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.

Lies, lies and more lies from our govt....

"SICK LIES"

New York Post goes after Fauci for his lies about dangerous virus research at the Wuhan institute of Virology.

It's only going to get worse for these liars.
(friend sent me this photo from a NY bodega.) pic.twitter.com/tE9xqB0Ffn

— Paul D. Thacker (@thackerpd) May 17, 2024

They damn near sainted Fauci and he's the bastard that backed the whole damn thing. Amazing in a different age but par for the course in ours. Weird. Its like putting the murderer in charge of the investigation of why his victim died.

The US Army is leading the way on all domain missile fires. The USMC should monitor and piggyback on their solutions...

US Army's current plans call for a fleet of 865 launchers capable of launching the MLRS Family Of Munition (GMLRS, GMLRS-ER, ATACMS & PrSM).

HIMARS: 521
M270A2: 344

The Army is also developing HIMARS Inc. 2/Autonomous Multi-domain Launcher for added capacity. pic.twitter.com/SsD9VQ5jMZ

— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) May 13, 2024

The supposed carve out for roles in the DoD that the USMC planned with its Force Design 2030 is outdated, wasteful and caused unnecessary friction. The Army did it right. They added to their capabilities instead of subtracting. They did not give up roles. They added to them. The big brains on active duty fucked up so bad its scary (in the literal meaning of the word). The reality is simple. The gambled the entire Marine Corps on the thinking of an arrogant Commandant and now instead of the fictional fight for survival, the Marine Corps is barreling full force into a REAL battle. Pride goeth before the fall. I see pride leaving the room for many Generals, Colonels and Majors. If you pick a side in a fight you better pick the right one cause if you don't it will bite you in the ass....or in this case fill body bags.

Open Comment Post. 18 May 24

Nicholas partially gets it. Ukraine is lost. China is united with Russia in a war of industry against the West. We are incapable of winning such a war at this time.

 

BLUF: It seems inevitable that Ukraine will be lost, especially with China offering Putin unlimited support. Whether it is stopping Putin from conquering Ukraine or responding to subsequent aggression elsewhere when he succeeds, war between NATO and Russia may be unavoidable. https://t.co/0JqyAUcwFy

— Nicholas Drummond (@nicholadrummond) May 17, 2024

Question. Why is the US military sole sourcing light tactical vehicles (Polaris...awesome but!) instead of putting out specs for all to compete on?

 

Polaris vehicles are awesome.  But lets be honest.  They're just one of many ATVs on the market today.  The war on terror is over so why is the govt sole sourcing them?

Why aren't they putting out specs and having ALL ATV manufacturers putting out vehicles?  Can-AM, Honda, etc...the weird thing is that even foreign countries are biting and not even looking around at other offerings to militarize!

You want to see waste?  This is it.  Want to see the free market die for blatant fraud?  This is it.

Remember as cool as these things are they're just modern day jeeps...not the jeeps sold to consumers but more like modernized WW2 jeeps.

Let me hit you with something else.  I bet a militarized HILUX would be cheaper and just as transportable!

Olight is making a red dot but I don't know....rechargeable via hood with a 17 day life?

 

Man I just don't know about this one.  I'm hoping one of the gun guys on YouTube does a test on it.  On the surface it looks awesome.  The only thing that really gives pause (and this is from 1000 ft looking down) is the recharging hood.

That seems like a mighty short life on a tool that I use to defend myself and others.

I mean it would suck BAD to hear a bump in the night and the dot ain't working meanwhile the goons are making their way thru your home to get you and yours.

Anyway this is just info in case you didn't see this. I'm saving judgement and hoping for a review real soon.

China Builds World’s First Dedicated Drone Carrier

 Thanks to Moebius2249 for the link!

*Small correction for my friends at Naval News.  If memory serves me correct the Turks turned their LHDs (while entering service) into dedicated drone carriers.  That's a first because to be honest anything with a flight deck can carry drones and land helicopters. Still its a rather dramatic statement, a warning to plans for warfare in the Pacific and an indictment to the rigidity that we have in our warship designs.  Example.  LSDs and how they're being used is passe especially in light of Force Design 2030.  Even that concept is aviation centric.  A French Mistral type platform that is lighter than a San Antonio class would fit that role perfectly and probably cost the same or less while giving more space for aviation.  Enough of that.  Onto the story from Naval News.

Mysterious Drone Carrier

The world knows about China’s first three carriers; the largest and most capable, the Type-003 Fujian, is currently undergoing sea trials. This new carrier is very different. Its claim to fame will not be that it is larger. Instead, we are confident that this ship is the world’s first dedicated fixed-wing drone carrier.

The design is smaller than the regular aircraft carriers, with a flight deck approximately one third the length and half the width of a U.S. Navy or Chinese Navy (PLAN) super carrier. For comparison, it is slightly shorter but wider than a World War Two escort carriers. It would be possible to operate fixed wing aircraft from it, but its straight deck arrangement would be anachronistic, not allowing aircraft to take off and land at the same time. Additionally there doesn’t appear to be space for a typical aircraft hangar, so the number of aircraft would be greatly limited. It does make sense as a drone carrier however.

Drones are an increasing part of naval warfare. Leading navies are already trialing them from regular aircraft carriers. And some navies, notably Iran and Turkey, are working on plans for ‘drone carriers’. But this space is still in its infancy.

Analysis of the ship

It is immediately apparent that it is, in general arrangement, an aircraft carrier of some sort. It has a marked runaway running along the port (left side) with an island superstructure on the starboard (right) side. 

Beyond this, it is unusual in every respect. The hull is a widely spaced catamaran. While catamarans are often featured in aircraft carrier concepts because they allow a large deck area, no one has actually built one before. Additionally, analysis of satellite imagery shows that the flight deck is very low. It appears unlikely there is a hangar deck below the flight deck. If there is, its ceiling is very low. Therefore, it does not appear designed to support high tempo or prolonged flight operations. 

The flight deck is wide enough to comfortably operate aircraft or drones with a wingspan of around 20 meters (65 feet) such as Chinese equivalents of the Predator drone. 

However, the mere existence of a flight deck suggests that aircraft intend to land on it. A catapult or launch rail of some form would be sufficient for launch if recovery wasn’t necessary.

 Make sure to read it all here 

‘A big mess is brewing’ Thousands of Russian fighters are flooding into Libya

 via Meduza.io

In the past three months, Russia has begun actively transferring military personnel and mercenaries to Libya, according to Verstka’s findings. These forces are primarily concentrated in eastern Libya, a region under the control of Khalifa Haftar, the commander of the Libyan National Army and a Kremlin ally. (The western part of the country, including the capital, Tripoli, is governed by the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord.)

A source within a Libyan security agency reported that at least 1,800 Russian military personnel have arrived in the country in the last two weeks alone. Some were dispatched to Niger, while others remain in Libya awaiting further orders.

One serviceman told journalists that he and several hundred other special forces soldiers were redeployed from Ukraine at the beginning of the year. Several thousand more fighters — both professional soldiers and mercenaries from Wagner Group’s Africa operations — arrived in Libya between February and April. In conversations with journalists, the soldiers themselves acknowledged that their presence in Libya is unofficial. They said that they’re there as part of a private military company, though they didn’t specify which one.

 Here 

Well damn.  Just earlier today I asked what made SOCOM unique in their mission set.  I stated that raids were not "special" and that any decent infantry unit could conduct them.  Long range patrol is outdated with UAV and aerial recon.  Why send a man where you can send a tool?

I concluded that operations behind enemy lines sounded right but not against peer opponents.

I also stated in a different post that we were headed to the age of worldwide proxy wars.

That is WHERE SOCOM will find its use in the future.

I've also stated that Africa would be the battleground.  I think we're seeing it all come together.

The US just got kicked out of a number of countries and Russia is flowing in now?  China has already established on the continent and Western hubris has alienated damn near every nation there?

SOCOM has found the location of its next big fight and the source of its future funding.

They're gonna be running non-stop ops in Africa and its gonna get ugly.  No worries for conventional forces cause they're gonna be busy supporting them.  Hell even a few infantry battalions will likely get some trigger time while doing perimeter security for everyone from Rangers to even freaking SEALs?

Is the Pentagon losing faith in the V-22? New restrictions say yes...

Thanks to Carlton for the link!

Sorry for all those on the V-22 bandwagon but its been looking like a miss for awhile now. BlackHawks were cheaper and probably just as effective.

MUST WATCH! Prediction on how the war in Ukraine is going. Hint. Not well

 

The West is losing the war: current efforts are insufficient to prevent the fall of key Ukrainian regions to Putin in the next 2 years.

1/16 🧵The facts you need to know

(Follow for a second part on good and bad sanctions) pic.twitter.com/TjcvD43UZ7

— Mikhail Khodorkovsky (@khodorkovsky_en) May 16, 2024

The Chinese are gonna overwhelm our defense with THOUSANDS of drones per sortie....an electronic warfare solution is desperately needed...

China has developed autonomous “drone swarms” with some models capable of exploding on impact pic.twitter.com/zvUbSpl4Ro

— Global Press (@GlobalPressCorp) May 14, 2024

The Chinese are looking to overwhelm our forces with drones before they even close to individual fired weapons range. Remember my warning from the start of Force Design 2030. Penny packets of Marines will be found fixed and destroyed with ease. FD2030 is a failure from the start. What I can't understand is if its obvious to me then why do they continue to push it. The only answer that I can come up with is that the Marines used in this "Stand In Force" concept are by design sentenced to horrible deaths with the hope that it will rally the American people to back a war against China in defense of Taiwan.

Wow. Marine Raiders just got mad at the idea of MEU(SOC)

Ya know what's so crazy about this shit? While it does "sing" on the surface level, once we dig deeper the question has to be asked. What makes Special Ops special? Raids? The US Army has 3 whole battalions dedicated to raids (and once long range patrol) in the form of Rangers. In this modern era what missions does Special Ops conduct that conventional infantry couldn't? If you say raids then I'm calling bullshit. If you're saying recon? I'm asking why do we need men on the ground when air systems both manned and unmanned are the real go to. Covert action behind enemy lines? In the age of super power competition? Risky as hell and most likely to fail. I'm serious. Special Ops are cool. They have fantastic training and wonderful toys but what is the unique mission that they conduct in the modern era? Not slamming them at all but I would like to know. I think I'm gonna inbox this dude. They're solid and will answer without a flame war erupting.

 

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More guesses on the "WHY" behind the pick of the Russian defense chief

Shoigu's replacement with a (relatively experienced and apparently competent) economist pretty clearly signals Putin believes victory in Ukraine will come via outproducing (and outlasting) Ukraine and her Western allies. He's preparing for many more years of war.

— Jimmy Rushton (@JimmySecUK) May 12, 2024

I kinda agree with this dude. Wars quickly become self licking cones. The Russians are trying to put a stranglehold on the economic pull of the war on their economy. If they end up going the way of the US and making war an integral part of their economy then they're in trouble. If they can avoid that trap then they have the US & China beat.  Regardless this should be worrying for the allies. If they're satisfied with their current trajectory and are moving toward becoming more efficient in their defense industries then the coming dawn of worldwide proxy wars is gonna be an intense and losing proposition for the West.

Chinese national posts images of Japanese naval base surveillance via drone....surely they've done the same in the US

Chinese man leaks another drone footage from Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base.

The ship looks like Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Howard. pic.twitter.com/8pfGliAS5l

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 15, 2024

Seems like he fucked around and found out...

Dual wielding is a hell of a way to go out 👀#police #darwin #cops pic.twitter.com/htlWDbxf8B

— Mrgunsngear (@Mrgunsngear) May 15, 2024

Open Comment Post. 17 May 24

Society is being manipulated and they told us so

Remember. They told us that we were food on the table and that they're basically eating us up. A society of more than 300, almost 400 million people are being manipulated and most are HAPPILY accepting that manipulation.

The audacity comes from telling those that you're using, that you're using them is stunning to me.

I've been trying to figure out when it all started turning.  The best I can come up with (and I could EASILY be so wrong here) is towards the end of the Vietnam War.

The first step was to try and popularize an unpopular war.  Once they lost Walter Cronkite things became clear to them.  They had to own the new media and that would ensure proper control of information to the public.  The rest is sad history.

It accelerated from there.  Reached its zenith (or what should have been its zenith, with a huge course correction) when Bush Jr persuaded America (me too) that we had to invade Iraq to get the terrorist that attacked us.  An international police action (literally police action, not police action like Vietnam was called) against Bin Laden with Special Ops support was what we needed.

Instead the bastard son of Bush Sr launched an invasion of two countries.

We bought the bullshit (I take my share of blame) instead of pushing back against it.  That was our chance to get it right. What happened instead was that corporate America, Neo-Cons, Globalist etc...all picked up on the various tools to bend us to their will.

We let them.

We're fucked.

Open Comment Post. 13 May 24

Marines with 2nd Recon conduct Mjolnir Strike

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom takes flight during exercise Mjolnir Strike 4-24 at Bombing Target-11, Piney Island, North Carolina, April 23, 2024. Exercise Mjolnir Strike 4-24 is a fire support-focused exercise for Joint Terminal Attack Controllers to increase proficiency while incorporating multiple fire support capabilities, such as ground-based indirect fires and close air support. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Isabella Ramos)

Ya know what's weird with Force Design 2030? You would think that Force Recon would move a bit into the background and that ANGLICO would become the new kings on the block. I mean they ARE the masters at coordinating air, ground and naval fires right? They are the kings at getting different services and allies to jointly put steel on target right? So why haven't they seen a new push for their capabilities....or is it that SOCOM has rendered them obsolete?