Marine Tanks to receive upgrade.

Thanks to D90 for the link!

via Tanks and AFV News.

Marine Corps Systems Command is modernizing the tank commander’s weapon station on the M1A1 tank by developing a suite of systems that give tank commanders and their gunners a hunter-killer edge over their enemies.
The new Abrams Integrated Display and Targeting System, Tank Commander Single Handle and slew-to-cue capability make up the modernized trifecta that cuts time to enemy engagement by half while increasing accuracy, range and lethality on the battlefield.
ABRAMS INTEGRATED DISPLAY AND TARGETING SYSTEM
Responding to feedback from Marines, the Abrams Integrated Display and Targeting System, or AIDATS, upgrades the thermal and day sights on the stabilized commander’s weapon station through a state-of-the-art, high-definition camera and permanently mounted color display.

“The most significant benefit—the main reason why AIDATS was started—is the color display,” said Michael Kreiner, AIDATS project officer in MCSC’s Armor and Fire Support Systems. “Users didn’t like the black and white camera that was in the tank before, because they have a hard time distinguishing between different color trucks.”

There is much more at the link.

I don't think this changes my assessment of things.  THEY MIGHT go forward with these upgrades but the future of tanks in the Marine Corps is very much in doubt.

Say it with me.  LESS THAN 60 TANKS (estimate) are left in the active duty Marine Corps.

After the "future" Marine Corps paper comes out later this year I expect that number to go to zero.  I further expect for them to split the baby and move them to the reserves.  That will keep the tribe from howling too loudly and open up boat spaces for the wing to get more maintainers, the new cyber bubbas and a few more spots in the Infantry battalions.

US Army moves forward with ATACMS replacement.

Thanks to William for the link!

via Press Release.

The U.S. Army has awarded Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) a $5.7 million risk-mitigation contract for the Long Range Precision Fires program. The new missile will replace the Army's
aging inventory of long range, surface-to-surface missiles. Fired from mobile launchers, LRPF will fly farther, faster, and feature a new warhead. "As the world's largest missile maker, Raytheon is ideally positioned to develop the Long Range Precision Fires solution the Army needs," said Dr. Thomas Bussing, Raytheon Advanced Missile Systems vice president. "With our wide portfolio of products, proven technology and guided missile expertise, Raytheon can deliver a low-risk, highly effective and affordable solution."

The Army's current inventory of long range, precision-guided,
surface-to-surface missiles dates back to the 1980s. The new LRPF missile will be more affordable, survivable against advanced threats, and more compact, allowing the Army to double the fire power of long-range missiles in its mobile launchers.

I once thought that the Navy was the only service that was truly getting ready to fight the next war.  After a few missteps by the ladies dept I'm thinking that only the Army has a clear view of a future fight with a near peer.

They've latched onto the idea of fighting without air superiority.  They're working on upgrading their armor (kinda stuck with the Stryker but at least they're adding firepower to it...the M1 Abrams upgrades are keeping pace and the AMPV seems on track) and now they're getting their rocket artillery house in order.

ATACMS is the conventional Pershing that we've always needed and its nice to see they're finally getting one.  Now if they could only get cannon artillery fixed.

Armata Universal Combat Platform to receive slat armor package.

via RBTH.com

The wheels and tracks of the latest armored vehicles constructed on Russia’s Armata Universal Combat Platform, which includes a new tank, will be equipped with additional protective armor. The Russian Research Institute (NII) is developing the new hardware for the platform.

According to the developers, "plate shields," which are similar in appearance to the bars on metal bunk beds, will be installed along the perimeter of the machines. These shields will protect armored vehicles from cumulative grenades and anti-tank guided missiles — the most common threat to them in urban settings. The new shields are intended to deform the head of a grenade when it makes contact with the vehicle and divert part of the energy from the explosion.

This story was slightly confusing.  When the Armata Tank was rolled out it had slat armor around the engine compartment in the usual Western fashion.  My guess is that they're talking about the IFV/APC version (as well as the recovery and engineer models).  This part of the article makes it seem like the designers aren't too happy about the idea though.

Designers are skeptical of the plan, however, pointing out that the shields, or screens, are inferior to dynamic armor in combat performance.
"They are cheaper and technically simpler and increase engine protection and transmission by several times in the conditions of urban warfare,” said Dmitry Safonov, military correspondent for Izvestia, speaking about the shields. “A key drawback is their low versatility. The lattice screen will save the technology only from certain types of hand-held anti-tank grenades.”

I don't see how it could hurt so is the real issue weight?  The IFV/APC are members of a class of two (Namer being the other) heavyweight vehicles.  If Main Battle Tank armor can't stand up to the intended use then they're facing doctrine issues.

Something as minor as adding slat armor suddenly bears watching.

Political Rant. Donald Trump made the black vote relevant.

This is a rant and it isn't for everyone so if you skip it no problem.

Still here?  Then back on task.  Donald Trump, supposedly the most racist Presidential candidate in 30 years has made the black vote relevant.  Even better?  The Democrats are scared shitless!

Follow my thinking here.  For the last 30 years the Democrats have taken the black vote for granted and the Republicans have (it could be said rightfully) ignored it.  Why fight for a demographic that is so aligned with the opposition that they vote in the high 80 percent or higher election after election?  Bush Jr for all his failings made a strong push for the black vote but the machinery came out to try and short circuit his efforts.

But now.  In one week and four speeches Trump has made it relevant.  What is going on here?  I've said for quite awhile that the black community is not pleased with the President.  I've said that support for Hillary might be wide but not deep.  Now we have one week of DECENT (not spectacular) campaigning by Trump and the Dems are going nuts.

We are living in bizarro world.  Black leadership is pushing policy that hurts poor blacks, White racists(!) are pushing policies that will help, and the guy that they say is the most divisive candidate ever is trying to win our vote.

Is it just a campaign tactic?  Maybe.  Is it calculated to make the Dems work to keep their base intact while Trump is doing the same with the Republican elite?  Probably...many people think so.

But the fact remains.  For the first time in my memory, the black vote will be fought for.  Simply amazing.

NOTE:  For the doubters that will inevitably come to my blog, I simply ask this.  When was the last time you remember both parties actively fighting for the black vote?  When was the last time the Democrats DID NOT automatically assume that they would get upwards of 80 percent of that vote? Tump is an egomaniac but if this one thing sticks then he's done at least a portion of the public a big favor.

Army is preparing its medics for a war without medevac helos

via We Are The Mighty.

We’ve had the luxury of air superiority so we could evacuate our casualties at will,” West told WATM at a recent meeting with defense reporters in Washington, D.C. “We’re trying to make sure that in an environment where it’s not as permissive — where we’re going to have to retain casualties longer — we have the ability to do this prolonged care.”
West added that in Afghanistan, for example, there were cases where patients were flown out of the combat zone and back to Bethesda Naval Medical Center and on the operating table within 24 hours. But in future wars, that capability might not exist.
In the wars since 9/11, the Army has benefitted from American air dominance which allowed slow-moving, poorly-armed medical evacuation helicopters to speed to the battle and pick up wounded in a matter of minutes. That’s led to a 93 percent survival rate for wounded soldiers, a 75 percent increase since the Vietnam war.
But the Army is worried that wars in the near future won’t allow a speedy MEDEVAC, so its medics will have to deal with situations like potential limb loss from tourniquets staying on longer than usual to fluid pooling in the brain or organs, West said. That doesn’t mean that all of the sudden 68Ws have to be trained as vascular surgeons, but they do have to be able to get detailed information that’ll help keep their patients alive.

The US Army is acting as if its a foregone conclusion that the US will NOT have air superiority in the next war.  That makes me wonder how the Marine Corps can push the idea of Company Landing Teams ... does the Army have information that the Marine Corps doesn't?

This isn't the first article where the Army is talking about the lack of air superiority in future fights.  Add ground based electronic warfare units of threat nations to the mix and you have a scenario of our ground forces fighting without air or artillery support.  If the Army is right then we're not gonna get beat in the next war...We're gonna get smashed.

Even worse?  If West is right then we're going to see old skool casualty rates.  The days of the horribly wounded but still living American fighting man might be replaced with increased deaths.  Not from the initial wound but from losing the golden hour.

Southern Command Warns Sunni Extremists Infiltrating From South

via Free Beacon.

Sunni extremists are infiltrating the United States with the help of alien smugglers in South America and are crossing U.S. borders with ease, according to a U.S. South Command intelligence report.
The Command’s J-2 intelligence directorate reported recently in internal channels that “special interest aliens” are working with a known alien smuggling network in Latin America to reach the United States. The smuggling network was not identified.
Army Col. Lisa A. Garcia, a Southcom spokeswoman, did not address the intelligence report directly but said Sunni terrorist infiltration is a security concern.
“Networks that specialize in smuggling individuals from regions of terrorist concern, mainly from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, the Middle East, and East Africa, are indeed a concern for Southcom and other interagency security partners who support our country’s national security,” Garcia told theWashington Free Beacon.
“There are major hubs that serve as entry points into the region for migrants from those areas of concern attempting to enter the U.S. along our border with Mexico,” she said.

"Crossing US borders with ease."

Is Southern Command spooked?  Information like this would usually be "close hold" unless you're looking at an organization trying to make sure that when bad shit happens, they can say that they warned you but such and such agency didn't act.  And how do we know they warned their govt partners?  Because of leaks like you see above.

I wonder.  How scared are they?

Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP). A blast from the past.

Everyone is predicting a high tech future war.

With weapon systems like CHAMP (and there is no reason to believe that our enemies don't possess similar weapons) we might see fighting revert to an industrial age grudge match.

China warns India on deployment of Brahmos missiles.

Thanks to Sarabvir for the link!

via Daily Mail.

India's move to deploy BrahMos cruise missiles in Arunachal as a deterrent against China has provoked a sharp response from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The NDA government had given the final go-ahead for the Army to induct and deploy an advanced version of the BrahMos missile for mountain warfare in the northeast earlier this month.

The PLA’s official mouthpiece, the PLA Daily, has warned India that doing so could attract countermeasures from China and bring “a negative influence” to “stability” of border areas.
“India deploying supersonic missiles on the border has exceeded its own needs for self-defense and poses a serious threat to China’s Tibet and Yunnan provinces,” said the commentary, published this weekend in the PLA’s influential official newspaper.

Did China just lay the groundwork for a preemptive strike against India's missile complexes?  A serious threat to Tibet and Yunnan provinces?

I really don't understand the Chinese.  In Africa and the Middle East they're extremely accommodating, but in their own backyard they're throwing their weight around.  To be a bit clearer they're willing to work with third world nations without threats or bravado but when it comes to nations that equal or almost equal their military might they seem to be much more aggressive.

We probably won't see an all out fight but border flare ups are inevitable.  I wonder if the Chinese are familiar with Sikh Warrior tradition?

Chinese Ambassador to Japan warned that Beijing would not concede on the demand or relinquish their sovereignty over the South China Sea even if it meant the two countries went to war.

Jesus!  The hits keep coming!  Check this out via Sputnik.

The Chinese Ambassador to Japan warned that Beijing would not concede on the demand or relinquish their sovereignty over the South China Sea even if it meant the two countries went to war.
On Saturday, diplomatic sources confirmed that China had issued a severe warning to Tokyo in late June demanding that Japan refrain from dispatching Self-Defense Forces to join US operations testing the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.
Japan will “cross a red line” if SDF vessels take part in the freedom of navigation operations, Chinese Ambassador Cheng Yonghua conveyed to Tokyo at the time. Cheng threatened military action if Japan failed to comply with the ultimatum.

I wonder why we're getting such late notification of this?  Regardless, this is ominous.

NOTE:  I could be looking at this all wrong.  But this happened a couple of weeks ago and since then we've seen the Chinese Ambassador head to Syria, Turkey make nice with Russia, India heading to Syria, Yemen asking Russia to use their bases etc...If this isn't coordinated then its the most unlikely set of circumstances we've seen in awhile.  Maybe I'm connecting dots where none exist.

Turkish backed rebels preparing to attack ISIS held town!

Thanks to MicMac80 for the link!

via Reuters.

Hundreds of Syrian rebels are preparing to launch an operation to capture a town held by Islamic State at the border with Turkey, a senior Syrian rebel said on Sunday, a move that would frustrate Kurdish hopes to expand further in that area.
The rebels, Turkey-backed groups fighting under the banner of the Free Syrian Army, are expected to assault Jarablus from inside Turkey in the next few days, said the rebel official, who is familiar with the plans but declined to be identified.
"The factions are gathering in an area near the border (inside Turkey)," the rebel said.
Jarablus, located on the western bank of the Euphrates river, is the last significant town held by the militant Islamist group on Syria's border with Turkey. It is 34 miles (54km) east of al-Rai, a border town the same rebel groups recently took from Islamic State.
By taking Jarablus themselves, the rebel groups would preclude an assault on the town by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish-dominated militias who on Aug. 6 took the city of Manbij, 20 miles (30km) to the south, from IS.
Turkey, an important supporter of the FSA groups, is worried that Kurds are using the SDF's westwards expansion against IS to extend their influence across northern Syria. The SDF already holds the eastern bank of the Euphrates opposite Jarablus.


On Saturday Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that Ankara would play a more active role in addressing the conflict in Syria in the coming six months to stop it being torn along ethnic lines.

The Kurds overplayed their hand and now they're about to be laid on the altar of Middle East politics alongside ISIS.

The question.

Will the US attempt to keep the Kurds from being decimated by a determined attack by Turkish forces?

What will Russia do?  Are they backing Turkey's play?  What is their view of the situation with the Kurds?

Geez.  This is getting wild.  The only good thing?  ISIS is about to defeated.

India goes to Syria...the geopolitics are stunning...we have lost the initiative.

Thanks to Don for the link!

via Indian Punchline.

India needs to take serious note even as Minister of State MJ Akbar arrives today in Damascus on a rare visit by an Indian dignitary. (Where China goes, can India be far behind?)
To be sure, Moscow is moving speedily to create new facts on the ground before the next US president takes over the reins of the US’ Middle East policies. Moscow aims to bolster Iran’s defence capability to a point that a military strike on that country becomes a non-option for the US and/or Israel.
Conceivably, we cannot rule out that there would have been some discussions already between Moscow and Tehran regarding a mutual security alliance in the event of a military threat from a new US administration dominated by neoconservative ideologues (which could be the case in a Hillary Clinton presidency.)
Russia is speeding up the delivery of the S-300 missile system to Iran. Reports from Tehran say that the delivery will be completed within a month from now.

Do you feel the sand shifting beneath the feet of US Middle East policy?  One of my Indian readers told me that their Minister of State was visiting Syria (sorry I forgot your name) but I failed to grasp the significance.

Russia.  China.  Iran.  Turkey is making kissy faces toward Syria...and now India is sending their Chief Diplomat.  Alliances are shifting.  The last few months of this year could change the course of several nations in the ME.

Note:  Can you imagine how pissed Obama must be?  He picked Hillary as his first SecState because of political expediency.  He probably didn't know that she was a Neo-Con in Democrat clothing and he probably resents all the messes that she's gotten him into.  So what does he do next.  He appoints Kerry when Hillary's time is over.  Kerry is a peacenik so what could go wrong?  He would make US foreign policy come in line with the President's thinking and all would be right with the world.  Then came the red line, the Iran nuke deal and the Chinese push in the Pacific.  Obama must feel snake bit!

Everyone is begging Russia to use their airbases...now Yemen!

Thanks to Robert for the link!

#GPC #Saleh @YemenAfaash tells #Russia TV Россия 1/24: We can work with  Moscow #RUS to use #Yem air/sea bases to fight terrorism in #Yemen

— Mohammed Basha باشا (@Yemen411) August 21, 2016

This is utter madness!  Its also interesting as hell.  Would you have thought in a million years that we'd see Middle Eastern/African nations begging the Russians to use their bases?  The politics of this thing are beyond me.  We're helping the Saudis in Yemen, the Russians are helping Assad in Syria, the Saudis are against Assad and yet Yemen is asking the Russians to help.

I don't quite get this.  Enemy of my enemy is one thing but this?  I'm gonna need a score card to keep up with the games being played here.