Thursday, June 21, 2012

Australian Army Exercise Predator Strike 2012.

Note: Those Abrams look pretty beat up. Australia is a whole different kind of nasty when it comes to terrain. Marines are gonna get some "good" training in the outback...

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Dereliction of duty to help the President?

via Wired Danger Room.

“How could we think to invite the DOD IG [the Pentagon inspector general] in during an election cycle?” Caldwell allegedly upbraided subordinate officers who favored an outside inquiry in fall 2010. Caldwell, supposedly in an “emotional” state, yelled, “You should know better!”
The accusations are laid out in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (.pdf), who calls the incident an apparent “cover up.” The Wall Street Journal first reported the letter’s contents.

President Obama “calls me Bill,” Caldwell allegedly bragged, according to the letter. The general supposedly didn’t want to spoil that first-name relationship with a messy inquiry into corruption and wrongdoing at Afghan hospitals.
Since then, Caldwell has assumed command of US Army North in Texas, one of the Army’s most prestigious posts and the latest in a series of plum assignments

If this is true then we are witnessing the worst generation of Generals in our nations history.

The Republicans are busy nailing the AG to the wall. They'll get to this and its gonna be nasty. I'll be keeping an eye on this one but at least the officers that were junior to this General were trying to do the right thing. I guess we can feel proud that from Major and below the military still has common sense.

China copies the Force Protection Cheetah.

Norinco 8M

First caught whiff of this from the StrategyPage and then saw it on China Defense Blog. Go here to read the description on the China Defense Blog but notice that they call it a Joint Light Tactical Vehicle!

What has me amazed is the fact that the Chinese have absolutely NO SHAME. How Western industry can continue to flock to a nation that steals ideas is beyond me but they do. Don't believe me? Check out the Force Protection Cheetah below.

Upgraded/revamped Cheetah

Early production Cheetah

Somehow, some way we have got to get a handle on Chinese theft of Western intellectual property

New 1st MARDIV logo!

Introducing the new 1st MARDIV logo.

Don't laugh because the way things are going this might actually happen...via the Duffle Blog.

Camp Pendleton, CA – Officials from 1^st Marine Division announced on Tuesday that they would be making alterations to the unit’s famous blue diamond emblem. The surprising move comes after a string of recent national controversies involving Marine personnel and their misconduct in Afghanistan. Division leadership decided it was best to combat the increasing negative press with a symbol of change.
“As we all know, First Marine Division’s official motto is ‘No better friend, no worse enemy,’” said spokesman 1^st Lt. Alex Lim during a news conference. “But we want to put more emphasis on the ‘better friend’ part.”
The division’s logo—famous for its blue diamond, red number one, and branded Guadalcanal—will be replacing the name of one of America’s most famous battles with a less threatening noun: Utopia. It will also have a more pleasant background instead of the dark and intimidating blue color of years past.
“We just wanted to let the world know that while our organization may primarily deal in warfare, that egalitarian society we all dream of is still within our grasp and can be won by the gentle and loving hearts of the Marines in this division,” added Lim. “By replacing the name of a bygone battle with our hope for the future, we can show the world that we truly are your best friends forever.”
The announcement has been well received by many of the division’s Marines.
PFC Andrew Seibert, who checked in two days ago, said, “I’m very pleased with this decision. The days of puppy throwing, Nazi flagging, and peeing on other human beings are over. Those weren’t the values I was taught in my Marine Corps upbringing at boot camp and SOI. That was the old Corps. We’re here to be citizens of the new Corps, and I for one am proud to be new Corps.”
But not all Marines were happy with this change.
General James Mattis, the former 1^st MarDiv leader and outgoing CENTCOM Commander, said: “This is absolute bullshit. I think I’ll call up Al Gray so we can drink like a couple of Lance Corporals and bitch about it for a couple of hours.”

Read the rest at the site.

Russian Firepower.

Thanks for the heads up Jonathan!

ORSIS SE T-5000

T-90

BMPT

The article from Fox News highlights the obvious. The Russians and now the Chinese are still producing servicable and seemingly effective vehicles. Read it here.

Good job!

This guy deserves a medal for doing what must be done!

via Time.

(SHINER, Texas) — Hearing his 5-year-old daughter crying from behind a barn, a father ran and discovered the unthinkable: A man molesting her. The father pulled the man off his daughter, authorities say, and started pummeling him to death with his fists.
With his daughter finally safe, the father frantically called 911, begging a dispatcher to find his rural ranch and send an ambulance.
"Come on! This guy is going to die on me!" the man is heard screaming on the 911 call. "I don't know what to do!"
A recording of the tape was played during a news conference Tuesday where the Lavaca County district attorney and sheriff announced that the father will not face charges.
In declining to indict the 23-year-old father in the June 9 killing of Jesus Mora Flores, a Lavaca County grand jury reached the same conclusion as investigators and many of the father's neighbors: He was authorized to use deadly force to protect his daughter.

THANK GOD the child is ok. And kudos to the grand jury for recognizing the right to use deadly force to protect your loved ones.

Meet the NIMR and the ZUBR.

The UAE hasn't been resting on its laurels and the only reason why I bring this vehicle up is because its an indication that vehicle makers aren't going to have it so easy when it comes to selling vehicles in Africa and the Middle East.

Check out the NIMR website here.

If that wasn't enough then how about the ZUBR? Even some of the smaller European companies are starting to put out quality armored vehicles. The only question is who buys who first. Consolidation of the armored vehicle industry is now a given.

Check out the AMZ website here.