F-35 went to sea even with a hurricane coming?

The desperation is evident!  They continued with the sea trials of the F-35 despite a hurricane approaching?  Is this a  photo op to indicate that all is well....or an attempt to make sure that they don't suffer another delay?

Either way they're pushing hard. Why?  One word.  Sequestration!  The Administration has forced the Pentagon to go along with the idea that the President would veto an appropriations bill that would give them relief.  The price of increased F-35 production?  Social program spending increases.  The likely outcome?  Once again the DoD screwed themselves and hatred for the President will see their funding cut.  Both sides will blame each other and the F-35 will die.

I can live with that.

Sidenote:  The experts on my side of this debate were proven right when they said the F-35 was an aerial dog that would get eaten alive in a dogfight.  Now I wish they would turn their attention to debunking this "sensor fusion" and "superior sensor platform" bullshit.  How can a plane with sensors that aren't even state of the art be superior?  What the fuck is sensor fusion?  The F-35 advocates are selling pixie dust and aren't being challenged on the latest memes they're hanging their hats on.

Israeli F-15s intercepted by Russian SU-30s?

Thanks to everyone and their mothers for sending me this!

via Live Leak.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BELOW. Syria: Dual Air between SU-30 Russian SM Sukhoi and F-15 Israeli Published October 2, 2015 by Strategika51 EXCLUSIVE-Strategika 51: Six Russian multirole fighter Sukhoi type SU-30 SM put to flight Israeli fighter McDonnell Douglas F-type 15 off the Syrian coast. The Israeli aircraft flying for months Syrian airspace and especially Naval Air Station Latakia bridgehead of Russian forces in Syria. Israeli aircraft generally follow a fairly complex flight plan and approach Latakia from the sea in the night of 1 October 2, 2015, six Sukhoi SU-30 Russian SM took off from the Syrian air base Hmimim towards Cyprus before intercepting in attack position four Israeli F-15 fighters. Surprised by an unexpected situation and probably not prepared for a dogfight with one of the best Russian multirole fighter, Israeli pilots have quickly turned back to the South by flying at high speed Lebanon. The Lebanese army has officially announced to Z 2313 (local time) that four "enemy aircraft" (Israeli) had crossed the airspace of Lebanon. This "incident" between fighter aircraft Russian and Israeli has stunned the command of the Israeli Air Force, which held that a possible air battle between the Israeli F-15 and Su-30 Russian would have led to the destruction of four Israeli aircraft.

Sorry guys but this smacks of propaganda.

The Israeli Air Force are pros.  Quite honestly the battlespace that they're seeing develop is probably giving their commanding officers massive hard-ons.  This is the type of fight that the fly boys want.  No close air.  No bombers.  Just fighter on fighter against a competent foe (well to be honest they'd prefer if the opponent was a bit behind and not equal but you get the point).

So I was almost ready to buy it until they added that the "incident" stunned the IAF command.

Did it happen?  Who knows.  Probing to test the reaction of the enemy is common...even in peacetime.  I think I'll wait for more info before I go all in on this actually occurring.

Norway's FSK and a "really bad night"....

pic via TacBlog.

I don't know if this is real or not but supposedly it shows Norway's FSK Commandos (Forsvarets Spesialkommando) after a VERY intense (if we're to believe the amount of expended munitions) firefight in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Repeating.  I don't know if this is real or not, but it's going viral on the internet.

State Dept/Administration outmaneuvered again...

via CTV News.

A summit reviving a European push to bring peace to eastern Ukraine ended Friday with a call for the delay of contentious rebel plans to hold local elections this month and for both sides to begin a promised withdrawal of smaller-calibre weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a long-awaited summit in Paris that was overshadowed by international concerns about Russia's military intervention in Syria this week.
The meeting was the first since the leaders worked out a peace deal in Minsk in February. That accord has been troubled, but there have been signs of progress in recent weeks, including a breakthrough agreement this week on withdrawing tanks and many weapons.

Interesting isn't it.  The Russians and Europeans meet to discuss Ukraine and the US isn't invited?  If that doesn't tell you something then check this out from Sputnik...

"A lot of time during the talks was devoted to the Syrian issue. Putin informed his French colleague on the progress of the operation and the mechanisms of information exchange between regional powers concerned that are implemented by the Russian Federation."
"He [Putin] talked about the coordination center in Baghdad and urged other countries to contribute to it at will," Peskov added.

I keep telling you to hate Putin but don't be so arrogant as to underestimate him.  He's is handling this situation to perfection (Don't get it twisted.  You can watch an enemy's behavior and be impressed by his abilities while still planning to gut him while he sleeps).

A side discussion with the French on ISIL?

Putin is proving himself (at least in this instance) to be a master of the diplomatic and strategic art.  He is so far inside the decision making cycle of the US that he is in essence DICTATING events while our people are simply responding (and slowly...so slowly that by the time they've decided on a course of action it's no longer relevant to events).  Our State Dept/Administration is being outmaneuvered at every turn. 

Russia and Israel already have an agreement on Syria deconfliction?

The story below hit my news feed for armored vehicles.

via Jewocity.com

The deployment additionally includes T-90 tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers and 200 marines, The New York Times has reported.

I searched high and low for the original New York Times story and found nothing.  What did I find?  Check this out...

Israel and Russia have reportedly reached an agreement to ensure neither of the countries’ militaries operating in parts of Syria comes into conflict with one another.
The announcement comes following a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin outside of Moscow on Monday. Israeli aircraft have actively targeted Hezbollah targets in Syria, and Russia has in recent weeks beefed up its military presence in Syria in support of its ally, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. Assad is supported by Hezbollah in his country’s ongoing civil war against a number of factions, including Islamist extremist groups like the Islamic State and the Nusra Front. A US-led coalition is also targeting ISIS and Nusra targets in an air campaign, but the US has been adamant in the past that Assad must cede power for there to be a resolution in the civil war.
Briefing Israeli reporters after his meeting with Putin on Monday, Netanyahu said he had come with the goal of "prevent(ing) misunderstandings between IDF (Israel Defense Force) units and Russian forces" in Syria, Reuters reported.

What has me spinning like a top?  This story is from Sept 21, 2015!

The news media and MANY bloggers mocked Netanyahu's trip to Russia to meet with Putin and posted pics of the two together stating that the body language was bad.

It was anything but.

We have professionals...an Israeli and a Russia...meeting, hashing things out like the pros they are and doing their level best to ensure that there are no incidents (if humanly possible).  I kinda wish our govt officials acted as professionally don't you?

SNAFU! and its readers are working together to keep track of things in Syria but we're still behind the power curve.  The only saving grace is that we're about a million miles ahead of the general public....

Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course Fast Rope Vid...

U.S. Marines with 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division conduct a fast rope exercise during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 1-16 at Auxiliary Airfield 2 in Yuma, Arizona.
The Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course is a seven-week course consisting of advanced tactical aviation training designed to produce weapons and tactics instructors.
In a seven-week period, the cost of sending one Marine through Weapons and Tactics Instructors course is comparable to the cost of a four-year education at an Ivy League university. Sponsored by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One, the cost to graduate one certified weapons and tactics instructor from the course is $200,000.

Interesting.  I thought this was suppose to be rolled into the Squad Leader MOS...speaking of which it seems that with Dunford heading to become CJCS, the entire concept isn't talked about at all.  I wonder if it's dead?

We used to make commercials like this....

via Royal Marines Recruitment Page....





Nicely done.  The Royal Marines still remember what it takes to stir young men with the challenge.  Seems like the US Marines have forgotten (and our others services never knew) how to do it....



I can't put my finger on it but the whole video rubs me the wrong way.  It seems so contrived, so unnatural....perhaps its indicative of the new direction the Marine Corps is heading....Haynie and the USNI Blog should be proud.  They're more influential than I ever imagined.  They are totally changing the Marine Corps.  Unfortunately like most things over the past few years, its change I can't believe in.

Nemo 120mm Mortar 8X8 Armoured Vehicle

I like!  I like it alot!  I wonder why this hasn't shown up in someone's inventory?

RAF past and present...

Pics via RAF TumblrPage...

Over 1250 Russian Marines on the ground in Syria...

Thanks to John for the link!

via AlmasdarNews.

On Thursday morning, a Russian naval vessel carrying over 200 Marines arrived at the densely populated port-city of Tartous in order to bolster the total number of military personnel on the ground in Syria’s western countryside.
According to a senior officer in the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) that is stationed in Jableh (Latakia), the Russian Marines number over 1,250 military personnel on the ground in Syria; this does not include the dozens of military advisors that are spread around the country.
The officer added that Russian Federation is expected to double their number of military personnel on the ground in the coming weeks, as they look to proliferate more weapons and soldiers in anticipation for a potential ground assault against the Syrian Al-Qaeda group “Jabhat Al-Nusra” and the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS).

Will Russia participate in a ground assault against ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra? This is becoming more likely everyday; furthermore, the Russians have reached out to a number countries to for their own anti-terrorist coalition that would include countries like Lebanon, Egypt, China, Iran, and Iraq.

Interesting but expected.  The Russians have struck the tar baby now.  They're in it and its going to be difficult to get out.  Of course they'll succeed in the fight but its the "after fight" that has fucked every quantifiable military success of the past two decades (you can argue it all you want but the wars were won...the politicians and the generals with their goofy ideas lost the aftermath).