Drunk Marines recorded yelling "Fuck Niggers" on Snapchat...

via Splinter Blog.

New videos circulating on social media appear to show members of the U.S. Marine Corps drinking beer bongs, partying, and repeatedly yelling “fuck n****rs.” Because when we send our troops, we’re only sending our best, right?

The Snapchat videos were shared on Twitter Friday by teacher and activist Zellie Imani, who asked, “Is this commonplace @USMC?”

Story and vid here. 

Note to racists Marines.  I know you exist and don't care.  But have enough common sense to not broadcast your idiocy over the internet.

You're gonna get slammed and again.  I don't care.  But you're making the entire Corps look bad because you're a moronic fucking fool.

Keep that shit behind your barracks doors, maybe in the common areas if your battalion rolls like that, or in town with others of your kind. 

But stop doing stupid shit that brings disgrace to the entire organization.

Russian AWACS, A-100 takes flight..

Story here.

This is being reported all over the place so why am I putting it here?  Because it is relevant.  Notice that the US Navy went ahead with the E-2D a couple of years ago, but we only recently heard about breakthroughs in GaN technology.

Because the Russians went second they're able to incorporate (maybe...the article isn't at all clear) the latest tech into their airplane.

But there is something a bit more ominous about this.

If the AWACS is tied into the Russian Anti-Aircraft complex then we're looking at formidable radars that are both ground and air based.  If they're doing this right then they're gonna be able to extend the detection range against our stealth force.

The solution is simple but will require a new mindset.

Stealth isn't king.  We have to be prepared to roll back enemy defenses in the way that retired Admiral Greenert talked about and start emphasizing electronic warfare.

There is no easy way.  We need to buckle down and get ready to do the hard work required to win.

Open Comment Post. Nov 19, 2017

Your new computer wallpaper courtesy of Joe Copalman's Flickr Page

PAIR OF SPADES
A pair of AH-1Z Vipers from HMLA-267 'Stingers' return to NAF El Centro after a live-fire sortie on the nearby ranges.

Rare Armor. Armored personnel carriers Type 1 Ho-Ki via Bmashina Tumblr Page.

Armored personnel carriers Type 1 Ho-Ki, in China, in the summer of 1945.

One day an armor historian will do a better accounting of Japanese, Chinese and Australian armor during WW2.

We have a glut of info on the Russians and Germans.  We have quite a bit on the US.

But the pacific is where everyone has the misconception that armor wasn't used and that it was an all infantry affair.

Part of that lies with the Marine Corps.  Up until a few years ago, Infantry was all (now its aviation) so the valor of tanks/lvtp crews was lost in the sauce.

We need to do better...that includes properly cataloging Japanese efforts during the war.

Yes I know there is an Argentine sub missing...

via CNN

The Argentine navy is stepping up its search in the South Atlantic for a 44-crew submarine that has been out of radio contact for three days.
President Maurico Macri said all national and international resources were being deployed to help find the San Juan as quickly as possible.
A Nasa research plane has joined the search for the vessel.
Britain and countries in the region have offered help after it disappeared 430km (267 miles) off the coast.
"We have not been able to find, or have visual or radar communication with the submarine," navy spokesman Enrique Balbi told a news conference.

Story here. 

Since everyone is filling my inbox with this news I decided to speak on it.

Yes I know there is a missing Argentine sub.

No I haven't commented on it.

Why?

Because we already know the story.  When a sub goes missing and it has to be searched for then 99% of the time the story will end in tragedy.

If the news release was that rescue equipment, ships and planes were rushing to the site of an Argentine sub in distress then we would have something to talk about.

We could watch the rescue effort, determine what we see that's to be cheered and moaned about, lauded the international effort etc...

But we didn't get that.

All we can really do is wait for the investigation to tell us what went wrong and hopefully for them to at least locate it in those deep waters.

Let me add this.  The sub service has come a long way.  That's for all countries.  Subs going down even in peacetime was once a fairly common occurrence.  Subs going missing and investigators being left with only guesses as to the cause was common too.

All we can do is take that 1% chance of hope and wring it for all its worth and wait.  This is big news but there just isn't much for us to talk about.

Army discipline gone wrong in a funny/ironic kind of way!

🗣 @militaryboot

A post shared by military (@badassery) on Nov 17, 2017 at 9:35pm PST

This can't be true can it?

Battle of Tarawa anniversary....Video by Lance Cpl. Gloria Lepko

We don't worship the past.

We study it.  We learn from it.  We honor those that gave so much.  If mistakes were made we strive not to repeat them.  If gallantry was shown we seek to match it.

It's not worship.  It's respect.

Military Industrial Complex Games? Congress Critters push for Israel to choose CH-53K over CH-47?

via Rotor and Wing International.

In April, multiple U.S. senators and representatives targeted Israel to solicit a CH-53K deal. While cost was not explicitly named a motivator for the members of Congress, successful procurement could bring down the price. PMA-261 works with international partners through the Foreign Military Sales program to potentially meet the international partners’ heavy lift helicopter requirements, Navair said. The more helicopters the government sells to international buyers, the more unit cost is decreased for all users. Navair told R&WI in March that the cost per unit is some $87 million at production, not including other costs. The program has come under scrutiny for its high price tag.

Story here. 

Ignore the fictional accounting that has the price of the CH-53K decreasing by almost 50% once it goes into production.  That kind of math defies everything taught in every business or economics course in the country.  How they can get away with that idiocy is beyond me but it proves two things.  People will believe anything and if you play with numbers without accountability you can make a million dollar widget appear to end up costing nothing.

My main focus is on the Congress Critters.

Not only are they forgoing their job to provide proper oversight to military projects (another issue is that the Marine Corps is programing 200 while the GAO says that they can only justify some 156 of them) but they're also acting as salespeople (in addition to what the US military does) for one US manufacturer over another.

That reeks.

The workers at Boeing could certainly use some of that cheese just like the Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) worker can.

In short.  The Congress is picking winners (CH-53K) and losers (CH-47) and that equals corruption.

Discussion. Is Trump doing a good job?

Saw this on a page I follow and I want to see what the tribe here thinks. The question is simple.  Do you think Trump is doing a good job?  Put your thinking in the comments below, but do me a favor.  Base it on some facts!  Give examples of why you believe he's doing it right/wrong, defend your viewpoint against opposing views and tell us where you think things will go from here.

Keep it clean.  It's a discussion not a fight/flame war/pissing contest.  If we do this right then this should be good.  If we don't then I guess I'll have to take it down.