Ukraine is still a mess. OSCE vehicles torched.

via Voice of America...

Four vehicles belonging to the OSCE monitoring mission to Ukraine were set on fire outside their hotel overnight in the rebel-controlled Donetsk, the observers said.
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observers said in a tweet Sunday it was an apparent arson attack.
An OSCE statement said monitors heard four loud bursts about 2:30 a.m. local time, which they said were likely the sound of the tires on the armored vehicles exploding. Firefighters had extinguished the flames by 3:20 a.m.
Three OSCE vehicles were completely destroyed, one heavily damaged and three others partially damaged by the heat from the fire, the OSCE statement said. No observers were injured in the arson.

Here.

Alot of you aren't gonna like this.

I'm tired of the "Iraq in Europe" that Ukraine has become.

Why aren't the Europeans doing more?  Why are they waiting for the US to play a part in this drama?  I keep hearing that Russia isn't a threat and how the European nations can face them down without our help, so why aren't they dealing with more forcefully on a diplomatic level?

If you frequent military blogs in the US and Asia, you'll find that this isn't on many people's radar.  The reason is obvious.  At its heart this is a Europe issue.  No one wants to be responsible for the economic drain that will come with Ukraine going either way.

Quite honestly does anyone even remember what the fighting is all about?

ZBD89 Sat Communication Vehicle.

Photo via Defense Blog.

I don't know what to make of this.

China Defense Blog made a statement that "we're seeing more and more of these vehicles showing up in China's order of battle".

I thought it was a throw away statement just to gain eyeballs.

Now?

I'm not so sure.  What are the Chinese up to here.  I only have one guess but its not based on anything and I could easily be wrong.  What if the Chinese are taking a page from our playbook but instead of basing it on company sized units of infantry....what if they're looking to do battalion sized, mechanized infantry/armor distributed operations across several islands or land masses at once?

The USMC is investing heavily in command and control for the CLT so why shouldn't we expect the same from the Chinese.  Only they appear to be pushing money toward their armored formations instead of infantry.

We keep moving the glass away but they keep getting a longer straw to drink our milkshake (if I'm right).

WW2: The LST Employment (1944)

Cadillac Gage Commando Scout

Hi Rez Zubr pics...via China Defense Blog...

More here.

Haynie talks female Marine physical standards at USNI Blog and shows why I don't read it anymore....

UPDATE:  I circled back to USNI Blog to read comments.  Only two Navy types bothered.  This should concern Marine leadership.  The Colonels and below all see the writing on the wall and will not voice REAL opinions on a "semi-official" site because of the risk of retaliation.  Wait you say.  That means that these people accept this!  Wrong.  If Marines were gung ho about this then you'd see them saying so publicly.  They're not.  All that means is that this is further proof of dissension in the ranks.  Marines are pissed and its because of feckless leadership that have no idea how their people on the ground actually feel about things.  They'll vote with their feet.  


via USNI Blog (separate from USNI News)...

I have been a Marine for over 17 years. Prior to my commissioning, I was a midshipman for four years. During those 21+ years, I have never heard a single female Marine express satisfaction with any physical standard that was less than that required by the men she served with, nor have I heard a female Marine express a desire for separate and different training. On the contrary, the prevailing attitude among women has repeatedly held that lower, easier standards for women were stupid, made women seem weaker and less capable, and were in the end downright dangerous, and that integrated training is the only way to go.
Over the past month, stories about LtCol Kate Germano’s “agenda” have been circulated in the news (her agenda seems to be all about holding women to the same standards as the men, seeking gender-integrated training, and similar supposedly tough demands). While I cannot speak with authority about the specifics of an “abrasive” leadership style, I can certainly talk about her complaints regarding the separate—lower—standards applied to female Marines. In fact, I am beginning to feel like a broken record. And in conversations I have had over the past two weeks, it seems many women, both those currently serving and those who have left the military, feel the same way. See my past posts about the PFT and pullups for some past discussion.
So to make this perfectly clear, women by and large do not appreciate, deserve, or desire different physical standards to be a Marine, nor do they benefit from them. Female Marines do not clamor for lower standards, don’t seek simply to achieve the minimum of said lower standards, and rarely speak approvingly of such standards.

Here.

What she doesn't talk about is the dirty little secret.  The fact that standards for males will be lowered to allow for female equality in physical performance.

You can be as politically correct as you want but you can't fight biology.

Female Marines will be injured once they're pushed into combat arms.  Everyone knows it but just like this bullshit about not wanting lower standards, no one will call the "social engineers" on it.

If it wasn't for the News side of the house I'd blast that whole place.  They have an agenda and it should be obvious to all.  I just hope that their daughters one day tell them that they want to be Marine Infantry.  Their idea/social experiment should be their future pain.  This is why I don't read USNI Blog.  Oh and to the person that sent me the link?  Fuck you.

NOTE:  Below is a vid of General Robert H. Barrow, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps.  A man of integrity, honor and honesty.  Drink in his words...and then think about the current state of affairs.



Bonus coverage of this issue?

Go here to read Colonel John Ripley's view on women in combat!  A genuine hero, went to every OOHRAH school or course (to include the Royal Marines Commando Course) and fought an epic battle at Dong Ha Bridge (required reading for any Marine).  If you can't take his word for it then I don't want to have anything to do with you!

CC-MEMACs concept art via russell44

Here.

Pics and Vid from the Russia's "Armor Olympics"! via Russia Times.

Here.

Russia's Volk armored mobility vehicle set to enter service...

via Sputnik...

The vehicle was ordered by the Russian Defense Ministry and developed by Military Industrial Company, a military division of the GAZ Group.
The Volk (Wolf) has modular design which allows for various modules to be set up, depending on the purpose.
It is also equipped with independent hydro-pneumatic suspension with height adjustment.
The protection index of the new vehicle is higher than that of the Tiger armored vehicle which is currently in operation. The Volk also outperforms its predecessor in off-road performance. It designed to have up to 20 seats, two times more than the Tiger.
One of the Volk’s main features is its capability to be equipped with a combat module. Such a modification will be used strictly by the military and law enforcement agencies.
After all required tests are completed, mass production of the vehicle will start, the company said.

Here.

I appreciate and respect Russian armored tech, but the number of projects that they have going on at the same time...to cover the same requirements is confusing and from the outside looking in...WASTEFUL!

Having said that, I hope Army or Naval Intelligence is keeping a handle on all this.  Just from open source material its obvious that they're building up.  Info on all these vehicles needs to be researched, cataloged and disseminated to the lowest levels.

We will see these vehicles.  They won't be operated by Russians but certainly by their clients.  We need to know them, know how to kill them and if we're lucky we need to get our hands on a few examples to test them.

The 82nd and Marine Expeditionary Units must work on forcible entry....together!

National Training Center/Fort Irwin
@USArmy #JFE - Commanding General, XVIII Airborne Corps, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, briefs distinguished guests on Joint Forcible Entry - Dragon Spear at the National Training Center. #DragonSpear #TrainTheForce #U.S.Army

The above photo perfectly illustrates the US Army's and in particular the 82nd Airborne's problem when it comes to forcible entry.  First look at the side panel.  You see Army Special Ops...Special Forces, Rangers, I believe that's a PsyOps unit but not sure, the 82nd and USAF.

Who got left out?  The US Navy and Marine Corps.

I wasn't at the briefing but the map is pretty clear.  They're attacking a nation adjacent to the sea.....And the US Navy/US Marines weren't included?

The Army likes to delude themselves into thinking that the Marines/Navy don't want to play...or that we don't want to play fair.  This is a perfect example of why that's bullshit and that the problem lies with the Army.

The 82nd and Marine Expeditionary Units MUST START WORKING OUT TOGETHER!  Its the only way to be competitive in the Pacific with a rising dragon on the horizon.

Get your head out of your ass Army and start inviting Marines to these exercises!

Sidenote:  I went a few rounds with Strock over HQMC's desire to include the Army in the sea base.  I believed then and now that the Marines shouldn't be begging the Army to come out and participate in events that would benefit them in becoming real contributors to our work in the Pacific.  This shows I was right.  It seems the Army just wants to do the galmor stuff.  They want to fly off already crowded Navy ships but don't want to tie their landing craft next MPS ships so that combat power can be delivered ashore.  Want further proof?  The Marine Corps is about to do a Maritime Prepositioning Force exercise and I have yet to hear about Army participation...even though I know that Strock and company are damn near begging to get them to.