Open Comment Post. 25 May 24

 

Do we need to re-evaluate how we rank Infantry Fighting Vehicles?

 

American Bradley fighting vehicles save lives of Ukrainian soldiers. We have around 2,800 in storage. Bradley was literally developed to fight the Russians. Why have we not sent more to Ukraine, so they can fight the Russians? Make it make sense.pic.twitter.com/rYHmvdzhTV

— Igor Sushko (@igorsushko) May 25, 2024

The Bradley is a superstar in the Ukraine/Russia fight.

Not one armor expert I follow saw that coming.  I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!

The much aligned and criticized Bradley IFV is doing the work.

We're not hearing much about the other IFVs (one thing we must consider is the propaganda behind this whole thing and Ukraine's desire for MORE OF EVERY DAMN THING from the US), but with that warning is it time to re-evaluate how we rank IFVs?

Could it be that the old armored triangle still applies?  That mobility and firepower along with armor still hold weight?

Everyone is going to wheels but in Ukraine tracks are still king.  The ground just has too many issues outside of a short time in the summer for clear running of wheeled vehicles.

We saw an old 25mm chain gun do work on an MBT.  Not a kill but enough to render it combat ineffective.  Oh and that's without utilizing one of its anti-tank missiles that American Soldiers would definitely dial up against any MBT they ran across.

I don't know.  I do know that many of our assumptions about what kind of armor we needed for the future are being challenged right before our eyes and no one is debating what we're seeing and how that applies to our procurement.

Battlefield data, versus procurement momentum vs the desire to grab more cash for certain critters in power.

Is all that conspiring to wreck us in the next war?  I'm not sure.

What I do know is that it would be nice to slip the Ukrainians a few Booker M10s to see how they do in combat.  Did the US Army get that one right?  

I propose sliding them into a Ukrainian light infantry unit, paratroopers or Marines and see how it performs.  If we're gonna break the bank and endanger our own security by emptying our supply shelves then the least we should get back is some much needed data to test our assumptions going into the future.

The evening parade that is supposed to "put the band back together" is sold out...

 

Due to overwhelming interest, we have reached maximum capacity and are no longer accepting reservations for the Evening Parade on May 24, 2024. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and hope you’ll consider joining us at another event in the future. pic.twitter.com/fs5Zmj1ZtY

— Marine Barracks Washington (@MBWDC) May 24, 2024

I am anxiously awaiting the results of the Chowder Society's meeting with the Commandant. According to the CMC this parade is when he puts the band back together. I wonder. The fight has been public. Is this when they agree to all nod and play nice and take it behind doors?

If so then I'll be extremely disappointed.

Force Design 2030 was radical in the extreme.

It went so far out towards left field that its orbiting Pluto.  The idea that the United States Marine Corps is gonna shed everything and become a stand in force is repulsive and stupid.

If the vocal critics with stars on their shoulders play ball with the CMC then its truly over....but I am seriously concerned that its exactly what we'll see.

MARSOC has a robot dawg? So do the Chinese....

 

Nothing special, just random Chinese soldier casually walking his military robot dog. Keep scrolling. pic.twitter.com/i9ATDXWk6h

— RT (@RT_com) May 24, 2024

I no longer worry about the Chinese copying our shit. Our allies do it too. No big deal. What I do worry about is their industrial capacity AND how willing they are to roll shit out, see if it works and then either move forward or scrap it. We just can't afford to do it. Correction. We've developed a bureaucracy that makes its living by keeping weapon systems in testing for decades. In the 50's we rolled out fighter after fighter after fight like it was candy. Same with armored vehicles. Most didn't make it but they served as seeds for the future. That's what the Chinese are doing now and something we are currently incapable of doing.

Our current structure is not designed to win wars.

Its built to make money.

The two are NOT compatible.

WTF did I miss?

 

https://youtube.com/shorts/yVMAlozRPzY?si=sUoxRBfbyI6bG9Zy

Sorry guys but this is one of those YouTube shorts and I can't embed the video.

The implication is that you have US troops (soldiers, not Marines) on JLOTS firing into Gaza?

WHAT THE FUCK DID I MISS?  IS THIS REAL OR CLICK BAIT????

HIRAIN: joint training for the future fight

 

Make this make sense. You're gonna fly in your "security forces" to secure an airfield or landing strip. Then you're gonna fly in a HIMARS or two. Next you offload them (not a quick process...especially when if detected you're dead). Drive them to their launch positions. Fire off your missiles. Load them back up (remember you've fired your wad....they know you're there...this is for the high end fight right?). You take off. You pull back your perimeter security. They load up and fly off.

Whoever is pushing this shit needs to be drug tested, face a mental evaluation or both.

They luv it though and I can't see why.

Someone explain it to me please.

Open Comments Post. 24 My 24

The M10 Booker Combat Vehicle.

 

3rd Bn., 4th Marines patrols through infantry immersion trainer

 

U.S. Marine Corps amphibious combat vehicles attached to Battalion Landing Team 1/5, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, splash from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49) to conduct a waterborne gunnery live-fire range during Exercise Balikatan 24 at Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. BK 24 is an annual exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen bilateral interoperability, capabilities, trust, and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences. (U.S. Marine Corps video by Lance Cpl. Peyton Kahle and Sgt. Patrick Katz)

They look like infantry, they move like infantry but the mission set under Force Design 2030 is the same as USAF Security Forces.

They're guards for bases.

In the case of the USMC, the infantry is now relegated to guarding EABOs.  To say it plainly they guard refueling points (probably for UAVs) and missile sites.

Full stop.

The Commandant is full speed ahead with FD2030.  So be it but let's be real.  Instead of training with host nation forces they probably should be learning the skill set of USAF Security Forces.

 

Late Open Comment Post. 23 May 24

I've been surprisingly busy the past week or so. Apologies for the lack of blog posts but ya'll get the deal. Off this weekend so its lifting, a range trip and catching up on the blog. Good weekend hopefully...

That attempted coup in Congo is getting BATSHIT CRAZY!

 

NEW: Trump-supporting Utah son Marcel Malanga detained in Congo after witnessing his father get killed after their botched coup.

This is so bizarre.

Marcel and his father Christian left Utah for Congo to try to overthrow the government.

Marcel's social media shows him… pic.twitter.com/iHgJIWjxeN

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 20, 2024

The Story Before The Story via Compass Points

 Note.  CoffeeJoeJava turned me onto Compass Points and if I haven't said it on the blog, let me do it now.  CHECK OUT COMPASS POINTS!  Anyway the debate continues on Force Design 2030 (no rebranding allowed) and they touch on some of the background discussions that were had.  This is a blast from the past but it shows that discussions around "force design" have always raged.  The difference between now and then?  Radical change would be allowed IF IT COULD BE DEFENDED!  That's why its been incremental.  The human side of warfare is eternal.  Getting up within breath smelling range against a man that you know is trying to hurt you is eternal.  It clears the mind and things become simple.  Extremely lethal yes, but also very simple.  You win you live, you lose you die.  Back on task.  Check this out...

Back in 1996 a Marine named John Sayen had his own ideas about how the Marine battalion should be changed. He and a friend carefully assembled his idea for a new Marine battalion and gained an appointment with a senior Marine General Officer. The General listened with interest to the brief by John Sayen and his friend. When they finished their brief, which was thorough and professional, the General said to them, “Gentlemen, I need to hear the story before the story."

The officers were puzzled. Story before the story? What was that? 

The General explained when he came into the Marine Corps there was a weapons company in the infantry battalion but later it was disestablished, only to return after the Vietnam War.  He also related how the rifle companies in the battalion had 60-mm mortars when he enlisted in the 1950s but the Corps removed them before the Vietnam War, only to return them during that war and then remove them after the war and now, they were back again.

Instead of making quick decisions with only a surface understanding of all that has gone before, it is better to take time to discover the "story before the story." Understanding the “story before the story” prevents costly mistakes. The General concluded by asking the officers to go study the story before the story about the history of the Marine infantry battalion so they could provide a deeper context for their ideas.

Years went by and the General never heard from the officers. Then, several years after the General's retirement, out of the blue, he received a email from John Sayen.  Sayen, who by then had retired as a Lieutenant Colonel, reminded the General of the briefing and his tasking about the "story before the story."  John explained that neither he nor his associate were able to find funding for a study and their regular duties precluded undertaking the effort themselves.  However, he decided to conduct the study using his own resources and on his own time, which he continued into retirement.

John said that early on he found he was unable to gain a complete picture of the Marine infantry battalion without considering the influence US Army infantry battalions as they changed over time.  John further said that eventually he found he needed to study American infantry from the colonial period to the present.  He shared the results of his efforts in a document of hundreds of pages with diagrams and descriptions of every infantry unit that had ever existed in the American military.  It was an extraordinary piece of work.

Sadly, John died without seeing his extraordinary study of the American infantry battalion in print.  There is some good news, however, John’s brother gave the online Tactical Notebook permission to serialize the study -- see link below.

Here 

Stick your pole in any hole and you're gonna catch bugs....some lethal

🚨 Public health alert issued after HIV-positive prostitute in Ohio had sex with over 200+ clients in several states

“This case could stem anywhere from Florida up the east coast,” officials said. pic.twitter.com/ROzm2OSaZJ

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 20, 2024

If you hit this street trash then you're hard up. Get back on your meds and seek help.

They link Ukraine with Taiwan but when asked why they hit you with platitudes...I don't get it. WHAT IS THE LINKAGE!

Don't know if anyone has seen the old vids or read the old newspapers but when Vietnam was raging and the American people were tired of the nonsense, the comeback was that if Vietnam fell to the Communist that we'd see a domino effect all over the world. Didn't happen. But fast forward and now they're trying with Ukraine. WHAT IS THE LINKAGE! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!

If UKR fall to RUS, PRC is emboldened, US allies in Pacific (esp. relative to TWN) question US resolve - as does TWN.

RUS reconstitutes. Should PRC move on TWN, RUS is better able to support PRC.

If UKR falls now, TWN is more likely to fall later. To support TWN, support UKR. https://t.co/jx2qBqckNP

— Brian Kerg (@BrianKerg) May 20, 2024

Open Comment Post. 19 May 24

Amazing. The Americans being held hostage by Hamas Terrorists are forgotten. SOME Americans are instead protesting for the terrorists. Make it make sense.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Israel Defense Forces (@idf)

I feel a fucked up week coming up. You need this Sunday Funny...

Good Saturday Morning, Beautiful Friends ☕️🌻🩵

Enjoy your day. 😂🤣😂

(((…sorry….not sorry))). 😂🥰🤣🥰😂 pic.twitter.com/XuBgTgWQLx

— Gabi🌻 (@GabiNga1) May 18, 2024

Iranian President's helicopter is down?

HAPPENING NOW: Iranian rescue teams are currently searching for the helicopter carrying President Ebrahim Raisi which reportedly crashed on Sunday.

The teams could be seen searching through thick fog on mountain roads and hillsides.

Iranian state media is currently calling on… pic.twitter.com/l3wGTnsnbv

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 19, 2024

Hamas fighter was dead on his feet. FAFO

 

Two Hamas militants fire on the IDF from a rooftop. Each are hit by a barrage of fire. pic.twitter.com/TgnRpgjGCu

— FUNKER530 (@FunkerActual) May 18, 2024

The biggest most glaring flaw of Force Design 2030? Divest to invest.

 As the title goes the biggest flaw of Force Design 2030 is divest to invest.

If you're looking at things from the outside and believe the rhetoric of HQMC that is.

But the reality is much more stark.

Divest was undertaken for one reason.  To change the mission of the Marine Corps.  To change its ethos, its character and its traditions.

I say all the time that this is the new Marine Corps and it is. It can't be emphasized enough.

We've all been debating the plan.  We should have looked at the rationale behind the plans.  This is an internal assault led from the top on the very being of the USMC.