China's airpower will soon rival our own...in some capabilities its already surpassed us...

via The Economist.

“The Military Balance” offers a striking example of the progress China has made: in two years’ time, if not before, America is likely to lose its monopoly of radar-beating stealth combat aircraft with the introduction into service of China’s Chengdu J-20. This has a much longer range than America’s new F-35 fighter and will be a serious threat to American warships in the Pacific.

At least as worrying for American commanders in the region is the dramatic upgrading of China’s inventory of air-to-air missiles (AAMs). The short-range PL-10, which was introduced in 2015, is regarded by military analysts as comparable in performance to Western equivalents, such as the Sidewinder II. This year, the PL-15, a radar-guided “beyond visual range” missile (BVRAAM), should enter service. Carried by a J-20, the PL-15 can destroy an aircraft 50km away that is trying to evade it. “The Military Balance” believes that a version of the missile is in the works that will have a cruise speed of Mach 3. It is similar in design to the European Meteor, the best BVRAAM in the West’s inventory, which is only just entering service.

Another system, yet to be named, would provide China with an ability to knock out targets as far away as 400km, a far greater range than any other air-to-air weapon in service. It would threaten aircraft that currently operate safely from a considerable distance, such as tankers and planes used for airborne surveillance and control. China’s message to its adversaries with these new missiles is clear. As “The Military Balance” puts it, air superiority “will have to be won—and likely only temporarily—with the commitment of a level of ‘blood and treasure’ not required since the end of the cold war.”

Story here.

Should we worry?

No.

We should roll up our sleeves and get ready to do hard work.

Tillerson has gone off the reservation...

via Free Beacon.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, in remarks during a trip through the Middle East this week, said the United States recognizes Hezbollah is part of the political process in Lebanon as global leaders gather to discuss the Middle Eastern country's future.

Despite the terrorist group's unhelpful influence, Tillerson said "we also have to acknowledge the reality that they also are part of the political process in Lebanon."

Tillerson's remarks raised eyebrows in Washington, D.C., where some foreign policy officials questioned how the United States would hold diplomatic discussions with Hezbollah as the Trump administration also works to dismantle the group and crush its financial networks.

The comments starkly contradict efforts by the U.S. Treasury Department, which declared earlier this month that Hezbollah has no legitimate role to play in governance of Lebanon or other Arab countries Iran is seeking to destabilize.

Some officials remain concerned that treating Hezbollah as a legitimate actor in Lebanon—where it has amassed thousands of Iranian-built missiles on Israel's northern border—will provide legitimacy to the terror group and make it even more difficult for the Trump administration to target it with sanctions.

Speaking in Jordan on Wednesday, ahead of his travel to Beirut, Tillerson told reporters that Hezbollah must be part of any political process discussing Lebanon's future following the resignation of the country's prime minister, who disclosed upon his resignation that Hezbollah has assumed de facto control of the nation.

"We support a free, democratic Lebanon free of influence of others, and we know that Lebanese Hezbollah is influenced by Iran," Tillerson said. "This is influence that we think is unhelpful in Lebanon's long-term future."

However, "we also have to acknowledge the reality that they also are part of the political process in Lebanon," Tillerson said. "I think Lebanon is taking positive steps with their law on disassociation that was passed last year to send a signal as to their view that they do not want to see any of Lebanese Hezbollah involved in foreign conflicts and have asked that they bring all of their people back from the conflict in Yemen."

Story here. 

Tillerson.

This dude is all over the map on a whole host of issues...but this...this is going a few steps too far.

I don't get his thinking.  Either the guy is operating on the genius approaching cosmic level or he's a flaming idiot from the dark side of hell.

He's off the reservation, that much seems obvious.

Those artificial Chinese islands are now bases....

Seven island bases...that's one for the 82nd...they can do the airfield thing...the USMC can get the deep water ports islands...they built enough for a multi service operation..thanks!

via abs-cbn.com

The commander of the U.S. Pacific Command has warned of China's growing military might, saying Beijing has unilaterally built "seven new military bases" in the South China Sea.

"China is attempting to assert de facto sovereignty over disputed maritime features by further militarizing its man-made bases," Adm. Harry Harris said in a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

Harris told the House Armed Services Committee the seven new facilities included "aircraft hangers, barracks facilities, radar facilities, weapon emplacements (and) 10,000-foot runways."

China has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which over one-third of global trade passes.

Harris said he sees Beijing's assertive territorial claims in the East and South China seas as "coordinated, methodical and strategic, using their military and economic power to erode the free and open international order."

In the East China Sea, Chinese government vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands in an attempt to undermine Japan's administration of the uninhabited islets.

Harris said the U.S. alliance with Japan "has never been stronger," and that Washington's alliance with South Korea is "ironclad."

Harris, who is set to become the next U.S. ambassador to Australia, also hailed the Washington-Canberra alliance, saying bilateral military ties are "terrific" and that Australia is "one of the keys to a rules-based international order."

Just awesome.

Everyone is talking about these being perfect for TLAM strikes but I say they're perfect for a well planned Marine raid with the idea OF SEIZING THEM!

Thanks China.

You just gave everyone from some future MEU commander, MARSOC, Ranger, SEAL Platoon(s) and maybe even 25th ID bubbas a new fantasy target.

It's doable too.

Coverage for the operation would have to be massive but the biggest threat would probably be undersea.  Sappers would probably get a workout defusing the place once it was realized they couldn't hold it.

Let's face it.  SOCOM will steal this and they'd probably kill to do it.  Our best hope is that MARSOC gets the lead and it's done early enough in the fight to make a difference.

But still.

In an actual conflict these would make JUICY targets of opportunity....Early warning is futile unless they push us out of Japan and Korea....

Is this for the second phase?  Was this built with the idea of us having to fight our way back into the neighborhood?

Maybe TLAM strikes might be the better option after all! 

20th Armoured Infantry Brigade on the range in Germany...

I swear to God!  Since the Army practically did away with the Division system and is doing this Brigade/Regiment stuff I can't figure out who these guys are with!

It's probably simple as hell but I can't wrap my head around it.  For example these bubbas are...20th Armoured Infantry Brigade 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment....BUT WHAT FUCKING DIVISION????

I guess its a small thing but it still annoys.  Compare this insanity to the USMC way of things.  2/8.  Second Battalion, 8th Marines.  You know they're 2nd MarDiv.  Simple.  Quick.  Easy.  Plus we don't get our Battalions and Brigades twisted up and assbackwards.

Turkish army hit village in Syria's Afrin with suspected gas

via Reuters

Syrian Kurdish forces and a monitoring group said the Turkish military carried out a suspected gas attack that wounded six people in Syria’s Afrin region on Friday.

There was no immediate comment from the Turkish military, which has previously denied accusations of hitting civilians in its Afrin operation.

Birusk Hasaka, a spokesman for the Kurdish YPG militia in Afrin, told Reuters that Turkish bombardment hit a village in the northwest of the region, near the Turkish border. He said it caused six people to suffer breathing problems and other symptoms indicative of a gas attack.

Turkey launched an air and ground offensive last month on the Afrin region, opening a new front in the multi-sided Syrian war to target Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

Story here.

Hmm.  Waiting for more info on this one.  Wouldn't surprise me though.

US Navy opts for the Advanced Super Hornet in all but name...we know how the F-35 vs Super Hornet comparison worked out!

Thanks to Super Rhino for the link!

via Combat Aircraft.net

US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) is awarding Boeing a $219,600,000 contract for non-recurring efforts associated with Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) 6503 for the design, development, test and integration of the conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) for the Super Hornet.  Work will be completed in July 2022.

The Navy first said it would fund a number of the Advanced Super Hornet (ASH) capabilities under the Block III upgrade in June last year.

The concept for modernizing the ‘Rhino’ includes the CFTs, large area cockpit displays, a powerful new computer processor and a superfast digital network.

The Navy wants the CFTs, the Elbit 10 x 19-inch cockpit displays, the new computer, Distributed Targeting Processor-Networked (DTP-N) and ultra-fast high-band connectivity referred to as Tactical Targeting Network Technology (TTNT).

Story here. 

Don't believe me.  Follow the money.  The USN is in the process of buying the Advanced Super Hornet in bits and pieces.

They aren't buying it all at once, but if you follow their procurement then with the exception of the weapons pods they're on track to buy every widget that Boeing threw there way.

There is no need for an announcement from the SecDef's office with regard to how the F-35 vs Super Hornet comparison worked out.

It's now obvious the Super Hornet won and Mattis might not like the outcome but he will follow Navy wishes.

Ok, this is one of those Sgt Major's you see and turn around before you're noticed...

This week, the Corps lost a great Marine.

Sgt. Maj. Robert E. Cleary, the 10th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, passed away February 11 at the age of 86.

He was the last Korean War veteran to serve as Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

Semper Fidelis, Marine. pic.twitter.com/BbP4BPiMiu

— U.S. Marines (@USMC) February 17, 2018

Geez.

This dude looks hard as woodpecker lips flash frozen in the arctic in the middle of winter time.  

Don't lie.  You've done it.  Spot that Sgt Major in the distance and bust that quick u-turn before he spots ya!

Forget the nonsense.  Fair winds and following seas stud!  See ya on the other side....

Side note.  Time to dig into Marine Corps history and read about some of the Sgt Major's that have come before.

Hi-res photos of Kawasaki C-2 ELINT

Pics via Alert 5...

The Japanese are putting it all together.  The US Navy has a tactical electronic warfare bird flying.  The USAF doesn't.  What it does have (if I recall correctly) is based on a 707.  Why aren't they doing better?  SAAB has an offering based on a business jet that is suppose to be top notch.  If not that they how about a persistent example based on a big UAV?

Either way electronic warfare is gonna be big and trying to do that out of a rucksack when they're blasting away with all kinds of 'trons on your little setup is gonna be a dogs breakfast.

Close quarters fighting, known as “push of pike” or “bad war”

caption via Gdfalksen Tumblr Page
Swiss pikemen and German landsknechts engaged in close quarters fighting, known as “push of pike” or “bad war”. This manner of fighting was extremely chaotic and brutal, and once soldiers got inside the range of each other’s pikes closer range weapons like swords and halberds became far more effective.

The DoD has two years to shape our defense future...stay the course or change direction but only 2, maybe 3 years to do it!

via Breaking Defense.

Finally, Wilson made a bold statement about the 14 percent spending increase recently passed by Congress for fiscal 2018 and 2019, one that bears spreading and remembering: “We can’t expect that this rate of increase will continue.” Given the chances America will experience much larger deficits and growing inflation over the next three to five years, these words may prove prophetic.

Story here. 

As usual the author missed the biggest part of the story he was covering.  I could careless about some future counterinsurgency plane that will be used to give pilots rides while they wait to jump into a fast mover.

The statement about the budget is the key here.

That is the headline.

Trump, the defense budget hawks and the DoD clawed out a budget busting plan.

Hurrah!

The reality is stark.  This is it.  They won't get another bite at the apple.  Deficits, inflation, global stagnation (my guess) is all going to conspire to make future increases almost impossible.

I hope the DoD understands that they've been given a TREMENDOUS opportunity.

If they truly believe that they're on the right course then they should continue.  If not then this might be the only off ramp they get.  Either way the future fight will be fought with weapons and concepts DEVELOPED now.  Practiced now.  Trained on now.

They better be right.  They better be willing to bet the lives of Marines and other service members on what they're doing today.  Cause if they're wrong they'll not only be cursed by historians but they might also be blamed for the defeat of a nation.