"The Liberty Lifter seaplane should be able to carry at least two U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles"

 via MilitaryAerospace.com

The Liberty Lifter seaplane should be able to take off and land in waves from four to eight feet high; fly in ground effect above waves from 8 to 13 feet high; fly at altitudes from ground effect to 10,000 feet, and operate for four to six weeks at a time carrying payloads of at least 90 tons.

On-water amphibious payload deployment and retrieval should be via nose and tail ramps; the seaplane should be able to carry at least two U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles, and cargo in 20-foot container units.

Here

Now this is DARPA HARD!  I wonder if they just throw shit at the wall or if they actually think they can achieve some of this stuff? 

I'm just the messenger...don't get mad at me German citizens!

 

JUST IN - German state of North Rhine-Westphalia declares financial emergency due to energy crisis — WDR

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) November 29, 2022

More news on that non-existant energy crisis! I'm so glad I have readers that tell me how this is just bullshit.

China has more J-20's than we have F-22's?

The J-20 has outnumbered the F-22 pic.twitter.com/IMcvzjodcK

— 彩云香江 (@louischeung_hk) November 29, 2022

This is concerning.

If I recall correctly the F-22 is slated to phase out in the middle or end of the 2030's (if not sooner...not sure).

The F-35 is set for an EXPENSIVE, INTENSIVE, and COSTLY upgrade to give us what was promised 15 years ago.

This also doesn't include the lightweight portion of China's fighter fleet which is waiting in the wings to go into production, not to mention the legacy fighters they already have.

My question.

Have we reached a stalemate with regard to airpower?  Even if we haven't, we KNOW that China has REGIONAL superiority because the US military is strung out all over the planet REASSURING ALLIES that should be doing it for themselves.

We are in a hurtlocker.

Even if we were able to afford a MASSIVE increase in defense spending (and we can't), then we would have issues in getting enough people in uniform to MAN the equipment (notice I didn't say equip the man...those days are over).

Our only way out of this mess is to push AI/wingman concept and do it poste haste.

If we don't then we've already lost the air war.

Public Service Announcement. GET OUT OF BIG CITIES NOW!

 

This is a parking attendant in Philly being executed for, well, the sake of killing it would seem. This is what the far left has in store for us if we don't take a stand now. "Criminal justice reform" means setting the worst criminals free without bond and opening prison doors. pic.twitter.com/OfRGozzsjm

— Military Arms (@MAC_Arms) November 30, 2022

By stating that we would come to the defense of Taiwan did we lose a chance to pause/limit China's power?

 

My argument is when there was ambiguity over U.S. response to an attack on TW, the PLA faced with a dilemma over the wisdom of hitting US forces already in-theater.

With it becoming increasingly clear US forces will intervene, China will less likely be faced with a choice https://t.co/YJK76kyypB

— Mike Yeo 杨启铭 is also at post.news/thebaseleg (@TheBaseLeg) November 29, 2022

Interesting.

We removed any doubt that the Chinese might have had. With the Marine Corps and the rest of the US military clearly stating that China was the pacing threat and then Biden stating clearly that we would defend China did we lose a chance to pause/limit China's power?

To be more clear.

By our actions did we put our bases in the region on the target list and broadened a potential war into a regional one instead of simply limited to one island off the coast of China?

Does our STRATEGY automatically make this a regional war and does our basing concepts risk dragging other countries into the fight?

Did the actions of the Pentagon guarantee a fight?

I don't know.  I do know that we saw indications that this fight was coming as far back as 2014 in open media and it was probably known in the early 2000's.

My worry is that the average military enthusiast, citizen and probably even law maker doesn't realize just how disruptive and dangerous an open war between the US and China could be.

Additionally I think that strikes on the US and Chinese homeland could lead to unforeseen consequences that could forever change history in a terrible way.

I leave you with this.

What will the US public mood be if the Chinese were able to sink an aircraft carrier on the high seas with 5K Sailors lost?

What will the Chinese public mood be if the US were able to sink an aircraft carrier on the high seas with 5K Sailors lost.

I don't think people are properly considering the dangers of this thing.  If we're gonna do it (or if its preordained at this time) then we need to harden up quick, put back into place Civil Defense and drastically up military spending.

If it isn't preordained then we need to try and find an off ramp. Diplomacy can be your friend and save lives.

Who would you list as our top allies?

 I did a blog post where I stated that Ukraine was not an ally but rather a dependent (and they'll continue to be for at least 20 years unless we moderate our spending and get them on a different path).

It got me to thinking.

Who would you list as the USA's top allies (not in any particular order).

1.  Brits.

They're annoying at times.  You always get the impression that they think they're smarting than you are.  Constantly underfunded but damn hard fighters.  Better to have them with us than against us.

2.  Aussies.

Good fighters, great drinkers, always up for a good dustup.  Funniest fuckers I ever met.  Keep the beer flowing and you just point them at the enemy and you can trust that sector is secured.

3. S. Koreans.

These little bastards are hard as fuck!  Do painful shit just for fun (guess they're proving to their ancestors that they're worthy). For some strange reason they love the cold and cold water gives them woodies.  Awesome fighters...just keep the Japanese on the other side of the base...probably theater and you're good to go.

4.  French.

Kinda like the Brits but with a more rigid military code.  They love specialized units and are on a modernization kick. Give them wine, that weird hard bread they like and an afternoon nap and they're good to go.  Keep an eye on them when it comes to operations out of theater.  They get hit and they're gonna go rabid.

5. The Netherlands.

Tallest son of a bitches I ever saw in my life.  I'm running 6'2" and I ended looking up to lots of them (pretty damn unnerving too).  Love the cold.  Love the mountains.  Love to hike.  If we're in their environment then we let them lead the show.  Going big on modernization too.  

Not listed but considering circumstances I think are worthy would include....Italy, Spain, Poland (with reservation...I believe they have an agenda), Singapore, Brazil.

Honorable mention.  I know everyone is gonna ask about Israel. The problem is that unless we're acting in their defense, an operation out of area comes with unfortunate political baggage.

Additionally the focus of that force is solely on nation state defense (quite laudable considering the folly of intervention we've experience over the past 40 years).

eFP Battle Group Poland Crosses the Gap During Bull Run '22 (pics)

Note. What happens when the Marine Corps dumbs down amphibious operations? The US Army starts calling river crossings amphibious ops! Amazing. Sad and amazing.

eFP Battle Group Poland Crosses the Gap During Bull Run '22

Germany's natural gas storage is falling like a rock from orbit...

 

NEW - Germany's natural gas storage begins to fall. pic.twitter.com/aQZppjrwoo

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) November 25, 2022

General Winter has his eyes not only on the battlefield but also on the Germans. Hope they have a good supply of blankets!

US aid to Ukraine puts pressure on Pentagon’s arms stockpile

 via AP

“We’ve not been in a position where we’ve got only a few days of some critical munition left,” Pentagon comptroller Michael McCord told reporters this month. “But we are now supporting a partner who is.”

Note.  Ukraine is not a "partner".  Ukraine is an unwanted dependent that provides nothing in return.  More from the article.

 That’s putting pressure on U.S. reserves and has officials asking whether U.S. weapons stockpiles are big enough. Would the U.S. be ready to respond to a major conflict today, for example if China invaded Taiwan?

“What would happen if something blew up in Indo-Pacom? Not five years from now, not 10 years from now, what if it happened next week?” Bill LaPlante, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, said, referring to the military’s Indo-Pacific Command. He spoke at a defense acquisitions conference this month at George Mason University in Virginia.

“What do we have in any degree of quantity? That will actually be effective? Those are the questions we’re asking right this minute,” he said.

Last bit I'm highlighting.  Read it all for yourself.

 The infusion of weapons is raising questions on Capitol Hill.

This month, the administration asked Congress to provide $37 billion more in military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine in the post-election legislative session, and to approve it before Republicans take control of the House in January. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who is seeking to become speaker, has warned that Republicans would not support writing a “blank check” for Ukraine.

Even with fresh money, stockpiles cannot be quickly replenished. Several of the systems proving most vital in Ukraine had their production lines shut down years ago. Keeping a production line open is expensive, and the Army had other spending priorities.

Make no mistake about this thing.  The President of the United States, Congress and the Pentagon has decided to accept RISK for the homeland (and other allies that are TRUE allies) for the benefit of Ukraine.