An unidentified reader sent me this video. Suffice it to say the boys of S13 violated every rule...I'm surprised a few of them weren't killed. Watch this and weep at the incompetence.
PS.
I previously stated that the IDF was too gentle in the initial assault. That was before I saw this video. These guys were sent on a suicide mission. No allowance was made for possible resistance and armed with clubs these people were able to repel (for a while) the best Commandos in the Israeli Defense Force. Amazing.
Monday, May 31, 2010
You have got to be kidding me! part 2.
via MSNBC from AP.
Just one question. Who is the dumbass in the Commandant's office that keeps scheduling these dog and pony shows in New York????? The second most fucked up state (California wins the crown) in the union with few real supporters of the military but they keep sending our guys up their to "thrill the crowds"...AMAZING.Marine aircraft mishap injures 10 at NYC park
NEW YORK - The powerful propellers on a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft doing a Memorial Day demonstration has blown tree branches into people on the ground in a New York City park.
Firefighters say ten people suffered minor injuries.The Osprey MV-22 aircraft was landing at Staten Island's Clove Lakes Park around 8 a.m. Monday as part of Fleet Week. It's an annual event honoring the U.S. military.
Marine Corps spokesman Lt. Josh Diddams says the wind generated by the aircraft's propellers broke branches off a nearby tree. The branches were swept into some people on the ground.Firefighters say seven people have been taken to Richmond University Medical Center. Three others refused medical attention.Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
PS. I found the video. This was a complete and total CLUSTERFUCK!
Shayetet 13
This comes at a bad time for both the administration and Israel. They have been targeted in the latest fallacy of a nuclear free Middle East and the US allowed the resolution to go through. On the administrations side, they just sent the White House Chief of Staff to Israel to sooth ruffled feathers.
I wonder if this convoy was designed to drive a wedge between the two allies? Regardless, the Israeli's have been trading land for peace and no longer have any strategic depth (if they had any at all). This will end badly.
Update 1. Could this be why the Israeli Commando's walked into a setup? Read it here. It seems that US leadership might be caught up in a web of unintended consequences.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
CBO report on Navy/Marines fighter gap.
Hat tip to the Navy Times (go to there site here..for the article). This report (below) is a light read and it lays out 4 options for dealing with the fighter shortfall. Alternative 1 is a no brainer and will probably be followed. But you can bet Boeing and their Congressional delegations will be pushing for more F/A-18E/F's.
05-27-FighterInventories
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Afghanistan. A civil war.
From Marine Corps Times.
We are fighting in a civil war.
Its a great read and I recommend you follow the link. But this article gave rise in me to one unmistakable thought.In the make-or-break struggle for Kandahar, birthplace of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency, U.S. commanders will try to pull off the military equivalent of brain surgery: defeating the militants with minimal use of force.
We are fighting in a civil war.
The 3 Contenders for Australia's Land 121 phase 4 procurement.
Thanks to my friend Aussie Digger, I've gotten the scoop on this competition. Read his comments here, but suffice it to say that the reporting has been "spotty" at best . Let me simply add that what this is really all about is to allow Australian Defense Companies to bid against the JLTV that the Australians are co-developing with US forces....but more on that below...for now....
The 3 vehicles competing against the JLTV are...the Ocelot,
Hawkei
and Eagle IV.
My view of this competition is fairly simple. First lets talk about the Mowag Eagle IV. It has absolutely no chance in this competition. Its ballistic protection is fair and relies on spall liners and extra armoring without the benefit of a blast resistant form (read that as it doesn't have a v-hull). What's surprising is the fact that General Dynamics Australia would offer it at all. If it becomes a price shootout then all bets are off and the Mowag becomes the front runner. If its a matter of selecting the most capable vehicle then it doesn't stand a chance. But as the British comp for the FRES showed us, General Dynamics is willing to take a price hit in order to put a vehicle in production. And as that competition showed us, occasionally governments will accept the least capable product if its priced right. We certainly know all about that in the US.
The next vehicle is the Force Protection Ocelot. I am personally in love with this design. I think its innovative, sized perfectly and the idea of a skate board design with engine, suspension and wheels being mounted separately is beyond appealing. I think it could be life saving. While this is my favorite, I don't know how this vehicle will play with local politics. Force Protection Europe teamed up with Ricardo to make this offering to the British Military and I don't know if they have an Australian division. If not then they start at a disadvantage. A quick Google search didn't reveal a partner in this comp so despite it being I think the best design, it doesn't stand a chance.
Which leaves us with the Thales Hawkei. Its a clean sheet design, like the Ocelot, but it has the advantage of being the home team. Thales has been fairly tight lipped when it comes to some of the design features of this beast but it is handsome. And again it has the home field advantage.
This should be fun to watch.
More Information -- to help clarify some of the misreporting can be found here...another Hat Tip to Aussie Digger for the link.
The 3 vehicles competing against the JLTV are...the Ocelot,
Hawkei
and Eagle IV.
My view of this competition is fairly simple. First lets talk about the Mowag Eagle IV. It has absolutely no chance in this competition. Its ballistic protection is fair and relies on spall liners and extra armoring without the benefit of a blast resistant form (read that as it doesn't have a v-hull). What's surprising is the fact that General Dynamics Australia would offer it at all. If it becomes a price shootout then all bets are off and the Mowag becomes the front runner. If its a matter of selecting the most capable vehicle then it doesn't stand a chance. But as the British comp for the FRES showed us, General Dynamics is willing to take a price hit in order to put a vehicle in production. And as that competition showed us, occasionally governments will accept the least capable product if its priced right. We certainly know all about that in the US.
The next vehicle is the Force Protection Ocelot. I am personally in love with this design. I think its innovative, sized perfectly and the idea of a skate board design with engine, suspension and wheels being mounted separately is beyond appealing. I think it could be life saving. While this is my favorite, I don't know how this vehicle will play with local politics. Force Protection Europe teamed up with Ricardo to make this offering to the British Military and I don't know if they have an Australian division. If not then they start at a disadvantage. A quick Google search didn't reveal a partner in this comp so despite it being I think the best design, it doesn't stand a chance.
Which leaves us with the Thales Hawkei. Its a clean sheet design, like the Ocelot, but it has the advantage of being the home team. Thales has been fairly tight lipped when it comes to some of the design features of this beast but it is handsome. And again it has the home field advantage.
This should be fun to watch.
More Information -- to help clarify some of the misreporting can be found here...another Hat Tip to Aussie Digger for the link.
New US Army Tug Boat.
United States Army Vessel Col. Seth Warner moored in port at Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait. Date: 05.29.2010
Posted: 05.29.2010 05:45
Photo ID: 284274
VIRIN: 100529-O-9999P-001
Location: Kuwait Naval Base, KW
Stats via nafts.net.
MGen. Nathanael Greene class large
coastal tugs
(6 ships)
Displacement: 924 tons full load
Dimensions: 128 x 36 x 16 feet/39 x 11 x 4.9 meters
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 2,550 bhp, 12 knots
Crew: 24
Displacement: 924 tons full load
Dimensions: 128 x 36 x 16 feet/39 x 11 x 4.9 meters
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 2,550 bhp, 12 knots
Crew: 24
Notes: A
new class of large tugs built for US Army service,
primarily intended to assist in docking of transports.
Builders: Hulls of LT
801-805 and components of LT 806 by Robert
E. Derecktor, Middletown, RI; all completed by Trinity/Halter
Marine, Moss
Point, MS.
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