This hacking investigation is grating.

via Politico

Influential senators from both parties amplified calls for an independent investigation of Russian meddling in the U.S. election, setting up a clash with President-elect Donald Trump over U.S. policy toward Russia and potentially his pick for secretary of state.
Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) issued a joint statement Sunday with the incoming Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer of New York, and top Armed Services Committee Democrat Jack Reed of Rhode Island that Russian interference in the election "should alarm every American." They said Congress must investigate further without allowing it to become a partisan issue.

Here 

I've been watching this for days and you know what I find amazing.

No one is disputing that the information these hackers gave the American people via Wikileaks was false/disinformation.

It seems that our politicians aren't angry because the DNC got hacked, no they're angry because we got a peek behind the curtain to see how the political elite do business inside our govt.

What is this taking away from?

Everyone is ignoring the fact that the democrat party DID rig the election against Bernie Sanders so that Hillary would win.  They're ignoring the close relationship between the news media, celebrities etc with the democrat party.

The real crime was committed by the political elite against the American people.  These hackers...whether Russian, Chinese, or some bastard in his basement did us all a favor.  The calculations behind it are immaterial.  The people of this country processed information available and made a choice.

For better or worse Trump is the President.  Suck it up buttercup.  Get over it.  Move the fuck on and deal.  We've survived bad presidents and if Trump adds his name to the list then we'll survive him too.

Marines Want Armed Drone ASAP To Escort V-22

via Breaking Defense.

The Marine Corps’s rotorcraft requirements director, Col. John Barranco Jr., told me after a CSIS panel Friday on FVL that his service wants the drone first because “we have a gap that the Army does not have.” Specifically, the Corps needs an armed escort for its V-22 Osprey tiltrotor troop transports, which at 250 knots (287 mph) cruise more than twice as fast as its AH-1Z Cobra gunships. The Army doesn’t have that problem because the Army transports troops in conventional helicopters.
Bell Helicopter and a Sikorsky/Boeing team are building manned technology demonstrator aircraft under the FVL umbrella — the V-280 Valor and SB>1 Defiant, respectively — that will be required to fly fast enough to escort an Osprey. First flights are scheduled next year. But no production FVL aircraft are expected until the early 2030s.

Here.

So what the hell!  The AH-1Z and UH-1Y no longer have a job in the Marine Corps even though they just spent a metric shitload of money to get them upgraded?  The F-35B can't do the escort mission?  The concepts they're building for an "aviation centric" Marine Corps means that the wing gets to suck even more money from the budget?

The USMC is pushing a concept that will place a Company Landing Team 1,000 miles from supporting fire and now to fill that lack of fires they're proposing an armed drone?

When the big 3 was first proposed for the Marine Corps (EFV, MV-22 and F-35) it wasn't toward an eye toward "revolutionizing" Marine doctrine.  It was suppose to make us faster and more lethal.  It was suppose to build on battle winning fundamentals.

Now?

Now to justify the F-35 and MV-22 they're being touted as gamechangers. Even worse is that they're altering the Marine Corps to fit the capabilities of those aircraft instead of acquiring aircraft that fit our doctrine.  Not only is the Wing unbalancing the Marine Corp but the Wing itself is now unbalanced.

If you're a UH-1Y/AH-1Z pilot I recommend you get your package together to get a seat in a MV-22 if you still want to fly.  If this gets approved then you guys are on the chopping block.

Sidenote:  John in the comments wrote something that is laced with so much common sense its stunning.  The USMC simply needs to buy a fixed wing light airplane that is capable of landing on a big deck amphib (L-class carrier).  We've done it before and the OV-10 would make an ideal escort for the MV-22!

Open Comment Post. Dec 12, 2016

Marines will now wear woodland green camouflage uniforms all year

via Marine Times

Marines will now wear the woodland green camouflage uniforms year-round, with sleeves down in the winter and rolled up in the summer.
Since 2008, Marines have worn desert camouflage uniforms in the spring and summer and the woodland camouflage in the fall and winter.
Designated service uniforms will change with the seasons: Bravos in winter and charlies in the summer, according to ALMAR 038/16, which was released on Dec. 8. Military.com first reported on Sunday that Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller had ordered an end to alternating between the two uniforms while in garrison. The desert cammies will still be worn on deployment.

Here.

Hmm.  Don't know if this is good or bad.  What I do know is that they're still unwinding all the "change" that Amos brought....and because they're unwinding SOME of his nonsense you're getting this little friction on subjects that no one should even be worried about.

The Fate of the Furious - Official Trailer

God!  This series went on about 3 movies too long, and the only redeeming part of those extra movies was the tribute to Paul.  This movie looks like it not only jumps the shark but destroys one of the memes that made the series worth a watch...the idea that these guys considered themselves family.  The physics will be outlandish so let's hope the fight scenes (they're not) and gun handling are close to being realistic or there is nothing to this thing.

Russian Special Ops operating in Syria.

Thanks to Overwatsh DVA for the link!



SOCOM should be proud.  They took the idea of "spreading knowledge" of how they operate and partnerships so seriously that supposed enemies like Russia look exactly like our guys (is it just me or does it seem that the Russians really are embracing unmanned ground combat vehicles).

Spare me all the talk about similar requirements resulting in similar solutions.  This is the result of "partnerships" and "outreach".

I think we've reached a point where conventional USMC/US Army units probably need to pivot from training with SOCOM to training against them.  In the upcoming big fight we're going to see raids against one of our forward command elements by enemy SF and it would do us well to be drilled on defeating them with a quickness (instead of relying on mass and firepower to wear them down).

China's new RWS.

via IHS Janes by Christopher Foss.

The UW4A RWS is armed with an electrically operated 30 mm dual-feed cannon and a 7.62 mm co-axial machine gun (MG), and is fitted with two banks of six 76 mm electrically operated grenade launchers on the lower part of the mount.
The RWS carries 120 rounds of 30 mm ammunition and 200 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition in the ready use position, with additional rounds carried in the hull for manual reloading. Ammunition is fed from the left and once the ready-use rounds have been expended one of the crew members is required to leave the platform in order to reload the weapons.
The weapon station traverses through 360° at a maximum speed of up to 45° per second and elevates from -5° to 55° at a maximum speed of up to 25° per second.
The UW4A's sensor pack in installed externally on the right side and consists of a day sight, a colour CCD camera, an uncooled thermal imager, and a laser rangefinder. The latter not only increases accuracy but makes certain that targets are engaged within the effective range of the armament.

Story here. 

The Chinese are making steady strides in improving their mechanized forces.  Think about it.  Only a decade or two ago they only operated obsolete equipment that couldn't measure up against Western armor.  Today?  At least on paper its every bit as good as what we're using.

The only confusing thing is this domestic/export market divide.  I think they're gonna find that unless the Chinese military operates the equipment that's being offered then they're gonna have a hard time selling it.  Think back to the F-20.  On paper everybit as good as the F-16 but not operated by the US.  It got no sales.

Blast from the past. Swedish ZSU Luftvarnskanonvagn FM/43

via BMashina Tumblr Page.

More than 4,000 IS militants attempt capturing Palmyra...that's almost MEB sized!

via TASS

MOSCOW, December 11. /TASS/. More than 4,000 militants of the IS terrorist organization (outlawed in Russia - TASS) have re-grouped to make a new attempt to capture Palmyra, trying to get inside the city to shelter from airstrikes by the Russian air force, the center for reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said on Sunday.

"More than 4,000 IS militants after having re-grouped undertook another attempt to capture Palmyra," the center said. "Despite big losses in force and equipment, the terrorists are trying to get inside the city, as the Russian air force does not deliver strikes on Palmyra's residential areas."
The military say, IS have relocated forces to Palmyra from Raqqa. Groups, controlled by the U.S. and the international coalition, suspended combat actions there against terrorists. IS's big reserves and armored vehicles were also relocated to Palmyra from Deir ez-Zor.
"The reconnaissance earlier revealed the relocation of up to 5,000 IS militants to Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor from Iraq’s Mosul," the center said. "Now, the Syrian military continue defensive actions in Palmyra."

Story here.

That's an impressively large action by a terrorist group.  You do realize that is almost Marine Expeditionary Battalion sized force don't you?

And you think that the Company Landing Team Concept is still viable in today's form of combat?  You still think that long distance raids by 600 plus Marines (I read that they performed that size op at Steel Knight just a bit ago) is still relevant?

We're setting ourselves up for a Marine Corps Ft. Apache somewhere.  

What we're seeing in Syria is the death throes of ISIS.  They're about to wrap up that conflict and the clean up by the Syrian Forces (probably Iranians too...I expect the Russians to sit out the blood letting) will be brutal, shocking and extremely effective.  Its time to start learning the lessons from the fighting in Syria.

Lesson #1?  Terrorists have made the transition from ragged groups of light infantry type fighters to hybrid combined arms forces that can stand toe to toe with weak nation state conventional forces (and they will slaughter old skool Special Ops outfits too....Special Operations are vulnerable to conventional forces).

Do we have any national (American) heroes left?

Above you see John Glenn's Mig Mad Marine F-86 that he flew in combat over Korea.  I was thinking about his passing and it left me with the question.  Do we have any widely acclaimed national heroes left in America?  Have they all passed away?

The last war that was truly a national effort and had the full backing of the public was WW2.  In my way of thinking, those that followed were either never fully explained as to why we were fighting them or they were so badly managed that support fell away.  So while those in the military or have an association might be able to readily point to those that should always be remembered I wonder about the general public.

We see the Presidential Medal of Freedom but in my opinion its a joke.  You're gonna award the nation's highest civilian award to a singer, entertainer or other type of celebrity?

The question remains.  With the passing of John Glenn do we have any widely acclaimed national heroes left?

1974 ... Lockheed space plane!

via James Vaughn's Flickr Page.

Open Comment Post. Dec 11, 2016.