Rabbi calls for burning churches in Israel????

via Daily Caller...

Bishops in Israel are afraid of a rabbi they say is calling on people to burn churches.
Police detained Israeli Rabbi Bentzi Gopstein of the Lehava movement after Gopstein allegedly incited his followers to violence against Christian churches because of their worship of idols.
The arrest came two days after the Vatican pressured Israel’s Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein over comments Gopstein made celebrating the burning of a church in Galilee, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Wow.

I mean fucking wow.

A Rabbi is calling christians idolaters?  Simply amazing.

MH-60R Sea Hawk Helicopter...photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Andre T. Richard

PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 11, 2015) An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to the Raptors of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 71 prepares to land aboard the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) as the guided-missile destroyer USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93) follows behind during a show of force transit. The John C. Stennis Strike Group is undergoing a composite training unit exercise and joint task force exercise, the final step in certifying to deploy.

Think Defence Blog's view of the F-35...

No spoilers on this one, you can read it here for yourself.

My opinion of this article?

Conventional wisdom has it that the USMC has bet the farm on this plane. That's true but it didn't have to be this way.  The rush to retire the Harrier, extend the Classic Harrier and say that no option exists other than to buy the F-35 is to twist the truth in such a way as to question whether those who have made it deserve to be called Marine Corps Officers.  NAVAIR has said that the Harrier is viable until 2030 and beyond.  The USMC could piggyback off USN Super Hornet buys.  We have options.

The Brits do not.

The F-35 must work for them and they must get a GOOD price or their entire future force is jeopardized.  So when you read his article read it from the view of a British military blogger that is wanting his future force to succeed.

What is this Chinese Self Propelled Gun?

China Defense Blog posted the above pic on their page today.  Check it out here.  What has me spinning is that I've never seen that vehicle before.  Is this real or are we getting played?

Ok Army. You've motorized the 82nd Airborne. Now how will you use them?

Ok Army.  You finally did the Mike Sparks thing and motorized the 82nd Airborne.  Congrats to Sparks and to your "reformers".

Now tell us all how you will use them, how this isn't a tremendous drag on a thousand mile supply line and how this new "mobility" will make you better.

I've looked at it and besides looking cool I see no benefit.

Tell me where I'm wrong.

SIDENOTE:  I need to inform everyone that this idea first originated with Mike Sparks waaay back when.  He even wrote a book with several other Army types that was called "Air-Mech Strike...Asymetric Maneuver Warfare for the 21st Century"....but again...the Army isn't doing what Sparks called for in his book or his website (Combat Reform is what he called it and if nothing else it has tons of historic information that all will find interesting).

What the fuck just happened in China? UPDATED!

via Foxtrot Alpha...

A massive explosion has rocked Tianjin, China. Some reports state that it may have been caused by a large gasoline facility detonating, although the accuracy of these reports remains questionable. Supposedly there are casualties and emergency response crews are trying to get to the scene now.
We will update you as more info becomes available.

He has a video over at his site.

China is running into a perfect storm.  Between the slowing economy, to the explosion, and onto an under reported Muslim terrorist problem they're getting their balls bashed.

Awesome.

UPDATE:  Spook linked me to this video...pretty damn spectacular....I don't know what they were making at this port but that reminds me of the scenario of an LNG ship going off when docked....

325th Airborne Infantry Regiment works out its Ultralight Combat Vehicles at NTC!...Photos by Staff Sgt. Jason Hull

Ultra-lightweight combat vehicles bearing Paratroopers assigned to the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, speed across the Mojave Desert during a tactical movement toward an assault on an enemy-held urban environment at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., Aug.10, 2015. The 1st Bn. 325th AIR have been evaluating the vehicles throughout a variety of terrain and training exercises for more than a year to determine their ability to provide faster maneuverability and as small arms weapons platforms during joint forcible entry operations.

Combat Camera...from hate to love....

Hey guys.  Time to take time to give the boys over at Combat Camera a little love.

Its really kinda interesting.  I've been in the position of absoluting HATING them.  Phrasing like "GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME YOU SCRAWNY LITTLE BASTARD" have escaped my lips when those guys were around.  Many threats to grab one of them and beat their ass behind a sand berm have been issued.

I was wrong.

Not only are they a valuable source of info for the public, policy makers etc...but they also document operations for posterity.

They're an extremely important part of the Marine Corps that doesn't get enough love.

Sorry guys.  You do good work....keep it up....and ignore those that don't quite get it...they will eventually.

Only at the end does the Army Chief have the courage to speak truthfully...

via Sputnik...

"If we get small enough where some of these [world] leaders don't believe the Army can respond or deter them… that increases the threats and danger to the United States,” Odierno said in an interview published on Tuesday.
“I don't know what that level is, but I think we're getting dangerously close to that level now,” he stated.

Here.

How much ground combat power have we shredded, tossed away and now act as if all is well?

13 Brigade Combat Teams.

That boys and girls is at least a couple of divisions.  So in essence the US Army has almost tossed away the equivalent of the USMC (in size) from them.

Getting dangerously close?  We're already there.  The only real question is why aren't more people talking about this.

“Thunder without Lightning” (PDF)

  “Thunder without Lightning,” (PDF)