A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland in action!

Soldiers with A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, take up position on top of a compound after receiving indirect fire from insurgents in a small pocket of farmland in the southeastern corner of the district of Nahr-e-Saraj, July 2, during Operation ZMARAY SUK II. The operation aimed to disrupt insurgent activity in an area that had yet to see coalition or Afghan security forces.

Soldiers with A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, rush a wounded soldier to the back of a Chinook HC2 helicopter so he can be evacuated, July 2, during Operation ZMARAY SUK II. The operation aimed to disrupt insurgent activity in an area that had yet to see coalition or Afghan security forces.

Highlander Vinny Spiewack, a machine gunner with A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, prepares to fire on insurgents located on a hill 600 meters away in a small pocket of farmland in the southeastern corner of the district of Nahr-e-Saraj, July 2, during Operation ZMARAY SUK II. The operation aimed to disrupt insurgent activity in an area that had yet to see coalition or Afghan security forces.

Snipers with A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, look for insurgents while resting on top of a compound in a small pocket of farmland in the southeastern corner of the district of Nahr-e-Saraj, July 2, during Operation ZMARAY SUK II. The operation aimed to disrupt insurgent activity in an area that had yet to see coalition or Afghan security forces.

Soldiers with A Company, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, make their way through a small pocket of farmland in the southeastern corner of the district of Nahr-e-Saraj, July 2, during Operation ZMARAY SUK II. The operation aimed to disrupt insurgent activity in an area that had yet to see coalition or Afghan security forces.

Navy announces plans for its Reduction in Force (RIF).

Wow.

Another unintended consequence.

You're about to put several thousand service men from each service out in the cold...with an economy that has a real unemployment rate of 18%...with a veteran unemployment rate of over 23%...

Things are about to go from bad to worse.  Read it about it here....

Check out this EOD's rifle...

110413-N-SB672-546 PACIFIC OCEAN (April 13, 2011) Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician 1st Class Rene Varela, from Pasadena, Calif., assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 3, 332nd platoon, fires an M-4 carbine during weapons familiarization aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan is operating in the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCord/Released)

 

 

I've seen the above pic before but never noticed the non-standard stock...the expanded magwell..the super short barreled M-4...what looks like an IR surefire flashlight....Interesting.

Awesome historic pic.

ISAF is getting snippy!

I sent ISAF a note asking about the downed helicopter that they issued a press release on.  The Major responding was obviously having a bad day.  This was his response.

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

Sol,

You are right - we haven't released any further information as the
incident is currently under investigation.

I can confirm that there were no serious causalities and that there was
no enemy activity in the area at the time.

Regards,

Maj James.

TP JAMES - UK A
OF-3
Press Desk Chief
ISAF JOINT COMMAND
COMBINED JOINT OPERATIONS CENTER

I mean geez...all I asked was the type of helicopter, what nation its from, casualties and enemy action - if any.

This guy is acting like I was asking to date his daughter!

Anyway, the explanation that the incident is under investigation is shady as hell...if no enemy activity took place....if no serious casualties resulted from the crash (I would assume next of kin has been notified) then there is absolutely NO plausible explanation for them not releasing the aircraft type and the nation its from.

What's up with these ISAF guys?  They're making a massive push to pump up these Afghan fluff pieces (all the US services are doing the same) but when it comes to getting information out that people are really interested in they go all quiet.

THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Did Australian Special Ops get more trigger time?

I ask because of this press release from ISAF...

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (July 8, 2011)– At least eight insurgents were killed after they attempted an attack against coalition Special Operation Forces (SOF) of Special Operations Task Force – South, in the Khakrez district of southern Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, July 1. 
Insurgents attacked SOF with small arms and machine gun fire during a meeting with village elders to promote ongoing village stability programs within the area. 
The SOF team was able to positively identify the insurgents at which time they called for air support. 
U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft responded and performed multiple gun runs on the insurgents. Afterword, coalition forces were able to confirm that eight insurgents were killed. Three of the killed insurgents were seen being carried away by insurgents in a truck, according to reports from the aerial reconnaissance team. 
Following the engagement, the SOF team was able to recover several items from the insurgents, including multiple AK-47 rifles, multiple rocket-propelled grenade rounds, and components used to construct improvised explosive devices. 
No civilian casualties or property damage resulted from these operations.

The Australian Special Forces participated in the fighting in Kandahar earlier and although ISAF doesn't list Special Operations tasking or areas of operations the implications are clear.

Textron's TAPV on a mobility course!

At the 56 second mark in this video you can just make out what appears to be a Patria AMV in the background

Royal Marine commandos search Afghan village

USAF going MultiCam too.

More than 180 joint expeditionary tasking airmen assigned to provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan are now wearing the Air Force's new Operation Enduring Freedom Camouflage Pattern, or OCP, uniform, as their everyday uniform during their deployments, announced service officials, July 7, 2011. These are the first Air Force personnel to don it. The uniform, shown here, has a more advanced camouflage pattern, lighter weight flame-resistant material, and pre-applied bug repellant. Air Force photo by SrA. Sandra Welch

About time.  That Airman Battle Uniform was hideous and ineffective.  Via Air Force Magazine.

82nd steppin' into the night sky...

The name "Rapid Deployment Force" might be dead but the need to have an Airborne Ready Brigade hasn't gone away and its awesome to know that the 82nd has brought it back.



Joint Operational Access Exercise 11-02 performed at Fort Bragg/ Pope Army Air Field, North Carolina during 06-20 till 06-29. JOAX is a two week exercise to prepare the US Army and Air Force to respond to worldwide crisis and contingencies. The joint effort includes the United States Army, Air Force, and others. It test the capabilities of the military to tactfully insert troops and cargo onto a drop zone and protect from mock enemy fire. The first week is scheduled as practices for the 36 hour exercise. Stringer includes: Paratroopers on a C-17 jump at night during JOAX. Produced by Senior Airman Giovanna C. LaMaestra

A warning to the US via the British.

From the Lexington Institute.

The slow erosion of British military power, like the proverbial canary in the coal mine, is an important lesson for national leaders in this country. Once a mighty empire with fleets deployed in many oceans and an Army on which the sun never set, Britain is now reduced to a middling power that is unable to operate even close to the boundaries of Europe without substantial support from its allies. Whether it is maintaining a naval aviation arm, deploying a fifth generation tactical fighter force or sustaining a nuclear deterrent, Britain is dependent on that special relationship with the United States. The situation is likely to get worse as the military faces not only near term budget cuts of eight percent but the need to close a $60 billion gap between projected costs and planned funding over the next decade.

Read the whole thing but that short paragraph should chill the bones of every fan of the British military and should shock and dismay the citizens of the UK.

A middling power and unless changes are made then it will surely become a minor one.  Already the defense establishment of Europe is turning away from the UK.  The Germans, Poles and French recently formed a Euro-Brigade with the Poles forming the bulk of the combat forces, the Germans providing logistical support and the French providing medical help.

From reading the press release its apparent that the Brits weren't even consulted.

Once a force in European military affairs, it now finds itself torn between maintaining a "special" relationship with the US, developing a cooperative defense force with the French and looming irrelevancy.

The UK's military is in a hurt locker.

This goofy shit has to stop.

I don't know why but this annoys the hell outta me.  Why a reputable blog like "Battle Rattle" is posting videos of Marines making asses of themselves is beyond me but its downright disgraceful.  Not only for the dummies posting this nonsense but for Battle Rattle to keep publicizing it.

Obviously, there’s a growing culture in which U.S. service members post videos online with pop culture ties, then find themselves in the national spotlight. Most recently, it worked for the Marines who produced a video of themselves lip-syncing Britney Spears’ “Hold it Against Me.” She posted the video on her Twitter page, and eventually met the Marines at a concert after their deployment in Afghanistan ended.
Moore hasn’t attained that kind of fame, but you still have to take your hat off to him. Not only is he clearly having fun, he’s cutting right to the chase. He wants Kunis, 28, a star in everything from “That 70′s Show” to “Black Swan,” at his ball. No lip-syncing. No dancing. Just a simple request.
Mila: If you’re reading this, Moore wants you to drop him a line at gowithmemila (at) gmail.com. What do you have to lose, really?

Get some damn pride guys.  This shit has to stop.