Europe fights Europe. Are we hearing NATO's death rattle?

A death rattle is a medical term that describes the sound produced by someone who is near death when saliva accumulates in the throat.

British and French officials are calling out their NATO (read that to be European partners) allies for not pulling their weight when it comes to the conflict in Libya. 

via Defense News.com

"NATO is not able, at this point, to oblige our partners to take part in this action," Longuet told the French parliament.
"I regret, for example, that France and Britain are carrying the bulk of the effort," he said.

 and...

"That is why the United Kingdom has in the last week supplied additional aircraft capable of striking ground targets threatening the civilian population of Libya," Hague said.
"Of course it would be welcome if other countries also do the same," he said. "There is always more to do."

This is a stunning development.  For all the complaints of "USA World Police" it seems that NATO is failing in this conflict.  Two of the Three traditional NATO powers are complaining of the contributions of other member states.  Replace NATO with EU and you have a failed European enterprise.

NATO is the walking dead.  The only people that don't realize it are the politicians.

Winning! USMC to start receiving F-35B's this year.

Yep, you heard right.  F-35B's will be received by the USMC this year.

via DODBuzz.

First off, F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program manager Vice Adm. David Venlet let everyone know that it looks like the Marines will indeed receive B-model JSFs before the years end, noting that there are about 30 of the short takeoff and vertical landing planes in production under the LRIP 2 and 3 batches. While this doesn’t mean the Marine’s IOC date will swing back to 2012, it is a glimmer of hope for the B model which has been placed on a two year probation. So, far this year, the Bravo has demolished its flight test goals and just last week it performed its first ever automated short takeoff, according to Venlet.
Meanwhile, Lt. Gen. Terry Robling, the Marine Corps top aviation official made a rather sour prediction, saying the Pentagon should get ready for a ten year or “dual FYDP” budget crunch. This makes delivering aircraft on time and on budget all the more important lest they go away, said the three-star. This type environment adds to the importance of keeping legacy jets such as the F/A-18 Hornet in service until they are slowly replace by F-35s and the possibility that a sixth generation naval fighter may be a modified or upgraded variant of the F-35, added Robling.

Great Choice for SGTMAJ of the Marine Corps.

WASHINGTON-Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos announced Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett as his selection for the next sergeant major of the Marine Corps. Barrett recently returned from Afghanistan where he served as the sergeant major of Regional Command Southwest and I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward). He currently serves as the sergeant major of 1st Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif. Barrett will replace Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent, who has served as the sergeant major of the Marine Corps since April 25, 2007. The relief and appointment ceremony and retirement of Kent is scheduled for June 9 at Marine Barracks Washington., Sgt. Ben J. Flores, 4/5/2011 3:00 AM

Commandant announces next Sergeant Major of Marines 

4/12/2011  By Sgt. Michael S. Cifuentes  , Headquarters Marine Corps 

 

WASHINGTON  — Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James F. Amos announced the next sergeant major of the Marine Corps April 11. Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett, 1st Marine Division’s sergeant major, is set to take charge as the senior enlisted Marine in the Marine Corps. He’s scheduled to succeed Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent, the current sergeant major of the Marine Corps, during an appointment and relief ceremony, and Kent’s retirement ceremony held at Marine Barracks Washington June 9.
Barrett recently returned from a deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan, where he served as Regional Command Southwest’s sergeant major.
Amos said Barrett is “the best of the best,” and will continue to serve the Corps as Amos’ senior enlisted advisor.
“Sgt. Maj. Barrett, through his long and distinguished service to our nation, has demonstrated that he is particularly well-suited to serve as my senior enlisted advisor through the challenges ahead,” said Amos.
Barrett enlisted as an infantryman in March 1981. In addition to Afghanistan, his combat deployments include serving in the Persian Gulf War as a sniper with 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, and two tours in Iraq as battalion sergeant major of 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment.
Kent has served as the sergeant major of the Marine Corps since April 25, 2007. He graduated recruit training March 1976 at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C. In his 35 years of service, Kent has led Marines in various billets to include senior drill instructor and battalion drill master at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, chief drill instructor and first sergeant at Naval Aviation Officers Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla., and sergeant major of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif.

K-MAX. No roads? No problem!

UAV friendly fire incident.

A chaotic battlefield.

Unknowns approaching your positions. 

Comm down or spotty.

A tragedy waiting to happen.  I'm not sure of the details but I can imagine the issues leading up to this.  Sadness all the way around. 

Rest in peace guys.

Via ASDNews.

Drone 'friendly fire' kills two US troops: officials

WASHINGTON - A drone missile strike killed a US Marine and a Navy corpsman last week by mistake, in what appeared to be the first instance US troops had been killed in a "friendly fire" incident involving an unmanned aircraft, defense officials said Monday.

The military has launched a probe into the incident, which appeared to stem from confusion on the battlefield in the southern province of Helmand, US officials told AFP.

Fighter jets and combat helicopters are usually called in to provide close air support for coalition troops pinned down by insurgent fire, while drones tend to be used for manhunts targeting Taliban figures.

The strike claimed the lives of Navy Seaman Benjamin Rast, 23, of Niles, Michigan, and Staff Sergeant Jeremy Smith, 26, of Arlington, Texas, officials said.

NBC News, which first reported the incident, said that the two service members were part of a unit ordered in to reinforce Marines coming under heavy fire from insurgents outside Sangin, the scene of fierce fighting for years.

The Marines near Sangin, watching a video feed from the armed Predator drone overhead, saw infrared images moving towards them and may have concluded those "hot spots" were insurgents instead of fellow Marines, NBC reported.

The investigation into last week's incident follows a detailed account in the Los Angeles Times of a February drone strike that went terribly wrong.

In the February strike, US operators of a robotic plane and special operations forces mistakenly thought a convoy of Afghan civilians in vehicles was a Taliban unit moving in.

The strike near a village in Oruzgan province killed 15-16 men, one woman and three children, the US military says, while Afghans believe 23 people died, including two children.


by Stuart Williams
(c) 2011 AFP

British Sub Shooting.

To be honest I was waiting for Grand Logistics or Think Defence or heck even Information Dissemination to do a story on this sub shooting.

Hasn't happened yet so this is the news so far...

1 dead after shooting aboard UK nuclear sub

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Jill Lawless, Associated Press Fri Apr 8, 4:47 pm ET

LONDON – A British sailor aboard a nuclear-powered submarine apparently shot dead a crew member and seriously wounded another Friday while the vessel was on a goodwill visit to an English port, officials said.
The suspect was overpowered by colleagues and visiting dignitaries aboard HMS Astute and arrested on suspicion of murder.
Police and military officials said the incident was not related to terrorism, but offered few details about what may have prompted a sailor to open fire during a tour of the submarine by local officials, including the mayor of Southampton, in southern England.
Britain's Press Association news agency reported the dead and injured crewmen were officers, and the suspect a sentry armed with an SA80 service rifle. Submariners do not routinely carry loaded firearms aboard ships, but those on sentry duty are armed.
Southampton city council leader Royston Smith said he was in the submarine's control room when a man entered, said something, then retreated to a corridor. Two shots rang out before the man walked back in and opened fire.
"I decided the best form of defense at that point was probably to disarm the chap," Smith told the BBC.
Smith said he and others managed to wrestle the gun away from the suspect and subdue him.
Hampshire Police Chief Superintendent David Thomas said only that a gun went off aboard the submarine, "which resulted in two crew members being injured."
"One of these injuries proved fatal. A man, also a member of the Royal Navy, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder," Thomas said. "Submarine security was not breached as part of this incident and it is not terrorist-related."
He said the wounded sailor's injuries were "significant," but his condition was stable.
The Defense Ministry said it would not release the names of the dead and injured until their families had been informed.
Defense Secretary Liam Fox said he was saddened by the "tragic incident."
Police said they were called to the shooting just after 12 p.m. (1100 GMT, 7:00 a.m. EDT). They said all of the approximately 30 people aboard the submarine at the time would be interviewed as witnesses.
The submarine, which is based in Scotland, was on a five-day visit to Southampton.
The 1 billion pound ($1.6 billion) vessel is one of Britain's fleet of 11 nuclear-powered submarines, armed with Spearfish torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles. Its reactor is designed to last for the vessel's 25-year operational life, meaning it will never need to be refueled.
The 328-foot-long (100-meter-long) submarine's short career has been dogged by problems. Originally, due to enter service in 2005, it began active duty in 2010, years behind schedule and millions of dollars over budget.
In October, the Astute hit rocks and ran aground near the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It was stuck for several hours until it was towed to safety. The vessel's commander was later removed from his post.
The Defense Ministry said it planned to open a Royal Navy investigation into Friday's shooting.

Ships traditionally had detachments of Marines on board to provide both external AND internal security.  I don't know if its ever been done on submarines.  After this incident it might be time to consider it.

Recovery of crashed Helo in Hawaii.

Remember this a couple of weeks ago? 



Well the recovery effort has been mounted and the helicopter recovered...

Navy sailors from Mobile Diving Salvage Unit 1, Company 15, clear the extraction point in Kaneohe Bay where a CH-53D Sea Stallion is lifting another CH-53D back to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay on April 8. The halved helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in the bay March 29 and killed one of the crewmen and injured the other three.

Marines and sailors pull on a cargo strap to swing and align a hoisted section of a CH-53D Sea Stallion helicopter onto an awaiting truck. The halved helicopter was cut to make removal from Kaneohe Bay easier after it was forced to make an emergency landing March 29 which killed one Marine and injured three others and terminally damaged the aircraft.

A CH-53D Seal Stallion helicopter form Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 363 returns half of a sea stallion helicopter to Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay on April 8. Workers cut the helicopter in half after it made an emergency landing in Kaneohe Bay March 29 emergency landing in the bay March 29 and killed one of the crewmen and injured the other three.

Good cause ... spotty execution.

Like the title says...good cause.  Not sure how walking a mile in women's pumps is something you want your warriors to be doing though.

Not sure how well something like this would go down in the Marines.  Not the cause, but the execution...the event...the asking Marines to put on women's shoes and walk a mile.  Thank God this was an Air Force event.