Stinger w/Stinger & Longbow Missiles...The US Army is stumbling forward on air defense...

Thanks to Ricky Bobby for the link!





Hmm.

I don't know about this.  Missiles against slow moving UAVs?  Against a HMMWV?  Seems like a waste.

But I can't be too critical.  The reality is that they're making steps to bringing back a REAL air defense capability to their maneuver force.  That's a real good thing.

Now.

Now we need the Marine Corps to unwed itself from this bastardized concept of the ground element being wedded to Marine Air for air defense.

Everything we heard from the previous Deputy Commandant for Aviation indicates that they're going their own way.  From transforming LHAs to F-35 carriers and leaving the GCE on the pier to participating in the deep battle with Navy Air and the USAF.  Cobra AH-1Zs along with Huey UH-1Ys ain't gonna cut it against emerging threats.

The Marine Corps needs to piggyback on Army developments and rebuild its ADA too!

China’s “social credit” system...it will soon be "obey or die"

via Gizmodo.

China’s terrifying “social credit” system isn’t planned to be fully implemented until 2020, but we’re already seeing facets of it being put in place. In May, people who have committed acts of “serious dishonor” will reportedly be unable to travel on trains or flights for up to a year.

Reuters first reported the policy announced in two notices posted to China’s National Development and Reform Commission’s website. The social credit system is designed to place various hardships on citizens who’ve committed one of a variety of violations like spreading false information about terrorism or refusing to pay a debt. The latest penalty will include temporary bans on travel via airplane or train for people who are accused of infractions like using expired tickets or failing to pay social insurance. From Reuters:

The move is in line with President’s Xi Jinping’s plan to construct a social credit system based on the principle of “once untrustworthy, always restricted”, said one of the notices which was signed by eight ministries, including the country’s aviation regulator and the Supreme People’s Court.

China has flagged plans to roll out a system that will allow government bodies to share information on its citizens’ trustworthiness and issue penalties based on a so-called social credit score.

Story here

Things are getting real simple in China.

You obey or you die...

US forming a Cruise Missile Strike Group off Syria?

Thanks to DavidJames for the link!

via InterFax

March 17, 2018

16:19
U.S. HAS FORMED CRUISE MISSILE STRIKE GROUPS IN EAST MEDITERRANEAN, PERSIAN GULF AND RED SEA FOR POSSIBLE STRIKE AT SYRIA - RUSSIAN GENERAL STAFF

16:16
THERE ARE SIGNS U.S. PREPARING TO STRIKE SYRIA - RUSSIAN GENERAL STAFF

The Russians have been sounding the alarm about this coming and to be honest I discounted it.

Trump isn't a believer in endless war and I don't believe he's a supporter of our policy in Syria which is obviously aimed at removing Assad---NOT KILLING ISIS!

Having said that its also obvious that the deep state, Main Stream Media-Republican Never Trumpers'-Establishment Govt-Democrats of every stripe, are working on a psy ops campaign on this dude.

Anyone with even a bit of common sense would be able to piece it together. 

The constant drumbeat about Trump despite everything else happening in society and govt?

Yeah they've done an analysis on the guy and determined that a steady drumbeat of bad news coupled with guided direction when it comes to foreign affairs via "his generals" (wolves in sheeps clothing...they have labored long to lose two wars (Afghanistan/Iraq), start a third (Syria), participate in a fourth(Yemen) and we're no closer to winning?) and suddenly that strike in Syria becomes more likely.

Trump is a victim of his own hubris.

A more calm individual would stop tweeting, get his head down and work on his agenda.

Not the Republican agenda but his own populace agenda.

Another strike on Syria ain't his agenda.

Open Comment Post. March 17, 2018

Canadian Troops w/Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Latvia @ Exercise CLAYMORE FORGED at camp Ādaži

Falkland Islands: Britain 'would lose' if Argentina decides to invade now

via Telegraph.

Admiral Sir John Forster Woodward, known to all as Sandy, firmly believes that if he and other senior figures had made more of what they had achieved in the South Atlantic, the Navy would not now be in its present state – which he describes as “fairly dire. The Navy took itself for granted, and the country took the Navy for granted. Then we allowed it all to disappear after the Falklands.

“If we’d been louder, then investment in the services would have been more naval than it has been. We wouldn’t have ditched the aircraft carriers Invincible and Ark Royal. We wouldn’t have got rid of the Sea Harriers – an appalling decision.”

-----------------------------

If the Falklands are ever captured by Argentina it will be impossible to win them back, says Woodward. “We could not retake the Falklands. We could not send a task force or even an aircraft carrier. If we had been in this state in 1982, the Falklands would be the Malvinas. We rely on sending reinforcements by air, but that would be impossible if we lost control of the airfield at Mount Pleasant.”

He is not, however, as despairing as that sounds. “The problem doesn’t arise, because they won’t be taking it,” he says, rapping his knuckles on the kitchen table for luck. “I hope I’m right.”

His hope is based on the recent arrival of the destroyer HMS Dauntless. “We need her surface-to-air missiles. The Argentines might hope to overcome the four Typhoon jets at Mount Pleasant with a dozen Mirages and then bomb the airfield out of action, but while she’s there with her missiles they won’t try that. I’m not sure the Government understands how important she is.”

Story here. 

This story illustrates why I like talking to the old skool guys.  If they have run out of fucks to give OR they decide to take you into their circle you can hear some amazing things.

Some of it will be about stuff you've heard about. 

The chest thumping accomplishments, the bravery of certain men and units under fire....

But that's not the juicy stuff.

It gets good when they recollect.  Ponder their past decisions.  Wonder what they got right, what they got wrong and what they would tell the guys that are doing the deed now if they JUST WOULD LISTEN!

Don't know if you agree with him, don't even know if it matters but his words are worth a read.

Brazilian army takes delivery of the 300th Guarani armored vehicle

Story at Army Recognition.

By any measure this has been a wildly successful program for the Brazilian Army and Marine Corps as well as for Iveco Defense.

What I can't wrap my brain around is why we haven't seen more sales of this vehicle.

It's a winner, hits the sweet spot for size/weight and appears to be affordable.  Considering the push and pull we're seeing over future recon vehicles the Guarani would seem to check every box.  Big enough for a sophisticated observation mast, could carry onboard UAVs and most importantly from a Marine perspective the damn thing can swim.

Considering the obvious commonality with the Super Av I can't believe that no one has shouted about the possibility of making LAR's next ride the Guarani....especially if the BAE/Iveco offering wins the ACV contest.

Let me take another swing at explaining why I don't cover India & deal with the India bashing from yesterday's post...

Let's talk India bashing and why I don't cover them as much as some would like.

Everyone needs to remember that it was in response to an article that reported that the Indian Army declared much of it's equipment to be obsolete and that they weren't ready for war.

I remarked how stunning that was considering the recent dust up with China. The bluster that I heard from the Indian side was beyond interesting.  It bordered on the almost arrogant.  While I agreed that the Indians would give China all it could handle and more that wasn't good enough for some.

I heard outright declarations that the Indians would curb stomp China and would win even if it escalated.  The impression I got was that included into the realm of nuclear war.

So to hear that from the Indian Army gobsmacked me.

As with all the posts I do on this blog, readers commented and many were anything but subtle in their criticism of Indian procurement.

I can't blame them.  I've been beyond frustrated in my attempts to cover them.  How long have we heard of the Tejas fighter?  How many stops and starts have we had?  What about the Arjun?  The purchase of the Rafales from France?  Their toying with buying Super Hornets, the idea of a production line for F-16s and other deals?

You know how I've railed against the F-35, you know how I've bitched about what I consider the delayed ACV purchase and many other projects worldwide.

But when it comes to India there is always smoke but no fire.

After a certain point you say I'll get to it when I see something concrete.

I don't know how to make it anymore clear.  I have nothing against India but even they admit that their procurement is fucked up from the floor up.

As far as the bashing is concerned.

Alot of it is in the eye of the beholder.  I haven't monitored the conversation on that post but I'll swing thru this morning to see what was said. 

Don't get me wrong.  I know for a fact I have racists that read this blog.  I know for a fact that I have trolls here that will take any opportunity to post offensive shit just for giggles.

But I also know that uncomfortable truths are uncomfortable truths and while they might sting if you're the particular party being discussed it doesn't make it any less true.

The point of all this?

I received an e-mail complaining about that blog post.  He wanted to know who posted that link to the article and the circumstances regarding the conversation (I assume he thinks it was given in the open comments section).

Well I got it via e-mail and I decided to run with it because I considered it important.

As far as the comments?  I will police them but if they don't cross the line they'll stay up.

No hate on India but no special treatment either.  If your Ministry of Defense is fucking up then I'll call balls and strikes.  Just the facts.  Nothing else.

Open Comment Post. March 16, 2018

2020 Bronco is hinted to be the same as the concept....

Remember the Ford Bronco Concept that we saw a few years ago?  Everyone including me was raving about it (less since...its sized like the first gen, not the second...back to a direct Jeep competitor?).

Well we got our first teaser pic of the 2020 Bronco and it looks like it's gonna be very close to the concept that most people loved.

I just don't know.  If it's gonna be jeep sized then why not just buy a jeep? The gen one is a classic but in my opinion the Bronco came into its own and became ICONIC because of gen 2.  I'll wait to see how this turns out.

Story here.