A meeting with enemy...

Major Gen. John A. Toolan, the commanding general for RC (SW), and Maj. Gen. Charles M. Gurganus, who is assuming command of RC (SW), speak with Qasim Khydri, the deputy governor of Nimruz province, during a key leader engagement meeting, March 9. Topics discussed during the meeting included the governance, security and developmental successes of Nimruz within the last couple of years since International Security Assistance Forces started to put an invested interest in the region. By LCpl Mark Garcia.

Ok its really our so called allies.  But the title seems appropriate.  After all, can you really tell a difference in Afghanistan?

Thomas Jefferson was right.

Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.
Thomas Jefferson

Seems like the old timers were right.

At least if they're named Thomas Jefferson.

Everywhere we look it appears that a strange mixture of staunch Liberals and Neo-Conservatives (think John McCain and his camp follower from S.C.) want us involved in every conflict world wide.

The Obama Administration hasn't made it any easier with a policy that's confusing at best, contradictory at worst.  Libya was ok, Syria not ok.  In Libya we interviened because of the THREAT of violence against his country's population, in Syria we won't even though thousands have been killed.

The latest of these appeals to involve US troops is this Invisible Children/Kony 2012 campaign.

Don't get me wrong.  I don't like the idea of children being used in war.  I don't understand the religious dynamic here (although from my limited reading, it makes sense that African Christians would finally start fighting back) and I sure don't under stand the political/social workings either.

Which makes Jefferson's warning even more applicable.  If we involve ourselves even in humanitarian endeavors we have embarked on an entangling alliance.

Syria, Uganda, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iraq...entanglements that provide us no advantages and only serve to drain our resources and manpower.

Time to leave these countries to their own devices.  If they survive and if they are worthy then we can become friends.  If not then God help them because we won't.

NOTE:

I give it a year and we'll see Special Ops having to try another raid to rescue some misguided souls from the US that think that they have to fly halfway around the world to help their fellow man.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Lots of work to be done right here in the good ole' USA.  But like I said.  By the end of the year we'll have to send in SOCOM to rescue some wayward soul.

UPDATE:

Looks like my instincts were correct.  I don't agree with some of this young ladies characterizations but I agree with her premise that this stop KONY 2012 is bullshit.  Someone is trying to make a buck.  This is craziness.  Long story short.  Lets stay out of other peoples affairs.

 

Tanks, Artillery and Recon should be pissed.

I can't shake how pissed I am about this video.

The good:

It shows the USMC performing the most difficult of military operations (yeah that's right, every military expert says that an opposed amphibious assault is the most difficult of operations) with speed, and precision.

The bad:

Care packages in the back of helos, MTVR's and the emphasis on the Marine Corps being an armed Salvation Army.

The weird:

LouG reminded me of a fact that I failed to notice before.  The F/A-18 is never noted in Marine Propaganda.  In this vid, Tankers, Artillery, Recon, Snipers and other members of the combat arms, combat support community are left out.

I guess a 70 ton tank driving off an LCAC doesn't promote the idea of serving food to the masses.

Its true. The UK might switch back to the F-35B.

Interesting news Gents.

I stand by my statement.  The F-35B WILL be the best selling model of this airplane when it comes to foreign buyers.  It won't even be close.

Check this out from Bloomberg.

The U.K. is reconsidering its 2010 decision not to buy Lockheed (LMT) Martin Corp.’s F-35B jet, said U.S. Navy Vice Admiral David Venlet, program manager for the Joint Strike Fighter.

Asked in an interview if the U.K. is again interested in the F-35’s short-takeoff and vertical landing model, Venlet replied: “That is under consideration.”
If the U.K. decides to buy the F-35B, it would be a boost to Bethesda, Maryland-based Lockheed, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps, which is the major customer for the airplane. In January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted a yearlong probation on the B model, which is the most complex of the three F-35 variants. At an estimated $382 billion to produce different models for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program.
In October 2010, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, who is scheduled to visit the U.S. and meet with President Barack Obama March 13-14, announced that Britain wouldn’t buy the F-35B model. Instead, the U.K. expressed interest in the Navy’s aircraft carrier version, which is projected to be cheaper than the short-takeoff and vertical landing model.

The U.K.’s reconsideration of the F-35B model is a “relatively new development” driven by “national U.K. financial constraints and what it costs” to modify its two future Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers so they could carry the U.S. Navy’s F-35C, Venlet said after a presentation to a Credit Suisse conference on defense programs yesterday in Arlington, Virginia.

Read the entire article but....

I guess the old saying "steel is cheap, electronics are expensive" actually is true.  I'm having a bit of trouble believing that this entire decision is based on the costs to modify the ships though.

Supposedly that was taken into account when they decided to switch to the C version in the first place.  This strikes me as more political than industrial and books will be written about the Brits vacillating between different versions of the F-35.

A small, neat, multirole helicopter from the Polish nation.

Heat Ray?

Geez.

I remember when this was requested in Iraq and it got denied.

Still conflicted on the use of non lethal weapons in a war zone.  In my opinion it gives the lawyers another reason to second guess the guy on the ground dealing with a belligerent person.

This might or might not work.

Thanks Joe for the info!

State Dept CH-46.

Geez it looks better in State Dept colors than it ever did in the old grey.  I hope it fly's a long time.

State Department H-46 in flight near Fleet Readiness Center East, March 8.

Still not sold.

Watch this video.


Watch it carefully.


What do you see?



I saw a magnificent combined arms task force performing the most difficult of all military operations....

WHILE DELIVERY AID PACKAGES!  WHILE BEING A MILITARIZED MEALS ON WHEELS!

THIS STILL SUCKS!

DUMP THIS AD CAMPAIGN!

Fuck! The Marine Corps turns metrosexual.

I think I'm gonna be sick.

We're turning a war fighting organization into a meals on wheels, Dr. Phil and general all around wimp club instead.

Read this bullshit over at Military.com.

I'm going grab a shot of Makers Mark.  Make that two.

UPDATE:

Before all the apologist hit me with their nonsense, understand this;  if you want to help starving children, deliver medical aid in a third world country or build schools in undeveloped areas then you need to join the Peace Corps, or some other relief agency.

If you want to be a part of what was once the world's premier shock troops then you join the Marine Corps.

Poor leadership leads to poor results.

"Nuff said.

Friday Fun

Enjoy.