Tuesday, July 28, 2020
How does the Missile Marine Corps help win the sea battle?
How does the Missile Marine Corps help win the sea battle? I don't get it. The Commandant is all about influencing the fight at sea but to strip away the ground force gives us what exactly?
Before you answer that (or attempt to) consider the reality. 20 years ago the Chinese Navy could be considered a coastal force. Firing missiles from shore would have made sense considering the Chinese order of battle.
Today?
Today the Chinese Navy is mirroring the US Navy and developing a true blue water capable force. In other words they're gonna wanna take the battle out to deep water, away from the coast and go face to face with the USN.
But ignore that.
What does the Missile Marine Corps bring to the table?
In my opinion another flawed concept that does not measure up to even BASIC thought. If you get outside the fairy tale of the war games (that are obviously constructed to get a desired result...nothing else makes sense) then the math is simple.
The latest Burke Class Destroyer has almost 100 vertical launch cells. Dedicate 5 of those ships to nothing but sea control/anti-ship mission and you have an OVERWHELMING amount of fire coming that will overwhelm most battle fleets by itself.
The US has a almost 100 of these ships.
Dedicate just 20 to the anti-ship mission, fill their cells with Tomahawk missiles and position them in Pacific and you have 2000 missiles aimed at Chinese ships.
Operate in a distributed manner....independent ship ops....and you have a Navy solution to a Navy problem.
The Missile Marine Corps doesn't have to go thru fits and starts and we have this monster back in its cage.
But if this proposal is too outlandish then how does the Missile Marine Corps ACTUALLY become a credible threat to the Chinese?
Firing from the shore?
Packets of 10 to 20 missiles (at best) that will probably be defeated by enhanced Chinese anti-missile defense, improved ISR assets to locate them before launch and a vigorous diplomatic effort to deny us access to land we need to launch them from?
Long story short?
This concept is still born. I can't see the Missile Marines buying that many missiles. I can't see how they would be able to deploy them if they were bought. I can't see how they would be able to get enough vehicles to effectively launch enough missiles to overwhelm enemy defenses.
THERE IS A REASON WHY BERGER IS MOVING WITH SPEED ON THIS CONCEPT.
The only way this works is if we're established in countries that fear a Chinese attack. The only one in the region that would be willing to allow US Missile Marines on their soil in a defensive situation (in my opinion) is the Japanese (I don't count the Australians ... they're too far away). The S. Koreans are fairly neutral in their dealing with China. The Philippines are all over the map. Indonesia and Vietnam are too and only get sideways over disputes over islands, fishing rights and oil/gas rights...all of which can be settled enough to keep them in the neutral camp.
Extending this out?
It doesn't work in another region of the world. The Missile Marine Concept only works in the Pacific.
I know its a new Marine Corps but does "every clime and place" still apply or not?
The Missile Marine Corps is a one trick pony that arrived about 20 years too late. It would have worked against a coastal Chinese Navy but they're blue water now and its useless against that.
Monday, July 27, 2020
irst Ares Armoured Vehicles Delivered to the UK Army
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| First ARES armoured vehicles delivered to the @britisharmy! ARES and the other variants in the AJAX family of armoured vehicles will replace the Army’s Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked). The AJAX family consists of ARES (a troop-carrying reconnaissance vehicle), AJAX (armed with a 40mm cannon), support variants APOLLO and ATLAS, ATHENA (command and control variant) and ARGUS (engineering variant). ARES is being built by General Dynamics in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The vehicles will give the Army’s Armoured Infantry and Strike Brigades a critical advantage over any likely opponent, through a combination of the latest technology, exemplary levels of crew protection and, of course, world-class professional Soldiers. Colonel Justin Kingsford, the Ajax Programme Director, said: “This is an exciting moment for the Army. The delivery of ARES this week is an important step on our journey to give the Army an amazing, state-of-the-art, world-beating Armoured Fighting Vehicle.” |
Indian Army to procure 45 Sprut SD light tank s
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From my chair this looks like an attempt to counter the Chinese light tank. The Indian Army sees a capability gap and that's obviously unacceptable to them. Additionally it looks like they're thinking more than anti-tank missiles is needed.
Good for them.
What has me spinning is that I thought their MBTs were deemed good enough for mountainous terrain. They've obviously rethought that.
#India shows interest to acquire #Russian #2S25M #Sprut-SDM1 self-propelled anti-tank tracked #arrmored https://t.co/8SIOUuU5hF— Army Recognition (@ArmyRecognition) July 26, 2020
BTR-80 takes a rough ride getting off ship...
BTR-80 auf Tauchfahrt pic.twitter.com/tPj65tyihf— AFG VET 🔱 (@AFGVeteran03) July 26, 2020
You're not launching fast with that steep an angle off the ship. I wonder if they wouldn't be better just keeping the ramp straight and letting it "plop" into the water? Blast seats would help but either way its a rough ride for the dudes in back.
Armored amphibious assault vehicle will be in Turkish Navy’s inventory in 2022
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AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeds in its maiden flight
New milestone: China's indigenously developed #AG600 large amphibious aircraft succeeds in its maiden flight over sea in Qingdao pic.twitter.com/UeAQU2U0IF— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) July 26, 2020
Sunday, July 26, 2020
2nd ID don't give a fuck! You WILL PT with your men!
I didn't know whether to labels this no shit, Sunday funny or they're getting hardcore in the 2nd ID!
Either way I'd love to be a fly on the wall for the next staff meeting! Wait cancel that. The CO would surely smack the hell outta me! That dude sounds like he's all outta fucks to give.
Looks like the kinder, gentler Army we used to know is gone. They're getting their "hard" back!
Yeah it's just PT but its a message. That unit is gonna be strong and strong is harder to kill.
Hanwha RedBack is here!
Looks good. Looks real good. The S. Koreans know how to put armor together in the modern era. Dependence on the rest of the West is over.
Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15QA
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R400S Mk 2 D and the DAGOR
Weird isn't it. Medium Caliber Cannons that are hyper accurate that are light enough to go onto 4X4's like the JLTV or DAGOR have gone from a nice to have to being a MUST HAVE. Especially for forces that are shedding armor!
Open Letter To The Commandant Of The Marine Corps...
Sir.
We've, no scratch that, you've got a problem. You've seen data that has you transforming the USMC into a form that is unrecognizable to most. You obviously believe this transformation is necessary in order to "keep pace" with the Chinese.
That's a laudable goal. If that's what this is about then I applaud you. However in making this DRAMATIC change you're leaving those you lead behind.
In essence you're failing Change Leadership 101. You're not getting buy in from those you lead and that will cause chaos, not change. via Forbes.
A weak culture that isn’t aligned with the mission, lack of participation and buy-in, under-communicating a powerful vision, over-communicating a poor vision, not enough training or resources, and so on. But one very critical roadblock standing in the way of bringing a change vision to fruition is what I call change battle fatigue.Are you getting the force of connection here? No? Then let me break it down Barney style.
I don't buy for one second that the Marine Corps has a weak culture. To the contrary it's extremely strong. However that culture has been under attack for over a decade now.
That alone can cause chaos, fatigue and resentment. Have we had a chance to reset? To adjust to the change? No. It just keeps getting stuffed down throats. I won't go into whether that change of culture is good or bad. I will however say that if the Corps was going thru just that it would be a strain.
I do buy lack of participation. I read the journals, and do my best to keep up with Marine Corps news but this latest move came like a thunderbolt. Where you and other flag officers operated from solid information, the rank and file was left with rumor. That's not good. Remember the old chestnut of keeping your men informed? Hey cowboy you failed on that one big time.
Communicating your vision? Again you're substandard. You're pushing the missile Marine Corps meme but you're failing to explain how dozens of missiles fired from shore will actually influence the sea battle in a favorable way. Will the Marine Corps buy enough anti-ship missiles to equal what just 3 Burke Class Destroyers can carry? If not then we're just pin pricks while the beasts rage at sea. The Chinese already have enough missile boats to assign one to each shore based battery. I won't even go into aircraft. I have doubts about modern ISR having difficulty locating those batteries. Your plan was applauded in think tank world but to the little people it makes no sense!
Change battle fatigue! This is the big one! This is the one that you should especially take note of and explain why this time it's different. Every Commandant since Amos has come up with some weird form of predicting the future battle. Everyone of them has seen those plans crumble because things are changing so fast. How can you be sure? Why should we trust that this time you got it right? Additionally you're making a huge bet in a time of austerity. If you're wrong (and to be blunt I think you are) then you're about to cripple the Marine Corps for the next 20 years.
Long story short?
Your Corps is under strain. Your job is to bring order to chaos, not add to it. Additionally your Corps seems to be adrift. It's facing attacks from within and without and needs a bearing. A re-establishment for its reason for being.
It's actually strange to me that an organization that has been winning the nation's battles for over 200 years has to once again not only justify it's existence to the world but to itself but here we are.
My advice?
Take a beat. Reorient the entire Corps. If its to your new plan so be it but understand where things currently stand within the Fleet Marine Force. Battles have been fought overseas, it's culture is being attacked at home, friction is being applied to the whole thing by leadership that is indecisive/always changing and the troops are restless (not even gonna add in the stress from this pandemic!).
Take care of the details with regard to the force and the rest will sort itself out. Stop striving for transformation when the future is murky at best and evolve the force instead. Accept the idea that there will be no easy way. No bloodless battles between great powers. Tell the leadership that too so we won't get into a stupid war.
Do these things and your tenure will be remembered with fondness not dread. Continue on your course and you will fail. The last thing the Marine Corps needs is another milk toast Commandant.
War Between Greece and Turkey Is Now a Real Possibility
WOW. I've been monitoring the comments and have been noting what I thought was the usual bluster between two ancient enemies but apparently thing are a bit more serious than I thought. Via National Interest..
Greek and Turkish fighter jets engaged in mock dogfights this week over the Greek island of Kastellorizo, just a mile and a half from the Turkish coast, causing tourists to flee. Meanwhile, there is a growing risk that the Turkish and Greek navies will clash, hundreds of miles to the west if Turkey pushes forward with its plans to survey for has in Greece’s exclusive economic zone. Greek officials say that all options are on the table, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has rushed to mediate as U.S. officials remain largely absent.Here.
There has never been any love lost between Turkey and Greece, but the danger of war between the two NATO members has not been this high since the Cyprus conflict more than forty-five years ago. In the past, Turkey and Greece have gone to the brink, but policies initiated by Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan may very much push the two neighbors over the edge.
In question are two interrelated issues: Erdoğan’s efforts to walk away from the Lausanne Treaty and his increasing desperation to find resources to bail out Turkey’s flagging economy.
The Lausanne Treaty was signed ninety-seven years ago today to tie up loose ends remaining from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. While Kurds lament the treaty for reversing promises of statehood, the Treaty set Turkey’s borders with Bulgaria, Greece, Syria, and Iraq. Whatever flaws came with those borders, the post-Lausanne system enabled nearly a century of stability.
For reasons of ideology, economics, and ego, Erdoğan now seeks to undo the Lausanne Treaty: Ideology because Erdoğan seeks to regain control of certain Ottoman territories and change the demographics of areas outside Turkey’s borders; economics because Turkey seeks to steal resources from recognized Greek and Cypriot exclusive economic zones; and, ego, because Erdoğan wants to top Atatürk’s legacy as a military victor.
Erdoğan has already set the stage for scrapping the Lausanne Treaty. In December 2017, Erdoğan shocked a Greek audience when, on a visit to his neighbor, he floated the idea. Three months later, he suggested that the Bulgarian town of Kardzhali was within Turkey’s “spiritual boundaries,” drawing protests from Bulgaria which at the time held the European Union presidency. State-controlled Turkish newspapers have gotten in on the game showing maps of Turkey with its borders revised at the expense of neighboring states.
His latest post-Lausanne push is his most dangerous. Turkey has dispatched the seismic survey ship Oruc Reis to operate in the waters surrounding Greek islands. Such an action would be both illegal and provocative. Under terms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Greece claims territorial waters around its islands for exploration and exploitation of marine resources. Turkey is not a UNCLOS member (nor, for that matter, is the United States) but, unlike the United States, Turkey ignores customary law and stands alone in its interpretation.
I believe that COVID-19 has caused people to stress in ways that most don't even realize. For many it's just a bit of weight gain...ya know that stress eating thing.
But what does this do to nation states? Could this pandemic make simmering rivalries go hot?
Is it a factor or something totally different?
I don't know. What I do know is that I'll be watching this stuff a bit more closely now.
Saturday, July 25, 2020
15th MEU Assault Amphibious Vehicles conduct sustainment training
Make no mistake. You're looking at what will be a historic vid. The Commandant will move with speed to kill AAV/ACV. If you read his plan its obvious they just don't fit with his vision.
This pic has gone viral...
Being a leader is hard because you're always under the microscope. This pic of Dr Fauci has gone viral and I'm assuming its because he isn't social distancing and he isn't wearing his mask (neither is the lady beside him).
I don't quite know what to make of it. He's been rather strident in the wearing of masks (which I get) but he also seems to be ignoring something I'd like to be discussed here (if we're even capable of it on this blog).
My worry is the effect that the pandemic is having on the mental health of this nation. What I wonder is why someone hasn't talked to psychologist to put forward what it takes to help keep a population calm during times like this.
The rioting we're seeing I believe is a result of the pandemic more than it is of any grievance. All the "Karens" that we're seeing is the same.
Fragile people are breaking and that needs to be taken account of...just like the medical side of this...just like the financial cost.
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