3rd ID training Ukrainians.

YAVORIV, Ukraine - Soldiers of 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division train Ukrainians on how to maintain the fundamentals of marksmanship while using individual movement techniques during battle buddy movement live--fire training, August 16, 2016. The Mustangs showed Ukrainians how to move under direct fire using the correct individual tactical fire and movement techniques. Soldiers of 6--8 Cav are here training Ukrainian Soldiers in support of the Joint Multinational Training Group--Ukraine. The training is part of the ongoing efforts to contribute to Ukraine's long term military reform and professionalism and to help improve Ukraine's internal defense capabilities and training capacity. (U.S.Army photo by Spc. John Onuoha)

This is troubling on a number of levels.  First I don't know why we're sending troops to train Ukrainians.  Its not about training, its about the will to fight.  Either they have it or they don't.  The second is they need to get their procurement house in order.  They're building gear for sale to any Tom, Dick or Harry on the planet but they need us to send them equipment?  If this is a real war then they need to get on a war footing.  Next is what about the AZOV (?) Brigade?  I don't like the idea of US forces being allied with FREAKING NEO-NAZIS!

And last.  Who is that female, why is she there and what is going on?  Do the Ukrainians take the camp follower concept to its classic limit?

Kurds are taking Turkish forces apart at the border.

Thanks to Drinas for the link!



Geez.

They didn't stand a chance.  Oh and the vehicle?  Looks like a BMC Kirpi to me.  Website for the manufacturer is here.
The Turks have equipped their Army, Border Guards and Police with these vehicles and they have quite a few in service.

Note:  I'm twisted on these vids.  On one hand they show actual events that we don't see elsewhere and on the other they're just a step above snuff films. Should we continue posting or should we stop?  I want your input.

Germany ramping up Puma IFV production.

via IHS Janes.

Projekt System and Management (PSM) is now ramping up production of the Puma Armoured Infantry Fighting Vehicle (AIFV) for the German Army with full rate production of 66 units a year to be achieved in 2017.
The current Puma AIFV contract for the German Army covers the supply of 350 units, which includes 8 in the driver training role from the 2 production lines.
By August 2016, 78 Puma AIFVs plus 5 driver training vehicles had been delivered to the German Army with another 31 AIFV to be delivered by the end of 2016.

Geez.  This vehicle has been around forever and they only have 78 in service? Just plain wow.

Now for the question that's gonna piss off my German readers.  How is the Puma any better than the latest example of the Bradley IFV?  When you take
a step back and get past the "oooh the Puma is German" I don't think it is.

Open Comment Post. Aug 29, 2016

Just a cool pic.

Have at it guys.  What's on your mind?

USMC to become US Army Ranger support force?

via Breaking Defense.

Another officer said the Marines’ desire to get its own Reaper-sized vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone partly reflects pressure from ground commanders to keep the Corps’ relevant in an era where ground combat is primarily special operations. “The Marine Corps does not have a Special Operations Aviation Regiment like the Army does,” this officer said. “I sense a lot of desire from the traditional ground component of the Marine Corps to support special operations, much like the U.S. Army Rangers. Having a higher-tier UAS is part of that.”

Read the entire article.  It starts off with another toy that Davis wants to give the wing (why hasn't that fucker been fired yet?) and ends with an unnamed Marine officer saying that he "senses" desire from the ground component to support special operations?

If this is the future of the USMC then case the colors...it won't be worth the money.  If this is how Marine Ground Officers are thinking then they need to resign their commissions.   What the FUCK is going on with the Marine Corps???  The US Army is moving forward and planning to fight a near peer and our people are talking about COIN and providing support to SOCOM?  We need a purge!

IDF Chief of Staff rides in the Eitan 8x8 APC.

via Jerusalem Post.

IDF Chief of Staff LtGen Gadi Eisenkot rode in the military’s newest armored personnel carrier in recent days, marking a milestone in the wheeled platform’s journey to becoming fully operational.
During a war drill held by the 7th Armored Brigade on the Golan Heights, held together with infantry and the air force, Eisenkot boarded the Eitan APC, which the Defense Ministry unveiled on August 1, following years of research and development.

This all but confirms it for me.  The Israelis are gonna fast track this vehicle.  Additionally it looks like they might be expanding its possible roles in their armored formations.  Could we be looking at a mixed fleet of Namers and Eitans with the 8x8's forming the backbone of infantry transport?

We need better numbers on the true cost of the Namer (not only procurement but maintenance etc...) but I'm beginning to think that we're seeing the economics of the Israeli defense budget driving procurement.

Consider this.  The Eitan from my chair looks to be the most heavily armored 8x8 entering service anytime soon.  Does that sound like a vehicle that is simply a M113 replacement?  The concept that the Israelis have laid out would indicate that any of the current 8x8 would suffice.  They're going much heavier instead.  We'll know for sure soon enough.

High-Protein Salmon Meatballs (vid)

This is via Bodybuilding.com and I like it because I love Salmon and its quick/easy to make.  Ingredients list is below.

Why are the Turks using M60 Sabra Tanks instead of their Leopards in Syria?

I asked on an earlier blog post why the Turks were using their M60 Sabra MBTs in Syria instead of their Leopards.  According to Wikipedia the Turks have around 300 Leopards but we haven't seen them in action except during the coup attempt.  SvD, a reader of this blog,  has this explanation...

The M-60 Sabra is the only tank in Turkey's arsenal that has modern armor, to withstand ATGM hits.
The Leopard 2A4 is the vintage version...

That couldn't possibly be true could it?  A 1960's era tank with add on armor is more survivable than a more modern design?

Kurds destroying Turkish MBTs in Syria...

I give up.  Everyone and his mother is putting this vid into my comments section on various posts and instead of fighting it I'll pop it out and let you guys have at it.

Personally I don't see anything revealing here.  I don't know the Turkish order of battle but they're holding back their Leopard Tanks and pushing forward the kinda old M60 variants.

The long short?  The Turks are gonna cut loose on the Kurds, the Kurds won't go quietly and the US will be on the sidelines trying to figure out how to save face.

Open Comment Post. Aug 28, 2016.

Open thread for Sunday.

The"Snowden" movie and how did he evade our security services?

I saw the trailer for the new "Snowden" movie and I have one question that has never been asked.  How did Snowden successfully evade US intel/law enforcement agencies and make it first to China and then onto Russia?

Its freaking inexplicable!

The dude was a computer geek not a trained operative!  Going from the city and hiding in the woods is one thing (and even that's iffy unless you're willing to live hard) but to make it out of the country?

Snowden didn't have that skill set.  He had to have help.

Did I miss a joint Chinese/Russian mission to extract a defector/agent/useful idiot/patriot(some will argue that what he did was extremely patriotic) from US soil?

Polish PT-16?

Thanks to Random Reader for the link!

What's with the "air intakes" above the tracks?