BAE is displaying an ACV that "is a bit different" tomorrow!

We have something special to show you, tomorrow, at @ModernDayMarine. There’s something a bit different about this ACV…

I have absolutely no idea what's going on here.  Should be interesting.  Any guesses?

The rifle squads appear to be the first victim in the Corps’ sprint to modernize.

via Marine Corps Times.

While these programs are moving at near light speed, there appears to be a real disconnect between the Corps’ intellectual notions to modernize and the reality of staffing the Corps to manage these changes.

“The Marine Corps wants all the new stuff like cyber, wants to sustain contributions to special operations command, wants to beef up higher headquarters like the MEF information group, or intel and comms,” Dakota Wood, a senior fellow for the Heritage Foundation and former retired Marine officer, told Marine Corps Times.

“And since they are not growing the size of the force appreciably they have to find that ­manpower from other places.”

The rifle squads appear to be the first victim in the Corps’ sprint to modernize.

The decision by Gen. Robert B. Neller, the commandant of the Marine Corps, to cut a Marine from the rifle squad frees up Marines to be staffed elsewhere across the Corps in areas like cyber and intel.

But it enacts a high price on the rifle squad at a time when operational reports and evaluations suggest “more people are needed, not fewer,” Wood argues.

Story here. 

Small rant so you've been warned.

This is an interesting article that all should read.  It's really about Marine Corps modernization efforts but something else caught my attention.

The changes to the Marine Rifle Squad.

How do you know when an organization is dying...or in the case of the Marine Corps changing in ways that are shocking/ depressing?

When such a change can happen to such an essential formation and the debate is so weak and tepid that you barely notice it!

If some Commandant 20 years ago talked about changing the Marine Rifle Squad you would have heard retired SgtMajors, Generals, hell even rank and file Marines screaming their heads off demanding to be heard and voicing opinions.

You didn't see that this time.

That's not good.

The same applies across the board with the rest of the initiatives being pushed.  I don't get it.  It's not the Marines that I know but it lives today.

Vigorous debate doesn't seem to be part of the institution's DNA anymore and that's terrible.  I hope it comes back.  Marines need to talk about this stuff.  This doesn't belong to the Staff College or Think Tanks.  It belongs to us. The debate needs to be loud, vigorous and at times even insulting but we need to start chewing on this instead of simply swallowing what's being pushed on the plate.

Rant over.

Is the US Army's Next Generation Combat Vehicle becoming the reborn FCS?

Thanks to Iron V for the link!

via Defense Media Network.

The U.S. Army is implementing a significant change to its Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) program. A new expanded structure was unveiled during a breakout session at last week’s 2018 Maneuver Warfighter Conference, held at the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Ft. Benning, Georgia.

In a briefing hosted by Brig. Gen. Ross Coffman, director of the Army’s NGCV Cross Functional Team, attendees learned that the NGCV program is taking a new direction, expanding beyond the manned and unmanned platform elements that had been incorporated previously in the NGCV portfolio to encompass a broader spectrum of both current and notional systems.

Under the new design, NGCV will now encompass five programs:

Bradley Replacement;
Robotic Combat Vehicle;
Armored Multipurpose Vehicle;
Mobile Protected Firepower; and
Abrams Replacement

The briefing noted that final decisions on the Abrams Replacement effort will be based on an upcoming study analysis.

The NGCV program changes, which were reportedly approved by service leadership last Tuesday (Sept. 11), were briefed to the conference audience on Thursday Sept. 13.

Wow.

I'm all for a family of vehicles but dang!  This seems like they're doing a modified FCS rerun.  Yeah they aren't trying to slam a self propelled howitzer onto the program...they're not trying to make wheeled vehicles one of the variants but you get the idea.

What has me spinning is the Abrams Replacement part.

I know the Israelis are trying to push a light next gen replacement for the Merkava but unless the tech changes drastically it's already looking like a bridge too far.

It's kinda depressing to see the Army biting on that craziness. We'll see what we'll see.  Confidence is not high but hopefully they've thought this thru.

Still.  A Bradley, M-113, MPF and Abrams replacement in one?  That's a BIG push!

Open Comment Post. 25 Sept 18

Boxer in the snow...a warning for future ACV operations?

Check out the above video.

You did?  Then consider this.  No slam on the Marine Corps upgrade/modernization plans.  I like the decisions made.  Moving on with the ACV instead of spending money on the AAV-SU makes NOTHING BUT SENSE!

I get it.

I dig it.

But most importantly I understand it!

Having said that we can't fool ourselves either.  Moving from tracked to wheeled vehicles in our amphibious assault/troop transport role will be a change.  Seemingly small stuff will matter.

Which brings me back to the above vid.

When I first saw the Boxer in stuck in the snow, my first reaction was damn.  Then it was, someone didn't receive proper training in how to maneuver his vehicle.  Then it dawned on me that we've seen tracks stuck in exactly the same way.

We've been told that the ACV has equal mobility to the AAV.  I didn't get invited to the testing in Mississippi so I can't confirm that.  What I can say is even if that's the case we need to plan on recovering them in some pretty bad spots and probably need to plan on doing battle drills to do the same while being under fire...even worse under an artillery barrage.

That Boxer vid is instructive.  We operate in all climates and so do our vehicles. We need them in the fleet as soon as possible to develop real world "lessons learned", and that needs to be passed to the Fleet and the School House ricky tick quick.

We can do it, but let's make sure we do it right.

Boeing MH-139 chosen for USAF nuclear support mission...

I am slobberknocked.

I thought for sure the MH-60 would be chosen but the USAF went a different way.  I'd love to know why but the Europeans should be proud.

I just don't see how this is the right platform for that job but we'll see what we'll see...

AAD 2018 Streit Group presents its full range of armored vehicles APC static & live demonstration

Is it just me or does the Sherp at the end of the video look like the same rig I saw displayed somewhere in Russia a few years ago?

BREAKING: Putin tells Netanyahu he rejects Israeli version of Syria plane downing - @AFP

More to come I'm sure...