SNAFU!

Thursday, May 25, 2017

6th gen fighter receives major budget boost...

via Defense Tech.

“RDT&E funding allows us to do is to take an idea to — to leap an idea to technology we’ll use every day,” Maj. Gen. James Martin, the Air Force’s deputy assistant secretary for budget, said during a budget briefing at the Pentagon. “The capability gap is closing and we must continue to invest in game-changing technology such as hypersonics, directed energy, unmanned autonomous systems, and nanotechnology.”

Next Gen Air Dominance, also known as Penetrating Counter Air, received a hike in line with the service’s Air Superiority 2030 roadmap study completed last May, an Air Force spokeswoman told Military.com Tuesday.

The study is designed to identify shortcomings in the existing fighter fleet that could be addressed with advanced fighter aircraft, sensors and weapons in a growing and unpredictable threat environment.

“We have to be ready for not only what we need today but we better be ready for the potential threats … 10, 20 years from now,” Martin said.

This is curious. The USAF has said on various occasions that the F-35 is superior to the F-22 in many scenarios and that it will serve till 2050 and some have even said 2070.

So with that being the case why are they talking about potential threats in the 10-20 year timeframe? Why are they pumping money into a next gen fighter instead of dumping every penny to make the F-35 work now?

This is off and is another clue. What it's telling us is just beyond me but there is a message here.

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

Marine Aviation is still in the hurt locker...

via National Interest.

The United States Navy has awarded Boeing a new contract to help resolve serious readiness problems with its F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fleets.

The Department of the Navy’s (DON) strike fighter squadrons are in a dire situation where—at least at last report during Congressional testimony on Feb.7, 2017—more than 62 percent of the service’s fighters are for all intents and purposes grounded. Of that total, the Marine Corps’ strike fighter fleet—which is composed mostly of older original model F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornets—is in even worse shape with as many as 74 percent of its jets not ready for war.

The DON is taking steps to resolve the problem, which is the cumulative result of years of overuse and funding disruptions that stem from the 2011 Budget Control Act. Additionally, in the case of the Marine Corps, the service made some very poor decisions on aircraft procurement—betting its future on the on-time arrival of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

The solution to the problem is to increase the purchase of spare parts and push aircraft through depot maintenance faster. This new $238 million contract extension with Boeing to upgrade additional F/A-18s for the Navy and Marine Corps is part of that overall effort. The company’s Cecil Field facility will perform high flight-hour inspections, periodic maintenance inspections, in-service repair and modifications, upgrades and other engineering work for the aircraft.

“Our mission is to support the Navy’s effort to improve readiness,” Travis McBurnett, Boeing’s F/A-18 Sustainment program director, said in a statement. “Since 1999, the Boeing Cecil Field team has returned 880 modified or repaired F/A-18s to the Navy and Marines. We look forward to delivering many more in the coming years.”

However, even in the best-case scenario, it will take the DON—both the Navy and Marine Corps—years to recover from this debacle. That’s assuming stable funding without periodic disruptions as a result various continuing resolutions that are increasingly common as Congress routinely fails to pass budgets year after year. It’s not like this is a new problem—I’ve reported on this issue since before 2014 for The Daily Beast. If anything, matters have gotten worse year over year.

Let's highlight that sentence one more time for effect...

Additionally, in the case of the Marine Corps, the service made some very poor decisions on aircraft procurement—betting its future on the on-time arrival of the Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighter.

This era of Marine Corps aviation will not be one that is looked back on fondly

General Davis sold his soul for the F-35 and I'd like to ask him if it was worth it. Marine Corps historians will not be kind to his leadership during this period. This maintenance mess and the poor state of Marine Corps aviation should be a chargeable offense. The idea that national security was threatened because someone at HQMC decided that the operational risk of having 74% of our strike aircraft in an unserviceable state is almost treasonous!

Bad decisions? You bet your ass!

The USMC hoped for budget boost is gone with the wind...

via Marine Corps Times

Despite President Trump’s promise for a massive military buildup, the Marine Corps is not expected to grow any more next fiscal year.

If approved by Congress, the proposed Marine Corps' fiscal 2018 budget will keep active-duty end strength at 185,000, budget documents show. Lawmakers recently approved funding for the Corps to grow from 182,000 to 185,000 this fiscal year.

Trump, on the campaign trail last year, publicly endorsed recommendations from the Heritage Foundation think tank calling for adding 12 active-duty Marine infantry battalions and one active-duty tank battalion.

“We will build a Marine Corps based on 36 battalions, which the Heritage Foundation notes is the minimum needed to deal with major contingencies,” Trump said during a Sept. 7 speech, in which he called for a bigger U.S. military.

At this point, it is impossible to say whether future budgets will call for the Marine Corps to become larger, said retired Marine Lt. Col. Dakota Wood, the principal author of the Heritage Foundation’s review.

Although Trump has said he intends to increase the size of the military, and the House and Senate Armed Services committees have expressed support for the idea, other lawmakers do not want to increase defense spending without finding non-military spending cuts, Wood told Marine Corps Times Monday.

Remember that budget boost that the Pentagon and HQMC lusted after? Well it ain't gonna happen and with fiscal hawks holding sway over the defense hawks it seems like it will never happen.

The funny thing is that the Pentagon has made it easy. They can't even run a proper audit of the dept so who in their right mind would allocate them more resources until they can account for what they've already been given!

Cuts are coming boys and girls.

Unless Thornberry can pull a rabbit out of his ass then the F-35 will certainly be cut, as will the CH-53K. I would even bet that the final multiyear buy of MV-22s will be reassessed. HQMC made a bad bet it seems and now they're gonna reap the whirlwind.

Sidenote! There is one thing the Marine Corps can try but its gonna be hard to explain to the Congress. They can close bases and reduce the size of the force. If they revert back to the original plane of 150K Marines and give up Miramar then maybe they can find the funds to buy all the toys they want.

Modernized ATACMs successfully tested..

via UPI

Lockheed Martin reports its modernized Tactical Missile System missile has successfully completed a sixth long-range flight test.

The surface-to-surface TACMS missile flew about 149 miles to engage its target. The flight test at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico confirmed that the missile functions as designed and meets performance requirements of the U.S. Army's TACMS Service Life Extension Program, Lockheed Martin said..

"During this test, we demonstrated a successful proximity detonation of the TACMS missile, as well as confirmed numerous performance improvements to these rounds," said Scott Greene, vice president of Precision Fires & Combat Maneuver Systems at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "This sixth consecutive success further demonstrates that our customers can have full confidence that Modernized TACMS is going to perform reliably when called upon."

Lockheed said the missile used in the test was launched from a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System and was "hot-conditioned" -- the launcher was held in an environmental chamber before launch to simulate hot launch conditions.

The modernized TACMS features new guidance electronics and can engage a target without leaving behind unexploded ordnance.

I still wonder if the 7 ton Truck could handle the standard MLRS rocket pod. If it can then we're leaving capability on the table.

Has the artillery community even considered it?

Juniper Falcon 2017 pics...

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Breaking! Threat level raised in the UK to critical...more attacks expected! UPDATE!

Just heard this.

British PM says that more attacks are expected and those attacks are imminent!

UPDATE!

PM says that armed troops will be deployed on the street. News Reporters says this is unusual for the Brits. It happens all over Europe and even the US but for the Brits this shows an unusual case of dread. They're expecting pain.

ISIS preps its troops/armor for battle in the Aleppo Province...huge battle shaping up.

pic/story via AMN.com

Although the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) elite Tiger Forces have liberated some 20 villages with relative ease this month alone, ISIS has stubbornly deployed some of its own seasoned units to hold their ground in the Maskanah Plains, anchored between the Jabbul Lake and Lake Assad.

12 new pictures released by Amaq Agency show that the Islamic State has deployed tanks, BMP’s and many militants to halt the SAA from pushing into neighboring Raqqa province.

More pics here.

The war is coming to an end and the earlier nonsense about another couple of decades to decide the outcome of the fight that the Pentagon was spouting only a year ago is obviously wrong.

But it won't be easy and the ISIS scum won't go quietly.

Colombia builds up its forces on the border of Venezuela...is an intervention possible?

via LAHT.com

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday that Caracas does not accept Bogota’s explanation for the deployment of Colombian armored vehicles along the countries’ shared border.

In response to a statement from Venezuela complaining of “the usual and unacceptable provocation” posed by the presence of armored “combat” vehicles near the Paraguachon border crossing, the Colombian government said the units had been stationed there since 2015 to suppress criminal activity.

“We are not satisfied or content with the reply given by the Colombian government, because we know that the military activities and actions and the military equipment that is present on the border with Venezuela are not part of the battle against transnational crime,” Rodriguez told reporters in Caracas.

The heightened tension with neighboring Colombia comes nearly two months into a wave of opposition protests in Venezuela against the leftist government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Authorities say the unrest has left 60 people dead, including both supporters and opponents of the government, along with police and bystanders.

“We know that (the Colombian military deployment) is in the context of the provocation designed by the Pentagon,” the foreign minister said.

She said the border situation is connected to a meeting two weeks ago in Washington between Venezuelan opposition leader Julio Borges and the US national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.

Maduro has accused the US government – specifically President Donald Trump – of being behind the protests in Venezuela.

Hmm. Don't know about this one. Both could be correct and it might be in response to an influx of refugees from Venezuela.

It bears watching though.

Manchester Chief Constable's statement is the usual useless boilerplate...

official statement via LEP.co.uk

"This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see. "Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.

"Our thoughts are with those 22 victims that we now know have died, the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. We continue to do all we can to support them. They are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester. "As you will appreciate this is a fast-moving investigation and we have significant resources deployed to both the investigation and the visible patrols that people will see across Greater Manchester as they wake up to the news of the events last night.

"This will include armed officers as people would expect and more than 400 officers have been deployed on this operation throughout the night. "To remind you, we were called at about 10.33pm to reports of an explosion at the Manchester Arena. This was at the conclusion of the Ariana Grande concert.

"We then received more than 240 calls and emergency services responded very quickly to the scene. Emergency numbers have been established for anyone who is concerned for their loved ones who may not have returned home, these numbers are 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900.

"We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe at this stage the attack last night was conducted by one man. The priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network. "The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity. "We would ask people not to speculate on his details or share names. This is a complex and wide ranging investigation. "Our priority is to work with the National Counter-Terrorist Policing Network and UK intelligence services to establish more details about the individual who carried out this attack.

They're not releasing the name, race, nationality or religion of the attacker.

They're asking the public to remain calm in the face of terrorism.

They're saying that they're doing all they can to support the victims and family of those that were killed or injured.

They're asking the public to maintain a "stiff upper lip".

My question. When will we (the Brits in this case) start demanding preventive instead of a reactive response from our security/intel agencies?

We put up with monitoring that is beyond anything anyone could imagine and anyone could imagine would be tolerated by so called "free societies". In essence the general public has given the govt the right to pry into our private lives with the idea that this would allow a measure of safety and security.

Govts are not delivering on the deal.

When will we hold them accountable? When will we get pissed about the bloodshed and stop making excuses for it? When will we do more than light candles and put flowers on the sidewalk of a terror attack?