Blast from the past via Soldier Systems...

Pogues not Pogs...nuff said...

KF-X Stealth Fighter Simulation

Interesting isn't it?  The S. Koreans are going for partial stealth like the Russians and the Chinese instead of full stealth.  The world it seems has rendered its verdict.  Full stealth at the cost of fighter performance is not worth it!

What I found fascinating?  The growth pattern already outlined for the S. Korean jet!  A two seat two engine beast that can rule the skies?  They're on the right track!

Last.  F-35 supporters can stick a fork in the idea that their won't be airplanes competing with it for sale.  Did you check out the part where they compared costs?  I don't know where they're getting their figures but since they're inside the program they know the real numbers.  The figures they come up with are sobering.  The F-35 will not only cost more than the program office is telling us but it will continue to break the bank when it comes to ongoing maintenance/support.  The S. Koreans are bragging that their plane will be cheaper not only to purchase but also to fly.

LHA/LHDs acting as mini-aircraft carriers...why that's dangerous thinking!

I've watched as many F-35B advocates, to include many of the Marine Corps leaders (especially the Assistant Commandant for Aviation) talk about the F-35 acting as a mini-aircraft carrier with plans to put aboard 20 F-35's and leave the Ground Combat Element on the dock back in San Diego or Lejeune.

That's dangerous thinking, not only for the Carrier Navy but also for the Marine Corps itself.  The problem?  There is more...much more to carrier ops than being able to launch a certain number of strike/extremely marginal fighters.

First let's look at Carrier Strike Group mission...via Navy Fact Files (here)...

The Carrier Strike Group (CSG) could be employed in a variety of roles, all of which would involve the gaining and maintenance of sea control:
**Protection of economic and/or military shipping.
**Protection of a Marine amphibious force while enroute to, and upon arrival in, an amphibious objective area.
**Establishing a naval presence in support of national interests.

Yeah.  That's right.  We have 10 (and really need more) big deck carriers that are  on call to protect Marine Corps ass if we have to take a beach or conduct a raid.  Additionally if you look at the composition of a Carrier Strike Group, you'll see that it's well equipped to deal with most nations short of an assault against maybe China or Russia (and there you would see multiple carriers assigned as well as nothing short of a full Marine Expeditionary Force).

So with that being the case why would we even consider making mini-carriers and breaking up the world's best combined arms force?  Simple.  Because the zealots in and out of the Marine Corps are desperate to get the F-35 into service.  Fuck the fighting capability of the Navy and Marines.  Fuck the loss in combat power, everything must die so the F-35 can live...including a Navy Carrier if necessary.

So how did all this come into being?  Besides the zealots pushing the F-35 I believe that the Navy contributed to the issue by emasculating the carrier air wing.  A carrier does MUCH more than simply strike missions.  It was once the premier asset when it came to....

*Anti-ship strikes.

       *Maritime patrol.

*Anti-sub warfare.

*Deep strike from the sea.

*Fleet Air Defense.

*Combat Air Patrol.

*Electronic Attack.

Yeah the list is off the top of my head but understand where we came from.  The A-6E was the deep strike platform of choice...slower than a F-111 but long ranged and accurate.  The EA-6 was the electronic attack platform.  The A-7 was the light attack along with the A-4.  The F-14 provided fleet air defense and combat air patrol and finally the S-3 provided aerial refueling, electronic attack AND superb long distance anti-sub work.

The Navy "necked down" to a single fighter and the carrier air wing has suffered because of it.  The solution isn't to talk about mini-aircraft carriers that will destroy Marine Air-Ground Task Forces, the answer is to either make more specialized models of the F-18 and perhaps bring back the S-3/ES-3 to make the wing viable again or its to follow this foolishness and watch two great pieces of our combat power become castrated by the needs of the F-35.

Russian intervention in Syria inforgraphic

Thanks to Brody for the link!

Police shooting in New Hampshire (vid) via Tactical Clips Blog

Drink it in boys and girls.  That Tueller Drill is real!

15 ft.  A person can cross that distance before your mind registers to draw and shoot.  Thank God these guys had weapons out.

For my readers?  You better be aware.  Have you been paying attention to the knife attacks in Israel? They've been vile, come out of nowhere and take advantage of politically correct laws that prevent profiling (in my opinion).  If you're not aware of what I'm talking about just do a quick Google search.  The attackers have attacked suddenly and successfully killed many people before they're finally gunned down.

So what do you need to know about knife attacks?

You have to accept the fact that if you miss the signs or even if you pick up every clue there is a good chance that you'll be cut.  Hopefully you're at least moderately trained and know to give up your non-shooting arm to attempt to parry the blow and to protect vital organs.

But the main thing is to know that distance is your friend.  You also need to be able to "clock" someone that is carrying concealed...whether its a knife or gun...guides are on the internet and once you know the signs you're gonna be surprised by the number of people carrying.

The last thing is that you need to be in some type of shape.  Google fight physiology.  Not only do you get a massive adrenaline dump, but you also have to contend with a natural fight or flight impulse that will kick in so hard it'll knock you down.  Your blood pressure will rise and you'll zero in on that one threat that you can see....even though your mind is screaming that other threats may be lurking out of eyesight....just Google it...I'm not explaining this well.

Study this stuff people.  It could save your life.

Senior Military Officials are liars? via National Interest....

Thanks to Peter for the link!

via NI

Senior uniformed officials have an obligation to tell elected political leaders—and the public—the unvarnished truth about the country’s military capabilities. Further, those leaders should be able to tell the truth without fear for their careers—that was the central theme of an event hosted by the Hudson Institute.
“You will not make chief of naval operations in this country, you will not make First Sea Lord in the United Kingdom if you tell the truth, it’s as simple as that,” retired U.K. Royal Navy aviator Rear Adm. Chris Parry told an audience at the influential think-tank on Wednesday. But that’s not acceptable—senior officers must be able to speak candidly without fear for their careers or political retribution. “They should be able to say, short of resignation, ‘we can’t deal with this.’”

Just plain freaking wow.  Must read! 

Combat video from the raid to free 70 Prisoners of ISIS...

Thanks to Spook for the link!



No words except...Damn good job!

Sidenote:  A question because I'm curious and not to be taken as a criticism.  Why are they operating in the light like that?  They have NVGs but they seem to not be using them and they're lit up like crazy.  Is it an equipment issue or a change in tactics?  if its a tactical change can someone in the know explain the rationale.

Russia Pushes Syria on Power-Sharing Plan

Thanks to William for the link!

via Bloomberg.

(Bloomberg) -- Russia is pushing Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad to accept a limited power-sharing plan that would give
his opponents some role in a transitional administration while
ensuring internationally-recognized elections can take place
next year, advisers to the government in Moscow said.
The more than three-week-old Russian air campaign, which is
supporting a land offensive by Syrian forces and their Iranian
allies, aims to change the balance of power on the ground enough
to bring opposition representatives into the political process,
the advisers told Bloomberg News. Russia considers Assad, 50,
has every right to stay on and seek re-election, they said.
“Russia is already working on the political settlement,
without waiting for the results of its military operation,”
Lieutenant-General Leonid Reshetnikov, a long-time foreign
intelligence veteran who heads a Kremlin advisory group, said in
a phone interview from Moscow on Friday. “For such talks, we
need to get the Syrian leader on board, because without him we
can’t move forward.”

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT!

You can say what you want about Putin but the guy is EASILY outsmarting our guys.

Consider too, that we could have been part of the solution by taking Russia up on their offer to team with them but instead our foreign policy zealots insisted on making Russia the boogeyman and demanding that Assad go NOW!

So what will happen?  Russia will push Assad.  Assad will agree (he has no choice).  Russia will send the proposal to the UN security council for approval and we'd be idiots to disagree......and then the alliance that we started joins with Russia to finish off ISIS so that the wave of immigrants to Europe stops.

Putin wins the peace prize for stabilizing the Middle East and they're the new kingmakers with new influence in the region.

Our Administration, State Dept and Pentagon got played like a fiddle. 

The F-35 Conundrum. The fighter you sold your soul for is a dog...what do you do?

via Washington Examiner...

"The F-35 is only the latest chapter in a long history that generally follow the rule of what I call 'two, two and a half,' " Adams said. "Everything the Pentagon buys costs twice as much as they originally estimated, takes twice as long [to build] and, at least initially, gives half of the capabilities you expected."

And then this...

The fact that there are no good alternatives is helping save the project. But depending entirely on the F-35 as the F-16s and F-15s retire would also pose problems if enemies find a chink in the F-35's armor, Wood said.
"If it were less expensive or there were more dollars, you could buy different kinds of platforms and have the ability to account for a discovered deficiency in the F-35," he said. "With the enemy discovering how it operates, they might find a weak spot to exploit. Once it's done, that would make your entire fleet vulnerable, because you won't have other options to default to."

Here.

This is the real issue facing F-35 supporters no matter how much they claim to love the program.

You can't get around the fact that the airplane costs too much, has poor performance and has taken far too long to get into service.

Add to all this is the reality of the situation.  Budget reality means that the death spiral is here.  Our military leaders sold their souls for this airplane and left not only our airpower in jeopardy but those of our allies as well.  They conspired to give the nation no choice but to go with the F-35 even after it was apparent several years ago that the plane wasn't good enough.

So what do we do now (after we put a few Generals and Corporate officials in jail on RICO charges)?

Al Qaeda militants fighting alongside pro-government forces...the MSM latches onto the truth in Yemen...

via Fox News.

Al Qaeda militants had been fighting alongside pro-government forces without revealing their affiliation, focusing on capturing and storing weapons during the clashes with the Houthis, a security official in Aden said. Security officials said Al Qaeda and other extremist Islamic groups in Aden obtained more than 55 armored vehicles, 22 tanks, anti-aircraft missiles and large amounts of other weapons during the fighting and hid them underground and in fields.

Here.

So let me get this straight.

The US is supporting Saudi/GCC forces by supplying intelligence and aiding in the blockade of Yemen...and the Saudi/GCC/Pro-Govt Yemen forces are being supported by Al Qaeda militants?

This is a shit sandwich of the highest order.

Additionally I guess many of my readers were right...and even worse for the Saudi/GCC coalition, the Main Stream Media is finally latching onto the story.  Not only that but the war in Yemen has netted them armored vehicles, MANPADS and large amounts of other weapons????

Fucking amazing.  Time to punch a wall.