Awesome rebuttal on the F-35's woes.

Thanks for the link Joe!

I haven't been following this blog like I should but check this out....as usual a tidbit.  Go here to read it all.

There are a couple of rules of thumb that one should understand if they're going to try and denigrate their competition. One, make sure you're not living in a glass house when you throw the stones. And two, make sure you know what you're talking about.
In both cases, a Boeing executive ignored those rules of thumb to take a few shots at his competitor's airplane, namely the F-35.
Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft division, met with reporters recently at the Boeing headquarters.
"The F-35 continues to delay and delay", he told them.
Right. Old news. As has been pointed out here, the testing that is now going on is ahead of schedule and has been for quite some time. That was a valid point a year or so ago. Now it just sounds like uniformed sour grapes.
Then there was this:
"Yes, the F-35 has all-aspect stealth, but that is used in a relatively small part of the combat envelope."
Really, sir? This is a Joint STRIKE fighter, that's understood right? Which means a large portion of its future missions will be penetrating hostile enemy airspace and engaging targets deep in enemy territory. That won't be a "relatively small part" of its "combat envelope", it will, in fact, be a rather large part of it. Especially if that enemy has sophisticated air defenses. If so, stealth becomes a very important tool that pushes up the chances of mission success in contested airspace much higher than if one is having to try it in an F/A 18.

Pretty freaking awesome in my opinion.

We still need the F-35.

Consider this.  The Chinese have J-20 plus one other stealth fighter and possibly a third under development.  The Russians and Indians are developing another.

And all we have are legacy 4th gen fighters.

No doubt about it...WE NEED THE F-35.

The problem for the Marine Corps is we need new armor too.

General Mattis really should stick around and become the next Commandant.  We need real leadership in the big chair...especially now....especially with this budget mess the Marine Corps finds itself in! 

Body Armor. The next item that will be banned.

Its time for gun guys to get back ahead of the curve when it comes to acting ahead of legislation.

With that in mind, if you've been paying attention then you'll notice that slowly but surely modern sporting rifles are hitting the shelves again.

Additionally they're starting to get back to pre-crisis prices.  Be a bit more patient and when they hit your sweet spot complete your armory.

We're gonna have to wait alot longer for ammo to get back to normal but if you had any kind of sense at all you had a stash built up already.

Which brings me to body armor.

That's going to be the next target for the grabbers.  Body armor will be the target and you'll suddenly find yourself paying crazy prices for something that you can get for a few hundred dollars now.

I know people that have armor for their plate carrier but nothing to wear when carrying concealed.  If you carry concealed then you're obviously concerned about your safety and that of your family.  Why would you not wear comfortable, form fitting body armor?  It only makes sense.

Get it now.  While you still can.

Southern Poverty Law Center's letter to the Dept of Justice.

  030513 Doj-dhs Letter by  

I am amazed by this.

The Tea Party is lumped in the same category as Neo-Nazis and Skin Heads.

Just plain wow.

Surely no one will fall for this foolishness...will they?

New Game.

Seems kinda tired to me.  Just another fighter type but I guess they're gonna milk the popularity of the Justice League franchise for all its worth.

Are you a terrorist?

A report was posted today by the Southern Poverty Law Center.  In it they once again label anyone that is a Veteran, anyone that is a gun owner, anyone that owns Modern Sporting Rifles (read that to mean AR-15's), anyone that stores food, seeks to be in shape, or practices self defense tactics as a potential terrorist.

Additionally if you're one of those people that see the US Government as operating outside the bounds, if you believe in state's rights and if you're basically right wing then you are also on the list of possibly being a terrorist.

What this really means is that the blue sections of the country are where the patriots live (according to the SPLC) and red states are where potential terrorist live.

James Yeager made me laugh with his video.  I didn't see it as him making an actual threat.

I viewed it as a guy that was just frustrated and took to YouTube to vent that frustration.  But some people were obviously scared to death.  The SPLC's latest report is giving fuel to those fears.

BTR-82A.

Russian Special Forces set to get the Punisher FightinVehicle

via Auttomotto

Story via the Global Post.

Russia has reportedly tested the "Punisher," a "menacing" off-road armored vehicle that weighs 12 tons and can accelerate up to 150 kilometers an hour.
The vehicle was reportedly tested at Dmitrovsky Testing Ground outside Moscow, the Moscow Times reported. It can seat 10 people and repels 7.62-millimeter bullets.
The "Punisher" (cue the memes) is set to be mass-produced next year, and has been touted as the fastest armored off-road vehicle used by special forces anywhere, according to the Facebook announcement cited by the Moscow Times.
"This was caused by the necessity to swiftly upgrade the Russian Army’s mothballed armored vehicles, a process that in reality takes plenty of time," defense expert Viktor Baranets explained to the Voice of Russia.
"Another aspect is the Russian Defense Ministry’s drive to avoid purchasing foreign armored personnel carriers and focus on buying domestically made vehicles instead. At present, the BTR-82A can rightly be touted as one of the best armored carriers in the world."
The vehicle boasts a 730-horsepower engine, the same used in the Kamaz truck, a popular player in the off-road race the Dakar Rally, according to the Moscow Times.
The Punisher was designed for use against street protesters, the New Times magazine reported. It's one of several designs its drafters say were inspired by similar armored personnel carriers used in Apartheid-ruled South Africa in the 1970s, according to the magazine.
Russia isn't the only country putting some serious weight behind their armored vehicle development. Israel is busy launching a group of light, "lethal" vehicles that are created specially for urban battles, Defense News reported. 

I'm not buying this.

If anything it must might be the Russian version of the USAF Para-Rescue Guardian Angle Vehicle...but we'll see.

Kydex is finally growing up.

Ares Armor

Spy pictures of Ares Armor Kydex, EDC line.

Finally we're seeing Kydex grow up!

For the longest time I watched everyone migrate to Kydex but it occupied such a large portion of your belt that I saw no advantage to it and couldn't justify the expense.

Quite honestly it was just a fad in my opinion and brought nothing new to the gun owner.

Now...we're seeing Ares, and Haley Strategic producing kydex products that are streamlined, appear to be well built and finally deliver on the promise of Kydex.  Lightweight, water resistant holsters that provide good retention if the gun owner does his part.

I'm finally on board.

What was your excuse for not training again?

S&W adaptive athlete and military veteran Trevor Baucom, shoots one of the stages of the Smith & Wesson IDPA Indoor Nationals with his M&P Shield in 9mm. This marks the first time the M&P Shield has been used by a competitor at the Indoor Nationals. Photo by Shooting USA's Jim Scoutten.

No excuses.

Get off your ass, get in shape, get a gun, and get to training.

Austerity is now for the DoD.

via National Defense.

Disruptions in budget planning will continue for some time, he said. The 2011 Budget Control Act mandates $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade. That would lower the Pentagon's budget top line by $55 billion per year between 2014 and 2021. The Obama administration is now working on a revised fiscal year 2014 request that would reflect those lower funding caps. That means possibly canceling programs, reducing force size and contemplating other unpleasant decisions, said Kendall. “O&M relief could come at the expense of investment,” he said. “We are dealing with a very difficult execution environment.” As far as the long-term budget goes, he added, “We are going to have to present some tough choices to the president and to the Congress.”

Read the entire article.

Programs will be canceled.

You can bet that the F-35 will be on many peoples list but its protected by virtue of it being a multinational program AND the Chinese haven't helped by fielding not one but two and possibly a third stealth fighter.

What does that mean?

It means the ground forces are about to take a hair cut.  Specifically that means that you're about to see a reduction in forces that will make what happened after Vietnam look like a walk in the park.

Quite honestly the Marine Corps will shed personnel like there is no tomorrow, Combat Arms Marines will suffer the biggest cuts and a decade plus of combat experience will be lost in a couple of years.

I don't think it will be enough to save some needed Marine Corps programs.

I've said it once I'll say it again.  A procurement bottleneck, coupled with a lack of urgency when it comes to vehicle programming, mixed with unrealistic requirements will end up bending the Marine Corps over the desk.

My predictions....

*JLTV.  Canceled.  Neither the Army or Marine Corps have been talking about the importance of this program.
*MPC.   Canceled.  This one annoys me.  Its ready to go now.  We just need to pick the winner.  Unfortunately, the choice will be between the ACV and the MPC and the ACV will win that fight.
*ACV.  Canceled.  This is a misnomer.  The Marine Corps will continue the program but it will be either in the form of a new vehicle based on the old form but called new.  Or a new vehicle that performs to the same specifications.  It'll have improved mine resistance and probably a new bolt on armor package once it reaches shore but it won't come close to the EFV's performance.  It won't even have half its water speed.
*CH-53K.  Delayed further.  This program will be pushed out.  Sikorsky should be pissed but in reality this is another case of the Marine Corps not acting with any sense of urgency.  This helicopter should have been in service by now.
*Personnel.  All those statements about going down to 180k are out the window now.  I've always said it would be 150K and I'm almost ready to bet valuable body parts that it will.

The funny thing (as if any of this is funny) is that the President has succeeded in driving a wedge between civilians and law enforcement and now we're gonna see the fruits of that same effort extended to the military.

The Marine Corps once had a fierce advocacy group that would rally to defend it and its programs.

My sense is that it's lost much of that support.

Expect the Marine Corps to be ravaged right along with the Army, Navy and Air Force.

The Joint Chiefs are  the proud parents of a hollow military.

Mutant Turtle.

Clips vs. Magazines.

via Guns-n-Gear Blog.

Even the sheeple are beginning to ask why DHS needs 2700 MRAPs

I've seen this video in many main stream news stories and on both conservative and liberal blogs.

The sheeple are just waking up to the fact that Homeland Security is gearing up...for what no one knows but if you add all the ammo purchases with the "personal defense weapons" (read that to mean AR-15's) along with these armored vehicles then its obvious that a serious militarization of domestic security forces is well under way.

Most Americans are too caught up in gossip, movie/singing stars, the latest television show, consumerism or nonsense to even notice.

While tossing a few back, it dawned on me (yeah I was late to it) that Obama is just forming his national domestic security force...only thing is that buffoon Bush handed him the keys and the idiots in Homeland Security were only too happy to drive the bus.

X-47B Touch & Go Landing

The video is cheesy cause its so short but progress is being made.

This is what being miserable looks like.

Hokkaido-Dai Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan – Marines conduct a patrol during the final comprehensive bilateral force-on-force training evolution March 2-3 during Exercise Forest Light 13-3 at the Hokkaido-Dai Maneuver Area, Hokkaido, Japan. Forest Light is a semi-annual; bilateral engagement that enhances the partnership between the U.S. and Japan, solidifies regional security agreements, increases interoperability of forces and improves individual and unit-level skills in a bilateral environment.
(U.S. Marine Corps photo by Pfc. Kasey Peacock/Released)

Oh man!  That's misery in a handbag.  Ok.  I'm gonna stop bitching now.

Counter sniper fire can be a bitch...and this guy was lucky.

He left JUST in time.  Whoever was doing the counter sniper mission was good.  They even accounted for his exit route!  Of course you have to add that the guy was just asking to get shot.  Who sticks barrels out of windows to fire anymore?  Especially if they're playing sniper!  Who uses a hole that big?  Who doesn't add some type of fortification in case you do receive incoming?  This guy was a rookie.  He better learn quick or he's dog meat.

Lil Red Danger and the President Limo Sticker.

Have you seen this photo floating around the internet???

Well if you haven't then you're not a gun guy.  Its been hot and heavy for over a month.

Everyone knew that it was fake...the US Secret Service would put about 5,000 rounds of 40 caliber hollow points into someone if they got within 100 feet of those cars without warning...and would get a citation for doing it too.

The only question was.  Where did this come from?  Well the guys at AR-15.net seem to think it came from this person...Lil Red Danger...a firearms model.  A firearms model!  Who knew they existed?  Anyway check her out at her facebook page here.

Blast from the past. F2H Banshee.

Sea Train Brief.

I bow to your google-foo skills!  Thanks Ferran!

  Feb 24 Brief by  

Let me hit you with a hypothetical situation.

Jay posted a comment on a blurb about drones being seen over New York that leads me to believe that he's unconcerned about it.
UPDATE:  The administration has said that drone strikes on US citizens inside the US IS legal.  Read it here.
That's his right, but the loss of civil liberties and constant spying on US citizens I believe should concern us all.

Let me hit you with a hypothetical situation.

Suppose you have an actual bad guy operating inside the borders of the US.  Suppose Law Enforcement gets info on a plot to bomb a federal building.  Information also leads them to believe that the bad guys will suicide themselves and hope to take out as many LEO's as possible if they are confronted.

Law Enforcement USES drones to spy on their location and determines that the threat is real.

Heavy hitters from the US Marshals Service Special Response Team are brought in (these guys are SHIT HOT...great shots, in great shape and can go hands on....if you go up against them just surrender....it'll be alot less painful) and they determine that there are no good ways to do an assault.  The bad guys have good discipline and security and they're in the active phase of their plan so they aren't leaving the compound.  Additionally they have a reinforced semi-truck and it is estimated that its been armored to shrug off rifle fire and maybe even light anti-tank rocket hits.

In this case would you allow a drone strike?

On US soil?

Against US citizens?

Without trial?

If I can think of this type of scenario then surely someone that is in high places has also.

This is an extreme situation and I could understand if they did launch a strike.

BUT!

The fact that information about drones is cloaked in secrecy is the issue.  Anyone with grey matter knows that any weapon that can be used against the enemy can be used against citizens.

The secrecy is the real crime...at least in my opinion.