Tuesday, March 14, 2023

The current amphibious force can meet the military’s missions for the immediate future, Vice Adm. Sara Joyner

 via USNI News

The proposal does show the Navy buying an America-class amphibious assault ship in FY 2027 and starting to buy the Landing Ship Medium – previously known as the Light Amphibious Warship – in FY 2025. The Navy would buy another Landing Ship Medium in FY 2026, followed by two each in FY 2027 and FY 2028, according to the current procurement scheme. The platform is meant to shuttle small units of Marines between islands and shorelines in the Pacific, where they could set up expeditionary bases and fire anti-ship missiles.

So they'll have 18 by 2040?

 The current amphibious force can meet the military’s missions for the immediate future, Vice Adm. Sara Joyner, the director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessment on the Joint Staff (J8), told reporters Monday.

This actually makes sense.  The Ground Combat Element is smaller and lighter than in the past.  Quite honestly when it comes to tonnage moved by the Gator Navy for a Marine Regiment, with 31 large amphibious ships they'll have excess capacity.

Berger got called on what he's been saying and the numbers did not match the rhetoric.

Add Landing Ship Mediums to the mix and even with the fall in numbers to 24, the USMC will have more than enough ships to fulfill its new mission sets.

 “We believe that’s vital to the Indo-Pacific region in particular, and as we look at all the investments we’re making, for example, in the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030, of course it includes the ability to move around our Marine forces,” Hicks said.

“The question really is what is the right mix of capabilities for today and for tomorrow, and that’s where we’re taking time to look at what that right mix of capabilities looks like, including, of course … in the case you’re pointing out on the amphibious forces.”

The bean counters always get the last word.  The MEU hasn't evolved.  I dare say its de-volved to a point where it can only perform the recon/counter recon mission & EABO.

There just isn't justification for the legacy amphibious ships in this new construct.

Add to all of the above all the talk from inside Marine Corps circles to use the ships as anything but amphibious assault and they become a luxury instead of a necessity.

Story here, but its obvious that this is another failure of Berger and his team.  They pushed so hard for FD2030 that they failed to take into account the ramifications of such a dramatic transformation.

My prediction.

The Gator Fleet will sink to 20 large amphibs.  11 big decks and 9 San Antonio class ships.

FD2030 will go down in Marine Corps history as Berger's folly. 

Monday, March 13, 2023

Mobile Reconnaissance Company, 2d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, 2d Marine Division @ Littoral Exercise (LEX) II

Mobile Recon Company? In 2nd MARDIV? The MLRs might be only on the West Coast but the concept is going Marine Corps wide. . If the entire Marine Corps is optimized towards fleet defense and recon/counter recon then what good is the ground component to any combatant commander? The US Army is gonna be extremely busy in the near/distant future.  

Just like the startup to the Ukraine war where we saw the Marine Corps on the sidelines while the Army rushed to the fight that will be the future of the Marines anywhere except the Pacific.

Legion Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade @ Exercise Bayonet Apex

Maritime Raid Force HeloCast

Iron Fist 23: Bilateral Amphibious Assault B-Roll

We hear alot about amphibious assault in FD2030...mostly in rubber raiders (which I don't consider amphibious assault) but one thing for sure is missing. 

ANY TALK of forcible entry and the Marine Corps. 

They've tried to reassure with talk of Crisis Response, and stating that it's still on the menu but forcible entry? They don't even bother to lie about that.

 

Late Open Comment Post. 13 Mar 23

The US Army is conducting Forcible Entry Exercises in the Pacific....Cobra Gold 2023 - Airborne Operation

The USMC and Army's Multi-Domain Brigades might be into defensive operations but the Army's Airborne Forces are training to conduct the only real form of Forcible Entry left to the United States Of America. 

That my friends is a fucking shame. 

Some skinny ass paratrooper is gonna be carrying the fight to the enemy instead of a US Marine. 

God save us and God Bless America's Paratroopers.
 

Chinese amphibious vehicles on exercise...

 Thanks to BAMS for the pics...

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Its about time the Pope & the church started doing its job!

 

The silence of various religious leaders (or their downright sanctioning of some behaviors) is a major annoyance to me. If they do not attempt to maintain a sense of morality then why do they even exist?  

This is however, at least in my mind, too little too late.

He participated in the runup to where we're at now and this dude seemed to enjoy the praise being landed on his head.

I guess when death seems closer you tend to reevaluate things.

USS Green Bay (LPD 20) Conducts Flight Operations

 

It can no longer be ignored. The corruption/political bias at the FBI is out of control...this Agency MUST be disbanded!

 

Thanks to Cogitans Iuvenis for the link! Read the whole story here

The entire video from Jan 6 has stunned many.  It wasn't the incident that we were all told it was.

Now we have this?

The freaking FBI destroying evidence?

If this was a local police agency then the FBI would be crawling up asses with a microscope.

So who enforces the enforcerers?

Saturday, March 11, 2023

SAAB & Hagglund to increase production dramatically

Thanks to Domas for the link!

A production increase of this magnitude seems aspirational at best and not at all based in reality.

The supply chain will not support it.

Question.

Is anyone paying attention to the bank failure?  The layoffs in the tech sector?

The US economy is being held together by 100mph tape and that tape ain't what it used to be.

Bad/worse economic times might be around the corner and what is the salve that always comes to help economies bounce back?

Putting them on a wartime footing.

Consumer spending slows, then govt spending pics up.  It only works so long with consumers because the bill has to be paid and higher taxes are always pushed back on.

Get a credible enemy.  Make it a case of national survival.  Mix in a bit of nationalism spiced with patriotism and you have just what the doctor ordered for corporations, politicians and the elite.

Only the average guy and gal suffers.

Think about it. 

Its beyond federal control now. Check out this 3d printed AR~!

War is horrific but it also has a strange beauty...if you ignore all the death and destruction that is...

Bilateral urban combat exercise during Iron Fist 23