What The F*CK!!!!

Thanks Phil for sending me this link!!!

ELP Defens(c)e Blog is in favor of the F-35?????

Now that the latest USAF gathering in Orlando–which in recent years doesn’t
produce much of anything–is over, we can have the week of wild alternatives
for the USAF fighter roadmap. How to fix a force structure in the coming
years of shrinking budgets? Well, we need ideas. And these will be thrown
around mostly for entertainment purposes. And when I state “shrinking
budgets”, I mean real bad stuff. All plans will assume the stupids in D.C.
let F-22 production close.

Plan one.

The F-35 program will be composed of 20 Fighter Groups. Each group will have
one squadron of 24 F-35B STOVL aircraft. They will be procured at 48 per
year for 10 years. This does not count extras for test, training and
development. This will support 10 AEFs and allow for home air defense of the
most basic kind.

A-10s stays as-is. Refurb as much and as many times as needed.

Ok, if ELP is in favor of the F-35B then the world is spinning backwards, the end times are here and there is hope for the world to get right again!

The Battle of Iwo Jima began today.

Today marks the 66th anniversary of the start of the Battle of Iwo Jima.

The 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions, under the command of the V Amphibious Corps,  participated in this battle along with an enormous Naval Task Force under the command of Marc Mitscher

Another page of American history worth relearning.

Weekend Humor.

Weekend humor is being provided by Cracked Magazine.  First up is...

The 11 Most Badass Last Words Ever Uttered

and then we have...

7 Historical Figures Who Were Absurdly Hard To Kill

yep, its slightly morbid but entertaining none-the-less.

Montage of German WW2 Concept Aircraft.

I am constantly impressed by the innovation shown by the pioneers of aerial engineering.  Whether friend or foe they were brilliant.

Wow.

Everyday, No Days Off Blogspot posted this and its down right...I don't know what it is....

An unknown USMC core competency

"The questions raised last summer by deputy Navy Secretary Robert Work and by Gates himself about the Marines' future "created not a little bit of angst," in the Corps, Dunford said.

"Paranoia is one of our core competencies," he added, "but rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Assistant Commandant Gen. Joseph Dunford. 

via Ares Defense Blog.

Hmm.  Have I been acting paranoid in regards to the future of the Marine Corps?

I don't think so!

Why is the discussion of the F-35 so contentious.

On Ares, the commenter Horde, asks the question...am I posting under another name (in particular his current nemesis "JackJack").

I can assure you I don't --- and I won't.

Why is the discussion so contentious about the F-35?  In my opinion ---especially after this latest episode---is because we're all operating in a vacuum and some would rather state opinions as facts instead of acknowledging the lack of information that we all suffer from.