Thursday, November 27, 2025

Boris Johnson is the demon I thought he was. Off ramps to end the Ukraine war was rejected at his behest

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APC variant of Harimau/Kaplan Medium Tank

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Wednesday, November 26, 2025

11th MEU Marines Conduct Surf-Zone Operations ... Photos by Sgt. Trent A. Henry

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This is hot on some parts of X. US Special Ops is in action in Somalia..Don't know if true just putting it out there

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British Army has halted all use of AJAX vehicle

The Brits are to armored vehicles as we are to ships. They took an off the shelf item and modded it to such an extent that is no longer usable. At this point they'd be better off on just making the Boxer their everything armored vehicle...for direct fire just slap that US Army's 50mm cannon on it and call it a day for their ground forces.
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Teaser: I Marine Expeditionary force prepares for Steel Knight 25 ... Video by Cpl. Jaye Townsend

 

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Two uniformed military personnel, appearing to be U.S. National Guardsmen, have been shot in downtown Washington, D.C., sources said.

We're not facing a "civil war".

It's not sectarian violence either.

What we're seeing is the beginning of ideologically motivated violence. 

Next year is the midterms.  Its gonna get worse before it gets better...if it gets better.
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Sunday, November 23, 2025

Landing a 123-tonne aircraft on just grass? A400M flight tests

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Candice Owens is nuts...

 

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Saturday, November 22, 2025

Zero visibility carrier landing by French Rafale. AMAZING!

 

I see stuff like this and its always DAMN that's amazing.
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HMH-462, JGSDF establish FARP on Yonaguni ... Video by Lance Cpl. Moses Ortiz-Miller

U.S. Marines with Marine Aircraft Group 36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force members establish a forward arming refueling point on Yonaguni, Japan, Oct. 27, 2025. The FARP training enhanced interoperability and strengthened the ability of U.S. Marines and the JGSDF to control and defend key maritime terrain.

 
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Open Comment Post. 22 Nov 25

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Project Tech Overwatch .... Photo by Spc. David Dumas

 

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Friday, November 21, 2025

Has the MAGA Movement peaked? MTG resigns

 

Many loved her. Many more hated her guts.

One thing is certain.  She was 110% pure MAGA.  Her resignation means something.  In my opinion this means that the MAGA movement has peaked.

We've seen it before.  Right Wing movements always have tremendous rises and suddenly fizzle out.  Remember the Tea Party?  Freedom Party?  Although some wouldn't I consider it, I do.  Remember the "Contract with America"?

The above is somewhat aged but currently is see a grouping of causes under the MAGA Movement.  Anti-immigration (or legal immigration according to some), anti-govt, anti-trade (although some including me would say fair trade) and a strong pro-law enforcement stance.

The weird thing about MTG is that she was scored high across the board by every group that puts out grades on the RIGHT side of the spectrum that I could find in a quick google search.

This leads me (and others) to believe that all this has to do with the Epstein Files and many are already assuming that she is receiving threats for breaking with the elected leadership (seems to me that rank and file Republicans were all for the release).

Can't lie.

I find this a bit disturbing.

The timing of this resignation raises all kinds of red flags.  The pushback from Trump with regard to the files is raising red flags.  The actions of the Justice Dept is raising flags.

Change my mind but there really is no real difference between the parties.

We're living in Animal Farm.



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Ya'll really should check out Combat Fitness on Instagram...

Showing my age (I saw them as a kid so not that fucking old!) but do you remember those Army maintenance instructions with busty women giving tips on fixing M-113's from back in the day? If not then you should they're informative and funny (if you like turning wrenches). My point. Combat Fitness gives out tactical fitness info in the same way and I find it enjoyable, informative and I luv the art style. Oh and make no mistake. Combat/Tactical Fitness is a whole different animal from "normal" fitness. If you're still doing that thing then you might want to check it out. Here

 

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Remember the UFO/drone scare on the East Coast? It was a military contractor

 

THIS! THIS IS WHY I have a problem with this thing. I said it was part of a psyop campaign against the American people at the time. I still stand by that. It would have been too easy for the Pentagon to turn off the fear and frustration but they let it boil. That makes no sense to me. If I recall correctly the military stated that they didn't know what it was for a bit.

I really and truly can't even guess why something so little wasn't immediately explained by the powers that be but I don't buy the idea that it was simple incompetence.  

From my chair this has the whiff of being malicious at best.  At worst there were other goals and while it MIGHT not have been a psyop campaign it was something, I just don't know for sure what.
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Open Comment Post. 21 Nov 25

 


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My theory? Manning/Maintenance requirements for the Landing Ship Medium is what really killed Force Design 2030

Many, myself included, are reading the tea leaves and believe that Force Design 2030 is dead or at least dying.

Why?

Check this out via Defense One
Despite the MEU’s proven value in warfighting and deterrence—and its growing combat power under our Force Design initiative—our nation’s maritime expeditionary capability has steadily eroded. Today, we sit at 32 amphibious ships, barely meeting the congressionally mandated floor. With amphibious-ship readiness below 50 percent, we are well short of what’s needed to support three consistently forward-deployed ARG/MEUs. The Marine Corps has identified this gap for years, and leaders within the Department of the Navy are now moving with urgency to stabilize the fleet and drive investment in the industrial base for military shipbuilding.

As Commandant, I am addressing this amphibious capability shortfall through two initiatives outlined in my Planning Guidance. First, we must restore our amphibious capacity through a return to a 3.0 ARG/MEU presence: three forward-postured MEUs, each with three amphibious warships, persistently positioned around the globe. This has long been the standard, and it remains the Marine Corps’ North Star. Our combatant commanders, the Joint Force, and our civilian leaders rely on these formations to campaign, deter, and respond without delay and without any permission needed from a third party for access, basing or overflight.

Second, we are modernizing the MEU through Force Design, ensuring it evolves in stride with the changing character of war. Just as our Marine Littoral Regiments are receiving long-range fires, resilient command and control, unmanned systems, and advanced sensing networks, those same capabilities are being fielded across the MEUs, advancing their role as a flexible, multi-domain force from the sea.

I get it and I know what you're thinking.  

This has been the plan all along.  To that I say NO!  MEU's were not mentioned in Force Design as being an enabler OR A priority.  From the Commandant's Planning Guidance.

The Marine Corps' number one priority is force design, as stated in the Commandant's Planning Guidance. While the Landing Ship Medium (LSM) is a crucial and high-priority project supporting this goal, it is an enabler of force design rather than the overarching priority itself. The LSM is intended to support the new Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept, which is a key component of this new force design. 

Force design is the number one priority: The Commandant identified force design as the top priority in his 2019 guidance to modernize the Marine Corps for future threats.

LSMs are a vital part of that design: The LSM program is a critical capability that supports the new force design by providing the necessary mobility, particularly for the EABO concept.

EABO concept is key to force design: The EABO concept involves small, mobile units of Marines maneuvering between islands to conduct missions, like firing anti-ship cruise missiles, which requires new types of ships like the LSM to move them around.

LSMs are an outcome of the priority: The development and acquisition of LSMs are a direct result of the force design priority, not the priority itself. The goal is to have a new class of smaller, more lethal, and risk-worthy amphibious ships to support this new way of operating. 

I will give Chowder Society II credit though.  They did start the discussion about the lack of MEUs in other theaters and they did talk about the lack of ground combat power those MEU currently have. 

But the dagger in the heart of Force Design 2030 is the LSM and to a larger degree, the priority of the US Navy in the planned for fight with China.

I believe that the Marine Corps was faced with a choice.

While already backing down from the requirement to push 2 MEBs and the needed naval shipping to support that task they were again told that even the new number of amphibious ships required was too high.

Something had to give and the choice was either the USMC gets a reduced number of Landing Ship Mediums or they could dance with the reduced number of big amphibious ships.

You can have one but not both.

That is the stark choice given and that is why the Commandant is doing what he should have done in the first place.  

Add to the Ground Combat Element instead of reduce it.  The cover for that move at this late date and in this current reduced GCE is the LSM in essence being killed.  Another factor that no one is willing to talk about is that the concept required host nations to agree to station Marine Littoral Regiments on their soil while the US is engaged in a shooting war with China.  That is a discussion for another day.

So what do we have today?

Probably at BEST 2 ARG/MEU on scattered dates available to respond to combatant commanders.

The potential war with Venezuela was probably a shocking indictment of the folly that is Force Design 2030.  Ground forces will need protected mobility, armor if the fight reaches the city or a port/airfield needs to be taken, artillery to keep the bad guys heads down and if anyone is doing the "sensing and making sense" it will be Ranger Recon or some Special Forces Detachment (you know SF is on the ground right now doing their "force multiplier" thing with insurgents...nice to know we have guys that can do to others what so many have done to us).

Force Design 2030 focused on one region.  It ignored the rest of the world.  It took the USMC off the menu of forces that Combatant Commanders could draw from and the USAF, US Navy AND US Army were putting in place real weapons that could be used at distance, reducing the danger to our troops.  At least in comparison to Force Design 2030 that stated that it would operate WITHIN the enemies engagement envelope as a feature and not a bug.

In summary what took so long for Force Design 2030 to be seen as a cosmic joke being played on the USMC?

* 6 years and actually getting past the propaganda of the thing.

* The Navy actually looking at maintenance/cost to bring the enabler LSM into service.

* A new administration that prioritized OUR region instead of regions around the world.

* The US Army putting together hypersonics that could strike forcefully from distance.

* Retired USMC flag officers that called bullshit on two sitting commandant's that went rogue.

And finally (although there is so much more) commonsense overriding a clever marketing campaign.

 

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11th MEU participates in Mechanized Raid Course...Photos by Cpl. Avery Wayland

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Boxer with the full Trophy system

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