Open Comment Post. March 6, 2017.

Quick correction.  Think Defence isn't going away...just writing long form blog posts.  I got it wrong.

Chinese troops in Afghanistan?

via Military Times

 There is mounting evidence that Chinese ground troops are operating inside Afghanistan, conducting joint counter-terror patrols with Afghan forces along a 50-mile stretch of their shared border and fueling speculation that Beijing is preparing to play a significantly greater role in the country's security once the U.S. and NATO leave.
The full scope of China's involvement remains unclear, and the Pentagon is unwilling to discuss it. “We know that they are there, that they are present,” a Pentagon spokesman said. Yet beyond a subtle acknowledgement, U.S. military officials in Washington and in Kabul would not respond to several detailed questions submitted by Military Times. 

Story here.

Interesting.  It seems that China is feeling the sting of radical Islam.  Fighting in Afghanistan is a minor protective measure.  Controlling Pakistan would be more helpful over the long run.

Blast from the past...Broken Arrow Call in Vietnam

Thanks to Joe for the link!



Does this blast from the past have applications in current and future fights?  I wonder if I talked to a couple of Company and Battalion Commanders in Afghanistan or some of the SOCOM bubbas in Syria/Iraq would they tell me that there is a current "broken arrow" call to be used in case ISIS gets lucky?

For that matter I wonder if there is a protocol for use if an insider attack isn't just an assault on our personnel but a kidnapping?

Is there a directive in SOCOM to call for fire on our own personnel to keep them from being overrun or to keep them from winding up in an ISIS snuff vid?

I'd bet there is.

Looking into the future, would a broken arrow call be necessary for Expeditionary Squads?  Such a small unit cut off, isolated and being pounded with the possibility of capture by terrorists....the optics of such a defeat would be too much for the public to bear.  Will we have to establish this for the future?

Will China do to us, what we did under Reagan to the USSR?

Thanks to Drinas for the link!

via Sputnik

The Chinese military budget is the second largest in the world after that of the US. Last year, China’s defense budget reached nearly $146 billion, a 7.6 percent year-on-year increase, which was the slowest growth rate in six years.
In recent years, Chinese military spending has slowed down due to a downturn in the industrial sector. In 2015, China’s defense budget increased by 10.1 percent against the previous year, while in 2013 – by 12.2 percent, in 2012 – by 11.2 percent and in 2011 – by 12.7 percent.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Wang Hongguang, a retired deputy commander of the former Nanjing Military Command, called for a 12 percent increase in the Chinese defense budget in view of US defense-spending plans.

This is interesting.  It might be troubling but I don't know enough about the Chinese military, their economy and the cost for them to introduce new weapons.

A huge part of our budget is eaten up by personnel costs.  Take that out of the equation and I don't think we'll be the top spender when it comes to the military...or at least the gap will close between us and the rest of the world.

What I would love to know is how does a 12 percent increase in Chinese defense spending equate in US terms.  Would it be equal to a 24 percent increase for example or much much less?

One thing is certain.  US defense hawks won't get their way.  McCain, Graham and Thornberry want a massive increase while Trump is proposing a much more modest one.  Quite honestly its in line with what Obama was proposing.

With this being the case could we see the Chinese do to us what we did under Reagan to the USSR?  Spend us into bankruptcy while trying to keep up with them militarily?   That would be both ironic and painful.  

F-35 clubbed like baby seals? It's probably MUCH worse than that!

Thanks to Paralus for the idea!

Paralus made this statement that needs to be amplified.

And just think, that Rand study from a decade ago only had the F-35s going against Sukhoi and clones, not J-20 and J-31.

Then this from my earlier post.

 The JSF Joint Operational Requirements Document of 2002 was drawn from the air combat environment that existed at the time.  When the JSF Project breached the Nunn-McCurdy provisions, an update of the JORD to reflect current and future air combat environments was declined - so the JSF JORD is firmly rooted in the long-gone world of 2002.

So let me get this straight.  The operational environment that the F-35 is tailored to defeat was frozen when the airplane was re-baselined around 2010 (too lazy to find the exact date but that's a good ballpark).  Even at that earlier date the F-35 was figured by some to be inadequate and "clubbed like baby seals" but instead of adjusting, they've stayed the course and pushed forward?

We all know the F-35's foes have changed radically since then.  The J-20, J-10, Pak-FA, SU-35 and many other threats (to include advanced S-400/500 anti-air systems) have shown up.

We know what's being said publicly, but what about those top secret wargames that we'll never know the results of.  There is a reason why almost every credible defense think tank is now saying that we're at risk of losing a major war with China.  There is a reason why US Army leadership is pushing so hard to get anti-air systems into the inventory.

Last but not least.

There is a reason why the USAF no longer talks about air dominance much less air superiority.  Things are much worse than we're being told!

Blast from the past....Lockheed UK's AVA-1

This is another vehicle that didn't make it across the finish line.  The Lockheed UK's AVA-1.  The funny thing?  No one knew what the damn thing was suppose to do.  I'm sure the engineers did.  I'm sure many Brits did, but on the side of the pond?  Pure confusion.  It was futuristic but that's about it. I have a great affection for many designs that never made it but as far as this one goes...nada.  It's just an unusual design that grabs eyeballs as far as I'm concerned.

Open Comment Post. March 5, 2017.

Have you noticed how quiet things have gotten about the "Internally Carried Vehicle" for V-22/CH-53/CH-47 use?  Looks like the Army and Marine Corps have embarked on "good enough" and there will be no more gold plated solutions.

I'm pleased and a bit sad.  I'm happy that common sense has returned a bit to defense procurement but sad to see that some of those wonderful concepts  won't be fully fleshed out.

Why is SOCOM using Strykers in Syria?

Thanks to Filippo for the pics!

The above pics are causing quite a stir on the internet.  They purportedly show US Special Ops personnel in Syria.  But why would SOCOM be using what appears to be "SPARKLING" new Strykers instead of some other vehicle...perhaps one a bit more low profile?

My guess is that the Pentagon is embracing its orders to destroy ISIS as rapidly as possible.  I think the move to standout rather than blend in is part of an information warfare project designed not only to scare ISIS but to let the American people know that they're about getting the job done.

What many people don't realize is that SOCOM has used standard armored vehicles for a while now.

Did you know that Delta Force used to roam around Iraq in Pandur 6x6's?  US Army Rangers also took hold of some Strykers for their missions inside Iraq too.

Still this is a pretty bold move.  For US personnel to be riding in that chaotic battlefield in obviously US armored vehicles means that they have support that is wide and deep (I bet body parts they have an orbit of fully loaded Reapers overhead at all times and all the manned air support they could dream of...I just wonder where that artillery BN that's supporting them is firing from...its gotta be in a remote section of desert).

The long short of this?  Trump ordered a quick destruction of ISIS and Mattis/Dunford and the rest of the Pentagon is embracing the call.  I bet ISIS will be destroyed before the end of the year at latest.

CAN-AM Dender Expedition...pointing to future Ultra Light Combat Vehicle mods?

Thanks to Tony for the idea!

UTV Planet Magazine has an excellent story and vid on their in house Defender Expedition build (here), its a must read if you're into these types of rigs.

After a discussion on the ULCV my attention turned to necessary improvements I see coming soon.  If you check out the story I linked then you can get a good idea of all the parts used to build the CAN-AM Defender.  I think something like them will be necessary to maximize the performance of the ULCV in rough terrain.  What do I see coming for our Paratroopers, Marines, and Special Ops personnel that will be operating these vehicles?

1.  Lift kits.  Out the box these are capable vehicles but load them down and you're gonna be bottoming out constantly.  A two or three inch lift will be necessary to maximize off road performance in rugged terrain.

2.  4x4 body armor.  Unless the military doesn't care about repairs and/or body damage to these vehicles then body armor is gonna be essential.  Thankfully the state of the art doesn't add too much weight but will keep this rigs from being dented to hell.

3.  ATV cargo racks/baskets.  These vehicles can take some weird angles on slopes and keep going.  You're gonna need racks or baskets so gear can be tied down or else you're gonna have to slow your movements to a crawl to keep gear from getting tossed.

4.  Trailers.  I don't know why this isn't already being done especially since the Marine Corps is looking at them as load carriers for infantry in austere locations.  This one is gonna be tricky because you're gonna want it to do nothing to lessen the mobility of the ULCV, have max load carrying capability while at the same time making sure that if it somehow flips it doesn't end up tossing its tow.

All in all I like the ULCV concept for low intensity combat.  We just have to make sure that we don't sabotage the effort because we went too cheap to make/buy the needed add-ons to make it work.

Open Comment Post. March 4, 2017.

Above you see the TARDEC FED Alpha-1.  Another blast from the past.  I wonder what happens to these awesome vehicles?  Are they sold at auction?  Is some billionaire collecting a garage of former experimental vehicles to be used when the apocalypse hits?

Regardless, this was a cool truck and would look awesome in my driveway.

J-20 sporting a new camo scheme...

Thanks to Filippo for the pic!

Say what you will about the Chinese but I'll be damned if they didn't build a plane that looks straight out of every school boys dream and sci-fi fans musings.

You F-35 fanclub bubbas better be right or we're gonna lose and lose bad to the Red Chinese.

Amazing commentary of 82nd Airborne Troops doing Ultra Light Tactical Vehicle training!

Thanks to STANG302 for the link!



These guys are so eloquent, yet so understandable!  This kind of plain talk is what we need in Washington!  I bet shit would get done then!

What what the fording depth is on these things.  They weren't running snorkels, they didn't have lift kits on so they aren't raised at all and water
definitely got in the engine bay.  Doesn't matter.  They got across the water obstacle but I'd bet good money that within two years someone is gonna ask for kits for the entire fleet to get them higher off the ground.

Blast from the past. Lockheed Martin/Patria AMV "Havoc".

What if?!?

What if Lockheed Martin and Patria didn't split up over suspicious circumstances?  What if they stayed together and entered the Patria AMV into the contest?  How would that vehicle have fared against the BAE/veco Superav or the ST Kinetics/SAIC Terrex 3?

To this day I will always wonder what games were played behind the scenes and how much backstabbing actually occurred.

What I do know is that a little birdy told me that Lockheed Martin was preparing to dump Patria a couple of months before the break up.  I also know that Lockheed Martin hoped to make a big push into the armored vehicle market (to diversify their portfolio away from aviation) and after the breakup it appears that no company on the planet wants to team with them on a ground vehicle program.

But the details?  We'll never know.

Want a kick in the pants?  The vehicle that they rushed to produce solo just didn't pass muster.  It's a shame.  It's a dog gone shame.

Singapore delays decision on F-35.

Thanks to William for the link!

via Bloomberg

Singapore has put on hold a decision to buy as many as 12 of Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 jets, according to information from the Pentagon’s program office.
The island nation’s permanent secretary of defense development informed the U.S. in mid-June that it was delaying final steps toward purchasing four of the fighters by about 2022, with an option to buy eight more, according to the information presented to Pentagon officials last month as part of their regular reviews of the costliest weapons program.
While Singapore gave no indication of when it might revive efforts to buy the F-35, the U.S. continues to encourage the Asian city-state to buy the fighter. “We welcome Singapore’s interest in purchasing the F-35 aircraft,” President Barack Obama said in opening remarks at a White House press conference last week with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
In December 2014, Singapore submitted a “letter of request” to the U.S. formally seeking information on purchasing the F-35, and it followed up in early 2015 by indicating it wanted the most complex model, the F-35B. Intended for short takeoffs and vertical landings on unimproved airstrips, the F-35B was designed for use by the U.S. Marine Corps and has already been ordered by the U.K. and Italy.

From the same article.

 Singapore has “been uncertain on the F-35 for years,” said Richard Aboulafia, a military aircraft analyst for the Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. “As a ‘security cooperation partner’ they were never as fully committed as the primary partners,” he said in an e-mail. “They have a large and very new fleet of F-16s and F-15s, and the threats they face don’t really call for a plane in the F-35 class” so “any F-35 sale to Singapore was viewed as a relatively long-term proposition.”
The Singapore ministry of defense said in an e-mailed statement that “as a small country with no strategic depth, Singapore will always need superior air capabilities to protect its interests and borders.” It cited a statement by the island’s defense minister in 2013 that “our current fleet of fighter aircraft are adequate for our defense needs and the F-35 is still under evaluation."

I don't know how defense reporters always seem to miss the lead in their stories.  The boilerplate about them delaying the decision isn't the real story (well kinda but we'll get back to that).

The real story is what the Ministry of Defense said.  Do you get the force of connection there?  If not then let me spell it out for ya!  The quote...

“as a small country with no strategic depth, Singapore will always need superior air capabilities to protect its interests and borders.” 

My question to you (ignore Richard's navel gazing..he's turning into an apologist for the program rather than being a defense analyst...I hope he gets well soon).  Why would a small country with no strategic depth and a desire to acquire superior air capabilities to protect itself not jump all over the F-35?  Singapore is the "Israel of the Orient".  They're a small, technologically advanced country, with a fantastic military, surrounded by sometimes hostile/belligerent neighbors and they have no strategic depth.

They're also practical as hell.

If Singapore isn't buying then they're seeing something they don't like and capabilities that are promised but not yet delivered.

Other nations will be paying attention and they will take notice.

The last thing that should be noticed by my readers is the date of this delay.  The Singaporean Ministry of Defense notified the program office in mid-June of their decision.  We're only hearing about this now.  The JSF Program Office is deceitful, manipulative and untruthful in their dealings with the media/public. How I wish we had defense reporters that knew enough about basic issues to ask simple stuff like...hey General, why the fuck did it take your office so long to inform the public of this news?....ya know...simple questions that even a blogger could think to ask! 

Blast from our WW2 past....Gleiwitz Radio Station Incident

Thanks to Alex for the info!

A quick and dirty from Wikipedia...this subject deserves a much better/detailed reading...

Much of what is known about the Gleiwitz incident comes from the affidavit of SS-Sturmbannführer Alfred Naujocks at the Nuremberg Trials. In his testimony, he stated that he organized the incident under orders from Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Müller, chief of the Gestapo.[1]
On the night of 31 August 1939, a small group of German operatives dressed in Polish uniforms and led by Naujocks[2] seized the Gleiwitz station and broadcast a short anti-German message in Polish (sources vary on the content of the message). The Germans' goal was to make the attack and the broadcast look like the work of anti-German Polish saboteurs.[2][3]

Heydrich (left) with Karl Hermann Frank at Prague Castle in 1941
To make the attack seem more convincing, the Germans used human corpses to pass them off as Polish attackers. They murdered Franciszek Honiok, a 43-year-old unmarried German Silesian Catholic farmer known for sympathizing with the Poles. He had been arrested the previous day by the Gestapo. He was dressed to look like a saboteur, then killed by lethal injection, given gunshot wounds, and left dead at the scene so that he appeared to have been killed while attacking the station. His corpse was subsequently presented to the police and press as proof of the attack.[4]
In addition to Honiok, several prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp[2] were drugged, shot dead on the site, and their faces disfigured to make identification impossible.[3][5] The Germans referred to them by the code phrase "Konserve" ("canned goods"). For this reason, some sources incorrectly refer to the incident as "Operation Canned Goods".[6] In an oral testimony at the trials, Erwin von Lahousen stated that his division of the Abwehr was one of two that were given the task of providing Polish uniforms, equipment, and identification cards, and that he was later told by Wilhelm Canaris that people from concentration camps had been disguised in these uniforms and ordered to attack the radio stations.[7]

I have a passing knowledge of WW2 and never knew this story.  Thanks to Alex referencing it, I'm gonna really dig into this to learn more (intrigued doesn't begin to describe it!) and thought it worthy of sharing with others that might not know of this event.

Open Comment Post. March 3, 2017

I told a reader that I would start giving links to some of the fantastic websites I find unknown armor at, or "blasts from the past" and even concepts that never made it across the finish line.

THe first I'd recommend is a buddy from across the pond.  THINK DEFENCE Blog (the archives are a must see and give a great history of UK weapon systems) was/is a fantastic site but unfortunately he's hanging up his shingle and heading into the deep woods.  Pity.  There aren't enough good UK defense blogs and his was one of the best.  The good news is that he's gonna leave the site up so you can check out his wonderful posts on this or that (especially containers...dude had a thing for containers...must be a form of OCD and wanting to organize on a large scale).  Check it out here.

Boeing Launches MH-139 in USAF Helicopter Competition

via Boeing Press Release.

 Boeing [NYSE:BA] today unveiled its MH-139 helicopter in the competition to replace the U.S. Air Force’s UH-1N “Huey” fleet, which currently protects intercontinental ballistic missiles and transports U.S. government and security forces.
Boeing’s response to the Air Force, revealed at the Air Force Association Air Warfare Symposium, is based on the market-leading Leonardo Helicopters AW139, a modern, non-developmental, multi-mission helicopter.
“This Northeast Philadelphia-built aircraft is sized to meet U.S. Air Force requirements and offers more than $1 billion in acquisition and lifecycle expense savings over 30 years when compared to competitor aircraft,” said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift.
The U.S. Air Force UH-1N Replacement Program plans to replace the current Huey fleet -- which entered service in the 1970s -- with up to 84 new helicopters.
“The Huey replacement is of vital importance to the Air Force, and the MH-139 is the right solution for those missions,” said Judy Fedder, director of Global Sales & Marketing, Boeing Integrated Logistics, and a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant general. “The fact that the AW139 is being built today on an active production line will speed it to meet the time-critical demand following the competition.”
Almost 900 AW139s are in service with more than 250 governments, militaries and companies across the world. More than 250 of the helicopters have been assembled and delivered from Philadelphia.

I like this for two reasons.  First it looks like Boeing Defense is getting its groove back and second the damn thing (if it wins) will be built in the US.

I don't care if its "invented here" or overseas, but if its US taxpayer money then it better be American hands that build it, on American soil.

Buy American (built here at least...we don't have to invent it!) and hire Americans! The AW139 checks the boxes.  Let the competition begin!

Lazar 3 enters service.

via IHS Janes.

Yugoimport's Lazar 3 8x8 MultiRole Armoured Combat Vehicle has entered service with Serbia in the armoured personnel carrier (APC) configuration.
The vehicle has a welded steel chassis to which its monocoque steel hull - which features spall liners - is bolted. In its baseline form the vehicle has all round ballistic protection to Standardization Agreement (STANAG) 4569 Level 3, and over the frontal arc this is increased to Level 3+. Mine protection is to STANAG 4569 Level 3a and 3b, and the floor has two levels of protection.
An appliqué passive armour package has been developed and tested that increases all round protection to STANAG 4569 Level 4, and over the front to Level 5.

This is why I love Janes and Christopher Foss.

They have an ear to the ground for those relatively obscure/small armor programs that escape the notice of many.  The LAZAR is an interesting vehicle and Yugoimport is a fascinating little company.  The vehicle has been thru a steady modernization cycle and the company is keeping up with the big boys.

It seems like a capable rig....perfectly serviceable.

Deployed US Navy Has A Pregnancy Problem

via Daily Caller.

A record 16 out of 100 Navy women are reassigned from ships to shore duty due to pregnancy, according to data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act by The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Investigative Group.
That number is up 2 percent from 2015, representing hundreds more who have to cut their deployments short, taxing both their unit’s manpower, military budgets and combat readiness. Further, such increases cast a shadow over the lofty gender integration goals set by former President Barack Obama.
Overall, women unexpectedly leave their stations on Navy ships as much as 50% more frequently to return to land duty, according to documents obtained from the Navy. The statistics were compiled by the Navy Personnel Command at the request of TheDCNF, covering the period from January 2015 to September 2016.
The evacuation of pregnant women is costly for the Navy. Jude Eden, a nationally known author about women in the military who served in 2004 as a Marine deployed to Iraq said a single transfer can cost the Navy up to $30,000 for each woman trained for a specific task, then evacuated from an active duty ship and sent to land. That figure translates into $115 million in expenses for 2016 alone.

This is simple.

Female Sailors getting pregnant or showing themselves to be pregnant while deployed aboard ship is going from a curiosity into a problem that has implications for readiness, morale, manning and at the end of the day national security.

Remember this information bomb contained in the article above...

Overall, women unexpectedly leave their stations on Navy ships as much as 50% more frequently to return to land duty, according to documents obtained from the Navy. 

When war is declared the enemy won't give a damn if one fifth of your workforce decides to find a buddy, get laid and get home.  Reality needs to return to our nation's Navy or they will be defeated at sea.

 

Blast from the past....Blackwater JLTV.

How many of you remember the outfit called Blackwater?  I'm not talking about the weak, undercover model that it evolved into today, but the brash, shit talking, semi-nation state army that they were at the height of their power.

Memes developed, parts of the military looked at them with suspicion (the COIN mafia did not like their tactics...rank and filed liked that they would hook and jab at the drop of a hat with "relaxed" rules of engagement) and the snowflakes hated them with a passion reserved for a straight guy having the audacity to like women, worship God, and show patriotism.

Things changed in a big way for the company when an incident resulted in famed Navy SEAL Scott Helvenston (he put out workout videos and was a PT stud) being killed with his team and hung on a bridge by depraved Iraqi animals (this incident was properly avenged by United States Marines).

But back on task.  How big did Blackwater get?  So big that when the call went out for JLTV participants, Blackwater entered their privately developed MRAP!  Below is a pic and a little information on it can be found here.