The Fuji Firepower Exercise 2014 2nd Section **Definitely worth the watch!**

Watching this video convinces me of one thing.

The CNO is right in his estimation that hovering off shore at over 100 miles is no longer a protection against even moderately equipped forces.

We're going to have to fight to the beach and then to the objective.  Maneuver warfare is not going to be enough to avoid enemy fires.  We're going to have to take out Command & Control, launchers and finally suppress enemy infantry.

This Japanese firepower video demonstrates that when it comes to amphibious assault we're back to the future.

SIDENOTE:  Did you catch the blurb starting at the 12:10 mark in the video?  Japanese observation helicopters are now being equipped with 4 air-to-air missiles.  The Marine Corps should make note.  We might be missing a huge development.  While the USMC has dabbled in helicopter anti-air with the AH-1W/Z, it appears that others are dedicating platforms specifically for that mission.  I think that attention needs to be paid with exactly what the Russians are going to do with the KA-52 and the Chinese with the Z-10.

Fat Acceptance?

I'm still doing research into the intermittent fasting thing (found out something astonishing....if you fast for at least 18-24 hours, a man's HGH level increases almost 2000%) and I ran into something that has me scratching my head.

NOTE:  Follow this link to the study that shows that fasting increases HGH levels...this is stunning to me, it appears to this layman that our health/food industry has been lying its ass off.

Fat acceptance.  I never heard of it but it appears that its a cause that feminist groups have latched onto.  This is important because it points to the next battle for "women's rights" in the military.  Expect the weight tables to be soon eased to allow more women to serve.  Anyway check out the pics below and let me know what you think (a small sample size but it represents the thinking of these groups).

NATO: Russia still has 1,000 troops in Ukraine

Video of the Captive UN Soldiers in Syria

via Jerusalem Online (click here to see the video).

Fiji announced that the 45 UN soldiers held by the terror organization Jabhat Al Nusra appear to be “safe and sound” in a video clip uploaded to youtube. The country expressed joy in the situation of the inspectors, who are expected to return home in the coming days.

In the video clip, which is 15 minutes long, two men appear speaking in Arabic while looking in the background at the Fiji soldiers sitting crossed legged. Towards the end of the video, one of them speaks English, specifies the date the video was taken, and stated, “Today is September 9 and it is a very happy day.”
The soldier stated that he was happy because they were told that they would be released soon, as reported in recent days. According to him, all of the soldiers are “alive, safe and sound.”

This is interesting.  The people that are holding the UN troops are affiliated with ISIS.  Additionally the two captured journalist were first captured by and then sold to ISIS by supposedly "good" rebels in Syria.

Now we're suppose to believe that Al Nusra is a good group?  That if these guys are released that they haven't somehow been paid off?

This just doesn't smell right. 

Royal Marines know how to advertise...

Royal Marines know how to advertise to stir the passions of young men.  None of the bullshit running to the sound of chaos to deliver "meals on wheels", they instead show rough conditions, talk about working through hunger and fear, and lastly show their guys going up against scum that need to be eradicated.

The USMC once did it that way too.  Hopefully we'll get back to that with a new Commandant in less than a month.

Rick and Morty

COIN Mafia wins the latest budget war. Is it dooming the US to lose future conflicts?

via The Free Beacon.

Obama said the program will involve a broad coalition “to roll back this terrorist threat.”
“Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy,” he said.
In deference to his liberal anti-war supporters, the president sought to distance the new war from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil,” Obama said. “This counter-terrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out ISIL wherever they exist using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground.”

Well there it is.

America, or more specifically, certain parts of the American military are going BACK to war in the Middle East.

The COIN Mafia should be proud.  They've succeeded in pushing us back into the "generational" war against terrorism...or should I follow the herd and call this a war against an ideology?   SOCOM will without a doubt pull conventional forces into the fight to provide security on the objective, to guard their bases and provide logistical support.  But SOCOM should be concerned.  From the outside looking in they're already fracturing and the force is showing serious signs of strain.

Even more alarming is the fact that the drawdown is continuing and word on the street is that all the services are having recruiting troubles.

Speaking more broadly nothing has changed budget wise.  Sequestration still looms.  Budget Hawks are still flying high and defense can expect no plus ups and the F-35 still hangs like an albatross around the neck of the Pentagon.

Is it possible that we can look at this decision by the President, pushed by the COIN Mafia as the major incident that causes us to lose a war against a moderately capable opponent in the future?

I hope not, but worry that it is.

Finally, I AM PISSED at how easily the US people have been manipulated into worrying about ISIS.  When I was having a shit fit about them murdering and cruicifying Christians and others, the news media couldn't care less.  When I was going ape about them driving US supplied vehicles in the open with no US response, the news media could care less.

Then we have 2.  I repeat two, journalist killed on camera it suddenly becomes an action that leads to another conflict?  Don't get me wrong but it doesn't make sense!  The killing of two journalists is a tragedy, but to go to war over that is insanity.

We're setting ourselves up for a strategic mistake of huge proportions and no one seems to be thinking past public opinion polls.