Why does the military have high recruitment standards? Because the poorly educated die at a higher rate!

Forgive the title.  I struggle to find a socially acceptable way of saying things.

Ignoring that and moving on.  Many wonder why the military has high recruiting standards?  Consider this exhibit number one.  It also shows why professional forces are prized over conscripts.

This will be the next "fight" that the professional military faces.  It will face a struggle to be inclusive and people will die because of it.

Don't get me wrong.  The recruiting pool should be as wide and deep as possible but it should not come at the expense of combat effectiveness OR just to satisfy a societal need to be seen as "doing the right thing".

Warfare isn't about right and wrong.  Those concepts are subject to opinion and vary widely.  Combat is about winning on the field of battle.

McNamara's Morons might be replaced by Obama's He-She's.

History warns of the dangers of putting people into service that are not fit for duty.  Will we learn from the past or repeat those mistakes and get people killed?  I'm betting on people dying who shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Note.  I have absolutely nothing against the transgendered. The few I've met are some of the finest individuals I've ever seen and have been genuinely good people.  Additionally they shouldn't get their throat punched just because of their choices.  But again, their viewpoint or personal fiction should not become part of the policy debate.  This debate isn't about a person's worth. It's about how they can contribute to the fight.

ASCOD Vehicle Presented in Kielce via Defence 24

Story here.

 

Another view of the Rosomak 6x6 via Defence 24

Boxer CRV negotiating knife edge

Caption from the vid.

A Rheinmetall Boxer CRV negotiating the terrain in southeast Queensland during early September 2017. The Boxer CRV is competing for the Australian Army's Land 400 Phase 2 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (CRV) program.
Video: DTR

Hmm.  Nothing my truck couldn't handle with ease.  But we are getting a look at the vehicle so I won't complain.

Still wonder if this is as "a done deal" as everyone thinks.  BAE/Patria have put together a pretty formidable economic package that should make the Aussies pause.  Especially if this is just a jobs program like so many claim.

Open Comment Post. Sep 6, 2017

Saab promoting its mobile camo systems at DSEI

Didn't know this was coming up.  Interesting.  A smaller Marine Corps armored force should rate the improved survivability that these systems offer.  I wonder if anyone is even testing them in a maritime environment?

Trump says if Congress can't solve DACA he will revisit the issue. Vacillation is weakness personified!

Simply amazing.

Trump had his Attorney General announce his decision on DACA and Congress was in a box.  He had them right where he wanted them.  He overturned an illegal executive order and gave the legislative branch six months to fix it.  If they failed then they would suffer the blame.

Now?

Just a few minutes ago Trump stated VIA TWEET that if Congress couldn't solve DACA he would revisit the issue.

Want to know a trait of a weak leader?  Vacillation!

Vacillation is weakness personified and Trump just demonstrated that trait in spades. I'm disgusted. I'm not amused.  I'm miffed.  Kelly should council the bastard to make a decision.  Right or wrong just make a fucking decision!  Excuse me while I punch a wall.

Governor of the Virgin Islands signs executive order allowing seizure of firearms? Is this true?

Story via OffGridSurvival (read it here).

Is this true?

Is it legal?  I know that the federal govt has claimed all kinds of weird, illegal and downright dangerous powers during emergencies but seizing weapons?

Oh hell no.

They better send a reinforced regiment with air support.  Not only no, but hell no.  This is how you turn a guy that tries to follow the law into a criminal!

Note.  I sincerely hope I'm getting punked here.  If you have any info please comment right away!

That's a whole lot of plates on that M1A2...pic via General Dynamics.

I have no idea what's with those plates they have welded onto the sides of this vehicle.  GD is saying they just got a contract to upgrade the Abrams so maybe it's gonna get some new armor?

Politics Talk. Trump's DACA move was brilliant on a couple of levels...

By now you've heard about Trump's decision on DACA.  All weekend we saw interviews was college students, public servants, first responders and small business owners.

They brought out the best and brightest of this demographic to make the case but even with all that the basics of the issue remain the same.  Whether it was by their own choice or their parents they broke the law.

The strawman that we need to come up with a comprehensive solution to the issue is correct.  But an executive order that basically grants amnesty (even though its conditional) is NOT the way to do things.

The stark reality?  Humanity, happy feelings and public perception should NEVER take a back seat to the rule of law.

What do I mean?  Take a murderer for example.  When they commit the crime they're at their most savage.  No mercy (obviously), only filled with bloodlust.  So what happens at trial?  They're dressed up in their sunday best, friends and family are paraded in front of the jury and we're told (in my way of saying things) that the person had an "oh shit" moment and that the law should cut them a break.

THAT'S WRONG!

It ignores the pain of the family AND it ruins the social contract.

That's what DACA was doing.  That's what our current immigration stance is doing.  It's prioritizing the illegal over the native born.

That can't continue.

But even better with this move by Trump is that he's put Congress in their place.  McCain was widely patted on the back declaring that Congress is an equal branch of the govt and SHOULD NOT be subservient to the President.

Well guess what McCain fans.

Now you have your chance.

A campaign promise was fulfilled and Congress gets to do more than just sit on the sideline and talk shit.  They have to roll up their sleeves and do work.

It was a brilliant move.  Plus he isn't tweeting like an idiot today.  Maybe, just maybe the dude is FINALLY getting his sea legs.

We'll see.

Rosomak 6x6 with SPIKE NLOS launchers in anti armor configuration

Thanks to Galvars for the pic!

Wow.  I remember getting excited about a 6x6 version of the Patria AMV a couple of years ago but it seemed like it was just vaporware.  The Marine Corps is all about aviation and ONLY aviation but the dream me and many readers had was for a 6x6 version of the winner of the ACV contest that would give LAR a real deal amphibious vehicle that could swim from ship to shore and still be light enough to lift by helo (really a useless capability in combat but nice to dream).

Now Galvars hits me with the Rosomak in the same configuration with Spike anti-tank missiles (is anyone else noticing that the "dual" configuration is giving away to "quad packs"?).

Is the dream alive?

USAF Academy Football Team wearing F-35A "themed" helmets.

Thanks to Tim for the link!

via Yahoo.com

The Falcons will wear special helmets honoring the F-35 fighter jet for a game this season. The pattern on the football helmets is designed to replicate the helmets the pilots of the jets wear.

The first version of the special design was released Monday and the rest of them will be released the rest of the week. From Air Force’s site:

The helmet will have five different designs, the first of which was unveiled today. Follow @AFFootball as the remaining four helmets will be revealed Sept. 5-8. On one side of every helmet will be the familiar Air Force logo often seen on aircraft, which includes the length-wise bars intersecting the roundel. On the other side will be a decal representing one of the five Air Force F-35-A operational fighter squadrons in the Air Force.

Just plain wow.

This is interesting.  You would think that if the program is as "rock steady" and "unkillable" as we're being told, then they wouldn't have to resort to this type of weirdness.

Considering how the AF Academy is projected to do this year maybe they do need this type of flash to keep morale up.

Panavia Tornado F.Mk 3, the best interceptor of its era? via HushKit.

HushKit is back with its four military aircraft myths and British readers will be punching walls.  Read it here, but check this portion out...

“The Stage 3 standard which retired from service in 2011 was light years ahead of that of the F2. At its demise, the F3 was armed with the C-5 standard AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles, a capable Foxhunter which had automatic track-while-scan, JTIDS data link, secure radios, better identification systems and capable electronic warfare equipment including a radar homing and warning receiver, towed radar decoy, chaff and flares and a Phimat chaff pod. The situation awareness enjoyed by the crews was, arguably, better than even the latest generation American platforms. Regrettably, it still lacked the performance when carrying its role equipment particularly carrying 2250 litre tanks in the upper air but with improved situation awareness and long range weapons, the crew should not have been drawn into the visual arena…if it had been employed against an aggressive opponent, the results would undoubtedly have been surprising as it is unwise to underestimate an opponent. The standard which retired was one of the most capable fighters in the world and, with further enhancements would have been extremely effective.”

Just wow.  Conventional wisdom is wrong.  Well, its wrong if these guys are right.  

Open Comment post. Sep 5, 2017

Agile Spirit 17 soon to kick off.

The above vid shows Marine Corps gear being offloaded from ships in the European state of Georgia and being transported by rail.  So what the hell is Agile Spirit 17?  Check out this press advisory from DVIDS...

Approximately 500 U.S. military personnel have arrived in the Republic of Georgia to take part in Exercise Agile Spirit 17. This is the seventh iteration of the annually-scheduled multilateral exercise designed to enhance U.S., Georgian and regional partner interoperability and strengthen understanding of each nation’s tactics, techniques and procedures. Agile Spirit 17 is led by U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa and will include both a multinational brigade-level command post exercise and a multinational battalion-level combined arms live-fire field training exercise. Various units from the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army will participate in the exercise along with approximately 1,000 service members from the Georgian, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bulgarian, Latvian, Romanian, and Ukrainian armed forces. The exercise is scheduled to end on or about Sept. 15, 2017.

So why bring this up?

To prove my point about the craziness of the media getting spun up about Russian exercises.

We've run numerous exercises in Europe this year.  They're under different banners too.  Sometimes its under NATO, sometimes they're bilateral and sometimes they're part of the EU Defense contraption.

Russia is doing their thing in their upcoming exercise.

So what.

We've been running exercises all over that continent this entire year.

Utah Policeman vs Emergency Room Nurse drama and James Yeager's take.

I've been waiting on this one.  I saw it when it first came out and everyone has been talking about it.

What I've been looking for is the meme clowns.  You know the guys that run around with the thin blue line American flags on their trucks and on their blogs...I've been waiting to see the reaction from them.

Additionally I've been waiting to see how Salt Lake City deals with this.  Will the guy keep his job?

Still.

James Yeager's take on this thing took me by surprise.  I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS expected him to take such a strident position.  He's running a training business and he will face some blowback on this one.

The whole Utah Policeman vs Emergency Room Nurse drama just got alot more interesting.  For better or worse Yeager is going to force a response.  It'll be interesting to see which side of the fence people get on.  Of particular interest will be those that back the blue, right or wrong.  More to come I'm sure.

Note.  Yes this falls under an "oh shit" moment.  A pretty bad one and luckily no one was injured (although the vid showing the nurse seems to indicate that she's probably a bit traumatized).  Yep.  The "internal investigation" will be telling.

Well Done C. Co. 4th AABn! You did good work and carried the Marine Corps banner nicely!....Photo by Pfc. Samantha Schwoch

U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sgt. Robert Ross, section leader of Charlie Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve, is welcomed back from his children at U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Center, Galveston, Texas after several days of search and rescues operations in immediate response to Hurricane Harvey on Sept. 3, 2017. 4th AAV Bn spent the week assisting in disaster relief efforts with the Galveston Fire Department, rescuing over 300 people, executing multiple medical evacuations, and delivering supplies.

Ain't it funny how planning never works out the way you expect or want? The Marine Corps was trying to spool up its aviation centric philosophy to respond to the emergency but things didn't unfold the right way.

I can imagine there is a planner running around HQMC that had visions of MV-22's swooping in and capturing the imagination of the American people while at the same time putting critics of the concept like me in our place.

I can imagine they're all huddled in a corner right now saying....

What happened instead?

A group of reservists.  Marines in C. Co. 4th AABn, responded to the call in a timely manner.  They had their rigs in proper running order as they should be and they were ready to go at the drop of a hat.

We saw all sorts of emergency responders.  Law Enforcement/other first responders, Border Patrol, Customs, Wildlife & Game Enforcement, Coast Guard, US Army National Guard, US Army Reserve, USAF, USAF Reserve, US Navy...the list goes on.

At the presser that the NorthCom Commander gave with the Texas Governor she rattled off agency after agency and when she got to the Marines she stated that the 26th MEU would be enroute...if needed.

It was enough to make me want to punch walls.

When the American people needed our help we were nowhere to be found while every other swinging dick and lopsided ovary was scrambling all over the place.

But then John sent me a link to some pics and videos posted online of C. Co. 4th AABn doing work.  Doing good work and my heart sang.  Those bubbas were convoying thru the small towns to provide disaster relief and people were stopping and cheering them on.  Do you know how good it is to hear some say "Fuck yeah those are US Marines"!

Well fucking done C. Co. 4th AABn.  You have earned every bit of that humanitarian medal you should be about to receive in a couple of months. But even more than that you did the deed, when needed, NOT on a foreign shore but here in America.  Additionally you carried the banner for the Marine Corps. America's force in readiness was NOT ready for this disaster but an element of it was. Again.  Well done C. Co.!

Note.  Lessons learned?  Whoever we have working our NorthCom desk either needs to be retrained or fired.  To think that we weren't ramped up to the same extent as the other services is unthinkable.  It's totally unsat.  If we're gonna waste money having people assigned to that command HQ then we better be more into the loop so that we can meet the needs of the American people during times of crisis.  You can't get ready.  You have to BE READY.

WarHammer News. A few things aren't adding up with this N. Korea missile crisis (the latest episode at least)!

I've been watching coverage of the N. Korean nuclear test and a few things just aren't adding up and NO ONE is asking the questions.  What do I mean?

1.  We've always gotten word of an upcoming nuke test BEFORE it happens. This time nada.  Complete silence until the US Geological Agency registered the ground shake.

2.  Mattis just made a statement and Dunford stood with him before the gaggle of reporters this afternoon.  Whatever is being planned it's being driven by the Pentagon, and the State Dept is nowhere to be found.

3.  How did N. Korea suddenly make these huge jumps in nuclear weapons tech in just the time that Trump has been in office?  That "warning" from Obama to Trump wasn't a case of Obama playing Nostradamus, he knew something...the US intel agencies knew something along with the Dept of Defense and no one told us (the public).

4.  They're reaching for the sanctions card?  Seriously?  Head over to the US Treasury Dept's sanctions list.  It's damn near legion already.  N. Korea is for the most part self contained and the people that we need to get onboard have their own agendas.  With Russia we can probably bargain.  It would take swallowing a bit of crow and forcing Congress to get head out of ass but lifting sanctions on them for Ukraine and getting their assistance with N. Korea seems possible (probably take alot of work but war on the peninsula is the price of failure).  The wild card are those damn Chinese.  They're playing all hands against each other and doing the "smile in your face stab you in the back thing".  China needs to be punished to get them onboard but that would take starting a trade war.  The good thing if they have the balls to follow thru with it?  It could weaken the current Chinese leader and destroy their economy (ours will take a big hit too and suburbanites will whine about not getting their widgets but I don't really care).

Something is off with this whole crisis.

It's almost like N. Korea wants the fight and so does the US.

Prediction stands.  Bombs start dropping and missiles start launching in winter late this year/early next.

Note.  Gotta find the article but supposedly there was talk of a limited strike against high profile installations that they hoped wouldn't lead to a larger war. I'll try and find it.

Open Comment Post. Sep 3, 2017

Breaking! N. Korea conducts ANOTHER nuke test.

N. Korea conducted another nuke test early this morning. Seems like this will be pushed no matter what.

I wonder if Putin and the French Foreign Minister had some kind of intel this would happen?  I'm sure they did which means that American officials did too.

WarHammers are out!

My prediction remains the same.  Some time this winter.