Kerry says Assad can stay...

via NBC News.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday accepted Russia's long-standing demand that President Bashar Assad's future be determined by his own people, as Washington and Moscow edged toward putting aside years of disagreement over how to end Syria's civil war.
"The United States and our partners are not seeking so-called regime change," Kerry told reporters in the Russian capital after meeting President Vladimir Putin. A major international conference on Syria would take place later this week in New York, Kerry announced.
Kerry reiterated the U.S. position that Assad, accused by the West of massive human rights violations and chemical weapons attacks, won't be able to steer Syria out of more than four years of conflict.
But after a day of discussions with Assad's key international backer, Kerry said the focus now is "not on our differences about what can or cannot be done immediately about Assad." Rather, it is on facilitating a peace process in which "Syrians will be making decisions for the future of Syria."

I should be pleased that they finally came around to my position.  Better the devil you know in Assad, than the monster ISIS that should be shot in the head, chest and groin repeatedly...but....

Why did it take them so long to get here?

As things stand now, it really has the visual of another Russian victory.  It has the smell of defeat rather than an adjustment of policy.  

Turkish Special Ops are raiding the homes of Kurdish politicians...

Something really evil is brewing in Turkey.

Tanks in the streets, Special Ops conducting raids and a practical news black out except for some hurried and hushed messages via Twitter?

I need to get up to speed on this.  This could be nothing, or it could be as bad as it looks.  More to come I'm sure.

Victor "The Brute" Krulak, Expeditionary Airfields, Chu Lai, Vietnam and the USMC

Thanks to Robert for the link/history lesson!

Lt. Gen. Victor " Brute " Krulak Commanding General FMFPAC inspects VMA 225 at Chu Lai; Summer 1965. Gen. Krulak is being escorted by Lt. Col. Robert W. Baker CO VMA 225 and 1st Sgt Hugh Jack Feagin. " Brute" Krulak was rather short, but they didn't call him "Brute" for nothing. Gen Krulak was in charge of all Marines in the Pacific including Viet Nam. " Brute" Krulak was based out of Honolulu. Lucky guy, he gets to go back to Waikiki, and we get to stay at Chu Lai. Life is not always fair.

What continues to amaze is the fact that those of us that are supposed to be dipped in the history of the USMC and feel like we're part of the cadre to keep the flame alive still have so much to learn.

I'm guilty as charged.  Robert sent me a couple of links with regard to the F-35B expeditionary airfield capabilities.  The tragic thing?  We're not doing any better today than those that came before did decades ago in much more challenging conditions.  Check this out via USMC Official History: US Marines in Vietnam Landing and Buildup...

The proposal for the construction of the expeditionary field originated with General Krulak. Krulak had selected the Chu Lai site on an inspection tour the previous year and gave the future base its name. According to the FMFPac commander, a naval officer accompanying him on the trip remarked that the place looked good, but was not marked on the maps. Krulak replied that the name was "Chu Lai" but later explained: "In order to settle the matter immediately, I had simply given him the Mandarin Chinese characters for my name."3' In any event, Krulak suggested that the Chu Lai airfield be built according to a Marine Corps concept still in its early stages which employed metal runways and taxistrips. The program, called short airfield for tactical support (SATS), had been developed to meet Marine Corps requirements for the rapid construction of short expeditionary airfields, in effect shore-based carrier decks. Although the proposed field at Chu Lai would not qualify as "short," it would make use of SATS components including catapults and arresting gear.4 On 30 March 1965, Secretary McNamara tentatively approved the building of the SATS field at Chu Lai but the final decision, according to General Krulak, was not made until late April after the highlevel Honolulu Conference. At this conference, representatives from the U. S. Pacific Air Forces command had made a presentation stating that it would take about 11 months to build a concrete airfield. General Krulak then described the SATS concept after which, Krulak remembered: [Secretary of Defense] McNamara, in his characteristic bottom line manner, said "how long?'' I hesitated for a moment and then said, "25 days." Keith McCutcheon had to live with my estimate. 36

Yep.  Krulak pulled a number out of his ass and McCutcheon made it stick.  Absolutely amazing...and impressive.

But before I start a bro-mance for the Marine Corps greats that once roamed the land, we need to get back on task.  The old Corps was able to setup a freaking airbase in Vietnam in 25 days....meanwhile we're talking about being able to setup a landing pad in 17.

What's wrong with that picture?  Chew on that and check out the pic below of the Marine Air Field at Chu Lai

Christian Genocide. Why is our govt ignoring the plight of Christians in Iraq?

Why is the Christian genocide that we're seeing happening in Iraq and Syria being ignored?  Why is the push by the administration to save Muslim refugees but they're dead silent about the plight of the Christians in Iraq and Syria that are on the verge of extinction?

I want you to consider this.  If the Administration had put forward a proposal to "rescue" Christians from Iraq and Syria and bring them here, you'd have support across the country.  It would have been an easy win and something the country could rally around.

But they didn't and I'd love to know why.

17 days to construct a landing pad for the F-35? That's not expeditionary!

via Marines.mil

To facilitate testing of the aircraft’s VTOL capabilities in an expeditionary environment, Marine Wing Support Squadron 374 constructed a 204 feet by 200 feet VTOL pad at the Strategic Expeditionary Landing Field. In addition, the support squadron constructed a 150 feet by 96 feet taxiway to connect the landing zone to the main landing field and hangar.
“The primary purpose of this landing zone was to test the F-35B on this type of matting to ensure it would not melt during its VTOL,” said Lance Cpl. Stephen Garcas, surveying and drafting specialist, MWSS-374. “It certainly passed the test.”
According to Capt. Jonathan H. Royer, assistance operation officer, MWSS-374, the landing zone will serve for emergency purposes throughout the remainder of Steel Knight 16 but has the potential to be utilized in future training.
“Because this is the first time the F-35B is out here on an expeditionary landing field we built the [VTOL] Pad in the event that there is an emergency so they have more than one option to get the aircraft on the deck,” said Royer.

MWSS-374 undertook the project of creating the landing zone in just under two and a half weeks, a task that was projected to take two months. The task depended on the heavy equipment required, to remove four inches of concrete before any other work could be done on the site.
“One of the biggest challenges we face in the construction of a landing zone is getting the sand to compact as needed,” said Staff Sgt. John A. Vasquez, engineer equipment operator, MWSS-374. “It took my Marines 17 long days to ensure the pad was put together.”

Stick a fork in any talk of the F-35B being part of the "Expeditionary" Marine Corps.  17 days to build 200 square feet pad and a 150 foot taxiway?  That's not fucking expeditionary!  That's a steaming pile of bullshit!

But if you think that's bad it gets worse.  The F-35 burns thru AM-2 matting like a crackhead on his drug of choice.  Not that AM-2 matting is  anything to brag about...the size of the pad being discussed above would weigh approximately 60 tons and compromise around 800 individual pieces to be assembled.

The F-35 IS NOT the right airplane for the USMC.  It does not fit with any established concept of operations or ANY current or talked about warfighting doctrine.  HQMC and the Assistant Commandant for Aviation is making this shit  up as they go.

It's past time to stop wasting money on this substandard airplane.  Give it to the Air Force, they might make it work, but it's too big a diva for the USMC.

Side Note:  It's time to do a Marine Corps test.  The F-35 should be tested against the latest version of the AV-8B in the roles that the Marine Corps needs. Close Air Support.  I don't care about its ability to conduct deep strike.  The USAF can have that ball.  Fleet Defense and Air Superiority?  Hey Navy!  Have a good time.  Putting steel on target in support of Marines on the ground?  If the F-35 can't do it as well as the Harrier then scrap this POS.  And if the testing is fair, the F-35 will lose every time.

Russia tests a new artillery system...and we're already outranged!

Thanks to S300V4 for the link!



I got an email from a Marine that talked in depth about how the Corps is shedding combat power.  He touched on artillery in particular and spoke about the dependence on towed artillery, MLRS and how we've practically given up on self propelled guns...even at the Division level or in the Reserves (both places were used to "tuck away" needed units for use in "big" wars).  I really wish I had his permission to post his note...it was extremely compelling.

Having said all that, what do we see now?  The Russians are rolling out another toy that will bring pain on future battlefields.  The Armata impresses but it isn't scary.  The PAK-FA and SU-35 are monsters but they don't instill fear.

What worries is Russian artillery and the way they toss around Thermobaric rounds like candy.  And now they're trying to get even better.  Why do their guys seem smarter than ours?

More about the LA school closure. The Fed, State, Local partnership is breaking down.

By now you've heard that LA public school were shut down due to a terrorist threat.  The exact nature of the threat hasn't been disclosed (as far as I know) but we have heard something pretty stunning.

When the threat was received, the Public School Superintendent got input from Fed, State and Local Law Enforcement.  Supposedly they all provided their advice and the decision to close the schools was NOT unanimous.

That's telling and something no one is focusing on.

Which entity recommended that they NOT close the schools?  My guess (and its based off previously observed behaviors) would be that the Feds were pushing for the schools to stay open.

Think about it.  A credible threat and the Feds still recommended that the schools stay open.

Even if you ignore that part of it, then consider this.  LA is a democrat stronghold.  If they're to the point (and yes, this is speculation) that they ignore federal recommendations and err on the side of caution then what brought them to that point?

What's happened behind closed doors to spoil the relationship?

What is this WW2 era armored vehicle?

What is this vehicle?  Those appear to be Brit paratroopers but that's much larger than a Bren gun carrier.  Any ideas?

Russia is gearing up despite economic troubles...

via UPI

Russian Defense Ministry announced its future procurement plans, citing the expansion of radical extremism and what it calls "unfriendly" NATO policies.
Russia's military procurement plans include the purchase of roughly 200 planes and helicopters, up to 30 surface ships and submarines, and an additional 600 armored vehicles per year.
"The state program for armaments extending till 2021 will increase the share of modern weapons and military hardware to no less than 70 percent," General of the Army Valery Gerasimov, Russia's Deputy Defense Minister told Russian state-owned news agency TASS at a press briefing.
The announcement came as Russian Defense Ministry expressed concerns for growing militant terrorism, radical extremism, and increased NATO military activity.
"First of all, the ‪NATO‬ military policy, unfriendly towards Russia, is a matter of concern," The Russian Defense Ministry wrote on its Facebook page. "The alliance expands its military presence and enhances the activity of its armed forces along the borders of the Russian Federation."

What is the difference between Russia and the US?  Putin told his people that with the falling oil price and sanctions that growth would slow.  He then told them that they should be prepared for sacrifice because they needed to increase defense spending to deal with threats to the nation.

In the US we have our officials telling the public to go on with their lives and to start a Nazi like "if you see something, say something" campaign.

The Russians are gearing up despite economic troubles and are girding their people to work toward making their nation safe.  We're saying to shop till you drop.

Interesting contrast in messaging isn't it?

ISIS has us by the balls. LA Schools closed...UPDATED.

This shit is breaking but LA District Schools are closed because of a threat against them.

ISIS has us by the balls.

I should have seen this.  Why would Obama head over to the Pentagon unless there were credible threats?  Why would he schedule a presser at the National Counter Terrorism Center unless they knew this was coming.

The obvious thing?

There are active terrorist cells in the LA area.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-all-lausd-schools-closed-threat-20151215-story.html

UPDATE:  Via The Hill Blog.

All Los Angeles Unified School District campuses were closed on Tuesday morning, after a broad bomb threat made against multiple unspecified schools.
Officials said during a hastily arranged news conference that the nation’s second largest school district was closed out of "an abundance of caution" after an "electronic threat" was received targeting multiple schools.
Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Jorge Villegas said authorities were in the "process of vetting" the threat to establish "what, if any, validity it has."
“I can’t take a chance,” school district superintendent Ramon Cortines told reporters.
School facilities were in the process of being searched, he said, adding that schools would remain closed until they had been certified safe.
“I am not taking the chance of bringing children anyplace, into any part of the building, until I know that it is safe,” Cortines said.
The FBI has been notified and is assisting the L.A. school district, a spokeswoman said.
Details of the threat remain unclear, but the school district’s decision to keep all 640,000 students home is likely to stir new fears of terrorism for an American public that is already on edge over recent killings from San Bernardino, Calif., to Paris.
Those shootings — which are believed to have been either inspired by or directed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — helped prompt the bold decision to close all of the district’s schools, Cortines said.
“I, as superintendent, am not going to take the chance with a life of a student,” he said.
“Remember, we do get individual threats,” he added. “We do evacuate schools, we do lockdown schools, et cetera, and do not release students until we notify parents.
“What we are doing today is no different than what we always do — except that we are doing this in a mass way.”

Read between the lines on this people.

The President schedules visits to the Pentagon and to the National CounterTerrorism Center this week to allay peoples fears?  A school district that gets threats "all the time" suddenly does the unthinkable and shuts down over 900 schools?

I think I'm spot on when I say that the FBI has information that the two San Bernardino terrorist were just a small node in a bigger terrorist cell operating in the Los Angeles area.

I have no visibility on any alerts put out by the Intel/Law Enforcement community but its obvious that they were sent to Fed, State and Local communities...especially in California.

Put down your normalcy bias.  We aren't living in normal times.