Heroism vs. Politics.

"Suppose the Navy SEALs had been captured or killed...the down side would have been horrible for him (the President)"

I think that says it all.

Heroism vs. Politics.  Some of us know the difference. 

Perimeter security.

A paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, pulls security during a combined U.S. – Afghan clearing operation April 28, 2012, in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. He is set up in the ruins of an old kalat, or mud-wall building. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod

Russian Airborne Forces to be taught US tactics stateside.

You have got to be shitting me!  From Buisness Insider!

Russian paratroopers will meet up with American forces next month for an unprecedented military exercise in Colorado, according to RT News.
It's the first time Russian service members will be invited into the United States for a joint drill.
A Russian airborne task force will "exercise with U.S. special service weapons," an announcement by Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Col. Aleksandr Kucherenko revealed.
The official purpose of the joint training is to practice airborne tactics and anti-terror operations, such as dropping into a hostile area and conducting a "terrorist camp raid."
"Soldiers of the two countries will hold a tactical airborne operation, including reconnaissance of an imaginary terrorists' camp and a raid," said Kucherenko.

If that isn't bad enough then check out this video.



We have US Marines assigned to the Black Sea Rotational Force teaching our allies, the Georgian military, how to repel an attack by these bastards and now we're gonna teach them our stuff?

Leadership failure.

But wait!  There's more!  While our State Dept and Pentagon drop trousers and grabs ankles this is what the Russians are doing...via Washington Times....

 Russia’s most senior military officer said Thursday that Moscow would preemptively strike and destroy U.S.-led NATO missile defense sites in Eastern Europe if talks with Washington about the system continue to stall.
“A decision to use destructive force preemptively will be taken if the situation worsens,” Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov said at an international missile defense conference in Moscow attended by senior U.S. and NATO officials.
The threat comes as talks about the missile defense system, which the U.S. and its allies insist is aimed at Iranian missiles, appear to have stalled.
“We have not been able to find mutually-acceptable solutions at this point and the situation is practically at a dead end,” Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said.

They play hardball we acted like pussies.

AVX Aircraft Corp. concept is now patented.

via Shepard Media.

AVX Aircraft Company has announced that it has been granted its primary utility patent by the US Patent and Trade Office, covering all aspects of its unique technical functions and configuration, consisting of coaxial rotors and dual ducted fans, the relationship between the rotors and fans, which provide propulsion and directional control, as well as a number of internal controls and components. The company made the announcement 2 May, 2012.

The patent is an important milestone for the company and its technology, AVX Aircraft Company said. ‘Since the main rotors are needed only for lift, the aircraft is able to fly level, similar to a fixed-wing aircraft, resulting in less drag than conventional rotorcraft.  The rear fans act like propellers and provide 30%-50% greater speed than conventional rotorcraft, and also provide directional control which simplifies the function of the rotors.’

AVX believes its technology combines ‘proven technologies to achieve greater aerodynamic efficiency, speed, range, fuel efficiency, hover out of ground effect, ability to operate in hotter temperatures and at higher altitudes, and greater utility than conventional helicopters.  AVX Technology is scalable to any size helicopter and is applicable to commercial and military aircraft.’

Just a feeling but I would bet that this company is on someone's radar as a takeover target.

The concept is stunning.  AVX has the sole rights to it...One of the big boys in the aviation industry is about to claim it for itself.

Remember you heard it here first.

LCS 1 & 2 on exercise.

A couple of things...

I'm surprised at how much larger the LCS 2 appears in relation to the LCS 1.  That flight deck on the LCS 2 should come in handy.

I'm a little shocked at how old and tired these ships look.  Here's a close up of the LCS 2....

I wonder what they're going to look like after a deployment or two.

NOTE:
If this is the new Navy standard when it comes to ship appearance then we desperately need to establish motherships and keep these bad boys off shore.  Can you imagine pulling into hyper clean, hyper sparkling Singapore in a ship that looks like a garbage barge?  Embarrassing!

Big Army about to put a muzzle on SOCOM.

I've been a critic of SOCOM but this is not what I was looking for with changes to that organization.  The current Army Chief of Staff is about to make these units ineffective.  Check this out from Military.com.

U.S. military leaders are planning an Army where conventional units will be deployed in tandem with Special Forces, officials say.
Gen. Ray Odierno, the Army chief of staff, outlined the new military in an article published last week in Foreign Affairs. He suggested the military needs to build on the relationship between the conventional Army and Special Operations Forces developed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The evolution of this partnership over the past decade has been extraordinary, and the ties can become even stronger as we continue to develop new operational concepts, enhance our training and invest in new capabilities," he wrote.
While the size of the Army is being cut, Special Forces are to grow from 32,000 to 35,000, The New York Times said.
The military's goal, as described by Odierno and other leaders, is an Army that can handle everything from working with local leaders to heavy combat in the same theater. That means rethinking conventional military training.
One plan is to assign units to a specific region of the world, allowing soldiers to be trained in local languages and customs.

This will render some SOCOM units totally ineffective.

US Army Special Forces won't be able to do their thing because you'll have an Army Infantry Brigade stomping around where they're treading lightly.

What I had in mind was a SOCOM that was more independent.  You can bet that this is a move to place SOCOM officers back under the thumbs of Conventional Force Officers.

Funny thing is that SOCOM has no one but themselves to blame.   Instead of seeking greater power, they should have been seeking greater autonomy.  Becoming Combatant Commanders or even being able to work around them (entering areas without first notifying them) put them on the Pentagon's radar and this is but the first example of the bureaucracy putting the lion back in the cage.

This sucks but they have no one to blame but themselves.

NOTE:
If I'm right in my thinking the next shoe to fall will be SOCOM growing less than planned across the board.

Lockheed Martin's Titan Rockets...

X3 coming to America.

So EADS is bringing the X3 to the US.

Color me not impressed.  Sweetman can get all excited.  So can the rest of them at Aviation Week but lets be honest.

This is simply a compound helicopter and thats been done before.  This isn't revolutionary.  It isn't ground breaking.  Its ordinary and boring.

The helo that would excite is a properly modified NH-90...a suped up EC-635...those would grab the attention of Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.

Heck maybe even the USAF.

This is just a show.

Battle Rattle. Poser alert.

When I say Battle Rattle and poser alert check this out.

CDR Salamander had this story yesterday....full with photo and a link to the source...Then Battle Rattle picked up today and acted as if they conducted some type of forensic investigation in order to determine the real truth behind the deal.

What posers!  But this part has me wanting to punch walls...

The Daily Mail, a British tabloid, ran a story today about some “Marines” in Afghanistan sporting tight pink shirts with pop-star Justin Bieber on them. When I first saw the headline I thought why would any U.S. Marine — a hardened warrior — sport a tight Justin Bieber shirt?

These are the same guys that have taken pride in showing US Marines in the most unflattering light possible, and now they want to act like they're defenders of the Globe and Eagle?

Fuck them.

Forces Rally. Oh we need this! The USMC would kick ass!

Oh we need this in the US!

The USMC would kick ass...although I've seen some big trucks down at Bragg, they wouldn't stand a chance.  Looks like fun.

Helicopter Retention Lanyard Issue. Heads up Air Wingers.

Brandon Webb's LoadOut Room has some information that might be of some interest to the guys in the air wing.  From his site....

Last month I learned of an in-house US Navy test of several COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) helicopter retention lanyards. This test was not sanctioned but I met directly with my source who informed me that the TAG retention lanyard (an older model was used but it was still in inventory) had complete failure under a stress of only 300lbs. The test was conducted in a mock H-1 with a 300lb dummy thrown out of the cabin door. I saw the blown out stitching and put my hands on the lanyard personally, as an Army trained Rigger I could tell that the stitching and thread was below par and resulted in total failure under a relatively light load. The other complaint was that the TAG lanyard was not long enough to stand up while clipped into the floor.

As they say, go to his place to read the rest.  But the point is basically this.

Be careful with this piece of kit and stop using it if you bought it .  This is something that the Army has a better handle on than the Marine Corps.  They developed a list of Army approved items that can be used in the field.

The Marine Corps should do the same...and not just with articles of clothing but also with all the other types of gear that Marines might be using.

TAG is rock solid and will correct the problem I'm sure.  Other manufacturers not so much.

Long story short if its snivel gear then you can scrimp on costs. If its suppose to save your life, then buy the absolute best possible.

RAF Puma Helicopter on Exercise Askari Thunder