Its becoming clear that we suffered an intelligence failure in the San Bernardino shooters case.

via CNN

FBI investigators say they believe San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook had ties to one of four Riverside, California, men who were charged in 2012 with planning to join al Qaeda in Afghanistan, two U.S. law enforcement officials said on condition of anonymity Thursday.
The officials said Farook was in the social circle of Sohiel Kabir, who the FBI has said recruited and helped radicalize the other three men in the Riverside group.
Kabir, who was apprehended in Afghanistan in 2012, was sentenced this year to 25 years in prison for his role in the case.
FBI investigators who are probing the San Bernardino shooting are taking a new look at Kabir, the two officials said.

Are you still focused on Trump?  Have you let that news story take your eyes off the real bouncing ball?

If so then congrats.  The media succeeded.

If not then marvel at the intel failure we're seeing here.  Not only did we have a person participating in subversive activities with his wife that ended in a catastrophic terrorist attack, but we also see that the FBI failed to properly investigate a terrorist cell operating in the Riverside area (March AFB, 29 Palms MCB...should take another look at their workforce).

Long story short?

Ignore the human interest story.  Why the mother decided to drop off her child and go do Jihad is irrelevant.  The words of the police officers that risked life and limb can be read later.  The tales of the survivors will make a great movie.

What we need to focus on is the threat that remains.  There is always one more.  If you find one terrorist cell you can bet prized body parts that another is operating close by.  Its just the way that life works...I'm just the messenger...I don't make the rules. 

The Norwegian Army is considering "Small Team Swarms" to confront a Russian mech assault.

Thanks to Nidar for the link!

via AFTENPOSTEN (translated by Google)

"Norwegian Silence" is the name of a proposed operational concept that utilizes Norwegian benefits. Rather than tanks and artillery are betting it on many teams intent of six or ATV, possibly inserted with boats or cargo helicopters.
These are armed with laptops, homing missiles, sniper weapons and mines.Before they embark on the mission teams get an area in which they operate in, as well as an overarching intention of what they should achieve in the area and after which supply electricity. Beyond that teams are free to act as they think best solved mission.

And this...

The lieutenant stresses that warfare is effective, but not easy to implement.
He draws parallels to Finnish warfare against Russia in 1939-1940.
"All advance must be made over large distances in roadless terrain. This must be the soldier physically robust enough to cope. The small units, both on land and sea, will operate alone and with limited replenishment. This requires a robust psyche and commitment, "writes Lieutenant.

I'm sure there is much more to this concept than this short article tells, but I can't help but compare it to "Little Groups of Paratroops" or Partisan Units operating in WW2.

I guess the closest modern day example of what's being talked about here is what we've seen with Special Ops in Afghanistan.

Will it work against a modern mechanized force?

I really don't think so.  The Ukrainian Infantry experience in ops against the Russian supported rebels keeps popping up.

All I can think is that these small units will be found, fixed and destroyed.  The idea of having freedom of movement disappears (at least in my mind) after the first and certainly second attack.

We need to know more before we make a final judgement but it seems like another "let's turn our conventional forces into quasi-special ops" thinking.  It might be easy on procurement dollars but expensive in lives.

F-35 Opinion Meter...via Save The Royal Navy.org

Interesting.  Note where they place the US Navy, Netherlands, Israel, Canada, S. Korea and Japan.  Also noteworthy is the placing of UK Armed Forces Commentary Blog and Information Dissemination.

My point is this.  The big naval power boosters are all lukewarm or neutral at best.  That should make everyone pause.  The true supporters of the airplane are all air power and/or SOCOM zealots (to include portions of the USMC).  Anyone that sees a major conventional war with a peer opponent is worried about the plane's performance.

I guess that's what it all boils down to.  If you see small wars as being all the future holds then the F-35 is the best thing going.  If you think a major dust up is in the offing then you're scared shitless.

NOTE:  Let me explain the airpower/SOCOM zealot theory.  Certain think tanks in the US believe that those two components will be all that the US and our allies need to dominate the battlefield into the future.  That view has gained traction among our allies.  The nations in the Pacific region seem to know better and are moving at breakneck speed to upgrade across the board.  That's what I mean.  The European powers that are embracing the plane fall into the airpower/SOCOM concept of operations.  It's cheaper than building capable ground and naval forces.

Now they're saying the F-35 is stealthier than the F-22...

Just when you thought you heard it all, the F-35 fanboys always seem to come up with something new.   The latest?   The F-35 is stealthier than the F-22.

Yeah.  That's right.  Supposedly Bogdan said that the F-35 has a lower RCS than the F-22.  I had never heard that claim before so I Googled it.  This is what I found from Aviation Week...

The F-35′s cross section is much smaller than the F-22′s. “The F-35 doesn’t have the altitude, doesn’t have the speed [of the F-22], but it can beat the F-22 in stealth.”

Bogdan didn't spout that obvious lie.  It was Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Hostage.   I tried to find any instance where that statement was repeated by the then ACC Chief.  He didn't.  It was a one-off.

I checked to see what was going on in the world of the F-35, US Air Power and DoD budgeting.  The controversy sweeping the defense blogosphere?  The USN seeking more Growlers.  The F-35 program was on a whirlwind tour to kill any future procurement of the Growler Electronic Attack airplane.

Long story short?  Bogdan, the USAF & US Marines, the Program Office and Lockheed Martin will say and do anything to get this plane across the finish line.

My question is this.  How much more time are you willing to give a program that continues to fail?  Do you realize that if the F-35 was delivered on time and it was in service that we'd be working on its replacement NOW (not to mention that the USMC/US ARMY/US NAVY/USAF, allies wouldn't all be facing procurement trainwrecks which required shelving personnel with hardwon combat experience and casing the colors on Infantry, Artillery, Tank, Amphib and Engineer Battalions)!  This airplane isn't only endangering current budgets but is affecting future development.  The problem becomes even more acute when you consider the advancements being made by other countries.  If the F-35 had been on time the J-20 and PAK-FA would be a generation behind it while we would maintain our technological lead because our 6th gen would be getting ready for production.
The undeniable fact is stark.  By allowing the F-35 to continue in development for so long has practically guaranteed that we will be at best on par with future threats...not ahead of them.

Lockheed Martin F-35 propaganda is all about economic benefits...combat capability is now an afterthought!

Just plain wow.

The above vid is a bit of Lockheed Martin propaganda on the F-35.  The stunning part?  They aren't even talking about the plane's combat capabilities anymore.  The "juice" is in the business plan.  To be precise they're talking about the economic benefits associated with the plane.

The burning question in my mind is how can this business plan even make one ounce of sense?  They have manufacturing or assembly subcontractors in so many countries that we have to be paying a premium on redundant manufacturing costs.

But back to the combat capabilities of the airplane.  I can see a future Commandant of the Marine Corps playing the part of Vivien Leigh and the Lockheed Martin President playing the part of Clark Gable.

The future CMC asks the LM President to tell him/her what to do with the regard to the F-35's lack of performance.  The LM President turns and says....

Trump was right?

Rush Limbaugh is citing US Code Chapter 12 Immigration and Naturalization Act as being the basis for Trump's proposal.

Additionally section V deals with removing Non-Resident Alien Terrorists that slipped into the country undetected.

More to come but this story is about to be turned on its head.  Republicans that rushed to condemn Trump are in for a rude awakening.

This restores my faith in some churches.

Full disclosure.

I've quietly been having a serious case of heartburn.  The reason is because you have all these church charities.  Instead of looking around their city, county or state at the people close to them that need help, they've joined efforts to bring people into the nation from war torn states.

The heartburn comes because people that they pass by everyday are struggling yet instead of helping them they decide to go the high profile route and do the politically correct thing.

This church is doing it the right way, but that goes to the core of what's wrong with our country and why I think that we're headed to a serious meltdown.  CITI predicts that the chances of a recession next year at 65% likely.  China isn't getting any better.  The middle east is melting down and arms sales to that region is brisk.  Gas is down but oil producing parts of the country are already in a hurt locker.

And then we have the threat of terrorism.

We've talked on these pages of what happens to countries that have been ravaged by war for over a decade.  Drug use booms and people start treating life as if its cheap.  But what happens to a developed country when its been in economic trouble for over a decade, been waging war for as long and tensions across the board are increasing?

Yeah.  The Christian church in the US has enough problems at home without trying to save some souls across the seas.

The so called "increase" in F-35 numbers is a fiction.

Thanks to Jonathan for the link!

via Defense Aerospace.

To support Norway’s continued acquisition of the F-35 along with its associated infrastructure the Government proposes a 2016 budget allocation of NOK 8.6 billion. While this proposal includes NOK 1.1 billion re-allocated from the 2015 budget due to planned payments that have been postponed, this nevertheless constitutes a near doubling of the 2015-level.
Also covered by the funding increase are additional funds for the construction of the new F-35-base at Ørland Main Air Station, where several projects are already underway to prepare for the arrival of the first F-35 in Norway in 2017.
The Norwegian Parliament has already authorized the procurement of 22 of the 52 aircraft Norway plans to procure, which includes deliveries up to and including 2019. In the 2016 budget, the Government requests authorization to begin procurement of an additional six aircraft for delivery in 2020.
On Tuesday the 6th of October the Norwegian acquisition of the F-35 reached another milestone as the second F-35 for Norway, AM-2, completed a successful test flight from Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas. This was the first flight for a Norwegian F-35, and comes only two weeks after the formal roll-out ceremony for the first Norwegian F-35.

That sounds like fantastic news doesn't it (if you're a F-35 fanboy).  But wait a sec...lets see what the Editor of Defense Aerospace has to say...

EDITOR’S NOTE: The “near-doubling” of funding for the F-35 program that leads the above statement by Norway’s MoD is achieved by carrying over 1.1 billion kroner of unspent money from 2015.
In actual fact, there is no “near-doubling” as combined funding for the program in 2015 and 2016 remains flat.
It is disappointing to see Norway’s government adopting the “smoke and mirrors” approach to public communications used by Lockheed Martin and by other, less reputable, governments.

A lie from the Norwegian Ministry of Defense?  I'm surprised.  I believed that they were beyond the type of games that our own DoD revels in.

But I shouldn't be.  Lockheed Martin and the F-35 has corrupted the defense establishments of the western world.

Norwegian Leopard 2A4NO Main Battle Tanks in the snow (pics)

Blackwater Mercs take their first hits in Yemen...including an Australian national killed...

Thanks to MicMac for the link!

via The Guardian

An Australian mercenary has reportedly been killed in clashes in Yemen, alongside six Colombian troops.
Guardian Australia understands the Australian commander was named Philip Stitman. The world needs to know about Yemen’s war. But journalists are being silenced.  It’s believed he was employed as a mercenary by the United Arab Emirates to lead Colombian fighters against the Houthis in the country’s south.
Local media reports said six Colombian soldiers under the Australian’s command had also been killed. They were reportedly advancing towards the al-Amri area in the heavily contested Taiz province, in Yemen’s south-west.
The mercenaries, including the Australian, were fighting with the private military contractor Blackwater, the reports said.

Yeah.

This is gonna happen again.  The only good thing is that the Houthis don't appear to have the same "lust for torture" that the ISIS animals do.  But I expect to see more Westerners killed before its over.  The money is...decent...not compelling enough in my opinion to risk it...but many will jump at the chance.

 What would really be interesting is if Prince decides to dip his toe in the Syrian fight.  That would REALLY attract a bunch of people.  I wonder how desperate the Saudi's are? 

USMC briefing on ISIS (pdf). MUST SEE!

Many thanks to Bruce for the link!

  Is the Caliphate Revision Nov 2015

I beg you all to take the time to go thru these slides and get the quick and dirty on ISIS.

Long story short?  These bastards are the same animals that we thought we had put in the ground so long ago.  We've been lied to.  Bin Laden's boys are still around causing trouble (well at least a band of them).

All the talk from the White House about degrading Al Qaeda is just another lie...they're back and like a bad Sci-Fi movie they've mutated into something even more deadly.

Kalibr sub launched cruise missile strike against Syrian rebel positions (vid)

Syria is more than a civil war.  It's become a capabilities demonstration of Russian high tech weapons.  So far I'd say that I'm rather impressed.