Geez! I thought this crap was over with.

Meanwhile back in Japan...

I was looking for information on the 'making of a modern Japanese Marine Corps' which first took me to David Axe's site War is Boring which led me to the website Japanese Security Watch.  While still surfing for information on the 'new' Japanese Marine Corps, I ran up on the issue of the nuclear disaster and the ingenious Japanese using the NBC equipped Type 74 Main Battle Tank as part of the effort.  Read it all here, but this is the main part of the story.

According to the Daily Yomiuri, the GSDF is sending two Type 74 main battle tanks to the Fukushima Daiichi reactor to help clean up rubble and debris from the earthquake, tsunami, and explosions at the reactor site. The rubble and debris are hampering emergency efforts to repair the reactors. The GSDF is using tanks instead of bulldozers because the thick steel hull of the Type 74 is effective at blocking some radiation from the crew. The tanks also have NBC air filtration systems.

Swords into plows...or in this case adhoc nuclear disaster fighting vehicles.  Just out of curiosity I wonder why they're using these older vehicles instead of the more modern MBT's available?  Is there a difference in armor composition that makes them less robust around high levels of radiation?

Canadian Troops give instructions on making coffee.

Too Funny.  via EveryDayNoDaysOff....

Royal Australian Navy. A force without a spear.

The Australian Defense establishment and the Royal Navy in particular are to be congratulated on their procurement plans.

They are assembling a credible amphibious capability...but are missing the specialized force necessary to fully exploit new equipment coming online.  Cross training with the US Marine Corps has demonstrated one thing.  The Australian Defense establishment is missing a critical piece of the puzzle when it comes to having a full spectrum force....

It  lacks a Marine Corps.  Having a battalion of Army Infantry cross trained to act in a naval role is short sighted and inadequate.

My modest proposal.  Form a Battalion of Marines.  The benefits will be incalculable and the risks are negligible.

Highlight on Harvest Hawk.

UPDATE! 

I've had a couple of readers question my assertion that the USMC came out with this idea before SOCOM did and since other nations are attempting to jump on the "instant" gunship bandwagon, that the Marines should consider this another innovation in the art of war and shout it to the roof tops (I stated that SOCOM will and the public and more importantly lawmakers will know no better).  Well it seems that proof is needed and to provide that proof I turn to the Blog "War is Boring" circa 05.07.09.  Read it and weep those who doubt me...

by DAVID AXE
The Marines have always envied the Air Force’s two dozen AC-130 gunships — which, with their accurate guns and long loiter times, count as some of the deadliest weapons in U.S. wars. This spring, the Marines decided to buy nine kits for their KC-130J tanker-transports, each kit comprising Hellfire and Viper Strike missiles and bolt-on sensors — with a door gun, optional. The result, code-named Harvest Hawk, turns a tanker into a gunship, in just four hours, on the cheap.
Now the twist: the Air Force has struggled for years to build a new gunship to replace the AC-130s, which average more than 20 years old. The AC-X gunship concept went nowhere. The AC-XX “gunship lite” program, meant to turn the twin-engine C-27J transport into a small gunship, apparently died this year, when the Pentagon cut the C-27J program in half. So now the Air Force is borrowing the Harvest Hawk idea, adding “sensors, communication systems, precision guided munitions and a single medium-caliber gun” to eight MC-130W infiltration transports, pictured, according to budget documents.
This kind of modularity represents the future of air power. Build a basic platform like a C-130, and add kits — and extra crew — for the gunship, tanker and other roles, as needed.

KC-130J Harvest Hawk: Marine Corps teaches old plane new tricks in Afghanistan 

4/1/2011  By Staff Sgt. Christopher Flurry  , 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Fwd) 

 

  CAMP DWYER, Afghanistan  — One of the U.S. military’s most seasoned aircraft has found a new purpose as a one-of-a-kind weapon for the Marine Corps in support of troops on the ground in Afghanistan. The U.S. military has relied on the C-130 Hercules platform for a variety of tasks including air-to-air refueling, and cargo and troop transportation for more than 50 years. But the Marine Corps, in partnership with Lockheed-Martin, has recently created a unique variant of its KC-130J by outfitting an existing plane with what has been dubbed the Harvest Hawk weapons system.
“It’s a brand new capability for the Marine Corps and it’s proving itself very well,” said Capt. Joel D. Dunivant, a KC-130J aircraft commander with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352 out of Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Calif., who is currently deployed to Afghanistan. “I’ve been a KC-130 pilot my whole time in the Marine Corps, but this is a new capability for us to support the Marines on the ground.”
The Harvest Hawk system includes a version of the target sight sensor used on the AH-1Z Cobra attack helicopter as well as a complement of four AGM-114 Hellfire and 10 Griffin missiles, a modular, precision-guided missile system typically employed on unmanned aerial vehicles.  The system expands the role of the KC-130J for 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (Forward) beyond its traditional level of support to include close air support against enemy positions and providing surveillance to disrupt improvised explosive device emplacements.   
“Harvest Hawk, for me, is an opportunity to help the guys on the ground,” said Capt. Bradley C. Stadelmeier, with VMGR-352, a co-pilot for the Harvest Hawk equipped KC-130J.
Even with its expanded capabilities, Harvest Hawk crewmembers said the aircraft retains its original capabilities in refueling and transportation. Crewmembers said the Harvest Hawk KC-130J has been used to refuel other coalition aircraft in Afghanistan, and that the entire system can be removed in less than a day if necessary.
The Harvest Hawk first saw service in the Afghan skies in late 2010. Nearly six months since its inception, the aircraft has spent hundreds of hours in the air supporting coalition troops.
“I was highly skeptical of this program until I was on the ground side,” said Capt. Christopher Klempay, the air officer for 3rd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment.  “Now, my opinion is that this is one of the best missions the Hercules can provide the ground force commander.”
Supporting Marine Corps ground forces and coalition partners is one of the primary missions for the Harvest Hawk equipped KC-130J, and both aircrew and Marines on the ground said its ability to stay in the air for long periods of time, providing both surveillance and close-air support is a primary reason for its success.
“It’s great to be a part of something that helps Marines get home safely at night,” said Cpl. Jessica M. Egan, a crew chief with VMGR-352, who serves with the Harvest Hawk detachment.
Additionally, the aircraft’s laser-guided weapons allow for pinpoint accuracy, helping to ensure insurgents are neutralized with minimal impact on the Afghan people and their property.
“The Harvest Hawk is the close air support platform of choice for counter insurgency in Marjah, where collateral damage is a major concern,” said Klempay. “The fire control officers, who sit in the back of the Hercules, are the best in town because they have the ability to devote 100 percent of their attention looking for the enemy on their video imagery and talking to the forward air controllers.” 
In addition to its standard complement of officer and enlisted crew, the Harvest Hawk equipped KC-130J is manned by two fire control officers to monitor and control the weapons and surveillance systems. These Marines, either AV-8B Harrier pilots or F/A-18 Hornet weapon systems officers, bring their expertise in close air support and serve as a vital link between the Marines on the ground and the aircraft supporting them.
“The tools are a little different, but the job is similar,” said Maj. Marc E. Blankenbicker with VMGR-352, the lead fire control officer for the Harvest Hawk detachment, whose primary duty in the Marine Corps is as an F/A-18 weapon systems officer. “It’s very rewarding to take a skill set from one aircraft and translate it to another aircraft.”
Both Marines in the air and Marines on the ground have cited a recent mission as a hallmark of the Harvest Hawk equipped KC-130J’s effectiveness. On March 14, the aircraft stayed airborne approximately 10 hours, expending its entire complement of Hellfire missiles providing close air support for multiple Marine Corps units operating across Regional Command Southwest.
“That Harvest Hawk was on a general scan for IED emplacers. They found four individuals digging in the road, saw them drop something heavy into a hole in the road, and the battalion determined these individuals to be hostile,” said Klempay of one of the requests the Harvest Hawk KC-130J supported that day. “The Harvest Hawk launched a Hellfire, neutralizing the enemy threat.”
Blankenbicker explained the KC-130J supported two other Marine battalions operating the same day, eliminating a number of enemy fighters.
“The Harvest Hawk is a great platform. I can talk directly to the pilot and we can improve each other's situational awareness on the spot,” said 1st Lt. Charles Broun, a platoon commander with Kilo Company, 3rd Bn., 5th Marine Regiment. “Throw in the precision ordnance it carries and it is an outstanding combat multiplier.”
“Being in the aviation community, as an aircrew, gives you a unique perspective as what the infantry battalions do every day,” said Blankenbicker. “You see where they live; you see the villages where they work. We see firsthand the efforts of the units that we’re here to support.
“Whenever you are enabling a Marine battalion to better do their job,” added Blankenbicker. “That’s a good feeling.”

Awesome new capability but one thing annoys me.  This is another innovation courtesy of the United States Marine Corps...an innovation which is being copied by the Special Operations Command (and soon other nations around the globe...if memory serves a nation is already attempting to copy this with a C-27) and one that SOCOM will shout to the roof tops.  But it was brought to the imaginations of the warfighting community by the USMC.

Somehow, someway, the Marine story needs to be delivered in a more timely fashion.  Of all the services the idea of jointness has hurt the Marine Corps the most.  I believe its time to emphasize the differences.

Cool, Creepy and Insidious.

Not our usual fare but this was just cool and reminded me of a real life Aliens "chest buster!"

UK's Decline as a World and European Power is complete.

Think Defence has a remarkable story regarding the contribution of their force to the mission in Libya.  He proclaims half way through ....

Lets get a few things straight before the doom mongers start doing down the UK’s contribution.

He makes some rather fanciful (in my opinion) claims to refute the thought that I and others have.  They've cut too deep and are no longer a major player.  Read the whole thing but here's my attempt to rebut his claims.

Whilst Libya has been hogging the newspaper columns let’s not forget the scale of contribution to Afghanistan, anti piracy operations, the Falkland Islands and plenty of other deployments.
The Libya deployments have been in addition to these.

Sorry Think Defence but the other European Powers have commitments as far ranging as the UK's.  The UK has stood strong in Iraq and Afghanistan but this offensive against Libya is straining their resources in a way that is almost comical (if it were an enemy nation).  To see a trusted friend and ally suffering under the weight of this limited combat is most depressing.

Of course the main news point has been about a lack of carriers and Harriers, especially when compared to the French and Italians but instead of concentrating on what we haven’t got, how about a look at what we have, then compare that with the French and Italians.
Submarine launched Tomahawk, ASTOR/Sentinel, RAPTOR, significant tanker, intelligence and command and control support.
This in addition to combat air patrols and strike missions, whilst Afghanistan and other operations haven’t skipped a beat.

Again, Think Defence is off the mark.  One or two Tomahawk launches is hardly credible.  Compared to the number of sorties that the French launched with their Rafales, its somewhat paltry.  Add the fact that the French were making raids before the first Tomahawk was launched and not only must the Rafale be re-examined (it might be a better war plane than I thought) but the lack of having Harrier based strike being retired should be considered a HUGE mistake. Command and Control was accomplished with US and NATO E-3's.  The Sentinel is due to be retired shortly so its capabilities will soon vanish...and NIMRODS are going away soon.  The hallmarks of the UK's unique contribution will soon  be high demand assets with far too few of them to maintain any capability beyond that of a brush war.

The UK has in essence placed it expeditionary war fighting capability in the hands of the RAF...and the RAF is not up to the task!  If combat had occurred outside of the range of bases in Southern Europe then the UK would be sitting on the sidelines.

If I didn't know better I would think that UK strategy is to mirror Germany's by not fighting.  The UK is in essence removing itself from the stage.  Major foreign interventions will be impossible for at least a decade...probably two.

Politicians have been warning that their is a protectionist/isolationist movement in the United States that was dangerous and nonsensical.  Someone should warn the British government of the same.

USS Nassau decommissioned from service

via wavy.com

USS Nassau decommissioned from service

Ends nearly 32 years of service to U.S. Navy

Updated: Thursday, 31 Mar 2011, 5:17 PM EDT
Published : Thursday, 31 Mar 2011, 3:23 PM EDT

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Over three decades of military service came to an end Thursday as the USS Nassau (LHA 4) was decommissioned at Naval Station Norfolk.
"Haul down the colors and secure the watch," was ordered by one U.S. Navy officer.
As crewmen from the amphibious assault ship disembarked the USS Nassau for the last time, the falling rain seemed appropriate for the occasion.
"This is not rain, these are tears," said Vice Adm. Peter Daily. "Tears because we're saying goodbye to a magnificent ship. Maybe a little bit before it's time."
In its 31 years of service, the Nassau carried Marines and sailors in support of military and humanitarian missions from Lebanon, Iraq and Haiti - missions similar to those carried out today off the coast of Libya and ashore in Japan in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.
"We are witnessing a living clinic for why we need amphibious power in our Navy," said VADM Daily.
As the Navy retired the Nassau, her last commander reminded the audience that a ship, in and of itself, is nothing more than steel.
"Nassau was brought to life by people," said Captain Samuel Norton. "People have made Nassau Special."
People like Jim McGaha, who joined the ship about a year after she was commissioned in 1979.
"When I come on the ship that's one thing, said McGaha, "but I've not seen these guys in thirty years so that was reason enough to come back."
"Whether you're a sailor or Marine, you're a part of Nassau and you'll always be a part of the "Top Gator" team," said CAPT Norton.
As the decommissioning ceremony closed, one final pronouncement was made aboard the ship was made for all to hear:
"The men and women, both past and present that have served in Nassau gave her life for almost 32 years. Now as machinery is secured, the lights go dark, the hatches are closed and the last sailor goes ashore, her decks fall silent as she exhales her last breath and goes into history having proudly and faithfully served our nation."
The Nassau now heads to a facility in Beaumont, Texas, where it will stay in storage in case the Navy decides to reactivate the ship.

I'm not saddened by the news of the NASSAU being retired.

I'm pissed about it !

Why are we going to let this ship sit in a "watery retirement home" when it should be used in Marine Corps experiments to see if the aviation connector of the Sea Base is viable and necessary.  The Mobile Landing Platform is budgeted this year.  Every part of the concept is coming together...the only part in doubt (at least in my mind) is the 'aviation connector' so why not let the NASSAU do that work?

Using the Nassau in the role during exercises would allow  active ships to remain viable, it would allow the experimentation to go forward without disrupting ship/unit deployment schedules, and it would make a notional exercise come to life with an actual ship filling another vital role in the concept.

F-35B formation flight...

NavAir photo releases...

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - At a test range near Naval Air Station Patuxent River,
Md., two F-35B test aircraft accomplish a formation test point March 17.
Lockheed Martin test pilot David "Doc" Nelson flew BF-2 and Royal Air Force
Squadron Leader Steve Long piloted BF-3. The F-35B and F-35C variants are
undergoing test and evaluation for delivery to the Marine Corps and Navy
respectively. (Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin)

A bad day for Marine Aviation.

Yesterday was a bad day for Marine Aviation...a stark reminder that even training is dangerous.

First this from NBC News...

One Marine was killed and three injured when a helicopter crashed into a bay on the coast of Oahu, a military spokesman said Wednesday.
The CH-53 D Sea Stallion, with four Marines aboard, crashed about 7:20 p.m. Hawaii time Tuesday, Maj. Alan Crouch, with the Marines' public affairs office in Hawaii, told NBC News.

Then this from Marine Times...

An AV-8B Harrier jump jet crashed Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden shortly after taking off from the amphibious assault ship Boxer, military officials told Marine Corps Times.
The pilot ejected and wasn’t seriously injured, according to Marine Corps and Navy officials.

UPDATE*  It was a worse day than I thought.  Add this to the roll of woe...

From Commander Naval Air Forces Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- Ten Sailors aboard the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) were injured March 30 when an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 101 suffered a catastrophic engine failure and subsequently caught fire.

The injured Sailors were working on the flight deck near the jet when the incident occurred at 2:50 p.m. They were initially treated by the ship's medical personnel.

Four Sailors have been flown to Naval Medical Center San Diego where they are in stable condition. The pilot was not injured.

The fire was quickly extinguished, and there is no significant damage to the ship.

"I am extremely proud of our crew," said Stennis Commanding Officer Capt Ronald Reis. "The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is an inherently dangerous place, but our personnel are well-trained to operate safely in this environment. They responded quickly, professionally and with purpose, extinguishing the aircraft engine fire."

The cause of the mishap is under investigation.

USS John C. Stennis is homeported in Bremerton, Wash., and was conducting Fleet Replacement Squadron Carrier Qualifications in the Southern California operating area at the time of the mishap. VMFAT-101 is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar.

Modest Proposal. Attach Riverine Units to MEU's.

I am about to propose something that is pure blasphemy to the Riverine Forces.

Attach them to the Marine Expeditionary Units, subordinate them to Marine Command on deployments and get them out and about with the Amphibious Ready Groups.

As it now stands, these forces are sitting on the beach with a mission but without the means to get into the fight with a Surface Navy that doesn't want to use them...A Special Warfare Community that already has its own Boat Drivers...and a Command (NECC) that doesn't have the clout to get them where they need to be.

That all changes if they're assigned to an MEU.

Consider this sad fact.  Piracy is running rampant off the coast of Africa.  Riverine's aren't there.  The 22nd MEU is deploying to the waters off Libya.  Riverine's aren't going.  Unless we're going to disband this asset then it going to take assigning them to an MEU to get use out of them.

Training foreign forces...or training with allied nations isn't good enough.  Its time to get them into the fight.

*UPDATE*

Hey all.

I don't want the Marines to take back the Riverine Mission.  I do however, want the Riverines to get deployed.  If you believe that Riverine Forces will get there own amphibs then you're smoking crack.  If you think that Riverines will be able to deploy with MPS ships then you're still smoking something illegal.  If you think that you can position gear at forward bases and have personnel fly out and marry up with it you're dreaming.  This unit WILL go away unless you tie it to units that are out doing work.  If its with the Destroyer Force, ARG or Carriers then so be it but NECC does not have the ability to lobby for its own large ships.

173rd Airborne Brigade's Commander is relieved.

There aren't many US Army units that I consider shit hot. 

Fewer still that I think can actually hump with or fight as well as Marines.  The 173rd Airborne is one of those units.  When I first heard this story a couple of days ago, I decided to wait...I wanted to see more info.  It wasn't to be.  The Army is mum and the only thing that exists is rumors. 

On a sad side note, have you noticed an increase in the number of Commanders being relieved?  I don't have exact numbers but it appears to be higher than normal.  This story is from Stars and Stripes.

173rd Airborne Commander Relieved

by Kevin Dougherty

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany -- The Army has relieved Col. James H. Johnson III of command of the 173rd Airborne Brigade for serious allegations “that were substantiated” following an extensive review, said the deputy commander of V Corps.

The Army announced its decision on Johnson late Friday. Col. Kyle Lear is serving as the acting commander until Johnson’s replacement arrives this summer. However, it didn’t go into any detail about Johnson’s transgressions, or whether he will be court-martialed.

Brig. Gen. Allen W. Batschelet, Johnson’s direct supervisor, said in a telephone interview that Johnson faced “a number of allegations that were (later) substantiated.” Commanders need to be held to the highest standards, he said.

“Once this is compromised, we have an obligation to take action,” Batschelet said. “These sorts of things can become a distraction.”

While the Army says it can’t elaborate on the allegations against Johnson, talk of the colonel’s troubles are the grist of rumors, particularly in the communities where the brigade is based.

“It’s a pretty grave decision we had to make,” Batschelet said of relieving Johnson. “We hold commanders to the highest standards.”

Based in Vicenza, Italy, the brigade includes six battalions. Two battalions are in Vicenza, and four are in Germany, with three of them in Bamberg. The fourth battalion is based in Schweinfurt.

Johnson assumed command of the brigade in October 2008. He led it on a yearlong tour of Afghanistan, with the brigade returning to Europe late last year. The Army suspended Johnson as commander Feb. 17. On Friday, the suspension was lifted.

“He’s officially relieved of command at this point,” said Lt. Col. Rumi Nielson-Green, a spokeswoman for U.S. Army Europe.