2d Tank Battalion live fire...pics by Lance Cpl. Reine Whitaker

Almost heartbreaking to see this.  How do you keep doing a job that you know the Commandant is soon to axe?  I wonder why they just close shop and offer either a lateral move into a new MOS or an early out so they can hook up with the US or Aussie Army?

India is going hardcore when it comes to the coronavirus...

When the danger is most severe, niceties go by the wayside....India is apparently going hardcore when it comes to the coronavirus.

I wonder if they'll get any pushback on messages like this?

It's Range Day: NTC 20-05.....pics by Cpl. Elijah Abernathy + A few thoughts on LAR & the gamble that they can replace Tank Bn

Just plain wow.  It took me seeing these pics of LAR on the range for me to put it together.

1.  You all know about the HQMC's plan to shut down Tank Bn across the entire Corps.

2.  You SHOULD recall the radical plans for the LAV-A2 replacement.  It's setup to be almost a sci-fi vehicle with many different models covering a variety of roles.

And that's the deal.

LAR is gonna be the replacement for tanks into the future.

How?

Sensor fusion on the ground.  They'll have (from what I've seen) a modest anti-tank capability but they'll hang their hat on seeing the enemy and being able to call in fire support, hopefully, from a variety of sources.

That's how Berger is planning on mitigating the risk.

His hope is that by bolstering long distance fires he can kill a mech force before it even gets in range of our guys.  That's how I see it if we're ever supposed to fight another "Desert Storm".

Against China?  Well that's where the missile batteries, Combat UAVs, Attack Helos, and Fast Movers come into play.

It might work but it'll take a couple of things coming together in a terrific way. Marine Air will have to fully commit to supporting the ground force.  The F-35B will have to load up every bomb rack and be prepared to let the Navy get the air to air kills while they're moving mud.  We're gonna have to stock pile enough missiles to make a difference.

They're gonna have to spend money they don't have yet.

LAR is about to be huge for the Ground Combat Element.  I hope their leadership is ready for the challenge.

Pic of the day...ShinMaywa US-2 at takeoff...

pic.twitter.com/CyjuIYkDXd

— どら猫 (@ANYTIME_BABY) March 25, 2020

Dr. Fauci: Coronavirus Hit Italy ‘Really Badly’ Because Of ‘Chinese Tourists’

via Daily Caller.

“Italy is not there yet. Italy got hit really badly. Almost certainly … Italy got hit very badly because they had a large number of importations from China by Chinese tourists,” Fauci said, adding that the these visitors provided the foundation for the disease to spread.

“And before they even knew what was going on, there was enough baseline people spreading that it essentially got out of hand and it became difficult for them, as good as they are, and they’re very good, to be able to contain it … it was more mitigation.”

Here. 

1.  Read the entire article before you spout off (talking to you China apologist/propagandist).

2.  There will be an after action/lessons learned after this drama plays out...you and I will probably never see it, because could it would alter our world in ways that policymakers aren't prepared to deal with (or desire...always follow the money).

3.  China is losing the battle to shape the conversation of the coronavirus pandemic.  I couldn't be happier.

That is all (I reserve the right to add to this short list).

Open Comment Post. 26 Mar 2020

China being China in the middle of a global pandemic...Spain bought more than 500K test kits and they don't work...

Spain bought 640,000 testing kits from China. They don’t work https://t.co/Q2wrgsapDn

— Bruno Maçães (@MacaesBruno) March 26, 2020

If you dance with the devil why are you surprised when you get burned?  Spain, Italy, Greece and everyone else in the West should DEMAND a meeting of their REAL allies and we should organize a COORDINATED response to this thing.

Am I thinking the US couldn't go this alone?

Nope.  I'm damn near positive that we could get it done solo.

But I also think that now is the time that push the "partnership" meme.  Flying off each others ships is cute.  Embedding military personnel in each others command centers/units is cute.

This is real shit.

Now is the time when partnering really counts.  Now is the time when alliances really count.

Is there an adult in the room can recommend this and then lead it?

I don't see one.  But I do have a recommendation.

Get MATTIS off his ass, appoint him (Trump can) to be the "international coronavirus czar" and have him coordinate an effort in the Western World to fight this thing.

I hear you now.  Why?  This thing is almost over!

To that I say bullshit.  It's gonna come back bigger and meaner than ever this fall.  We know the enemy, its time we get our shit together to properly fight it.

Note.  I'm not a fanboy of MATTIS but I do recognize talent.  The guy has the name recognition, the contacts, the experience and the ability to get this setup with a quickness.  So does Dunford and a few Army bubbas I could name.  But we need extreme visibility to give comfort to the world.  MATTIS could give us that in spades.

China's made a few changes to their airborne 8x8...

Do you notice the changes on this vehicle?  You probably did but I'm just noticing it...

Note the changes to the front.  It almost has a Patria AMV look to it now.

That turret has changed too.  Suppose to be unmanned and sorta looks like it might house anti-tank missiles.

Bahrain is saying that hydroxychloroquine is working to treat the coronavirus...

Breaking: Bahrain says drug touted by Trump as possible treatment for coronavirus is working effectively on its patients. https://t.co/DOLj5RqRVK

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) March 25, 2020

Did the Russians just lose a bird?

Breaking news!⚠️

Around 17:10 GMT on March 25, a Su-27 fighter flying a scheduled mission over the Black Sea at a distance of abou 31 miles from the town of Feodosia(Crimean peninsula), disappeared from radar screens. An emergency radio beacon signal was detected in the area. pic.twitter.com/kLr4h917qt

— Capt(N) (@Capt_Navy) March 25, 2020

Americans are just freakin contrary...

My fellow Americans.  Some of you are just freaking contrary.

The idea of being responsible to your country has all but disappeared but with a pandemic raging the world, your country just asks you to do one thing.

Stay the fuck home.

So what do some of you brainiacs do instead?  You act like this is go time.

To be a responsible adult for 15 days is too hard.  To be a responsible adult all that's being asked is that you stay the fuck home.

But that's too hard.

Simply amazing.

The Army is gonna pick the USMC clean of Tankers....we're suppose to steal from them, not vice versa!

Whispers **tank MECHANICS too**

— Red Knight 6, Commander, 1-81 AR (@RedKnightHQ66) March 26, 2020

I follow Red Knight 6 and I can almost see him rubbing his hands together, licking his lips and having a maniacal laugh at the thought of adding a few hundred experienced USMC tankers and mechanics to the US Army Tank Brigades.

The funny thing?

Heard rumblings about Aussies looking to poach a few good men to head down under.

It's probably passe' now but tradition (I guess it was a tradition) says that we pick the Army clean (especially when they just leave that juicy gear laying about), not the other way around!