Its half time and its over.

I hate Alabama but I love the SEC.

I can take another win for Alabama as long as the conference wins another title.

For tonight and tonight only.

Roll Tide!

Around the fleet...

UPDATE: Defense programs are ALL in trouble.

Just got this from the Washington Post.

The sequester put in place last year was supposed to be so unpalatable that both parties would have to come to an agreement. But House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) tells the Wall Street Journal that, now that tax increases are dealt with, the defense cuts in the deal don’t scare him. He has significant Republican support, he said, for letting the defense cuts (along with drastic domestic spending cuts) take effect. “I got that in my back pocket,” he said. The sequester is “as much leverage as we’re going to get” to force Democrats to cut entitlement spending. 

Both parties agree on one thing.

Defense cuts are acceptable.  Acceptable to the Republicans in order to balance spending (I can't argue with this logic as long as the cuts are reasonable) and the Democrats are in favor of cutting defense so that precious social programs can be spared.

They agree for different reasons but the results are the same.

The only real cuts that will take place in Washington will come out of the Pentagon.

Marine Personnel Carrier. Canary in the coal mine.

The Marine Personnel Carrier is one of the most needed vehicles in the Pentagon.

And because of that fact its also the canary in the coal mine when it comes to upcoming procurement trends.

If the Marine Corps is able to move ahead with selection, and then production of this vehicle then we can expect a moderate yet still painful---but at least planned budget reduction.

If we see the testing and selection of this vehicle delayed in the next few months (I'd say if we get word of a delay in either testing or selection by May) then we are up for nothing but pain.

If its the worse case scenario and the MPC is delayed and production moved to beyond 2020, then expect for the JLTV, Ground Combat Vehicle and other ground programs to be in serious jeopardy.  Even worse though is the knock on effect it will have with our European partners.  If the US signals a large reduction in defense spending then you can bet your last dollar that European countries will follow suit.

Its hard to tell what our Pacific partners will do...Japan, S. Korea, Singapore and others are all talking about increasing defense spending.  All that is dependent on the economy and if the Democrats or Republicans misplay the fiscal cliff then even that could be doomed...even with a China threat.

From now till May.  The next few months will tell the story.

The Commandant reaches for tradition.

Battle Rattle has it as its primer for the latest issue of Marine Times.  I can look at the headlines and make some educated guesses as to the whys behind the moves....

*Bravo Fridays.  Battle Rattle teases that its an attempt to identify over weight Marines.  Not hardly.  What it is though is a nod toward tradition and an attempt to kick faith with the "Old Corps".  It doesn't take much thinking to figure that many old skool Marines aren't happy with what they're seeing.  This move is to placate them.  Nothing more or less.

*IAR could replace the MK12.  I also saw this from a mile away.  The designated marksman is a point suppression element used to enable the squad or platoon to effectively act against the enemy.  The very thought that the IAR would replace SAWs was foolish...poorly concieved and without merit.  Area suppression with automatic weapons will remain an enduring part of ground combat.  Thinking that a precision weapon could fill that role should cause someone to lose rank and assignment to the Australian outback in meat underwear.  I would like to see the IAR become the M16A5 though.  Probably won't happen but it would be nice.

One issue not covered by Battle Rattle but deserving attention today.

*Hagel going to the DoD.  The Mayan apocalypse has come to the defense sector.  Expect this man to go through the Pentagon like Vikings through an English village.  Rape, carnage and sector killings will be the rage.  Quite honestly the Marine Corps (I haven't kept a close enough watch on the other services) deserves the butt kicking its about to get.  Too slow with the EFV.  Too slow with the MPC.  Too slow with the Upgraded AAV.  A dumbass move to delay the CH-53K....We might not get any of them now.  We are going to be properly fucked when it comes to procurement now.  I'm making the call and hoping I'm wrong.  The Marine Corps is about to become a hollow force.  Think 1970's era Marine Corps all over again.

Don't fear the obvious. I'm just the messenger.

A few points.

You can't ignore the number of weapons being bought by the American people.  Next, you can hate Buchanan all you want but he is tapped into a portion of the population that is constantly ignored.  Staunch conservatives.  Also, notice how the language is changing on this subject.  The emphasis from the gun grabbers is now all about not taking guns and wanting reasonable controls.

I've said this will get ugly and by the continued talk, its designed to focus attention on another issue besides the anemic economy.

But what should worry everyone and no one is talking about it is the fact that the most famous domestic terrorist, Timothy McVeigh, was motivated to act because of actions by the ATF at Ruby Ridge and Waco.

In both those cases the ATF sought to arrest gun owners and those arrests spiraled out of control and law enforcement officials were injured and killed.  Both events were the result of the ATF enforcing the first assault weapons ban.

The worry for law enforcement in general and ATF in particular isn't that the law might be defeated, but that it might pass.  The exact same conditions that led to the rise of the militias and the fear of domestic terrorism are being played out.

Quite honestly its probably to a point where some soul is becoming radicalized while we speak.

That's the danger.

So you're rockin' a Trijicon and think you're high speed? Uh...no!

SpecterDR1x4

I saw this optic being carried by the SOCOM bubba pictured below and had no idea what it was.  Thankfully Simester was johnny on the spot and filled me.

Just reading the stats on it, it looks like a winner.  Time to see how much these puppies retail for...

Found it.  Click here.  Seems like Trijicon and Aimpoint have some upper end competition.

Funny.  I've seen Canadian Forces sporting Raytheon Elcan tech but didn't think twice about it.  Time to re-assess.

Northrop Grumman Delivers Global Hawks to U.S. Air Force

Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has completed early delivery of two Global Hawk unmanned aircraft to the U.S. Air Force. Global Hawk allows military commanders to receive high-resolution imagery, survey vast geographic regions and pinpoint targets on the ground.

Both aircraft were delivered ahead of schedule in late November.

"Global Hawk's ability to fly more than 30 hours at high altitudes while gathering multiple types of intelligence data makes it extremely valuable to field commanders who need near real-time information," said George Guerra, vice president for Global Hawk unmanned aircraft systems. "These new aircraft add to that capability."

In 2012, three new Global Hawks were delivered to the Air Force and five previously delivered aircraft completed installation of additional sensors that will allow them to gather multiple types of intelligence data during a single mission.

A total of 37 Global Hawks have been delivered to the Air Force.

Global Hawk carries a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) sensor payloads that allow military commanders to gather imagery and use radar to detect moving or stationary targets on the ground. The system also provides airborne communications and information sharing capabilities to military units in harsh environments.

Combined with Global Hawk's ability to fly for long periods, the aircraft's 12,300 nautical mile range makes the system ideally suited to take on many different ISR missions.

Global Hawk has logged more than 80,000 flight hours and has been used over battlefields in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. The unmanned aircraft system has also supported intelligence gathering and reconnaissance efforts following the devastating earthquakes that struck Haiti and Japan.

What is the optic and BUIS on this rifle?

click on the pic to enlarge it.

Norwegian fallskjermjeger recruiting period.

via Military Photos.  Check it out here.

Generalize the US.

If you mix the above map with gun control and other social issues then you can basically see our divide.

The US is balkanized.  We are at the very least two countries in one.  I really think the above map is fairly representative of how things stand.

I could live with that.

The South, Midwest(portions) and the Upper Northwest all band together...the Northeast, Pacific and portions of the Southwest along with Florida form another country?

Yeah I think that could work.

The dirty little secret is that things have changed since the civil war though.  The North isn't a manufacturing sector anymore...all it is is a financial hub and "so called cultural center"...it produces the stock market and musicals and laws that the rest of us don't want.

The Pacific is home to movies and a few big cities that seek to copy the Northeast.

In essence, in todays world the fly over part of our country is where its at.  Food production, oil and gas production all come from this region.

Ports are available in New Orleans, Houston and North and S. Carolina.

It could work quite easily and the fly over states wouldn't miss a beat.  Its time to seriously consider what was once taboo.  I am beyond tired of being dictated to. Its time for a nationwide divorce.  The liberals don't want us and I don't think the conservatives want them.  Time to break this puppy up.

Its a military thing...

Maybe its a Marine thing.

Maybe its a military thing.

More than likely its a patriotic thing.  More than a few like minded people are beyond pissed about this gun control thing.  Take note of this letter to the California Yetti...

A U.S. Marine outraged by recent attention to gun control fired off a letter to a California senator to say he refuses to give up his weapons if her legislation is passed.Cpl. Joshua Boston, whose eight-year service included time in Afghanistan, wrote that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has “overstepped a line that is not your domain” by introducing a bill to ban assault weapons.

I can almost smell the fear from the anti-gunners.  I can feel their dread.  I like it!  Read the entire article here. 

 

Broad gun control measures???

I get tired of people in general and politicians in particular parsing there words.  Its dishonest at BEST, and a down right lie when you get rid of "societal correctness".

I won't take away your guns was his message but it was simply politically expedient.

Resistance is coming...He knows it, the Democrat party knows it and only a few are willing to accept how deep it will be.  I can sense the fear that some readers here have when they consider the fact that some of their countrymen are preparing to "buck" the government and not succumb like good little sheep-people.

via Washington Post.

A working group led by Vice President Biden is seriously considering measures backed by key law enforcement leaders that would require universal background checks for firearm buyers, track the movement and sale of weapons through a national database, strengthen mental health checks, and stiffen penalties for carrying guns near schools or giving them to minors, the sources said.
To sell such changes, the White House is developing strategies to work around the National Rifle Association that one source said could include rallying support from Wal-Mart and other gun retailers for measures that would benefit their businesses. White House aides have also been in regular contact with advisers to New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (I), an outspoken gun-control advocate who could emerge as a powerful surrogate for the Obama administration’s agenda.
The Biden group, formed last month after the massacre at a Newtown, Conn., elementary school that killed 20 children and six adults, plans to submit a package of recommendations to President Obama this month. Once Obama’s proposals are set, he plans to lead a public-relations offensive to generate popular support.
“They are very clearly committed to looking at this issue comprehensively,” said Dan Gross, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, who has been involved in the discussions. The proposals under consideration, he added, are “a deeper exploration than just the assault-weapons ban.”

He won by 51% of the vote.  Hardly a mandate.

There is no "joy" in America at his re-election.  Not even his biggest supporters are jumping for joy.

The economy is still in a funk.

Defense contractors (one of our only remaining sectors of manufacturing) is about to face major cuts laying off untold number of people.

Green energy is an illusion that keeps getting money pumped into it.

Payroll taxes just went up on middle and low income wage earners.

Obama-care taxes are set to hit at any moment.

And this Administration wants a fight over gun control?

Amazing.

Liberals are just beginning to note that this fight will be different but I don't think they realize how different.  Law Enforcement that is going to be used as displays don't realize that they are about to cross swords with their biggest supporters.  Republicans that support the anti-gun bill don't realize that Mayor Bloomberg can provide no protection to turn coats.

Battle is about to be engaged. This is gonna get good.

Bravo 18. A sweet beast.

All it needs is a red dot and its ready to go.  Check it out here.

Airbus A330 wins in India.

via Aviation News.

India has selected the  European Airbus 330-200 MRTT over the  Russian Ilyushin-78 mid-air refuelling  aircraft in an Rs 8,500-crore contract.

Defence ministry sources on Thursday said the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company (EADS) “is now being called for the final commercial negotiations” for acquisition of six Airbus-330 MRTT tankers.

So the Airbus offering racked up another win.

On a personal note I keep wondering if it wouldn't have been the better tanker for the USAF but they bungled the selection on more than a couple of levels.

*They made it a replacement for the KC-135 instead of a best value tanker contract.
*The Air Force didn't do market research to see what airplanes were available to fulfill its needs and got stuck picking between two different size airplanes--it was a no win situation from the beginning.
*Airbus treated the US like a colony..and this is a warning to other manufacturers...having simple assembly plants in the US for our defense products isn't good enough.  They need to be manufactured here in order to pass the smell test.

The good thing about the airplane though is that its one big beast and should take up some slack when it comes to transporting cargo and deploying air assets long distances.  But the bad is that the A400 will probably eat into  its sales.  If the turn to the Pacific is real and if we don't come up with a fancy two seat, stretched F-22 then we might miss having a tanker larger than the KC-10 to help us rampage over the area.

Normalcy bias

via Wikipedia.

The normalcy bias, or normality bias, refers to a mental state people enter when facing a disaster. It causes people to underestimate both the possibility of a disaster occurring and its possible effects. This often results in situations where people fail to adequately prepare for a disaster, and on a larger scale, the failure of governments to include the populace in its disaster preparations. The assumption that is made in the case of the normalcy bias is that since a disaster never has occurred then it never will occur. It also results in the inability of people to cope with a disaster once it occurs. People with a normalcy bias have difficulties reacting to something they have not experienced before. People also tend to interpret warnings in the most optimistic way possible, seizing on any ambiguities to infer a less serious situation.^[1]

Don't be a victim of this affliction.

Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean that it can't.  I received this comment and instead of getting angry, I'm amused.  Check this out.

 Most of the public wants more gun control, Solomon, so I guess by your (bullshit, btw) Obamacare rationale, Obama should give it to them...and the idea that a DHS purchase of .40 has anything to do with the current national gun-control frenzy is preposterous, take off your tinfoil hat and climb out of your backyard shelter, your blog is no longer a military blog its a doomsday preppers militia paranoid political fantasy 

First.  No people don't want more control.  This is an article in Bloomberg written by Stephen Carter.  Go there to read it all but a tidbit...

 After the horrific murders three weeks ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown,Connecticut, gun-control advocates confidently predicted that a wave of revulsion would sweep the nation. We would, in the popular argot, “hit the reset button,” beginning a fresh debate on new terms.t hasn’t happened that way. Consider a recent roundupof opinion surveys. In the USA Today-Gallup Poll taken just a week after the shooting, when one would expect the largest emotional effect, support for “more strict” gun control in the abstract was at 58 percent, compared with 43 percent about a year earlier. On specifics, 74 percent opposed a ban on private ownership of handguns, and 51 percent opposed a ban on private ownership of assault weapons. (There’smore support for posting armed guards in schools than for limiting access to assault weapons.)Sure, advocates can try to twist these polls into policy preferences. In truth, although the data reflect what might prove to be temporary majorities for such measures as banning magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, one searches in vain for a mandate in support of policies many gun-control advocates prefer. The urgency seems to have gone out of the argument. Even the news media seem to have grown bored by the whole thing.

So no.  Despite an attempt at emotional manipulation, gun control is NOT the will of the people.

The next accusation was that this is no longer a military blog.

Nothing could be further from the truth.  America's gun culture is part and parcel of its martial traditions.  Advances in military arms is mixed with trends in civilian and law enforcement advances in the state of the art.  Much to my disapproval you have the military doing 3 gun.  That started in the civilian world.  Race gunners have changed the way that the military trains and employs small arms.

That came from sports shooters.  European and Asian armies are following suit.  And they're all following sports shooters in the civilian world.  Outside of Special Ops, civilian sports shooters are in many cases ahead of the conventional military.

Last he talks about tinfoil hat.  I make no apologies.  Talk to Numo and other readers in Southern Europe.

I pay attention to what they tell me.

We have a greater debt burden, unemployment that is approaching the same levels and no end in sight to the burden of this debt.

Additionally we have an administration that is ignoring the problem and the only piggy bank anyone can agree on is the US military.

In other words I can easily see the same rioting that is happening in Greece occurring in major cities here in the US if the fiscal crisis is misplayed by either side.  If Iran goes silly and shuts down the straits then Europe and the US will be in a hurt locker.  If the Syrian conflict spills over into Turkey or Israel then again, the Middle East is ablaze.  In Asia, if Vietnam forces the issue and China is belligerent then we can see a naval battle that destabilizes the region.  Same with the Philippines or Japan or S. Korea or Taiwan.  That leaves out the natural disasters that can turn our world upside down.

In other words military affairs is expanding.  If being a "prepper" is being aware of dangers then so be it.  If wearing a tinfoil hat is looking around and seeing a dangerous world then I'm guilty.

But one thing I will never be accused of is NORMALCY BIAS.

ONE LAST THING:  There just isn't much news coming on the defense front that is of interest.  I can almost feel ever defense company holding its breath waiting to see how the fiscal cliff discussions play out.  What should have been solved on the 1st of this month has now been pushed back by a couple so there is nothing going on but uncertainty.  As a matter of fact the only thing that everyone is sure of is that defense will be cut, its just a matter of how much and whether the services will be able to slice enough personnel to pay for weapons or whether the Administration will FORCE them to keep people and delay needed modernization.  If you haven't been paying attention then be advised.  Former Senator and Army Veteran Hagel is a defense critic and his appointment indicates a tough time for the DoD.  He's the budget cutter that Panetta was suppose to be.  What you're likely to see is a repeat of Rumsfeld before the terrorist attacks but without the push for transformation.  Remember Rumsfeld wanted a SMALL high tech military.  Imagine the same but without the high tech.  Cuts but no increase in capability...not even on a power point.  

DHS orders even MORE 40 cal hollowpoint ammo.

Thanks Mike for the heads up!

Yeah guys.  This is getting beyond real.  DHS has placed an additional order for 200,000 MORE 40 cal hollow point bullets.

A Blogger early said that it looked like US citizens were gearing up for a war...now it seems like DHS is too...Check this out...

Added: Dec 17, 2012 4:04 pmThis is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice.The solicitation number is HSFLCS-13-Q-00009 and is issued as an invitation for bids (IFB), unless otherwise indicated herein.The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular FAC 2005-61. The associated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this procurement is 332992 with a small business size standard of 1,000.00 employees.This requirement is a [ Small Business ] set-aside and only qualified offerors may submit bids.The solicitation pricing on www.FedBid.com will start on the date this solicitation is posted and will end on 2012-12-31 16:00:00.0 Eastern Time or as otherwise displayed at www.FedBid.com.FOB Destination shall be NORTH CHARLESTON, SC 29405 
The DHS Federal Law Enforcement Training Center requires the following items, Brand Name or Equal, to the following: LI 001, AMMUNITION: 40 CALIBER, 180 GRAIN, JACKETED HOLLOW POINT, FEDERAL AMMUNITION P/N P40HS1G OR EQUAL. 1000 ROUNDS PER CASE, 200, CA; 

A couple of things.  Read the story at Info Wars here. Second.  Don't be fooled by these rounds being requested by FLETC.  I know for a fact that not even they use hollow points for training rounds.

That's a fact.

So this is a straw purchase being designated for the training facility obviously headed toward agencies that "make contact".

Oshkosh $194.9M for Armored Trucks

From Jonathan (thanks!) via Fool.com

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it has awarded Oshkosh (NYSE: OSK  ) a $194.9 million firm-fixed-price contract, modifying an existing contract for the purchase of "Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles."FMTV is a line of armored military trucks  previously manufactured by BAE Systems, up until the time when Oshkoshwon away the contract to produce them three years ago. That contract, for an indefinite delivery of an indefinite quantity (an "IDIQ" contract) of trucks, anticipated that Oshkosh would ultimately build the U.S. Army as many as 23,000 FMTVs over the course of its relationship. This latest installment is expected to be complete by September 30, 2014.Shares of Oshkosh rose 1.6% to close at $32.07 Thursday, ahead of the Pentagon's announcement.

More trucks?

Wars winding down, budgets tightening.

New instead of rebuilds?

The deficit hawks in the "Republican" party and the peddlers in the "Democrat" party will be licking their chops.

Dems lose in Illinois on gun ban!

via Quad City Times

SPRINGFIELD — There’s not enough support in the Illinois Senate to impose tough new restrictions on semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips.In a setback for gun-control advocates in the wake of the killings of school children in Connecticut, the Illinois Senate was poised to adjourn Thursday without voting on two pieces of legislation aimed at limiting access to certain kinds of weapons and bullets.Although the two proposals could emerge again when the legislature reconvenes next week, the lack of action shows the General Assembly remains divided on how to balance Second Amendment issues.A spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, offered no timetable for when the gun safety proposals might surface again.“We will take some time to work on these important issues to advance them in the near future,” Rikeesha Phelon noted in a message to reporters.One proposal would restrict the possession, delivery, sale and transfer of semiautomatic weapons, including handguns and rifles.

If you can't make it happen in Illinois then things aren't as bad as I thought.  President Obama's seat of power...home of one of the most corrupt, left leaning nanny city's in the nation and they can't win here.

Yeah.

People are recognizing this for what it is.  Its not about gun control.  Its about people control.  A man with a gun is a citizen.  Without one he's a subject.

Jesus! Winchester is making a rimfire round that goes 3000 fps!

This is for my non-gun readers.  The 5.56mm NATO round (SS109) leaves the barrel of a M-16A4 at 3100 feet per second.

Winchester is about to put on the market a .17 Winchester Super Magnum that goes 3000 feet per second.

Do you know what that means?  It means that you're almost getting combat rifle performance out of a rimfire round (spare me the difference in bullet size and weight...you know I'm talking shot placement and a flat shooting rimfire on a nice trajectory out to distance never seen in a bullet of this type before).

Read about it here at Guns Holsters and Gear.

NOTE:  Lets assume a modest effect range of 200 yards on a windless day.  This round has applications for urban sniping.  Even without a suppressor its report will be much less than a 5.56 or .308 and with the speed that its going with a proper bullet core it should be able to penetrate at least 1st gen PASGT helmets.