Sunday, May 22, 2022
Two more Chinese amphibious aircraft under construction at the aircraft manufacturer Zhuhai Yanzhou Aircraft Corporation
Two more Chinese amphibious aircraft under construction at the aircraft manufacturer Zhuhai Yanzhou Aircraft Corporation (ZYAC) #aviation pic.twitter.com/esOu6LL80H
— The Shadow of the Eagle (@clemente3000) May 22, 2022
PROPAGANDA. Biden's inducements for division will not pass muster in East Asia: China Daily editorial
via China Daily
That the United States president has chosen to travel to Asia, instead of Europe where the US' European allies are struggling to cope with the collateral damage of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, reveals the importance that Asia has in Washington's strategic calculations.
As Joe Biden told ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the US presence in and commitment to the Indo-Pacific, as Washington insists on calling it, are solid and future-oriented. And as multiple US officials have confirmed, and international observers have pointed out, Washington's every recent diplomatic maneuver in the region has a perceived threat from China behind it.
Much of the rhetoric about cementing US-ROK and US-Japan alliances, as well as the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue and the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, which is to be unveiled on Monday, sounds targeted mostly at China.
Unfortunately, this is no longer a solo refrain by Washington. The new leaders in both Seoul and Tokyo appear enthusiastically receptive to Washington's plans for the area, which is obviously poisonous to the peace and harmony that have been cultivated in the Asia-Pacific over the past decades.
What Washington is offering revolves around the main thread of excluding China from the region's longstanding, vibrant economic network, which will inevitably divide and disrupt the regional economic landscape. What Biden is offering, however, can hardly compensate for what the two US allies are guaranteed to lose going forward. And that loss will not only be economic.
The critical flaw. The real show stopper in the "Stand In Force"/EABO concept.
America's biggest weakness when it comes to foreign policy?Rep. Gallagher: "If we're going to talk about integrated deterrence, what we should integrate is the State Department moving heaven and earth to negotiate basing agreements with key allies so we can deploy teams of marines and soldiers in order to deny a PLA invasion of Taiwan." pic.twitter.com/5QDyAA1UqL
— Rep. Gallagher Press Office (@RepGallagher) May 12, 2022
We lead with our military.
Everything is couched in "deterrence" and security. Our state dept is basically useless. When was the last time you saw our state dept take the lead on a truly hard issue? When did you see them pave the way for new trade, new relations, or new economic agreements?
If you can name one in the recent age then I'll be personally amazed.
Our "competitor" isn't offering troops (they make access to the new areas a part of it but its not the MAIN THING) they're offering funding, access to markets, improved relations and economic development.
How does America compete with China when all we can offer is basically warfare when China comes bearing gifts (with strings attached but gifts nonetheless)?
We're not being pushed out of the first and second island chains due to China's military power. We're being pushed out due to their economic power.
Bonus!
You know when this went on steroids? With Bush Jr. The Pentagon (at the behest of the White House) pushed the Soldier/Diplomat theme and its remained ever since.
Bonus 1!
Stand In Force, EABO, MultiDomain Ops won't work because of our diplomatic failure. I give it less than 5 years and the Marine Corps will have to lurch back into an assault force. But how do you rebuild the force in the midst of economic catastrophe?
Assembly of the ACSV G5 combat support vehicles ordered by the Norwegian Army will begin in Ritek.
Middle of 2022, assembly first of the 44 ACSV G5 combat support vehicles ordered by the Norwegian Army will begin in Ritek.
— Junsupreme (@RyszardJonski) May 22, 2022
Flensburger Fahrzeugbau GmbH(FFG) has entered into a contract with Ritek AS in Levanger. Ritek will be the supplier CVA (Complete Vehicle Assembler). pic.twitter.com/4P2wXTfOuO
Turkey keeps churning out great UAVs...is the Baykar Tech Akinci the next world beater?
Have you read the specs on this thing? I have and it looks set to be the UAV/A-10 hybrid of the future (mixed with a robust sensing package). The Turks are cornering the market in this category. Watch this beast. It's got range, payload, sensing....this will get many sales.2 #AKINCI's flew from Western Turkey to Georgia, and from Georgia to Baku, arriving right on time for #TEKNOFESTAZƏRBAYCAN!
— BAYKAR (@BaykarTech) May 21, 2022
🇹🇷🛫🇬🇪✈️🇦🇿🛬 pic.twitter.com/klHqyP48jW
The war in Ukraine. What I'm seeing from my chair so far...
Let's compare notes on what we're seeing in Ukraine so far. I would ask the SMALL segment of readers that aren't so ate up with the propaganda around this thing to comment. The usual suspects will of course enter the comments section and shout the narrative pushed by the mainstream but that doesn't interest me.
I wanna take a look at the good, bad, ugly and unexplainable. I'll go first.
* Looking back at the start of this thing I can't help but wonder WTF the Russians were thinking. I have to believe it was a complete and total intel failure. They entered the country unannounced (despite warning from the US), received little resistance and made a massive march on Kyiv.
Zelensky was visibly in shock. The Ukrainian Army was in garrison and we saw no attempts at a decapitation strike. No assaults on the Ukrainian Army in garrison. No attempt to destroy clearly identified airfields. NOTHING!
* The designation of this thing as a special military operation belies that initial failure. The Russians lost the info war almost immediately. The civilian population rallied instead of being cowed. You actually had snow bunnies driving SUVs and sports car alongside armored vehicles throwing molotov cocktails. Crowds of civilians "protesting" the military action and stopping convoys on their way to the objective.
* Zelensky properly read the room. Washington and London saw an opportunity. Age old anger from Poland to Estonia reared its head. Zelensky barked and made demands. Suddenly the War Reserves in the West were emptied for the sake of Ukraine.
Even better? A country that was known for its corruption, has sold all kinds of gear and made deals with what is supposed to be our mortal enemy was being flooded with aid of all kinds. Not just military but financial.
*The govt/private partnership was in full effect. Not to solve a social/economic problem in the US, but to ensure that the "proper messaging" was put forward. Social media ensured that any dissenting views were quickly squashed. Only the threat of Elon Musk finally bringing real free speech shined a light on the issue so bright that it could no longer be a thing ended the madness.
The fight in Ukraine has been talked about as a fight for democracy. It's NEVER THAT SIMPLE! Unfortunately the sheeple bought it hook line and sinker.
* On the military side (even I'm guilty) we've seen the supposed doom of the tank. What's being missed is that the Russians, surprisingly, did not fight as real COMBINED ARMS TEAMS! They failed to properly utilize their resources and its shown up on the loss ledger.
What I find amazing is that the future of the attack/assault helicopter isn't being brought into question.
We've seen the failure of individual weapon systems but we have not seen them properly utilized.
We're in the interwar period between WW1 and WW2. Technological advances are coming so hard and fast that we can't gleam a thing from this weirdly fought war.
* The Ukrainians are getting all the glory for the fighting. What's obvious but ignored for the sake of visuals is that they're getting massive support. Not only for targeting but also in planning. NOTHING I"VE BEEN ABLE TO READ indicates that the Ukrainians have the martial chops to be performing this well on their own.
I'm sure there is plenty more but this is off the top of my head and I have to get my protein in. Hit me with some stuff I've missed.
Sunday Funny! Strippers are a leading economic indicator? If so they say we're in a recession!
— Lukas (computer) (@SCHIZO_FREQ) May 20, 2022
Saturday, May 21, 2022
Z-20K is likely.
According to these recent images, the a new Z-20 variant has entered the service within the PLAAF Airborne Forces: As such, a designation Z-20K is likely.
— @Rupprecht_A (@RupprechtDeino) May 21, 2022
(Images courtesy of YSYYRPSsjs via Huitong's CMA-Blog) pic.twitter.com/4kVnehiL3E
Airborne Water Operations (B-ROLL)
Italian Army Paratroopers assigned to 4th Alpini Regiment, Folgore Brigade and U.S. Army Ranger assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75 Ranger Regiment, conduct an airborne water operations from a Italian Air Force 46^ Aerobrigata Pisa C-27 Spartan into Lake Garda at Pacengo, Lazise, Italy, May 19, 2022. The event highlighted combined NATO airborne operations between the brigade and its host nation allies.
Italian Army paratroopers assigned to 4th Alpini Regiment, Folgore Brigade and U.S. Army Ranger assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75 Ranger Regiment, conduct a airborne water operation
 |
| Italian Army paratroopers assigned to 4th Alpini Regiment, Folgore Brigade and U.S. Army Ranger assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75 Ranger Regiment, conduct a airborne water operation from a Italian Air Force 46^ Aerobrigata Pisa C-27 Spartan into Lake Garda at Pacengo, Lazise, Italy, May 19, 2022. The event highlighted combined NATO airborne operations between the brigade and its host nation allies. |
Friday, May 20, 2022
Congress passed a 23 million dollar bill to solve the baby formula shortage? Not quite...
Read it and weep.The $28 million baby formula bill pays $23 million in salaries and does NOTHING for the shortage. pic.twitter.com/jpQcxSIutf
— Tim Burchett (@timburchett) May 19, 2022
America is screwed.
We send billions of dollars to Ukraine at the drop of a hat and we can't even get our own children formula.
Combat Air Forces wings transform for future fight
 |
| “Be ready for crisis before crisis emerges. Be ready for combat before combat begins,” says Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command. ACC is evolving its organizational structures, warfighting concept of operations, force presentation and generation models, and how it prepares its Airmen to ensure they are ready for a battlespace that is vastly different than what they have experienced over the past two decades. These transformations involve a new Wing organization that is optimized and ready to ‘max perform’ in crises and compete with peer adversaries. It also involves migrating to a sustainable, predictable, and capacity-based, readiness-generating force generation model. Finally, it involves transforming Airmen supporting operations, maintenance, and agile combat into a cohesive team ready to meet the nation’s call and have them execute wartime operations unlike ever before. “Over the past 20 years of counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East, deployed Air Expeditionary Forces, organizational constructs, and warfighting were characterized by fixed bases with adequate air defenses, uncontested logistics and uninterrupted command and control,” said Kelly. “We controlled the combat tempo, and ‘crisis’ was something we imparted on adversaries at a time of our choosing.” “But now, peer adversaries have the ability to attack our air bases. They will contest our logistics and they will interrupt our command and control. We can’t rely on fighting from traditional sanctuary bases so the Air Force is changing to meet the challenge,” he continued. “There is no choice, but to change,” stated Kelly. “After three plus years of experimentation, we’ve learned there are significant gaps in our garrison structure and force presentation. We must be ready for crises at home or deployed before crisis occurs. We’re closing gaps in unity of effort and command and control and working our Global Force Management to present forces in a sustainable construct to avoid continued readiness declines. In the past, we routinely formed ad hoc battle staffs to manage an emerging crisis and we’ve learned that this A-Staff must be formed and functional before a crisis appears. We also deployed our warfighters forward to form a cohesive fighting force and we must acknowledge that a peer adversary requires that we establish high-performing teams before combat. Finally, we must be ready to operate in an environment where we must outmaneuver our adversaries. We should be operating the same way whether it’s training, crisis ops, or combat. A standardized wing structure and warfighting units are required to meet the challenges we’re facing. We must ‘accelerate change’ because the status quo won’t work.” To meet the challenge, ACC began its transformation with the ‘organize’ step of its organize, train and equip mission, optimizing Combat Air Forces for Agile Combat Employment and peer competition where they must be able to rapidly insert forces, establish logistics and communication with theater command and control, receive follow-on forces, generate missions and project combat airpower. Garrison Wing Organization: A-Staff and Groups The most visible change to Airmen joining ACC will be that their Wing now has a fulltime A-Staff working alongside existing Groups. Instead of the ad hoc battle staff that stands up in response to an issue or crisis, the A-Staff will permanently exist to support wing and group commanders before a crisis emerges. Airmen will have the structures and tools to operate in a joint model and learn what it means to execute the joint planning process, generate orders, and execute the commander’s intent just like their sister service counterparts. Several Wings, to include those at Moody, Mountain Home, Seymour Johnson and Beale AFBs, developed and tested this new A-Staff structure. What they found is it enables the commander to have the big picture needed for the Wing to execute cross-functional decision making with speed and agility as the Groups focus on executing their functions. 4-Phase Force Generation In addition to structurally changing the Wings, Airmen across the Air Force are now aligned in a four-phase force generation model. Moving away from the current AEF process structured for supporting counterinsurgency operations, the new model ensures forces are no longer consumed faster than they can regenerate. The new AF Force Generation model enables units to build sustainable, high-end readiness. Restructured into four phases – Available, Reset, Prepare, and Ready – that span a 24-month cycle, AFFORGEN balances deployments against building readiness. It also gives Airmen time and space to strengthen cohesion with the same teammates that they will deploy with. Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization Closer to the flight line, Airmen in ACC’s aircraft maintenance squadrons are re-organized into the Combat Oriented Maintenance Organization. New Mission Generation Squadrons align maintenance efforts with operations. This concept first implemented at Shaw AFB’s 20th Fighter Wing, pairs maintainers in a squadron responsible for aircraft health and sortie generation alongside a flying squadron. The two units will work collaboratively at home – training the way they will fight – so there is unity of effort before deploying. Lead Wings Finally, to ensure its Airmen are ready to respond to any global crisis, ACC built Lead Wings that can rapidly deploy and provide a cohesive fighting force ready to execute as a high-performing team from the start. Now, Airmen will train together in garrison during the AFFORGEN Prepare and Ready phases, becoming a high performing task-organized team that is ready to deploy in the Available phase. Lead Wings are an aggregated force package comprised of an expeditionary A-Staff for command and control, Operations Squadrons and their partner Mission Generations Squadrons, and an Air Base Squadron. Lead Wings with their A-Staff are optimized to aggregate and disaggregate capabilities with close linkage to Numbered Air Force, Major Command, and Joint Task Force command and control structures. Back at home station, the Group staff will continue to perform garrison missions while the Lead Wing conducts expeditionary operations. ACC will have five Lead Wings tasked and scheduled to deploy within the AFFORGEN cycle by October 2022. Air Base Squadrons A major portion of the Lead Wing is the formation of an Air Base Squadron. Some Airmen who perform Agile Combat Support roles like security forces, civil engineers, logistics, communications, medical and others will be task-organized into an Air Base Squadron assigned to a deploying Lead Wing. These functions were traditionally crowd sourced from across the Air Force, with teams often meeting for the first time after stepping off the deployment rotator. Building cohesive teams before deploying will enable Air Base Squadrons to move and generate combat power faster from forward operating bases. Multi-Capable Airmen and Agile Combat Employment Mission generation Airmen performed specialized tasks and duties at established air bases in the past. In the future, teams of trained Multi-Capable Airmen will recover, refuel, reload and launch aircraft both at fixed bases and austere, temporary locations. This enables Agile Combat Employment by maintaining a nimble and reduced footprint that can project combat power while mitigating logistics under attack and thwarting other adversary threats. What’s next? ACC plans to implement this new Wing A-Staff structure in all its Wings by December 2022 through focusing on staff training, standardizing techniques, tactics, and procedures, and Wing readiness exercises. This is just the beginning of the immense culture shift that ACC is undertaking to prepare for the future. “We live in an increasingly complex global security environment characterized by overt challenges to a free and open international order and the re-emergence of strategic competition where we no longer control the rheostat of time,” said Kelly. “Our Airmen, organizational constructs, warfighting concepts, force generation, and our Air Force, must change to meet the challenge, before the shooting starts.” |
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