Roebling was right. Modern rescue agencies wrong.

Check out this passage from ibiblio.org on the LVT.

Another vehicle which was to play a vital role in the amphibious operations of World War II was the amphibian tractor (amtrack, LVT). It was built in 1935 by Donald Roebling, a wealthy young inventor living in Clearwater, Florida. The "Alligator," as Roebling called his creation, was a track-laying vehicle which derived its propulsion afloat from flanges fixed to he tracks, essentially the principle of early paddle-wheel steamships. Originally intended as a vehicle of mercy, for rescue work in the Everglades, the "Alligator" was destined for fame as an instrument of war.

Make note of those humble beginings.  The vehicle was originally designed for rescue work in flood prone areas.  Hurricanes are a recurring problem in the southern US and the amphibs designed by Roebling were and are the answer to rescuing people during severe flooding.

 Fast forward to today and instead of buying or asking for amphibs from the Army or Marine Corps, most of our countries first responders are begging for MRAP type vehicles. 

This type truck does no good for the type of conditions that our fellow Americans are facing on the eastern sea board.  The REALLY sad thing about all this is that the US Army has several thousand first generation M-113's that are nimble (they can turn in a much shorter distance than MRAP's), can be equipped with band tracks to increase mileage and if fully restored are amphibious.

 Don't get me wrong.  The M-113 is still a weapon of war, but like the LVT it can be re-purposed toward fulfilling a major hole in our disaster response.

Flooding is too common in the US for Federal and State Disaster Response Agencies not to have amphibious vehicles in their arsenals.  If anything this illustrates a lack of proper planning and thinking outside the box. 

The next time a major hurricane hits the US, it would be nice to know that FEMA, the National Guard or some other agency had the tools necessary to rescue people that chose poorly and didn't heed evacuation notices.

US Army 9th Infantry Division. The original Mobile Riverine Force!

Armored Troop Transports tied up alongside a Mothership.

Armored Troop Transports

Riverine Monitor

Monitors and Troop Transports tied up to a Barracks ship.

Hospital Barge.

In Vietnam the 9th ID formed the mobile riverine force.  Along with that mission set they basically invented several of the concepts that many are calling for today.

Motherships?  They did motherships before they were cool.  Artillery barges?  Check.  Monitor patrol boats based off LCM's?  Check.  Monitor patrol boats that had landing pads for helicopters?  Check.  Barracks barges for troops after missions?  Check.

In other words the US Army in general and the 9th ID basically wrote the book on effective riverine operations.

Looks like the Army needs to take the Riverine mission back. 25th ID could assign a battalion to the task and operate throughout the Pacific.

More information on the US Army's Mobile Riverine Force during the Vietnam war can be found here.

UK F-35's join USMC/USAF jets at training base.

An F-16 Fighting Falcon provides a safety escort for two F-35 Lightning II pilots Oct. 16, 2012. The aviators delivered two new joint strike fighters to the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. Following the 90-minute ferry flight, Eglin AFB ground crews received the F-35s to prepare them for pilot and maintainer training and for the United Kingdom to conduct operational tests and evaluations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)

U.K. Royal Air Force Sqn. Ldr. Jim Schofield touches down in an F-35 Lightning II at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 19, 2012. This second United Kingdom F-35B at Eglin AFB will be embedded with the Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501. It will be used for pilot and maintainer training and for the United Kingdom to conduct operational tests and evaluations. The F-35 incorporates a wide range of new technologies for stealth, multi-mission capabilities and sustainability. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)

United Kingdom Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircraft maintainers met the U.K.'s second F-35B Lightning II as it arrived to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Oct. 19, 2012. These maintainers are part of the first class of U.K. maintainers attending courses at the F-35 Academic Training Center here. The U.K. maintenance training began Oct. 1. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Karen Roganov)

Riverine Combat Skills Course

RCS is a five-week class that teaches CORIVFOR sailors combat skills, weapons fundamentals and equipment, land navigation, urban operations, offensive and defensive patrolling, and communications.

You're gonna teach Combat Skills, Weapon Fundamentals, Land Nav, Urban Combat Ops, AND offensive and defensive patrolling in 5 weeks?????

Sorry I'm calling bullshit on that unless you're just checking off boxes.  There is no way that even fundamentals can be taught in that short a time period.  What is happening to NAVY Riverine Force?  

Maybe the US Army needs to take this mission!  They did it in Vietnam maybe its time they did it again?

Let's talk about the Libya leadership failure.

My buddy Tom hit me with a few things about the situation in Libya and its aftermath and it got me to thinking.

A list of my bullet points....

1.  AFRICOM was never intended to be a "real" combatant command.  Instead it was intended to be the vessel through which the US military conducted humanitarian and military to military training.

2.  General Ham was/is a politician.  He lacks the necessary skills and the backing to actually be a player in the power game that is Africa.  The Chinese are playing chess and we have a political hack in country.  Why do I say that?  Can you imagine General Mattis not sending forces ahead anyway to at least have them orbiting nearby to dash in once the word was given?  I can't and I can't be sure but the guy I used to know would have disregarded those orders and had the knuckle draggers from Delta heel stomping the entire city.

3.  Obama did know about the situation but instead of taking immediate action he vacillated.  In essence by not making a decision in a timely matter, HE MADE THE CHOICE NOT TO HELP.  Its somewhat circular but in doing nothing, he in fact did something (I'm killing myself to say it a better way but can't hit on it...someone help me out here)...his deliberative style essentially doomed these men.  Remember the assault on Bin Laden?  It had at least 2 dry runs before he finally pulled the trigger.  There was no time to debate on this one.  He had to make a command decision without all the facts and chose to do nothing.

4.  The Joint Chiefs are no longer an independent group.  Rumsfeld actually started us down this road when he not only disagreed with the military's assessment that more troops were needed for the invasion of Iraq but then had them go before the camera's and lie and say that the plan was their own and that they fully supported it.  Until the military reforms itself, the JCS should be looked at as an arm of the administration that is in power and not an independent entity.  To think that Panetta is able to hide behind the JCS instead of facing the media by himself is telling...and disturbing too.

Those are my thought, but we need to know more.  Time will tell if I'm right or not.

UPDATE:  It just occurred to me that we're seeing almost unprecedented interference with operations.  I remember reading stories about Commanders in Vietnam orbiting in helicopters over a battle trying to lead the men on the ground doing the actual fighting.  Are we seeing an updated example of it but with the leaders in Washington D.C. attempting to influence events that they have no real understanding of?  If thats the case then we have bigger problems than I thought. 

UPDATE 1:  I was reading some of my Marine Corps leadership manuals and a term that was included in one of them applies perfectly to what happened to our Commander-in-Chief.  He suffered a paralysis due to analysis.  He studied the problem, sought opinions on the problem and in the end took so long that in essence he did nothing.  That's the real coverup in all this.  The guy couldn't make a decision and people lost their lives because of his indecision.

Doak VZ-4 VTOL Aircraft

Blast from the past. Chrysler River Utility Craft.

Light, fixed wing escort aircraft needed for the MV-22.

Its been tested in combat, has the same or better weapons carriage, has better range and most of all it has better speed.

The modest proposal is to bite the bullet and fully embrace the capabilities of the MV-22 by curtailing buys of the AH-1Z and purchasing product improved OV-10's.  The big Achilles heel of the AH-1Z when it comes to operating besides the MV-22 is not only its inability to keep up but also its short legs (in comparison).  Putting a mixed wing of OV-10's, AH-1Z's and UH-1Y's would cover the bases a bit more effectively than relying on the F-35B and AV-8B to provide escort for the MV-22.

Our current concept of operations will have the AV-8/F-35's busy doing combat air support, fighter sweeps and fleet defense.  Escorting MV-22's about the battlefield will be a necessary task that might get left behind among all that work.

But it gets worse.  When the CH-53K comes on line it will also outpace the AH-1Z.  That means even more work for the fast movers on the MEU.

In my mind the canary in the coal mine occurred during the Libyan War when the MEU was tasked to rescue downed F-15 pilots.  AV-8B's were launched to escort the MV-22's.  CH-53E's carried a backup force and were escorted by AH-1Z's.  Carrying a reinforced squad of Marines isn't exactly a heavy lift for the CH-53 and from what I've been told even those elderly birds can push AH-1Z's to the firewall in order to keep up.

That was the wake up call.  Its time.  Get some OV-10's out of storage, refurbish them, put in new engines and avionics and lets get the boys at NAVAIR some good work.  

Modest Proposal. Test the LHD in the Sea Control Ship Concept.

Sea Control Ship.

V/STOL Support Ship.

via SLD Info.com

As the Enterprise (CVN-65) transits the Mediterranean Sea for the last time on its way home to Virginia for retirement and inactivation, the Navy is bracing for a new reality — starting Dec. 1, it will have only 10 aircraft carriers.
The key to maintaining an effective and responsive Navy is being able to both project power through regularly scheduled rotations and add surge forces when needed, Navy spokesman Lt. Cdr. John Fage told Inside the Navy on Oct. 16. But with just 10 ships in the fleet until the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) delivers in 2015, Program Executive Officer for Aircraft Carriers Rear Adm. Thomas Moore told ITN in an August interview that surging becomes much more complicated and risks long-term damage to the fleet.
“The demand signal is not likely to go down any time soon, and so we’r working pretty hard within in the maintenance community, and [Vice] Adm [Kevin] McCoy and his whole team at [Naval Sea Systems Command] and the shipyards, are looking real hard at what we can do to make sure we hand these ships back over to the combatant commanders and the operators ready to go,” Moore said. “And so we’ve been very successful with that, but we’ve been very honest with them about what we can and can’t do. And to be honest with you, more of it at this point is, the combatant commanders say ‘I want X number of carriers’ and we say ‘I can give you Y.’”

The Navy is about to be down to 10 aircraft carriers.

Bad times in the land of the big blue machine, but a solution is already here...IF the Navy and Marines are bold enough to see where it leads.

Its time to man and deploy an LHD as a Sea Control Ship (more properly called a V/STOL Support Ship).  Strip an LHD of its embarked Battalion Landing Team, add a Reinforced Harrier Squadron from the USMC and maybe add a rotary anti-sub helo detachment with a couple more multi-role MH-60s and get them to sea.

It would provide a smaller punch than a full sized carrier battle group BUT it could maintain big carrier rotations AND it would be good enough for MOST scenarios.

Besides, it can't hurt to try...the worst that could happen is that the Sea Control Concept would be confirmed as a success or failure.

NOTE:  This concept dates back to the 70's...and yes every LHD/LHA has the sea control mission as part of its operating concepts, but it has never been realistically deployed as one.  That's what I'm calling for especially since the Navy will be down to 10 carriers.

Medium Assault Vehicle- Light (MAV-L) Performance Testing

Blast from the Past. JLOTS 2008. How the Army becomes relevant in the Pacific.

Major Hat Tip to THINKDEFENCE for the vid.

The US Army has a problem and I have the solution.  How do they become relevant in the Pacific?  First they accept the fact that they will not be the primary force.  Second, they revitalize the 82nd Airborne and Light Infantry.  If they want to get forces to the scene fast then they won't be traveling with Strykers.  Last, they understand that in the event of major, sustained land action (whether hostile or humanitarian) they will be primarily facing a logistics operation.  That's where the video is so instructive.  JLOTS 2008 pointed the way.  There is no need for the Army to reinvent the wheel.  Just follow the playbook they've already established!

The next fitness trend...and the ladies are leading it. Ultra-fitness...

Karina Akmens’s ultra sixpack.

I don't even think there is a name for it but check out that chick's abs in the pic up top.  That's a mix of a low body fat, hard core cardio, eating right and serious work.  I don't think they (women) have a name for it but it seems like its all the rage.  Women and six, 10, 12 or 24 packs.

I'm calling it ultra fitness and I don't know where it came from and I don't even know what to make of it.  I find it fascinating though.  Ladies and six packs...and they're not trying to get on stage...just a lifestyle choice (or so they keep saying on every site I see).

I don't have a website to point you too, just Google Karina's whole name and you'll see a ton of stuff on her, her workout and diet.

different lady...didn't catch her name.  nice abs though.

NOTE:
Not a lust affair going on here guys.  I'm not saying I want to bone, screw, fuck or have intercourse with these chicks.  What I am saying is that I admire the hard work they put in to get those abs.  Hmm.  I posted the pics to inspire guys to bust ass.  The original thought when I saw these pics was that hey, these women have a better core than I do so I'm gonna work harder in the gym.  Any other thought tells more about you than you probably realize.  Pervs.

UPDATE:
Here is what Huron Serenity wrote that prompted the above response...

Huron_Serenity has left a new comment on your post "The next fitness trend...and the ladies are leadin...": 
So Solomon likes women that look a bit masculine, eh? Fascinating... 

Boeing's CHAMP missile

Thanks for the link Bjørnar!  Read the whole story here but check out the vid below.

General Dynamics. What does the Tracked Styker tell us about the their Marine Personnel Carrier Entrant.

General Dynamics took a page out of BAE's playbook and dominated the AUSA meeting like BAE dominated the Modern Day Marine get together.

Totally out of the blue they came up with a medium tracked vehicle to add to their portfolio based on the Stryker.  I'm trying to read tea leaves here but could we be looking at a strategy to get the Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Marine Personnel Carrier contracts?

What I mean by this is that they're playing the price shootout game.  They leverage the massive Army buy by basing a family of vehicles off one variant. 

Imagine this...the Tracked Stryker along (that will have further modifications like the driver moved further back, the vehicle widened and larger tracks placed on it) wins the Army's AMPV contest, with a few more modifications its made to swim and because of the Army's buy they'll be able to price compete on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle and with the work done to make the Amphibious Combat Vehicle they simply revert to wheels and enter the Marine Personnel Carrier Program with the same basic hull that swims.

I could easily be wrong but it makes manufacturing and design sense.

Suppression. Not destruction?

I noticed in the video that the USAF Chief of Staff is talking about suppressing enemy defenses instead of destroying (or "dominating") them.  Is this a nice way of saying that Air Dominance is no longer an Air Force goal?

NOTE:
Before anyone adds a couple more weird statements to this post, I recommend you check with the USAF and get their definition of Air Superiority, Air Supremacy and Air Dominance.  I'm just the messenger.  Oh and for you guys that consider yourself "air guys" and don't know the difference--get a clue---I'm a ground guy and I know what's what.

A Marine and His Horse

Lance Cpl. Tyler Langford, anti-tank missileman, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, leads his pack mule during a hike at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center Bridgeport, Calif., Oct. 13, 2012. Langford used skills he learned in the Animal Packers Course, taught four times a year at MCMWTC. The 16-day course teaches Marines how to use animals in the region they find themselves in as a logistical tool to transport weapons, ammunition, food, supplies or wounded Marines through terrain that tactical vehicles cannot reach.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ali Azimi)

Tracked Stryker. A pic.

Hat tip to Bruce for pointing me to Vuurwapen Blog.

via Vuurwapen Blog

Hmm.

I can't tell much from this angle.  I'll contact Andrew and see if he has more pics of this.

via Shepard Media.

 Shepard has a good article up on this vehicle now.  What caught my eye immediately were the narrow tracks, but GD says they're already looking to replace those.  Other than that I still don't know.  To be honest I still have misgivings about basing a tracked vehicle on a wheeled vehicles platform.  Generally, wheeled vehicles are larger than tracks when having the same internal volume because of the room that is required to house the wheels suspension system.  If GD has cracked the code and is using the extra space given because of the switch to tracks then good.  If its the same then they might have been better served starting with a clean sheet. 

Definitely need to get my hands on the data sheet.  This should be interesting.

USMC stands up first operational F-35B unit!

via...Aviation Week????

The U.S. Marine Corps is preparing to begin operations for the first operational F-35 squadron next month at MCAS Yuma, Ariz., and officials are optimistic for a mid-month standup despite some challenges ahead.
Key to starting up squadron operations will be a small but growing cadre of maintainers, pilots and aircraft, says Col. Kevin Killea, aviation requirements branch head for the Marine Corps.
The first F-35B is expected at Marine Fighter Attack Sqdn. 121 in early November, with the second slated for delivery mid-month. These will be the first low-rate-initial-production aircraft delivered from prime contractor Lockheed Martin to the Defense Department, and these aircraft will include the 1B software. A total of 16 F-35Bs, the number needed for full operational capability, are expected at the base within the next year, Killea says.
Six pilots have been tapped for early operations at Yuma, as well. They are currently in various stages of training; some are already qualified to use the 1A software and simply need to get “difference training” between the two blocks. Killea says small group tryouts are slated for November to determine which two of five pilots in the first 1B class at Eglin AFB, Fla., where pilot training is handled, will be among those first six pilots selected for ops at Yuma.
But to begin operations, the Marine Corps must continue to implement a foundation for the squadron’s infrastructure at the base, including delivery of the Autonomic Information Logistics System (ALIS) Block 1.03. Last month, Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 deputy program director, pointed out that the squadron will not be able to properly stand up without this system. ALIS is a comprehensive system of hardware and software used to manage the F-35, including health and diagnostics of each aircraft, supply tasks and mission planning. The 1.03 release is critical for Yuma because it includes the security features needed to conduct classified operations; Killea notes that Eglin is using ALIS 1.02 because the training base doesn’t need to access classified flight data. An operational squadron, however, cannot function without it.
Lockheed Martin has had problems with ALIS 1.03 owing to security vulnerabilities. Killea says that the work “has come a long way in the last couple of months,” and what could have been a six-month slip was compressed to allow for standup of the squadron next month.
The Marines still decline to outline a specific initial operational capability (IOC) date for the F-35B. IOC will require 10 F-35Bs available for ship- or land-based deployment and surge options. That also will include the appropriate number of pilots and two-shift maintenance operations, Killea says.
IOC is tied somewhat to release of the Block 2B F-35 software. But Killea says the Marines will withhold an IOC declaration until all of the needed capabilities—such as basic close-air-support and interdiction activities as well as initial air-to-air and data-linking—are delivered, whether they are included in Block 2B or a subsequent release.

Stealth has finally come to the Naval Services.

IOC for the F-35B is 2012, calendar year!

Great job Commandant.  Now get me a MPC, and ACV!

Hamas now has FN2000 Assault Rifles. What else leaked out of Libya?

via the Firearm Blog.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad al-Quds Brigades in Gaza has acquired a number of FN FN2000 rifles complete with grenade launchers. Given the relatively few potential sources of these rifles, the most obvious explination is that former Libyan rebels are exporting the weapons they captured during the civil war.

Hamas by any other name is Hamas.

Its my bet that these weapons leaked out of Libya and are in the hands of these terrorist.  The more troubling question should be what else got out.  Khaddafi was a fan of modern weaponry and what he couldn't buy outright he bought on the black market.  There is obviously more to the Libya story than we're being told.  Rumor has it that 10,000 Surface to Air Missiles-Man Portable are out and about.  How long before the bad guys setup at the end of a runway and take a shot at an airplane during takeoff or approach?  I'd bet valuable body parts that I cherish that bad news on this front is coming down the pike.

The next Assistant Commandant?

Hell Yeah!

Lieutenant General John M. "Jay" Paxton Jr. USMCCommanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa
Life Member

Lieutenant General Paxton is the Commanding General, II Marine Expeditionary Force; and Commander, United States Marine Forces Africa. Prior to his current assignment he served as Director for Operations, J-3, The Joint Staff and before that as the Chief of Staff for Multi-National Force Iraq in Baghdad. Additional General officer assignments include Commanding General, 1st Marine Division, Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot/Western Recruiting Region, and Assistant Deputy Commandant of the Marine Corps, Programs and Resources (Director Programs).

Lieutenant General Paxton graduated from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with Bachelor of Science and Master of Civil Engineering degrees. He was commissioned into the Marine Corps in 1974 through Officer Candidate School. A career Marine infantryman, the general has commanded Marines at every level from platoon through division and has served and commanded in all three active Marine Divisions (1st Bn, 3d Mar; 2nd Bn, 4th Mar; 3rd Bn, 5th; 1st Bn, 8th Mar; 1st Mar; 1st Mar Div). Lieutenant General Paxton has also served as an operations, plans and training (G3-S3) officer within Fleet Marine Force units at the battalion, regiment, division and Marine Expeditionary Force levels.

In addition to service in Iraq, Lieutenant General Paxton has operational tours supporting stability efforts in the Bosnian conflict with Landing Force Sixth Fleet (LF6F) and in Mogadishu, Somalia as United Nations Quick Reaction Force (QRF), both while commanding Battalion Landing Team (1/8). Other staff and joint assignments include the Military Assistant to the Under Secretary of the Navy, Amphibious Operations Officer and Executive Officer Crisis Action Team (CAT) at UNC/CFC/USFK in Korea; and in Strategic Plans Branch, Deputy Commandant Plans, Policies and Operations, Headquarters US Marine Corps. Supporting establishment commands include Company B, Marine Barracks 8th & I as a Captain and Marine Corps Recruiting Station New York, New York as a Major.

In addition to The Basic School, Lieutenant General Paxton’s professional education includes United States Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School (non resident), United States Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He was a Federal Executive Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution as a Lieutenant Colonel, as well as a Military Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations as a Colonel. He has also been a Marine Corps Fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Seminar XXI.

(Updated as of March 2011)

Quite obviously my approval isn't needed but this is good news.  This guy rocks, is hard as woodpecker lips and will get the job done without the associated bullshit.

An added plus...he know the battlefield AND the Washington DC jungle.  We should be well served in the coming budget wars AND see a movement back to Marine Corps fundamentals.....something that we've seen deteriorate over the past few years.
 
Somebody hit a home run.  Do I see the retired General's clubs fingerprints on this selection?