You forgot. I didn't! They told us the fight against ISIS would last for 30 years!

I was debating a reader about the situation in Syria and one thing became obvious.

His memory of the fight against ISIS isn't as clear as it should be.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not slamming the guy.  Just trying to correct conventional wisdom on this thing.

The conventional wisdom is that "of course we killed ISIS" that's what we do.

Many are forgetting that I screamed at the sky that what we were hearing about the fight against ISIS didn't make sense.  I yelled that a force that could handily defeat the Iraqi army in weeks was said to need decades to defeat a force that numbers just over 100K fighters at it's height?

In case you forgot those tales of woe being spun by many Generals and talking heads then I present these articles as a refresher...

via ShiiteNews.com

The war against the ISIS will continue for THIRTY YEARS, according to a former director of the CIA.
The veteran spy boss urged Britain to invade Syria and bring the fight to the jihadis, who he said would continue their reign of terror for another three decades.

The sobering prediction from General Michael Hayden, who headed up the CIA from 2006 to 2009, came a week after the world was rocked by the devastating terror attacks in Paris, which left 130 dead.

Jihadis, at least one of whom entered Europe by pretending to be a refugee fleeing from the brutal regime, used guns and bombs to attack the Stade de France, the Bataclan Concert Hall and a series of bars and restaurants across the capital.

We’re not winning, and against an adversary like ISIS, if you’re not winning then you probably further say you’re losing because having you’re citizens put at risk and killed, General Michael Hayden, CIA boss 2006-2009

In the wake of the attacks, General Hayden, said that the only way to beat the terrorists was to battle them on their own turf in Syria and Iraq.

He urged Britain, America and their allies to launch an all-out attack on the terrorist organisation to prevent further tragic incidents.

He said: “We’re not winning, and against an adversary like ISIS, if you’re not winning then you probably further say you’re losing because having you’re citizens put at risk and killed.

“Their claim is they are acting out the will of God… and nothing cuts against that narrative more than defeating them.”

He compared the current crisis to the Thirty Years’ War of the 17th century, which was fought between Protestants and Catholics after the Holy Roman Empire tried to impose religious uniformity.

General Hayden is not the only high-ranking figure to publicly predict a long and brutal fight against ISIS.

Last year the former Pentagon chief Leon Panetta also predicted a 30-year battle against the jihadi terrorists, adding that the conflict could spread from Syria and Iraq into Libya, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen.

And even before the recent attacks in Paris, one of the US Army’s top officers also said this year that it could take decades to wipe the jihadis out.

General Ray Odierno, the Army’s chief of staff, said this July: “In my mind, ISIS is a ten to twenty year problem, it’s not a two years problem.

--------------
via Foreign Policy.com

 The exchange, which came in July during what is likely to be Dempsey’s final visit to Iraq before he steps down in October, captured what top Pentagon brass view as a “generational conflict” against the Islamic State. Despite optimistic assessments from the White House, the generals believe the war will extend far into the future, long after President Barack Obama leaves office.

In an interview with Foreign Policy in July, shortly before stepping down as vice chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Sandy Winnefeld likened the campaign against the Islamic State to the Cold War.

“I do think it’s going to be a generational struggle,” Winnefeld said.

The Army’s outgoing chief of staff, Gen. Ray Odierno, meanwhile, told reporters that “in my mind, ISIS is a 10- to 20-year problem; it’s not a two years problem.”

 You know what's so damning in my mind about this?

We've seen massive migration to Europe.  We've seen catastrophic terror attacks.

Why?

Because ISIS wasn't the focus.  Syria was (at least during Obama's term in office).  How do we know?  Cause in steps Trump, he demands a new war plan to defeat ISIS and in a matter of a few months we're seeing their death throes.

What else have we seen?  Suddenly those big terror attacks in Europe are a thing of the past. 

I hate saying it folks but we don't have clean hands.

ST Engineering @ Singapore Airshow 2018

Thanks to LRD for the link!



Nice.  Real nice.  Did you catch all the robotic ships they're working on?  They're getting big too.  I wonder if we'll see robot ships before robot vehicles (at least in service)? 

The land forces of the US have been playing with unmanned ground vehicles for years.  The Terramax based on the USMC 7 ton truck, the Black Knight which is an unmanned tank and any/everything that's much smaller.

If we wanted to go unmanned we could have a long time ago.

Thurs Funny. Come here! I'm busy... Come here right now!

#Repost @military.humor with @get_repost ・・・ Ahhhh That first MORNING PISS!! 😂😂😂 #nexttimeletmepeeinpeace #fuckyourfloor #merica🇺🇸 . . . . #military #militarymuscle #supportmilitary #supportmilitarymuscle #iammilitarymuscle #usn #navy #usmc #marines #usarmy #army #usaf #airforce #uscg #coastguard #veteran #guns #humor #militaryhumor #funny #laugh

A post shared by MARCUS G. Charlotte, NC (@harden_up_) on Feb 8, 2018 at 3:57pm PST

Trump to seek 24 Boeing Super Hornets in budget

via Heraldnet.com

President Donald Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget will request 24 Super Hornet jets built by Boeing, reversing an Obama administration decision to stop buying the fighter after this year, according to two people familiar with the decision.

The Navy has argued that it needs more of the planes designated F/A-18E/F to fill a shortage in its inventory until more of Lockheed Martin’s newer F-35s are deployed. Before Trump even took office, he’d promoted the Super Hornet as a less costly alternative to the F-35, though the two planes have different capabilities.

The proposal in the budget due to be presented Feb. 12 is likely to be welcomed in Congress, which has consistently added more Super Hornets than requested and resisted Pentagon plans under former President Barack Obama to phase it out. Lawmakers approved 12 of the aircraft in fiscal 2016 when none were requested and 12 more in fiscal 2017 when two were requested. This fiscal year, House and Senate appropriators have proposed adding 10 aircraft to the 14 requested.

If Boeing “can get the cash for this, it’s very good news” because 24 aircraft per year is the minimum economic production rate to keep Boeing’s plant in St. Louis operating, Richard Aboulafia, military aircraft analyst for the Teal Group, said in an email. Boeing also is working with the Kuwaiti government to build as many as 32 F/A-18s for Kuwait over the next few years.

Story here. 

Large-scale exercise at Fort Campbell

Nice to see these guys are still around.  The 101st completely fell off my radar screen.

Heavy Armor "Immediate Response Company"...the US Army is rebuilding it's rapid deployment capability...

Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, put their training into action Jan. 25, loading their M1 Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles onto trains at Fort Riley's Camp Funston. 
Just over 24 hours earlier, Company C, 3rd Bn., 66th Armor Regt., was notified that it would soon be moving out to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, California. There the company will join up with the 3rd Cavalry Regiment based at Fort Hood, Texas, for about two weeks of combat training.
"This is a great training opportunity for us to work with another brigade and practice rapid deployment and integration," said Capt. Thomas Mussmann, commander of Co. C. "We'll be the only armor unit on the ground for friendly (forces) when we get out to NTC, so we expect to get used a lot."
Co. C is an immediate response company, meaning the unit is constantly building readiness so that it can deploy rapidly for a variety of missions.
"The goal is that this company is ready to deploy anywhere, anytime, any mission in a short time span," Mussmann, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, said.

Immediate Response Company?

Wow.  It looks like the Army is rebuilding its rapid deployment capability.  It's always had in place its airborne forces.  Rangers are pure SOCOM now so that piece is missing but not all the light infantry went Stryker so they had capability there...and now we see heavy armor getting into the game.

Who knew but it appears that Rapid Deployment Forces are back in style with the US Army.

MRZR X — the Polaris equipment transport ground robot

via Defense News

Polaris rolled out its ground robot — the MRZR X, currently in the running for the U.S. Army’s competition for an unmanned equipment transport vehicle — at the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference this week.

The MRZR X is one of four unmanned vehicles that may be selected and produced under the Squad Multipurpose Equipment Transport program. The other teams selected to advance farther into the competition are General Dynamics Land Systems, HDT Expeditionary Systems and Howe & Howe.

The Army selected the group from an array of companies which were chosen to participate in a demonstration event from Sept. 11 through Oct. 14 at Fort Benning, Georgia. The demonstration was meant to educate the Army on robotic logistics capabilities and for soldiers to provide operational feedback.

The MRZR X was developed by a team consisting of Polaris, Applied Research Associates and Neya Systems. Polaris provided the vehicle base while ARA and Neya provided the autonomy capability, Patrick Zech, Polaris’ program manager for advanced development, told Defense News at AUVSI. ARA recently acquired Neya Systems and has been producing Modular Robotic Applique Kits (M-RAKs) for more than 20 years.

While ground robots in this category can be quite similar, what sets MRZR X apart is its ability to be optionally manned. “Of the four teams moving on in SMET, we are the only one that can be soldier driven or purely autonomous; just flip a switch and you can drive it,” Zech said.

The vehicle was built using Polaris’ current D4 platform that is a preferred platform among Special Operations Forces and the Marine Corps for their ultralight mobility.

To transform the D4 into the MRZR X, Polaris installed export power, which is one of the requirements for SMET. Power can be generated while the vehicle is moving at a lower rate and at a higher rate when stopped, Zech explained.

The D4 and D2 variants are pure diesel and the MRZR X is Polaris’ first hybrid vehicle, which provides extended range and the power export capability, Zech added.

Polaris also designed the vehicle to be modular “because we know the Army is looking for other uses for it, other than just a pack mule,” he said. “Building in export power, trying to allow a lot of room in the back for payload integration, plug-and-play, drive-by-wire,” are some of the ways Polaris is preparing for future Army requirements, Zech said.

Marine Corps expo debuts electric assault vehicle

via Stripes.com

 A menacing vehicle with a cobra-like front and a lightweight camouflage frame — equipped to seize an airfield and do reconnaissance missions — made its debut Wednesday, Feb. 7 during a military expo showcasing new warfighting technology on the base.

The concept Nikola Reckless UTV (Utility Task Vehicle), which can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in three seconds on tires enhanced with Kevlar, has a lot to live up to. It was named after Staff Sgt. Reckless, a small mare that during one day in the Korean War Battle for Outpost Vegas in March 1953 made 51 trips carrying ammunition to the front lines and transporting wounded Marines back.

The fully electric vehicle was produced by Nikola Motor Company in Salt Lake City. The company has invested $500,000 to produce four prototypes. Each vehicle would cost $85,000.

“It is a workhorse with a never-quit attitude,” said Andy Christian, Nikola’s director of defense. “Its unique massive battery allows you to take energy from it and power anything, even a command center. It has an infra-red beam that can be used with night vision and a remote weapons system machine gun that can be controlled by a joystick anywhere in the vehicle. It’s light enough to go on a MV-22 osprey.”

The Reckless, along with a new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle produced by Wisconsin-based Oshkosh Defense and an amphibious combat vehicle made by BAE Systems in Arlington Va., were highlights during the first day of the 27th annual two-day expo, organized by the Marine Corps League and Marine Corps Installations West.

Interesting.

I think the days of the light, utility type vehicle being considered for even patrol duty is coming to a rapid end.

There was an element inside the Marine Corps that was pushing for internally carried vehicles and for the Corps to shed anything that wasn't capable of being transported by helicopter.

With the talk of peer nation combat those days are over.

Quite frankly the evolution of terrorists would have made the ITVs days numbered even if leadership did not start thinking about full scale warfare against a technologically capable opponent.

These buggies might be fun, but I don't think they'll have a real application in battle.

CH-53K slingloads JLTV~!

A CH-53K King Stallion lifts a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle during a demonstration, Jan. 18. Using the single point hook, the helicopter hovered up to 100 feet for approximately 10 minutes while carrying the 18,870-pound vehicle. (U.S. Navy photo)

At US outpost in Syria, US general backs Kurdish fighters

via wboy.com

On the ground in Syria, the top U.S. general in the coalition fighting the Islamic State group pledged on Wednesday that American troops would remain in the northern Syrian town of Manbij despite Ankara's demands for a U.S. pullout.

"We're here to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS is maintained in this area," Lt. Gen. Paul E. Funk said during a visit to U.S. forces in Manbij. ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Islamic State group.

The U.S.-backed opposition Syrian Democratic Forces, led mainly by a Syrian Kurdish militia which Turkey is now fighting in Syria, liberated the town of Manbij from the Islamic State group in 2016.

Manbij was hailed as an early success story in the American-backed fight against IS, but is now the scene of escalating regional tensions on the heels of military victories against the extremists.

Funk's visit came amid rising tensions between Turkey and the United States - NATO allies that have ended up on opposing sides in some aspects of the multi-layered war in Syria.

Story here. 

ISIS.

ISIS is a convenient boogey man for the issues in Syria but its beyond obvious that they weren't the objective.

I look forward to reading a history of that organization, how it morphed, why it was allowed to exist for so long, why so many predicted that it would take decades to destroy and finally why it was allowed to escape its incubator and run to other countries.

But while we're waiting for that to be written we can marvel at the power game being played between Russia, the US and Turkey over broken, worthless ground in a country that has been totally destroyed.