1st Battalion 6th Marines and DEA Agents bust drug kingpin.

*Note* All photos courtesy I Marine Expeditionary Force (FWD) by Gunnery Sgt. Matthew Butler 

An Afghan Counter Narcotic National policeman holds the Afghan government's primary drug kingpin in Marjah, Afghanistan, May 18. The mission, a team effort between the Marines, Drug Enforcement Administration and Counter Narcotic Police of Afghanistan, nabbed high-level drug traffickers.

A Drug Enforcement Administration special agent and Cpl. Michael Zarate, 22, from Chula Vista, Calif., and his patrol drug-detection dog, Roy, search a building for drugs and anyone evading arrest at the compound of a known Taliban commander and drug trafficker in Marjah, Afghanistan, May 18.

Counter Narcotic Police of Afghanistan, Drug Enforcement Administration and Marines make final plans before executing an arrest-and-search warrant on the Afghan government?s primary drug and terrorist target in Marjah, Afghanistan, May 18. The team got their man, who is facing a 10-year sentence in the Afghan judicial system for drug trafficking.

Sgt. Patrick Main, (left) squad leader, 2nd Platoon, Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, makes final checks with his Marines, as a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent checks his watch, minutes before serving an arrest warrant on the Afghan government's primary drug and terrorist target in Marjah, Afghanistan, May 18. Main's squad caught the drug trafficker as he attempted to escape the compound after the Counter Narcotic Police of Afghanistan, DEA and a Marine with his patrol drug detection canine forced their way into the compound.

Counter Narcotic Police of Afghanistan, a Drug Enforcement Administration special agent and Marines prepare to enter a compound of a known Taliban commander and drug trafficker to serve an arrest warrant for him in Marjah, Afghanistan, May 18. The team successfully arrested the Afghan governments primary drug and terrorist target in Marjah.

Captured Video of "peace activist" preparing for violence.

Wonder what happens when you use a .50 cal round as a rock?

Follow this link.  Warning, extremely graphic. 

Major Hat Tip to the Firearm Blog.

PS.  Recruiting standards are definitely going down.

US State Dept receives S-61T's.

via ASDNews.com

Sikorsky Aerospace Services today announced that the U.S. State Department has accepted the first two modernized S-61TM aircraft that will support missions for the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan. Sikorsky Aerospace Services (SAS) is the aftermarket division of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Turkey fighting the PKK.

Got this from Military Photos.net.  We need to remember that when we pull out of Iraq, the Turks will have free reign to deal with the Kurds.  It won't be pretty when they do.  I can even see them annexing part of Iraq to stop the attacks.  Wouldn't that be ironic in light of current events? 

The vid supposedly is of AH-1W Cobra's making runs against PKK targets.  It isn't clear enough to get a definite id on the aircraft though.

US Marines train on HMS Ark Royal.

Afghan Raid.

Unit unidentified.  Interesting though.  Multicam but no unit patches.  Working with Afghan National Army---AND---they have two three combat camera men along for the ride!  I wonder if they were documenting as well as covering this action?

Members of an Afghan-international security force prepare to exfil after searching a compound and detaining two suspected militants in Logar province, Afghanistan, May 24. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Daniel Maffett)

Members of the Afghan-international security force pull security on a compound in Kudeza in the Zharay district, Afghanistan, May 28. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christian Palermo) 

A member of an Afghan-international security force pull security on a compound in Kudeza in Zharay district, Afghanistan, May 28. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christian Palermo) 

A member from the Afghan-international security force searches a room in Lashkar in the Nahr-e Saraj district, Afghanistan, May 31. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Bao Huynh)

US Air Force. Fighters refueling.

USAF official photos.  Staff Sergeant Brian Ferguson.

Joe Stremph's Flickr Photos.

I recently found this guys photostream and if you're a fan of aviation photography then you'll be a fan of his work.  It covers just about every service's air wings and even a few foreign ones.  Its definitely worth checking out.  You can find it here.

Sino-US MBT?

Military-Today.com has recently posted an article claiming that the US and China once developed a prototype of a joint Main Battle Tank!  Amazing!

Viper Strike arming the KC-130J Harvest Hawk.

Via DefPro.com...

Under the terms of the contract, Northrop Grumman will deliver 65 Viper Strike munitions beginning this year to the Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office within the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space at Redstone Arsenal for eventual integration onto the KC-130J platform.

More info on Viper Strike and Harvest Hawk ....
http://www.es.northropgrumman.com/solutions/viperstrike/index.html
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Harvest-Hawk-Aims-to-Arm-USMCs-KC-130J-Aerial-Tankers-05409/


Just on a side note...check out our bureaucracy at work.  They're going to deliver them to the Joint Attack Munitions Systems Project Office within the Program Executive Office Missiles and Space and that's before NavAir gets ahold of it which is before Headquarters Marine Corps does its thing...all of which is before the guys who will actually use the damn thing get a chance to even see what it looks like!  Amazing!

II MEF SOTG HRST Master Course Vid.

Audio disabled but still illustrates how the USMC does it.