Blast from the Past. Buccaneer. The ultimate naval strike fighter...the video.

r.crichton7(thanks dude) sent me this video and I just had to share it. 

 

Training of Foreign Forces isn't only for Special Forces anymore.

A Georgian soldier with Scout Platoon, Delta Company, 23rd Georgian Infantry Battalion provides security during a close-air support exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany, Feb. 9, 2012. The JMRC, working with U.S. Marine Forces Europe as part of the Georgia Deployment Program-International Security Assistance Force, conducted mission rehearsal exercises for Georgian infantry battalions to assist them in preparing to deploy for operations in Afghanistan. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Kirk Evanoff/Released)

Training foreign forces ain't just a Special Forces mission anymore.  One of things that came out of the war on terror was the building of relationships.  I haven't covered it but the Black Sea Rotational Force has made some pretty good friends in the region.

BAE is doing armor now?

Body armor, gear, helmets, military and government vehicle armors and aircraft armor? 

Wow.

BAE is diversifying big time.

Pic of the day. Mickey Mouse games in a war zone.

Soldiers from the Minnesota National Guard complete a ruck march to earn the Expert Infantryman Badge at Forward Operating Base Gerber, in Kuwait, on Jan. 27, 2012. The Expert Infantryman Badge is awarded to soldiers who hold infantry or special forces military occupational specialties and complete a series of tests. DoD photo by Cpl. Trisha Betz, U.S. Army. (Released)

Wow.

I see the US Army plays games too.

This guy is wearing patches on both arms which means (and I'm assuming that he's a grunt) that he's earned a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB).  With that being the case then I'm sure he could care less about earning a Expert Infantryman Badge (EID), but training must be done.

Blast from the past. Ultimate naval strike fighter...the Bucaneer.

The ultimate naval strike fighter.

The Blackburn Buccaneer.

Back when the Brits were as hard as woodpecker lips they came up with a strike fighter that was a world beater.  A strike fighter that could outrun almost every contemporary fighter that dove down to engage it and at exercises at Red Flag proved that it could kill the attackers too.

Not only was it an extraordinary striker but it was also very innovative.

*internal weapons carriage
*area ruled fuselage (the classic coke bottle shape)
*boundary layer control
*multi-mission design, it performed strike, recon and an early version of fast FAC by designating targets for other aircraft

Read about it on the Buccaneer page here, and on its Wiki page here.

More pics from the tri-national amphibious assault at Cobra Gold.

All photos by Cpl Justin Wheeler.

Nuclear weapons reductions? Not if you're China.

Click on the above pic to enlarge it.

Anthony! sent me this article from the Washington Post (thanks guy!) and it pretty much confirms what everyone is thinking but its not PC to say.

I mean seriously.  China has been rapidly upgrading its land, air and sea forces...has upped its ambitions in space and we're suppose to seriously believe that they haven't done likewise with their nuclear program?

Say it out loud and think about how stupid you sound.

But really this article is an eye opener.  Read it all but check this part out.

The result of their effort? The largest body of public knowledge about thousands of miles of tunnels dug by the Second Artillery Corps, a secretive branch of the Chinese military in charge of protecting and deploying its ballistic missiles and nuclear warheads.
The study is yet to be released, but already it has sparked a congressional hearing and been circulated among top officials in the Pentagon, including the Air Force vice chief of staff.
Most of the attention has focused on the 363-page study’s provocative conclusion — that China’s nuclear arsenal could be many times larger than the well-established estimates of arms-control experts.
“It’s not quite a bombshell, but those thoughts and estimates are being checked against what people think they know based on classified information,” said a Defense Department strategist who would discuss the study only on the condition of anonymity.

Its coming slowly.  But it is coming.

The realization that China is a clear and present danger.

McRaven's power play. SOFRep's view.

SOFRep weighs in on McRaven's push to become a super combatant commander.  In essence he wants to be able to deploy his forces globally from Tampa without having to have them requested by the regional combatant commander, the State Dept or both.

In my opinion its a recipe for disaster. 

But that's my perspective, this is SOFRep's...

Meanwhile, radicals roam the globe with a closed play book, and no rules. To be effective against this kind of threat, you need to build some more agility into SOCOM. I’ll acknowledge that US SOCOM will always have a handicap when it comes to being forced to play by the rules, and having checks and balances in place are good things.
We need to work smarter, not harder, and nobody knows this saying better than my former teammate, McRaven.
“The military’s regional combatant commanders have feared a decrease of their authority”-NY Times
Modern warfare has changed, and it’s a Special Operations Centric DoD these days. Some in DoD may not be happy with that, but either we get with the times or the times will get with us.
I’m skeptical of the New York Times quote above; It amazes me how a respectable publication like The NY times (I like most of what they do) does a great job of representing speculation as fact in their morning write up on McRaven. The quote above cites no source.  So I ask the authors this question:  Which regional commanders are you talking about? Because I’d like to know, and where I come from, when you represent speculation as fact, it’s called bullshitting.
We are dealing with a distributed enemy that has no problem killing innocent people to drive their radical agenda.  There are some big sponsor states in the mix and they are a huge source of funding, and often provide safe haven for Radical Ideologists. Pakistan or Iran anyone? At least Iran only talks out of one side of the mouth.
To deal with an Asymmetric threat requires agility to remain effective. So we think McRaven and SOCOM should get what they’re asking for.  I just hope we can build a few schools along the way.

Wow.

Its a Special Operations Centric DoD?

Some may not be happy with that but either we get with the times or the times will get with us?

Wow.

SOCOM is turning into a beast that needs to get reeled back in.

McRaven's idea should be taken down to the river and held underwater till it stops kicking.