EMOD Stock and P-Mags...

Sgt. Michael Trevino, personal security detail, non-comissioned officer, 172nd Infantry Brigade, utilizes a foot bridge to cross a swollen river outside of the village of Marzak while locals wash clothing on the far bank. Marzak has historically been a stronghold for the insurgency over the past decade until the Afghan and U.S forces took advantage of the winter months to establish a local police force at the request of the elders and secure the village from foreign fighters who transit the area during the fighting season.

I'm digging his EMOD stock and P-Mags...I thought chest rigs for your sidearm was a no-no now...and I can't identify his optics.  Was this a unit or private purchase?

Interesting News. HMH-461 have been some busy, quiet boys.

via Navy Recognition.

Off the coast of Djibouti, a Sikorsky CH-53 "Sea Stallion" from United States Marine Corps (USMC) Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 461 (HMH-461) conducted several approaches and landings on the Dixmude, French Navy's newest LHD.

Dixmude is the third ship of Mistral Class and is curently used to form and train future French Navy's Officers. The French vessel's flight deck directors dubbed "yellow dogs" were present on the flight deck to assist the Marines crew of the Sea Stallion in his deck landing maneuvers. The CH-53 was able to perform all its TAG (Touch and Go), and obtain the landing qualification on this French type of LHD.

Marines mechanics disembarked from the CH-53 to spend some time on the Dixmude and watch the approach of their aircraft. It was an opportunity for sailors of both nations to exchange a few words, visit parts of the French ship and exchange their unit patches.

Thanks Navy Recognition!

Now we know the name of the unit operating those CH-53's at Camp Lemonnier.  We also know for a fact that the images of that base have indeed been frozen...indeed the images of the region have been frozen.

But even more telling is the fact that in addition to French Foreign Legion, French Airborne Marines and French Paratroopers (and not counting French Special Ops Forces) we also have a French Warship operating off the coast of Africa.

Interesting indeed.

UPDATE:  Bryaxis states that this is indeed a training cruise for the junior officers.  Wow.  I couldn't imagine the US Navy taking out a frontline warship and using it for a training cruise.  Different ways of doing business I guess.  BUT!  The Legion, Airborne Marines and Paratroopers from France are all running wild and wooly on the African Continent.  

Marines in or headed to--The Fight.

Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1st Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, navigate the water before loading their Assault Amphibious Vehicle onto the USS New York, March 29 before embarking upon a scheduled eight-month deployment. The 24th MEU, partnered with the Navy's Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, is deploying to the European and Central Command theaters of operation to serve as a theater reserve and crisis response force capable of a variety of missions from full-scale combat operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Michael Petersheim)

Marines with Engineer Support Company Detachment, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group (Forward) dig into the Afghan dirt during a two-day road reconstruction project along Route Yellow near Shir Ghazay, Afghanistan, March 13-14.
(U.S. Marine Corps phot by Cpl. Anthony Ward)

The Wild Man of the Air Force..

Read about this Wild Man (and hero) over at Black Five's place.

Seriously jacked up Harrier.

The amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) arrives in Sasebo, Japan. Bonhomme Richard is relieving USS Essex (LHD 2). (U.S. Navy photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Joe Kane/Released)

That is one seriously jacked up Harrier.

I've seen training jets moved around.  Cars in hangars but I wonder what the story is behind this airplane.

If you know then please hook me up.  I'm beyond curious.

F-35C High Speed Fly-by

Suck on that AW!

Mythical Fleet Part 2. Sea Control Ship (Littoral)

The next thing my mythical fleet needs is a mothership/sea control/littoral support ship.  My choice?  The Mistral class.

Specs from Wikipedia...

General characteristics
Type:	landing platform helicopter
Displacement:	16,500 tonnes (empty) 21,300 tonnes (full load) 32,300 tonnes (with ballasts)
Length:	199 m (653 ft)
Beam:	32 m (105 ft)
Draught:	6.3 m (21 ft)
Installed power:	3 Wärtsilä diesels-alternators 16 V32 (6.2 MW) + 1 Wärtsilä Vaasa auxiliary diesel-alternator 18V200 (3 MW)
Propulsion:	2 Mermaid azimuth thrusters (2 × 7 MW), 2 5-bladed propellers
Speed:	18.8 knots (35 km/h)
Range:	10,800 km (5,800 nmi) at 18 knots (33 km/h) 19,800 kilometres (10,700 nmi) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Boats and landing craft carried:	4 CTM (chaland de transport de matériel) alternatively, 2 LCAC (Landing Craft, Air Cushion)
Capacity:	59 vehicles (including 13 Leclerc tanks) or a 40-strong Leclerc tank battalion
Troops:	900 (short duration) 450 (long durations) 150 (serving as operational headquarters)
Complement:	20 officers, 80 petty officers, 60 quarter-masters
Sensors and processing systems:	DRBN-38A Decca Bridgemaster E250 navigation radar MRR3D-NG air/surface sentry radar 2 optronic fire control systems
Armament:	2 x Simbad systems 4 x 12.7 mm M2-HB Browning machine guns
Aircraft carried:	16 heavy or 35 light helicopters
Aviation facilities:	6 helicopter landing spots

The vehicle capacity is really over kill, in my vision it'll be used for enhanced aviation and munitions storage.  I'd fill this ship with Navy MH-60's armed to the gills and then I'd stuff the back end with Riverines and make this a US Navy Special Ops platform.

SOCOM would get its mothership, Riverines would get its mothership and NAVAIR would get a sea control beast from hell.  MH-60's patrolling off the coast of Africa could shut down piracy in a week.  In addition you'd have Riverines running patrols and SOCOM conducting raids from its deck.

What ship would be canned in order to bring this true mult-role ship to the fleet? 

LCS.

What capability would we lose?

Mine hunting.  Every other trick the LCS was expected to perform would be covered by these Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH).  Its not much of a stretch either.  They displace less than a San Antonio Class LPD so they would be considered relatively small ships.  I envision a total of 4 being procured.

Gunfighters at sunset...

The sun sets as UH-1Y Huey crews with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 369, the "Gunfighters," fly across the flight line on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan, April 1. The Gunfighters continued combat operations while celebrating their 40th anniversary(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Lisa Tourtelot).

NOTE:

I wish to all that's right in the world that Marine Corps Combat Photographers would standardize on a simple standard.  Place the name of the Combat Photographer at the end of the caption.  Too many times I'm seeing great shots like this and no credit can be given because the name isn't included.  Come on PAO's.  You can make this happen!
Thank You!

Gwetzel and Gbloore's art.

Gwetzel's work...

And now Gbloore's work...

Both are great photographers and both have been kind enough to share there work.  The only thing I would ask is that if you use their photos then at least be kind enough to credit them.  If you don't then we'll see amazing photos like those above plastered with watermarks or sold to the public instead of being shared freely.

Keep the internet free.  Follow the Wikipedia Commons Code!

Sidenote:  The British and a few of our other allies have detachments here in the US that rival any forces that we have in there countries.  Interesting.

Piranha USV Concept

Via Gizmag.

I won't reinvent the wheel.  Go to Gizmag to read their article on this waterborne UV.  My question is basically this.  What purpose will surface UVs fill?  Just like the search for ground unmanned vehicles I just don't see these taking off.  I could easily be wrong but I just don't see the niche that they're gonna fill.  I mean seriously...the Army's been looking at these for over a decade and they're relegated to backpack sized robots.  The Navy's been searching too and haven't hit on anything.

But again, I could be wrong.  Here's the link to the company website for more info.

Follow up: Lies, Damn Lies and Wheeler Lies!

Wheeler took a post of mine and played with the title to make it fit his latest for Time Magazine.  Read it for yourself but its another Sweetman/Horde special.

But even better is the way that Bruce McQuain from Black Five pushes back on the nonsense...

It would be nice to know what cost is being quoted on the F-35 here.  Most use Unit Recurring Flyaway Cost (URF) which is no where near what is being quoted. Is it TOC or Total Ownership Cost?  Life Cycle Cost? Acquisition Cost? (PAUC)  Which is it?
Secondly, the F-35 comes mission capable (i.e. the engine is included in the URF price).  That is not true of the legacy 4th generation fighters.  Or to simplify, the F-35 is a "combo meal" not an ala carte "do you want fries with that" meal.

Bruce is too much of a gentleman to state what's actually on his mind.  Let me fill in the gaps...

Presence Patrol.

Afghan children walk alongside Lance Cpl. Jacob Kartchner, a team leader with 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, and 28-year-old native of Long Beach, Calif., in the hopes of receiving candy from Kartchner as he patrols with fellow Marines and Afghan National Police outside the Hazar Joft Bazaar here, April 8, 2012. On the patrol, the Kilo Co. Marines partnered with members of the ANP to maintain security in and around the bazaar, one of the busiest commercial centers in Helmand province's Garmsir district. Their partnership is a vital part of preparing the Afghan National Security Forces to assume lead security responsibility in Garmsir.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Reece Lodder)

Please note that you don't see an Afghan Policeman in the picture.  That's what I call outstanding force protection.