SNAFU!

U.S. Marine Corps F/A-18D Hornet aircraft from Marine All Weather Fighter Squadron 224, Marine Aircraft Group 31, deployed to Prince Sultan Air Base, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Poland's 18th Mechanized Division preps for Exercise Dragon 21...

Za trzy tygodnie rozpoczynają się największe w tym roku manewry Wojska Polskiego. W ćwiczeniu pod kryptonimem #Dragon21 weźmie udział 9400 żołnierzy. Głównym ćwiczącymi będzie 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana, której dowództwo poddane zostanie certyfikacji. pic.twitter.com/iUbX6gbrAL
— 18 Dywizja Zmechanizowana (@Zelazna_Dywizja) May 13, 2021

Wow. Iraq made a memorial from the wreckage of our drone strike on the Iranian General

The wreckage from the U.S. drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani & Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes in Iraq last year is now a memorial site on Baghdad’s airport road... #PrecisionStrike pic.twitter.com/uGpDrfNjDE
— Azmat Khan (@AzmatZahra) May 12, 2021

Is Iraq OUR ally or are they an ally of Iran? I'm having a real hard time understanding whose side they're on!

MV-22's aboard the UK's Queen Elizabeth Aircraft Carrier...

Nice overview of the Brit Carrier Strike Group here.

UK's 3rd PARA & 13th Air Assault Support Regiment at Exercise Joint Warrior

Putting the hard yards in! The Regt has been deployed on Ex Joint Warrior as part of @3PARA BG. Keeping the BG on the road and ensuring battle winning supplies are always where they need to be 🔴⚫️1️⃣3️⃣ #alwaysready @UKArmyLogistics @Official_REME pic.twitter.com/TR6Teq0OVS
— 13 Air Assault Support Regiment (@13AAssltSpRegt) May 10, 2021

SWIFT RESPONSE 21 - Night Airborne Insertion

SWIFT RESPONSE 21 - Night Airborne Insertion from Joint Forces on Vimeo.

Airborne Assault is the last remaining form of forcible entry we have.

It will be hard.

It is not to be undertaken lightly.

It will be an "all hands on deck" moment.

But if we have to do it, it is an option. Our only remaining option to put boots on the ground in a place where the enemy doesn't want us to have boots on the ground.

31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conducted helicopter support team (HST) training

1st Marine Air Wing Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) Exercise...

A NEO is the ordered or authorized departure of civilian noncombatants and nonessential military personnel from danger in an overseas country to a designated safe zone. The training hones #Marines capabilities as a skilled and lethal expeditionary fighting force. pic.twitter.com/WazG7qG6cP
— 1st MAW Marines (@1stMAW_Marines) May 11, 2021

Wow.

I'm seeing some movement toward retaining what is probably called "legacy" skills like this NEO exercise but at the same time its sprinkled with the "Stand In Force" narrative.

I don't see how both can exist.

Additionally I've seen alot of the captions calling the Marine Corps a "Stand In Force" AND A "Force in Readiness".

Again.

I don't see how both can exist in the same organization. Quite honestly one role will be prioritized over the other. Or am I just wrong?

Challenger 3 Infographic...

The Brits are confusing.

They'll happily put US Marines on their carrier to fill the bulk of the airpower. They'll happily join tag along with our nuclear program so that they can maintain that capability. They'll happily sail half way around the world to participate in activity against the Chinese in the brewing troubles in the Pacific.

But they won't take excess Abrams for pennies on the dollar so that they can maintain a modern armored force on the cheap?

I just don't get it.

The Challenger 3 looks capable but I'm betting that they're gonna run into the same problem they did previously. We're looking at the high water mark of that vehicle right now with no upgrade path.

The Abrams will be upgraded and eventually replaced. It's latest incarnation at LEAST equals what they've labored to produce and like I've already said. They could be had for a song, fall in on Army logistics and gain savings.

The old chestnut about the turbine is just plain silly.

The Challenger is a nice tank but from my seat it just don't make sense (oh and I know...Leopard fans are shouting but the Abrams could be had cheaper, quicker and with a more robust logistics system).