Open Comment Post. Oct 9, 2017

General Dynamics Stryker Dragoon setup for AUSA

All set up for #AUSA! #ausa2017 #ausa17 #usarmy #strykers

A post shared by General Dynamics Land Systems (@gd_landsystems) on Oct 8, 2017 at 7:01pm PDT

Yeah.  I think General Dynamics is back!  They're coming out with a nice booth setup at AUSA, and they look like they're ready to get back in game with new innovations.

That's good to see.

What do I want going forward?  First they need to get some people that can read and interpret contracts going forward.  The performance for the Australian Combat Recon Vehicle contest while disappointing is understandable.  They read what I did.  The Aussies specified an off the shelf solution.  The problem was they failed to interpret it correctly and they didn't read between the lines (I didn't either).  The off the shelf part was fuzzy as hell...so while in my mind their solution fit the bill for the contest, the customer was looking for a bit more.

Next they need to let it fly and stop playing it close to the vest.  Let's be clear.  For the US Army's Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle, they have a chance to blow the doors off if they get bold.

What do I mean?  It hurts to say it but follow the Chinese lead in their light tank development.  That means tossing the idea of an ASCOD II with a 120mm turret attached.  What they need to do is to work out a "mini" M1A2. Take that beast and simply scale it down to a medium/light setup and they have a winner.  Two of their competitors are putting turrets on APC/IFV chassis.  The third is rolling out a design from the 80's.

That program is setup for a wild card entry to win it all.  General Dynamics needs to win the day by getting out of their crouch and attacking forward.

Open Comment Post. Oct 8, 2017

I said we had 5 years...I was wrong. China’s Secret Military Plan: Invade Taiwan by 2020

via Free Beacon.

China has drawn up secret military plans to take over the island of Taiwan by 2020, an action that would likely lead to a larger U.S.-China conventional or nuclear war, according to newly-disclosed internal Chinese military documents.

The secret war plan drawn up by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), the Chinese Communist Party's armed forces, calls for massive missile attacks on the island, along with a naval and air blockade that is followed by amphibious beach landing assaults using up to 400,000 troops.

The plans and operations are outlined in a new book published this week, The Chinese Invasion Threat by Ian Easton, a China affairs analyst with the Project 2049 Institute, a think tank.

Story here. 

I said we had five years.  I was wrong.  The Chinese are gonna go before 2020.  I thought we might have time to build up forces.  We don't.  We need to do what we can while we can and we need to harden up fast.

If we fail remember I warned about this threat while Chinese Patriots on this blog tried to downplay the threat.  More importantly the Chief of Naval Intelligence (Pacific) warned of the threat and was then forced to retire because he was honest.

We can beat the Chinese but it will take a national effort and a mindset change.  Will it take suffering?  Not for those that aren't involved in the fighting but it will take a reality check.

I don't think it will be a long war but it will be bloody.  But for civilians it will require a huge shift in our economy.  Consumerism as we know it today will have to revert to a 50's or 60's model.  Disposable items will probably go away.  Consumer electronics WILL cost more.  Drug prices will rise.

Until we can bring those industries back home.

But in there will be numerous opportunities.

We shouldn't shrink from the fight.  The Chinese themselves have been telling us that its coming FOR YEARS!  We should get our military, economy and mentality ready for the war of national survival.  No that's not right.  It will be a battle for global dominance.

Warhammer News. S. Korea develops a Graphite Bomb to enhance preemptive strike options against N. Korea...

via Sputnik

 South Korea has developed a technology allowing Seoul to create the so-called blackout bomb that could paralyze power systems of North Korea in case of potential military conflict, local media reported Sunday.

According to the Yonhap news agency, the technology has been developed by the Agency for Defense Development within the framework of the country's Kill Chain preemptive strike system.

The media outlet added that the technology focused on targeting only electric power systems by spreading carbon graphite filaments over electric facilities that disrupt activities of the electric power system.

Story here. 

The US has had this since the first Gulf War.  Supposedly the Russians and Chinese have also developed versions of it.

Want to know what worries me more than a nuclear weapon?

The carnage that would result from this type weapon being used on a mega city.  Think about it.  A city of 10 million people suddenly lose power?  You would see death that would be as massive as a nuclear weapon...just long and lingering.

But what should scare everyone is that someone will eventually develop a man portable system.  I wouldn't be surprised if some Redneck with a Master's in applied sciences wasn't already playing in his garage.

These will get out and they will be used.  Either by security forces or criminals on a low level.

The more advanced we get the more we rely on tech.  The more we rely on tech the more vulnerable we become.

The seriously crazy thing?  We're building vulnerabilities into our very way of life and no one seems to care....and at the same time we're developing way to exploit those vulnerabilities.  It's almost like a person that is building a weapon to use on an enemy but doesn't realize that the same weapon will be used against him.  I know that doesn't make any sense but I hope you can flesh it out.

Side note.  Enough of my rambling.  How many of you knew that S. Korea had a preemptive strike strategy?  I sure didn't.

US Army Manual 3-0 Operations is released!

Massive Bravo Zulu to Soldier Systems Blog for finding this jewel...I'm just sharing the link he provided.  Read this for yourself here.

Get it while you can.  I get the feeling this won't be allowed in the wild for very long!

The House of Saud is on the brink...a terror attack reaches the palace...what is the contingency plan if they fall?

via Press TV

The US Embassy in Saudi Arabia has cautioned the American citizens in the kingdom, following a foiled attack in the port city of Jeddah.

On Saturday, several unconfirmed reports said that Saudi security forces had thwarted an attack outside King Salman’s Al Salam Palace, which left the assailant and two royal guards dead.

The Saudi Interior Ministry confirmed the attack hours later, saying two guards were killed in the assault on the Saudi royal palace in Jeddah. It added that the slain attacker was a 28-year-old Saudi national.

"Due to the possibility of ongoing police activity, American citizens are advised to exercise caution when travelling through the area," the US embassy said.

The Al Salam Palace is one of the key royal palaces in the kingdom where the Saudi Council of Ministers convenes its meetings.

Terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda and Daesh have conducted several attacks in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the country’s Shia-dominated Eastern province.

In June, Saudi authorities said they foiled a Daesh attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca.

Hundreds of Saudi citizens have travelled to Syria to Join Daesh.

CentCom better be paying attention and dusting off war plans.

What is the plan if the House of Saud falls?  There will be a rush to the oilfields.  I can imagine both Iran and Iraq will make a dash to them.  We might see members of the GCC rush there too.

The real prize will be who controls Mecca.

One thing is for sure.  We can't fly an American flag over the place or it will be generational war till 2100 at the minimum.

So how would we do it?  Would we even try? 

This is the problem with the current "forward deployment" and exercise craze. There is no slack for REAL DEAL emergencies that are bound to rear their ugly head.  If a major hurricane can throw off deployment schedules then how can we react in a timely manner to an unexpected emergency that requires at least two divisions to cover?

From my seat we can't.

There is only one answer.  We MUST put the combatant commanders back in a cage, cut off all the idiotic exercises and get some rationality attached to deployments around the globe.  The US military is just too small to be everywhere.  Every request for forces that come from a combatant commander should be approved by the SecDef first.  No more kingdoms that are a power unto themselves.  No more pampered princes.

Then we need to reactivate the Rapid Deployment Force. Every service should have a division ready Battalion that can deploy at a moments notice.  Of course this duty should rotate.  A certain number of units must be maintained at a high state of readiness.

Preperations for the failure of the royal family and other emergencies should be on the front burner for military planners.

U.N. Blacklists Saudi-Led Coalition for Killing Children in Yemen

via Reuters

The United Nations blacklisted a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition on Thursday for killing and injuring 683 children in Yemen and attacking dozens of schools and hospitals in 2016, even as it said the coalition had taken action to improve child protection.

The blacklist attached to the U.N. annual report on children in armed conflict also named the Iran-allied Houthi rebel group, Yemen government forces, pro-government militia and Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for violations against children in 2016.

The U.N. report said the Houthis and affiliated forces killed and injured 414 children in 2016.

The report from U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was submitted to the Security Council on Thursday and seen by Reuters. A draft of the blacklist was reported by Reuters on Tuesday.

The actions of the Saudi-led coalition "objectively led" to it being blacklisted for killing and injuring 683 children and for 38 attacks on schools and hospitals last year, the report said, adding that all incidents were verified by the U.N.

THIS IS BEYOND INTERESTING!

It is widely known that the US is supporting Saudi efforts in Yemen.  Not kinetically but thru refueling, ISR and it is rumored Special Operations support.

Am I saying that the US participated in the killing of women and children...the targeting of civilians?

Hell no!

But I am saying that the US could easily be considered a part of the Saudi coalition in Yemen because of the support it admittedly provides (not including secret actions).

Oh and for those that want to say that I'm wrong when I say that the US is providing aid to Saudi Arabia in Yemen, check out the following....

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/19/america-helping-saudi-arabia-bomb-yemen-consequences

https://www.thenation.com/article/americas-support-for-saudi-arabias-war-on-yemen-must-end/

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/26/pentagon-weighs-more-support-for-saudi-led-war-in-yemen/

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-halt-arms-sales-saudi-arabia_us_58515a22e4b0ee009eb48e8b

For better or worse we've been hip deep in the war in Yemen thru two administrations now...

China Defense Blog's photo essay of the ZTQ-15 Light Tank.

More pics here.

I can't believe that I'm using the Chinese as the measuring stick for US armor but here I go.  The US Army MUST NOT settle for an offering that bases its light tank on the hull of an APC/IFV.

The profile is too high, the protection values too low and the end product in my mind will be substandard when compared to a clean sheet design.

What does that mean?

I would recommend General Dynamics take the time to go back to the drawing board and scratch the ASCOD with a 120mm turret scheme.  Same with SAIC/ST Kinetics basing it on the Singapore Army's Next Generation Fighting Vehicle.

We are headed toward a new era and old, half solutions are no longer good enough.  At this time only BAE has the right solution but they need to bring it in right if they're to win.

Personally I'd like to see a stretched version that might be air landed instead of air dropped, perhaps made with the idea of the Marine Corps being able to make it useful for ship board operations, but that's just a wish.  Everyone needs to look at the competition (the Chinese) and get clean sheets out.  The planned offerings are for the most part not good enough.

General Dynamics Land Systems is BACK!

Thanks to Dragon for the vids!





David (another reader) stated that General Dynamics has upped their game. I disagree.  I think they're back!  GD has a great legacy, they're a great company but they've missed on a couple of contracts because of what I consider fuzzy requirements writing.

If things are clear they can deliver a great product on time.  Upped their game? Naw, they're General Dynamics again!