Meet the CRF

NECC_CRF_FactSheet2012

CRF is comprised of units manned, trained, and equipped
to conduct, port and harbor security, high-value unit security
and escort, surveillance and reconnaissance, insertion and
extraction of small units, and command and control for
supporting and assigned units. CRF is capable of conducting
24 hour operations in all weather conditions and climates.
CRF is comprised of both the Active and Reserve
Components trained to operate in ambiguous anti-terrorism
and force protection threat environments.

Wow.

CRF is talking riverine but in essence is all security.  Think about them as a waterborne FAST company.   The Riverine guys are still talking up the old mission sets but this document put out by the Navy says it all.

"...trained to operate in ambiguous anti-terrorism and force protection threat environments."

The USMC might be forced to establish a small boat company to make up for the obvious shortfall in capabilites.

Riverine is once again dead in the conventional Navy.

UPDATE:
The document that the Navy put out shows how they've drifted into an almost pure force protection mindset for these Coastal Riverine's.

 Company
The Coastal Riverine Company (CRC) is the standard unit of action for the CRF. Companies are deployable self-sustaining units that may operate independently or in coordination with other forces. Each company has two platoons with personnel assigned for boat operations, a security team capable of conducting VBSS missions, and an Intelligence Surveillance Recon (ISR) team capable of operating unmanned vehicles and squadron-level communications equipment. Each company is equipped with four green-water capable patrol boats and four riverine/harbor security boats.
Platoon
Each platoon provides one boat crew per boat assigned, a 12-person security team trained and equipped to conduct Level I and Level II boardings, and an ISR team to act as an integrated tactical operations center. Platoons may be divided into smaller units such as embarked security teams to support military sealift transits, aircraft security missions, or other missions as directed.Expeditionary Security Detachments
In order to provide fleet commanders with a persistent presence of embarked security teams (EST), the CRF forward deploys two expeditionary security detachments. The detachments are assigned under the CORIVGRU

No where is the standard riverine mission talked about.

Maritime Expeditionary Security Force along with SOCOM with a big dash of help from the Riverine's themselves has helped killed the force.

IT IS ALL SECURITY ALL THE TIME.

Coastal Riverine Force. Defense will trump offense.

Hmmm.

This new boat is stirring up the Naval Blogging Community.

People are fired up over the "mixing" of Riverine and Maritime Security Communities.

Everyone thinks this is a good idea.

STOP.

THINK.

LOOK AT IT OBJECTIVELY.

The Riverine mission as the "old" Riverine Force conducted it is now dead.  The Maritime Expeditionary Security mission will become paramount.

Just take a look at this high profile acquisition in the form of the Mark VI Patrol Boat.  That is designed for Harbor Security.  Escort of vehicles out at sea and to bring them back in.  Maybe it can also be used to visit and board ships.

It ain't designed to go down rivers.  It isn't setup in the classic riverine fashion.

With the CRF, the riverine mission is dead.  Force protection is the way of the future.

I find it interesting that Special Boat's claims a riverine mission set as its own and now the Navy has pushed the one conventional unit that was doing it out of the way and moved them to force protection.  I personally have no opinion one way or the other about it.

But I do know that this unit WILL NOT have an offensive capability. 

Scout Sniper Static Live Fire

The missile the LCS needs.

Everyone is still going crazy over the LCS.

Its here, its not going anywhere so how do we make it effective?

Quite simply you add the Harpoon missile to its decks.

The Harpoon is combat proven, has a range of 280 kilometers and is in service now.  Suddenly your underarmed, lightly crewed warship turns into a high speed pocket destroyer that can fulfill multiple missions.

Safe Boats Mark VI Patrol Boat.

Thanks for the article LEE...

via Navy Times...read the entire article at their site.

SAFE Boats International has won a competition to build a new class of patrol boats for the Navy’s Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, the company announced Thursday.
The 85-foot-long Mark VI patrol boat is intended to expand the operating area of Navy patrol craft farther off shore, supplanting and replacing existing craft such as the 68-foot Mark IV and 34-foot Sea Ark patrol boats.
The $30.5 million SAFE Boat contract award is for five new patrol boats, with an option for a sixth — which, if exercised, would add another $6 million to the contract’s value.
Ultimately, the Navy intends to buy 48 Mark VIs.

Well well.

Looks like those quiet guys in the Maritime Expeditionary Security Force are about to get not only an expanded mission but also some new toys.

This is a proper patrol boat, it seems adequately armed and should get the job done.  Its a SAFE Boat so you know its tough and will operate in almost any but the absolutely worst sea states.

I like it.

UFC 146 - Junior Dos Santos Vs Frank Mir

This weekend baby!  

Check out that arm going pop!  One's a beast...the other a savage.  


THIS SHOULD BE A GREAT FIGHT!

Militarized Prowler.

A vid of a militarized Prowler.

The modifications are nice but not necessarily impressive.  The same mods are available in the civilian market and have been carried to extremes that would make these vehicles look tame in comparison.  What is impressive is to drive the vehicle off a C-130 and ride in it to the ground.  I've read of the Soviets doing the same with their armored vehicles but never thought I would see it occurring in Western Armies.

Could this be the next Ranger Mobility Vehicle?

Remember the above vehicle?

Well that vehicle's makers...Indigen has teamed up with Navistar and come up with a new vehicle...well a redesign that might be the next Ranger Mobility Vehicle.

A glance at it makes me think that they up armored it.

Added a "military spec" grill and headlights.

Probably some type of run flat tires.

And of course numerous tie downs for use on CH-47s.

SOCOM might be hitting critical mass though.  They have the same issue that the conventional forces have with MRAPs, plus they have a number of vehicle programs going on...everything from the Ground Mobility Vehicle to the Pararescue V-22 transportable vehicle to all the ATVs and other miscellaneous vehicles around the SOCOM compounds.

Pic of the day. The most complex military operation...the amphibious assault.

HAT YAO, Thailand (May 23, 2012) Royal Thai and U.S. Marine amphibious assault vehicles land on the beach during a simulated amphibious assault for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Aaron Glover/Released)

Slingload Ops...

Photos by Spc. Jeanita C. Pisachubbe, HHC, Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Armored Division.

Soldiers from the 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade
Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, conduct sling-load operations during the Network Integration Evaluation 12.2 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

57-mm Mk 110 Naval Gun System

baes_034872

The LCS deserves alot of the criticism that's being hurled its way.

I contend that alot of that stems from the ships name.  Littoral Combat Ship.  If it was renamed Multi-Mission Vessel then the heat would be off, mission modules that would be of value NOW could be pushed to the fore and you would see deman skyrocket, as units like SOCOM, Marine Corps, and various Army detachments would all be clamoring to get aboard these ships.

Additionally you'd see many of the do nothing civilian agencies climbing aboard too.  State Dept, USAID, probably DEA and a bunch of others would be trying to get their sea legs instead of doing real work ashore.  But I digress.

One of the real problems with the name Littoral Combat Ship is that the name is driving weapons fit.  Everyone is looking at the small boat issue and seem to believe that the LCS as currently designed will be overwhelmed.

Totally false.

You can see the spec sheet on the 57mm cannon above.  It can reach out to 17,000m and is capable of rapid fire.  It is useful against both high speed surface and air targets...fast boats, helicopters, cruise missiles etc...

Add the 30mm twin mounts that both classes of LCS can carry to the mix and small boats are dog meat.  If we slam the LCS (and I do) then lets be sure we do it for the right reasons.

Its utility and effectiveness against small boats isn't one of those reasons.

The LCS has that threat covered.

GTV fails requirements.

Thanks Jonathan for this article!

via Inside Defense (subscription only).

General Tactical Vehicle's prototype for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle program does not meet a 76-inch height requirement, according to Don Howe, GTV senior program director.
The Marine Corps has a 76-inch height requirement so that the vehicle can fit aboard the lower deck of maritime prepositioning ships. Transportability is a top requirement for the Marine Corps when it comes to JLTV's engineering and manufacturing development phase so that the service can return to its expeditionary roots.
However, GTV has an alternative proposition for the service. A third-party analysis has been conducted, and the vehicle can fit in other locations on the ship, Howe told Inside the Navy May 2.
"Pure and simple, from our perspective, these vehicles are 100-percent transportable in accordance with the requirements of the RFP," he said.
GTV formed in 2006 and is a joint venture between AM General and General Dynamics Land Systems. GDLS is a leader in heavy and medium tactical vehicles, and AM General is the incumbent in the humvee vehicle program, Howe stated.

Uh...can we say bullshit?

This is big boy procurement.  You know what the requirements are and you either meet them or you don't.  They gambled by bringing in the Mowag Eagle and its bitten them in the ass.  Trying to play these lawyer games by saying that an "alternative proposition" for the service has been found and the vehicle can fit other locations on the ship is interesting.

Good on you for being creative.

Now carry your sorry ass down the road.  You're a no go.  You did not pass.  You will not be accepted.

Thanks for trying.

CARAT 2012

Marines with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, conduct a clearing exercise in a military operation on urban terrain training area as part of a simulated amphibious assault conducted with Royal Thai marines during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Aaron Glover)

An amphibious assault vehicle departs the beach for the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) during a simulated amphibious assault conducted with Royal Thai marines for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Aaron Glover)

Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2012

Marines assigned to 4th Marine Regiment drive their amphibious assault vehicle from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) during a rehearsal for a joint U.S. and Royal Thai navy beach landing. The Marines and Germantown are participating in the underway phase of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral military exercises between the U.S. Navy and the armed forces of Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Timor Leste joins CARAT for the first time in 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Ensign Jason M. Tross/Released)

Amphibious assault vehicles assemble on the beach during a simulated amphibious assault conducted with Royal Thai marines for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Clowney/Released)

U.S. Marine amphibious assault vehicles depart the beach for the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) during a simulated amphibious assault conducted with Royal Thai marines for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Robert Clowney/Released)

Royal Thai and U.S. Marine amphibious assault vehicles land on the beach during a simulated amphibious assault for Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Thailand 2012. CARAT is a series of bilateral exercises held annually in Southeast Asia to strengthen relationships and enhance force readiness. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Aaron Glover)

The US Army on hill tops.

Snipers with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team provide overwatch for fellow paratroopers in a village below them May 19, 2012, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. Troops serving in Afghanistan are outfitted with several long-range weapons to increase their combat effectiveness in the country’s wide-open spaces. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team provides overwatch security to fellow paratroopers and Afghan National Security Forces after a firefight May 17, 2012, Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The agricultural areas surrounding Combat Outpost Giro are a haven for insurgent activities. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

VBTP-MR going to Eurosatory 2012.

via DEFESA GLOBAL...

Iveco Defence Vehicles will show at Eurosatory 2012, one of the first production Iveco Veículos de Defesa VBTP-MR (Viatura Blindada de Transporte de Pessoal-Média de Rodas) Guarani amphibian weeled armoured vehicles.

Later this year, the Brazilian Army is to receive the first vehicles of 2044 units procured to Iveco Defence Vehicles Latin America in several variants.

The reason why this vehicle is so interesting to me and why I'm trying to keep track of it is because I believe that it directly affects the Marine Corps Personnel Carrier competition.

Notice the production figures?

2044 units?  Impressively large.  Built to satisfy requirements that are remarkably similar to the USMC's and in my opinion the SuperAV 8x8 is simply an enlarged VBTP-MR.

So what does that mean for our program?  It means that the idea of this becoming a cost shoot out is more and more of a reality.  If Iveco and BAE are able to build parts for the SuperAV 8x8 in Brazil then that should chill out a trading partner that the Obama Administration (and in fairness all free trade hawks) is desperate to please.

I can almost see another Super Tucano type arrangement being established if the SuperAV is chosen.  Parts built in Brazil and BAE assembling the vehicle in Texas.

This is definitely Big Boy procurement.  Can we all say cut throat?

This guy is a piece of work.

First check out this video. 

Watch it twice, maybe three times because they scroll through the info kinda quick....



Then go to BlackFive and read about this "human'...

Slimy.

Con artist.

In need of direct action.

So much for a kind, gentle Democrat Party huh?

The LCS. Time to rebrand it.

Sometimes an organization will produce a product that is so horrible that it should be destroyed.  But sometimes, that horrible product can simply be rebranded and reintroduced to the public.


That's what the Navy should do with the LCS.


First the name is horrible.  Littoral Combat Ship?  I think we can all safely say that the LCS has expanded beyond that simple description.


And lets be honest here.


If you want to fight small boats in the littoral zone, all you need to do is send the Riverines out in CB90's and they'll wipe the floor with them.


So what do we do with the LCS?  First we rename it Multi-Mission Vessel (MMV).  Then we build every one of them we have in the pipeline and then we stop.


At that point we turn our attention 100 percent toward getting mission modules together.


Some advice to the Navy.  You want to get these ships fully funded and into the fleet like yesterday?


YOU GET SOCOM'S MISSION MODULE UP AND RUNNING PRONTO!


If you have to assign half these ships to supporting SOCOM then you do it!  That will get you funding, it will make your ships high profile and it will get you positive press.


Next up (in my way of thinking) would be to get mission modules running for the Marines and certain Army units....Besides running these ships around the world for SOCOM, you team them up with AFRICOM to support partnership missions there.


That will get you positive interagency press.  Which brings me to the next module.  Humanitarian assistance/Inter Agency module.


Have you noticed the trend here?  You're developing personnel modules.  Not warfighting modules, but in essence support modules.  This will get your ships out to the fleet quicker, will make them useful sooner and will create demand that will help kick start this poorly handled program.


Once SOCOM, the Marines, Army, Inter Agency and Humanitarian Assistance modules are done, then you can accelerate the work on the surface warfare, anti-mine warfare and land attack modules.


But you've got to rebrand this thing first.  The LCS can be saved, will be useful and can contribute to the fleet.  

If you do it my way, it'll be welcomed with open arms not cries of WTF!

Hatfields & McCoys

Really looking forward to seeing this show.

SC-MAGTF APS-12.

Photos by Staff Sgt. Jemssy Alvarez
U.S. Marines from Security Cooperation Task Force African Partnership Station 12 (SCTF APS-12), ground combat element (GCE), clear a simulated enemy compound during a mechanized patrol through Combat Town May 21, 2012, aboard Marine Corps. Base Camp Lejeune, N.C. This training was the first time that the GCE's rifle platoon conducted combat simulations with their mechanized counterparts since SCTF APS-12 was activated.