Terminal Lance Blog highlights the "New Marine Corps" perfectly!

I have nothing to add.

This sums it up perfectly.  Fuck you Mabus...Carter....USNI Blog...Haynie...Ripley...and the rest of you liberal fucks....

Australia beats S. Korea when it comes to amphibious raid capability?

You ever read an article and the first thing you say is bullshit?  Breaking Defense has such an article...check this out.

America’s Pacific partners are building up their amphibious forces, but they can’t storm a beach against a high-tech adversary like China. Even the most advanced allies — Australia, Japan, and South Korea — would need US support for a raid against a well-armed terrorist group, especially in command & control, logistics, and helicopters, reports the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
Less developed partners — India and the Philippines — should stick to lower-threat missions, such as Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HADR) and Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations (NEOs). Small but sophisticated Singapore falls in the middle of the pack. (We’ve summarized CSIS’s detailed ratings in the chart above).
The bottom line: US strategists must appreciate what each partner can and cannot do and help them to do better at what they’re best at instead of wasting time and money trying to make a mini-me of the Marine Corps.
“They have to be able to do it their way,” said retired Marine Lt. Gen. George Flynn, speaking at the report’s roll-out yesterday. “Their capabilities are going to reflect their national interests. We don’t need to create more of us.”

Below is the chart that they're talking about.

Riddle me this.

S. Korea has a Marine Corps that stretches back decades and fought in Vietnam.  They have modern LHDs and operate the same AAVs that we do.  They're constantly working to ensure the highest standards for the ROK Marines and they do exercises almost monthly.  The ROK Marines have a force of approx 30,000 men.  The entire Australian Army numbers around 45,000.

Yet we're suppose to believe that the Australians...the same people that just bought their first LHD...that haven't pulled the trigger on developing a Marine Corps and are designating an Army Battalion (not sure what they call it...Battalion, Brigade, Regiment...its one small formation) to do the task....is more capable than S. Korea?

Don't get it twisted!  I'm a fan of the Australian Army but I just don't understand how they can be rated ahead of the S. Koreans and quite honestly Singapore (just calling it the way I see it).

There is obviously an agenda here.  What it is I don't know but as things stand this report makes no sense.

Side note:  That chart on amphibious shipping seems like pure bs too.  Have they forgotten about the Dokdo Class LHDs?

A review of American Warfighter!

“Sir, shit ain’t right here. This isn’t a good idea.”

I don’t know what our leadership was thinking, or what other information our company commander had, but from my position—and having spent most of the deployment in the field
fighting these guys—it all seemed like an obvious setup.

Then the Iraqi police said, “Hey, we know where this insurgent has a DShK heavy machine gun. Do you guys want to go get it?”

That's from Chapter 11, the story of Jeremiah Church who was part of the RSTA Platoon in Baqubah, Iraq.  He won a Silver Star for his action that day and I'm not gonna spoil it.

Everyone of the stories is literally pulse pounding.  I guarantee that you won't put the book down and it'll have you mesmerized.

But since I've already spoiled the review with my little ditty above, let me get down to what I liked/loved and what I felt could have been expanded on.

Like/Love.

1.  Bryars doesn't give us the dry award citations.  He gives you a rundown of the situation "in country" at the time.  This is a part of the story that many historians gloss over.  They fail to let you know the situation on the ground at the time.  There is no understanding of why decisions were made.  For example what were the dynamics that led to the rules of engagement that our forces were operating under etc...Bryars lays all that out at the beginning of each passage.  We get an overview of the situation and what these guys...our guys were facing.

2.  We get a look at the motivation of the men to join the military in the first place.  Everyone of these guys were patriots (to be expected) but that's not the only reason why people join the military.

3.  He gives a detailed view of the battle.  Most award citations are painfully brief and don't give the harrowing details of the fight.  Bryars took the time to get these heroes to talk about how they continued to fight even after being injured.  That's refreshing.  The words in the citations are often glowing but don't capture the bravery to stay in the fight after you've been hit.  Just as importantly we get an idea of how these units maneuvered, what they saw and why they did what did.  Its almost like an after action debrief by the intel bubbas.

What I wished he expanded on.

1.  My only ding.  The motivation to join the military was shorter than I would have liked and I wanted a bit more info on the units.  The other members in the unit I would love to have heard more about.  This is my only ding!

Summation.

This is a must buy.  Quite honestly if I was connected with HQMC I would recommend it for the Commandant's Reading List (do they still do that?).  I would target it at E-1's thru E-5's.  Why?  Because it helps reinforce the message of what the Marine Corps expects from its Marines.  Additionally its an easy read without being condescending and its subject matter is OOHRAH worthy.  If I gave out stars it would get a 5 out of 5!

"American Warfighter" can be found on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/0991324854 and also on Barnes & Noble’s website, Apple’s iBooks, and most other book retailers.

You want a bit of envy? Listen to the Singaporean Defense Minister talk about his plans for their armed forces!

Thanks to Zack for the link!



Start watching at the 4:20 mark and listen to him lay it all out.  They get this guy and we get Carter and Mabus?

Whether you like it or not, Trump is our only hope.

via War News Updates.

The tables have turned in this week’s White House Watch. After trailing Hillary Clinton by five points for the prior two weeks, Donald Trump has now taken a four-point lead.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds Trump with 43% of the vote, while Clinton earns 39%. Twelve percent (12%) still like another candidate, and five percent (5%) are undecided.

You know what you will get with Hillary.

Trump is a mystery, but at least he offers a chance that he will break up the status quo in Washington.  The way that the establishment Democrats AND Republicans are acting it appears that they believe the same.

So if you like the way things are going, vote for Hillary and join with the establishment in "keeping the good thing going".

If you're like me and want someone to get real about our problems and put America first then Trump is our only hope.

You don't have to like it, you just have to make a choice.  Hillary and a third Obama term or Trump.  Your choice, but choose wisely.

KC-390 vid.

Thanks to Marcos and everyone else that sent me this link!



Let me see if I can trigger some people with this statement.  You're looking at a C-130/C-295 killer!

Singapore readies its Bionix II replacement for 2019 introduction...UPDATED! Mike Yeo @ The Base Leg gets us a sneak peek!

via IHS Janes.

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has received the final prototype of a 29 tonne tracked armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) which is intended to replace the army's ageing M113A2 Ultra armoured personnel carrier (APC) fleet, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen announced during his annual press conference for SAF Day which falls on 1 July.
The yet unnamed vehicle - currently designated the New Generation AFV - has been under development by the country's Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) in partnership with Singapore Technologies (ST) since 2006 and is expected to be commissioned into the army's armoured corps by 2019 to operate alongside the in-service ST Kinetics Bionix and Bionix II tracked infantry fighting vehicles.

This is interesting.  This vehicle has been in development since 2006 and no one knew about it?  Wow.  I'm not a fan of the "neck down" philosophy but Singapore operates a wide variety of vehicles that all do the same job.  That seems really impractical for a nation that prides itself not only on its tech and practicality but also on being frugal.  For a city state I wonder how they can justify so many different armored vehicles?  Is this for domestic consumption or is it aimed at the foreign market?

UPDATE!

Mike Yeo delivered the goods for us.  First, the reasoning behind this new tracked vehicle is that the Bionix 2 just doesn't have the growth potential needed to meet the Singapore Army's needs going forward.  We're talking about increased firepower, armor, anti-tank missile carriage, networking etc...The next question is why aren't they considering the excellent Terrex 3 for this role?  Mike is thinking that its tracked vehicles for armored formations and wheels for mech infantry...classic armor philosophy.  Now for the best part.  A sneak peek below.

Is Singapore about to build a "Puma" killer?

Warning Rant! Air Force stands pat while Marine Corps goes politically correct on "title change"

Thanks to Bryan for the link!

via Fox News.

As the Navy and Marines prepare to alter dozens of military titles to conform to gender-neutral terminology, the Air Force is bucking the trend and will be keeping the "man" in airman.
The call to revise numerous service designations came after a December decision by Defense Secretary Ash Carter allowing women to apply for all military jobs. In January, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus wrote a service-wide message calling the move "an opportunity to update the position titles."
But the Air Force is declining the "opportunity."
“I think the term ‘airman’ needs to stay how it is. It’s who we are. It’s part of our heritage,” Senior Master Sgt. Andrea Cook told Stars and Stripes. “I’ve been an airman for 21 years.”
The Marines are set to rename 19 titles. In most instances, the term “man” will be replaced by “Marine,” so “Basic infantryman” would become “Basic infantry Marine.”

Here.

Wow.  The fucking weak ass USAF has the balls to "decline the opportunity" but the Marine Corps leadership gets on its knees and swallows hard?

Congrats USNI Blog, Haynie,Ripley, Amos and the rest....you've won.  You've transformed the Marine Corps from a fighting organization into a fucked up, butched up, weak ass pile of shit.

Time to punch a wall....

Hey Neller.  Grow a fucking pair.  

Senior Military Leaders want more time on Transgender issue.

via Air Force Times

Senior military leaders expressed deep concerns this week that the launch of new Pentagon rules allowing transgender service members to serve openly in the U.S. military is moving too quickly, arguing that a number of details and questions must still be resolved, several senior U.S. officials told The Associated Press.
The Pentagon plans to unveil the new regulations in the next day or two. Under the new policy, transgender individuals will be allowed to serve in the military, and can no longer be forced to leave based on their gender identity. Officials familiar with the plan said it states that service in the military should be open to anyone who can meet the rigorous service standards, regardless of their gender identity.
Officials said the plan also says that people with gender dysphoria, a history of medical treatments associated with gender transition and those who have had reconstruction surgery may be disqualified as military recruits unless a medical provider certifies that they have been clinically stable in the preferred gender for 18 months, and are free of significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas. They also said transgender troops receiving hormone therapy must have been stable on the medication for 18 months.

At this point it really doesn't matter.

First, none of this has been about military efficiency nor has it been about fairness.  This is about perception and creating a legacy for the President.  The military is a soft target because Obama was able to take the measure of current military leaders and found them to be extremely malleable and weak.

Second, this has been announced for months now and only at the last minute do we hear about "needing more time"?  Refer back to my first point about military leadership being weak.

My last point?  Why do change agents fail?  Simple.  Because they don't seek buy in from the organization that they're seeking to change and they attempt "too much change too fast"....those that are being asked to adopt to the change might have the best of intentions but the whiplash effect of too much too fast causes a pushback.

In short.  The military is headed toward chaos.  Not in the classic sense but you're going to see voting with feet and a reduction in standards.

Personally I'm looking forward to the chaos.  Those that were charged with leading failed.  Its time for them to reap the whirlwind. 

Land 400 Phase 3 looks impressive. Too bad it'll be killed.

British AJAX (ASCOD 2)

Puma IFV

CV9035

You think Land 400 Phase 2 has tough competition?  Wait till you see Phase 3?  According to many publications (including the excellent Defence Technology Review) the above vehicles are all in the running for the contract.

I never in my life thought that I would say that the CV9035 would seem dated but in this field it does.  The Ajax, in reality a total redo of the Ascod, deserves a better nomenclature than Ascod 2.  Its a new beast and takes that vehicles performance to a new level.

The Puma?  No need to talk about that.  Its everyone's favorite and has fans in every country.  In my opinion its typically German.  Over engineered and expensive.  I don't know if those are qualities you want in a vehicle that will be operated cross country by 18 year olds.

Interestingly enough the Aussies put in an escape clause to expand the Phase 2 purchase and outright cancel the Phase 3 program.  Check this out via Australia Defence.

In the first official confirmation of the number of platforms under consideration, the Phase 3 RfI refers to 312 turreted direct-fire high-survivability IFVs, 26 command-and-control vehicles, 16 Joint Fires vehicles, 11 engineer reconnaissance vehicles, 14 ambulances, 14 recovery vehicles, 18 repair vehicles, and 39 combat engineer variants. The phase also includes 17 manoeuvre support vehicles (MSVs).
According to the RfI, the ideal solution would be a tracked and turreted IFV with high levels of protection and mobility commensurate with the M1A1 main battle tank and capable of lifting a standard infantry battalion eight-man section.
However, in order to better understand cost versus capability trade-offs and through-life ownership costs, information was also requested on solutions based on tracked APCs and wheeled AFVs in the IFV role.

As thrilling as Phase 3 would be, I'm betting that they're gonna go wheels and Phase 2 gets expanded to cover the IFV role.  The cost, benefit equation just doesn't favor tracks.  With the survivability found in many of the vehicles in Phase 2 coming close to that of their Phase 3 counterparts the added cost of tracked vehicles just doesn't make sense.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch met with Bill Clinton. Why?

This could easily be innocent.  But the optics are just horrible.  Either leadership is unaware of how bad their actions look to the average citizen or they just don't care.

Either way she just added another log to the fire for conspiracy theorists.

The USMC gets a second useless F-35 squadron this week.

via DoD Buzz

A Yuma, Arizona-based Marine AV-8B Harrier squadron will officially be redesignated Thursday as it welcomes brand-new F-35B Joint Strike Fighters.
Marine Attack Squadron 211 will be the second operational F-35B squadron for the Marine Corps, coming online 11 months after the service announced initial operating capability for the aircraft last July. It joins Yuma-based Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 in operating the fifth generation aircraft.
The Thursday ceremony will re-designate VMA-211 as Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211. According to a news release from Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, the squadron received its first two F-35B aircraft on May 9 — three days after it completed its final flights with the Harrier. Officials did not immediately respond to a request about when the remaining joint strike fighters made by Lockheed Martin Corp. would join the squadron.

Simply amazing.

When Amos retired the entire United States Marine Corps let out a collective sigh of relief.  We survived one of those leaders that no one should be faced with.  A leader that confuses his interests with the interests of the organization.

Then came Dunford.

I had my reservations but the conventional wisdom was that he was good to go.  Solid.  A Christian.  A Marine's Marine.  Ok.  Maybe this might workout.  He was in the chair just long enough to authorize the fraudulent IOC of the F-35 (he didn't even unpack his "I love me" box to hang his awards on the wall) and then punched out to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs.

Now we have Neller.  Don't know the guy, don't want to know him.  The Army stood strong and didn't do politically correct "gender norming" of MOS' and our leader got on both knees and pleasured the despicable SecNav Mabus....from all appearances he didn't even put up a fight.

So am I surprised that they're pushing forward with another squadron of airplanes that can't even deploy much less be used in combat?

Not at all.

Its par for the course with the type of leadership we've had.  The money wasted (both now and into the future for upgrading these planes to current Harrier level) will make your eyes water.  

We are sowing the seeds of our future defeat with this airplane.