Public Service Announcement.

Hear me out before you call me a communist!

If you've had your eye on a particular piece of gear then go for it...especially if you get it at a great price.

But if you're simply following the herd and heading out because you want to "see" or "you like crowds" or "its fun" then PLEASE rethink your drink!

Your wallet is too important.

Your sanity is too important.

Your personal safety is too important.

To waste in the idiotic sea of humanity that is Black Friday.

If you need it get it.  If you have someone in mind for a certain gift then I'm with you.

But America seems to have turned a corner.  Mass consumerism is going the way of the Dodo according to early reports and I couldn't be happier.

Dare to think!

Dare to say no to Black Friday!

Open Comments Post. 29 Nov 2019

Happy Thanksgiving...

Be well my friends.  Stay safe.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving...

Open Comment Post. 28 Nov 2019

Is this what the N. Koreans just fired into the sea?

North Korea fired two missiles from what South Korea believes to be a 'super-large multiple rocket launcher' (MLRS). Flew 380 kilometers at maximum altitude of 97 km (Yonhap news agency). Stock photo attached. pic.twitter.com/WyUOvCrv72

— Hans de Vreij (@hdevreij) November 28, 2019

At what point does a "super large" MLRS stop being an MLRS and instead morphs into a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuke?  I mean how far does a missile have to go before it more than an Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile?

Air to air photography of Christopher R Vasquez

Helpful hint.  FOLLOW THIS MAN!!!

Filming in Alaska and Florida - incredible. These images are stills off of the Arri Amira and Phantom 4K from this past summer. Thanks to everyone who helped make this happen! pic.twitter.com/rGFamie5fR

— Christopher R Vasquez (@ChrisFilmCo) November 27, 2019

Massive turret front on fresh M1A2SEPv3's from factory

Some fresh M1A2SEPv3's from factory. @delfoass @EliLea1 @Taurevanime @strategic_tank @nicholadrummond @aleksandrowiczj @dariuszwit1 @goltarr @Zbiesu @Defence_blog #tanktwitter pic.twitter.com/81ntVYN9q6

— Damian Ratka (@DRatka1) November 27, 2019

This thing is a beast!  I think it retains the crown of the most heavily armored tank in the Western World.

Question.

Will the USMC finally decide to join the US Army and piggyback on their new ride or will we continue on with the M1A1?

Hopefully the US Army can give us a discount.  Consider a domestic "FMS" for a brother service!  Hell in reality they should go one step further and just give us a 120 or so...

SFA stuns Duke + Titanic music

SFA stuns Duke + Titanic music pic.twitter.com/VHD3DvSBgq

— paco (@AllaireMatt) November 27, 2019

Where did she go?  Always liked her music did she retire?  Anyway this is the perfect song to go along with a perfect upset.

Never was a Marine division in greater danger of being cut to pieces....

27 November 1950 - Chosin⁠
⁠
Never was a Marine division in greater danger of being cut to pieces. The 9th Chinese Army Group hurled over 100,000 men against the 20,000-man 1st Marine Division, its units strewn along miles of the bad road near the “Frozen” Chosin Resevoir. ⁠ pic.twitter.com/YdRSH4A9Mi

— Marine Corps Museum (@MarineMuseum) November 27, 2019

My fear with distributed operations?

We'll see this in the future except instead of facing the combined power of a Marine Division the enemy will be facing scattered pockets of small units that are unable to withstand the onslaught.

How do you dismantle an anti-air network?  You take apart its pieces.  How do you destroy a distributed force?  You take apart individual pieces.

The Chinese are one thing.

Patient.

Deliberate attacks at key nodes of our distributed force will hazard our entire effort.  Over reliance on networked systems that can be degraded, command and control that can be disrupted, and a shaky fires scheme will see us lose.

Learn from history.  Learn from the battle of the Chosin Reservoir.

HAWKEI Protected High Mobility Vehicle in Canadian Snow (pic)...

America's trust in the US military is still high but a 10 point drop in a year is concerning.

POP QUIZ: A friend reached out earlier today asking me to explain 👇

Why did confidence in the military drop by almost 10% points in one-year?

Oct 24-30, 2019: 84% (-9)
Nov 11-14, 2018: 93%

Winner gets a virtual HIGH-FIVE. Bonus pts for effective use of a GIF in your answer.

— Jim Gobble Gobbley (@jimgolby) November 27, 2019

This is worth watching.

America still trusts its military but a 10 point drop in a year?  That's concerning.

Don't get me wrong.  84% trust is still high.  But it would be a prudent move by someone in the Pentagon to dig into the poll and see what's going on there.

The budget wars are coming.  If trust is falling then it will be harder to get the funding necessary to meet the coming challenge.

My personal issue?  I can't put my finger on cause behind the drop.  Is it the wars?  Is it the F-35? Is it a perception of the military changing...becoming more like other govt institutions that have failed us time after time?

I'm not sure but I look forward to what the so called big brains think.

Update.  Could this be as simple as "get woke, go broke"?

Rheinmetall sets three new distance records for indirect fire in South Africa

via Press Release.

At a test fire event on 6 November at the Alkantpan Test Range in South Africa, Rheinmetall demonstrated its extensive expertise in the world of indirect fire. In the presence of international partners and customers, the Düsseldorf, Germany-based defence contractor proved how new technologies can be used to boost the performance of systems that are already in extensive use around the world – those which meet the NATO standards set out in the Joint Ballistics Memorandum of Understanding (JBMoU) as well as non-JBMoU systems. During the event, three new maximum effective range records were set using various guns. A G6 howitzer with a 52-calibre gun achieved the longest range ever attained with a conventional 155mm artillery round: 76 kilometres, while the 52-calibre gun of PzH2000 self-propelled howitzer lobbed a shell 67 kilometres. Finally, a field howitzer with a 39-calibre gun attained a range of 54 kilometres.

Rheinmetall Waffe and Munition, Rheinmetall’s centre of excellence for cannon technology, showcased the self propelled howitzer PzH 2000’s main armament in action. Over the past decade, this 155mm weapons system has proven to be one of the world’s most effective conventional artillery systems, capable of attaining the high rates of fire specified in the JBMoU. Developed and manufactured by Denel Land Systems, the G6 used at the live fire event was a new version designed to attain greater ranges in line with non-JBMoU standards.

Using the celebrated Assegai V-LAP shell is an example, modular upgrades of the artillery ammunition were on show at the event. The delegations could see for themselves the marked improvement in its performance with respect both to propulsion and range when fired from 39- and 52-calibre guns. Coupled with technologies from Rheinmetall Waffe Munition and Nitrochemie, Rheinmetall Denel Munition artillery shells exceed previous maximum effective ranges when fired from any conventional 155mm artillery system currently in use.

The maximum range of over 76 km was achieved with a non-JBMoU-compliant gun. This gun served as evidence of the feasibility of a new howitzer with a range of 83 km. Working in close cooperation with the German procurement authorities, Rheinmetall plans to develop and manufacture a new 155mm gun of this type, which will feature a significantly larger chamber and a longer, 60-calibre barrel. The gun should be able to fire existing JBMoU-compliant rounds as well as new ammunition families. On the one hand, these new ammunition types will be optimized with respect to stresses occurring in the new gun, but will also be able to be fired from legacy JBMoU-compliant guns. Here, 83 kilometres serves as the benchmark, since the course correction fuse necessary for precision at these ranges reduces the attainable range by approximately ten percent. This means that the maximum effective range of 75 kilometres specified by the German procurement authorities is attainable.

Rheinmetall Norway’s 120mm Ragnarok motor system and ammunition from RDM round out the Group’s indirect fire profile. This combination lends itself especially well to multipurpose vehicle applications with a rapid-fire capability. It also enables friendly forces to quickly evade counterbattery fire.

The event’s host, the German-South African joint venture Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM), welcomed participants from several NATO nations to the event in Northern Cape province on 6 November. As RDM managing director Jan-Patrick Helmsen explains, “Our goal is to be a true partner to the military. That’s why transparent cooperation and trust are so important to us. Tube artillery can provide defensive and offensive fire support. It’s cheaper and faster than rockets or air support, can operate around the clock, and engage targets with great precision using indirect fire anywhere within its range. Of course, range has proved to be a limiting factor in recent years, giving rise to the need for increased operational reach.” During the event, Jan-Patrick Helmsen noted that RDM has already been working to extend the range of artillery shells for some time now. “We’re known for the Assegai family and our V-LAP round, the longest-range conventional artillery projectile. The combination of South African technology and German expertise has already resulted in enhanced range, effectiveness and precision. When it comes to artillery, Rheinmetall takes a totally holistic approach”, declares Helmsen.