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European Doubts

By lex, on February 4th, 2012

Secretaries Panetta and Clinton are on a little fence-mending mission in Evropa:

The Obama administration sought to reassure anxious European allies Saturday that budget cuts won’t undercut the U.S.’s commitment to their security.
The Pentagon announced plans last month to cut the permanent U.S. force in Europe to two brigades, down from four, as part of efforts to trim its budget over the next 10 years and to refocus its attention on Asia and the Middle East.
“We made this decision only after ensuring that our force posture adjustments will not weaken our ability to meet our commitment to the security of Europe,” U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told a security conference in Munich, Germany.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in a rare joint appearance in Europe with Mr. Panetta, brushed aside “some of the doubts” expressed in European capitals about Washington’s continued commitment to the continent, saying the U.S. still sees Europe as its “partner of first resort.”

The population of core Europe, excluding Russia and Turkey, consists of over 730 million souls, almost twice that of the US. The EU has a GDP of nearly $18 trillion, three trillion dollars more than the US – it is the largest economy in the world. But the EU’s proportion of defense spending to GDP is 1.6%, nearly one third of that spent by the US. Each US citizen spends $2274 per year on national defense. The proportion spent across Europe is $410 per soul. If you exclude the peripheral European countries and focus only on the Eurozone, that contribution rises to – wait for it: $967. Maybe three months worth of car payments on a BMW or Mercedes. Used.
Most of Europe marched in the streets to protest the US going to war in defense of its own security in 2003.
Remind me again why we should be reassuring Europe of anything?

This is coming to a head.

Europeans are proud to proclaim that they have a larger GDP.  Brag that they have a higher standard of living.  Boast that they are civilized.  Cultured.  Refined.  Un Warlike.

Lets see what happens when the inevitable arrives.  The US focuses on its own interests.  The US stops subsidizing European defense.

When the US turns its back and closes not some, but all of its bases.  And that day is going to be sooner rather than later.

High Value Escort?

Interesting.

We have the Riverine escorting an LPD into port.

Hmmm....we have Harbor security that's suppose to do that and they're co-located inside NECC.

We have US Marines that can do that from attached UH-1Y's and AH-1Z's...

My main point is this.  We're seeing some pretty extreme mission creep on the side of Riverine and I don't understand why its being allowed.

I've said before and I'll say again.  If Riverine want to get into the fight then they need to petition to get to the Horn of Africa and go after Pirates.  If they want to get into the fight then they need to get out to Japan and especially the Philippines and start patrolling between islands.

But I don't think its about getting into the fight...It looks like they'd rather get into the news.

Bold Alligator 2012 will be worth following after all.

ba12_info

Heads up gents.

Bold Alligator is about to get interesting.  Currently we've been served a rather bland diet of table top exercises and staff meetings.  But I've been told that next week the training gets alot more dynamic.

*Next week we'll actually start seeing troop movements and field problems.

*We'll finally see the red force attempting to impose its will on the blue.

*We'll finally see if the interoperability that all these navies talk about is actually here today, and not in the future.

With the different scenarios being war gamed, this will be worth watching.  I'll be particularly interested in seeing how the Australians do.  They've dedicated an Army Brigade Battalion to the Naval Infantry skill set and I look forward to seeing how far they've progressed.

The French contingent will also be worth watching and I'll keep an eye out on the Brits.

Long story short, next week is when all antennas should be focused on the coast of Virginia and North Carolina.

Stay tuned.

24th MEU Conduct Simulated Visit, Board, Search and Seizure Aboard USNS Laramie

Army to go K-Max to make up for C-27 shortfall?

Check out this story from Paul Mcleary at Aviation Week.  The juicy bit is below.

And you can bet the Army is keeping a close eye on the program. In August, the service awarded the Lockheed/Kaman team $47 million to continue work on the K-MAX program—testing was done this past fall at Ft. Benning—while wrapping up a larger study on a full range of unmanned cargo options.

The tests will help the service build a formal program of record for an unmanned vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) capability, a program which we already know Textron/AAI is very interested. Steve Reid, the company’s senior vp and general manager for unmanned systems says that the company has signed a license agreement with Carter Aviation for a manned, four-person rotary winged asset that Textron is working on turning into an unmanned asset that the company feels “would do the cargo mission that’s being talked about” quite nicely. The Navy has also been busy with other unmanned options, including awarding Northrop Grumman a contract in September to supply twenty-eight MQ-8C Fire Scout VTOL-UAS’s (based on Bell’s 407 helicopter airframe), which the company has touted for its cargo-lugging capabilities

Now we know...or rather we can take a guess at what Army leadership is up to.  Don't want to continue the C-27?  Fine.  We'll work with the Navy/Marines and get the aerial cargo carrier we need by the back door.  Plus we'll use UAV's to do it.

No Key West controversy.

No risk of losing the program.

Cheaper.

More versatile.

Direct delivery without having to go through another service.

Can team with reliable partners.

Awesome.

.

Friday Musings....Is SOCOM crusing for a bruising?

I got caught up in a conversation about tactics with a friend and we hit up on an idea that a properly defended site by well trained and disciplined troops would give SOCOM big trouble these days.

How could we say that?

Because they are giving out there playbook that's how!

Think about it.

*The raid on Bin Laden's compound...

1.  We have a pretty good idea of their numbers.
2.  We have a pretty good idea of their back up force.
3.  We know how they inserted into the objective.
4.  We have a pretty good idea of how they assaulted the objective.
5.  We know the weapons employed.
6.  We're aware that they have canines during some of these missions.
7.  We have a pretty good idea of when they assaulted the compound.

If that's not enough we also have info on how they performed the assault on the pirates in Africa.

1.  We know the insertion method was different...by parachute.
2.  We have an idea of the number of operators involved (similar to the Bin Laden raid).
3.  We're aware of their extraction method (similar to the Bin Laden raid...unsure if they used V-22's instead of Blackhawks)
4.  We have an idea of the weapons they used.

Long story short we have the makings of a Special Ops playbook.  Courtesy of someone talking too much.  A grunt in the Marine Corps with just a little awareness could plan a defense with this type knowledge.  A little better intel and he could form a credible defense that would at the very least seriously bloody the assault force.

Our quiet professionals need to get quiet again.

If they don't I fear that one of the good guys is gonna get hurt.

PS.
While they're at it they might also want to remove the 'extras' from their gear...via KitUp!

Not shown: a new maritime helmet for SEAL Team Six.  It’s lightweight and provides protection from shrapnel but not ballistic protection.  That’s well and good if the operators desire it, but I did have to roll my eyes at one thing.  Inside the helmet are pictures of cartoon pin-up girls.  Apparently they had also requested “morale” elements in their order.  I never thought I’d say this, but if DOD is cutting their budget, maybe ST6 needs a line item audit.  There are soldiers carrying shot out M4′s, so maybe the “morale” money can be best spent elsewhere

SNAFU Sea Basing Docs....the Maersk option.

Since sea basing has been a news item lately, I wanted to remind readers that I was able to save the vids put out by the Marine Corps "Sea Basing Think Tank" before they hid all documents behind the military firewall.  These are all legacy documents and thinking might have changed but you can check it out by clicking on the tab at the top of the page.

Carrier Navy makes a play to be relevant by grabbing MEU missions

I knew some type of bullshit was coming.

I just didn't expect it to be from the pages of Proceedings.  What's worse is that CDR Salamander appears to endorse the idea.

A quick synopsis.

*Carriers are understrength.  They deploy with approx 60 aircraft when they have historically had upwards of 100 airplanes on deck.

*This situation is going to get worse with the new Ford class carriers coming up.

*The MV-22 is faster than the AH-1Z.

Therefore the author believes that to make up for shortfalls on the carriers and to make the carriers relevant, we should embark a Rifle Company or two of Marines along with MV-22's aboard a big deck carrier and conduct raids from those ships using the carrier fighters as escorts.

Bullshit.

What's left unsaid is that the F-35B is slated to be the escort for the MV-22.  The AH-1Z has already be recognized as being unable to fulfill that role, so the numbers have been reduced in favor of the multi-role UH-1Y.

Additionally the problem will only cascade to the Marine Corps MEU's.  MV-22's and Rifle Companies are finite items.  To add them to the deployment roster of big deck carriers will lead to losses in manpower elsewhere.

This is an idea whose time has not come.  But if you want to know why I consider this a power grab by the author for the carrier navy, then read the following.  Its a list of Marine Corps MEU missions (via Wikipedia)...

Deployment: Following the work-up, the MEU deploys for six months in support of geographic combatant commanders. During this time, the MEU is a forward-deployed, self-sustaining force that combatant commanders can direct to accomplish a variety of special operations and conventional missions.
The missions may include:

• Conventional operations (Amphibious assaults and raids)
• Tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel (TRAP)
• Humanitarian assistance operations (HAO)
• Noncombatant evacuation operations (NEO)
• Security operations.

Looks like the resource and viability war has started.  I hope HQMC is paying attention.

Interesting ... Typhoid Mary.

via Neptunus Lex from the Mail Online...

TYPHOID MARY, THE WOMAN WHO MADE MEDICAL HISTORY

Mary Mallon (above, right) was the most infamous patient at North Brother Island where she spent nearly three decades of her life.
Despite being healthy, she was a carrier of the typhoid virus  – and is believed to have been responsible for 43 infections and three deaths.
‘Typhoid’ Mary, an Irish immigrant who emigrated to the U.S. in 1884, worked as a cook from 1900 to 1907.
She was first identified as a carrier by medical researcher George Soper, who concluded she was responsible for a spate of infections linked to where she lived and worked.
But she refused to listen to him. Instead, the city intervened after Soper published his findings, and his subject was forcibly incarcerated on North Brother from 1907 to 1910.
Typhoid Mary fought for three years to be released, claiming she was being persecuted by the authorities.
She was finally set free on the proviso she would stop working as a cook.
But Mary Mallon promptly changed her name and broke her pledge, leading to her return to the island in 1915.
She was to stay there, living in her own cottage, until her death in 1938.
When doctors carried out a post-mortem, they found live typhoid cultures in her body.

I just found this interesting. 

An extremely busy time for the Navy/Marine Corps.

This is an extremely busy time for the Navy/Marine Corps...check this out...

*24th MEU conducting certification exercises AND participating in Bold Alligator.
*31st MEU on its way to Cobra Gold.
*11Th MEU conducting operations in Djibuti and 5th fleets area of operations.
*unknown Marine unit participating in Enhanced Mojave Viper.
*3rd Recon is exercising with Singapore's Underwater Explosive Ordnance Disposal Teams.
*2nd Regimental Landing Team is participating in Bold Alligator.
*unknown Marine units participating in Iron Fist.


***And of course the units involved in the fighting in Afghanistan.

That's just off the top of my head and of course it doesn't give a real breakdown into the number of Marines and Sailors involved or the percentages either.  Just a guess but I would bet that you have well over 70% of the Marine Corps either involved or supporting an exercise or combat effort at this time.

And this doesn't include what the boys over at Tampa are doing (Marine side anyway).

Interesting times.  Interesting and busy times.

Modest proposal. Its time...bring back the 11th Airborne Division.

The 11th Airborne Division has a storied past.  It operated in the Pacific during World War 2 and its my contention that it should be brought back as the 11th Airborne (Air Assault).

A brief overview of their WW2 activities via WW2 Airborne.us

The 11th Airborne Division was activated at Camp Mackall North Carolina on February 25, 1943 under the command of Major General Joseph M. Swing (picture left). The division was manned primarily with former glider troops and some veteran Airborne troops. Immediately after activation, the Division began an intensive training cycle to get all of the glider troops jump qualified. Many of the troops were simply sent up in an aircraft with little formal training on the ground. The new Airborne soldiers performed above expectations and the Division was ready for overseas movement barely a year later.

In early 1944, the "Angels" were ordered to prepare for embarkation and the Division moved to San Francisco California. They boarded troop transports and in May they were on their way to New Guinea in the South Pacific. Upon arrival they were ordered into an intensive training cycle to learn jungle warfare in preparation for the invasion of the Pilippines. For 5 months the 11th Airborne sweated in the jungles and mountains of New Guinea and had several training jumps. FInally on November 11th, the Division boarded transports for their objective.

On November 18, 1944, the Angels landed at Leyte Beach Philippines. After consolidating their equipment, they moved inland to relieve they weary 24th Infantry and 37th Infantry Divisions. The 11th's objective was to clear a mountain pass from Burauen to Ormoc. It took 3 months of bitter fighting, often hand-to-hand to drive the Japanese defenders from the pass and surrounding heights. In the end the 11th Airborne had killed almost 6,000 enemy soldiers. When the Division arrived in Ormoc they were given a much needed rest and resupply.

On January 26, 1945 the 11th went back into action having rested only a few days. The Division landed at Nasgubu Beach, Luzon some 70 miles from the capitol city of Manila. Their mission was simple, clear all enemy opposition from a major highway and link up with the Allied forces attacking Manila. In just 5 days, the Division had eliminated all enemy resistance along Highway 17 and had pierced the main line of resistance at Tagayatay Ridge. Here the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment conducted a combat parachute drop to reinforce the 11th and the Division continued north.

After capturing Fort McKinley and Nichols field, the 11th launched their assult on Manila joining the 1st Cavalry Division and the 37th Infantry Division who were attacking from the North. Once the capitol was liberated, the 11th made a daring raid behind enemy lines and liberated 2,147 Allied POWs from the Los Baños Internment Camp. Once that mission was cleared the 11th Airborne spent the next few weeks mopping up resistance in the southern areas of Luzon.

In May of 1945, the Division moved into a reserve area in the Philippines to rest, resupply and take in new troops. They began preparations for the next big operation. Operation Olympic, the invasion of the Japanese home islands. Those plans were cancelled after the Japanese surrender in August 1945. On Aug. 10, 1945, the division moved to Okinawa to escort Gen. Douglas MacArthur into Japan and to spearhead the occupation. The 11th Airborne landed at Atsugi Airdrome, near Tokyo, on Aug. 30, 1945, and occupied an initial area in and around Yokohama. They remained there until mid-September 1945, when they moved to northern Japan and assumed responsibility for Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi and Iwate Prefectures. The division later took over control of Amori, Hokkaido, Fukushima and Prefectures to control of almost half the island of Honshu and all the island of Hokkaido.

Legend has it that when the 1st Cavalry Division, whose motto is "1st in Manila, 1st in Tokyo" arrived in Tokyo, they were met by the 11th Airborne Division band. The band played a special song for the Cavalry; "The old gray mare ain't what she used to be". General Swing left the division, which he had formed and led through combat, in January 1948, to assume command of 1st Corps, 8th Army and Maj. Gen. William M. Miley, the former commander of the 17th Airborne Division, assumed command. The 11th Airborne Division remained on occupation duty until 1949 when they were relieved and sent to Camp Campbell Kentucky.

Its time to relearn the lessons of Vietnam.  Fighting in the Pacific has always been particularly vicious.  Mobility has always been a concern, and another Air Assault Division forward deployed in say Australia or Diego Garcia would give the Army a dog in the fight and an effective force to boot.

NavAir's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter 2011 Year in Review

I hope that the USAF puts out a similar video...it's also interesting that this vid has the actual test pilots talking about the airplane.