Subtle signs of US involvement in Africa...

Playing on Google Earth today and ran across a C-130 parked at the Moi Airport in Kenya.  What has me confused is what I'm seeing at the ports.  I'm spotting what I believe is a Perry Class Frigate along with another Frigate/Destroyer sized ship nearby.  There is also an additional ship that appears to be some type of LPD that I can't quite make out.

Between spotting this and taking another look at Camp Lemonnier (I think they might have frozen that pic....it hasn't changed in days now) it seems the presence is expanding.

If you have any hints or tips on where I should look for US or allied forces operating in out of the way places...hit me up!

UPDATE:

Joe (thanks buddy) found this pic of a C-130 at Moi Airport on PlanePictures.net taken on Feb 20, 2012.

 

Ops-Core vs. Artist dust up....

via Soldier Systems...

Ultimately, the Boston Globe story, “At Fort Point studios, artists feel betrayed” is really just gasoline on a fire. It doesn’t solve anything but rather fans the flames of discontent. Furthermore, it fails to mention the impact of the Ops-Core closure. 80 employees are collecting unemployment and it has caused a hiccup in the assembly of helmets. Finally, I doubt but few of the tenants have considered their actions. If Ops-Core leaves, it may well result in the closure of the facility altogether. Assuming that much of a loan would require guaranteed income. While there are numerous tenants at Midway Studios, it is doubtful that they would band together and form the business entity required to acquire the building and manage it. After all, they’re artists, if they wanted to manage real estate portfolios they wouldn’t be living in rent controlled spaces.
Overall, it’s a lot of venting, and posturing and well, “Occupy Ops-Core.” In the end, the artist tenants turn their outrage elsewhere. Hopefully, it will be before any more damage is done.

Go to their site to read the whole story and you might want to page back and read some of their previous coverage of this 'controversy'.

Personally I don't understand the actions of either side.  The artist are just some spoiled brats in my opinion but Ops-Core is dealing with the issue in an unusual way too.

They're a multi-million dollar company.  Its a down economy.  They could easily find any number of locations to move to and be welcomed with open arms.

Its got to be a "style" issue with the ownership.  Perhaps its the trendy place to live and work and that's what he's after. 

Either way this seems like a tempest in a tea pot.  A minor issue that is made up and should be easily solved.

Still for a Sunday afternoon, its pretty interesting.

Singapore's Navy Divers...

No rant...just interesting...

Singapore's Special Operations Task Force.

More of the "one team one fight" nonsense.

What combining these special operations teams did was to decrease competition between them.  Instead of having to justify their existence they're simply getting fat.  The problem they don't see coming is that as soon as the book keepers are finished eviscerating the conventional forces some bright boy will point to the Special Ops branch and start asking some hard and uncomfortable questions.

I want to see them justify all the club houses and Rolex watches in a time of austerity.  But I digress....I've played this before but here it is again....I saw it on Military Photos and got reminded of it.

31st MEU executes boat raid as final event of their certification exercise

Interesting.

A boat raid is probably more useful than helo raids.  They can't strike as deeply into enemy territory but can be more stealthy and don't have the baggage of worrying about mechanical problems and having to deal with a helicopter left in enemy hands.

But the 31st MEU's commander seems to discount it as a tool because he isn't using his Force Recon/Recon elements as part of it.

Its really a pity. 

Boat Company has Scout Swimmers assigned to it that can perform beach recon, can attach Snipers to it to scout further inland and is basically a stealthy, adaptable, flexible and organic weapon in the MEU's tool kit.

It really should get more play.

Spotted at Yuma MCAS.

The above photo was taken at the Yuma MCAS.  If you click on the pic you can spot a Hind Helicopter sitting between the CH-53E's.

Who operates those for US forces?  How many of them do we have?

Any info would be appreciated.  Thanks.

UPDATE:

"Lucky" and "ME" both gave me outstanding leads on the owners of the above Hind.  Major Hat Tip to both you gents.  There is no way in the world I can know even a fifth of the stuff that's going on out there and readers like you help fill in the blanks.

Check out this link that LUCKY sent and this by one by  "ME"....absolutely awesome guys.

Black Buck Raid...

I received an e-mail from Sharkey Ward (famed pilot of Falkland Island fame and blogger at the Pheonix Think Tank) and he is going full bore after the Royal Air Force and an upcoming documentary about the Black Buck raid.

I did a little hasty research and I hope that the RAF isn't going to paint the raids as a success.  Men put their lives on the line so I won't label them a failure but they did not achieve stated goals and unfortunately it appears that the 'powers that be' in the air service was merely looking for a way to get its forces into the fight.

All that being said, I'm trying to reach Sharkey so that I can print his summary on the raid.  Trust me, its fascinating reading and gives an insight into the thinking that goes on in the upper reaches of the British military (but I'm positive that the same thinking exists in any military in the free world).

The Falklands War.  30 years later and it still burns bright for the Brits.

Awesome.  

That means they still have a martial mindset.

Personally I'm relieved.