Wednesday, July 08, 2020

Chinese & Russian Marines practicing fast rope/rappelling...

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Tuesday, July 07, 2020

V-280. 300+ Knots?



Planned or delivered?
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The Commandant's Planning Guidance is a shot across the bow. He's about to make the Marine Corps unrecognizable...

I was reading the Commandant's Planning Guidance and he highlighted certain points.  I paid close attention and I'm trying to figure out the message contained.  Here's what I've come up with so far....

There is no  piece of equipment or major defense acquisition program that defines us – not the AAV, ACV, LAV, M1A1, M777, AH-1, F/A-18,  F-35, or any other program. 
Did you notice what wasn't included in this hit parade?  The MV-22.  The CH-53K.  The JLTV.  HIMARS.  He just telegraphed what's on the chopping block.  Either these systems will be canned outright (M1A1, AAV, F/A-18) or they're gonna be reduced (M777, F-35, AH-1).  A few are in a category I can't yet determine (LAV) and maybe a few others that didn't make the list but if you're a fan of any of the above or worse in that MOS you better get ready to be at best reduced - maybe looking for a new job.

 If provided the opportunity to secure additional modernization dollars in exchange for force structure, I am prepared to do so.
In an earlier post today I said that I wouldn't be surprised to see the force shrink to 125K by 2030.  The above passage from the CPG shows that to be the case.  Since 2004 I've heard rumblings of the Corps going down to 150K. That appears to have been optimistic.  Few boat spaces indeed.

 The Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) will remain our principal warfighting organization; however, our MEFs  need not be identical. III MEF  will become our  main  focus-of-effort, designed to provide U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (U.S. INDOPACOM) and  the Commander, 7th  Fleet with  a fight-tonight, stand- in force capability to persist inside an  adversary’s weapon systems threat range, create a mutually contested space, and facilitate the larger naval campaign. When  modernized in a manner consistent with  the  vision  above, III  MEF will be a  credible deterrent to adversary aggression in the Pacific. I MEF will also  be  focused on  supporting the  Commander, USINDOPACOM and the Commander, 3rd Fleet. I MEF will continue to provide forces  to USINDOPACOM to build partner capacity  and reinforce deterrence efforts, and  must be prepared to impose costs  on a potential adversary, globally. We will increasingly accept risk with I MEF’s habitual relationship with CENTCOM; however,
7th  Marines is at  present purpose-built to  support CENTCOM requirements; thus, I MEF will continue to support CENTCOM requirements within the capacity of
7th Marines. II MEF will undergo substantial changes to better align with the needs of Commanders of 2d and
6th  Fleets. During  a major  contingency operation or sustained campaign ashore, necessary combat power will be provided to the committed MEF through global sourcing by the Total Force.
2nd MEF is soon to be the Marine Corps bitch boys.  If you ain't in 1st MEF you ain't shit.  It's obvious from this passage that while 2nd MEF will get a bit of attention the real action will be in the 1st MEF.  What has me puzzled is this piece.  7th Marines will continue to support CENTCOM.  Why?  It kinda throws stuff into an even bigger meat grinder than is necessary in my opinion.  They're gonna have to be COMPLETELY different from the other Regiments in the MEF to handle CENTCOM taskings.  You are ring knocker?  Then you better hustle over to the West Coast if you ever want to make your way to the big chair over at Quantico.

 I see  potential in the “Lightning Carrier”  concept, based on an LHA / LHD; however, do not support a new-build CVL. Partnering a big-deck amphib with surface combatants is the right warfighting capability for many of the  challenges confronting the joint force,  and  provides substantial naval  and  Joint operational flexibility, lethality,  and  survivability.
Hmm.  This makes no sense to me.  If it's all about China and doing all we can to combat that threat than a purpose built light carrier makes sense.  Unless the idea is to protect big decks.  This is where I feel he's showing some true colors.  Everything is on the chopping blocks.  He's stripping the Ground Combat Element down to nothing but he doesn't want to maximize the F-35 on a purpose built light carrier?  Kinda makes a lie of the smaller more numerous more expendable assets doesn't it.

There is much more but I'm already pissed with this.  Maybe a bit more tomorrow.

NOTE!  Re-reading this thing and we're back to the Marine Corps "serving it's customers"..."what the customer wants"...that line of idiocy.  I wonder what prompted the return of this wording to the Marine Corps/DOD.
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Chinese airborne armored recovery vehicle based on ZBD-03 IFV





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Large scale forcible entry is off the table for the US Marine Corps. What makes us unique now?


With tanks having gone the way of the dodo bird...with the cuts to infantry battalions, decrease in cannons etc...its become apparent that large scale forcible entry is off the table for the USMC.

Additionally with the cut in ground combat power we've eviscerated the Marine Air-Ground Task Force to such a degree that it should be renamed Air Task Force with ground support.

So what makes the United States Marine Corps unique going into the future? What capability saves us from the bean counters that will assuredly come hunting for scalps in the near term?

Oh you can bet that the floor of 175K Marines will soon evaporate like dew on the grass in the middle of the summer.  In the past we've heard the number of 150K batted around but I'd be willing to bet that the number will shrink even further.  My guess?  By 2030 we'll be looking at probably 125K Marines MAX!

The terrible thing?

Many predicted bad things with the USMC's unshakable belief in the F-35.  That one project has essentially gobbled up the budget to such a degree that everything else died so it could live.  Next on the chopping block?  The ACV.  LAR Bns.  The JLTV will be the primary ground combat vehicle of the Marine Corps soon.  The Air Wing will reign supreme.

So with the Marines headed toward being the US Navy's other air force, SOCOM's perimeter security and the Army's missile force what makes us unique?

What role do we play?  Where will we be useful outside of a fight with China? Even hybrid forces will give our NEW ground combat element a tough fight...Iraqi forces during the fight in Gulf War 1 would eat this new Corps alive.

How can a one war service survive if that war doesn't come?


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Georgia gov declares a state of emergency deploys National Guard to Atlanta



Story here.

Wow.

Big cities are getting bad.  Thank God I live in the country!
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Marine Tanks is DEAD...



Marine Tanks is dead.

The Commandant has made a terrible decision but the decision has been made.

History will mark this as a defining moment of the Marines...and one NOT covered in glory.

It will be interesting to see how the NEW Marine Corps performs in the coming battle that they DID NOT EXPECT and totally wrecked the battle winning Marine-Air Ground Team for the one they hoped for.
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Open Comment Post. 7 July 2020.


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Lt Joe Hooper, US Army. Pure badass!

via ZULUFUCXS instagram page

zulufucxs

Joe Hooper was nothing short of fucking legendary. Enlisting in the Army in 1960, after a brief stint in the Navy, was assigned to the 501st Infantry/101st AB. He served 2 combat tours in Vietnam, a small part of his 17 year career. On top of earning 37 citations for valor, to include 8 Purple Hearts, he retired as a Captain (even though he never went to college and only had a GED). While in Vietnam he was credited with 115 enemy kills, 22 of which occurred in one single day.

On Feb. 21 1968, his team began assaulting a heavily defended enemy position along a river bank when it encountered a withering hail of fire. Hooper rallied several men and stormed across the river, overrunning several bunkers on the opposite shore. With utter disregard for his own safety, he moved out under the intense fire again and pulled back the wounded.

During this, he was seriously wounded, but he refused medical aid and returned to his men. He then single-handedly stormed 3 enemy bunkers, destroying them with hand grenades and rifle fire, and shot 2 enemy soldiers who had attacked and wounded the Chaplain (You just don’t fuck with the Chaplain). Hooper then destroyed 3 more buildings housing enemy riflemen. At this point he was attacked by an NVA officer whom he killed with his knife.

Finding his men under heavy fire from a house to the front, he proceeded alone to the building, killing its occupants with rifle fire and grenades. Despite the multiple wounds and loss of blood, he continued to lead his men.

He then took out 4 more bunkers by himself and raced across an open field, still under enemy fire, to rescue a wounded man who was trapped in a trench. Upon reaching the man, he was faced by an armed enemy soldier whom he killed with a pistol. Moving his comrade to safety and returning to his men, he neutralized the final pocket of enemy resistance by fatally wounding 3 North Vietnamese officers with rifle fire.
.
Hooper then established a final line and reorganized his men, not accepting treatment until this was accomplished and not consenting to evacuation until the following morning.

He was awarded the MOH along with every accolade given by hot young females.


Damn!  This dude has a crazy smile. 
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The Willys M274 Mechanical Mule







"Could haul more than a contemporary jeep"...just wow.  Story here.

We're building Squad Support Vehicles.  What's old is new again.
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The illegal firework display (video) shows what I believe is a growing problem for authorities...citizens are considering laws unjust...



I've been trying (with little success) to illustrate what I believe is the problem of our time (one that overrides many of the issues in the media).

Citizens are considering laws and govt edicts to be unjust.

My exhibit today?  The viral video of the fireworks celebration in Los Angeles.

Take a look at that!  Seems like everyone and their mother was out shooting off some type of celebratory explosive.

No big deal you say?  I can agree (to a point...we are talking about a major urban area) but the real point is that the Mayor of Los Angeles declared fireworks illegal for the 4th.

No one cared.

No one blinked twice either.  They just set them off and enjoyed their day.

My point?  Not everyone doing that is what we could call a criminal.  Not everyone doing that could be called anti-social, a law breaker, megalomaniac, sociopath, etc....

I'm guessing that average folks were setting these things off and that should concern authorities.

SOME I'm sure waddled in the new found power to order people to stay home. Some probably enjoyed the idea that they could exercise such powers backed by law enforcement to deem their edicts to be law (that's another thing that gets me...governors, mayors and others did all this without seeming to go to a representative body to get buy in from the people's representatives).

The world health organization said that the worst is yet to come.  If true then we've got a problem.  I believe that because the first shutdown was done in such a haphazard, arbitrary fashion, a second one will be the straw that breaks the back.

Doctors and nurses are pushing the meme because they're so considered about physical health.  At this point I'm worried about the mental health of the nation(s).

What has come will seem like disney if this goes for round two.  We saw massive protests about the Floyd killing.  We saw disobedience when it came to beaches and businesses opening up before that.  Round two will see protests against govts I think.
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Turkey vows 'retribution' for attack on its positions at al-Watiya airbase in Libya

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