Lockheed Martin Havoc (Patria AMV) is dead.

First, the Lockheed Martin website has scrubbed every bit of information on the Havoc.

Second, I've spent the last two days reaching out to people on both sides of the Atlantic about the "partnership" and came up empty...my phone bill is gonna be impressive (wonder if it's tax deductible?).

Finally I got an e-mail stating that the partnership was dead and that Lockheed Martin would NOT be entering the Havoc in the Amphibious Combat Vehicle contest.  Interestingly the mysterious contact said that a vehicle WOULD be entered, just not the Havoc.

Amazing.  If this is true then just plain wow.

Sidenote:  This is confirmed by a reliable source inside Lockheed Martin.  All personnel associated with the Havoc 'venture' have been reassigned or left the company to pursue other opportunities.

Sidenote 1:  I got word about this happening almost a year ago and sat on it.  I wish I hadn't.  Everything is scrubbed, stories are lined up and HQMC ready to accept the bid from this group of scoundrels.  I messed up by not running with it sooner.  I made a mistake and it won't happen again.

IDF future officers training cycle...

via IDF Facebook Page.  Not much info was supplied with the caption but I imagine its like our ROTC or Academy programs that send cadets to various posts throughout the military that will give them a taste of life with the forces.

The Israeli's are real good about highlighting the "hot" female soldier and even are pointed out by feminist as having a mixed gender infantry unit.  I do note however we haven't seen those gals hookin' and jabbin' with the terrorist in a major operation.  I can't wait to see it.  If your country is at risk from dangers all around it, you can't afford political correctness.  I've always been a supporter of Israel but if they don't take their nation's security seriously then why should I?

Fried F-35 via FoxTrot Alpha (pic)

The Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Lockheed Martin and Patria....something weird is going on! UPDATE!

I sent the below note to Patria HQ in Finland...

Ma'am,
I'm a blogger in the United States that covers military subjects and the US Marine Corps in particular.
One rumor has been repeated over and over and Lockheed Martin has gone silent. There is talk that they ended your partnership for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle Project, "acquired" the best bits from your vehicle and plan on entering their own version.
Is any of this true? Any comment would be appreciated!

That's my version of simple, light, airy and non-intimidating.  What I got in return was surprising...

Hi!
Thank you for your email. You need to contact LM about this. Only we can confirm is that the technology developed by Patria has not been sold as such to the third party.

Did you notice the wording there?  Contact LM? No vigorous defense of the partnership and how they were moving forward together to present the best combat vehicle in the world for the Marine Corps ACV project?

The period to submit bids for the ACV is almost over.  We'll know soon enough but if LM screwed over a major European defense firm then the implications will be far reaching.

If LM submits a Patria clone for the ACV project then Europe will go crazy.

UPDATE:  LM has scrubbed the Patria AMV from their website.  Under the page labeled Ground Vehicles it isn't there (here)!  There has been a nasty breakup and no one payed attention to it.  What remains to be seen is if they enter a vehicle into the ACV project (LM).  One of the competitors is basically begging HQMC for non-disclosure agreements and they've sent them back presumably to make them ironclad.  My guess is that LM doesn't want the bits and widgets of their toy disclosed so Patria can't sue the hell out of them!

The Chinese ARE actually building a MLP...almost an exact copy!

Thanks to Phillip for the link!

via Janes here.

This IS interesting.

I've personally thought that the MLP was a ship without a purpose...I pointed to over half the class being converted to AFSBs, the emphasis on Company Landing Teams instead of Marine Expeditionary Units and the lack of improvements in Marine armor (real armor not Internally Transported Vehicles) as proof.

But for the Chinese?  Yeah.  It makes sense and it fully validates my belief that they're looking at landing Marines in mechanized brigades to sortie out from the beach to create havoc.

The COIN/SOCOM Mafia won the argument about the future of warfare (terrorism forever and we should organize conventional forces to support) but future Marines and Soldiers will pay the price because they did.

SOCOM's playing a weird game. Has Jade Helm 15 already started?

Hat tip to SHTF Plan.



This has gone from a lie, the talking point that the military needs to conduct exercises in civilian areas to be prepared for overseas work, to where I'm beginning to wonder if something a bit more sinister is going on.

A no notice exercise in Flint, Michigan and obviously city officials didn't tell residents?  No politician is jaded (pun intended) enough to do such a thing without putting out notices to the voters.  So I'm guessing they were asked NOT to disclose it.

I don't think this is a prelude to martial law.  I think we're seeing a PSYOPS exercise to test public reaction.  Gauge social media.  Monitor forums and news sites to examine what is being said and how to combat the nay-sayers.  I believe the public is being used to develop that Human Terrain concept the Army and DoD is so wedded to.

Of course I could easily be wrong.

Stealth F-15 Concept pic.

Thanks to Super Rhinoceros for the link.

Concept pic via Defense Blog.  More here.

Bragging Air Combat Command Chief reveals tactics and techniques to ISIS.

via Air Force Times

Gen. Hawk Carlisle, commander of Air Combat Command, at a June 1 speech in Arlington, Virginia.
"The [airmen are] combing through social media and they see some moron standing at this command," Carlisle said at the speech, which was sponsored by the Air Force Association. "And in some social media, open forum, bragging about command and control capabilities for Da'esh, ISIL, And these guys go 'ah, we got an in.'
"So they do some work, long story short, about 22 hours later through that very building, three JDAMS take that entire building out. Through social media. It was a post on social media. Bombs on target in 22 hours.
"It was incredible work, and incredible airmen doing this sort of thing."
Carlisle's comments came two days before a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on the Islamic State group's use of social media.

Here.  Wow.  So instead of ISIS wondering how in the hell they just had a command post obliterated, the Chief of Air Combat Command just told them.

Oh and you can probably take this out of the playbook.  I would bet body parts that ISIS goes over military news sites so they're learning about this too.

It worked great once.  Too bad it probably won't work again.  If the military wasn't so hit and miss these days when it comes to discipline, then the good General would be being escorted to the brig by a couple of burly Security Police (do they still call Air Force MP's Security Police?).

Instead, he'll probably get an atta-boy from the administration for highlighting how effective their ineffective war is against ISIS.

2nd CAV at Sarmis 15...

Airstrikes have killed 10,000 ISIS fighters?

via NBC

A top U.S. diplomat strayed from a long-held wartime taboo Wednesday when he reported that 10,000 ISIS militants had been killed in Iraq and Syria, raising questions about how that number was compiled and whether it accurately reflected a U.S.-led coalition's success against the Islamic terror group.
"We have seen a lot of losses within Daesh since the start of this campaign, more than 10,000," Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on France Inter radio, using an alternate name for ISIS. "It will end up having an impact."

Here.

Wow.  The Pentagon really went there?  They're attempting to do body counts on a fluid battlefield?

Amazing....and bullshit.

If this were true then ISIS would be on the verge of ceasing to exist.  Additionally  we wouldn't be seeing the offensive that they've started.

Why are they telling outright lies now?