Pod Guns. A simple solution to the MV-22 firepower problem.

In the above video you notice that the NH-90 has pod guns that are forward firing.  This same system applied to the MV-22 might be a more satisfactory solution to the issue of MV-22 firepower.

The issue that brought the turret system to the airplane is the worry about being able to provide defensive firepower when entering landing zones.

This might be a cheap- low cost-solution to that problem.

Yon, McChrystal and the Bloggers Intervention.

UPDATE*
YOU MUST READ THIS ARTICLE. 
http://www.theusreport.com/the-us-report/2010/6/22/michael-yons-criticism-of-mcchrystal-deemed-prophetic.html


In light of current events, the "Blogger Intervention" with Michael Yon seriously needs to be revisited.  Several Military Bloggers took it upon themselves to correct many of Michael's assertions.  It seems that in the end, Michael has been proven correct.

As have I.  I stated that they had jumped the shark in the effort and this meltdown (including statements made by McChrystal in the article) proves my point.

Have Military Bloggers with access to decision makers, are cozy with the Defense Industry and parrot the Pentagon line Bloggers or are they simply well connected journalist now?

I'm not sure but here's a history of the controversy between Yon, the Military Blogging community and General McChrystal.

These guys have some explaining to do.


http://blog.usni.org/2010/04/19/one-voice-is-a-heads-up-many-voices-are/comment-page-1/

http://www.blackfive.net/main/2010/04/an-open-letter-to-micheal-yon.html

http://cdrsalamander.blogspot.com/2010/04/one-voice-is-heads-up-many-voices-are.html

http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com/2010/05/blogger-war.html

http://snafu-solomon.blogspot.com/2010/05/weird-timing.html

MEU's should be renamed Marine Amphibious Units.

During the run up to the Marine Corps participation in the Vietnam war a subtle but considered necessary name change was applied to Marine Units.

Instead of being called Expeditionary Units they were renamed Marine Amphibious Units, Marine Amphibious Brigades, and Marine Amphibious Forces.

We should make the name change again.

The reason today isn't to ensure that we don't insult the sensibilities of the local population as was done in Vietnam, no we should do it today to distinguish ourselves from the other services.

The Marine Corps is truly Expeditionary.  There is no doubt about that.  When the Marine Corps does Expeditionary, it does Expeditionary.  Sleeping on the ground, washing your clothes in a stream and eating MRE's for months on end is just a small part of the ethos behind being a Marine.

The problem is....everyone else is calling themselves Expeditionary too.  Whether they are or not is really up to the definition of each service (I would contend that they aren't but that's another discussion)...the point is...the Marine Corps must stand out.

Renaming our forces Amphibious Units, Amphibious Brigades and Amphibious Forces would keep the hallmark of the Marine Corps front and center everytime a unit is being discussed.

Its a simple name change but it would mean alot!

Greg Grant of Defense Tech nails it!

Wow, read the whole thing over at Defense Tech.  Greg nails the real reason behind this melt down.

“He was tired of being the victim of what he believes is a concerted effort on behalf of Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry and others to undermine everything he was given 18 months to do. He was tired of being perceived in the press as a neoconservative killer, Dick Cheney’s hired assassin, or disloyal to President Obama and his staff. He was angry at being blamed for leaking the draft of his report to the President to Bob Woodward. (He did NOT leak the document). He was miffed that a large number of mid-ranking soldiers and battalion commanders and enlisted guys didn’t support his strategy.

Commenter Ran corrected my incorrect attribution of the above statement.  Apologizes to all.  Read the comments section to get the relevant information.

Good Riddance.

via FoxNews.

The article says that although McChrystal voted for Obama, the two failed to connect from the start. Obama called McChrystal on the carpet last fall for speaking too bluntly about his desire for more troops.
"I found that time painful," McChrystal said in the article, on newsstands Friday. "I was selling an unsellable position."
It quoted an adviser to McChrystal dismissing the early meeting with Obama as a "10-minute photo op."
"Obama clearly didn't know anything about him, who he was. The boss was pretty disappointed," the adviser told the magazine.

This guy will be fired and I won't shed a tear.  I'll probably pour a shot of Jack Daniels and enjoy the news of his demise.

Good riddance to you, General McChrystal and your rules of engagement.

Joint Forcible Entry Operations: A Marine Corps Perspective.

Vehicle Transfer at Sea.

Sea Basing is becoming a reality.  The night time ops in Sea State 4 is particularly impressive.