremely relevant, just not in the way that it wants. Its relevance is in its Soldiers. They need to make a strong move back to its old format of a couple of Divisions of Light Infantry. Change the 25th back to Light Fighters. Make the 1st ID Light Fighters. You get the idea. Heck even consider an additional Air Assault Division but understand that a heavily mechanized force with little balance is not the way forward...especially if you're going to have to fight world wide....not just the desert but in the jungles and mountains too.
UPDATE!
B. Smitty hit on something and it got me to thinking. The warfare in Afghanistan for the past decade has sowed the seeds of success for the US Army. How? By forcing them to operate as essentially motorized infantry. Stryker brigades deploy without their Strykers and operate out of MRAPs. And just like with HUMVEEs or more specifically with the failed 9th ID motorized experiment, when your infantry just uses the vehicle as transports and are less wedded to them then they have a chance of maintaining infantry proficiency. If the Army is to be mechanized then lets adjust and have a portion motorized instead.
The Role of the US Marine Corps...
The Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., spoke to the Center for Strategic and International Studies Dec. 7. ...via USMC
The Role of the Marine CorpsSo in short, what is the Marine Corps mission or rather role in the defense establishment?
Dunford explained that the WWII draw down was crafted by the day’s best strategists, and they got it wrong. Their predictions about the future were wrong. And historically, we don’t have a good track record of making accurate predictions about what the future holds. The one thing we can safely say is that the future security environment is complex, dynamic and most importantly, uncertain.
This is why the mission of the Marine Corps as it was crafted in the early 1950’s by the 82nd Congress makes sense. In 1951 and 1952, Congress held hearings about what had happened in early days of the Korean War. They were horrified that we as a nation had sent men into harm’s way so unprepared. After hearing from witnesses and influenced by the actions of Marines on the Korean Peninsula, they determined that the nation needed a crisis response force and that that force should be the United States Marine Corps.
A little more than a year ago, then Secretary of Defense Gates challenged the Marine Corps to define its unique role in a post-Operation Enduring Freedom world. The Marine Corps convened a group of senior leaders called the Force Structure Review Group. That group looked at what the Marines’ mission was as described by the 82nd Congress, they looked at what the Marines had done in the recent past (to include 130 amphibious operations since 1990), and assumptions about the future security environment. They concluded that the mission of the Marine Corps was unchanged and that America still need a crisis response force in readiness, a force that could deter potential adversaries, demonstrate commitment, buy time for decision makers, respond to crises and enable joint/interagency operations.
To be most ready when the nation is least ready.
To provide a full spectrum force that is capable of arriving at far off shores and win.
The nation needs the Marines to be the Marines.
Operation Western Gambit clears insurgents in Now Zad
Sharkey Ward on the Falklands situation...
Sharkey Ward through the Phoenix Think Tank has come out guns blazing at not only the decision to sell the Harriers to the USMC (thank you UK...we luv you guys!) but also the RAF and the decision making on the Falkland Islands...Read it all here.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Pic of the day. Fighter elephant walk.
Friday, December 09, 2011
Tanks complete final exercise before deployment
Thursday, December 08, 2011
Programs that we could afford to see go away.
Everyone is talking about the upcoming budget crunch that the US is facing in the defense sphere and reacting as if its the end of the world.
I beg to differ. While the wars have been going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, we've seen a number of projects and initiatives started that don't fit our needs and should be done away with today.
1. JLTV. This vehicle started out as a HUMVEE replacement and then turned into a more modern M-ATV. Its too heavy, costs too much and if we need protection against IED's then its time to pull MRAPs out of storage. A number of manufacturers have developed upgrades for HUMVEEs that we should buy. The JLTV is just not needed.
2. GCV. The ground combat vehicle. Wow. Where do I start. First the Bradley in its ultimate form is already a world class vehicle. Second we have excess Bradley's and if the US Army needs a M-113 replacement, a better option would be to modify those excess Bradley's by removing the turrets, adding a RWS and installing ballistic seats and spall liners. Improvements in its suspension and power train along with additional armor in required areas should hold be sufficient for Army use.
3. Observation Helicopter Replacement. The US Army might as well face it. Its going to fly Kiowas till 2030. Just get on with it and upgrade the helicopters it has and buy new ones instead of developing a brand new supply chain and training centers. The AA-72X might be impressive. The OH-6 too and the AH-64 lite or whatever they're calling it but common sense and urgency require that the foolishness stop and reality accepted.
4. NGB. The next generation bomber is a pipe dream. Penetration of enemy defenses by large bombers is not going to happen. Money better spent would be to develop ultra high speed cruise missiles. Fixing existing bombers might help too. I find it hard to believe that the B-1 can't be re-engined to fill this role.
Of course there are a number of other programs that can go on this list ranging from small arms to nuclear weapons. The point is quite simply this. We can afford to make cuts in some of our defense programs without jeopardizing our safety and the safety of our allies. Even with as big as a one quarter cut in the defense budget and we still should be fine. Even in the face of a rising China.
Now if we could only make some cuts that would really help...you know, like getting rid of a whole ton of flag officers! That would make my day!
Disclaimer:
The Flag Officer remark is not aimed at Admiral Venelet. I simply believe that we have too many. Generals are in positions once commanded by Colonels. Etc...
I beg to differ. While the wars have been going on in Iraq and Afghanistan, we've seen a number of projects and initiatives started that don't fit our needs and should be done away with today.
1. JLTV. This vehicle started out as a HUMVEE replacement and then turned into a more modern M-ATV. Its too heavy, costs too much and if we need protection against IED's then its time to pull MRAPs out of storage. A number of manufacturers have developed upgrades for HUMVEEs that we should buy. The JLTV is just not needed.
2. GCV. The ground combat vehicle. Wow. Where do I start. First the Bradley in its ultimate form is already a world class vehicle. Second we have excess Bradley's and if the US Army needs a M-113 replacement, a better option would be to modify those excess Bradley's by removing the turrets, adding a RWS and installing ballistic seats and spall liners. Improvements in its suspension and power train along with additional armor in required areas should hold be sufficient for Army use.
3. Observation Helicopter Replacement. The US Army might as well face it. Its going to fly Kiowas till 2030. Just get on with it and upgrade the helicopters it has and buy new ones instead of developing a brand new supply chain and training centers. The AA-72X might be impressive. The OH-6 too and the AH-64 lite or whatever they're calling it but common sense and urgency require that the foolishness stop and reality accepted.
4. NGB. The next generation bomber is a pipe dream. Penetration of enemy defenses by large bombers is not going to happen. Money better spent would be to develop ultra high speed cruise missiles. Fixing existing bombers might help too. I find it hard to believe that the B-1 can't be re-engined to fill this role.
Of course there are a number of other programs that can go on this list ranging from small arms to nuclear weapons. The point is quite simply this. We can afford to make cuts in some of our defense programs without jeopardizing our safety and the safety of our allies. Even with as big as a one quarter cut in the defense budget and we still should be fine. Even in the face of a rising China.
Now if we could only make some cuts that would really help...you know, like getting rid of a whole ton of flag officers! That would make my day!
Disclaimer:
The Flag Officer remark is not aimed at Admiral Venelet. I simply believe that we have too many. Generals are in positions once commanded by Colonels. Etc...
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