This is the idiocy that will lose us our gun rights...

via Fox48

The men who entered Walmart in Gulfport with a shotgun, bought ammunition, loaded the gun, and cocked it, all while standing in the middle of the store, are not being charged with any crime. That has Coast residents confused and concerned.
“After reviewing the yields of the investigation with prosecutors, it was determined that the action of the two men did not violate Mississippi state statute regarding the carry of firearms,” said Gulfport Police Chief Leonard Papania.The two men entered Walmart, Krispy Kreme and Winn Dixie on Sunday evening.
During the Monday afternoon press conference, Papania expressed his disdain with the incident that took place

Story here.

The many have to suffer for the idiocy of a few.

This type of thing will bite the gun rights movement in the ass.  Make no mistake about it.  Criminals are paying attention and if we have laws that make it illegal for police to even approach, ask for ID, etc...then you can bet that the bad guys will glob onto this and make it inevitable that our rights are taken away.

I'm pro gun and I think this is batshit crazy/stupid/insane.  What do anti gun people ...or more importantly those in the middle think?

NATO Rapid Response Force? More nonsense!

via Defence 24.

The North Atlantic Council has decided to increase the target size of the NATO Response Force to a maximum of 40 000 soldiers, which means a threefold increase compared to the situation before the crisis in Ukraine. In addition, the commander of the Covenant in Europe will receive the power to increase the readiness unit VJTF before deciding on their use.
During the meeting, the North Atlantic Council of NATO defense ministers decided to increase the number of NATO Response Force to a maximum of 40 000 soldiers. This means tripling the number of formations, which even before the crisis in Ukraine had 13 000 soldiers.

Story here.

I guess Rapid Response Forces are back in fashion.  The problem that I have is we're looking at more of the same, rather than a step in the right direction.  What do I mean?

Consider.  The EU has more "BattleGroups" (another word for Rapid Response Force than makes sense.  According to Wikipedia there are currently 18 of them.  Many of them overlap with a couple of countries being members of at least two and sometimes 3 different groups.

But it doesn't stop there.  If you count the Combined Expeditionary Force (France and the UK), Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (US, UK, Italy, Germany and many others), include the Gendarmerie Rapid Reaction Force and other quasi military units into the mix then one thing becomes apparent.

NATO, the EU and the political leadership loves bureaucracy.

This isn't a serious effort, its just another mixing of the deck chairs.  A little busy work to keep the journalist that don't know squat from asking real questions.  The sad thing is that its working.

The new target for every Sniper, Designated Marksman, Machine gunner, etc...on IFVs...

One side effect on the near universal acceptance that unmanned turrets are the way to go?

Snipers, Designated Marksmen, Machine Gunners, even Grenadiers have new targets...and ways to disable enemy IFVs and Tanks.

Those optic are going to be prime targets.

It wouldn't surprise me if they aren't already working on miniature lasers (think laser pointer sized but more powerful) to fry  them.  Future standard infantry loadout?  300 rounds of 5.56mm ammo and a laser pointer!

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Once infantry was told to pepper armored vehicles with small arms fire so that it would cause the crew to button up, lessening their situational awareness.  Now?  Infantry will be told to pepper armored vehicles with small arms fire so that it will cause the crew to get heads up, lessening their situational awareness/targeting ability.

Wow.

Sidenote.  I just had the craziest idea ever.  What if someone super charged paint ball guns with the sole purpose of disabling optics?  I can see it now.  Suddenly part of every vehicle kit is paint remover!

Clarification on USMC Heavy Brigade Combat Team "issue"...

Remember the post I did asking about whether or not the USMC was forming a Heavy Brigade Combat Team?

Here is the caption written by Lance Cpl. Chris Garcia....

Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion fire an M2HB .50-caliber machine gun in a live fire training event during a Heavy Brigade Combat Team qualification course aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 19, 2015. During the live fire event, the Marines aimed and shot at moving targets to simulate enemy movement.

I focused in on Heavy Brigade Combat Team...and ignored, downplayed...you decide, the part about QUALIFICATION COURSE!

A little birdy landed on my window sill and informed me that its just the case of 2nd AAB using the Army's gunnery/qualification tables.

So no.

No new formation and I apologize for the confusion.  Naw squash that.  Mistakes happen, deal with it.

A new unmanned turret for the Polish Rosomak (AMV)?

Thanks to Galvars for the link!

Note:  These are screen captures from a vid in Polish...I have no idea what is being said or if this is a private or government project.

UPDATE:  Galvars provided this description in the comments but I thought it important to include it up here....

This is the ZSSW-30 unnamed turret made by HSW (Huta Stalowa Wola) by the order from DoD (government project) they start it in 2013. 30mm Bushmaster, MG and 2xSPIKE launchers. This is a prototype without launchers, it should be fully ready next year and after that put in to production. New Rosomak 2 will be armed with it and some of Rosomaks 1.

Interesting.  So even the Poles are moving away from manned turrets!

US Marines headed to Eastern Europe...

via AP

BERLIN (AP) — A U.S. Marine Corps commander says a unit equipped with tanks, light armored vehicles and artillery will be sent to Bulgaria this fall as part of American plans to help reassure NATO allies worried by Russia's involvement in Ukraine.
Brig. Gen. Norman Cooling, deputy commander of U.S. Marine Corps Europe, told The Associated Press on Thursday that 155 Marines equipped with four Abrams tanks, six light armored vehicles and three howitzers are scheduled to be in place at the Novo Selo training area by early September.
The Marine unit will train with Bulgarian, Romanian and other allied forces over the next 18 months.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said this week that more American military equipment would be positioned in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland and Germany.

A few things...The USMC better get a handle on all these penny packet deployments.  Unless they're throwing out dwell to deployment time then they're going to be jacking things up down the road pretty soon.

Next, isn't this kinda intruding on Army territory?  The US Army hasn't shrunk so far that it can't handle Europe.  Additionally if Africa, the Pacific and the Middle East need coverage then zooming over to an area that is already covered is a waste of resources.

My last point is this.  What is up with this package?!  Four tanks, six LAVs and three howitzers?  Is this a rollout for the Ground Combat Element portion of the Company Landing Team?  I don't quite understand this setup.

Things in the Marine Corps has gone from very interesting to curious.

UPDATE:  Found out that this is an "add on" to the Black Sea Rotational Force.  The point remains though.  We're moving back into Europe instead of letting the Europeans take care of their own backyard.  Why are we subsidizing their defense?

Schützenpanzer Puma on display...

3rd Prince of Wale's Royal Regiment hone skills in mountain warfare...Pics Cpl Michael Strachan

Troops from 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment have trained with the Spanish Regiment, 62 Regimento de Cazadores de Montana (62 RCZM) - a specialist mountain warfare regiment likened to the Royal Marines.

The training involved intensive military manoeuvres using some of the British Army’s latest weaponry and equipment including the Javelin anti-tank missile system, individual thermal imagery and night sights.

The BMPT-72.

via Sputnik

The BMPT-72 is armed with two 30-mm 2A42 automatic cannons that can load ammunition of 850 rounds, four laser-guided Ataka-T anti-tank missile systems and one coaxial machine gun with a remote reloading mechanism.
The vehicle can survive in different climates and zones, including urban areas, and in any light conditions. The Terminator 2 is equipped with night vision, a laser range finder, as well as an integrated laser controlled missile guidance system. It can detect targets within a 5km range, day or night.
Compared to the BMPT, only three crew are used on the BMPT-72, with two grenade launching positions now not required due to automation. The combat weight was also reduced from 47 to 44 tons, with the length and the width standing at 7.2 meters and 3.59 meters, respectively.

Here.

Of all the vehicles that the Russians have, this one would cause me the most concern on the modern battlefield (from an infantry perspective).  If you're in an urban environment and this rolls up, unless you can get a first shot first kill on it then you better have an underground escape route lined up.  Second if you're rolling thru the countryside and this thing shows up it can kill you with its cannons (if you're in an IFV/AFV) or it can sizzle you from long range with its missiles.

Sidenote:  Everyone complains that we get little information on other nations military gear and websites like Sputnik give us looks and then we hear complaints of it all being propaganda.  Amazing.  Quite honestly, and I'm not busting sunshine off the Russians asses, but they're doing what many DoD officials have always said they wanted.  They're being open about many of there defense programs.  So stop complaining, drink in the info and do your best to separate truth from fiction.

Battle of Britain Infographic.