A simplified EFV vs. the Kerry threat.

The pic above shows the EFV moving through the water using only its water jets.  No fancy hydroplaning, no movable tracks, just using its tracks and water jets to get to the beach.

Why the Marine Corps didn't turn to immediately upon cancellation and opt for a sole sourced simplified EFV is beyond me.

Consider it an opportunity lost..but not only that but the procurement holiday that the Marine Corps took is finally biting it in the ass.  

Which brings me to this.  If Obama appoints Senator Kerry to become the Sec of Defense then you can bet that all the services will be raped.  Panetta turned native.  He understood the risks that the nation faced after his tenure in the CIA.  He was suppose to be the axe man.  He got religion.  Kerry?  A totally different breed.  He'll chop up the nations defense and smile while doing it.  The pic below is from BlackFive.  It sums things up rather nicely.

APA's Dream Plane in US colors!

Another photo from Military Photoshops blog.  A PAK-FA in Thunderbird colors. APA and company would love it!

CBO and the Ground Combat Vehicle.

B. Smitty sent me a copy of the CBO report on the US Army's Ground Combat Vehicle.  It makes for interesting reading and I've attached a copy so you can see what the fuss is about.

Pic taken from the CBO Report.

I think this one pic I grabbed says it all.  The US Army wants an APC that's as large as a Main Battle Tank, yet at the same time they're talking about maintaining strategic AND tactical mobility?

Impossible.

Read the report below and see how this concept is from the fevered dreams of some madman at TRADOC.  What this document is really screaming is that the US Army still thinks IEDs are present and future threat on the battlefield.  What has me really scratching my head is the obvious.  The Bradley can be modified....lose the turret and the 25mm chain gun, add a 50 cal RWS, put in a couple more seats and add a bit of blast protection and you have your GCV on the cheap.

43699-GroundCombatVehicles

Israel activates the equivalent of a reinforced division (+)

via SkyNews.

Israel has approved the call-up of 30,000 reservists as it moves troops towards Gaza.It increases the prospect of a ground war - while Palestinian militants fired rockets at Tel Aviv, Israel's main commercial city, for the first time in 20 years. Sky's Middle East Correspondent Sam Kiley said: "In British terms, the number (of reservists) is pretty close to 10 brigades - a vast number of troops. These will be armour, infantry and specialists in support, but most likely to fill in the gaps likely to be left as troops are moved down towards Gaza."There's already been an increase in movement of ground troops close to Gaza, the movement of tanks and so on."If there is going to be a ground offensive, those troops have got to come from somewhere else and they would need to be back-filled."So, in all likelihood, this is all part of the military planning for a ground assault into Gaza, should the Israeli prime minister so order."It's part of the plan, but that order has not yet been given. But this is a strong indication that Israeli troops are preparing to go into the Gaza Strip."

Guess what people.  In Marine Corps terms the Israeli's just activated a Marine Expeditionary Force.  Or if you're talking US Army they just stood up the two plus reinforced divisions.

In man power terms this is no little thing...its a big fucking deal.

My question to you all is this.  The Israeli's have moved into the Gaza Strip before.  They're well practiced in it and they even have Special Ops Units that specialize in operating in the occupied territories.

Do you believe this cover story or are you finally coming around to my way of thinking...this is a cover for something much bigger.

The movement is real.

I've been reading posts about the secessionist movement in the some states (mine included) and I considered it cute at best and at worst just a bit of venting by some frustrated citizens.

If you're interested in finding out exactly how frustrated some of your fellow citizens are then I recommend you read this.

Its pure fiction but it shows you exactly where some people are when it comes to an over bearing federal govt.  Things could get real dicey real fast unless we face a unifying event.  I'm not hopeful though.  Hurricane Sandy didn't even succeed in bringing us together.  If that can't then what will?

Weapon selection without doctrine. Say hello to the IAR.

You ever read an article that has you ready to punch walls?  Well check out a few lines from the Marine Blog.

“It’s a huge improvement to have a more accurate weapon,” said Staff Sgt. Mathew Henderson, the platoon commander of Personal Security Detachment, 2nd Bn., 7th Marines, currently on his fourth combat deployment. “We want to broaden the application of its use. For instance, using an IAR in a sniper platoon instead of a SAW would be a huge advantage.”To potentially lower costs, Marines with the battalion are looking at ways to implement the IAR in place of a more expensive weapon already in use.“This weapon platform could be used as a multipurpose weapon system in the infantry squad, i.e., using an IAR as an automatic rifle and as a designated marksman rifle,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chris Jones, infantry weapons officer, 2nd Bn., 7th Marines. “In the current fight when there is a limited exposure and a fleeting target that blends in with the local populace, it is more important to have a more accurate rifle with a better optic. If you can get positive identification faster, you can kill the enemy rather than a weapon that provides audible suppression; audible suppression being the bullets hitting everywhere but on target, and the enemy only hearing the sounds of gunfire.

Have we forgotten tactics?  Suppression allows you to maneuver.  It forces the enemy to keep his head down.  If you're able to directly target the enemy then you don't need to suppress him!  Someone is mixing apples and oranges...and I've never heard suppressive fire referred to as audible suppression.  Bullets smacking around would be actual physical suppression.  An F/A-18 blazing overhead would be more like this mythical audible suppression.

But what has me scratching my head is this.

The IAR has been in the Fleet how long now and they're still trying to figure out how to use it!  Amazing!  But this part has me in the wall punching mood that I was talking about earlier.

“We’re going back to what we had in World War II with the Browning Automatic Rifle,” Henderson said. “Since the 1980s, we gave the infantry squad the light machine gun, and now we’re having another shift in the Marine Corps to get back to what we were doing right the first time.”

I don't think the guy knows the history of the BAR.  I don't think he's studied the fighting that took place in the jungles of Vietnam or on the islands of the Pacific.

They're not getting it.  But that's my opinion, read the entire article here. 

Wireless Ground Handling of X-47B

Press Release from Northrop Grumman.

NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md., Nov. 15, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and the U.S. Navy have taken a first critical step toward demonstrating that the X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator can be maneuvered safely and wirelessly on the crowded deck of an aircraft carrier.
In early November, the team successfully completed its first shore-based trials of a new wireless, handheld device called a Control Display Unit (CDU). Developed by Northrop Grumman, the device will allow deck operators to maneuver the X-47B by remote control on the carrier deck.
The team demonstrated the CDU's ability to control the X-47B's engine thrust; to roll the aircraft forward, brake and stop; to use its nose wheel steering to execute tight, precision turns; and to maneuver the aircraft efficiently into a catapult or out of the landing area following a mock carrier landing.
Northrop Grumman is the Navy's prime contractor for the UCAS Carrier Demonstration (UCAS-D) program.
"The CDU is fundamental to integrating the X-47B seamlessly into carrier deck operations," said Daryl Martis, Northrop Grumman's UCAS-D test director. "It will allow us to move the aircraft quickly and precisely into the catapult for launch, or out of the landing area following recovery. Both of these activities are essential to maintaining the rhythm of the flight deck."
In practice, a deck operator will work in tandem with the flight deck director – aka a "yellow shirt" – to move the X-47B via the CDU to a designated flight deck location. Standing in front of the aircraft, the director will use traditional hand signals to indicate how, when and where the aircraft should move, the same way he would communicate with a pilot in a manned aircraft. The deck operator will stand behind the director and use the CDU to duplicate the director's instructions as digital commands to the aircraft.
According to Martis, the CDU will help streamline and, in fact, enable many of the flight test operations required for UCAS-D shore-based carrier suitability testing.
"Instead of towing the aircraft out to the flight line, we can now start the X-47B outside its hangar, then use the CDU to taxi it out to the runway, or into a catapult for launch," he said. "Use of the CDU is the most time-efficient way to move the X-47B into the catapult or disengage it from the arresting gear after landing."
The UCAS-D program plans to conduct its first shore-based catapults of X-47B aircraft later this month. That testing will be followed by hoisting an X-47B aboard an aircraft carrier, and using it to validate the performance of the CDU in an actual carrier environment.

Israeli Flickr Propaganda.

The Israeli's are masters of propaganda.  Good thing because the people they're against aren't too shabby either.  Check out some of the stuff from the Israeli Ministry of Defense Flickr site.

RNLAF F-35 Demo Team

Great work by the guys at Military-Photoshop.

The Israeli-Iranian War has begun...first strike--HAMAS.

The war between Israel and Iran has begun.

The Israeli's first move?  Cripple HAMAS, a proxy of Iran, to help protect the home front and prevent a two front war.

Via Haaretz.

               Hamas military chief Ahmed Jabari killed by Israeli strikeLIVE BLOG: Israel strikes more than 20 targets in Gaza, killing Ahmed Jabari, who was behind the 2006 abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit; IDF says ready for ground operation in Gaza if necessary; Hamas: Israeli aggression will lead to war; Israel Police raises alert levels across the country.

Want to know the bad news?  If I'm right on this being the opening move in the Israeli-Iranian War then we can look for our embassies, consulates and forces in Afghanistan to come under attack.

And this couldn't have come at a worse time.  Our CIA has been decapitated because of lack of zipper control and the same two floozies have snared the commander of the effort in Afghanistan in their foolishness.

Things will spiral out of control before anyone notices.  Oh did I mention that Syrian Rebels are moving toward the Israeli border and Egypt is unstable?

Worst Case Budget Scenarios For The Services...

Its time.  Congress and the President are about to start debating how to avoid the "Fiscal Cliff" so lets take a look at what I think are the worst case scenarios for the services...

First up is the Army.

The Army Chief of Staff can try and avoid the inevitable...he can try and team with the Marines and SOCOM on a Land Power Study Group or whatever he calls it but when a former Army Officer from a powerful Democrat Think Tank says that the Army is going to be the bill payer for the move to the Pacific then all bets are off.   Andrew Krepinevich, director of the Center for Strategic and Budget Assessments has specifically targeted Army Heavy and Mech Brigades for cuts. OUCH!

1.  Ground Combat Vehicle.  Toast.  It ain't gonna happen.
2.  Improved Carbine.  Toast.  They won't be able to justify it.
3.  Increased Aviation.  Good to go.  Especially since it can be seen as contributing to disaster relief.
4.  More UAVs.  Unknown.  If Congress gets to the point of actually asking serious questions about the utility of the airplanes, range limitations and utility over the Pacific then I can see the massive buy getting scaled back.
5.  End Strength.  Toast.  They're gonna take a bigger hit than currently planned.  

Next the Navy.

One of the big winners in the turn to the Pacific.  Its ironic too.  The Air-Sea Battle was a USAF initiative designed (in my opinion) to ensure that they would be in a position to rebuild there force after they saw it basically ignored during the war on terror. The irony continues because the Navy and Air Force have been competitors of a sort in the past.  Budget wars make strange bedfellows.

1.  LCS.  Not toast but not clear either.  The Navy will be asked to justify the concept.  They won't be able to and they'll be forced to offer up the LCS to the budget Gods.
2.  F-35C.  No one is buying it but the Navy.  The USMC is having it forced on it but they don't want it and neither does the Navy (or so it seems).  No protection from allied buyers.  A skeptical Navy and budget hawks to be appeased mean that this will be the easiest kill the F-35 will ever suffer.
3.  The Carriers.  Sketchy at best.  I can easily see the Navy being forced to go  for an extended period with 10 carriers.  The debate where the President made the flippant remark about sea power shows that expanding or even maintaining the fleet is not an option.
4.  End Strength.  Fewer ships will drive a smaller Navy.  They're going to take a hit numbers wise that they're probably not expecting.

That's a quick rundown on the Army and Navy.  The Marine Corps and Air Force comes later today.

Mobile Landing Platform. Is it worth it?

via North County Times.

The MLP has been nicknamed the "pier-at-sea" because the vessels will serve as a staging area for supplies and equipment. Other ships will dock with the MLP and offload material that will be transported ashore. The MLPs also are designed to service the type of hovercraft that are used to shuttle Marines. The Navy awarded NASSCO contracts to build three MLPs, and the Obama administration has set aside money for a fourth. The ships will be operated by the Military Sealift Command.

Maybe this is buyers remorse on my part.  Maybe I'm beginning to question the concept in this time of budget austerity (oh the pain is coming...and with the meetings that I'm hearing about that the President is having, the defense budget will be raped to pay for EVERYTHING else). But I wonder if money wouldn't have been better spent on enhanced at sea cranes or maybe modifying current ships to meet the projected requirement.



I'm looking at the MLP and I see a few more LCACs that could have been purchased...maybe high speed LCUs...more capable-heavy lift LCUs...but the MLP?  A super specialized ship in an age of multi-use platforms?

I'm just not sure anymore.

Blast from the past. CH-53 loops and rolls.

Guardium UGV. World's first operational unmanned ground vehicle.

This Israeli made unmanned ground vehicle is one of Israel's most important weapons on its border with Gaza. Equipped with 360 degree cameras, the Guardium is conserving IDF soldier's lives.

Photos by : Cpl. Zev Marmorstein, IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

F-35. Yeah baby! It Super Cruises!

Sferrin told me they were talking about this on F-16.net.  Bjørnar gave me the Air Force Magazine article.  Check out this tidbit...

The F-35’s systems will even allow it to shoot at a target "almost when that airplane is behind you," thanks to its 360-degree sensors.
According to O’Bryan, the F-35 also can interrogate a target to its rear, an ability possessed by no other fighter.
If you survive a modern dogfight, O’Bryan claimed, "it’s based on the countermeasures you have, not on your ability to turn."
If the situation demands a turning dogfight, however, the F-35 evidently will be able to hold its own with any fighter. That is a reflection on the fighter’s agility. What’s more, a potential future upgrade foresees the F-35 increasing its air-to-air missile loadout from its current four AIM-120 AMRAAMs to six of those weapons.
The F-35, while not technically a "supercruising" aircraft, can maintain Mach 1.2 for a dash of 150 miles without using fuel-gulping afterburners.
"Mach 1.2 is a good speed for you, according to the pilots," O’Bryan said.
The high speed also allows the F-35 to impart more energy to a weapon such as a bomb or missile, meaning the aircraft will be able to "throw" such munitions farther than they could go on their own energy alone.
There is a major extension of the fighter’s range if speed is kept around Mach .9, O’Bryan went on, but he asserted that F-35 transonic performance is exceptional and goes "through the [Mach 1] number fairly easily." The transonic area is "where you really operate."
In combat configuration, the F-35’s range exceeds that of fourth generation fighters by 25 percent. These are Air Force figures, O’Bryan noted. "We’re comparing [the F-35] to [the] ‘best of’ fourth gen" fighters. The F-35 "compares favorably in any area of the envelope," he asserted.

Awesome.

ThinkDefence takes a look at the British Tank Force.

ThinkDefence has an interesting series of articles taking a look at the British Tank Force.  Where it is currently and short/long term plans for it.  This is of interest to the Marine Corps because our tank force closely mirrors the Brits in terms of size and use.  Click here to go to the latest article.

Sometimes they make you say wow.

via BlackFive from Human Events.

By: Major Gen. Jerry R. Curry 11/11/2012 05:45 AM
It was the spring of 1971 and Captain Larry McNamara, one of my advisors to the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN), and I were sitting across from each other on a hot, sparsely covered jungle hillside sipping bitter Vietnamese tea. In between us was a fold-up wooden military campaign table.My other advisors sat silently apart from us under a clump of pine trees pretending not to be eaves dropping on our conversation. They were cleaning and oiling their weapons, preparing for combat, deep in the jungle. Occasionally their eyes wandered toward us.A week before, Larry had been deserted and left to die out in the jungle by the Fourth ARVN Battalion commander, Major Uy. Uy was a first class coward and Larry’s returning alive was an embarrassment to him. If Larry had died as Uy intended, Uy could have fabricated a story about the fighting having been so intense that he and Mac had been forcibly separated and he had risked his own life trying to find him.But because Larry had defied all of the odds and come back alive, Uy was forced to explain why they had become separated.  According to Uy’s version of events, he had become so deathly sick that he was unable to lead his battalion. So he was forced to make his way back to the rear to find medical help. Most of the other ARVN officers and senior sergeants had followed him. Larry had ended up commanding the encircled ARVN remnant and was able to lead them to safety.“Larry,” you’ve studied the plan and you know that we’re committing every available combat unit to this fight.”“Yes, and you want me to go back out with the Fourth Battalion again. Is it still commanded by that coward, Uy?”“Yes it is,” I said.“Colonel, you know as well as I that at the first shot fired, he will turn tail and run and the battalion will fall apart, just like it did last week.” He was stating simple, unemotional fact.After a long pause he added, “If I go, I won’t come back. The North Vietnamese Army won’t let me get away twice.”“I know,” I replied looking away, feeling pain deep down inside.  “Do you want me to go in your place?”“No,” he countered sharply. “You’ve got your job to do and I’ve got mine.”Simultaneously we pushed our metal folding chairs back, stood, and shook hands. “Goodbye, Colonel,” he said. “We won’t meet again … at least not in this life. Write my wife, tell her I love her.” I nodded and he was gone.Several hours later, over the radio came Mac’s voice screaming, “I’m hit … I’m hit … in both legs  … real bad. The ARVN are deserting me … leaving me to die here in the jungle … Can you do anything to help me?  Unfortunately there were no American units in the area, the jungle was too dense for a helicopter to land, and I was fresh out of miracles; still I prayed for one while my insides churned in frustration at my impotence.“Well let’s just say I called to say good bye.” Mac quipped.  Then he shouted, “The ARVN are jerking the radio out of my hands.” It was his last transmission.Later we were able to get some American units to sweep the area but they found no trace of him. Then I was making my way from the new command post to my jeep when one of my sergeants ran out of the corrugated tin building shouting. He was a tall, brusque, square shouldered man who brooked no nonsense and no half measures. Waving both arms over his head he shouted, “Sir, they’ve picked up Captain Mac!”Stunned, I froze in mid-stride. On the command radio was an Army aviation gun-ship commander.  “Your captain is on board one of my ‘Slicks.’  It is a positive ID; I repeat, this is a positive ID.”“Tell me about his condition,” I asked.“Sorry, don’t have time … too much going on … we’ll drop him off at the Army hospital in Kontum.”The next morning my boss loaned me his helicopter and I flew back to the hospital.“I’ve got gangrene in both legs and I’m going to lose them,” he said. “When the ARVN left me to die; they stripped off my watch and wedding ring and stole my wallet. Please try to get them back for me.”  I nodded.On the way out I talked to Larry’s surgeon, a bone- weary Army major who had operated on too many wounded for too long. “Both legs have to go,” he said matter-of-factly. “This guy is lucky to be alive. One leg gets cut off above the knee. The other gets cut below the knee.”The following day I radio-telephoned the hospital and was told that Mac’s condition was significantly improved, he would lose only one leg, he had been air-evacuated back to the United States, and the operation would be performed there.Several years later I met Major McNamara in Bremerhaven, Germany during a NATO maneuver exercise. Both his feet and legs were functioning fine. Oh yes, I did manage to locate his wedding ring, watch and wallet and mail them to him.Just before I left South Vietnam the South Vietnamese Colonel to whom I was an advisor asked me this question, after a long and introspective dinner conversation.“How does your country create people like you and Captain McNamara?” Probably it is a question that all veterans ponder from time to time.

It's been said that military history is taught for two reasons.  The first is to record success and failure in military endeavors in order to duplicate the victories and prevent the defeats.  The second, and more important reason, is to teach a nations people what is expected of them when a nation comes to ask for their best efforts.

Captain McNamara and General Curry both demonstrated courage.  General Curry for not shying away from the hard thing of sending a soldier, probably to his death, not because he wanted to but because it was what was necessary and Captain McNamara for understanding exactly what was being asked of him and going anyway.

They're both better than me on my best day.  All I can say is wow.

AAV dunker training

Interesting.  AAV dunkers?  I don't quite get it.  From my understanding the vehicles are self righting and don't have the tendency to roll over like a helo does...is this actually useful or is it another case of checking off the safety boxes?

Sex, Libya and the Generals.

First.
If they can crawl around the E-mails of the head of the CIA, then you can bet that if you type certain key words then they're going to be crawling up your butt with a microscope.

Second.
Men died in Libya and no one cared.  Now a couple of women get into a cat fight over a guy and Washington is interested and outraged.  Amazing.  Sad.  Pay close attention men.  They talk about heroism.  They talk about respect to those serving...but its just that.  No one outside the military really cares.  Its just words and punch lines at parties and in speeches.

Third.
As long as they're talking about sex, a cat fight and who said what when it comes to the cheating scandal then I don't care.  When they concentrate on how the FBI can open private citizens E-mails when no crime or threat to national security exists then consider me interested.

Last.
Now they're trying to bring a Marine General into this nonsense.  I pray to God that he had enough honor to steer clear but if he didn't then again.  I don't care.  We have much bigger problems.

Rant over.

Sounds like a Mac Book!

via Why the F-35 Blog.

Initial feedback from US Air Force pilots and maintainers operating the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Eglin AFB, Florida, suggests the aircraft is performing better than its predecessors did at a similar stage of development.
The F-35 is in its infancy, but the stealthy type is already proving to be relatively stable from a maintenance standpoint, says Col Andrew Toth, commander of the 33rd Fighter Wing. "The system right now is behaving as advertised, [although] occasionally, we will have some issues with it on the ground," he says. However, this is usually easily fixed by shutting the aircraft down and then restarting it.

The airplane is a Mac Book!  Love it!