Why have camo uniforms been turned into a seasonal item?

Marine infantrymen with the III Marine Expeditionary Force make their way to a compound held by the Guam Army National Guard who are acting as an opposing force Sept. 20, 2014, during the island seizure portion of Exercise Valiant Shield 2014 at Tinian’s North Field. The Marines were transported from Okinawa to Guam and from there to Tinian. Valiant Shield is a U.S.-only exercise integrating Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps assets, offering real-world joint operational experience to develop capabilities that provide a full range of options to defend U.S. interests and those of its allies and partners. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. D. A. Walters/ Released)

You probably look at the above photo and you might say "hey, its just a Marine doing the Marine-thing"...you might say "ok, they're getting back to jungle warfare"...you might even say "that M27 looks sweet"....

I look at it and wonder why camo uniforms are suddenly a seasonal item instead of what they were designed for...to help Marines blend into the environment.

I hope the next Commandant releases the hold and gives local commanders the choice of what uniform to wear based on conditions, not an edict from HQMC.  Amos has done alot of silly stuff but a seasonally based wearing of uniforms was just INSANE!  It comes with having a jungle/temperate climate and desert uniform.

You want one style to fit all then climb on the multicam option.  You want to have a distinctive Marine uniform (and I do) then deal with having some Marines have faded deserts or jungles and sparkling new of the other type.  Besides, isn't that what the uniform allowance is for?

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Peace Mission 2014

Uh.  Chinese armor has the right look.  I would love to see it in action.  Maybe we should invite them to participate in the "war against ISIS" just to get a look-see on how far they've progressed in the military art.

BAE & Patria to work on Australian combat recon vehicle project.

Thanks for the link Jonathan.

You ever read a story that has you saying WHAT THE FUCK outloud?  Check this out via Janes.

BAE Systems and Finnish aerospace and defence group Patria are to jointly bid for the Australian Army's programme to procure a combat reconnaissance vehicle (CRV) platform.
A statement on 22 September said the two companies were offering to meet the requirement - part of Land 400 Phase 2 - with a platform based on Patria's 8x8 Armoured Modular Vehicle (AMV). BAE Systems said it would act as prime contractor in the joint bid.
A spokesperson from BAE Systems Australia told IHS Jane's : "The tender for Land 400 is not expected for some time but together we aim to meet the requirement with an evolved solution." The spokesperson said other details of the joint CRV bid would be released later.

Ok.  I admit right up front that I have no idea how the inner workings of the armored vehicle market work, but I would have expected Patria to tap Lockheed Martin on the shoulder and said lets go for this thing in Australia...and for BAE to do the same with Iveco.

Whats going on that has everyone abandoning what I thought (and has presented) were solid alliances to pursue a program that is probably much smaller than even the USMC was contemplating?  Certainly they could get the same type of support from their previous couplings.

So why this new partnership?

New Bradley Turret...

via Ft. Benning Facebook page.

Norinco Armour Day 2014

USMC in the battle of Fallujah.

  Fallujah by Solomon

Its the economy stupid.

Major Hat Tip to "Bayou Man" for the link.

via The Telegraph.

1 - China slowdown
The Chinese economy is slowing and this increases risks for investors around the world. China contributes more than a quarter of world economic growth and is the largest buyer of commodities in the world to fuel its massive construction boom.
2 - Iron ore price slump
Iron ore is an essential raw material needed to feed China's steel mills and as such is a good gauge of the construction boom.
The numbers coming out of China's steel industry are shockingly bad. Shanghai steel futures have fallen to a record low and the sector’s profit margin has also apparently halved to just 0.3pc. A survey of China steel mills that incorporated 2,235 firms or 88pc of Chinese listed companies showed that much of the industry was reliant on subsidies from the state to remain porofitable.
3 - Oil price slump
The oil price is the purest barometer of world growth as it is the fuel that drives nearly all industry and production around the globe. China is also the world’s number one importer of oil.
Brent Crude, the global benchmark for oil, has been falling in price sharply during the past three months and hit a two-year low of $97.5 per barrel, below the important psychological barrier of $100.

Read it all.

I keep saying that this artificial construction called globalization is going to collapse and this is another piece of evidence that a global recession is on the horizon.