Armata Main Battle Tank sneak preview.

Thanks to Russell 2878

The above photos are from Military Photos.net.  They're supposedly of the Armata Main Battle Tank and just this sneak peek tells me that we're looking at a different kind of beast.

I'm looking forward to the Russians taking the wraps off this monster!

USMC's unfunded requirements...

via Bloomberg.

(Bloomberg) — Marine Corps has ~$2.1b in requirements not funded in FY16 Pentagon budget request, according to list sent by Commandant of the Marine Corps to lawmakers.

• High among needs is $1.05b for 6 more Lockheed F-35 Joint Strike Fighters; $24.5m for 3 Bell H-1 helicopters; $180m for 2 Lockheed KC-130J aircraft

• So-called unfunded requirements list requested by leaders of congressional defense cmtes

• Other military services also expected to send in their needs as Congress starts writing FY16 defense bills

• NOTE: FY16 budget requests funding for 9 F-35B Marine models 

Glock 43. The debate between it and my G26.

I'm really intrigued by the G43 and a single stack in the South especially in the summer seems like a no brainer.

The problem?

I've been following news reports of attacks on everyday people and maybe its just me being paranoid but it always seems like you're looking at a minimum of two attackers.

Six rounds won't cut it against multiple attackers.  I practice triple taps and if I am violently assaulted, I will leave a tidy battlefield.  That means more than six rounds is required.  The advantage that the G43 brings is that it appears to be so compact that carry becomes less of a chore.

We'll see.  I definitely have to make it to the range to test fire one and see how it compares to my old standby...the G26.  Oh and if you've laid hands on one, how did you like?

United States Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) declare war on China?

via Rizalavenue.

Elly Pamatong,a lawyer and a failed presidential bet has led the “declaration of war” on China by leading the blood compact with his “generals” of his United States Freedom Fighters of the East (USAFFE) followers on Saturday.
Signing the “declaration of war” with their blood were Pamatong and Generals Julito Macua, Gilbert Gumboc, Aquim Galaroza and Cris Jacosalem, Rev. Vicente Aquino and Salvador Reyes.
The lawyer and USAFFE burned the Chinese flags and chanted slogans calling for the downfall of China and the reclamation of Philippine-claimed islands in the Spratlys.
Pamatong claimed USAFFE would mobilize its 200,000 forces to recover some 150 islands occupied by China, but added they have to "prepare first." The lawyer admitted they have no equipment yet to do the mission. However, he is confident the Philippine government will support them.

I told you that the Pacific is far more confusing than what we're facing in the Middle East and I present this as proof.

I never heard of USAFFE before but its some type of right wing Philippine group that might cause trouble between China and their nation.

Another player in a dangerous situation.

A nationalist party that probably has the sympathy of Philippine generals.

Yeah.  The Pacific is gonna be fun.

Tannerite on the chopping block. Congrats YouTube gun idiots..

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Read the story here, but the video is self explanatory.

I've been warning about making gun "tribal knowledge" freely available on the internet.  I've bitched about idiots in the gun community misusing this product to make bombs to destroy old barns, IEDs to wreck trucks and then posting videos of the lunacy on the internet.

Now its about to come back and bite.

The problem?

I'm gonna have a tough time saying that the gun grabbers are going too far.  The ability for any idiot in society to get ahold of this stuff is too big a danger to ignore.  We saw what one crockpot "bomb" could do at a Marathon in Boston.  Imagine what would happen if some terrorist scum decided to pack in 50 pounds of this stuff into a mega church in America's heartland?

This stuff is gonna get banned and people in our community are to blame.

Sidenote:  I can already hear the push back.  Guns and cars are as dangerous as Tannerite and they shouldn't be banned just because a few people have posted stupid stuff using them, so why should we ban Tannerite.   Valid.  But its really simple.  A binary explosive is different from a firearm.  Don't blame me.  I predicted over a year ago that this would happen and this is just the end game to a concern that the FBI posted about 5 years ago.  Put the blame where it belongs.  Immature idiots on YouTube that do stupid stuff with training aids, not the messenger.

Eagle Resolve 2015. A bone tossed to the Saudi's to prevent a freakout over Iran deal.

via Washington Free Beacon.

Some 3,000 U.S. military personnel, including American “air, land, sea, and special operations components,” have moved into the Persian Gulf region for a military exercise that coincides with the finalization of a nuclear agreement with Iran aimed at containing its nuclear arms program, according to officials from U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
The exercise, known as Eagle Resolve, has been taking place in Kuwaiti waters since March 8 and will run through the end of the month, when the United States is expected to announce a tentative framework agreement with Iran that is to serve as the final step toward a nuclear agreement.

I've been finding the whole debate in Washington about the Iran nuke deal to be curious.  Everyone is focusing on Israel, the US, our relationship and the Republicans reaction to what many see as a bad deal coming down the pike.
Saudi Arabia's reaction...and that of the other Gulf States are being ignored.  The sad reality?  President Obama is the Neville Chamberlain of our time.  Peace at any price has never worked.

We should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analysing possible causes, by trying to remove them, by discussion in a spirit of collaboration and good will.Neville Chamberlain

But you're asking.  What does that have to do with this exercise?  I believe its a bone being tossed to Saudi Arabia.  The Pentagon is trying to demonstrate that it has the power to attack Iran if things turn bad.

They're seeking to chill the Kingdom out.

It won't work.

Within 10 years you're going to see nation state armies going to war in the region.  You heard it here first....oh...and Iran will have nuclear weapons. 

Kurganets-25 tracked armored vehicle

Defense Blog is reporting that the above pic is the first showing of the new Russian tracked armored infantry fighting vehicle, the Kurganets-25.

Read it and weep Marines.

Not only are the Chinese rapidly modernizing their armor but so are the Russians (their new tank is also being displayed...under a tarp).

When the next major war hits...and there will be a major war within our lifetimes...our enemies will have better armor than we do.

We better hope that the airpower enthusiast are right.  If they're wrong....and I believe they are (to include the airpower zealots in the Marine Corps) then you will see body bags filled because of the hubris of people that dealt in theory/hope instead of the reality of the battlefield.

Information graphic produced by the U.S. Navy about personal social media responsibility.

24th MEU should be in charge of Marine Corps advertising!

Now that is the Marine Corps!

The latest ad...walls are barriers that separate, segregate...we've seen walls before they always fall?

This simple statement from the 24th MEU sings!  That's more like it!

I wonder how long before the political wing of the Marine Corps deems unit statements like this hostile?  Corporation rules for a warfighting organization! 

How did we go from this...which isn't the most "hardcore" commercial the Corps has produced....



To this?  A virtual call for women in combat instead of a desire to protect the nation?  And yes I'm repeating myself...that statement by the narrator...we've seen walls before and they always come down is the most obvious part of this vid.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the Marine Corps and everything to do with the President's agenda.

Myanmar sending armor to the Chinese border.

Read about it on the Pakistan Defense Forum here.

I wonder how the Chinese will react to this development?