Army SF has an in-house sea base. They just don't know it!

The US Army has Logistic Support Vessels in house that can be used to provide a "rebirth" of the Army's amphibious operations or to provide a platform for US Army Special Forces and Rangers.

I prefer the latter.

This from Naval Technology pretty much sums up my idea.

LSV - HELICOPTER CAPABLE
The LSV-helicopter capable variant in service with the Philippine Navy provides concealed transport, deployment and retrieval of both helicopters and patrol boats.
Attack helicopters are concealed below a modular flight deck while patrol boats and intercept craft are behind the stern ramp. The configuration presents the appearance of a logistic supply ship without the obvious display of force.

Wow.

Another lesson learned from our friends.  It would be a tremendous asset for the Special Forces and Rangers.  And it can be done today.

As far as revitalizing US Army amphibious ops, check this out from a Defense Tech story on this ships...

...as far as the platform goes, an LSV–with its slow speed, tiny draft, mid-sized crew (a core of about 30) and long legs (5,000 miles) would be a perfect “presence” tool for Africa and the Pacific Islands. Capable of carrying the equivalent of 28 Abrams M1A tanks, the LSV can bring a lot of stuff to a lot of places.

28 Abrams ashore in one lift?

That's approaching the old LST in lift capability.  No.  That is matching the old Newport class LST in capability.

The Army and Navy signed an agreement to transfer ships...I don't recall if these were included or if it was just the JHSV's, but if they were then the Army should seek to reverse that decision and possibly base a few of these in Guam or Japan or even Hawaii.

The future is in the Pacific or in operations off Africa stretching into the Middle East.  Either way, Soldier would be well served by keeping these ships in Army hands.

CLB-26 at Bold Alligator.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group watches as a French armored vehicle makes landfall, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

French armored vehicles drive on the shores of Onslow Beach, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group runs to meet an armored assault vehicle after it makes landfall, Feb. 6, 2012, during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group talks to an armored assault vehicle passenger, Feb. 6, 2012, to get an accurate count of vehicles and passengers during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

A landing support Marine with Combat Logistics Battalion 26, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group talks to an armored assault vehicle passenger, Feb. 6, 2012, to get an accurate count of vehicles and passengers during exercise Bold Alligator 2012 aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C. Bold Alligator is a multinational amphibious exercise designed to test the Marine Corps’ readiness by executing a beach assault. Landing support Marines are responsible for accounting for all gear and personnel on ground and orienting troops toward the fight.

SEAL Blowback part two.

Thanks to my bud USS Helm for sending me this link.  This is getting good!   When you have a retired Special Ops General tell an active duty Special Ops Admiral that he's in the media too much then you're seeing a real culture clash.  Something tells me that it isn't necessarily between generations of Special Ops warriors either...this feels more like a clash between SEALs and the rest of the Special Ops community.  Buckle up tight guys!  Even if it never makes it to the public, I'd bet body parts that I highly cherish, that this thing is coming to a head.  And if I were a betting man then I'd have to say that it will be the US Army Special Forces that leads the charge to get the SEALs to shut the fuck up!

via Yahoo.  Go there to read the whole thing but the good bits are below.

Since the time when your wonderful team went and drug bin Laden out and got rid of him, and more recently when you went down and rescued the group in Somalia, or wherever the hell they were, they've been splashing all of this all over the media," Vaught, 85, said. "I flat don't understand that.

"Now back when my special operators extracted Saddam [Hussein] from the hole, we didn't say one damn word about it," he continued. "We turned him over to the local commander and told him to claim that his forces drug him out of the hole, and he did so. And we just faded away and kept our mouth shut.

"Now I'm going to tell you, one of these days, if you keep publishing how you do this, the other guy's going to be there ready for you, and you're going to fly in and he's going to shoot down every damn helicopter and kill every one of your SEALs. Now, watch it happen. Mark my words. Get the hell out of the media," he concluded, as laughter broke out at a meeting of the National Defense Industrial Association in Washington, D.C.

Wow.

I said the exact same thing a couple of days ago. 

Oh and to the media that broke out in laughter.

FUCK YOU!

New Amphibious Truck from Gibbs might have military applications.

via Gizmag

I don't know who this vehicle is marketed to but it would appear to have some military and first responder applications.

I'd love to take one for a spin!

APA have been some busy boys...

Boy, some of the political hacks in the DoD are some sure fire idiots.  While the silly bastard in Washington is making headlines for slamming the F-35 acquisition plan, others are rapidly taking his words and using them to help bolster their arguments.

Check this out from the Australian...

The complaints by Air Power Australia, longtime critics of the $16 billion JSF acquisition, were made last night before a public hearing of parliament's defence sub-committee.
Latest-generation Russian fighters such as the Sukhoi T-50 would easily defeat the F-35 in air-to-air combat, Air Power's Peter Goon said, referring to recent modelling tests by his organisation.
"The aircraft we are planning to buy is carrying over 2000 pounds (900kg) of dead weight," Mr Goon said, referring to the JSF's big jet engines.
New Russian and Chinese air defence radars would also have little trouble detecting the JSF, a craft touted for its stealth qualities, he added.

The RAAF says it wants 100 US-designed JSFs to replace the decommisioned F-111 strike aircraft, with the first squadron supposed to be operating by 2018.But the program has been mired in cost overruns and delays.
Last month US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta ordered the purchase of US JSFs to be delayed to allow Lockheed-Martin time to resolve production and technical shortcomings.
The company is contracted to deliver the first two training aircraft in 2014 with another 12 scheduled for 2015-17.
Defence Minister Stephen Smith has said he is now considering an option to order additional F/A-18F Super Hornets to fill any capability gap created by further JSF production delays.

Now I know some will say...ah its just APA chill out.

That wouldn't quite be wise in my opinion.  The critics of this program have a way of 'finding' each other.  And while they all have different motives for canceling the program, they're united in the desire to CANCEL the program.

Meanwhile, supporters have allies that have a habit of sticking their feet --- yeah feet as in both of them --- inside their oversized mouths.  Lockheed Martin was late to the table when it came to realizing that this is a public relations war as well as a fighter program.

Time for the DoD to wake up to that fact too.

31st MEU Helo Marines hone fast roping skills

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-A Marine with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, provides security for his squad as they fast rope from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 11:36 AM

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-Marines with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, provide security for the rest of their squad as they fast rope from a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 11:59 AM

CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan-A Marine with Company C., Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, fast ropes from a UH-1N Huey helicopter from Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 265 (Reinforced), 31st MEU, at Landing Zone Hansen here, Feb. 7. As part of the remain behind element while the rest of BLT 1/4 is deployed in support of Cobra Gold 2012 in the Kingdom of Thailand, the Marines are making the most of the time to further enhance their training in preparation for their upcoming deployment. The 31st MEU is the only continuously forward-deployed MEU and remains the nation’s force in readiness in the Asia-Pacific region., Cpl. Jonathan G. Wright, 2/7/2012 12:39 PM

Bold Alligator continues. Camp followers multiply.

Great, short vid on Bold Alligator.  I'm pleased to see how mechanized the French forces are.  They appear to have put on the ground a pretty credible ground force.

A couple of thoughts.

1.  Really pissed at a certain Marine General.  Time for him to retire or transfer full time to SOCOM.

2.  Speaking of SOCOM.  I'm a bit tired of that outfit crowding its way into every exercise whether specific to them or not.  This was suppose to be about revitalizing LARGE scale amphibious operations.  If those boys are so stressed by operational tempo then let them get some rest.  Them being at this exercise is not warranted in my opinion.

3.  Speaking of camp followers and glory hounds, I'm a bit peeved at some of the actions I've seen here.  The Commodore of Riverine Force inserting himself into the scenarios?  Not bloody likely and an ego trip if I ever saw one.  Pathetic.

Riverine Group 1 Commodore, Capt. Chris Halton, Command Master Chief Jeff Covington and Lt. Isaac Hartsell perform a key leader engagement with simulated host nationals during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest amphibious exercise in the past 10 years. The exercise represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place 30 Jan - 12 Feb, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina.

Riverine Group 1 Commodore, Capt. Chris Halton, Command Master Chief Jeff Covington and Lt. Isaac Hartsell perform a key leader engagement with simulated host nationals during Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, the largest amphibious exercise in the past 10 years. The exercise represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. This exercise will take place Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina.

4.  Gotta repeat myself here.  The French came to play.  The Brits, Australians and Dutch can be excused for smaller contingents...Cobra Gold is going on in the Pacific and The Brits and Dutch have something going on way up in the waters of northern Europe.

5.  Congressional Aides showed up and of course they're getting the royal treatment.  When we were warned about the defense industrial complex, he forgot to mention that elected officials and their minions would see the military as a play thing.  Rolling out the red carpet for these legalized hoodlums reinforces their sense of entitlement.

We're at the halfway point of this exercise and more is to come.

Modest Proposal. Time to let Force Recon/Recon go...

Its time.

I am beyond tired of listening to a particular Marine General pump his chest out, brag and act as if the rest of the Marine Corps doesn't matter.  This is what he told AOL Defense...

Hejlik stressed the importance of integrating special operations forces into Marine operations during a breakfast in Washington last week. The three-star general said getting those two groups to work closer together was a key goal for Bold Alligator planners. Increasing the ranks within MARSOC is a key part of the Marines post-Afghanistan force structure, especially as the service's total force drops to 181,000 troops. But current budget pressures may hinder that growth, Hejlik said at the time. The Marines "will not get the plus-up we expected" for their special forces cadre in the upcoming fiscal 2013 defense bill, Hejlik said. He did not go into specifics on how low that potential MARSOC troop increase could go. But the three-star general did note his lowered expectations for the Corps' special operations force was tied to the service's pending troop drawdown.

Its time to let Recon and Force Recon go their merry way to MARSOC and be done with the foolishness.

Its apparent that they don't want to be a part of the MEU and don't want to deal with the greater Marine Corps.

Good riddance.

My modest proposal is to pump up our Scout Sniper Platoons, give them proper funding and training and develop this outstanding asset.  They already have it right without the door kicking.

You want eyes on target?  They can do it.

You want stealth?  They have it in spades.

You want direct action?  Yeah, a Sniper Platoon can do it but surgically...besides, they'll be 100% in house so we can just attach an air or boat company to them and get that mission done too.

Bye bye Force/Recon...Helloooooo to the newly formed Scout Sniper Recon Platoon!

SEAL overload blowback?

I've noted that SEAL's recent missions have been so publicized that they've practically given the bad guys a playbook into SOCOM mission planning.

The guys at KitUp! have started a new blog called SOFREP.com that portends to be all things Special Operations.  One of the authors recently wrote this...

The Special Air Service gets about as much press as the Navy SEALs here in the US. I’m not sure exactly why that is. Maybe the Army’s SF and Air Force PJs need better publicists; perhaps it’s just the natural evolution of things, could be everyone wants to rock an SAS smock or Denison smock just ‘cuz they look cool.
Maybe (probably) some of the SOF units just don’t care one way or the other.
 I’m guessing a lot of it just has to do with the ‘gun porn’ nature of how lay folk (and many military personnel) view SOF  matters, and I know a lot of my friends in that line of work would just as soon no one knew they were involved in anything ‘special’ at all (which is the whole point of the gray man and quiet professional concept after all).
There have been a number of books about 22 Air Service Regiment over the years (far more than the SBS or the Paras, though the’re out there obviously), pretty much since the Iranian Embassy siege put them in front of every television in the world. One of these was Soldier I, SAS, by Pete Winner. I first read the book when it was first released many years ago, back before the magic of the interwebz and Bravo Two Zero and the like. That’s when I first read about the SAS at Mirbat. I’d never seen these videos before, thought you might find them interesting. The book is certainly worth reading, if you get a chance to pick it up. You can buy it off Amazon or maybe pick up an old paperback at a used book store, and you should.
Anyway, watch these. You gotta love some operators that take the fight to the bad guys with a WWII cannon along with all their modern kit.

Hmmm.

Lay folk and gun porn nature?

If you've followed KitUp! (and I'm a regular reader) then you would know that the most popular article for the past month had to do with a guest post on whether or not the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle was a worthwhile addition to the Marine Infantry Squad.  The second most popular article dealt with the M4.

Not exactly SOF specific topics huh?

But more to the point is the comments section on this particular article.  Check out what one commenter stated....

you can't be this blasé about how the SEALs are in the spotlight and say it's the media or society,
the SEALs like to say they are SEALs, go to the clubs in UAE, Middlebury language courses, UCSD.
They like to write books and do interviews and be in Hollywood movies, hell who's idea was this site?

There is a culture of being in the spotlight with SEALs not present amongst SFs. there should be a study
on why this is. It is obviously paying off in DoD, more SEALs are getting promotions, and I'm sure this
publicity push has something to do with why only SEAL officers and not SF officers are getting the high
promotions within DoD, write an article about this Brandon.

and then this...

Not waving off current American society's love for SOF porn, rather pointing why there is a focus towards SEALs, namely SEALs tend to put themselves out there.

Question: Are the popular missions tasked to SEALs because SEAL officers sit on spots that task these missions? I think this would be a good article for SOFREP, instead of SOF-porn let's get a good discussion about SEALs vs. SF relationship at the higher levels.

That's a pretty strong reaction.

What I do know is this.  MARSOC had a pretty rough reception into SOCOM.  I won't call it resentment.  I won't call it jealousy but I can tell you that the Marines of Special Operations Battalion had to prove to the rest of SOCOM that they were team players.

I think they have.

Let's hope that SEALs don't find themselves in the position of being outside the circle of the quiet professionals.


NOTE*
But wait.  theres more!  Check out the comments at the end of the story here.   This is the passage that has the commenters ready to punch walls.  I found it funny. 

Other US Special Forces will often compare themselves to SEALs, but in the quiet of the night when they reflect personally, they admit to themselves that their selection is no comparison. Any that argue so just have to look at the length of training and attrition rate to realize that it is like comparing a London Business school MBA to one earned online.  Enough said.

I revise my previous.  Something is seriously wrong in SEAL land.  These guys need an intervention.

Mercantile vs. Combat standards.

Bryaxis sent me this link to a Defense News article regarding the Mistral at Bold Alligator.  Here it is...

At a time when the U.S. Navy is trying to enlarge its fleet on a tight budget, a series of foreign ships offer thoughtful ideas about how that can be done.
France’s Mistral amphibious assault and command ship is a good example. Now participating in the massive Bold Alligator amphibious exercise off America’s East Coast Jan. 30-Feb. 13, she combines the commercial construction and automation to pack enormous capability into a relatively small and affordable package.
Able to carry up to 650 troops, up to 90 vehicles and between 16 heavy and 35 light helicopters, she has a crew of just 170 and costs about $600 million.
It’s hard to compare her to any U.S. vessel. She carries slightly fewer troops than an LPD-17-class amphibious ship at a third the cost and half the crew, but has a flight deck and aviation capabilities more akin to a Wasp-class assault ship at a sixth the cost and crew size.
Every vessel is the result of tradeoffs. Time will tell whether France made the right choices in a ship that compromises robustness for capacity and efficiency.
What is clear, however, is Mistral has spent most of the past four years at sea on real world missions, most recently off Libya more efficiently and at less cost than older warship designs.
Overall, Mistral is an attractive package that U.S. officials should check out more closely.

Wow.

The age old argument between combat and mercantile standards.

Its really not even an argument in my mind.  Remember the USS Stark? I wasn't there so I don't know but what was reported is that the ship was hit with two Exocet missiles and survived.

That's was a ship built to combat standards.

In the meantime we've had ships hit by mines...and expect our ships to go into harms way.  Unless we lessen our desire to protect our men and women who crew these ships then we will continue to build them to combat standards.  If we decide that saving money in the short term is more important then we need to make our people aware of that fact ---- and lower the Servicemen's Life Group Insurance payouts.

I know that high tech at sea combat is not expected but if it ever comes then the loss of life over the ten years in Iraq/Afghanistan can be equaled on one bad day. 

5k or more people on an aircraft carrier.

3k or more people on an LHD or LHA.

Yeah, we need combat standards.  Defense News is wrong.

Bold Alligator so far.

A couple of things...

1.  Despite political issues between the people of Europe and the USA doesn't appear to extend to the military.  Participation by our European allies, even the French has been impressive.

2.  With the exception of the French it appears that our allies use their Marines in a mostly Commando type role.  That will be a serious thing to consider in future operations.

3.  As much as they've talked about the sea base, I haven't seen any coverage of it.  I'm of the opinion that the sea base is going to cost the Marine Corps amphibious shipping for a limited return on the investment...and even if realized will mostly benefit other services...especially the Army (not a bad thing but a consideration in times of tight budgets).  One team one fight is an awesome saying...except when it comes to budget battles!

4.  Speaking of the Army, I just gotta repeat myself!  It would have been so awesome to see a Stryker Brigade participate as an opposing force in this exercise.  Both the Army and Marine Corps could have benefited.  The Army could test out its concepts and the Marine Corps could gain insights into fighting a highly mechanized peer opponent.

5.  I was surprised to learn (according to AOL) that the US Navy has committed a Carrier Battle Group to the exercise.  I have mixed feelings on that.  The idea that an amphibious assault can only take place with a carrier around is something I don't quite agree on.  History teaches that these high value weapons of war will not be risked so the Marine Corps and the Gator Navy should become proficient at going it alone if necessary.

6.  Which brings me to the next service.  A wing of F-15's, 16's and A-10's sure would make a nice complement to these proceedings.  Like having a Stryker Brigade come out to play, it would have been nice (especially with the Carrier Navy out and about) to see how the allies dealt with the possibility of opposing air creeping into the picture and playing havoc with mobility and supply lines....

Just my thoughts.

A fantastic image of the L-Cat...the French assault Bold Alligator.

A landing craft from the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral (L9013) hits the beach during the amphibious assault phase of Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator 2012, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. The exercise takes place Jan. 12 - Feb. 12, 2012 afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tom Gagnier)

French Marines approach the beach to deliver vehicles using an amphibious craft from the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral (L9013) during the amphibious assault phase of Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator 2012, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. The exercise takes place Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tom Gagnier)

French Marines approach the beach to delivery vehicles using an amphibious craft from the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral (L9013) during the amphibious assault phase of Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator 2012, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. The exercise takes place Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tom Gagnier)

French Marines lead a convoy during the amphibious assault phase of Bold Alligator 2012. Bold Alligator 2012, the largest naval amphibious exercise in the past 10 years, represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the full range of amphibious operations. The exercise focuses on today's fight with today's forces, while showcasing the advantages of seabasing. The exercise takes place Jan. 30 - Feb. 12, 2012, afloat and ashore in and around Virginia and North Carolina. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Tom Gagnier)