Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Open Comment Post. 26 May 2020


Can you imagine how absolutely HORRIBLE the PT sessions are gonna be after this lockdown?

View this post on Instagram
September P Company? - Do you reckon the soldier you are about to ‘Mill’ is not training to take your head off? - Are you going to provide the person to your right 100% of your load, when you release the toggle and turn away from log? - Do you have the legs to finish that 5th mile on the stretcher or get past the soldier in front who is taking your points on the steeple? - Isolation isn’t the time to settle. Success is not a gift, it’s purposeful hard work. - Don’t just stay focused and stay fit. Increase focus, get fitter and get past the soldier in front. - #Fitness #sport #coaching #athlete #coach #coachinglife #militaryfitness #ctsfo #parachuteregiment #tacticalathlete #firstresponders #police #fireservice #firefighter #army #navy #airforce #running #para #liverpoolpt #pt #airborne #paratrooper #coachmikechadwick #operator #britisharmy
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Was making my way round the internet this morning and came across one of my favorite Brit fitness coaches.

His post reminded me of one thing.

I feel absolutely sorry for those people that ate donuts and didn't PT that live in the Marine Corps during this pandemic.

That goes for all the services all over the free world.

Once this shit is over those PT sessions are gonna be absolutely HORRIFIC!  If I had a bunch of spare change I'd buy up every bottle of Tiger Balm I could find and sell it on E-Bay at twice the price later.

One other thing.  I've said it before but I absolutely mean it from the heart now.  Health is wealth!  Going back to the doctor today to get this sorted out (finally I hope) but afterwards its balls to the wall in the gym!

Monday, May 25, 2020

Tulpar Medium Weight Battle Tank...



Satellite images from today capture China PLAN CV17 type-002 aircraft carrier leaving her home port



Just plain wow.  All this is open source.  Can you imagine what our intel guys are seeing?

But back on task.

The Chinese are moving forward smartly.  Effectively.  Efficiently.

My readers are telling me that their catapult version is nearing completion too.  If we drop down to 9 big deck carriers then the Chinese will rival us sooner rather than later.

The answer to our problem is simple and was put out by a CNO years ago.

Payloads over platforms.

Our Navy and Air Force have become platform centric.  That's wrong.  We need to become payload centric.  The nuts and bolts of the fight at sea is what we should concentrate on.

If we have to attrit their forces that means our platforms must maintain distance while whittling away their numbers.  We need to focus on increasing our stockpile (and modernizing rapidly) of munitions.  We need missiles that can reach out and tag their ships and airplanes.  We need the ability to reload/rearm our vessels at sea (quickly!!!!) and have them zoom out to punch them again.

The idea that any forward base (whether mobile or static) will be neutralized because they will be methodical in their attack.

Rogue fire?  Glad its unmanned because it will fire its payload and will probably be destroyed before we can recover it (why are we going with JLTVs for this purpose instead of using refurbished HUMVEES instead?).

Instead of focusing on Cyber Operators on the battlefield we should push that function over to the Navy to utilize aboard their ships and the Marine Corps should focus on Electronic Warfare/Attack Operators operating at the MEU and above level.

Just a few thoughts but rest assured.

The Chinese aren't resting.  They're training while we're sleeping.

Open Comment Post. 25 May 2020

This seal is screwed....

Looks like Qatar is close to activating their first regiment of Rafale Fighters...



Can anyone verify this K2 Black Panther MBT test in the Oman Desert?

via Semper Annoying Tumblr Page
In May, 2018, K2 Black Panther main battle tank conducted a month-long +600km endurance & live fire test in the deserts of Oman.
Turkish Altay MBT, derivative of the K2, suffered an engine failure and the German Leopard 2A6 was bogged down in a Wadi (dry riverbed) during an earlier testing. Meanwhile, K2 Black Panther successfully finished the trial without major issues.
Oman's military was reportedly highly satisfied with the K2, but the decision-making process has been slow due to internal bureaucracy and now COVID-19 pandemic.
While the bilateral agremeent is still being processed, Hyundai Rotem is modifying the K2 to better fit Oman's requirements. This includes heavy-duty air conditioning, intake filter, side skirt and increased IED protection up to STANAG Level 3 using lightweight (1 ton) Ceramic Matrix Composites armor.
If the K2 deal is finalized, Oman's Army will reportedly also purchase 10 K600 Combat Engineer Vehicle from Hyundai Rotem.
Source: Military Review / 밀리터리 리뷰


Memorial Day. Remember them....


Concept of an "Americanized" Absalon/Crossover type ship...by Ogden Dowcett

Note.  This is from a much larger thread that involved the new Light Amphibious Warships the Marine Corps is seeking, to the new operating concept, HA/DR and the ACV...











Ya know if the Marine Corps and Navy takes their own planning guidance to its logical conclusion then the warship you see above is the future of Marine Corps amphibious assault ships.

Sea Fighting business up front, Lancing Party in the back.

It only makes sense especially if you're looking at "independent" ship operations, dispersed ops at sea and on land etc...

An Absalon type ship is really the ultimate solution.  The only real solution that makes sense especially with austerity arriving AND the need to build up our war fleet.

Maybe not now but I'm willing to bet body parts that we'll be seeing something like you see above in US Navy colors within the next two decades...if not sooner.

Interview with Commander ‘Sharkey’ Ward...a must read from HushKit!

Article here.


This guy is a pure dee stud and if the Marine Corps was smart they'd send a strike team to scoop him up and haul him back to Quantico to consult on their future concepts.

Just kidding, I'm sure if they simply asked he'd be willing.

Why do I think so?  Because I've been trying to get a flavor of the new Marine Corps operating concept and in doing the research I keep zooming back to the Brit Forces operating in the Falklands as the best, modern day example of what the Marine Corps is trying to accomplish.

Operating fast jets off alternative platforms?  Sharkey and his boys were doing it.  Operating off austere bases (that had been bombed out)?  Sharkey and his boys did it.

The land actions are a miss (at least as I can tell) from what the Brits did, but if they had incorporated anti-ship missiles to support their fleet at sea with the addition of some anti-air to help protect their fleet from the land then I think what we're looking at is a USMC style Falkland operation in reverse.

Yeah its a bit of a stretch but I'm trying to wrap my head around what HQMC is selling.  The Falklands conflict is the best that I've come up with in the modern era.

Anyway check out the interview.  I love this dude.  Good people.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Royal Navy Wildcat HMA Mk2 tests new missile

Article here.



Hmm.  The real life example looks much better than the concept drawings. Is this the Royal Navy's solution to small boat swarms?  Don't see them being effective against larger ships with CIWS.  Interesting.  I always thought that this solution was the way forward instead of building an ENTIRE CLASS of ship (hello LCS) to handle that mission.  To be quite honest I always wondered why Riverines didn't adopt the anti-swarm ship role.

JGSDF 10th Rapid Deployment Regiment on deployment