Thursday, July 06, 2023

Every safety rule in the book was violated but if they made it back aboard ship they all deserve medals...

 

Can you imagine a sudden change in sea state in the middle of a USMC infantry platoon trying to make it ashore in rubber boats? Losses would be assured. How do you find someone in seas like that? How do you survive in seas like that. They better have everything dialed in when doing these rubber boat raids or bad things can happen. FD2030 DEMANDS something like a CB90. The concept sucks but at least get the Marines that are gonna be risking it all against two enemies. Whoever has the guns and the sea. Until you hit the beach the SEA is the biggest enemy.
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Former U.S. officials have held secret Ukraine talks with prominent Russians

 Thanks to Cogitans Iuvenis for the link!


via NBC

A group of former senior U.S. national security officials has held secret talks with prominent Russians believed to be close to the Kremlin — and, in at least one case, with the country’s top diplomat — with the aim of laying the groundwork for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, half a dozen people briefed on the discussions said. 


In a high-level example of the back-channel diplomacy taking place behind the scenes, Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov met with members of the group for several hours in April in New York, four former officials and two current officials said. 


On the agenda were some of the thorniest issues in the war in Ukraine, like the fate of Russian-held territory that Ukraine may never be able to liberate and the search for an elusive diplomatic off-ramp that could be tolerable to both sides. 


Meeting with Lavrov were Richard Haass, a former diplomat and the outgoing president of the Council on Foreign Relations, current and former officials said.

Here 

Amazing.  There still are a few adults left in Washington.  Maybe we can get this war turned off.

Oh and trust that these people are talking to the Russians will the FULL KNOWLEDGE of the Biden admin and probably their blessings too.

The idea that a nation that is being supported financially, militarily, monetarily...the whole damn spectrum...has a say in this is silly.

Its like a child being able to override a parent.  It just don't go that way.

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The flooding in Spain is catastrophic

 

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Iranian Navy failed yesterday but the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps seized one today

 The US Navy was able to "deter" the Iranian Navy from seizing two vessels yesterday.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard said hold my beer and did the deed today.

This is another data point in my view that the fight in Ukraine shows nothing except that the US and West is hyper focused on that war while everything elsewhere is falling apart.

If you haven't noticed it, the Middle East is on the verge of a huge dust up.  At the very least we're seeing actions that are meant to punish the West economically...especially the US.

Why?

If we see a return to the tanker wars then you're gonna see gas spike.  The Biden admin, the DoD and the US Navy is gonna be in a hurt locker.

Want to see Americans go batshit vengeful/hateful?  Let the price of gas zoom. If gas prices spike we're gonna be in an almost instant recession.

All the talk about transitioning to electric vehicles will fool a small portion of the people but most will be pissed.  Oh and don't think Europe will get off easy either. They're gonna feel the pain too and in a big way.

For all the talk about "all domain warfare" the Pentagon has left out the most important factor.  The citizens of the US.  If we don't support the policy, if they can't explain the policy except for hanging onto the nut sack of "freedom" and "democracy" then the pocket book will always win.



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FNSS ZAHA. The best amphibious (ocean going) vehicle available today? Yeah. Yeah it is!

 

I so wish to God we had evolved the AAV instead of going wheeled. I LIKE BAE! I think they make great products. I think the requirements are what doomed the USMC to a wheeled amphibious vehicle. Think about it. Why didn't the USMC go wheeled in WW2? Easy. Because it gave us access to more beaches! I've seen enough wheeled vehicles bogged down on beaches (wheeled vehicles at that) that I just can't trust the ACV to cross from ship across the shore without difficulty. Additionally I've seen enough issues with the vehicle crossing the surf line that my worries increase. The solution? Well just say that workaround learned with the F-35 fiasco to "make it work" are being done. When you have to develop auxillary tech to help your new tech work that isn't part of your base vehicle then you're not barking up the right tree.

What if we arrived at a solution like the ZAHA?

What if we had evolved the AAV?

It would be new but its performance would have been known.  A training unit for new crew would be required but for "legacy" crews it would have been a familiar vehicle with familiar characteristics.

Looking around the globe I can't help but think that the FNSS Zaha is the best amphibious assault vehicle available today.
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Compass Points take on China's Z-day war game...

 Note.  I am so thankful to the reader that put me onto "Compass Points" (don't want to name him cause I'm not sure he wants to be associated with this blog), but if you're not subscribed you really should.  Go here to get their daily blasts...also note that the font will be different because I don't want to lose any of the "flavor" of their post.


via CP

The whole purpose of the drastic reorganization of the Marine Corps under Force Design 2030 was to address the "pacing challenge" of China. Marines would be placed inside China's Weapons Engagement Zone and shoot at Chinese ships with missiles. It was claimed that the small Marine units on islands throughout the first island chain would create a critical set of problems for the Chinese Navy.

That was the theory of Force Design 2030.

The Chinese have just conducted a comprehensive "Z-Day" total war scenario. As reported in the Asia Times:

- - - -

China has just simulated a total war scenario at sea with the United States, an exercise that highlighted the People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s formidable challenges in a potential high-intensity conflict with an advanced, determined and highly-capable adversary.

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that researchers from the PLA’s Unit 91404 recently added a “total war” scenario when testing and evaluating the performance of new weapons. Unit 91404 is responsible for the sea tests of some of China’s latest and most potent naval weapons.

The SCMP report notes that the researchers published their “Z-day” total war scenario in the peer-reviewed Chinese Journal of Ship Research last month. The report mentions that the researchers assumed that the Chinese military was under all-out attack by a hypothetical “blue alliance” with Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.

In the simulation, the PLA-N had nearly 50 destroyers, with each attacked with 11 missiles and more than three torpedoes coming from multiple directions.

- - - -

As far as Compass Points can determine, Marine missile units on islands were not even considered worth worrying about in the Chinese Z-Day scenario. Missiles from US ships? The Chinese Navy worries about them. Missiles from US submarines? The Chinese Navy worries about them. US air launched cruise missiles? The Chinese Navy worries about them. Missiles from island Marines? Not worth worrying about.

Marines for decades have had a particular role to play in global United States foreign policy. Marines embarked as part of a fully capable Amphibious Ready Group - Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG-MEU) allow the worldwide Combatant Commanders to get the flexible, capable Marine MAGTF on site quickly, ready to deter, assist, or fight.

If the Marine Corps theory of Force Design 2030 was accurate, the Chinese would have centered their whole Z-Day scenario around the question: "How do we deal with those island Marines?"  Instead, of focusing on the missile Marines, China apparently feels it can confidently ignore them. Why would Marine leaders ever degrade the ARG-MEU in a futile effort to be relevant as a missile force?

Compass Points salutes all those in Congress and elsewhere keeping the ARG-MEU strong.

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SEC male/female players of the year!

Yeah. I can live with that!
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PLA 72nd Group Army Brigade's Warrior ("JLTV" type) fires support...

 

Back on this FD2030 curiosity/nonsensical lightness approach. We put anti-ship missiles on the JLTV. Why aren't we expanding that to other weapon systems? The Chinese are doing it with a whole array of systems. If not the JLTV then why not with the HIMAR carrier? Why are we limiting ourselves to just one size rocket system and not expanding to other sizes? Same with anti-air systems? We've raged (at least I have) at China copying us. Perhaps its time we take a page out of their play book?
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Nap time. Ukrainian MRAP and crew in Donetsk region. via Reditt

Don't get this twisted. I am not shaming that soldier. He is doing the hard thing. He is risking life and limb while others are simply cheerleading. Much respect. Much hope that he, his enemies and everyone involved makes it home safe. The bastards that should be doing the fighting, risking life and limb are the policy makers and the idiotic cheerleaders that refuse to turn this war off.

Having said that I don't understand why I'm seeing so many "chubby" fighters. It just doesn't make sense to me.  I've said before and I'll say again.  The stress alone should have these guys shedding weight like crazy.  The physical exertion should have them skinny strong by now.

What is so different in this war that we're seeing big dudes?  Not muscular big but fat big?

Something is off here and I can't figure it out.
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Soft power works! China is investing in Brazil.

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