Open Comment Post. Oct 8, 2016. Trump Locker Room Talk Edition...

Hmm.  Today I've been tuning into a bit of MSNBC News and they're all in arms over some "locker room" talk that Trump engaged in on a bus that was captured by some reality talk show.  It was a bad open mike thing but I personally can't get too excited about it.

What has me wondering is that we're seeing the establishment ... and I mean the Republicans and Democrats ... both working overtime to get people excited about this.

The dude made off color remarks more than 10 years ago, the country is in shit state and that's what they're trying to push?

If Hillary wins we deserve the drama that she will bring.  This is pathetic.  If Trump wasn't such an ego maniac he would be winning this thing easily.  The only good thing is that if he wins he'll blow up the system...and that's why I'm rooting for this flawed, jacked up little man.  He's far from perfect but from my seat our only hope at this point.  That's my opinion...what's yours?

Offensive Air Support 5.....photos by Lance Cpl. Andrew Huff

Open Comment Post. Oct 7, 2016.

A Brief Overview of the 112th Mechanised Infantry Division of the People's Liberation Army (must read article)

Thanks to Gerald for the link!

Article here.  I haven't been keeping up with the way that information is migrating on the net.  This overview was posted on Imgur.  I've always viewed that site as mostly pics (with many of them questionable even for a porn hound) but I've discovered that Imgur along with Reddit are both posting information of interest to readers of this blog.

Make sure you read the run down of vehicles in the 112th.  The Chinese are embarked on a complete mechanization of their forces that has escaped the notice of most western militaries.

This is what happens when you let MANPADS loose in the ME.

Thanks to Gregory for the link!


via Kurdish Daily

One of Turkish F-16 fighter jets bombarding Qandil region in South Kurdistan was shot down by Kurdish forces at around 20.30 pm local time on Thursday, Kurdish sources said.
Local sources also confirmed the downing of the jet in Pişta Şanê area Thursday evening while conducting airstrikes against Kurdish forces.
On September 27, a Turkish fighter jet was downed over Gare region near Turkish-South Kurdistan border at around 20.30 pm local time. Although local journalist published footage of the wreckage of the downed Turkish jet, Turkey’s Islamist government claimed all its jets returned to their base ‘safely’.

Small Rant.

This is what happens when you let MANPADS loose in the ME!  I don't know who the rocket scientist in the State Dept, Pentagon, CIA and National Security council are, or what they're thinking but this is stupid on a stick.

How long before a US plane is targeted?  Do you think that the so called moderate rebels will hesitate to shoot down one of our planes in the hopes that they can use the life of a pilot as a propaganda tool in one of their horrific snuff videos or as a quick way to raise money for their crooked leaders?

I won't even take it to the worse case scenario of them plotting out the courses that our MV-22s take to the various firebases in Iraq and do the dirty deed against one of our birds filled with Marines.

A few of the obvious things that the news media has let slide that we've raised on these pages and been called conspiracy nuts for pointing out.

1.  There has been no "war against ISIS".  It is theoretically impossible for a force numbering less than 40K fighters to keep the US, NATO, Russia, Iran and others at bay.  Supposedly almost the entire world has been aligned against ISIS but they still continue as a fighting force for more than  3 years?  THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE!

2.  Its beyond obvious that the real goal is regime change in Syria.  Everything points to it and its clear that both civilian and military leaders have lied about it.

We are caught in the land of mirrors.  Those we should be able to trust are untrustworthy.  Those we should be suspicious of tell us comfortable truths.

For the ultra-patriots in my readership, I recommend you look away.  This is a nasty episode that will shake you to your core.  If you're not ready for the truth, this is the kind of thing that will make you question many of your allegiances, actions and faith in institutions.

Iveco SuperAV (ACV 1.1) already in service with Italian Marines...PICS!

Thanks to Meriv for the link!

Remember that LAV at Modern Day Marine? Its actually the Armatec Survivability Technology Demonstrator!

Remember the above pic taken at Modern Day Marine?  I was stoked about two things.  The first was the RWiP from Moog and the second was the platform it was mounted on.  I thought it was a radically upgraded LAV from General Dynamics.

I WAS WRONG!

It's the Armatec Survivability Technology Demonstrator!

So who are these guys?  Full disclosure.  I thought I kept up with the goings on in the armored vehicle space.  I'm so outside the loop its stunning.  Armatec is a player and they're attached to many ongoing projects, at the forefront of armor development and for those that are actually in the know, one of those key cogs in the survivability game.

Armatec website is here, but information on this tech demonstrator is sparse to non-existent and I was able to crop another view of the vehicle from their opening page banner but you get the idea.

This is a guess but I would imagine that the talk of upgrading Marine Corps LAV is further along than I thought.  This had to be done with that project in mind (and gobbling up Saudi orders for the same...they're a big operator of this vehicle class).  I like it.  I want to know more, but the little birdy that landed in my in-box was rather tight lipped.

Side note:  You remember SAIC's Survivability Upgrade for the AAV?  Armatec worked with them to put together that package.  Yeah.  These people bear watching.

Terminal Lance & Open Comment Post. Oct 6, 2016.

Terminal Lance is a twisted human being.  I'd love to meet him.  Anyway, what's on your mind.

Saber rattling between the US and Russia over Syria increases...

Thanks to William for the link!

News blast...

*RUSSIA: ANY UNIDENTIFIED OBJECTS IN SYRIA MAY BE TARGETED: RIA
2016-10-06 13:16:09.254 GMT

Between many interventionist politicians in the US talking about "no-fly" zones and the establishment of safe havens in Syria...and now this announcement from Russia, the risk of an accident is increasing.

I can't tell if this is merely posturing or national moves before a flare up.  I do think this is becoming interesting again.  A backwater fight against a fictional enemy (ISIS) that should have been destroyed in months is turning into a super power stand off.

How could they have so mismanaged both the message and the fight?  Its obvious that the fight has been all about removing Assad.  With that no longer being a possibility, why is this fiction continuing?

Army Chief sees units cutoff/surrounded, fighting for their very survival against numerically superior forces...MadMax goes Infantry...

via Breaking Defense.

With units in constant motion far from friendly forces, “being surrounded will become the norm,” continues Milley. There will no clear front line, no secure supply lines, no big bases like Bagram or Camp Victory with chow halls, air-conditioning, and showers. With enemy drones and sensors constantly on the hunt for targets, there won’t even be time for four hours’ unbroken sleep. So, says Milley, “being seriously miserable every single minute of every day will have to become a way of life.”
Milley has warned before that “we are on the cusp of a fundamental change in thecharacter of ground warfare,.” (The nature of war remains eternally brutal and chaotic). But yesterday at the Association of the US Army’s annual Eisenhower Luncheon, the notoriously blunt general laid out his vision of future combat in more and grimmer detail than I’d ever heard — detail that suggests he’s informed by an intensifying program of secret wargames.
Milley envisions the Army destroying enemy sensors, air defenses, and land-based anti-ship missiles to open paths for the rest of the joint force. “Land-based forces now are going to have to penetrate denied areas to facilitate air and naval forces,” Milley said. “This is exact opposite of what we have done for the last 70 years, where air and naval forces have enabled ground forces.”
Soldiers will fight with everything from rifles and tanks to electronic jammers, computer viruses, and long-range missiles striking targets on the land, in the air, and even at sea. “The Army — yes, the Army — we’re going to sink ships,” Milley said, “(and) dominate the airspace above our units from enemy air and missile attack.”

Read this entire article.  I AM FRANTICALLY SEARCHING ARMY ARCHIVES FOR PAPERS COVERING THIS SUBJECT!

The vision that he's laying out is...chilling.  He is seeing a future where our air and sea power is essentially stalemated and that it will take Army Combined Arms Teams to switch from being the "follow on assault force" to being the enabler for the rest of the joint force.

If that isn't eye opening enough he sees a time when his soldiers will be hookin and jabbin on the end of a string.  On this point he's anything but clear but he talks about days on end of two hour sleep days while engaging in high intensity combat?  Even if these guys are pumped with the best roids known to man and are receiving IV injections of meth on a daily its going to be a totally ineffective force within 2 weeks certainly and possibly even less (I had crazy BN commander that liked to run "3 day" high intensity training where no one got any sleep and you stretched two MREs to last the exercise but that was goofy stupid...combat for a week on two hours sleep with iffy resupply and medivac?).

Questions that need to be asked.

1.  Who are these secret simulations being run against?
2.  What are the assumptions being made?
3.  The implication is that our enemies have effectively caught up to our air and sea power?  Is this just Army propaganda or do they have evidence to back this up?
4.  What are the casualty figures for this type of campaign?  How many units will be effectively wiped out in this type of combat?

If one of you guys have access to Army archives where this is discussed then send me a couple of the war college papers.  I MUST LEARN MORE!

Did Israel just lose an F-16?

Thanks to InfoInfantry for the link!

This wouldn't ordinarily be interesting.  Accidents happen.  What makes it rise in importance are the reports that I'm seeing of increased Israeli military activity along the border with a certain country.  Supposedly Hamas is getting ready to mount some type of offensive.

Is any of this true?  Who knows.  It could easily be another one of the rumors that the Middle East loves so much.  Regardless though.  If this pic is correct then the Israeli's need to give their airmen a refresher course in opsec.

Open Comment Post. Oct 5, 2016.

Things needed to get done this morning and while out and about I was monitoring news and the stuff I'm hearing about the "soon" fall of Aleppo is beginning to alarm me.

I keep hearing talk about a humanitarian zone OVER Aleppo?  I hear talk about a no fly zone somewhere in Syria?

Would that even be legal?

The Chairman of the JCS has finally found his balls and said that doing such a thing would mean war against both Syria and Russia?

Are a few terrorists worth all that?

This is conspiracy theory stuff but the idea of a Trump presidency scares the hell outta the establishment.  Could we see an Oct surprise of some type of ramped up military activity before the election?

Anyway, that's on my mind, what's on yours?