F-35 delayed again.

Delayed.

Again.

Looks like we're going to get an all STOVL force regardless now.  The F/A-18A/C/D's and the EA-6's are all going to run out of airframe time.  Those spares from the UK will definitely come in handy.  Read the expected news here.  But as always a tidbit below.  I wonder why they dribble this info out instead of just laying it on the table?

The Pentagon is gearing up to restructure Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program for a third time in three years, sources said, with production of more than 120 more planes to be postponed to save money and allow more time for development.
The latest changes should save the Pentagon about $15 billion from fiscal 2013 through 2017 and will be part of the fiscal 2013 budget plan to be sent to Congress in February, according to three sources familiar with planning for the Pentagon's largest weapons program.
President Barack Obama will join Defense Secretary Leon Panetta at the Pentagon on Thursday to discuss overall defense budget cuts and a revamped military strategy.
They are expected to mention the F-35 fighter plane and reiterate continued support for the program, but details of the restructuring plan and plans for other big weapons programs may not emerge until later this month, the sources said. The sources declined to be identified because they were not authorized to discuss the plans publicly ahead of the official release of the president's budget.

I wonder when Black Friday for weapons programs is going to occur.  My prediction for cuts...

1.  Ground Combat Vehicle.
2.  JLTV.
3.  Marine Personnel Carrier.
4.  DDG-51

Reduced buys...

1.  MV-22
2.  F-35
3.  LCS
4.  CSAR replacement


And probably a bunch more that I just can't recall.  The boom times for defense is over.  The lean times are here.  Funny thing.  The ending of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the drivers behind this move.  In all actuality a smaller defense budget has been in the making since the Bush Administration, only the 9/11 attacks destroyed the groundwork that they were laying.  Don't think cutbacks.  Think Revolution of Military Affairs (RMA) or Transformation.

And so it begins...

Remember my warnings about the General's cutting troops before weapon systems?  Well now it begins.  Check this out...

The Obama administration will unveil a "more realistic" vision for the military on Thursday, with plans to cut tens of thousands of ground troops and invest more in air and sea power at a time of fiscal restraint, officials familiar with the plans said on Wednesday.

We're getting transformation whether we want it or not.  

F-35 over Cow Town...

F-35B production aircraft BF-8 flies over the city of Fort Worth during a company acceptance test flight on Dec. 8, 2011. BF-8 is a short takeoff/vertical landing (STVOL) variant aircraft that will be delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.

F-35B production aircraft BF-8 flies over the city of Fort Worth during a company acceptance test flight on Dec. 8, 2011. BF-8 is a short takeoff/vertical landing (STVOL) variant aircraft that will be delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps.

Pic of the day.

Cpl. William Cox, an armorer at the Joint Sustainment Academy Southwest, and a native of Amory, Miss., provides security as an MV-22 Osprey lands in Zaranj, Nimroz province, Dec. 30.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Bryan Nygaard)

Interesting.

Just doing some reading and ran across this article.  Not exactly related to the military but it does concentrate on leadership so in many ways it applies.  Check this part out...

Habit #3:  They think they have all the answers

Here’s the image of executive competence that we’ve been taught to admire for decades: a dynamic leader making a dozen decisions a minute, dealing with many crises simultaneously, and taking only seconds to size up situations that have stumped everyone else for days. The problem with this picture is that it’s a fraud. Leaders who are invariably crisp and decisive tend to settle issues so quickly they have no opportunity to grasp the ramifications. Worse, because these leaders need to feel they have all the answers, they aren’t open to learning new ones.
CEO Wolfgang Schmitt of Rubbermaid was fond of demonstrating his ability to sort out difficult issues in a flash. A former colleague remembers that under Schmitt,” the   joke   went, ‘Wolf  knows everything about everything.’  In one discussion, where we were talking about a particularly complex acquisition we made in Europe, Wolf, without hearing different points of view, just said, ‘Well, this is what we are going to do.’”  Leaders who need to have all the answers shut out other points of view. When your company or organization is run by someone like this, you’d better hope the answers he comes up with are going to be the right ones.  At Rubbermaid they weren’t.  The company went from being Fortune’s most admired company in America in1993 to being acquired by the conglomerate Newell a few years later.
Warning Sign for #3:  A leader without followers

Read the whole thing here...

No cover. Great concealment.

SAFAR, Helmand province, Afghanistan - U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. William Campe, a 19-year-old rifleman with 3rd Platoon, India Company, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment and Algonquin, Ill. Native, holds security while halted on a partnered security patrol with Afghan National Army soldiers here, Dec. 30. The ANA soldiers and Marines interacted with local citizens and spoke with an elder about biometrically enrolling the members of his village for identification purposes. America's Battalion is aiding the Afghan National Security Forces in assuming security responsibilities over Helmand province's Garmsir district. This interoperability is designed to further the expansion of stability, development and legitimate governance of Afghanistan by defeating insurgent forces and helping secure the Afghan people.

No Costa/Haley Effect (CHE) but I like this holster.

New year, new gear.

Everyone else has been taken care of presents wise so it was time to treat myself.  Let me start off by saying that I carry concealed.  There are a bunch of nice holsters out there and I have a box full of them.

I guess I'm looking for perfection and have only found good enough so far.  A matter of taste, body style etc...I guess but to me more important than comfort is draw speed and retention.  That's where most of my other holsters have come short.

Small of back?

Are you freaking kidding me!  Not only do they print but its a retention nightmare if someone clocks that you're carrying concealed.

Shoulder holster?

Not if you live in the South where it can be 98 degree with 98% humidity!  A jacket is a must with those types of rigs.

Inside the waistband?

Ok, now you're getting there but at the traditional 3 o'clock position you're still easy to make.  If any bad (or good) guy knows what to look for its easy to spot.

Raven type close fit?

Only if you're at a class, the range, combat or in a real deal shit hit the fan situation.  Again, where I live you would need a jacket.

Fanny pack?

I'm not a tourist.

So what does that leave me with?  Let me remind you, comfort isn't the issue.  Retention and speed of employment is.

Easy.  It becomes a case of finding a holster for appendix carry.  I think (don't know yet case I just ordered it) that the Comp Tac 2 o'clock holster is the one for me.

Appendix carry is a retention dream.  Your weapon is in front of your hips so someone  coming from behind and "tackling" your gun is out.  With practice its the quickest to deploy (check out this vid on Teddy Medina from KitUp!).

And lastly its easy to conceal without having to worry about printing from the sides or behind.  I don't expect to have a CHE and you run go buy one because I like it, but I researched this pretty good and I don't think I went wrong.

Check it out for yourself here.

Happy New Year.

This is me.


Wishing you and yours the very best for all of next year.


Be well.


Be safe.


Be alert.


2012 should be interesting!

Shooting sports...what was hot in 2011...

A quick look at what was hot in the gun world in 2011...I'm not saying practical, just what was hot...

Tacos....rather magazine tacos.  I don't know about using them in a tactical situation where you're in and out of the mud etc...but it works great on the three gun circuit.

Travis Haley.  This guy is a rock star in the gun world...He's on his own now and you can bet that when he gets behind a piece of gear that its gonna be a best seller.

Chris Costa.  The other rock star in the gun world.  No particular order with these two guys...if Chris is rocking a new set of ear muffs then expect the price to triple and for them to sell out regardless.

Aimpoint T-1.  This light sight is so popular for two reasons...first up is the fact that you see many guys running around with AR's that weigh as much as an M-14, and then second you have Costa and Haley running these lights on their weapons.

Kydex holsters.  The big boy on the block is the Raven holsters, but everyone is getting into the market.  Raven has a turn around time of 4 to 6 months -- another case of the Costa/Haley effect (known from here on as the CHE)...I don't know anyone with a Raven but kydex seems to be kydex...I'll have to see one up close to know the difference.

M&P pistols.  XD's were the rage last year, in 2011 it was all about the M&P's.  I blame this on Glock.  I'm a Glock fan and I can tell ya that gen 4 was a total clusterfuck.  That left an opening for everyone else and M&P charged right into the breech.

And the most innovative thing to come out of 2011 was the return to the War Belt concept.  Above you see John's setup.  He's serving with I believe the 1stMarDiv, and has the CAR to prove it.  Forget CHE, I'm following his lead.

F-22...not so super?

Check out this bombshell that Sweetman dropped on the USAF's premier fighter...

Without being persnickety, F-22 has delivered 40-some training and test aircraft, 60 sorta-combat-capable jets, and 80-some that have the new radar that should enable the aircraft do some of what was hoped for in the early 2000s - after more billions have been spent. Wastefully or otherwise.

Wow.

Let's break that down a bit.

40 training and test aircraft.

60 sorta combat capable jets.

80 that have new radar that SHOULD enable to do some of what was hoped for in the early 2000's.

A simple statement but so loaded.  The F-22 is touted by some to be the ultimate fighter but from a super Air Force advocate like Sweetman we just had this dropped on our plate.

Interesting.  But wait there is more.  Does this explain the push to cancel the airplane?  Does this explain the need to get the F-35 into service?  Is this why the USAF is so comfortable in simply adding new AESA radars to the F-15 and F-16?  Is the drop off between the performance of a F-15 with 4 AIM-120 missiles loaded conformally and the F-22 carrying the same load internally that different?  I would say probably not.

This whole F-22, F-35, Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen and F-18/15/16 is starting to make so much sense.

More to come I'm sure.

Update:

Read this story from Flight Global regarding the F-22 upgrade path...or lack thereof.

Under the common configuration plan, the combat-coded F-22 fleet is separated into groups of 63 Block 30 and 87 Block 35 aircraft.
The Block 30s are being upgraded with Increment 3.1 capabilities, which include air-to-ground and electronic attack modes for the Northrop Grumman APG-77 radar.
Meanwhile, the Block 35s will also be modernised with the USAF's most advanced air-to-air weapons - the Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder. The package, named Increment 3.2, also adds an automatic ground collision avoidance system and the multifunction advanced datalink. The latter will allow the F-22 to transmit data to other stealth aircraft.
USAF officials are now debating whether to upgrade the 63 Block 30 aircraft to the Block 35 standard. If the proposal is accepted, the USAF would operate a fleet of 150 F-22s with identical capabilities.
But the Raptor fleet would still lack a number of features common to most modern fighters, including an infrared search and track sensor for passive targeting and a helmet-mounted cueing system to shoot at targets beyond the field of view of the fighter's air-to-air missiles.
It is possible, however, that the USAF will add new capabilities to the F-22 beyond the Increment 3.2 upgrades. One example is a distributed aperture system now installed on the Lockheed Martin F-35, which provides 360° optical coverage around the aircraft.

Wow.

Update 1:

"Me" is debating me on the merits of the F-22 vs. the F-15.  Let me put this puppy to sleep.  Service ceiling of the F-15---65,000 ft.
Service ceiling of the F-22---65,000 ft.
Max Speed of the F-15------Mach 2.5+
Max Speed of the F-22------Mach 2.2
The Mig-25 and its replacement Mig-31 can supposedly get up to 67,500 ft and top out at Mach 2.8...faster than a F-22 and since we don't know what the + equals on the F-15 how about we give those airplanes a tie?

"Nuff said.

The South and Midwest are the militaries recruiting grounds...

Lex has an article up that's a must read but this tidbit has me spinning with the words I TOLD YA SO!!!!

Stanford’s is a telling episode: The chief obstacle to ROTC’s expansion today is not antimilitary sentiment but a Pentagon that prefers to allocate its resources to surer recruiting prospects, primarily in the South and the Midwest. Last year the Ivy League had 54 students commissioned through ROTC, or 1% of total commissions, and the Defense Department is reluctant to launch new programs where student interest appears low.

Now Lex is primarily talking about Ivy League schools and ROTC...I contend that this probably extends beyond that to the enlisted ranks as well.  1% of total commissions from Ivy League schools?

You can bet its partly cultural, partly regional and add a big dose of ideology into the mix.  Patriotism just isn't fashionable on the coasts...at least the kind of patriotism that requires the sacrifices that the military demands.

For the Royal Navy, history repeats...

Sharkey Ward has warned about it.  I've argued about it over at Think Defense.  Now we have this from Defense News...looks like we've seen all this before...

Prime minister Margaret Thatcher was warned about the risks in slashing Britain's navy, a year before the 1982 Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, secret files released Dec. 30 showed.
Her foreign secretary Lord Peter Carrington also warned defense secretary John Nott that axing Britain's Antarctic patrol ship would send all the wrong signals about London's willingness to defend the Falklands.

Documents released after 30 years locked away in Britain's National Archives showed that the head of the Royal Navy was fuming in 1981 about planned defense cuts.
First sea lord Adm. Henry Leach, who later told Thatcher that Britain could and should send a naval task force to retake the Falklands following the April 1982 invasion, was furious with her a year earlier over her "unbalanced devastation" of the armed forces.
"I note with regret but understanding that the tightness of your program precludes your seeing me personally as requested," he wrote in a stinging note to the premier.
"I am confident however that you will at least spare two minutes to read this note from the professional head of the navy before you and your Cabinet colleagues consider a proposition substantially to dismantle that navy."

Read the whole article but consider this.

The dynamics between the services is almost exactly the same on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Royal Navy has been savaged by budget cuts and by despicable behavior on the part of the leadership of the Royal Air Force.

Now this glimpse into a not too distant history reveals a couple of things....the Royal Navy has been here before...the Falklands War was not an "easy" victory...and the British government has not learned the lessons from the Thatcher Administration.

3rd Battalion , The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Black Watch) on patrol

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion , The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Black Watch) on a foot patrol near check point Kalang in Nad 'Ali district, Helmand, Afghanistan.Photographer: Sgt Wes Calder RLC

Soldiers from 3rd Battalion , The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Black Watch) on a foot patrol near check point Kalang in Nad 'Ali district, Helmand, Afghanistan.Photographer: Sgt Wes Calder RLC

A soldier from 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (The Black Watch) talks to a civilian on a foot patrol near check point Kalang in Nad 'Ali district, Helmand, Afghanistan.Photographer: Sgt Wes Calder RLC

Spartacus...might need to see this.

I'm fascinated by films depicting ancient times.  We'd all be considered pussies if we were warped back in time.

Over the top Navy holiday propaganda.

Wow.  Somethings should definitely be kept in house.  I wonder who came up wit this???  Bad fitrep for you!

More on the Marine Corps going 3-gun...

I hope those Marines that participate have small egos...I've done 3-gun and I shoot alot and still got smoked.

11th MEU air ops (AH-1Z)

All photos by Sgt. Elyssa Quesada

The unit embarked USS Makin Island, USS New Orleans and USS Pearl Harbor in San Diego Nov. 14 beginning a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Middle East regions.

Joke of the day...

I thought it was funny...got it from Sgt Grits newsletter.

Sgt Major and No S-x

A crusty old Marine Sergeant Major found himself at a gala event hosted by a local liberal arts college.

There was no shortage of extremely young idealistic ladies in attendance, one of whom approached the Sergeant Major for conversation.

"Excuse me, Sergeant Major, but you seem to be a very serious man. Is something bothering you?"

"Negative, ma'am. Just serious by nature."

The young lady looked at his awards and decorations and said, "It looks like you have seen a lot of action."

"Yes, ma'am, a lot of action."

The young lady, tiring of trying to start up a conversation, said, "You know, you should lighten up. Relax and enjoy yourself."

The Sergeant Major just stared at her in his serious manner.

Finally the young lady said, "You know, I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but when is the last time you had s-x?"

"1955, ma'am."

"Well, there you are. No wonder you're so serious. You really need to chill out! I mean, no s-x since 1955! She took his hand and led him to a private room where she proceeded to "relax" him several times.

Afterwards, panting for breath, she leaned against his bare chest and said, "Wow, you sure didn't forget much since 1955."

The Sergeant Major said, after glancing at his watch, "I hope not; it's only 2130 now."

Top events afftecting the Marine Corps in 2011.

I'll give you my top events affecting the Marine Corps in 2011.  Feel free to add or subtract if you disagree but this is how I see it....


*HQMC wallows about seeking purpose and relevance.

The little issue with the move to have sleeves down despite a survey of Marines that indicated that the rank and file wanted to continue the practice is nothing but an indication that HQMC and the Commandant in particular are seeking to not only put its stamp on the Marine Corps but to also be viewed as relevant to his Marines.  I cannot remember a Commandant that had as little support as this one.  The only other embarrassment that wore 4 stars was the pathetic General Peter Pace.  His time as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was disgraceful.

*IAR selected to replace SAWs in some roles.

The service that is suppose to epitomize frugality embarked on this quest to replace an automatic weapon with an assault rifle.  The jury is still out on whether this was a good idea or not but it goes against Marine Corps ethos.  Additionally when you have MEU's and Infantry Battalions still trying to figure out how they'll deploy the weapon then you have a still baked idea.  Another black eye for the Corps.

*EFV gets canceled.

The EFV got whacked and while the writing was on the wall, it was still a terrible blow.  HQMC, the manufacturer and the program office all get the blame for this fiasco.  There was no sense of urgency, no drive to get the problems fixed, no attention to details...only a very late attempt to rally Congressional support for a fucked up weapon system.

*F-35 troubles continue.

Nuff said.

*Marines head back to the sea.

Another black eye for HQMC.  They started the talk of being a second land army and every critic of the Marine Corps picked it up and ran with it.  What was the remedy?  To launch a concerted effort to inform the public and individual Marines that we were getting our sea legs back.  Major exercises off the coast of Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune emphasize that fact.  Problem is....the Marines never left the sea.  MEU deployments continued unabated so consider this one a case of loose lips.

*MEB's are back in style.

The 3rd MEB was recently reactivated.  What does that mean?  I'm really not quite sure.  But it appears that we have a doctrinal log jam coming up.  All the rage was distributed operations, now we're switching gears and going toward Marine Expeditionary Brigade operations.  One is based on extremely small unit ops, the other towards putting upwards of 15000 Marines into action.  Mini-ARGs are not talked about, Distributed ops aren't talked about but somehow we're doing MEB exercises.  Wow.

*Tanks deploy to the fight.

I wrote more than a few pieces on how Tanks needed to get into the fight or out of the Corps.  I guess someone in Tanks had the same idea and wanted to get to the fight because they deployed to Afghanistan and are having great success.  Heavy armor lives in the Corps.

*Boat spaces get slashed.

The Marines are about to take a big hit in manpower.  We're starting at a little over 200,000 Marines are expected to get down to 186,000.  Problem is with money sapping programs for aviation like the F-35B and the probably even more expensive F-35C, not to mention the MV-22, manpower will probably sink down to 150,000 in order to save money.  Alot of good Marines are going to get whacked, a lot of shit birds will continue and the selection boards will have jacked it all up once again.  Bad news for some good warriors in a terrible economy.

*The Navy bitch slaps the Marines.

The Marine Corps Aviation Neck Down Campaign indicated a desire to go to an all STOVL force.  The Navy slapped the shit out of the Marines and forced the F-35C down our throats.  The picture of the Commandant signing the agreement was priceless.  I guess everyone gets to experience the Big Green Wiener...or in his case I guess it was the Big Blue Clitoris.

*The Marine bitch slaps the Navy.


The Navy has bigger priorities than amphibious shipping but somehow, someway the Marines were able to get the foundation of sea basing funded and in construction.  They forced the F-35C on us, we forced a new class of ships on them.  Pay back.


There are probably a ton of other issues that I missed but these just bounced off my forehead. 

NAVAIR K-Max photo release.

A new era in unmanned aviation began earlier this month when Marine Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron 1 operated a K-MAX unmanned helicopter during its historic 90-minute flight, Dec. 17. K-MAX is the Marine's first unmanned helicopter designed for resupplying troops in remote locations. During its maiden flight, K-MAX successfully delivered about 3,500 pounds of food and supplies to troops at a forward operating base in Afghanistan without risk to a pilot.