Savings a brother (via Marines Instagram) or covering up leadership failure?

Thanks to Dave for the link!

• marinesSaving A Brother
  A Marine pulled a fellow Marine out of an AAV that went up in flames after hitting an exposed natural gas line. 
  See the link in our bio for the full story. 
  #camppendleton #marinecorps #marines#USMC #semperfidelis #OohRah #yut#devildog

The pic and the caption above are from the Marines Instagram Page (it annoys the fuck outta me that they don't capitalize "Marines" on our damn page).

Pretty heroic stuff huh?  Don't get me wrong.  I'm down with it and proud of the Marine in question.  Going into a burning vehicle to pull a fellow Marine out?  That's doing the hard thing.  That's doing the Marine Corps thing.

But there is another side to this.  Check this out via KPBS.com

An investigation into a fiery accident at Camp Pendleton that injured 14 Marines and a Navy corpsman in September showed that the Marines were aware of the potential danger.

The fire happened on Sep. 13 during a training exercise. KPBS obtained a copy of the 210-page command investigation report through a Freedom of Information Act request. The report absolves the troops on board of any responsibility for the accident, which placed at least 9 Marines in critical condition with severe burns.

Marines on the ground acted heroically but leadership did not.

They were aware of the potential danger.

They obviously did nothing.

That is leadership failure on a grand scale.  Think about it like this.  Junior Marines are hammered for MUCH MUCH LESS, but those that are responsible for the lives of those Marines can not only fail, but they can get Marines killed/seriously injured without penalty.

THAT MUST CHANGE!  I want some stars laid on a desk, a retirement taken away, a little ass kicked and some righteous retribution for those that were hurt.

It's the Marine Corps way.  Plus it's the right thing to do. 

Brazil Army - VBTP-MR Guarani 6X6 Infantry Fighting Vehicle Field Training

Terminal Lance goes Metal Gear Solid...

I check out every Terminal Lance post, but this latest has me laughing a bit more than normal.  Maybe cause I'm a Metal Gear Solid fan, maybe cause I'm a Cyborg Ninja fan (although Psyco Mantis was cool too) but it doesn't matter. The Terminal Lance treatment (that's what I call it when he hits on subject like his must see cartoon on the skywriting Navy fliers with a dick fetish) was just what the doctor ordered in this crazy world.

Geographicwild...pic by © Kunal Khinwasara

This pic has nothing to do with the blog's usual subject matter but cool pics must be shown.  Dude must have had one of those long distance lens setups...no way I'd want to be closer than a football field length away and that's probably still too close!

Long time ago I read a book about Force Recon in Vietnam and they talked about a team that got attacked by a tiger while being extracted.  Supposedly one of the bubbas turned around and dropped it with one shot.  I took it in and didn't even question it at the time but looking at the size of these beasts that had to be exaggerated!

Open Comment Post. Dec 13, 2017

UK Land Power Blog is fielding proposed budget cuts to the MoD and author Jed C takes a meat axe to capabilities!

I don't even know how to describe the article on UK Land Power Blog.  To say its drastic and rather shocking is an understatement.

Suffice it to say that the author, Jed C, takes a meat axe (in my opinion) to their capabilities on a future battlefield.

This is a must read.  Check it out here.  Oh and take a minute to weep for our British friends.  They're obviously in a hurt locker.

Wrong title! Italians order LC23 landing craft!

via Janes.

Italian shipbuilder Cantiere Navale Vittoria is building four new LC23-class mechanised landing craft (LCMs) for the Italian Navy.

The four craft, designed to equip the service’s new landing helicopter dock (LHD), are being built under a contract awarded by Fincantieri in the first quarter of 2017. The new LHD is scheduled to enter service in 2022.

Construction on the first LC23 has already begun at Cantiere Navale Vittoria’s yard in Adria, near Rovigo. Under current planning the first landing craft utility (LCU) will be delivered in the second half of 2018, with all four units to be completed by 2021.

With an overall length of 23.8 m and a beam of 6.6 m, the roll-on/roll-off LC23 is capable of transporting a maximum load of 65 tonnes (one Italian Army Ariete main battle tank [MBT]) at a top speed of 13.5 kt. Alternatively, it can transport a maximum of five Lince light multirole vehicles or 300 soldiers.

The LC23 LCM will be capable of reaching top speeds of 22 kt (at light displacement) or 16 kt (with a 30-tonne load). It has a 200 n mile range at 14 kt. As an alternative to one Ariete MBT, the new craft will be capable of transporting two AAV-7 assault amphibious vehicles or two M109A2 self-propelled howitzers, one Centauro armoured vehicle or one Freccia armoured infantry fighting vehicle.

Maximum displacement is 155 tonnes (including a maximum 65-tonne payload).

The LC23 features a steel hull and aluminium steering station superstructures with ballistic protection. It is equipped with a stern gate for loading and unloading vehicles onto landing craft within the well dock (up to a maximum limit of 30 tonnes for the transfer of vehicles in this configuration).

Based on requirements set by the Italian Navy for LHD well-deck operation limits, Cantiere Navale Vittoria’s LCM design features a propulsion system based on two 1213 kW rated MAN D2862 LE 453 diesel engines each connected through ZF3055 transmissions to fixed pitch propellers.

Nothing really interesting here except....the Brits are cutting their amphibious forces while the Italians, Spaniards and Greeks have been able to maintain their forces under intense economic strain.

At this time we see the Turks, Japanese, S. Koreans and even Brazilians (thru the purchase of Brit LHDs) build up and expand their forces.

How are those nations able to maintain and/our expand their amphibious forces while the Brits are forced to savagely cut what was once a wonderful and world leading capability?

Steel Knight 2018: 7th Marine Regiment.....pics by Cpl. Joseph Prado

Amphibious Breaching.....pics by Lance Cpl. Rhita Daniel

Center for Strategic & International Studies calls the J-20 a multi-role stealth fighter? Is this a new assessment?

Thanks to Vicktor for the link!



Jesus!  The J-20 has every bell and whistle that the fanboys believe will make the F-35 unstoppable with the added benefit of being faster, higher flying and longer ranged!

Is this a new assessment?  The J-20 is in essence a stealthy F-15E?

Wow.

We got it so wrong.  We thought we had years till the Chinese would be able to field a stealth fighter that could challenge what we have and now it can CREDIBLY be argued that they're gonna put into service an airplane that is superior to the F-35 (that started development 10 years before the J-20 was even known about).

Don't care where you come down in the debate on the F-35, one thing is obvious...we're doing it wrong.