Commando Helicopter Force Merlin Mk3 helicopter photos...part of the Royal Navy Photographic Competition

Commander of US forces in Afghanistan says Trump's plan means a long term commitment.

via Reuters.

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan said on Thursday President Donald Trump's new strategy is a sign of a long-term commitment to what is already America's longest war and called on Taliban insurgents to agree to peace talks.

"The Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, it's time for them to join the peace process," General John Nicholson told reporters in the Afghan capital, Kabul. "We will not fail in Afghanistan, our national security depends on that as well."

Story here. 

1.  How does our national security depend on Afghanistan?  We haven't won there in 17 years and now its essential to our national security?

2.  Trump is an idiot.  He should have fucking fired Nicholson long ago as a warning shot to his generals.  Now he's getting bent over the table on a daily basis.  They've assessed his ass and have found him as easy a crack whore.

3.  Will someone please define winning in Afghanistan!  Will someone please tell me under what conditions we can pull our forces out of that country?  Can someone tell me why we could defeat technologically sophisticated Nazis and Japanese in WW2 but sandal wearing bastards have us wringing our hands talking about "a long term commitment"!  During WW2 generals were fired for losing battles much less wars.

Simply amazing.

This is why we will fall.  We are on the same path as the Romans, the British and every other great power that has come before.  

Mark my words (and I take no pleasure in this)....Afghanistan is about to claim another empire.  It truly is the land where empires go to die.

Norinco & CNR - HJ-10 Laser Guided BVR ATGM Live Firing Demonstration

Chinese Marines practice ship to shore heliborne assault...pics via Chinese Defense Blog.

Mark my words.  The next thing we will see from the Chinese military industrial complex will be a new heavy lift helicopter.  Quite honestly they're behind schedule with it but that would be one of the last pieces they need to make their forces formidable on all levels.

I imagine the hold up is timetable.  Do they have enough time to develop a tiltrotor or similar type, or do they stick with a traditional setup.

Considering the fact that we haven't seen anything I'd bet that they're working on an advanced design like we are.  You think the J-20 was a surprise when we saw it flying?  The Marine Corps and Army are gonna shit themselves when they see a tilt-rotor gunship and a CH-53 sized cargo version.

Armored Heliborne Assault Marine Corps style!...pics by Lance Cpl. Gabino Perez

Ok.  The title was click bait but I have to ask.  Has this capability ever been used in combat?  Have we even ever done an artillery helo-raid (did the Marines do it in Desert Storm...can't think of any other conflict where it was even a possibility)?

I can't even think of a reason to actually do it!  You'd be hazarding not only your gun crews but also the helicopters!  If you're gonna say ship to shore then I say this is pretty damn wasteful of resources.  Is this just one of those neat-O type things or does it have a practical application in the playbook?

A Generation 5 Glock?

Don't know if this is real or memorex but its floating around the Glock forum sites.

Open Comment Post. Aug 24, 2017

Australia's 2nd Battalion transitions PERMANENTLY to an amphibious force!

Thanks to Jonathan for the link!

via Herald Sun.

TOWNSVILLE’S 3rd Brigade is on the cusp of a major overhaul which will see one of the city’s historic light-infantry battalions permanently transition to an amphibious force.

The 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, will officially leave the command of 3rd Brigade on October 15 — which is also the unit’s birthday — to become part of the Brisbane-based 1st Division’s Amphibious Task Group.
The shift will see 2RAR, currently made up of about 550 personnel, remain based in Townsville but they will also have the option of operating from a variety of Royal Australian Navy platforms and potentially partner-nation ships.

Story here. 

Ok you fucking Aussies!  About damn time!

This had to be the best kept secret in Australia because everyone I know of from down there said that they would never do it.  They said Australia would NEVER dedicate a Battalion to the amphibious assault/naval infantry/Marine role.

But they just did.

Fucking outstanding!

Breaking! Mattis sets rules to separate current Transexual servicemembers.

This is just breaking but the overshot is that current transexual servicemembers will be given a chance to remain if they can serve in a combat zone, hardship location or onboard ship without special consideration (my interpretation...I AM PROBABLY a bit off on this).

More to come and I'm trying to find a link that's not behind a firewall.

One last jump...thanks Ft. Bragg (Military Humor via Military Footage Instagram Page)

The Marine Corps approves the AAV Survivability Upgrade for production...AND does a preemptive strike against critics!

via USNI News.

The Marine Corps approved the Amphibious Assault Vehicle Survivability Upgrade (AAV-SU) program to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP), with the program executive officer for land systems signing a Milestone C decision on Aug. 17 and the program manager awarding SAIC funding for 21 vehicles Tuesday, Advanced Amphibious Assault Program Manager Col. Wendell Leimbach told USNI News yesterday.

SAIC delivered its first of 10 engineering and manufacturing development vehicles in March 2016, and the Marine Corps has spent the last year and a half putting these vehicles through developmental tests and operational assessments to ensure they meet all the criteria for “making the vehicle relevant to the modern battlefield.” Those upgrades – which SAIC performed on legacy AAVs that first went into production 45 years ago – include enhanced survivability through added armor and blast-mitigating seats, and an improved engine and suspension to allow equal mobility as the legacy AAVs despite the added weight.

Developmental testing took place at Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland and the Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch (AVTB) at Camp Pendleton, and the operational assessment took place at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms and AVTB.

Throughout the testing, which wrapped up in June, the program office learned a lot of lessons that were fed back into the design. For example, Leimbach said, adding new survivability features into a fixed vehicle hull size “constrained the internal volume” of the vehicle.

Story here. 

A year and a half?  To test an upgrade to a vehicle we've had in service for almost 50 years?

I guess the good news is that they're finally getting it done.  The bad is that this is entirely too long.

To be blunt, they're full of shit.

No way in hell it should take that long to test a vehicle and decide whether it meets specs.

That part of the story I highlighted?  Consider that a preemptive strike against the critics (like me) that are pounding the table saying this is taking too long and is too slow.

The real problem?  I'm just a blogger.  Why isn't some Marine General, Colonel or SgtMajor in the GCE saying enough is enough?  If the Commandant no longer represents the GCE then who does?  Consider this exhibit number one on why the Marine Corps Ground Combat Element needs an advocate at the Deputy Commandant level just like the Wing and Logistics.

NORINCO rolls out VP10 8x8 vehicle variants...an OBVIOUS Patria AMV clone....

via Janes.

China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) has developed new variants of its export-oriented 8x8 VP10 armoured personnel carrier (APC), Jane's has learnt.

The baseline VP10 APC is typically operated by a two-person crew, and carries up to 12 dismounts in the rear troop compartment. The vehicle is equipped with a small roof-mounted remote weapon station (RWS) armed with a 12.7 mm machine gun (MG).

The VP10 APC is also understood from its original unveiling to be fully amphibious, with two shrouded propellers – mounted either side at the rear of the hull – that propel the vehicle in water at a maximum speed of 8 km/h.

NORINCO has disclosed a new variant fitted with a turret-mounted 105 mm rifled gun. The gun features a muzzle brake and fume extractor, though it lacks a muzzle reference system or thermal sleeve.

The gun is laid onto the target by a computerised fire control system (FCS), with commander and gunner using stabilised sighting systems.

Secondary armament comprises a 7.62 mm coaxial MG, with banks of electrically operated 76 mm grenade launchers mounted on the roof and firing forwards.

It is currently unknown whether the 105 mm rifled gun is manually loaded, or fed by a bustle-mounted automatic loader.

The first example of the 105 mm-gun variant does not appear to be amphibious, as it has an increased gross vehicle weight (GVW) owing to the installation of the heavier turret; in addition, the vehicle has not been fitted with propellers.

The 105 mm-gun variant is fitted with appliqué passive armour package to the hull and turret, and a number of dismounts could be carried in the rear troop compartment, which is fitted with firing ports and associated vision devices.

This is gross and obscene.

The Chinese have no shame and they've obviously cloned the Patria AMV.

Is the threat from China overstated?  I don't think so.  I do believe that they are willing to do whatever it takes to move ahead...even stealing foreign designs.  It's apparent that they lack innovation and imagination. That could be our saving grace.  Unless they change course then they will always be behind on the technological curve.

There is a problem though.

Mass means something.  If they stay behind technologically but are able to produce at a high rate then they still could win.