Israeli Special Ops raid ships.

More info here.

CBO report on Navy/Marines fighter gap.

Hat tip to the Navy Times (go to there site here..for the article).  This report (below) is a light read and it lays out 4 options for dealing with the fighter shortfall.  Alternative 1 is a no brainer and will probably be followed.  But you can bet Boeing and their Congressional delegations will be pushing for more F/A-18E/F's.
05-27-FighterInventories

Afghanistan. A civil war.

From Marine Corps Times.

In the make-or-break struggle for Kandahar, birthplace of Afghanistan’s Taliban insurgency, U.S. commanders will try to pull off the military equivalent of brain surgery: defeating the militants with minimal use of force.

Its a great read and I recommend you follow the link.  But this article gave rise in me to one unmistakable thought.

We are fighting in a civil war.

The 3 Contenders for Australia's Land 121 phase 4 procurement.

Thanks to my friend Aussie Digger, I've gotten the scoop on this competition.  Read his comments here, but suffice it to say that the reporting has been "spotty" at best .  Let me simply add that what this is really all about is to allow Australian Defense Companies to bid against the JLTV that the Australians are co-developing with US forces....but more on that below...for now....

The 3 vehicles competing against the JLTV are...the Ocelot,

Hawkei 

and Eagle IV.

My view of this competition is fairly simple.  First lets talk about the Mowag Eagle IV.  It has absolutely no chance in this competition.  Its ballistic protection is fair and relies on spall liners and extra armoring without the benefit of a blast resistant form (read that as it doesn't have a v-hull).  What's surprising is the fact that General Dynamics Australia would offer it at all.  If it becomes a price shootout then all bets are off and the Mowag becomes the front runner.  If its a matter of selecting the most capable vehicle then it doesn't stand a chance.  But as the British comp for the FRES showed us, General Dynamics is willing to take a price hit in order to put a vehicle in production.  And as that competition showed us, occasionally governments will accept the least capable product if its priced right.  We certainly know all about that in the US.

The next vehicle is the Force Protection Ocelot.  I am personally in love with this design.  I think its innovative, sized perfectly and the idea of a skate board design with engine, suspension and wheels being mounted separately is beyond appealing.  I think it could be life saving.  While this is my favorite, I don't know how this vehicle will play with local politics.  Force Protection Europe teamed up with Ricardo to make this offering to the British Military and I don't know if they have an Australian division.  If not then they start at a disadvantage.  A quick Google search didn't reveal a partner in this comp so despite it being I think the best design, it doesn't stand a chance.

Which leaves us with the Thales Hawkei.  Its a clean sheet design, like the Ocelot, but it has the advantage of being the home team.  Thales has been fairly tight lipped when it comes to some of the design features of this beast but it is handsome.  And again it has the home field advantage.

This should be fun to watch.

More Information -- to help clarify some of the misreporting can be found here...another Hat Tip to Aussie Digger for the link.

New US Army Tug Boat.

United States Army Vessel Col. Seth Warner moored in port at Kuwait Naval Base, Kuwait.
Date: 05.29.2010
Posted: 05.29.2010 05:45
Photo ID: 284274
VIRIN: 100529-O-9999P-001
Location: Kuwait Naval Base, KW

Stats via nafts.net.

MGen. Nathanael Greene class large coastal tugs (6 ships)

Displacement: 924 tons full load
Dimensions: 128 x 36 x 16 feet/39 x 11 x 4.9 meters
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 2,550 bhp, 12 knots
Crew: 24

Notes: A new class of large tugs built for US Army service, primarily intended to assist in docking of transports.

Builders: Hulls of LT 801-805 and components of LT 806 by Robert E. Derecktor, Middletown, RI; all completed by Trinity/Halter Marine, Moss Point, MS.

SecDef's Message reveals the truth on DADT.

The SecDef felt the need to talk to the troops about Congressional action on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. The very fact that he felt a need to make this statement tells anyone watching everything they need to know about this issue.

This isn't going to be as easy as the "intellectual" elite would have many believe. Have no doubt. This will cause trauma to an already over extended military. Careers will be lost and in the case of certain military units---assaults will occur. Proponents of the repeal of the current policy have obviously never served in a line unit.

Assaults will occur against suspected homosexuals--either in garrison or out in the field.

While homosexuality is fashionable and well accepted in the major cities of our nation, it isn't in the heartland of our nation. Many of the current and future members of our military are from this area.

The current policy makes sexual preference a non factor. To change that policy will only bring trouble....but that's my opinion.


UPDATE.

Think Defence and Joe have put up a spirited defense of the actions of the Congress in this matter.  I still disagree.  It would seem that the majority of military bloggers do too.  I believe that is because (in the case of the bloggers) they're too close to the centers of power and are too urban in their beliefs.  It might also be because they are further away from the men and women that make the military work...instead they live and converse with those in the Pentagon and think tanks.

That limited a view can tilt ones thinking.  I can assure you that in the heartland, this is a very contentious subject.  I can also assure you that in the Marine Corps this is a very contentious subject.  My main question is this.  Why do this in the middle of two wars, with one going badly?  Now is NOT the time.  And if you have the audacity to ask me when, then my response would be later....much later.

UPDATE 2.

Jon commented and gave an article from Danny Kaplan.  Its a good thing to know a bit about authors of articles.  The guy is basically a gay rights activist.  Read more about him here...at his site.

Tribute to the fallen...

Forty-five-year-old; Sgt. Maj. Robert J. Cottle, 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 4th Marine Division, pays tribute to one of his fallen Marines on March 8, 2010 at South Station, Helmand province, Afghanistan. A little more than two weeks later, Cottle, a seven-year active-duty veteran and high-ranking SWAT officer for the Los Angeles Police Department, was struck by a roadside bomb killing him and 19 year old Marine Lance Cpl. Rick Centanni. (Photo by Marine Corps 1st Lt. Joshua Diddams)
I Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd)
Date: 03.08.2010
Location: South Station, AF

KADDB.

The Jordanians (KADDB) have been making some impressive moves lately.  First they land a contract from a major and innovative US firearms firm to license produce weapons.  Then BAE announces that they're opening new offices in that country...it makes you wonder what they're up to.

Well a check of their website revealed a couple of new things....first their heavy APC based on the Chieftan appears to have been further modified and perfected....

Second, they appear to be making strides in unmanned ground vehicles.  Information on the state of both vehicles is lacking but KADDB is a natural fit for a partnership with BAE.  Firearms are big business in the Middle East so the partnership with LWRC also seems natural.

The King of Jordan seems ready to make his little country a natural counter weight ---at least militarily ---to Iran.  From my understanding of Middle Eastern politics and sensibilities that would seem like a good thing.  The next step, and one I'll be looking for, is investment from Saudi Arabia and the UAE.  If that happens then fear of Iran will make Jordan a major player in the region (if they already aren't).

AAV going into the surf at Red Beach.

HMAS Parramatta intercepts pirates.

From the Australian Navy.

On Tuesday 25 May 2010, the Royal Australian Navy interdicted a vessel suspected of involvement in piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.
During a counter-piracy patrol, HMAS Parramatta located a suspect vessel in the vicinity of a route heavily trafficked by merchant shipping frequently targeted by Somali pirates.
Parramatta’s Operations Officer, Lieutenant Tony Nagle, said that at the time the vessel or ‘skiff’ was sighted by Parramatta, the suspected pirates were throwing a range of items overboard, including suspected weapons.

Below are photos of the visiting, boarding, and inspection of the suspect boats.

Found her!

Remember my thoughts yesterday on the EFV and that a lady named Sharon seemed to be one of the 'bashing elite' yet didn't know much about the program?  Well you can read her take on things here.

One serious question raised about the vehicle -- in light of events in Iraq and Afghanistan -- is its inherent vulnerability to improvised explosive devices, the homemade bombs that have proved so deadly to U.S. forces in current military operations. The thin, flat bottom of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle would be particularly susceptible to such bombs.

Moore says the Marines are addressing this concern by adding to the vehicle's underbelly armor that "significantly enhances its capabilities" to withstand such an explosion.

However, Moore also pointed out the downside to this reinforcement: The armor adds several thousand pounds to the vehicle, which means that it can't travel at the high speeds it's supposed to reach. "It's just not going to be going 25 knots with that [armor] kit on," he said.

Pic of the day. May 28, 2010.

U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Mykel Thaete, of the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion (AITB), School of Infantry West (SOI-W), Detachment Hawaii, runs for concealment after popping an M18 green smoke hand grenade on Kahuku Training Area in Hawaii May 19, 2010. Thaete participated as opposition force in an attack and defend field exercise as part of SOI-W's Infantry Squad Leader Course. (DoD photo by Lance Cpl. Jody Lee Smith, U.S. Marine Corps/Released)

MultiCam .... check.
Motto sunglasses ... check.
Popped Green Smoke Grenade ... check.

Conducting training as OpFor for the Advanced Infantry Training Battalion?  PRICELESS