US Marines deploy armor to Europe to deter Russia....photo by Sgt. Tatum Vayavananda

U.S. Marines now have tanks, artillery, and light-armored reconnaissance vehicles in Europe to support NATO allies and international partner countries. The heavy equipment arrived in Bremerhaven, Germany, Sunday, and is bound for Bulgaria. The tanks, artillery, and light armored reconnaissance vehicles will be loaded on trains and moved across Europe demonstrating our allies’ and international partners’ ability to move heavy equipment across the region to support operations during a crisis.

Interesting.  I imagine Tankers, Artillerymen and LAV crews are sitting somewhere with a huge "I told ya so" shit eating grin.

In an age where the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chief's of Staff has called Russia our biggest threat, the USMC is buying an airplane that many says will be dog meat against their current jets and is shredding Tanks, Artillery and LAVs.....but in order to to deter the big threat it must deploy what it says is no longer needed!

Large Scale Exercise-15...photos by Lance Cpl. Chris Garcia

Marines with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment used the P7 amphibious assault vehicle to travel to various locations in order to reach their objectives during Large Scale Exercise 15 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 14 – 15, 2015. LSE-15 is a combined U.S. Marine Corps, Canadian and British exercise conducted at the brigade level, designed to enable live, virtual and constructive training for participating forces.

Marines with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment prepare to start the movement to contact training event during Large Scale Exercise 15 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Aug. 14–15, 2015. LSE-15 is a combined U.S. Marine Corps, Canadian and British exercise conducted at the brigade level, designed to enable live, virtual and constructive training for participating forces.

Sidenote:  Ok.  Someone that ACTUALLY KNOWS tell me what the REAL DEAL nomenclature of the AAV is.  Is it P7 Amphibious Assault Vehicle, is it Assault Amphibious Vehicle, or is it AAVP7A1 RAM/RS....or is it correct to call it all of the above?  With the change long ago from LVT to AAV its never been clear what we call the damn track!  Help me out.

Flakka...the latest street drug you should be aware of...

via Vice News.

A video captured by the body cameras of two cops in southern Illinois last month reportedly shows a naked man, allegedly high on the drug flakka, violently thrashing around his home, flipping over furniture, banging into walls, yelling, and avoiding all attempts by police to subdue him.

The two police officers used stun guns to try to get control of Stephen Berkeley, 51, whom they say was in a state of "excited delirium" caused by the drug — symptoms include agitation, anxiety, high body temperature, and hallucinations — and called for medical assistance, according to police chief William Southerd of Christopher, Illinois.

But it was too late, Southerd said. Berkeley died of an overdose. An investigator at the scene noted the bruises on Berkeley's body and the two officers nearby, and said the death would have been suspicious if not for the body camera videos showing Berkeley's demeanor, Southerd said.

"This video was like something I've never seen before," Southerd said. "The guy was completely going nuts in the bedroom, banging into walls, flipping things over. He completely tore the room up, and once they got him subdued he died."
"If it wasn't for the body cameras I'd probably have two officers in jail right now," he added. "Even our crime scene guys came in and said I've got a room completely torn up with bruises all over [the deceased], and two officers. I wouldn't know how to rule this."
Southerd declined to share the video with VICE News, citing privacy concerns of Berkeley's family, but hopes to eventually secure its release and use it as an educational tool to alert legislators and school authorities to what he says is the growing threat of flakka, which he described as "bath salts on steroids."

Here.

Just plain awesome.

Some mad scientist chemist has made a new drug that makes people wig out and act crazy (crazier?).

Sorry.  I'm not even laying hands on some idiot that has the strength of Hercules while never stepping one foot into the gym, was probably already psychotic before he took mind altering drugs and is probably carrying some type of disease that could threaten not only my life but the lives of those I love.

Avoid.  Attempt to clear the area...and if further threatened I'm putting him down.

Flakka.  The latest threat to you and yours.

Evolving BACK to LBE's!

photo via Defense Matters Tumblr Page...

Was doing my nightly internet sweep and ran across the above pic.  Amazing isn't it?  LBE's got dumped for Chest Rigs...Chest Rigs were found to be unnecessarily cumbersome for many missions so we saw Battle Belts come into existence.  Battle Belts got loaded up with gear so we're seeing "suspension systems" being used to better carry the weight (getting it off the hips) which in many cases means adding suspenders (as you see above) which in essence means we're back to LBE's!

The gun community and those that call themselves gunfighters need to learn the difference between fads, trends and reinventing the wheel.

Battle Belts as currently designed fit into the fad category.  When you see belts carrying a couple of rifle mags, a couple of pistol mags, a utility tool, a fighting/general purpose knife and a dump pouch then you're either looking at an overloaded belt or you need a modern day LBE made with improved materials.

The second that a manufacturer realizes the obvious and dumps the fad that is battle belts and instead gives us a modern day LBE is the day they get money thrown at them and probably contracts from SOCOM and the Marine Corps.

We've already lost the battle of the Arctic...

Thanks to Joe for the link!

via Business Insider...

As the Arctic warms, Russia is positioning itself to become the dominant player in a resource-rich and strategically positioned region.

In order to capitalize on the oil and gas under the Arctic seabed and exploit new shipping routes as ice cover recedes, Moscow is undertaking a major military upgrade of its northern coast and outlying archipelagos. Its new bases — which include search-and-rescue stations, ports and airstrips, and military headquarters — are meant to project Russian hard power into an emerging strategic frontier.
The map shows exactly where Russia is building its bases, and reveals the continent-wide scope of Russia's militarization of its northern coast. And it shows how intense Russia's Arctic focus is compared to that of its neighbors and rivals.

Here.

Wow.  Maybe I'm just looking at things the wrong way, but from my chair it seems that China is winning in the Pacific...ISIS has fought the "alliance" to at least a standstill (giving a huge benefit of the doubt)....Ukraine is just a festering mess that's going to be more pain than its worth.....

And Russia is making moves to corner the Arctic.

What should we do?  How about having the Army form an Arctic Infantry Brigade?  Buy an allotment of BVS-10's, run unit leaders thru the British Marine Mountain Leaders Course (to have a cadre of experts to pass along those skills) and start doing some real deal (meaning actually beneficial) joint training with Finland, Poland, Canada to blunt this move.

Somehow we've fallen into short range planning while our enemies are making long range plans.

Establish national goals for defense.  Chart it out for the long term.  Adjust it to changing realities.  Uncouple it from tech and focus on objectives....and catch up with these bastards.  They're playing chess while we're licking windows.

Sidenote:  The Navy and Marines don't get a free pass on this either.  Notice how many bases are on islands?  Running detachments of Marines aboard Coast Guard Icebreakers and a new category of Navy ships that can somewhat handle arctic ice might be in order.

Self Defense Training....Pelvic shots are catching on! What are the implications?

I had a chance to get in some work at the range and one thing that I'm starting to see more and more is pelvic shots.

In my mind it makes sense.

Head shots are notoriously difficult to pull off.  The head is too animated for clear clean hits.  Triple taps to the chest risk dealing with someone that happens to be wearing body armor.  Trauma plates reinforce them and the chance of actually stopping someone in this day in age with a shot to the region are diminishing (I've even read that heavily muscled individuals weren't put down due to the density of tissue over vital organs...might be an old wives tale though...trying to run down an actual example).

That leaves pelvic shots.

Completely incapacitating on the first hit with the added bonus being that the criminal will never be involved in an active crime again (most will be rendered wheel chair bound after such a hit) and I don't see many down sides.

Is it applicable in all situation?  No.  Does it provide another effective target area that you should practice to hit?  Hell yeah!

Sunday Controversy. The attack on the Alabama Detective. UPDATED!!!

NOTE:  This is a talk about police tactics, not a defense of the ATTACK!  Don't get it twisted and stay on target people!  Don Bacon, a reader of mine found a link that everyone should read...

via Police One.

The incident began when the plainclothes detective in an unmarked car stopped Cunningham’s SUV in connection with some burglaries in the area. When he approached, he asked the suspect to stay in his vehicle while he waited for backup.
The suspect refused to comply with the officer’s commands, approached the officer and questioned him about why he was being stopped. A fight ensued and the suspect assaulted the detective with his own weapon.
The detective was rushed to the hospital and backup pursued the suspect. He was arrested along with a second man. The second man has not yet been charged with any crime.

We're talking TACTICS!

A plainclothes detective, presumably in an unmarked car is going to make a stop on a felony suspect and approach him alone?

The detective tells the guy to stay in the vehicle and he refuses to comply and he doesn't escalate immediately?

Again from Police One....

“A lot of officers are being too cautious because of what's going on in the media," the officer said to the news site. "I hesitated because I didn't want to be in the media like I am right now."
Details on the incident have not been fully released, but the department said the suspect was able to grab the officer’s gun and beat him unconscious. A few onlookers took pictures of the officer and posted them on social media — praising the beating of a cop.
The six-year veteran didn’t shoot the man while he was being assaulted because of the national outcry surrounding police shootings, he said to the publication.

Story here and here.

The assault on the detective was nothing short of barbaric.  I do not condone it anyway.....

But the explanation smacks of being a weak excuse.  A search for a reason to explain away poor police tactics, a lack of officer safety, substandard situational awareness, improper weapon retention skills and general lack of self defense training.  The guy screwed up, approached a felony suspect solo, got behind the self defense power curve and was unable to get ahead of it again.  The only good thing to come of this is that he wasn't killed with his own weapon.

AND THAT'S THE REAL TEACHABLE MOMENT HERE!  Police Officers must work on unarmed self defense!  They have to practice weapon retention, lift weights and workout like they're convicts!  I do and I don't wear a badge (doing an indoc for search and rescue in Oct though).  Too many people have or are getting MMA skills, working out is too popular etc...for these skills not to be priority number one for law enforcement.

This detective didn't avoid shooting and killing the suspect because of national media attention.  He didn't because he couldn't.  Not admitting that cold hard fact is....just wrong....that's my opinion...what's yours?

This vid explains why the Pentagon is so scared shitless about Russia's Hybrid War concept...

Thanks to Ryan for the link!



Ok.

I've been wondering about the statements from the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs about Russia being the most dangerous opponent we face in the near term.

Now I know.

It isn't about facing them in conventional combat because they will invade a nation....no....its about how they've cracked the playbook with regard to using all elements of national power to overcome a weak opponent.

They fear that what's been done in Ukraine, can be done elsewhere.

Russia could beat US in conventional war?

via Daily Beast...

“Against an adversary like Russia, we can’t take the kind of air dominance we’ve had in conflicts since 9/11 for granted,” a second defense official explained. “Any conflict of significant magnitude against an adversary like Russia means we’d need to commit airmen and resources that are now operating in other parts of the world at a rate that minimizes their ability to train for that kind of fight.”
The official added, “We may very well be able to provide the airpower that would allow us and our allies to prevail in a high-end fight, but the current state of our air forces definitely doesn’t make that a sure bet.”
Around the time of that TTX, in June, the U.S. military also conducted four major field exercises with its NATO counterparts, called Allied Shield, consisting of 15,000 troops and 19 member countries. In March, Russia conducted its own exercises, at one point deploying as many as 80,000 personnel.

Here.

I've been beating this drum for awhile now.

The USMC is reorganizing to chase terrorists but SPMAGTF-CR's and Distributed Operations have NO PLACE in fighting the real threats that our nation is facing.  Additionally that disease has spread to the US Army and Air Force.

Everyone is optimizing toward fighting small wars...but those days have passed.

If a table top demonstrates that we would "eek" out a win against Russia then you can bet the reality is far more stark.  The reality is that Russia could move against our allies and there would be little that we could do.  A tabletop exercise is a perfect world of timely decisions, political unity across the board and a fight in a vacuum without others taking advantage of the chaos.  Real life will have hesitation, political maneuvers and an inability to sortie troops quickly to where they are needed.

This generation of leaders has given the nation the worst gift ever.  Military and political weakness.  I thought only China was trying to drink our milkshake...seems like Russia is too.

When gun control groups realize the power of shotguns....

I was watching TNT Outdoors review of his new Mossberg shotgun and it dawned on me.

Everyone is so focused on AR's that they're forgetting the power of the simple shotgun...especially in an urban setting.  Body armor will almost be irrelevant when it comes to a functional shotgun loaded with decent slugs.  You're talking about body ripping firepower...and its not getting any attention simply because it lacks a "cool factor".  When gun control groups eventually realize the power of shotguns they're gonna freak out.