SOCOM Is Gobbling Up Marine Air Assets.

A U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter provides close air support at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Feb. 29, 2012, during exercise Emerald Warrior 2012. Emerald Warrior is an annual two-week joint/combined tactical exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command designed to leverage lessons learned from operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to provide trained and ready forces to combatant commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew J. Bruch/Released

 

 

A US Marine Corps CH-46 is participating at Emerald Warrior 2012.

Now why would that be?

It because we don't have strong leadership in the Marine Corps anymore.  We have a cabal of "individuals" that lust after being called Special Ops.

But does it make sense?

NO IT DOESN'T!

SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND HAS 66,000 MEMBERS!


That's equal to 3 US Army Divisions.


It has air assets from the ....


23rd Air Force  which is composed of a number of USAF wings all tasked with supporting SOCOM.


HSC-84 and HSC-85 US Navy Helicopter Squadrons tasked to provide support to SOCOM.


160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment tasked with providing support to SOCOM.

Answer this for me.

SOCOM is due to grow to over 80,000 personnel in the next 5 years.  With a force that large are we talking about Special Ops or are we talking about another service that continues to leverage resources from the other services despite an ever expanding budget, kept in the black with little accountability.

SOCOM is a rabid dog that has lost its way and needs to be restrained.

This is nonsense.

Let me repeat myself, in less than 5 years SOCOM will number OVER 80,000 people.  That's larger than the entire British Army.

That's almost the size of the British Army and Royal Marines---combined.

That's half the size of the US Marine Corps.

And we have some brain dead desk jockey sending assets to participate in a Special Ops Exercise?

Sad.  Pathetic.  Depressing.

Free-falling for Freedom

Quietly the USMC got its full allotment of LPD-17 class ships.

via UTSanDiego.

Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems division in San Diego has been awarded $55 million to help provide advanced electronics for LPD 27, a planned San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock warship. The 684-foot vessels are designed to carry and land Marines, as well as amphibious assault vehicles. They are among the toughest troop carriers ever built.

The Defense Department says Raytheon will work on the ship's control, navigation and communications systems, and search sensors. Much of the work involves integrating the complex systems carried aboard such vessels.

Two of these ships -- the New Orleans and Green Bay -- are home-ported in San Diego. And the newly built San Diego is scheduled to operate out of San Diego Bay.

Long lead items are already being awarded for the LPD-27.  On the down low the USMC got its full allotment of these ships.

Interesting.

With the capability that we've seen for these ships to operate MANY more helicopters than the ships that they're replacing (they're almost a mini-LHD) I'm finally understanding why there wasn't a bigger roar from HQMC when it came to the Navy reducing the number of amphibs.

If these ships can be made to operate reliably then the Secretary of the Navy's view that a smaller Navy doesn't mean a less capable one will be borne out....at least in the Gator Navy that is.

Chart via Wikipedia.

Ships of the class

Name	Number		Launched		Home port	Status
San Antonio	LPD-17		12 July 2003		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
New Orleans	LPD-18		11 December 2004		San Diego, California	Active
Mesa Verde	LPD-19		19 November 2004		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Green Bay	LPD-20		11 August 2006		San Diego, California	Active
New York	LPD-21		19 December 2007		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
San Diego	LPD-22		7 May 2010			Under construction
Anchorage	LPD-23		12 February 2011			Under construction
Arlington	LPD-24		23 November 2010			Under construction
Somerset	LPD-25					Under construction
John P. Murtha	LPD-26					Under construction[7]
	LPD-27					Materials being purchased[8]

The best snipers in the world...US Marine Scout Snipers

A Marine Scout Sniper conceals himself as he sites in on his target aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., during the Scout Sniper Training Course. Sniper students must successfully complete three phases of training: marksmanship and basic field craft; unknown distance and stalking; and advanced field skills and mission employment before obtaining the 0317 military occupational specialty.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Lance Cpl. Cody A. Fodale

HMLA-167 trains with reconnaissance Marines

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Platoon Marines prepare to SPIE rig from the HMLA-167 UH-1Y Huey helicopter, Feb. 14.
, Lance Cpl. Manuel A. Estrada, 2/14/2012 11:23

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Platoon Marines, fast rope out of a Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 UH-1Y Huey helicopter, Feb. 14.
, Lance Cpl. Manuel A. Estrada, 2/14/2012 9:59

ARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 Marines observe 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, Force Reconnaissance Company, 3rd Platoon Marines, fast rope out of a UH-1Y Huey helicopter, Feb. 14.
, Lance Cpl. Manuel A. Estrada, 2/14/2012 9:34

F-35B External Stores Flight Test

I can't wait for this to come out.

Turkish Defense Products Guide.

Product Guide 2009

The Turks have put together a very interesting military program.  Not only are they assembling what will soon be the most powerful military in Europe, but they're also putting together a very robust defense industry.

I would list the following countries as bearing watching when it comes to defense matters in Europe...

1.  Romania.  They're not hardly rich but they are extremely innovative and have made some unique defense ties.  They were the first to start training with the Israeli's, have a strong relationship with US forces and are taking steps despite the current financial difficulties to upgrade their military.

2.  Poland.  Again, they also are developing a strong defense industry having recently partnered with Sikorsky and are upping defense spending while others are decreasing outlays.

3.  Georgia.  With a clear and present threat from Russia, this small country is developing a very strong force for its size, established strong relationships with the USMC and has a large cadre of combat experienced troops.

4.  Turkey.  Combat experience due to ongoing warfare with the Kurds, a quickly developing industrial defense sector and the buys of advanced systems from Europe and the US.

SNR's Landing Ship Tank.

An interesting design from Turkey.

While the rest of the world has basically abandoned the large tank landing ship, the Turks have embraced it in a big way and are trying to sell them on the open market.  If nothing else its an interesting take on an old concept.



LST

Camp Lemonier in Djibouti

Interesting stuff on Google Maps as far as Camp Lemonier is concerned.  Go here to see for yourself but I see (at least as far as the map is oriented on my computer screen) on the western side of the airport a spot that has 5 CH-53's, four C-130's and on the opposite side of the airfield I see six F-15's and a couple more C-130's in addition to a couple of P-3's.

The secret war in North Africa is becoming more intense.  Digging for information on what's going on over there, several years ago Africa Command stated publicly that rotations of 200 US Army Special Forces troops were going in and out of this base.

That doesn't include what the French are doing (they have a French Foreign Legion Brigade and a Marine Regiment there) and of course with all of them playing you know the rest of the Special Ops of the world can't be far behind...I wouldn't be surprised to see British, Polish, Romanian, German, Italian...heck the entire western world participating in operations there.

UPDATE:

A couple of readers have spotted French ATL2 MPA's, Transol 160's, and C-27's...that's in addition to the F-15's, C-130's and CH-53's that were pointed out earlier but doesn't account for what's hidden away in the hangars and you can bet body parts that at least a couple of UAVs are present.

THIS IS A MAJOR LEAGUE OPERATION NOW.  THIS IS A BLACK OP THATS ABOUT TO BUST WIDE OPEN.  NEXT WAR ZONE...AFRICA!

Brits rethinking the F-35...might go with the "B" model now...

Massive, major league hat tip to Think Defence.

This would be too good if true.

The Brits, who switched from the B model to the C model are now thinking about switching back to the B!  From the Guardian...

Britain's troubled and increasingly expensive plan to equip the navy with new aircraft carriers has been plunged into fresh turmoil as ministers consider reversing their earlier decision to change the type of plane that should fly from them, it has emerged.
The government announced in last autumn's strategic defence review that it had decided to buy the "cats and flaps" (catapults and arrester gear) version of the US joint strike fighter. This would have a "longer range and greater payload ... the critical requirement for precision-strike operations in the future", the government stated.
Moreover, the government added, it will be cheaper. It would also enable French planes to land on British carriers, and vice versa, inkeeping with the new UK-French defence spirit of co-operation.
Now, in an extraordinary volte-face, the Ministry of Defence says the "cats and flaps" planes may well be cheaper but it would be too expensive to redesign a carrier – more than £1bn – to accommodate them. The ministry is thus faced with the prospect of renegotiating a deal with the US, reverting to its original plan – namely buying the short take-off and vertical landing version of the aircraft, even though it is acknowledged to be less effective and more expensive .
The latest chapter in the troubled saga of Britain's future aircraft carriers – whose own estimated costs have soared – was raised on Thursday in a letter to the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, from Jim Murphy, his Labour opposite number.
Murphy referred to "worrying suggestions" that the government was about to change its mind about the kind of aircraft to buy from the US. "It is vital that there is now clarity on the government's plans for this vital area of the defence equipment programme," he wrote.
Murphy said the decision in the defence review to scrap the Harrier fleet meant the UK would have no carrier aircraft capability until 2020 – and then only one carrier would be operational.
Defence officials said that the government was "re-assessing" its earlier decision because, they indicated, of pressures on the defence budget.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first carrier, will be mothballed immediately it is launched in 2016, according to existing plans. The second, HMS Prince of Wales, will be able to put to sea by 2020, but it is not known how many planes will be able to fly from it – nor what kind.
The two carriers, originally priced at £3.5bn, are now estimated to cost £6.2bn. According to the Commons public accounts committee, the cost is likely to icrease to as much as £12bn.
The government, which originally said it wanted more than 100 joint strike fighters, says that it will have just six operational ones by 2020. The unit cost of the joint strike fighter, made by Lockheed Martin, has soared because of production problems and delays caused by US defence budget cuts. Britain's BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce have big stakes in a future deal adapting the joint strike fighter for British forces.
A spokesperson for the MoD said: "We are currently finalising the 2012-13 budget and balancing the equipment plan. As part of this process, we are reviewing all programmes, including elements of the carrier strike programme, to validate costs and ensure risks are properly managed. The defence secretary expects to announce the outcome of this process to parliament before Easter."

Wow.

Just freaking wow. But before I get too happy I wonder if we're not seeing a bit of interservice politics.  With the B model the Joint Forces setup established with the Harrier would continue and you would see Royal Air Force pilots flying off the Navy's flat top.

With the C model it would likely be too expensive to have Royal Air Force pilots trained to fly off and land on these conventional carriers.

It appears on second thought that there is more to this than meets the eye.

The US Army is on crack.

Boxer

VBCI

CV-90

Stryker

Namer

Puma

BMP-3

Its official.

The US Army is on crack.

Check out this story from Aviation Week.  Then take another look at the photos above and then reread the story.  The US Army appears to be combining two programs into one, or they're opening up the GCV program to so many vehicles that any requirements have obviously been thrown out the window.

This is tailor made for a protest.  Didn't anyone in the DoD learn anything from the USAF's troubles?

Someone in the procurement office needs to be fired.

TODAY!