Debate Discussion.

Wow.....

1.  So much for the laid back Trump.  He's going at her with razor blades, Uzi's and a few flame throwers.

2.  If this keeps up Hillary will have a heart attack on stage.

3.  She sorta seems a little flustered.  The moderator is trying to help her but he's already lost control.

Quote of the day and a warning to Marine Corps leadership.

CoffeeJoeJava made the following comment.

I have a bad feeling that the Marine Corps, when the first big fight happens, will cease to exist. Like LtGen Krulak stated in his book( I paraphrase)
The Untied States does not need a Marine Corps, we have an Army that can do everything we can do, a Navy that has fighter jets, and an Air Force that can dominate the air. The Marine Corps ONLY exists because the United States WANTS a Marine Corps. When we squander the ideals that make the Marine Corps great, we lose the American public, and we lose our beloved Corps.
Literally, when the Corps is called back into action and they cannot do what is asked, we will have lost every reason we have to exist. Making us back into the old Defense Battalions of WWII era is a fast way to speed that along.
I would hope that the powers that be are considering this when they make decisions, but from everything you read, they are not.
The Commandant needs a picture of Krulak and Puller on his wall and needs to justify decisions he makes against those men.

That statement by CJJ is so spot on.

In the circles I run in the Marine Corps has already lost its biggest boosters.  You won't hear it talked about but no one is recommending military service to young men of worth anymore.  If you think a scumbag might, maybe get straightened out then yeah, but someone you believe has a future?  Hell no.

But I digress.  The Marine Corps is making itself irrelevant.  Its making itself useless when it comes to defending the nation.  That comment was a warning to leadership, but I have no confidence that they're listening...and no one serving has the guts to say that the head shed is fucked beyond recognition.

33ft Anaconda found in Brazil (confirmed). Nope, Nope, FUCK Nope!

Thanks to William for the link!

via Sun

THIS is the moment a gigantic 33-FEET-long anaconda was found by terrified builders on a construction site in Brazil.
The huge reptile, which weighs in at at a whopping 63 stone, was discovered by the workers after they carried out a controlled explosion in the Cave of Altamira in the northern state of Para.

Do you get the force of connection here?  They found a 33ft long anaconda.  You can bet body parts that you cherish that bigger ones exist deeper into the jungle.

Now do you understand why I believe these are aliens from another world sent to terrorize?  Now do you understand why we need Space Marines to eradicate this threat? Just kidding but FUCK!  33 fucking feet long!

I've heard the stories from the old skool Marines about having to kill lions that were stalking them in the jungles of Vietnam, of snakes that if they bit you you would take two steps before you died and all kinds of other craziness that I dismissed as coming from crazy old men.

Now?  Now I know I was right when I said the desert is easy, the jungle is hard. 

We're buying helicopters that cost 100 mil each?

via UPI

WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. has been awarded a $232 million U.S. Navy contract modification for procurement of CH-53K King Stallion helicopters.
The deal covers procurement of two system demonstration test article aircraft.
Work will be performed at sites in the United States and is expected to be completed by February 2020.

Naval Air Systems Command is the contracting activity for the deal with the Lockheed Martin subsidiary.
The King Stallion is in prototype production phase and is the Marine Corps' heavy lift replacement helicopter for the CH-53E.
It will transport Marines, heavy equipment and supplies during ship-to-shore movement in support of amphibious assault and subsequent operations ashore.
The King Stallion will be the Pentagon's most powerful helicopter and is designed to lift nearly 14 tons at a mission radius of 110 nautical miles.
The service is seeking to eventually buy 200 of the aircraft.

I could easily be wrong but that means each of these beasts is hitting at over 100 mil!  That's crazy!  We're exercising ultimate financial restraints when it comes to buying an ACV....even pitting contractors against each other to get the lowest price...but then turn around and tell LM to "take our money" when it comes to the CH-53K?

The crazy thing?  IF they're able to bend the cost curve on the F-35 (which I doubt more and more each day) then our heavy lift helicopter will cost more than that abomination.

I've said that it would be stupid for the USMC to simply marinize a CH-47 (especially one with those extra large fuel tanks) to achieve cost savings by falling onto the Army's supply chain.  It might be time to reassess. 

Oshkosh JLTV at Modern Day Marine.

Press Release.

The Oshkosh JLTV will replace 5,500 of the U.S. Marine Corps’ uparmored HMMWVs.  JLTV delivers unmatched performance, protection, networking and off-road mobility in a light vehicle package to support Marines as they perform missions outside the wire.  Designed with room for growth as threats evolve, the JLTV’s scalable design is able to adapt to future requirements.
The Oshkosh JLTV on display at MDM is outfitted with an EOS R-400S-MK2 remote weapon system integrated with Orbital ATK's M230 LF 30 mm lightweight automatic chain gun to demonstrate the vehicle’s ability to support increased lethality including a medium caliber weapon system. 
Here’s what Marines can expect from their new JLTVs:

• A vehicle 1/3 smaller and 1/3 lighter than the Oshkosh MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle,

• or M-ATV

• Off-road speeds 70 percent faster than today’s gold standard, the Oshkosh M-ATV

• A modular design that can be quickly and efficiently outfitted for a full range of missions

• High power-to-weight ratio for rapid acceleration – on and off grade

• Fully transportable by air or sea, such as C130, CH-53 and CH-47

• Network ready and VICTORY compliant to seamlessly integrate a full suite of C4ISR and weapons systems

• Superior ride quality 

Oshkosh will also display the EBFL-M, which modernizes the original EBFL configuration to provide greater operator protection, power and mobility.  The air transportable EBFL-M can handle loads up to 11,000 lbs. and traverse rough terrain on Marine Corps forward operating bases.  

Yep.

The Marine Corps needs to recapitalize its armored fleet and instead we're getting "Modern Jeeps", mounting big guns on them and calling it a combat vehicle.

Are the people on this blog the only one's that have seen how MRAP type trucks have performed in Yemen?  Are we the only ones that have seen the carnage?

Vickers Mk.11 “Viper” via Bmashina FaceBook Page.

Big guns on wheeled vehicles is so 1950/60/70's.  There really is nothing new under the sun.

4th CH-53K flies for the first time.

US Army practices movement by ship. They're filling the void left by "Aviation Centric Marine Corps"

All pics via 597th Transportation Brigade FaceBook Page.

Two things on this story.

1.  The US Army is taking steps toward doing that old skool thing called "REFORGER".  Those vehicles in the pic are heading to Europe for exercise and I would bet body parts that we'll soon see and Armored Brigade Combat Team doing a "no notice" rapid deployment to marry up with equipment pre-staged and a rapid shipment of armor to that theater.

2.  By going the "aviation centric" route, the USMC is making itself too light to fight...and win.  We have obviously tossed away Krulack's "Middleweight Force" that can fight across the spectrum and win battles.

Your question for today.  Do the following quotes still apply to the "new" Marine Corps?

For over 221 years our Corps has done two things for this great Nation. We make Marines, and we win battles. [Gen. Charles C. Krulak, USMC (CMC); 5 May 1997]

We are United States Marines, and for two and a quarter centuries we have defined the standards of courage, esprit, and military prowess. [Gen. James L. Jones, USMC (CMC); 10 November 2000]

BAE's Amphibious Combat Vehicle at Modern Day Marine. (pic)

Open Comment Post. Sept 26, 2016

LAV-A2 (formerly known as LAV-25A2) is set for ANOTHER upgrade.

via Marine Corps Times

The Marine Corps' light armored vehicles qualify for antique license plates in most states, but the service is planning to upgrade half the fleet and keep them in service until 2035 while it searches for a next-generation replacement. 
It’s not a best-case scenario, officials said, but it is the best option as the Corps tries to find money to replace old vehicles and implement new technologies. 

And this.

 Koch doesn’t expect any leap-ahead vehicle technology in the coming decades. That means the next-generation vehicle may closely resemble the upgraded LAV. What he is looking for is “a good base vehicle with plenty of growth margin” that has sufficient maneuverability, protection, and lethality. The key is the ability to easily and incrementally add new technologies as they mature. 
“This is not merely a reconnaissance and surveillance asset. It possesses the organic ability to grab the enemy by the collar and punch them in the face in order to get information,” Koch said. “We’re going to have to improve the organic lethality, both direct and indirect fires. We think we will be doing that in a broader and more complex battle space. The ranges and capabilities and capacities will be stretched beyond what we currently treat as normal.” 
Koch spoke of expanded network capability, the need for more effective sensors, and the ability to counter unmanned air and ground systems. Topping Walsh’s list was more signals intelligence and longer range fires. Both spoke of organic electronic warfare, and a greater use of unmanned assets to extend the battlespace. 
“What we see in the future is these scouts launching an unmanned system off their vehicle,” the three-star said. “That UAS is out there scouting, and could be scouting autonomously to search a designated area for specific silhouettes. It may be programmed to report such findings, or pre-approved to attack.” 

Thankfully most Marine Officer don't become either stupid or batshit crazy till they start seeing stars on their collars.  One Marine Major quoted in the story has his feet planted firmly on the ground without being awestruck by the latest "gee whiz" gadgetry the think tanks are promoting.

“Something that is survivable and reliable is good enough,” he said. “We’ve benefitted from not requiring contractor support to run and operate this system. I generally agree with a modular platform, as long as it doesn’t require extensive contractor support and crazy training.” 
While his Marines have used the Raven UAS with great results, he said such benefits should never come at the expense of having eyes on the objective. 
The major said a new LAV should maintain the ability to maneuver water obstacles, commonly called its swim capability. If possible, he would like to see lighter and scalable armor. Increased weight has not been a problem, but is a consideration in amphibious delivery and combat maneuver. Simply put, “mobility is central to our platform.” 

The big picture that is coming into focus is rather stark.  The USMC is basically taking another 20 year holiday when it comes to recapitalizing its ground forces.

If it ain't the wing then it ain't getting money.

So whats the list of vehicles that the Marine Corps will be operating in 2020 that are 40 years or older in their basic design?  The M1A1 (assuming they're not completely cut which I expect), LAV-A2, AAV, Humvee (it'll still be around they're not all being replaced by the JLTV) and weirdly enough the MTVR will be close to joining that group.

What new vehicles have we seen bought recently?  New Fire Trucks for the wing and new logistics vehicles to handle offloading the CH-53K.

This story proves I was right.  The Marine Corps is taking a drastic turn toward aviation at the expense of its ground combat power.

"My War" Controversial Chinese propaganda movie on the Korean War.

Wow.

In all the talk about the Chinese NOT forgetting about the Japanese activities during the 2nd World War, I ignored the fact that the Chinese haven't forgotten about the Korean War.

While not a victory for US forces, we definitely gave better than we got....and many say that if MacArthur was given the go ahead that they would still be recovering from that setback to this very day.

Regardless, check out the web on this movie and see how they're insulting the S. Koreans, talking smack about the US and basically stoking up nationalism at home.

Note:  If you know a Korean War vet then don't let him near this one.  Not even the trailer.  You'll be dealing with a grumpy grandpa for at least two months.