Once is an incident. Twice is pattern. Three times is concerted enemy activity.

Bad news from Afghanistan.  This from the morning ISAF Brief.

Helicopter Crashes in Eastern Afghanistan; Recovery Underway

ISAF Joint Command - Afghanistan 2011-08-S-014For Immediate Release KABUL, Afghanistan (Aug. 6, 2011) – An International Security Assistance Force helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan today, and recovery operations are underway. ISAF is still in the process of assessing the circumstances to determine the facts of the incident, reporting indicates there was enemy activity in the area. Additional details will be released as appropriate.

My eyes flashed straight to the enemy activity in the area.

Of course they're not telling us everything but I just can't see our guys flying into RPG ambushes.  Maybe I'm being a homer but the main aviation unit in eastern Afghanistan---the 10th Aviation Combat Brigade---is no stranger to the area and has alot of experience operating there.

I don't expect ISAF to provide much more than they already have but I do wonder if we're not seeing anti-air missiles on a large scale being introduced into this conflict.  It would make sense with so many disappearing with the mess in Libya...the confusion in Egypt and the troubles with Iran.

Boxer variant...unknown.

Boxer variant...unknown.  I didn't even know they put the Puma turret on the Boxer and have absolutely no idea what they're calling it.  Love them or hate them but KMW is definitely a world leader in the armored vehicle industry.  I can't wait to see their offering for the Marine Personnel Carrier Program and wonder how they're going to make a 33 ton wheeled vehicle float.

Infantry Weapons and their Effects 1943

Tracks gets back to their roots.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, ready themselves to enter the water in their amphibious assault vehicle during amphibious training operations aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., August 4, 2011. The Marines train each year to brush up on their old techniques and tactics, as well as learn new ones. During this operation, the Marines had the cooperation of USS Ponce, an Austin-Class amphibious transport dock, and USS Oak Hill, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship. After launching from the beach, the Marines boarded the ship with the help of their vehicles., Pvt. Brian M. Woodruff, 8/4/2011 4:26 AM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, ready themselves to enter the water in their amphibious assault vehicles during amphibious training operations aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., August 4, 2011. The Marines train each year to brush up on their old techniques and tactics, as well as learn new ones. During this operation, the Marines had the cooperation of USS Ponce, an Austin-Class amphibious transport dock, and USS Oak Hill, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship. After launching from the beach, the Marines boarded the ship with the help of their vehicles. , Pvt. Brian M. Woodruff, 8/4/2011 4:27 AM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, prepare to enter the water in their amphibious assault vehicle during amphibious training operations aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., August 4, 2011. The Marines train each year to brush up on their old techniques and tactics, as well as learn new ones. During this operation, the Marines had the cooperation of USS Ponce, an Austin-Class amphibious transport dock, and USS Oak Hill, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship. After launching from the beach, the Marines boarded the ship with the help of their vehicles. , Pvt. Brian M. Woodruff, 8/4/2011 4:15 AM

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.-Marines with 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, enter the water in their amphibious assault vehicle during amphibious training operations aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., August 4, 2011. The Marines train each year to brush up on their old techniques and tactics, as well as learn new ones. During this operation, the Marines had the cooperation of USS Ponce, an Austin-Class amphibious transport dock, and USS Oak Hill, a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship. After launching from the beach, the Marines boarded the ship with the help of their vehicles. , Pvt. Brian M. Woodruff, 8/4/2011 4:22 AM

The update that wasn't...

Well.

The Dark Lord is at it again.  Read Bill's latest here.  But as always, here's a tidbit....

Flight and ground tests of the 20-strong F-35 Joint Strike Fighter force could be suspended “for a few weeks,” according to an industrial source close to the program, after the secondary power system of F-35A AF-4, a USAF-variant test aircraft, failed on Aug. 2 at Edwards AFB, Calif., during a ground maintenance engine run. However, another government source says that foreign object damage has not yet been ruled out, and notes that such a finding would allow a more rapid return to flight. A clearer picture is expected to emerge next week

Two sources.

One an industrial source that says that the plane might be grounded for weeks.

The other a government source that says that they don't know but will have a better idea next week.

Long story short.

We don't know yet.

But on Bill's original blog post on this story he posts this update...

Update:  Program officials are preparing for a long stand-down, measured in weeks. We should know more next week. Foreign object damage hasn't been ruled out, in which case the program will breathe a large sigh of relief and move on. But if it's not FOD....

Just plain wow.

Nope.  That ain't strong enough.

JUST FUCKING WOW.

The Jihad continues.  Death to the F-35 (according to Sweetman)...Long live the Eurofighter!

PS.

Will someone in Lockheed Martin, the USAF, US Navy, USMC or the Joint Strike Fighter Program Office find out who this bastard is that's talking to Sweetman and keel haul his sorry behind.  How many times do you give your enemy a chance to punch you in the face before you finally wise up!  Geez!

2 Air National Guard C-27 Deploy to Afghanistan

via Key.aero

TWO OHIO Air National Guard (ANG) C-27J Spartans left Mansfield-Lahm Airport, Ohio, on July 26 for the type’s first deployment to Afghanistan with the ANG to support Operation Enduring Freedom. The first of these, 08-27012 (callsign ‘RCH579’), subsequently arrived at Prestwick Airport, Scotland, on July 28, before leaving for Bucharest, Romania, early the next day and then heading onwards to Afghanistan. The second aircraft, 08-27015 (‘RCH714’), followed it into Prestwick on the afternoon of July 29, having been delayed by technical problems. It also then became unserviceable again at Prestwick, resulting in USAF/AFRC/459th ARW KC-135R 58-0075 arriving from Italy on July 31 with spares. It finally departed for Bucharest early on August 1 to follow its partner into theatre.
Both of these C-27Js are operated by the Ohio ANG’s 179th Airlift Wing/164th Airlift Squadron, which recently became the first US Air Force unit to re-equip with the type, having previously operated the C-130 Hercules. The Afghan deployment is a join mission with aircrew from the 179th AW and soldiers from the Georgia and Oklahoma National Guard. They will be working in conjunction with the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade in direct support of the US Army for airlift and airdrop operations.

Wow.

First deployment and it breaks down while enroute?  I'm not going to call BS on this airplane or how it fits into the Air Force but why wouldn't it make more sense for the USAF to just have bought more C-130's?

UPDATE*
First deployment of US C-27's.  According to David Cenciotti (check out his blog...best coverage of the Libyan aerial conflict that I've seen on the net) and something I really should have known....Italian C-27's have been operating in Afghanistan for some time.

Prepping goes mainstream.

I first saw this on Everyday no days off blog, but since then its been all over.  Seems that prepping has gone mainstream.  I keep my gear 'stacked high' and ready to go.  Seems like the rest of America that has fallen for the fantasy of everything being alright...for those that still have dreams of wealth backed by debt...for those that are on the dole...well, they're gonna be in a hurt locker.  I can't wait.

"I guess I can't be a Marine anymore"

Yep that's right...General Cartwright uttered those words in the middle of the fight to keep the EFV.  Now that he's retiring he scurries back to Marine Barracks for his send off.

Remember this blurb from one of Sweetman's Marine Corps bashing articles?  I can almost hear the glee in the Dark Lords heart as he types these words that a "Marine" General uttered...

Cartwright went on to brand the EFV with the scarlet "E" for "exquisite": "As we look at anti-access threats, is the exquisite nature of the vehicle appropriate? It's going to have a hard time."

"Now I can't be a Marine any more", he added. According to other sources, the QDR may downplay the Marines' role as a forced-entry assault force versus security assistance and the Corps' currently dominant role on the ground.

Under development by General Dynamics since the early 1980s, the EFV is intended to combine payload and protection with 25-knot overwater speed and long range. It has been criticised for high cost, technical snags and delays, and for the potential vulnerability of its flat-bottom design to mines.

Good riddance.  Carry your ass, Sir!

If you had leveraged your position as the Deputy Chairman then we might have this vehicle coming online instead of the ground forces playing second fiddle to the wing.  But that's what we get when we keep slamming wingers into leadership positions.

Special Operations Command Pacific puts their knees in the breeze.

All photos by Cpl Reese Lodder

Sgt. Brian Zygmant, a parachute rigger with 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and soldiers with Special Operations Command, Pacific, walk toward an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft before parachuting over Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, the recon Marines combined forces with Army, Air Force and Navy parachutists from SOCPAC and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists.

A soldier with Special Operations Command, Pacific, glides to the ground during parachute operations on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, soldiers, sailors and airmen from SOCPAC combined forces with force reconnaissance Marines from 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and Navy SEALS from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists.

Reconnaissance Marines with 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and service members with Special Operations Command, Pacific, glide to the ground during parachute operations on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, the recon Marines combined forces with Army, Air Force and Navy parachutists from SOCPAC, and Navy SEALS from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists.

Told ya.

I told ya this was coming months ago.  I even called an end strength number of between 175,000 and 150,000 billets.

Now the guys over at Information Dissemination are coming out in agreement.  Amazing.  Check it out...but a tidbit....

It was a tough winter for us.  First we lost the EFV in January, then in March of this year we released the Report of the 2010 Force Structure Review Group and in it the Corps did two big things, we'll see if they're both good.  Basically, we're going from 202k to 186k, reserves still stay roughly 40k. 

Well no shit. 

The only real stunning part of this story is the push to build up the MEB's.  That is going to be a major league bureaucratic cluster fuck. 

Just more jobs for the Generals. 

We should stay with three MEBs, have them trained to operate world wide and roll with it from there.  No need to setup an Army like structure of having them tasked to geographic areas.

That's NOT how the Marine Corps conducts business. 

Awesome. Toy Truck Saves Lives.

Who needs DARPA when you have ingenuity?

US State Dept playing in the military's back yard?

I say that because of this press release by the US Embassy in Romania.

Combined Amphibious Assault Exercise Ends Summer Storm 2011

August 3, 2011
On August 3, 2011, about 160 troops participated in an amphibious assault exercise at Capu Midia training range in Constanta.  In the morning, 11 amphibious assault vehicles were launched from USS Whidbey Island with U.S. and Romanian marines on board.  On shore, the marines engaged in a scheduled firing and assault on a building in the firing range.  The exercise was performed by U.S. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Amphibious Squadron 6, and Romanian marines from the 307th Marines Battalion and Lt. Dimitrie Nicolescu Naval Unit.

The amphibious assault ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD – 41) visited Romania between July 29 and August 4, 2011, to participate in the Romanian-American training exercise Summer Storm 2011.  The training opportunity and engagement was the first of its kind in Romania and was part of the U.S. Navy’s wider goal of continued Black Sea security and cooperation in the region.

To be honest I haven't kept up on press releases from the State Dept but I do try and keep up with military exercises.  This is the first blurb of its type that I've seen.  Either Romania is more important than I imagined or there is a message being sent to someone.  Either way I would be there is more to this than meets the eye.

4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in Exercise Lightning Strike.

Photos by Spc. Kimberly Hackbarth

Spc. Patrick Bevans, a squad automatic weapon gunner with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division fires a Singapore Assault Rifle 21 during a range, July 21, here. Bevans and his platoon participated in the small-arms familiarization live fire with Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment during Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral training exercise.

Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment dismount from a Terrex vehicle during a company field training exercise with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, July 27, at Murai Urban Training Facility here. The FTX is the culminating event of Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral combat training exercise.

After setting off a smoke bomb, soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, prepare to clear the next room in a simulated chain of stores, July 27, at Murai Urban Training Facility here. The platoon, assigned to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division worked with Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment throughout Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral combat training exercise.

Soldiers with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division examine a Terrex that belongs to the Singapore army during a static display of Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment soldiers’ assets, July 20, on Camp Pasir Laba here. Soldiers will work with 2nd SIR during Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral training exercise.

Hat Tip to Defense Talk.

Another Joe Copalman Special.

Joe has been at it again and I don't know why but I absolutely love this airplane.  Yeah its old as dirt...almost prehistoric but its strangely beautiful.  I don't know why but I do like it.  Check out his Flickr page for more aviation photos.

Bill is at it again!

Click the pic to get the full effect!

Yep!  The Dark Lord returns....  He has a story out on the grounding of the JSF.  Mind you no info is out yet but Bill still finds time to dazzle us.  Read the whole thing but check out this passage from his story....

Details are scant: A statement from the JSF program office reads that "aircraft AF-4's Integrated Power Package (IPP) experienced a failure ... The engine was immediately shut down and the jet was secured.  No injuries to the pilot or ground crew occurred."

The halt in operations "is the prudent action to take at this time until the F-35 engineering, technical and system safety teams fully understand the cause of the incident. Once the facts are understood, a determination will be made when to lift the suspension."

Notice that I highlighted 3 words....

DETAILS ARE SCANT!

In other words lets not do like Sweetman.  Lets wait to see exactly what happened, and what it will take to fix it.  The last grounding lasted for 6 days and the APA crowd was crowing like Rooster on a bright sunny day.  Later they buried their heads in shame.

Lets wait. 

Lets see.

Vago's notebook: F-35B is worth the investment

Thanks Marcase.

More RV than Fighting Vehicle?

Think Defense caught this, and I was shocked and amazed by it.  Suffice it to say that a toilet is the last thing I would expect to see on an APC/IFV....but the Boxer has it.

A Stability Police Force for the United States

This study by the Rand Corporation is going gang busters on certain internet websites...to be honest I had never heard of "A Stability Police Force for the US" and thought that someone was playing a bad joke.  You can download and read it for yourself here. 

But between the economy going south, our government in disarray, and our citizens being on a hair trigger edge, its obvious that things will probably get worse before they get better.

Back to our regularly scheduled posting.

Stack it deep!

*Sidenote*

Another issue that the Pentagon could easily explain away are the reports of "massive" troop movements around the US.  My first thought was that ok, its just the Army moving gear to NTC or Korea....but that doesn't quite get it.  I believe that the Army changed up its deployment protocols when it comes to NTC and units fall in on equipment left there.  Next if its Korea then it wouldn't be this continuous movement of gear.  A one time thing bringing in the new and removing the old.  Regardless, this stuff is catching more and more eyeballs and it would be nice if a simple statement was given to blow away all the conspiracy stuff.  Here's a sample.

An absolute must read!

Elements of Power Blogspot hits back on Sweetman's latest post with cold hard facts.  Its a must read.  Go to his site for the whole thing but here's a tidbit.

Sweetman was taking what turned out to be a fairly gratuitous swipe at the F-35B’s raison d’être. Gratuitous, because he immediately changed the subject for the rest of the post with an awful(ly) lightweight critique of the ‘LHA/D-as-aircraft-carrier’ idea. I won’t dwell too much on what turned in to the main thrust of his agitprop in this post. Instead, I’d like to focus on his ‘damning with faint praise’ sucker-punch on the B’s STOVL capability as quoted above.

 That's within the first paragraph and it only gets better from there.  Elements of Power, you rock guy!

Carriers then and now.

The debate that occurred because of Sweetman's post on the F-35 got me to thinking.  What does a 44 plane airwing look like on a carrier designed to carry 100 plus airplanes?  I present to you the following pictures of the USS Enterprise.

First from back in the day...

What you see above is a fully realized airwing.  Strikers to go far and conduct alpha strikes.  Recon planes to conduct post strike analysis in real time and to ferret out targets of opportunity...long range anti-sub airplanes to keep enemy subs away from the carrier battlegroup...even helicopters to do the close in anti-sub work and to rescue downed air crews.

Then the aircraft carrier today...

What do you see here?  A largely empty deck.  Helos to do the traditional anti-sub, logistics and rescue work and one type of fighter to do fleet defense, strike, recon and other work.

Gone are the still modern A-6F (prototype), the S-3 Viking, and the potentially potent F-14 Super Tomcat.

Naval Aviation is broken.  Its underfunded and stretched thin.  11 carriers is way too much and only adds strain to the aircrews and the ship crews.

A move to 8 or even better 6 big deck carriers should be more than sufficient.  3 on each coast with one in refurbishment, one in deployment and one in training/refit prepping for deployment should be more than adequate.

If a big war were to arise then they can be surged to the trouble location.   Name one time when we needed more than one carrier on location and didn't have time to surge it to the area?

You can't.  Because its never happened.

6 will do fine and will allow the Navy to fully utilize its assets while saving money.