16:28 GMT, March 23, 2012 Singapore | ST Kinetics, the land systems arm of ST Engineering, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) today announced they will team for the upcoming U.S. Marine Corps Marine Personnel Carrier (MPC) programme.As a sidenote...
The MPC will provide U.S. Marine infantry formations with an advanced generation eight-wheeled armoured personnel carrier. The MPC is intended to be a highly protected and swim-capable vehicle, with requirements shaped to provide a balance of performance, protection, and payload to ensure it is effective across the full range of military operations. The MPC programme calls for the production of approximately 100 units per year for up to 7 years, with initial awards for the testing and demonstration phase expected in April 2012.
"The SAIC and ST Kinetics team will base its offering on the modern TERREX 8x8 Armoured Personnel Carrier already fielded by the Singapore Armed Forces. By using existing and proven technology, tailored to Marine expeditionary requirements, we will be able to quickly deliver a simple, elegant, enduring and USMC-usable capability to meet the programme's critical needs and schedule." ~ Dan ZANINI, Senior Vice President and Landforce Systems Operation Manager, SAIC
Under the teaming agreement, SAIC will serve as the prime contractor for the MPC programme, with both companies combining their ground vehicle integration, design, production, fielding, and support expertise to field and provide the best solution to the U.S. Marines.
"We are proud to field ST Kinetics' TERREX as the basis for our team's offering for the USMC MPC programme. We are confident that the advanced design of the TERREX, particularly in the areas of survivability and crew habitability, will underpin an effective and affordable solution usable by the US Marines in a myriad of tough environments." ~ Patrick CHOY, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, ST Kinetics
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| Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti flew F-35B BF-12 (Navy Bureau Number 168309), on its inaugural flight on 12 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB. |
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| Soldiers of the IDF's elite naval commando unit 'Shayetet 13' are getting ready for a training exercise on a Sa'ar 5-class Corvette of the Israeli Navy. |
SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan -- In an effort to stamp out the “cancer” that is hazing, the Marine Corps has updated its hazing policy to include more officer accountability as well as information and instruction for those affected, Marine officials said this week.The current policy works.
Gen. James F. Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, ordered an update to the 1997 policy in an attempt to bring the Marine Corps in line with Navy guidance and to rein in what he called a “leadership issue” following several high-profile cases of hazing in the ranks.
Military leaders were on Capitol Hill on Thursday to discuss hazing with members of the House Armed Services Committee on Military Personnel. At that hearing, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., pleaded for an end to the culture of hazing.
The new Marine Corps policy now defines hazing as “any conduct whereby a military member or members, regardless of service or rank, without proper authority causes another military member or members to suffer or be exposed to any activity which is cruel, abusive, humiliating, oppressive, demeaning or harmful.”
Hmmm.Pentagon officials said Thursday that they expect Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, 38, to be charged on Friday on 17 counts of murder, among other lesser charges.The charges "are expected tomorrow," a U.S. official told Yahoo News Thursday night on condition of anonymity.
That's just a snippet, but the best thing about this entire article is that it confirms a couple things that were speculated and more importantly it gives the perspective of the guys involved.Out over the South Atlantic, two C130 Hercules transports of 47 Squadron Royal Air Force battle through the night. Buffeted by strong headwinds, they skim the waves at 50 feet to evade detection. The co-pilots peer through night‑vision goggles, guiding the pilots towards the coast, one lapse enough to cause disaster. Night vision is in its infancy, the devices a secret gift from the Americans. Tension mounts as landfall over Argentina approaches, the conclusion of a 13‑hour flight from Ascension Island involving two mid-air rendezvous with Victor tankers.Behind the crews, in the cavernous holds of the Hercules, some 60 men of B Squadron, 22nd SAS Regiment, ready their weapons and vehicles, Land Rovers bristling with machine guns. This is a one‑way mission, the best outcomes being escape to neutral Chile, or capture. The worst outcome is all too obvious.Minutes later, the C130s slam down on the runway at Rio Grande. The rear doors are already open, the lowered ramps scraping the ground. In an instant, the Land Rovers are charging straight for the apron where four French-built Super Etendard fighters of the Argentine navy stand. Some of the SAS fling charges into the engine intakes while others search for the Etendard pilots, who are to be shot on sight. Another group search for the weapon that above all others threatens Britain with defeat in the South Atlantic: the Exocet. Moments later, the first charges explode. Gunfire erupts. The world dissolves into chaos.
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| Major Joseph R. Jackson, the lead governance and development advisor with 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, directs Marines as they escort Holly Barnes, the field program manager of the District Stabilization Team in Kajaki for the U.S. Agency for International Development, on a patrol here, March 13, 2012. The Marines escorted officials from USAID and the U.S. Department of State to the bazaar to meet with local business owners and workers at the health clinic. For the first time since 2006, businesses began returning to the Tangye Bazaar after coalition forces cleared the area of insurgents and brought security to the Kajaki district center. Photo by Sgt. Jacob Harrer |
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| Lance Corporal Juan R. Sanchezvelazquez, a motor transport operator with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, walks across a bridge here during a patrol into the Tangye Bazaar, March 13, 2012. The Marines escorted officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Marine Corps to the bazaar to meet with local business owners and workers at the health clinic here. For the first time since 2006, businesses began returning to the Tangye Bazaar after coalition forces cleared the area of insurgents and brought security to the Kajaki district center. Photo by Sgt. Jacob Harrer |
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| Corporal Diego E. Castaneda, a motor transport mechanic and assistant patrol leader with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, directs his Marines during a patrol here, March 13, 2012. The Marines escorted officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Marine Corps to the bazaar to meet with local business owners and workers at the health clinic. For the first time since 2006, businesses began returning to the Tangye Bazaar after coalition forces cleared the area of insurgents and brought security to the Kajaki district center. Photo by Sgt. Jacob Harrer |
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| Lance Cpl. Paul L. Mares, a cannonier with Golf Battery, 2nd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, provides rear security with his M240 light machine gun during a patrol here, March 13, 2012. The Marines escorted officials from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Marine Corps to the bazaar to meet with local business owners and workers at the health clinic. For the first time since 2006, businesses began returning to the Tangye Bazaar after coalition forces cleared the area of insurgents and brought security to the Kajaki district center. Photo by Sgt. Jacob Harrer |
