Even training is dangerous.

Rest in Peace...

via Fox News...

Marine Dies When Vehicle Sinks Off Calif. Coast

By Justin Fishel

Published January 14, 2011 | FoxNews.com

A Marine was killed during a training mission at Camp Pendleton, Calif., after he along with five other Marines sank to the bottom of the Del Mar boat basin while inside an amphibious assault vehicle. Five of the Marines managed to escape unharmed.
Rescuers reached the trapped Marine at 2:15 p.m. Friday, about three hours after the vehicle sank. He was rushed to Scripps La Jolla Hospital, and pronounced dead a half hour later. The victim's name has been withheld until the notification of the next of kin.
The Marines said in a statement that an investigation is underway.
The Pentagon recently announced its plans to halt the production of the Exeditionary Fight Vehicle that was designed to replace the current fleet. These newer models are considered to come equipped with improved technology.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the project had already cost the Marines billions of dollars and was too far over budget to continue.

Calls of desperately needing a replacement for the 40 year old AAV, the fiasco that became the EFV and the need to get the next program going should be perfectly clear now.

Maersk Line Afloat Forward Staging Base (AFSB) --the brochure.

Lee sent me this brochure of the Maersk Line's concept for a low cost AFSB.  Thanks Lee!  Anyway, after glancing at this, I'm a believer.  If it can provide even half the capabilities shown in this concept then I'd be in favor of giving up an LHA-6, life extending the current big decks and putting one of these in each ocean!  Check it out here.

The UK being able to do a Falklands doesn't matter anymore.

The discussion on an earlier post turned to me asking this question.  Can the UK repeat the Falklands if it happened today?

Some took the question as being a direct repeat of the events that led to that war, but I was asking it in a larger context.

If British territory was seized, could they retake it?  Not necessarily the Falklands but anywhere in the world.

After talking with friends, I realize that isn't the right question.

The right question is this...Is the European Union, as its currently organized, capable of mustering the forces of its member nations to be able to come to the defense of any of its members to regain territory.

The answer that we arrived at was maybe.  It would all depend on if the territory was a colonial holdover, if the territory's people wanted to remain part of the member countries sphere of influence etc...

Two elements of the EU's military bear watching.

The Rapid Deployment Force (information is hard to come by...does it even exist)

The Anti-Piracy Task Force

More to come.

Whoa! USNI hits hard!

USNI Blogsite is back in the fight.

Want to read something that will be thought provoking and piss you off at the same time?  Then go here.

Wow.

 UltimatRatioReg ---great article guy!

Clarification.

I keep hearing from individuals that their comments have been deleted.

I don't do that.

I have forwarded the issue to Blogger and as soon as I know, you will too.

Chinese citizens react to the J-20.

I subscribe to ChinaSmack blogsite.  While I don't know how widely held the comments are, heck I don't even know if they're translated accurately---they're still interesting as hell.  Here are a few, follow the link to read the whole thing.

红玛瑙:

Does the country/government’s strength and power have anything to do with us?

織田信長:

The more advanced the PLA’s weapons are, just means the more people that can be suppressed on Changan Avenue.

红玛瑙:

No wonder everyone says it is easy to be a [government] leader. I’d rather see the price of cabbage fall 5 mao.

正宗张江男:

Slaves cheering the slave-master for researching and developing an even more powerful killing machine? What kind of reasoning is this?

腾讯上海市网友:

Not bad not bad…I’m happy for the test flight’s success, though China normally only reports the things that are basically guaranteed to succeed. Since they said it was a test flight, then it is certain that they’ve done secret training exercises already…hehe

C-130J for India.