Open Comment Post. April 13, 2018

They want to attack Syria so what's the hold up?

The Trump admin has been pushing to strike Syria for almost a week now and yet still nothing.  What's the hold up?  We know they want to so why are they waiting?

A few possibilities come to mind....

1.  The evidence is shaky at best and they can't push another conflict that isn't solid.  The powers that be understand that they don't control information so anything but solid evidence will be challenged.  They don't have it so they must wait.

2.  The pushback from the Russians have us stalled.  It could be that the original war plan assumed that the Russians would sit idly by while we struck where ever we wanted.  That's not the case anymore.  Could they be registering this new information and need more time to reformulate a new attack plan?

3.  Shaky allies.  France and the UK are all hot to trot to attack Syria.  BEFORE the Russians made their declarations that any attack would be met with force. They're both saying that the attack should be limited in scope and should only attack targets that produce the weapons in question.

4.  All of the above.

Personally I believe that we're seeing a rather panicked reaction to the idea of engaging the Russians in open combat over Syria.  I believe the adults in the room are rethinking things and trying to devise a new plan.

BUT!

We're coming up on the weekend and usually this kind of thing is timed for late Fri night, maybe late Sat but my guess is any strike at this point will be limited with much communication to Russia about targets and intentions.

In other words I think we're gonna get a show pony display of power to satisfy certain groups that believe we "have a duty to protect".

Open Comments Post. April 12, 2018

New Glamour Shot of Boeing's MQ-25 Entry....

Beautiful airplane and they made it stealthy except for those wings!  I'm not sure but those long straight wings can't help performance can they?  Real question so don't troll....

Canadian Troops & Air Cav Helicopters @ Operation REASSURANCE - Enhanced Forward Presence (Pics)

Crew Chief is helping load personal gear aboard the bird?  Must have been pure administrative...I didn't even know they did that!

Pentagon stops accepting Lockheed F-35 jets over repair cost dispute

via Reuters

The U.S. Department of Defense has stopped accepting most deliveries of F-35 jets from Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) because of a dispute over who will cover costs for fixing a production error, three people familiar with the matter said.

Lockheed confirmed on Wednesday that the Pentagon had halted deliveries of the jet over a contractual issue, but did not give further details.

Last year, the Pentagon stopped accepting F-35s for 30 days after discovering corrosion where panels were fastened to the airframe, an issue that affected more than 200 of the stealthy jets. Once a fix had been devised, the deliveries resumed, and Lockheed hit its target aircraft delivery numbers for 2017.

But deliveries were paused again over a dispute as to who will pay for what will likely be a complex logistical fix that could require technicians to travel widely to mend aircraft based around the world, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

When the Pentagon stops taking delivery of F-35s, foreign customers can also be affected. So far at least two foreign governments have stopped accepting F-35s as a result of this issue, two of the sources said.

Story here.

This is so batshit insane!

The Pentagon has placed themselves into a terrible box because they bought airplanes that weren't ready and now Lockheed Martin is refusing to cooperate because it would wreck its bottom line.

But if they don't cooperate then that means that the Pentagon can't afford to buy more planes which means that LM's bottom line is wrecked anyway!

Chickens are coming home to roost in this program.

About fucking time.

Failure is inevitable when you see this much fraud, waste and abuse.  It's just a matter of who can pocket enough money to retire on before the bean counters get wise...and before the prosecutors can get spooled up.

US Representative warns that SOCOM troops in Syria could be targeted for retaliation...

Special Ops Stryker in Syria...no one noticed the mini-gun but armor guys have been yelling for that for years and it took SOCOM bubbas to finally do it....

via Boston Herald.

Vulnerable American troops stationed along Syria’s volatile northern border could be outgunned following an alleged chemical attack that’s skyrocketed tensions between President Trump and Russia, warned U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.

The alarm comes as French and British officials joined Trump’s call to respond “forcefully” to the chemical attacks and Kremlin officials also increased their saber-rattling.

“It’s a real soup of things that could go wrong, and I’m just worried about the capacity of our people to defend themselves,” said Lynch, the ranking Democrat on the House national security subcommittee.

The U.S. currently has 2,000 troops in Syria, originally sent there to target Islamic State fighters. But a group of U.S. troops helping Kurdish allies between Aleppo and the city of Manbij is surrounded by 20 to 30 well-armed hostile militias, Lynch said.

“There are a few of our guys up there and there aren’t a lot of heavy weapons. They aren’t heavily armored,” Lynch said. “It’s just a very precarious situation where things could go wrong in a big hurry.”

Story here.

I've got to get my mind right about SOCOM.  SOME OF THOSE GUYS might be divas, but most are just great people and many are on the tip dangling by a thread.

I never even considered the thought that the Russians/Syrians/Iranians could target our Special Ops people in Syria if things go bad.

This is sobering.

We're hung too far out all over the world and that makes it easy for anyone to take a swing and hit.

We've got to change our deployment posture, reform the Rapid Deployment Force and bring our people back from the frontiers.  Rome didn't do it till it was too late.  We don't need to repeat their mistake.

FOCUSED Open Comments. US strikes on Syria edition...

"This business will get out of control, it'll get out of control and we'll be lucky to live thru it..."


Are possible strikes on Syria up to the fictional level portrayed in the Hunt for Red Oct?

Nope.

But like Admiral Painter said in the move, things could get out of control quickly.

This is a focused open comments edition.

We're talking Syria and only Syria on this one.

Development delays for Japanese 8x8 APC

via Shepard.

The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) announced in December that the development completion date of the Improved Wheeled Armoured Personnel Carrier (WAPC) for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) would be delayed from FY2018 to FY2021, or later, because the prototype has serious problems.

ATLA said the ballistic performance of armour plates was not constant and their thickness was insufficient.

Prime contractor Komatsu will have to solve these problems, but in the meantime ATLA is simultaneously researching alternatives for production.

Thus, ATLA announced on 15 January that it was accepting applications from companies able to provide information to produce an Improved WAPC. The request targeted companies experienced in developing and producing wheeled armoured vehicles, with demonstrated knowledge and technology, or those licenced to import/sell armoured vehicles in Japan.

Based on this, it is therefore thought that ATLA is considering the importation of wheeled armoured vehicles.

Story here. 

Wow.

So the Japanese might IMPORT wheeled APCs?  If you read the article they give reasons why this agency wasn't pleased with the product offered but for the life of me I can't imagine any imported vehicle that fits the bill.

The Japanese might be asking for a wonder vehicle OR they're gonna have to backoff some of the specifications they're asking for (like mine resistance).

Is this real? 4 Navy E-6B's airborne?

Can't spell your name but thanks for the link dude!

Just plain wow.

This is straight Mattis.  Dude doesn't take a shit without a plan.  And he will plan for an unexpected escalation all the way up to the possibility of nuclear war.  That's just what he does. 

Additionally this is straight Dunford.  Don't know either of them but I'm guessing he felt beyond constrained under Obama and now he has a President that will take the leash off and his good friend as SecDef?  Dude is planning the strikes to a "T" and is probably driving a few Colonels crazy wanting plans for ever scenario that they can imagine and a few that only crazies could think up.

The funny thing (not funny funny but funny strange)?

The Russians appear to be doing the same.

Cooler heads.  You might not believe in the almighty but if you do then pray for cooler heads to prevail.

Fucking Syria ain't worth all this drama.