Now we know why the Brits are buying JLTVs and shelving Foxhound Protected Patrol Vehicles!

via The Guardian.

However, the BBC has quoted an unnamed sergeant as saying the replacement vehicles had reliability issues in the heat. “They break down all the time. They cannot handle the heat. They have a massive problem with it. At 50 degrees the engine cooks out,” the sergeant said.

The sergeant, who did not want to be named, said the vehicles kept overheating. He said he had to alter the bonnets to try to increase the air supply to cool down the engines.

Tools were not provided to deal with this so he bought his own specialist equipment, he said.

An MoD spokeswoman said: “Foxhound has dealt with the demanding conditions in Iraq, kept our soldiers safe and is delivering the required operational output in the defeat of Daesh [Islamic State].

“The urgent operational requirement (UOR) programme has saved countless lives in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Decisions on which equipment to continue to support and which to sell are made with current and future operational requirements in mind.”

Story here. 

The article, at least my reading of it, is a bit strange and backwards looking. What is of interest is the Foxhound itself.  Why would the Brits not do any "product" improvement?

When I first saw this rig and looked at the list of companies that participated in its development it looked absolutely awesome.

To hear the complaints of the Brit Sgt is telling and disappointing.

What I find mysterious is that the Brits bought it under an urgent operational requirement but they essentially had it designed.  There were other vehicles off the shelf that could have met the requirements but they went with what looked to be a pretty solid homegrown solution.

The fact that it didn't perform mechanically as expected (all the reports I've read indicate that its blast protection was superb) would seem to indicate that a series of modifications to the basic design should have been called for, not scrapping them all together.

The good news part of this story?

We have finally found out why the Brits chose to buy JLTVs.

Side note.  Is it just me or does the British Army seem a bit small to be operating such a wide array of combat vehicles?  With the downsizing of the military shouldn't we see a "standardization" take effect instead of so many different vehicle types?  Remember.  The British Army is less than half as big as the USMC but if I'm counting correctly operates twice as many different types of combat vehicles!

The evolution of the British Army's medium weight capability.

Think Defence Blog is back with a long and well researched backgrounder on the British Army's medium weight capability.

If you want insight into the how and why of current Brit Army procurement then this is a must read (here).

Warning.  This is a long read with many links.  Either set aside some time for a deep dive or scan it to decide how you're gonna break it up into bite sized chunks.

Saudis want to buy the Patriot PAC-3.

via UPI

More than 200 Patriot Air Defense Systems with PAC-3 enhancement may be sold to Saudi Arabia under the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which acts as the middle man for FMS deals, said in its required notification to Congress the possible deal carries a value of $1.750 billion.

"The proposed sale will help replenish Saudi's current Patriot missiles, which are becoming obsolete and difficult to sustain due to age and the limited availability of repair parts," the agency said.

"The purchase of PAC-3 missiles will support current and future defense missions and promote stability within the region."

Story here. 

The entire Middle East is on a shopping spree.  With all the weapons they're buying then its almost certain that a regional war is in the making.

Want a Saturday morning giggle.  Check out this passage from the story...

"The purchase of PAC-3 missiles will support current and future defense missions and promote stability within the region."

Yeah right!  We're simply supplying the weapons for the Saudi's next misadventure!  I wonder how long the house of Saud has before we see heads being paraded on poles down the streets of Riyadh?

Exercise Aurora 17...video.

Thanks to Gustav for the link!



Interesting.  This exercise seems to have the attention of quite a few of my readers and even better, it seems to be a free flowing affair.  Did you see pics of Leopard MBT's driving around logs on a highway?  Combat Engineers were allowed to put up mobility obstacles to slow their advance.  I wonder if that played a role in the Army Dogs getting one of their tanks stuck in a bog up to the drivers hatch?

Regardless I'll be posting more pics of this exercise later today.

Bell wants Army to skip upgrades go straight to its V-280 tiltrotor...

via Breaking Defense.

 Bell Helicopter is so confident in their new V-280 tilt-rotor prototype that they want the Pentagon to accelerate the Future Vertical Lift program – which they think the V-280 will win – by “five to eight years.”

That would pull production of the first FVL variant, a faster and longer-ranged replacement for Army UH-60s and Marine UH-1s, from the 2030s to as early as 2025. To pay for the earlier start, Bell program manager Chris Gehler told reporters here yesterday, the Army should cancel its $10 billion Improved Turbine Engine Program (ITEP), which aims to boost existing helicopters’ power by 50 percent and reallocate the money to the all-new FVL.

Money will be tight in the 2020s, even after the Budget Control Act caps expire, because the Pentagon has pushed back many expensive modernization programs whose bills will be finally coming due, what insiders call a bow wave. That includes replacing all three legs of the aging nuclear triad with new weapons systems – the Air Force’s B-21 stealth bomber, the Navy’s Columbia missile submarine, and the Air Force’s new ICBM – as well as full-rate production of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

Story here. 

I like the V-280.  If they have actually cracked the tilt wing code and it delivers as promised then it will be a tremendous asset.  Saying all that though this is nothing but corporate propaganda.

Land 400 labeled as a "program going off the rails"...

Thanks to Dave for the link!

via CT.com

The people working on Land 400 can see it's heading off the rails, yet no one will blow the whistle. Too much has already been invested to back out. No one individual responsibility and no one wants to admit something that will cripple their promotion prospects. Besides, the problem is bureaucratic. It resides at the heart of the way we do things, like buying equipment. We call people "commanders" but then take away their ability to influence outcomes or, in the military's case, fight the way they need.

This is just one issue bedevilling the army. The real tragedy is that the current hierarchy inherited this flawed process. It's been left to carry the baby and so it's nursing it through. Particularly because this procurement disaster follows on the heels of another: the appalling saga of the self-propelled gun.

When we think about fighting, we tend to focus on close combat: the soldier and the tank. Although decisive, these aren't the real killers. The weapons that bring maximum death to the battlefield are indirect: artillery shells and air-delivered munitions. A recent, exhaustive investigation recommended we buy a South Korean self-propelled artillery gun. Some senior officers felt we should buy German. We've ended up with nothing.

No self-propelled artillery, the wrong armoured vehicles, serious issues with the helicopter fleet, and only the most rudimentary ability (in language skills and experience) to operate in our region.

Individually, these problems aren't anyone's fault. Combined, they represent a massive failure of the system. When will we admit that Defence is failing our soldiers?

Story here. 

It's a short article but I consider it a must read.  I look forward to reading the comments of my Aussie readers.

Open Comment Post. Sep 30, 2017

US Army JLTV with integrated 30mm RWS & Trophy APS via Grant Turnbill's Twitter Page!

Thanks to Tom for the link!

Big guns on trucks.

The concept sounds good but I wonder if our light forces won't end up biting off more than they can chew because of the false confidence that this setup will give them.

Naw.  That's crazy thinking right?  Right?

BREAKING! V-22 crashes in Syria!

You know what I know but the V-22 crashed, US personnel was onboard and it appears to be a Marine Corps bird.

The French disaster relief efforts off St. Martin...their Navy is leading the effort...

I can't make the call on whether or not the French, British and other European countries that are responding to the HA/DR incident on islands in the Caribbean, but I can say that the visuals are definitely better.

No interservice rivalry, but why is a US Army General leading our work?

The French put their Navy in the lead and you can see the results.  L-CATs are making sorties to and from the beach like clockwork (can't lie...these images make me reassess my thinking on that landing craft).  The BPC Mistral Class of ships are looking like winners in every sense of the word and don't cost a metric shit ton of money to purchase.

I posted a video of an Air Force General stating that we've lost the ability to go fast.  Our response to the crisis in Puerto Rico proves how right he was.

That AAV accident was much more gruesome than I thought...and the Marine Corps ain't talking...

via San Diego Union Tribune.

The information from the Marines was terse, tense. The basic facts, no illuminating details. Volumes were left to read between the lines of a couple of press releases and official non-comment.

This we know: Twelve of the most grievously injured service members were sent to civilian burn units, eight to UCSD and four, reportedly the most serious cases, to UC Irvine. The rest were sent to Pendleton’s hospital with one going to Scripps Memorial.

This is hellish stuff.

Third-degree burns change the lives of survivors, if they survive, forever.

But instead of providing a narrative of the accident and the aftermath, instead of keeping San Diego updated on the condition and identities of the survivors, the chain of command at 1st Marine Division choked off the public’s right to know what happened (and to whom) on the morning of Sept. 13.

Two weeks after the accident, a Marine spokesman deflected my questions with the boilerplate statement that the victims have a right to privacy, the incident is under investigation, and no information will be released until the review is completed, a process that could take a very long time.

Nothing new to report here.

It’s journalism’s nature, however, to abhor a vacuum of official information about life-changing events.

Doing the jobs they’re paid to do, enterprising reporters like the Union-Tribune’s Carl Prine confirmed that the Amtrack struck a natural gas line that was not operated by SDG&E, the provider of the gas.

It remains an open question if the line was properly mapped, maintained and marked.

Was the driver of the Amtrack trained to avoid the line?

What flame-resistant gear, if any, were the troops wearing, an equipment decision typically made by unit commanders before exercises?

The way this story has unfolded supports the suspicion that there will be hell to pay way down the line, long after the horror has faded from memory.

But, and this needs to be said, seriously burned victims are, right now, suffering in a living hell precious few of us can begin to comprehend.

Their anguish, and the anguish of their loved ones, is not being postponed to a later date.

Story here. 

A pipeline that was not operated by SDG&E?  What the fuck? I told you something with off here and this is exhibit number 1.  This incident is getting even more curious by the day.  Well done to the San Diego Union Tribune.

I will follow this story with interest.

This is why the US military is failing in Puerto Rico...

Minor rant warning.

Want to know why the US military is failing so badly in Puerto Rico?  It's because they're following concepts that are performing badly when put to the test.  What do I mean?  Check out the following.

Partnerships.

The DoD is real big into partnerships.  They constantly talk about teaming with host nation this, or civilian partner that.  It's thinking that's built for failure.  Why?  Because what happens when the civilian partner is part of the disaster?  What happens if they're weak?  What happens if they're corrupt? What happens IF IT'S ALL THREE!  We've seen it too many times before. Katrina?  Weak state and city govt.  Haiti? Weak national and local govt. Puerto Rico? Weak state and city govt.

If the person you're teaming with is a weak horse then you have to shoulder the burden to get stuff done.  This same thinking applies to our efforts in the realm of warfare.  There is no such thing as "training and enabling".  You either do the work or you don't.  The idea of burden sharing sounds good but someone has to take charge and move out.  The DoD is trying to team with people that are incapable of bearing their side of the load both in a HA/DR and in combat.  Time to put "partnerships" in a box.

Small Unit Infatuation.

What is another source of the problems in Puerto Rico?  The USMC and in general the entire military is infatuated with small units. They seek to do the most with the least.  Sounds good from a business perspective but when you're dealing with over 3 million people and the infrastructure they live with then you can't go small. The NorthCom Commander sent in too small a force to deal with too big a problem.  All the things that were supposedly going to make that small force have a multiplier effect failed.  Air centric operations just didn't move enough gear fast enough. When they finally realized that they were behind the eight ball it was too late.

Leadership confusion.

The DoD has developed an environment where Mid Grade Officers and Enlisted can't call bullshit bullshit.  I'm sitting in my chair and can see the idiocy. I'm not unique nor am I special. Others can see it too.  This critique should be coming from inside the Pentagon.  Some Colonel in NorthCom should be able to tell the stars that this shit ain't working and that we need to turn up gas.

It isn't happening because somewhere along the way the culture has been broken.

Solution?

They've assigned a 3 star to head down to Puerto Rico to become incident commander.  I'm not impressed.  If the guy they appointed was a hell raiser then we'd be seeing major units moving right now.  We don't.  That tells me that we not only have a concept, leadership and culture problem, but we also lack real problem solvers in the right positions.

If I was in charge for a minute I would be calling Dunford and tell him that I need 1000 troops from all 4 services on planes heading out now.  I'd be getting as many SeaBees and Army Combat Engineers as they have available (probably clear out the school houses too) and send them down.

I'll tell the Commerce Sec that I needed a couple of logging companies on contract and that we will send their equipment to Puerto Rico to clear roads.

And I'd do all that with every reporter that has a camera and/or microphone within earshot.

Patrols would be sent out to check on civilians and setup forward operating bases so that supplies can be ferried in by helicopter.  Each patrol would have 3 or 4 Corpsmen with them to provide medical aid to those in need.  Temporary shelters would also be delivered to those FOBs along with plenty of bug juice and generators.

Summation.

This can be done easily.  Bend ears, throw away the rule book and just make it happen.  When its all over give Congress the bill and let the auditors sort it out but we're on the cusp of a humanitarian disaster, a media black eye and a terrible day for the US military unless they get their shit straight.