The flip side of my call for across the board cuts in spending...including defense.

I'm not a Republican, I'm a conservative.  A conservative with libertarian leanings.

I've had many conversations with buddies and the general agreement is an across the board cut of 10% in the Federal budget with an accompanying freeze in increases for at least 10 years would be a good start to solving the deficit issue.

The problem with this type of thinking (my type of thinking) is the unintended consequences of such actions.  And there are alot of unintended consequences going on right now.

The President has called for even deeper defense cuts.  The services will respond with cutting people first then it'll start axing procurement...we're already seeing the groundwork laid for that.

The problem is....people build all those fancy widgets and if we act without full realization of those consequences then we could sink an already sick economy.

Exhibit number one from Defense News.

Lockheed Martin announced June 30 that it would eliminate approximately 1,500 jobs from its Aeronautics business. The cuts represent a 5 percent reduction in its workforce of about 28,000 employees located at sites in six states.
"We're taking what we think are bold and responsible actions given the defense environment," said Joe Stout, a spokesperson for the company's Aeronautics division.

The cuts come as part of a larger effort to curb costs and maintain affordability, Stout said.
"Our customers around the world are facing greater pressure, and we know we need to respond," he added.

Tomorrow the Dow Jones average will plummet.  What should an individual do?

My recommendation.

Keep it dry and stack it deep.  This (the economy) is going to get much nastier before it gets better.

Totally overblown nonsense.

Christian Lowe has an article over at Military.com that is completely overblown and I know he knows it.  I cringed when I saw the headline and then when I read the article, I knew exactly what it was.

IT'S THE ARMY SPECIAL OPERATIONS VERSION OF FEMALE ENGAGEMENT TEAMS.  A concept that the Marine Corps has been using for many, many months now.  Here's the kicker but read the whole thing.

So far, nearly 30 of the female CST Soldiers are deployed to the war zone, working in villages and towns that the commandos have cleared.
"They're supposed to be used on secure target areas," Sacolick said. "I don't want them fighting their way to a target."

I don't want them fighting their way to a target....Sacolick was playing it straight but Lowe took it over the top with his title..."Female Special Operators Now in Combat"....Lowe is better than this.  

Just the facts bro, just the facts.

Funny in a political way.

Morning Joe just got on my watch list.

If this is what the President's friends think then I'd hate to see what his enemies are saying.

Wow.

1,000th F-35 Flight.

Lt. Col. Leonard Kearl was at the controls for the 1,000th F-35 flight on 20 June 2011. The 1.8-hour flight, completed in F-35A AF-6, originated from Edwards AFB, California.

Wow.

Do I hear cries of agony from certain parts of Australia? 

Is a certain "Think Tank" (Air Power Australia) rethinking its positions???

Doubtful, but they should.

F-35B undergoes NERF testing.

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- F-35B test aircraft BF-4 rests the evening of June 21 after a day of testing at the Naval Electromagnetic Radiation Facility. BF-4 is undergoing testing which simulates the shipboard electromagnetic environment to identify any potential issues prior to at sea testing this fall on USS Wasp (LHD 1). The F-35B is the short take-off, vertical landing variant of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for the U.S. Marine Corps and international partners and is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to delivery to the fleet.

Pics of the day. June 30, 2011.

LA(Phot) Luis Holden won the Navy News Award in the 2011 Peregrine Trophy Photographic Competition with this image.
A Joint Force Harrier jet is pictured high over RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly before the iconic aircraft was decommissioned.
Photographer: LA(Phot)Luis Holden

The Commandant General Royal Marines' Prize in the Peregrine Trophy 2011 competition went to LA(Phot) Si Ethell fora portfolio including this image.
The FSG (Fire Support Group) of Charlie Company 40 Commando Royal Marines, at FOB (Forward Operating Base) Jackson in Afghanistan engaging insurgents following contact at PB (Patrol Base) Paylae.
Photographer: LA(Phot) Si Ethell

Boy that was quick...

Haqqani leader who supported Kabul attack killed in precision airstrike

ISAF Joint Command- Afghanistan 2011-06-S-104 For Immediate Release KABUL, Afghanistan (June 30, 2011) – The International Security Assistance force confirmed today a top Haqqani network leader suspected of providing material support to the Kabul suicide bomb attack June 28, was killed in a precision airstrike in Gardez district, Paktiya province, yesterday. Ismail Jan was the deputy to the senior Haqqani commander inside Afghanistan, Haji Mali Khan. Jan and several Haqqani fighters were killed in strike. The Haqqani network, in conjunction with Taliban operatives, was responsible for the Tuesday night attack on the Kabul Intercontinental Hotel which killed 12 people, including a provincial judge. Jan also served as an insurgent leader in the Khost-Gardez Pass area, along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border, and moved into Afghanistan from Pakistan in late 2010. During this time he led approximately 25 to 35 fighters in conducting attacks against Afghan and coalition security forces. In addition to the hotel attack, the Haqqani network is responsible for several high-profile attacks, including the assassination of a long standing governor, Taj Mohammad Wardak. Wardak was assassinated in a massive explosive-device attack as he left his compound in September 2008. The security force tracked his location after receiving several intelligence reports from Afghan government officials, Afghan citizens and disenfranchised insurgents. After planning to avoid civilian casualties and mitigate collateral damage, the precision airstrike was conducted, killing Jan and several other insurgents. Afghan-led security forces have captured or killed more than 80 Haqqani leaders and facilitators since January, primarily in the Paktika, Paktiya and Khost areas. Initial reports indicate no civilians were harmed in the airstrike.

Anyway you slice it, its pretty darn impressive.

The attack was carried out on Tuesday and they track down the guy responsible already?

But one thing troubles me (and I admit that I haven't been paying attention to the players in Afghanistan) is this Haqqani network.  They seem to be more of a factor everyday.  Additionally they appear to be a bigger threat than the Taliban.

Is this a 3 way civil war with 2 sides teaming up to fight the central government??

Russian Marines.

English Russia has a fantastic photo spread on the Russian Marine Corps.  Check it out!

ISAF answers the OPSEC/Force Protection question.

The above photo has been circulating all over the internet after the recent attacks in Afghanistan.

In some of the photos the faces of the operators are blurred in others they're visible.

I was curious.  Were the images that weren't blurred wildcat...meaning unauthorized...or does ISAF not have any kind of prohibition on the images and its just something that a few bloggers are doing?

I wrote ISAF public affairs and got an answer.  The whole e-mail will follow but I want to break it down...

It started out very pleasantly...

Sol,
The photograph in question was taken by a member of the media at apublic location. As such ISAF has no control over how the picture waspublished. Some media outlets chose to blur the faces, others did not.That decision was made by individual editors with no input from ISAF.

Wow.  So in a nutshell we have our answer.  Its an individual decision by certain bloggers.

Now on the next part I have to admit that I was trying to be a bit clever and dropped the name of the rumored unit to see if the guy would bite and either confirm or deny it.

I can see him leaning back in his chair, grinning from ear to ear saying (cause I think he's British) "Not bloody likely you silly wanker"  and "You're barmy if you think that you can get me to slip up on classified material you silly berk"....

Anyway, I'm not up on British insults but you get the idea.  Here is the actual response.

As policy ISAF does not comment on Special Ops troops or operations.Additionally, any photos taken by the media while working with themilitary community are always checked before publication to ensureoperational security is not compromised.  
Regarding this specific photo, we have nothing further to comment.  
Regards,
Tim
TP JAMES - UK AOF-3Press Desk ChiefISAF JOINT COMMANDCOMBINED JOINT OPERATIONS CENTER

So long story short.  Operational Security/Force Protection is not violated by the posting of these heroes faces on the internet.

Until a valid reason to do so comes up then pictures like the ones above should be visible to everyone.  In the future these will be historic images of a forgotten war.  They shouldn't be saved for posterity with obliterated faces.

Just my opinion.

101st Airborne...hookin & jabbin & on patrol...

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Currahee, pull security from the top of a mountain in Paktika Province during Operation Surak Basta III on June 23. The operation was to infiltrate near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in order to stop enemy fighters from entering into Afghanistan. (Courtesy Photo)

PAKTIKA PROVINCE, Afghanistan – Soldiers from Company C, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Task Force Currahee, pull security from the top of a mountain in Paktika Province during Operation Surak Basta III on June 23. The operation was to infiltrate near the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in order to stop enemy fighters from entering into Afghanistan. (Courtesy Photo)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Schumacher, an infantry from Dubuque, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of Soldiers from the town of Gomerai, Afghanistan, back to Combat Outpost Najil June 15 in Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan. It was one of the final patrols of the deployment for Schumacher, who is wrapping up his fourth deployment. (Photo by Capt. Jason Beck, 210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. ArmyPfc. Elisha Bottleman, a machine gunner from Edgewood, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of Co. A Soldiers down a hill in Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan, outside Combat Outpost Najil. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff. Sgt Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs Office)

LAGHMAN PROVINCE, Afghanistan - U.S. Army 1st Lt. John Dundee, foreground, a platoon leader from Waterloo, Iowa, with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, leads a group of his Soldiers up a hill June 15 outside the town of Dumlum, Laghman Province, Northeastern Afghanistan, outside Combat Outpost Najil. (Photo by U.S. Army Staff. Sgt Ryan C. Matson, Task Force Red Bulls Public Affairs Office)

What are the rules for OpSec?

I titled this "what are the rules for OpSec" but the actual question is "what are the rules for Force Protection".

Ya see, I've been reading accounts of the attack in Afghanistan and these photos have been splattered all over the net.

On some websites the faces are blurred and on others they're visible.  Sister sites at that.

If you know what ISAF rules for Force Protection and the publication of photos are I'd be thankful cause I'm beyond curious.  And I'm talking about real deal ISAF rules. 

Spanish and American Marine Conduct Mechanized Raid Training.

All photos by Cpl Dwight Henderson

Spanish Piranhas from 9th Mechanized Company, 3rd Mechanized Landing Battalion, line up to conduct a mechanized raid with Easy Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard Sierra Del Retin, Spain, June 25. The training was part of the Spanish Amphibious Bilateral Exercise, a 10-day exercise where Marines from 22nd MEU are training alongside Spanish marines to build relations and increase interoperability with the Spanish. The Marines and sailors of the 22nd MEU are currently deployed with Amphibious Squadron 6 aboard the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group serving as a flexible, formidable and potent force who continues to train and improve their capability to operate as a cohesive and effective Marine Air Ground Task Force. The 22nd MEU is a multi-mission, capable force comprised of an Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); a Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; a Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; and its Combat Element.

A Spanish Piranha, right, from 9th Mechanized Company, 3rd Mechanized Landing Battalion, passes by an amphibian assault vehicle, left, with Easy Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, during a mechanized raid aboard Sierra Del Retin, Spain, June 25. The training was part of the Spanish Amphibious Bilateral Exercise, a 10-day exercise where Marines from 22nd MEU are training alongside Spanish marines to build relations and increase interoperability with the Spanish. The Marines and sailors of the 22nd MEU are currently deployed with Amphibious Squadron 6 aboard the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group serving as a flexible, formidable and potent force who continues to train and improve their capability to operate as a cohesive and effective Marine Air Ground Task Force. The 22nd MEU is a multi-mission, capable force comprised of an Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); a Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; a Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; and its Combat Element.

A Spanish Piranha, right, from 9th Mechanized Company, 3rd Mechanized Landing Battalion, passes by an amphibious assault vehicle, left, with Easy Company, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, during a mechanized raid aboard Sierra Del Retin, Spain, June 25. The training was part of the Spanish Amphibious Bilateral Exercise, a 10-day exercise where Marines from 22nd MEU are training alongside Spanish marines to build relations and increase interoperability with the Spanish. The Marines and sailors of the 22nd MEU are currently deployed with Amphibious Squadron 6 aboard the USS Bataan Amphibious Ready Group serving as a flexible, formidable and potent force who continues to train and improve their capability to operate as a cohesive and effective Marine Air Ground Task Force. The 22nd MEU is a multi-mission, capable force comprised of an Aviation Combat Element, Marine Medium Tilt Rotor Squadron 263 (Reinforced); a Logistics Combat Element, Combat Logistics Battalion 22; a Ground Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment; and its Combat Element.

Textron TAPV website & datasheet!

Ok, I'll share the good stuff.

Found the Textron TAPV website here.  You should check it out for more hi-rez photos and vids and general news of their entrant into the Canadian TAPV contest!

TAPV Datasheet 05-23-111

Turkey to place initial F-35 order.

Great find Phil!  Thanks buddy.

via Hurriyetdailynews.com

Turkey plans to buy the U.S.-led F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lightning II, a stealth multirole fighter jet, to meet most future needs for its Air Force’s next-generation fighter planes. It has voiced willingness to buy around 100 F-35s over the next 15 years, but as the program’s limited production stage begins, it so far has not formally committed to the program. To do so, it needs to submit a purchase order for a first batch of six aircraft before the end of the year.“We will have talks [with the Americans] in the months ahead in an effort to resolve some matters. If we manage to reach an agreement, we expect to order the first six aircraft this year,” Murad Bayar, chief of the Undersecretariat for Defense Industries, or SSM, the government’s defense procurement agency, recently told the Hürriyet Daily News. “We expect to reach a deal.”

Read the whole thing but for critics of the F-35, the hits just keep coming.

Amy Butler (Wonder Woman) body slams over at ARES...

Oh this is getting good!

Amy (aka Wonder Woman) just stuck a fork in the conversation this morning.  Just to remind everyone, Sweetman posted this comment to her latest post...

Nothing confirms that the program is going tickety-boo like the second big management shake-up in seven months, bringing in a new deputy with no ties to Aeronautics, Fort Worth, Navair or USAF.

Hmm.  Rather bitchy on his part but still tame in my world.

Wonder Woman wasn't having it though and she laid the verbal smack down to Sweetman with this comment!

Clearly LM has chosen its leaders for this phase of JSF -- and potentially for the future of the company. Not sure it is the job of a journalist to spin this ...
One interesting point is to bring in some talent outside Aero may just be what was needed. Keep the sector bathwater drinking low may have been a goal. At any rate, in the past year or so, Dan Crowley is out, Lawson is in and the deputies have shifted. Burbage is still the anchor for the international program. Last year, the criticism was there was no leadership change at LM after Heinz was dismissed -- now the criticism is that there is a leadership change. Seems the spin is fickle at times. Either way -- this blog is intended to simply document the change.

Like I said, this is getting good. 

Amy verbally grabbed him by the throat, picked him up off the ground, told him to shut the fuck up and then body slammed him.

Awesome! 

Don't get up Bill.  Stay down!

Textron TAPV. The images.

Textron TAPV.

You have to wait for it toward the end of the video, but you'll see the Textron entrant into the TAPV contest.

More on the F-35C's carrier suitability testing.

Consider this a preemptive strike on the F-35C carrier suitability critics.

I think Sferrin states it best....

"With the F-14 there were two JBD issues:

1. Size. The JBD is much larger due to the launch position of the 14. The smaller JBD's didn't catch the full jet blast. The JBD for the 14 was wider and taller.

2. Heat. The JBD's designed for the F-14 had a greater water flow to them (1000 gpm versus 750) and, had their own dedicated firepump to provide that water rather than just using normal firemain. The retirement of the 14 solved this problem even though the modified JBD's remain in service on ships so fitted.

This was before they got the F110s.


For the F-35:

"One shipalt still in development concerns Flight Deck Jet Blast Deflectors (JBD). The Navy expects aircraft carrier JBDs will require some level of modification to accommodate F-35C heat plume concentration on the JBD. The Navy is currently collecting data from F-35 test aircraft to characterize the heat plume and signature of the JSF F-135 engine. The concentration of F-35C jet exhaust heat and plume differs from that of an FA-18E/F in physical location on the JBD, effects more JBD area, and may have a higher total integrated heat load. The goal of current analysis is to define the heat transfer to the Flight Deck and JBD components, determine the JBD system response, and develop a solution to mitigate the heat imparted by F-35C while retaining compatibility with the FA-18E/F. The solution must also ensure the mission of the JBD to protect the Flight Deck environment. These modifications will be incorporated aboard NIMITZ-class aircraft carriers during previously-scheduled availabilities. Modifications to CVN 78 will be accomplished during construction where possible, after finalization of a JBD system solution.
Several preliminary tests measuring the heat plume characteristics have been completed, funded by the F-35 Joint Program Office. Most recently, an angle plate test was conducted and the test results are being analyzed. Upon completion of this analysis, an F-35C will conduct high-power engine tests against a modified land-based CVN JBD. The cost and schedule to modify the test JBD will be dependent on the results of the ongoing analyses."

Long story short.

The testing is designed to find out issues, concerns and solutions to any problems when deploying a NEW airplane aboard a carrier deck.

I will not be surprised or discouraged if modifications and tweaks are needed to get the plane aboard ship (heck NAVAIR is even planning for it as we speak).

I will NOT be surprised when critics come out of the wood work to trumpet any findings as the end of the world.

Haters hate. 

Its all par for the course.

Congressional Medal Of Honor Society Art Gallery.

You really should check out the artwork at the Congressional Medal Of Honor Society's website.

Aviation Week tries to play nice. Amy (Wonder Woman) saves the day...again!

I once asked on the boards over at Aviation Week's blog Ares...how come you guys never report the good news on the F-35 program?

I was told (and I'm paraphrasing here) that we don't report the routine...only the important.

Well looks like the 'editorial' stance has changed.  Wonder Woman (also known as Amy Butler) has two stories out on it today...

Check the stories out here and here.

This is tooo sweet.  I would love to be a fly on the wall for those meetings!  Lockheed Martin still should MAN UP AND CANCEL THEIR ADVERTISING....Ares declared war.  Ares drew first blood.  Time for Lockheed Martin to strike back!


UPDATE.


Sweetman's not happy.  This is a comment that he left on Wonder Woman's story about staff changes..

Nothing confirms that the program is going tickety-boo like the second big management shake-up in seven months, bringing in a new deputy with no ties to Aeronautics, Fort Worth, Navair or USAF.

Oh and if you're like me and have no idea what "tickety-boo" means then have no fear.  The definition is here...

Told ya he wasn't happy! 

Hawaii plays hardball...US Army play nice.

This story from Hawaii perfectly illustrates the issues for the military when it comes to training and the power that environmentalist are using to deny training areas.  To sum it up, Hawaii plays hardball ..and the US Army plays nice even though the state is doing its best to screw them.

The Army is shifting at least some high-altitude helicopter training from Hawaii to Colorado — at a taxpayer cost of up to $11 million — following an additional environmental review imposed by the state.

The regulatory process has already delayed training by four months, creating a tight deadline for Wheeler Army Airfield pilots preparing for a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan in January.

Now Gov. Neil Abercrombie has informed the Army it must conduct a state environmental assessment in addition to a federal environmental assessment to use six existing landing zones high on the slopes of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.

Read the entire article but if this doesn't highlight the issues with liberal states and military training then nothing will.

MV-22 Osprey's in Afghanistan Helmand province

AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat

The AgustaWestland AW159 Lynx Wildcat (previously called the Future Lynx) is an improved version of the Westland Super Lynx military helicopter.
The AW159 will serve in the battlefield utility, search and rescue and anti-surface warfare roles. The helicopter has been ordered for the British Army and Royal Navy. It is to enter service with the Army in 2014 and with the RN in 2015.

F-35C starts carrier suitability testing

NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, Md. -- Flown by test pilot Lt. Cmdr. Eric "Magic" Buus, F-35C test aircraft CF-2 lands at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey June 25. CF-2 and the F-35 integrated test team from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. are at the NAVAIR facility in Lakehurst for the first jet blast deflector (JBD) testing, in preparation for carrier shipboard testing in 2013. The team is at the JBD test facility to evaluate deck heating, JBD panel cooling, and vibro-acoustic, thermal, and hot-gas ingestion environments. The F-35C is the carrier variant of the three-service Joint Strike Fighter, and has larger wing surfaces and reinforced landing gear to perform in the demanding carrier environment. The F-35C and F-35B are undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River prior to eventual delivery to the fleet. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

 

 

Wow.


The F-35 is moving right along.


You know that certain parties (Sweetman...Wall...APA....fellow travelers) are banging there heads saying please make it stop!


I love it!

F-35 arrives at Lakehurst

F-35 carrier variant CF-2 flies to NAVAIR at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., from Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., June 25 for Jet Blast Deflector testing.

Russia's Army can't be in this bad a shape can it?

English Russia has a pretty damning photo expose' on the Russian Army.  If things are this bad then the Russians are a threat only to themselves.

Gates still placing foot in European ass.

via AFP.

"The Libya air war has exposed serious shortcomings among NATO allies and European governments will have to agree on joint defense budget priorities to rectify the problem, Gates told AFP in an interview.
The Pentagon chief, who is due to retire this week after more than four years in the post, reiterated views he expressed in a blunt speech in Brussels earlier this month, in which he warned the alliance faced a potentially "dismal" future.
"The truth is, as I said in Brussels, there is a lot of military capability and a lot of money being spent in Europe," Gates said on Thursday."

Of course the designer and main cheerleader for this fiasco in Libya, the President of France had this to say...Translation by Google...

THE PRESIDENT - Mr. Gates was retiring, apparently it does him no pleasure. So do not blame someone who is retiring to be a little bitter. I think his retirement did not have to closely observe what was happening in Libya, because you can say whatever you want but I do not feel in Libya most of the work done by our American friends. You were speaking of Libya at the same time is to say that our American friends have two drones, a number of tanker aircraft, we are very sensitive but it would not come to the idea of ​​a man as responsible and intelligent than President Obama to say that it is America that is the main work in Libya.
This was especially moved by Mr. Gates saying that. And more completely wrong, given what is happening in Libya. There were certainly other moments in history when he could have said it, but not when the Europeans, bravely took the case of Libya, where mainly the French, the English and their allies are the work! I will not allow me to make this statement when, after 15 days the Americans have decided to reduce their aircraft. So it's a statement that is unfair for them falls ill and does not correspond to reality.

Awesome.

Gates brings up a legitimate shortcoming in the alliance and instead of being taken seriously, is accused of being a tired, retiring old man.

This outcome is predictable.  This 'war' will drone on for a while (unless someone gets lucky and kills Khadaffi) and both sides will sue for peace.

The alliance will be exposed for the sham that it is but everyone will continue to pretend that it isn't and will continue business as usual --- building bigger and more elaborate headquarters buildings...doing dog and pony exercises that serve no real purpose....and creating staff billets for generals and admirals.

NATO is useless.  When they go against a second tier military its lights out.  NATO will be routed unless the US participates in full.

F-22's still grounded.

From ASD News.

WASHINGTON - The US Air Force has grounded its entire fleet of F-22 fighters, the most sophisticated combat aircraft in the world, after problems emerged with the plane's oxygen supply, officials said Friday.

The radar-evading F-22 Raptors have been barred from flying since May 3 and Air Force officials could not say when the planes would return to the air.

Wow.

Bad news for the F-22 program.  Worse news for the USAF.

I know that the problem will be solved but while they're doing it I hope they go back and take another look at the F-22 crashes...particularly the one involving the Lockheed Test Pilot that they blamed a loss on.  I think it was ruled partial G-Loc.  If nothing else his record needs to be cleared and these planes fixed and put back into service.

YAT-YAS onboard the USS Whidbey Island.

An amphibious assault vehicle with Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit returns to the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island. The Whidbey Island is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (Photo by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

An amphibious assault vehicle with Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit returns to the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island. The Whidbey Island is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (Photo by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

An amphibious assault vehicle with Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit returns to the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island. The Whidbey Island is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (Photo by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

An amphibious assault vehicle with Marines assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit returns to the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Whidbey Island. The Whidbey Island is deployed as part of the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group, participating in the Spanish Amphibious Landing Exercise off the coast of Spain. (Photo by: Petty Officer 3rd Class Desiree D. Green)

Team Timberwolf...the extended video.

Team Timberwolf has released an extended video with better views of their vehicle.  Interesting.

USAF Maj. Gen. C.D. Moore upbeat on F-35 test progress.

Pound sand Air Power Australia!  Your prediction of program failure is wrong again.

Northern Command continues it legacy of failure.

The below pics are from the flooding in the midwest.  If this had occurred in some far off land then you would see the US Navy sending ships at flank speed to the crisis.

Even if everyone involved knew that they could do very little.

The USMC would be assembling a SPMAGTF to deal with the situation and Marines would be brought back from leave or schooling to make sure that it was filled out...

The US Army would be gathering a Brigade Task Force to help out.

The USAF would be boasting of how its C-17's are flying supplies into the trouble spot while other forces are getting assembled.

This is happening in the center of the US and it barely gets mentioned.  Celebrations are held for 'gay rights'...the so called budget impasse is debated...but people who have or are in the process of losing all their worldly possessions are ignored.

America, you attempt to take care of the world yet ignore your own.  We should be ashamed.

The Souris River is swelling in size and breaching dikes built to contain the water here, June 24. By June 29, Mouse River pressures and heights will reach unprecedented levels seven to ten feet higher than the all time record with pressures reaching approximately 16,000 cubic feet per second. On June 22, the river breached the levees and the warning sirens sounded requiring the immediate evacuation of over 11,000 Minot residents to include nearly 1,000 Minot Air Force Global Strike Command airmen.

North Dakota Army National Guard soldiers from the 817th Engineer Company, from left to right, Spc. Ryan Lindberg, Spc. Michael Young, and Staff Sgt. Jason Lothspeich wade through flood water to sling-load one-ton sandbags from a flatbed truck onto a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter June 24, at a flood levee near 13th Street and Railway Avenue, Minot, N.D. The North Dakota National Guard helicopter is being loaded with the large sandbags from a flatbed truck parked in flood water near the levee and placing the sandbags on an area of concern in the flood water of the Souris River. National Guard dump trucks are also responding to the site as they haul flood levee building material in an effort to create a flood barrier for a residential area, which has not yet been flooded. Several residential areas of Minot were inundated with flood water on June 24, leaving thousands of people homeless.

A U.S. flag waves above nearly 10 feet of water in Minot, N.D., June 26. The Souris River has inundated the city and reached a historic height. Minot Mayor Curt Zimbelman estimates 4,000 homes have been damaged by the flooding.

The scene from inside the levee system around Minot leaves little question as to the devastating effects of flood waters on homes here, June 24. With water levels continuing to rise and the Lake Darling Dam increasing the flow of water it releases to 29,000 cubic feet per second, many around Minot wonder how much of the city will have to be evacuated and how many people will be left without a home.