Meanwhile in Yemen...they're crucifying "alleged" spies for the US. Mildly graphic (bloated dead body shown)

Read the story here.

I didn't comment on the "torture" allegations that had so many in our nations capitol in an uproar for one simple reason.

Torture has been dumbed down.

My fear for America?  We're dealing with barbarity of a type that hasn't been seen on the earth since the Middle Ages.  And we're trying to deal with that barbarity with modern sensibilities.  Military leadership knows better (I hope) yet no one is stating the obvious.  We've got to harden up or else those goat fucking bastards will throat punch us all.

The M551 Sheridan - Armored Reconnaissance Assault Vehicle

Holiday Protein Powder Recipes...

Bodybuilding.com has the cure to keep the holidays from busting your waistline.  Check it out here.  

Yeah World of Tanks...arty isn't broken...

Yeah World of Tanks.

Arty isn't broken, your game isn't hopelessly imbalanced and all is well in the world.

I guess I got in at the tail end of what was a good game. Next move?  Armored Warfare?  They don't listen to the complaints of American players and the Russians seem happy.  So maybe a move to AW is the option.  Lets see if WOT gets their heads out of their behinds and fixes this or a move by me and others is inevitable.

The Harrier is where the problem started?

If you've been following the discussion in a couple of the previous posts then the question has been asked.

When did the Marine Corps go off the rails procurement wise and start wanting/developing/breaking the bank buying boutique equipment?  The question is important because it brings us to where we're at today.  The F-35, even if it becomes the war winner that the fanboys tell us it will be, is still damaging our budget and the budget of the entire DoD beyond recognition.

USMC 0802 points to the Harrier.

I was stunned.  The Harrier was a logical extension of the Heli-borne Assault Concept and the evolution of it.  The first Iwo Jima Class LPHs weren't budget busters so how could this be.

After chewing on this a bit it became obvious.  Several issues popped up that conspired to lead to the current imbalance in the Marine Corps.

1.  The US was facing the threat of an extremely aggressive Soviet Union.  Remember we're talking the time period of the 70's and 80's.  The CIA at the time produced a threat assessment and things looked grim.  The Soviets showed signs of having superiority on land, sea and air.  New models of Soviet fighters literally scared the shit out of leadership.

2.  The need to fully utilize Marine Air to help with the sea battle.  The idea of Sea Control Ships...really just using LPH's in a mini-aircraft carrier role by leaving the Infantry and the Helicopters on the beach and filling the decks with Harriers.  They wouldn't be front-line warships but could handle backwater assignments while the big deck carriers and their battle groups fought the Soviet Bear.

3.  Airpower was credited (incorrectly) with winning the first Gulf War.  Marine Air was relegated to supporting Army and Marine forces on the run across the border into Kuwait.  Yeah you had A-6 and F/A-18's flying interdiction missions but my feeling is that many in Marine Air wanted to be part of the deep battle that the USAF and USN was fighting.

4.  Before that we had the failed rescue mission in Iraq.  From this debacle SOCOM was born, Marine Air was found wanting (I dispute that but its the general consensus).  Three RH-53Ds participated in the action and an accident caused the mission to be scrubbed before it could begin in earnest.  From this moment on Marine Air would insist on a helicopter that could travel almost double the distance of the already leggy (for a helicopter) CH-53.  This mission set was totally outside the Marine Corps wheel house but tribal knowledge is long...especially when "glory and honor" aren't brought to the Marine Corps.  If called upon again, the tools would be there no matter the price.

5.  The US Army/Marine Counter Insurgency Field Manual is the final piece of the puzzle.  General Patreus gets most of the attention because of his leadership in Afghanistan.  General Amos was the other piece of the puzzle.  He would rise to the position of Commandant and that would lead to unforeseen circumstances.  I watched with a bit of alarm Senate testimony in which Amos stated that "generational war" was the future of the nation.  When it came to A2-AD, I was shocked to learn that instead of being joined at the hip, the USMC and USN had differing views on how that threat would be dealt with.  The HQMC indicated that launching amphibious assaults from 65 plus miles from the beach would be necessary.  The Navy CNO was stating that the threat would be "rolled" back.  We have proceeded with Amos' view of the future. The Marine Corps has become biased toward counter insurgency, humanitarian assistance and is faltering when it comes to developing a coherent strategy to deal with a modern battlefield against a peer opponent.

All of the above has led us to a imbalanced force that is biased toward aviation, is shedding ground combat power at an alarming rate and is busting the budget.  It started with the Harrier.  If it stopped there and more modest goals pushed for then we would be in a much better position than we are today.

But we didn't.

So how do we fix this?

It won't be easy, will take a tremendous amount of moral courage and will raise the ire of many.

The answer is simple.  Doctrine before procurement.  Fix doctrine (which is screwed up) and you fix procurement. 

F-35 News. Critics are piling on in Canada...

Check out these tidbits from Canada.com

For one thing, as anyone who has ever bothered to dig just a wee bit past Lockheed-Martin’s branding can attest, the F-35’s vaunted “fifth-generation” stealth capability does after all translate into its being a super-plane, on the order of an X-wing fighter out of Star Wars, with the added feature of a Klingon cloak of invisibility out of Star Trek. And forgive me for mixing universes.
Rather, it is an advanced multi-role fighter with some stealth capability, which is quickly being eroded by global technological advances in radar, and in this respect is not all that unlike the aircraft that are its two main competitors, the Super Hornet and the Rafale. The difference between the players as regards stealth, contrary to much nonsense that has emanated from F-35 boosters over the years, is one of degree, not of kind.

&

It has been speculated in defence circles that the ultimate solution would be Solomonic, or so the proponents of this plan would like to think; a small purchase of F-35s to buy a seat at the Pentagon table, and a larger acquisition of less costly, more workaday craft to do the jobs that form the backbone of the RCAF’s functions.

Read the whole thing here.

The idea of buying a few F-35's and then buying a second modern jet to fulfill the bulk of the work you would need from a fighter force is precisely what is being proposed for the US Navy.

I hadn't heard it even being floated in Canada.

Things are getting bad for F-35 supporters up there.  I personally couldn't be happier.

Sidenote:  Why am I filling the blog with F-35 news?  Simple.  Its the most consequential procurement that our nation has ever made.  Want to know why the US Army is shrinking so much?  Want to know why the USMC is shedding Infantry Battalions, cutting Tanks, shredding and combining support units?  Curious why the USAF is destroying squadrons and the US Navy is laying up serviceable warships?  You can point your finger at the F-35.  The US Defense Dept is cutting everything to protect the airplane.  Its reached a point of where its affecting national security.  Mission first, people always.  Unless you're talking about the F-35.

India takes steps to put a man in space...

Image via "Fuck Yeah Space Ship"

India’s GSLV Mk III rolls to launch pad

India’s new GSLV Mk III rocket rolls to the launch pad yesterday, 10 December 2014, ahead of a suborbital test flight on 18 December. The vehicle is being developed to provide heavy-lift access to space for India’s heaviest payloads, which currently have to fly on Europe’s Ariane V vehicle.

The test flight will analyze the new rocket’s performance in the atmosphere. A cryogenic third stage will power the GSLV Mk III on operational flights, however on this test the stage has not been included.

The sole payload for the test mission will be a boilerplate version of India’s crew vehicle. Capsule safety during reentry and recovery operations are the primary goals of flying the test spacecraft on the booster’s maiden flight.

GSLV Mk III is an improvement on India’s GSLV series, which is the country’s main booster for lofting payloads into geosynchronous transfer orbits. It features two strap on solid fuel rockets, a liquid fueled core stage and a cryogenic third stage.

The GSLV Mk III is the largest rocket ever developed by India. Once operational, it will be one of only four heavy-lift rockets in the world, which include America’s Delta IV Heavy, Europe’s Ariane V, and Russia’s Angara. Angara is scheduled to complete its maiden flight test by the end of 2014 as well.

Launch is scheduled for 18 December from the Satish Dahwan Space Center near Sriharikota, India.

Once heavy lift capability is achieved the next step is usually manned space flight.  I always bet that either India or Brazil would be the next nation to independently put a man in orbit but Brazil's program seems to have waned while India's is full speed ahead.

Good for them.

BTR-MD Rakushka (Shell) in use by Russian Airborne Forces...

This is the "other" Russian armored airborne vehicle that is often overlooked by might prove to be even more important than their infantry fighting vehicle.

Once again another nation is doing something that we've only talked about.  While our Army toils mightily to put into service an airborne personnel carrier (unarmored at that), we look up and see the Russians putting into service both a dedicated IFV and APC...not to mention other armored vehicles to give their Airborned forces mobility and striking power away from the drop zone.

I'll sit back and let the Soldier boys punch walls on this one.