Estonia and US Marines perform amphibious ops training. (Baltops)

LOSKA, Estonia -U.S. Marines amphibious assault vehicles head for the beach during a combined U.S., Estonian amphibious landing at a beach here. The combined training demonstration was part Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region. , Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/14/2010 11:19 AM

 LOSKA, Estonia -U.S. Marines amphibious assault vehicles embarked aboard the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) advance on the shore line during a combined U.S./Estonian amphibious landing. The combined operations was part of a demonstration of the interoperability between the two forces as part of exercise Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region. , Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 11:36 AM

LOSKA, Estonia -U.S. Marines amphibious assault vehicles embarked aboard the USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) come ashore during a combined U.S./Estonian amphibious landing. The combined operations was part of a demonstration of the interoperability between the two forces as part of exercise Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region., Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 11:36 AM

LOSKA, Estonia -Estonian soldiers emerge from a U.S. Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicle during a combined U.S., Estonian amphibious landing at a beach here. The combined training demonstration was part Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region., Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 11:38 AM

LOSKA, Estonia -U.S. Marine infantrymen and amphibious assault vehicles from Special Purpose Marine Air/Ground Task Force African Partnership Station take up defensive positions during a demonstration of a combined U.S./Estonian amphibious landing. The combined training demonstration was part Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region. , Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 11:42 AM

LOSKA, Estonia -Estonian soldiers wade ashore during a combined U.S., Estonian amphibious landing at a beach here. The combined training demonstration was part Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region. , Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 12:16 PM

LOSKA, Estonia -Estonian soldiers and U.S. Marines wade ashore during a combined U.S., Estonian amphibious landing at a beach here. The combined training demonstration was part Baltic Operations 2010, an exercise designed to increase the interoperability of NATO and partner nations in the Baltic Sea region. , Sgt. Rocco DeFilippis, 6/15/2010 12:16 PM

Pic of the day. June 16, 2010.

Via Joe Stemph's Flickr Page.

CH-53E Super Stallion of HMH-464 "Warhorse" kicking up debris on landing at West Wetlands Park in Yuma, Arizona during a noncombatant evacuation exercise.

Australian Special Forces clearing operations.

An Australian Special Operations Task Group soldier takes aim during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

An Australian Special Operations Task Group soldier observing a 500lb bomb strike an insurgent position during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

An Australian Special Operations Task Group soldier observing the valley during the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

Afghan Officers from the Provincial Police Response Company and Australian Special Operations Task Group Soldiers lift off in a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter as part of the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

Afghan Officers from the Provincial Police Response Company and Australian Special Operations Task Group Soldiers wait to lift off in UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters as part of the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

AH-64 Apache attack helicopters lift off to support Afghan National Security Forces and Australian Special Operations Task Group Soldiers as part of the Shah Wali Kot Offensive. (Date taken: June 2010)

RG41 Video.

And BAE was kind enough to supply a few photos of this new beast.

Thales Australia at Eurosatory.

I am really impressed by some of the efforts made by defense contractors at getting the word out on their products.  Most have come up short....waaaaaaaaaaay short.

Some have gone above and beyond. 

BAE is one such company.

And Thales Australia is the other.

If you want to check out a nifty piece of advertising then go here.  Well done Thales!

CV 90 Armadillo Video.

When in doubt send in the Military?

Via the American Spectator.

Ray Mabus long-term Gulf Coast restoration plan. Well, okay, but... why the Secretary of the Navy?Isnt the Navy important enough? If Mabs is to do that, it should be his only job, and somebody else should be Sec-Navy. Frankly, this is an outrage. And what does the Navy have to do with Gulf Coast shore restoration anyway?!?!?!?!?!?!?

They said it better than I could.  This is just plain sad.  I have recently learned that the Netherlands, and several other European countries offered technology to clean up the oil spill and they got no response from our government!

But a bigger mystery to me is why select the Secretary of the Navy to perform this mission?  Maybe because the President finally understands that is the only competent section of the US government.  Maybe because he looked at the heads of his other agencies and realized that they're not up to the job.

Either way, the Secretary of the Navy has personnel in harms way.

He does not need this additional duty.

And the French betrayal begins.

via RiaNovosti.

Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said Tuesday it had signed several contracts with the French defense firm Thales on the transfer of technology and delivery of communications equipment for Russian armored vehicles.
"The first contract involves transfer of technologies to Russia, which now will have the right to produce officially licensed thermal imagers at Vologda Optical and Mechanical Plant," said Igor Sevastyanov, Rosoboronexport deputy director general.
"The second contract provisionally allows Russia to bring in communications equipment for integration into Russian armored vehicles for testing," Sevastyanov said. He added that the communications equipment would be mounted on T-90 tanks and BMP-3 armored personnel carriers.

My problem with this is that this gear will eventually wind up in the hands of our enemies.  Whether its the Iranians or the Chinese, the Russians are a gateway supplier of advanced technology.

What should also give many PAK-FA fans pause is Russia even needing to procure this type of tech transfer...to even demand it in order to complete the buy of Mistral BPC's.

Are they truly capable of producing a 5th gen fighter if they can't even get communications gear into BMP-3's and T-90's?

photo from RiaNovosti.