RIVRON 1

Photos via Lee.

General Allen bails...Battle Rattle is wrong.

Battle Rattle was close but didn't quite hit the target....

The supposedly indispensable leader of the war in Afghanistan is in line to become top commander of U.S. European Command, according to another story in the Post. He could leave his post in Afghanistan as soon as next winter, in between fighting seasons.
How those two realities square with one another seems like  a fair conversation to have.
On one hand, there’s obvious reason for concern. “Another Afghanistan Commander Bails on the War Early,” reads a headline on Wired magazine’s popular Danger Room blog, and that’s a point of view that will certainly be held by many.
On the other hand, it’d be fascinating to know what’s going on behind the scenes at the White House and in Kabul that spurred this conversation.
Did Obama and Allen reach some sort of deal? Did Allen ask to move on? If so, why would the president agree to it when most educated observers believe the war in Afghanistan already has had far too many transitions in leadership in the last few years?

Yeah close but no cigar.

Rumor control has it that he tendered his resignation.

Rumor has it that the White House and the JCS went bonkers and begged prodded and scrambled for a face saving gesture and that the reassignment to Europe before retirement was the accepted compromise.

Fact.

The war is going badly, Allen's hands are tied and if he resigned at this time the enemy and the President's critics would have a field day.

Remember you heard it here first.

This is nothing but base, nasty, scum filled politics.

Friedrich Nietzsche would be proud.

A Dozen F-35's are at Eglin...

Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. May 15, 2012 – The twelfth F-35 Lightning II destined for the training fleet at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., was ferried today. U.S. Marine Corps pilot Lt. Col. Fred Schenk piloted the aircraft, known as BF-11, which departed Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base, Texas at 10:02 a.m. CDT for an approximate 90-minute flight to Florida’s Emerald Coast.
The F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing production jet is now assigned to the Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 501 residing with the host 33d Fighter Wing, where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training

SPMAGTF African Partnership 2012 conduct Non Combatant Evacuation Exercise.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jemssy Alvarez Jr.

Panetta smacks Air Force Leadership.

Thanks for the article Drake.

FREAKING OUTSTANDING!

Panetta did what USAF leadership was too stupid to do.  He listened to the troops, in this case two USAF pilots, weighed the evidence and made a fucking decision.

Check out this part of the article....

In what amounts to a rebuke of the Air Force’s handling of the issue, Panetta directed that F-22 flights be limited in distance so pilots can easily make an emergency landing at any given time. He also told the Air Force to speed up its plans to add backup oxygen supplies to the aircraft and to report to him monthly about efforts to pinpoint the cause of the problems.
“The secretary wants to add his muscle to this,” George Little, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters. “He takes very seriously the concerns raised by the pilots.” An Air Force spokesman declined to comment on Panetta’s directive.

Good news.

Now, if only he would fire a general or two....

Lockheed Martin F-35 chief test pilot

A website you should check out.

Wondering where the voices of reason are in the F-35 Canada debate?  Well its right here.

Go to F-35.ca and get some truth telling instead of a pile of Bull-Sheet Man!

Pun intended.

Frankish Queen Fredegund..vicious bad ass of the week.

You have got to read about this chick.

Talk about evil?  She makes Ghengis Khan and Hitler look like punks.  Uh yeah.  That's her slamming her Daughters head in a trunk...and she loved her.  Go here to read the full story but a few excerpts....

Long story short, Chilperic/Fredegund fought an epic seven-year war with Siegebert/Brunhilde, with either side sending their mailed knights charging spears-first into combat and shivving the fuck out of anyone in their paths. After a hard-fought campaign, Fredegund defeated her rivals, crushed them in battle, then had King Siegebert whacked by stabbing him in the kidneys by a pair of assassins while he was in the process of giving a speech about how he was going to get revenge and beat the shit out of Fredegund once and for all (I'm not sure if she planned the timing to work out like that, but it's badass either way). With the rival King dead, Fredegund overran the rest of Siegebert's men, captured Brunhilde, destroyed her cities, and then had Siegebert's top government official (who was admittedly a greedy evil bastard known as "The Breaker of Wills") executed by being systematically dismembered joint-by-joint with white-hot pokers and knives (holy shit).
Fredegund also planned to have Brunhilde whacked as well, but while she was trying to figure out some sort of awesome new cruel and unusual punishment to carry out some ass hole broke Brunhilde out of prison and snuck her out of the realm. But, whatever. Fredegund eventually tracked that guy down and had him stabbed to death by his own servants, then had his kid poisoned to death by an evil chef just for good measure.

and...

 In true badass back-room Emperor Palpatine conspirator fashion, Fredegund's primary method of disposing of her enemies was by hiring easily-bribeable men to poison or shiv her enemies for her. Thanks to her own personal charm, a collection of dirty secrets that would make Nick Fury want to high-five her, and a nearly-limitless amount of gold at her disposal, the Queen of the Franks routinely hired everyone from Dukes and Priests to slaves and brigands to take up oleander-coated daggers and shank douchebags in her name. Her personal favorite method of execution was to hire a band of thugs armed with heavily-poisoned Swedish eating utensils known as scramsaxes (it even sounds like an IKEA thing) to fall upon her target in the woods, beat the shit out of them, rob them, and leave them to die slow, agonizingly-painful deaths. Then, when the brigands would return to report the kill, Fredegund would have those assholes whacked as well, regardless of whether they completed their mission or not (though it's worth mentioning she'd just behead them with axes at dinner parties if they succeeded, whereas if they failed it was much worse... one poor cleric who failed to execute Brunhilde was punished by having his hands and feet cut off and then being thrown in a hole).

Geez.

Talk about a case of terminal PMS!

Merlin Upgrades in the budget. A Junglie & AEW version.

via Rotorhub (go there to read the whole thing).

PR12 has 'guaranteed' funding for the planned Apache life-extension programme and what is described as an assessment phase for the marinisation of the Merlin Mk3 helicopter fleet which is due to be transferred to the Royal Navy to replace the Sea King helicopters of the Commando Helicopter Force.
The MoD also confirmed that project Crowsnest will form part of the 'core equipment programme'. Crowsnest will deliver the Royal Navy's future carrier-borne airborne early warning (AEW) capability probably using modified versions of the EH101 Merlin, particularly now that the government has decided on the F-35B STOVL version of the Joint Strike Fighter to provide carrier strike capability.

I'll be interested to see how the Merlin performs in both roles.

The AEW version should be of interest because it could perform a mini-command and control platform for the V-22 in USMC service.

As far as the Merlin being a Junglie replacement, I would think that it would be a no brainer.  It can lift more, fly further etc.

The Royal Marines will be final judge on that though.  The main issue will be the cost of marinisation.  Otherwise it should be a straight copy of the Dutch Tactical Troop Transport.

24th MEU at Eager Lion 12. Straight Grunt Work.

Photos by Lance Cpl. Tucker Wolf

Blast from the Past. The Story of Naval Aviation (1954)

Take the time to watch the entire video.  Well worth it.

BRV-O finally unvieled.

The BRV-O is finally being unvieled.

Its been visible for a while now but I guess this is its "official" grand opening.  I like its looks and wonder if this just isn't a product improved HUMVEE.  If it is and if it has a price point that's attractive then the Marine Corps needs to jump on it or something like it with two feet.  Of all the modern armored vehicle programs this one makes the least sense.

There isn't the money and there isn't the need.  

If we run into another IED saturated area then we bring MRAPs out of storage.  'nuff said.

via PRNEWS.

LIVONIA, Mich., May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AM General LLC will exhibit its Blast-Resistant Vehicle – Off Road (BRV-O) for the first time at the Defense Industrial Base Expo of the National Defense Industrial Association in Warren on May 15-16. 

AM General, whose Engineering and Product Development Center is based in Livonia, announced in March it is backing two separate proposals for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program.  BRV-O is based on more than a decade of the company's own investments in research, development and testing for the next-generation light tactical military vehicle. 

BRV-O features a crew capsule and modular armor already proven effective in government-supervised blast testing.  This AM General design can be readily adapted to future changes in U.S. military missions, enemy threats and new protection technologies as they emerge.  BRV-O also features a self-leveling suspension system, a C4ISR backbone with open-standard networked architecture and clustered super-computing power, and other advanced components.   These and other mature subsystems make BRV-O a highly mobile and versatile platform that meets or exceeds 100 percent of JLTV EMD phase evaluation criteria including protection, performance, payload, transportability, reliability and affordability. 

The lightweight, fuel efficient and high performance Optimizer 3200 engine powering BRV-O also will be exhibited at the expo, along with other products of General Engine Products and General Transmission Products, subsidiaries of AM General.  The six-cylinder, 3.2 liter, sequentially-turbocharged engine is rated at 300 horsepower and 500 lb-ft of torque.  GEP will also introduce its proposed solution for the Next Generation Combat Engine based on Optimizer 3200 technology.

Brit Junglies support youth activities.

via Royal Navy News.

Naval aviators flew scores of missions over Dartmoor at the weekend to support a massive outdoor challenge involving over 2,000 young people.
Sea Kings and Lynx transported food, equipment, people and even a few injured youngsters, as they helped out at the annual Ten Tors challenge.

and...

Helicopters from Yeovilton provided support throughout the weekend with a Lynx Mk 8 from 815 Naval Air Squadron and two Sea King Jungly Commando Helicopter Force aircraft from 848 Naval Air Squadron – including one painted in the force’s famous green and white stripes.
Over the busy weekend the helicopters lifted more than 50 under-slung loads to the tors, resupplying items from jerrycans of water and rations to radio equipment and safety stores.
They helicopters also lifted over 500 people to remote outcrops on the moor, reaching the most inaccessible corners, many miles from roads or the rough tracks which criss-cross the landscape.

There were also more than 40 minor casualties airlifted off the moor, either back to the base camp at Okehampton or straight to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth. All the casualties have since left hospital and return with their starting teams.
“We train and fly over Dartmoor quite a lot, and it can produce some really awful weather. Ten Tors gives us an ideal chance to train with real people in real situations,” said Cdr Richard Sutton – 848 NAS’ Commanding Officer and also one of the pilots for the Ten Tors.
Brigadier Piers Hankinson, Commanding Officer of 43 Wessex Brigade who runs the event, said: “It is tough for them. The routes are arduous and they have to carry everything they will need with them. To complete Ten Tors takes considerable determination and commitment.”

This is pretty awesome.

In my way of thinking this would be similar to the US Navy and Marines supporting a Boy Scout Jamboree.

Love it.

NCIS investigating/prosecuting widescale theft of rifles/night vision devices.

Geez.  Wide scale theft of govt. property to include rifles and night vision devices.

Check out this tale of woe.

LINDELL KAY and MIKE MCHUGH - DAILY NEWS STAFF

A wide-reaching investigation by military and civilian authorities has uncovered a criminal conspiracy within the Armed Forces to steal and sell nearly $2 million in guns and combat gear to gangs in the U.S. and foreign countries including China, military officials have confirmed.

The probe began more than a year and a half ago when agents with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service began to conduct undercover operations to disrupt and reduce the theft, transfer, sale and possession of stolen U.S. Government property. With the aid of Marine and Naval authorities, NCIS has recovered $1.8 million in stolen guns and combat gear to include assault rifles, night-vision goggles, flashlights and other items, military officials said.

Those involved are accused of stealing, over-ordering or otherwise obtaining equipment and selling guns locally and other gear over the Internet to people in foreign countries including China and Russia, officials said.
Those involved in the criminal enterprise did so for a multitude of reasons including but not exclusive to human greed and the ease by which the material could be pilfered, according to a government official familiar with the operation.
“We’re talking about sophisticated, hi-tech flashlights that cost the government up to $800 per unit. The temptation and ease with which to steal and sell them, for some, is irresistible,” the official said.
The commanders from Camp Lejeune and II Marine Expeditionary Force have been working closely with NCIS during the investigation, said Nat Fahy, deputy director of public relations for Marine Corps Installations East.

With cooperation from Marine and Navy officials, NCIS has been able to conduct 66 investigations involving 47 active duty Marines and sailors to include enlisted and high-ranking officers and 21 civilians who are now in various stages of prosecution.

NCIS agents identified stolen property from the Army and Air Force which launched numerous investigations involving soldiers and airmen, military officials confirmed.

The ever-widening probe now includes the FBI; Homeland Security; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Defense Logistics Agency; Defense Criminal Investigative Service, N.C. State Bureau of Investigations, and several local agencies including the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office and the Jacksonville Police Department.

In email correspondence about the operation, a NCIS spokesman told The Daily News more information would be forthcoming. Agents were tying up loose ends in some of the cases before releasing details, said Ed Buice, public affairs officer for NCIS in Quantico, Va.
A handful of those arrested in the sweeping operation have already been court martialed.

A sergeant with Marine Corps Special Operations Command was found guilty of stealing and reselling military property, said MarSOC spokesman Maj. Jeff Landis.

Sgt. Daniel Adam Reich, a former member of 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalion, was convicted of four separate counts: Article 80 for attempt to sell military property of a value more than $500; Article 81 for participating in a conspiracy; Article 108 for selling military property of a value more than $500; and Article 134 for wrongfully receiving military property of a value more than $500.

Reich was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, reduction in grade to private, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, a $2,500 fine and confinement for 40 months.

Reich’s charges are indicative of those involved, officials confirmed.

Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8456 or lkay@freedomenc.com. Read his crime blog, "Off the Cuff," at http://onslowcrime.encblogs.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.

This ain't a MARSOC story.

This ain't a NCIS or any other law enforcement agency story.

This is a Marine Corps story.

WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WITH MY MARINE CORPS?

African Partnership Station 12 Marines conduct unit certification exercise.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jemssy Alvarez

  This evolution was designed to refresh both the Marines and sailors of Security Cooperation Task Force Africa Partnership Station 12 on the embarkation procedures in support of contingency missions APS-12 may face on their upcoming deployment to Africa.

Scout SV family of vehicles.

Once a Marine...Always a Marine.

11th MEU. At sea.

USS Pearl Harbor, left, and USS Makin Island, embarked with Marines and sailors serving with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, May 8. The unit embarked the ships, as well as USS New Orleans, in San Diego Nov. 14, beginning a seven-month deployment to the Western Pacific, Horn of Africa and Middle East regions.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Claudia Palacios)

US Marines in Africa. We're heading toward critical mass.

First check out this vid...

Then head over to SOFREP and read Jack Murphy's article (yeah, I'm doing an about face on those guys...leave me alone...I sometimes...error)

Then consider what we know.

US Marines are in country now and will be sending a Special MAGTF soon.

US Army Special Forces are all over the continent doing whatever it is they do.

The USAF has F-15's, C-130's and UAVs flying all over the place.

Rumor has it that the US Army Rangers are stomping all over the place.

And while we're training Ugandan forces, they're (Ugandans) fighting in Somalia...you can bet whatever body part you want that they're being led by a Special Forces A-Team in those fights.

Long story short.

We're already at war in Africa.

British Heroes are brought home.

It really does infuriate me.


Remember when one US Soldier went on a rampage?


Front page news for weeks.


Afghans have been killing US, British and other allied trainers and they're instantly labled as terrorist and the news is instantly pushed back to page 6 or even further back in new papers.

Rest in peace men.  You left the earth much too soon.