Wow. I know this is good news but I can't help it might be problematic. Curious though. The West has been able to attack enemy leadership at will (apparently). What happens when the enemy gains that capability? Are our protection details up to the threats that our guys will soon (if not already) face?UNCONFIRMED: Reports suggest Israel’s recent strike in #Damascus took out IRGC Quds Force chief Ismail Qaani.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) February 19, 2023
The IRGC and it’s “Quds force” are an Iranian terrorist group hell-bent on destroying Israel and are responsible for untold amounts of human suffering in Iraq and Syria. pic.twitter.com/LKvTUG2OKB
Sunday, February 19, 2023
Another Quds Force top dawg bites the dust?
What is going on in Lebannon?
What is the cause of this madness? All banks? Could this spread?Angry scenes at banks in Lebanon as they freeze people's accounts and prevent withdrawal of their own money pic.twitter.com/y01W4Y8dUK
— Janey (@_Janey_J) February 19, 2023
This is supposedly the Ukrainian Soldier that was involved in the close combat a few days ago
Damn shame they highlighted this dude. I know they want heroes but they're kinda putting a target on his back. Every time an assault is conducted in that area they'll be hunting him.Nickname PREDATOR.
— TOGA (@Jano14Toga) February 19, 2023
This is the same #Ukrainian soldier who so bravely defended his position in the trenches#UkrainianArmy pic.twitter.com/ypZNPSPkrK
Side note to leadership. If you spotlight a dude take him off the line.
Is the West escalating the Ukraine war? One year on, there is no sign of an endgame
via Unheard.com
Barely a day had gone by from Ukraine’s successful request for German Leopard-2 tanks when the government in Kyiv called on Nato countries to yet again prove their solidarity by supplying it with US-made F-16 fighter jets. While military experts doubt these vehicles will significantly alter the situation on the battlefield, Kyiv touts them as important symbols of Western political resolve.
“War is a continuation of policy with other means,” wrote Clausewitz in 1832. A year into the Russo-Ukrainian War, what is that policy where Ukraine is concerned? Or America, Germany, and other Nato allies? Are Ukraine’s repeated calls for more support and the West’s accommodating response a case of leveraging “strategic publicity”, performative diplomacy, alliance solidarity, or something else entirely? After all, as much as the Ukrainians are fighting Russian forces and suffering massive casualties to protect the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian state, today Nato is openly engaged in a proxy war that risks spiralling into a catastrophic conflict between the West and Russia.
I PERSONALLY BELIEVE, that the continuation of this war is part of Ukraine's economic plan for the future...near future.
The US has finally acknowledged that we are supporting their civil infrastructure and making direct payments to their govt officials, troops etc.
Ukraine has yet to confront the corruption that has kept this country from flourishing and in the meantime has discovered this new "wartime" economy that appears to be quite lucrative for a special few in their nation.
I ask a simple question.
At this point, if Ukraine wins does it really lose? The economic aid will dwindle. The military support might continue but it too will decline dramatically.
A massive rebuild will have to be undertaken and while its citizens are proudly Ukrainian they have found new lives in other countries.
If hostilities ended today Ukraine would be a shell of itself.
Is there anyway that this nation isn't gobbled up by other nations with each taking a chunk? I really don't see how it doesn't happen. That's with hostilities ending NOW! What will things look like in a year from now? What will aid to that nation look like a year from now with a Presidential election taking place?
For better or worse leaders on all sides need to find an off ramp. Don't know what that will look like but continued fighting will lead to a shattered and dismembered Ukraine.
Late Late Open Comment Post. 19 Feb 23
Don't know how many G's this Naval Aviator is facing but he seems to be getting after it!
G-Force doesn't exist
— Emil Methsara Senarathne (@emilmethsara22) February 19, 2023
US Navy F/A 18 Honert fighter pilot push beyond the limits,without O2 mask 😮❣️
⚡💙🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/jvv16wEnpk
Friday, February 17, 2023
“You are now carrying eight net-enabled AIM-9X counter-cruise missile weapons on AH-1s that are forward deployed,” Marvel said.
I don't even know what to make of this article. Check it out here.
Aviation guys are gonna have to help me out but wouldn't firing an AIM-120 from a Cobra GREATLY limit its range? Next question WHAT ARE THE TARGETS that you would fire an AIM-120 at...why not have your forward deployed F-35B do that shit?
Finally we get to the more realistic(?) talk about carrying eight AIM-9s. Is that just bluster or is it even possible?
So now we're getting the Marines fighting ships, fighting subs, firing anti-air missiles from helicopters, conducting recon/counter recon for the joint force and doing everything BUT what Marines have won their fame doing.
The future sucks ass.
Now we know why an MEU didn't go to assist Turkey during the recent devestation....NO AMPHIBS AVAILABLE!
via Defense One
The Marines could not send a large crisis-response unit to Turkey after its devastating earthquake because there weren’t any amphibious ships in the region, the Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday, raising new concerns about the service’s ability to carry out one of its core missions.
“We didn't have a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a MEU, nearby that could respond…I owe the secretary of defense, the President—we joint chiefs owe them options…all the time. Here, I felt like the best option, we couldn't offer them because we have the Marines and the equipment and they're trained, we didn't have the ships,” Gen. David Berger said during an interview with Defense One.
The incident comes a year after Marines with orders to deploy to Europe were delayed because some of the amphibious readiness group ships they were supposed to use were not out of maintenance in time.
In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, victims quickly needed basic supplies such as water, medicine, and equipment to deal with the rubble, Berger said, but without the added burden of more people ashore, which a MEU aboard an amphibious ship could provide.
“We would have liked for a MEU/ARG, or amphibious ready group, to be in the Mediterranean all the time, and then they could get there quickly to a NATO member like Turkey, but we couldn't do that,” he said.
Understand that this appears while the Marine Corps is pushing the Navy to build new Landing Ship Mediums (once the LAW).
On this issue I kinda side with the Navy.
They're prioritizing getting their ship maintenance backlog under control which is why they're wanting to mothball some of the older ships in the inventory.
The problem is bigger than that however.
Combatant Commanders just can't continue to draw forces for exercise after exercise to "reassure allies".
We can't keep turning circles in the sea without purpose.
We need a REAL naval strategy that acknowledges limited resources and acts accordingly.
We won't do any of that so continued failure is assured.
Sidenote. I hope ALPAY is alright. Haven't heard from him in awhile and I don't know where in Turkey is was located. Prayers up for him.
100 Billion for Ukraine, nothing for Ohio....watch and understand the elites priorities!
The elite will prop up failed govts overseas while deprieving their own citizens of proper aid during an emergency. Understand their priorities and act appropriately!$100 billion for Ukraine.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 16, 2023
Nothing for Ohio. pic.twitter.com/zsje19CBgk
Marine Corps begins evaluating Advance Reconnaissance Vehicle Prototypes
via Press Release
Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.— The Marine Corps has started its evaluation of the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototypes.
The Government – through Program Manager Light Armored Vehicles – took delivery of the prototypes offered by General Dynamics Land Systems and Textron Systems in December 2022.
A third prototype, offered by BAE, is also undergoing evaluation to provide the Marine Corps with trade space between a government off-the-shelf and purpose-built solution.
The ARV will employ transformational sensors, communications, and combat capabilities to collect and communicate information, while integrating robotics and artificial intelligence technologies into manned-unmanned teams.
During the competitive prototyping phase, testing will focus on mobility in complex terrains common to the ARV mission profile, properly stressing the Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Unmanned Air Systems capabilities, other vehicle performance and characteristic testing. The test data will support evaluation by the Marine Corps to determine an achievable requirement.
PM LAV announced awards to both GDLS and Textron Systems in late summer of 2021. The vendors were tasked with developing and building one ARV-C4UAS prototype each in 15 months. The program office used the Middle Tier Acquisition pathway to accelerate the project.
“Through our use of Middle Tier Acquisition authorities, and with support of our industry partners, we maintained schedule and delivered innovative capabilities for evaluation in order to inform the Marine Corps path forward towards mobile reconnaissance,” said Steve Myers, Program Manager Light Armored Vehicle.
By using an existing contract for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, BAE developed a C4UAS mobile systems integration lab.
The ARV will enable a crew to sense the operating environment and convey that information using advanced on-board sensors and networked communications systems that are augmented by unmanned systems to detect, recognize, identify, and report threats at extended ranges.
The initial increment of testing is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. The findings will be delivered to the Marine Corps and are expected to inform a multi domain reconnaissance decision.
The ARV is expected to give the Fleet Marine Force a survivable, mobile, networked, and lethal platform optimized for naval transport and amphibious employment in the littoral operating environment.
I like the Textron offering but I have to wonder if the specs will change and instead of many vehicles (for the Marine Corps that is), a bigger of payload of UAVs will carry the day.
Berger is still penny pinching so that could tilt the contest toward the ACV.
Regardless LAR will be something no one recognizes real soon. It's already morphing into a hybrid of something weird as I type this.
I really have to wonder why they just didn't set up an ISR platoon/company within LAR and put all these UAVs on FMTV trucks and call it a day while maintaining the ability to actually fight for info with the ARV.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)