Marine Personnel Carrier Program on hold.

And so it begins.  Via Inside Defense.

The Marine Corps is putting a hold on its Marine Personnel Carrier program later in the fiscal year after prototype testing is complete, and the service is working through future plans for the program, service spokesman Manny Pacheco said.
In the Navy's fiscal year 2014 budget, the Marine Corps requested $20.9 million in research, development, test and evaluation funding for MPC. This is a $72.1 million cut from what the Navy projected the program would need for FY-14 when it unveiled its FY-13 budget last year.
The Marine Corps planned to prepare and conduct pre-engineering and manufacturing development in FY-14, leading to an early FY-15 milestone B review. The service also planned to issue a request for proposals for two prime contractors to compete in an MPC drive-off.
"These plans are no longer valid due to the fact that we are awaiting an ACV decision," Marc Paquette, MPC director, wrote in an April 11 email to Inside the Navy.
Since the fate of the MPC is tied to the Marines' Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Paquette said it would be "presumptuous" to address MPC alternatives until the ACV acquisition strategy is worked out.
"We have no immediate plans to buy MPCs, they have always been envisioned as a complementary capability to ACV," Paquette added.
However, the Marine Corps continues to meet with other program officials to share technical data and knowledge, he wrote.
"As we maneuver a very difficult landscape, it is vital that more of what we do and learn is shared across similar platforms to ultimately reduce costs and attain better buying power for the [Defense Department]," Paquette said.
ACV shows a decrease in the FY-14 president's budget from $149 million to $137 million from what was projected in FY-13.
The MPC will satisfy the medium lift capability as part of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle triad. MPC provides armored protection and lethality to protect the vehicle and support dismounted infantry in the attack, while providing payload to carry the infantry's combat loads, mission-essential equipment and up to two days of supply, according to FY-14 Navy budget justification documents.
When asked if the MPC is at risk due to fiscal constraints, William Taylor, the Marine Corps' program executive officer for land systems, told ITN in September, "wait and see." Taylor said the Marine Corps was "very smart" in linking the MPC acquisition strategy to the ACV.
The MPC is not satisfying a ship-to-shore requirement like the ACV -- it is designed with a much more limited water mobility requirement, he said. -- Lee Hudson

This is complete and utter bullshit.

You have vehicles that are ready to go NOW!  They have amphibious capability.  They provide protected mobility for our ground forces and instead of moving forward with a procurement decision, they delay?

Unbelievable!

We have an Assistant Commandant for Aviation.

Now it appears we need an Assistant Commandant for the ground forces. 

Sidenote:  Don't hold your breath on the ACV.  They can't even get the request for proposal out.  Its been delayed several times already.

Evil thoughts. Multiple attacks could cripple us.

IF.  What if multiple attacks were to occur in different cities across the US?

Federal Law Enforcement is being pushed to the brink in dealing with this one incident.  What would happen if a real war were declared on America?  We have experience in dealing with one day of horror.  The news media is good at milking these incidents for all they're worth.

But what happens if Boston, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles are all victims of car bombings/assassination of LEO's on the same day or even the same week?

You would have terror personified.  We've never experienced that and the closest we've come are the DC Sniper and the LA Cop Killer cases.  In the DC Sniper case, you had a whole region terrified.  Commerce almost came to a stop.  In the LA Cop Killer incident you had law enforcement adopt a defensive crouch that left the rest of society to fend for itself.  Combine the two with explosives mixed in and you have anarchy.  Chaos.  A breakdown of law and order.

One day the terrorist will figure it out.  They'll pull off coordinated, multiple attacks across a region or nation and that will be a sight to behold.

Was there a threat to the Boston Marathon before the incident?

This is how conspiracy theories begin.  I need to verify this stuff but if true then WOW!

Law Enforcement sees the writing on the wall. Trouble is coming.

via AMMOLAND Blog.

New York -- The New York State Troopers PBA has released a statement expressing its hope that opponents of the SAFE gun control law will appreciate the fact that its members “did not write the terms of the bill nor vote on its passage”.

“The NY SAFE Act has been a controversial and emotional topic since its passage in January of 2013.
The NYS Troopers PBA, representing more than 6,000 active and retired members, has reserved public comment as we worked within the legislative process of NYS government with the hope of affecting changes to the law. Our membership holds widely shared concerns of this new law. Additionally, we believe that actual enforcement of these new regulations will significantly increase the hazards of an already dangerous job.
Polls have shown that increased firearm regulations are not popular in the more rural and upstate regions of our state, which is where the majority of our members live and patrol. Additionally, some in mainstream media have already irresponsibly increased the anti-police rhetoric, which fosters additional resentment of law enforcement. Even some of our elected officials, like Senator Ranzenhofer and Assemblyman Gabryszak, are calling for a probe of our members and their efforts to meet the standards of this new law.
It is the responsibility of this union to defend the reputation and safety of our members. Potential legislative changes as well as pending court decisions may further alter the terms of the SAFE Act. The individual members of this union did not write the terms of the bill nor vote on its passage. We urge the citizens of New York State to remember that Troopers are simply tasked with the lawful mandate to enforce the laws of the State, regardless of their personal opinion of such laws.”
The Police Benevolent Association of the New York State Troopers, Inc. is dedicated to improving the terms and conditions of employment for our members.
Our membership consists exclusively of uniformed members of the New York State Police from the rank of Trooper through the rank of Major, both active and retired. The PBA advocates for the rights of its members and takes action in a variety of ways, and is the official voice of the membership.

Pain is coming boys and girls.  You can hide your head in the sand and think that all is well but the truth is finally coming out.

Resistance against what many see as an overbearing government is reaching critical mass.

When a police union is making statements like this then you know the fear concern in the Law Enforcement community is becoming a fact...no longer a theory.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  We need adults in Washington because this nation is on the brink.

Exercise Joint Warrior Begins

CH-53E destroyed in hard landing near N. Korean border.

via Fox News.

A U.S. military helicopter crashed Tuesday near South Korea's border with the North while conducting routine flight operations and everyone on board survived.
A spokesperson for U.S. Forces Korea tells Fox News the Marine Super Stallion CH-53E helicopter made a hard landing near South Korea's Jipo-ri Range Tuesday.

All 21 people aboard the helicopter were transported to a local hospital, where 15 were released and six were hospitalized in stable condition.
16 of the passengers were American soldiers, and five were crew members. The crew is from 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Okanawa, Japan
The United States has approximately 28,000 troops in South Korea, according to Reuters.

The world continues to spin while the news media wallows in the tragedy in Boston.

What should be of note is that the 31st MEU has found its way to the Korean peninsula and is conducting training there.

Interesting. 

IF! IF! A Saudi National is behind the attack in Boston....

IF!

And I mean a huge IF!

If a Saudi National is behind the attacks in Boston, then a case can be made that Saudi Arabia deserves to be the target of at least a punitive attack more than Afghanistan ever did.  Same for Iraq.

Quite honestly, if a Saudi National did this then they are a terror state of the first degree and probably more of a threat than the Taliban.  We haven't been attacked (at home) by that group but we have been the target of continuous attacks from Saudis.

So why aren't we launching cruise missiles at the Saudi capital? One word.  Oil.  And I disagree with the President's policies almost reflexively, but one thing is beyond debate.  His stalling of the pipeline from Canada and his reluctance to promote natural gas for vehicular use will go down as his some of his biggest blunders.  We can't act in our own national interest because we are refusing to rid ourselves of dependence on Middle Eastern oil.  Amazing.

Saudi National under arrest at the hospital?

THANKS MATT FOR THE LINK!!!!

via THE NEW YORK POST

Investigators have a suspect — a Saudi Arabian national — in the horrific Boston Marathon bombings, The Post has learned.
Law enforcement sources said the 20-year-old suspect was under guard at an undisclosed Boston hospital.
Fox News reported that the suspect suffered severe burns.
It was not immediately clear why the man was hospitalized and whether he was injured in the attack or in his apprehension.
The man was caught less than two hours after the 2:50 p.m. bombing on the finish line of the race, in the heart of Boston.

Damn Saudi's again.

OK. Lets talk about the Elephant in the room. Domestic terrorism?

Ok.

Lets just put it out there.

I've been warning that some people are ready to go operational because of all the nonsense coming out of DC.  The country is seriously divided and a conservative in New York or California would probably be considered a liberal in the South or Midwest.

So what if this is a case of a lone wolf, domestic terrorist?  What then?

Expect a renewed push for the gun control bills.  Expect INCREASED resistance from certain segments of our society.

Long story short, we better all pray that this isn't a case of domestic terrorism.  That could light a fuse that no one will be able to put out.  Worst case scenario?  A bombing campaign nationwide by those that are inspired by this act.  Worst case but better for society?  Targeted killing of officials.  Best case?  Its a foreign group...maybe the N. Koreans got bold and creative?

Either way this is going to suck.

Bombing at the Boston Marathon.

Word is sketchy but from watching this on TV, I would bet that we just witnessed our first suicide bomber.

I hope I'm wrong but it sure fits the profile.

NOTE 1:  The slowness of DHS to respond is stunning!  They are gearing up to go against citizens but when actually needed they're weak as water.

NOTE 2:  The first link to gun rights groups has been made.  Ignore an open border with other than Mexicans crossing and Korans being found, they immediately target right wing  conservative groups!  Amazing! (I had to change that.  I'm learning from liberals that flowery words can shape a debate...doesn't matter if they're lying, as long as you're emotional and appear empathetic then your flowery prose can carry the day).

NOTE 3:  Now they're talking about a fire at the JFK library.  Even if this is all accidental they just gave potential terrorist a playbook to police and fire response.  Not good.

NOTE 4:  They're saying that people suffered missing limbs, huge lacerations etc.  Sounds like a professionally made bomb.

NOTE 5:  They ignored the attack at Ft. Hood, but they can't ignore this one.  We got hit at home with an attack by terrorist during Obama's watch.

NOTE 6:  Press conference.  Ok.  Its official, this just became federalized.  They're talking about 2 simultaneous explosions and then a third incident at the library.  A coordinated attack.  Supposedly a couple of bombs were found and defused.  Somebody knows their stuff.  I'd bet the defused bombs were designed to kill responders.  The third incident at the library stretched resources.  The only way the attack could have been better is if the third attack happened at a more high profile location.  Imagine if they had attacked the hospital where people are being treated instead of the library.  Still.  A well planned job.

NOTE 7:  The Aviationist is reporting a NO FLY ZONE IS UP OVER BOSTON.

NOTE 8:  Chris Matthews is trying to tie Domestic Terrorist to this incident.  He is working hard but his guests aren't buying it.  Zebra said it best though.  Who domestically has the skill set to pull this off?  Any basically trained Marine.  Most infantry Soldiers.  In other words they'll start pointing fingers at vets soon.  Count on it.

NOTE 9:  The serious grunt work starts now.  I've been through the FBI Post Bomb Blast Course and the craziness is about to become real.  Photographing the area from the air with high (extremely high probably classified) cameras to march debris patterns, guys going in to determine what chemical signature remains of the device, and then the picking up of every scrap of possible evidence after its been scene has been sectored.  They'll probably use an aircraft hangar and recreate the scene.  The FBI has their work cut out for them.

Modest Proposal. Bring back the 11th Airborne Division.

My proposal is simple

Bring back the 11th Airborne Division.  Why?  Because the Army needs strategic mobility in the coming "turn to the Pacific" and while the 82nd is good, it can't be in two places at once.

But, wait the boys from the 101st will say.  We have unmatched mobility.  That's true...once they get to the battlefield.  But getting them to the scene requires as much work as moving a heavy division.  Additionally Strykers have lost any chance of being a truly strategically mobile force.  They're too heavy, too vehicle dependent which means that they have too big a logistics tail to be supported at distance.

Which brings me back to a Infantry centric, strategically deployable force.  Which in the US Army means another Airborne Division.

It really wouldn't be that hard to do either.  The 173rd Airborne Brigade would serve as the foundation of the new unit and you could go from there.  Quite honestly I find the Army's new focus on aligning units regionally to be a mistake, but if they did have two divisions (the 25th ID were once known as jungle fighters so they're a natural) allocated to the Pacific with one forward deployed it would allow them to get into that fight.  If one of those units was a forward deployed Airborne unit (Australia anyone??? They're doggies so we'd have to keep them in the Northern Territories to keep from scaring small children), then the Army would almost have to be part of the Pacific fighht game plan....as a side note, the 82nd could be responsible for the Atlantic area of operations and the 11th for the Pacific.  How's that for regional alignment?

Replace the M-113. Same requirement. Different competitions.

The US Army and Denmark are both trying to find replacements to the M-113.  That's to be expected.  What I find just plain weird is how four different vehicles with extremely different capabilities are being offered for the same requirement.

The Danes are being offered...

G5

Armadillo CV-90

US Army is being offered...

Stryker Tracked

The Tracked Stryker just strikes me as plain weird. Supposedly it will be widened and have another road wheel applied but with as big a portfolio as General Dynamics has (if you include the European Division) then its just beyond me, how they couldn't come up with a better offer.  Lets be clear on one issue.  Commonality with the Stryker is just in name only.  We'll see how the finished vehicle performs but I'm skeptical.

The turretless Bradley makes more sense (in my opinion) and why the Army didn't just run with the offer (and sole source the contract) was a mistake on their part.  Especially if they can use the hulls in storage to save money.  Its a known commodity and its basic configuration is capable of keeping up with M1 Abrams...something the M-113 had difficulty with.

As far as the Denmark comp is concerned, its hard not to like both vehicles.  It will be a dogfight for sure and both vehicles have pluses...a reader wrote that he thinks the FFG G5 is almost a sure lock to win but I haven't read that anywhere else.

Time will tell but its a contest worth watching.

Is the artillery raid dead?

 

The Army and Marines both train hard to conduct artillery raids.  The basic concept is to fly in your artillery, set it up, fire a few rounds and then depart before the enemy can react.

But is the concept dead?  Is it a hold over of the aviation and artillery communities that no longer really applies in today's era of warfare?

I think so.

The only modern examples that I could find of "true" artillery raids occurred during Gulf War 1.  Stuff is sketchy on whether these raids took place during Gulf War 2.

The issues with doing an artillery raid today are plentiful.  Detection of aircraft flying in the guns.  Saturation of the firing point by counter battery fire before the raiders even get the first round out.  The ability of a couple of Multiple Launch Rocket Systems to lay down more fire in a single salvo than a battery of guns can in several minutes of action....the list goes on.

For land forces, in my opinion, the artillery raid is dead. 

Point/Instinctive Shooting & Kill or Get Killed

  USMC-KillOrGetKilled-1 by Damyan Petkov

Was talking with some buddies about current fashion in combat shooting.

In particular the way that pistol marksmanship is taught compared to the way that pistols are actually used in combat.

The issue is this.  Is aimed pistol fire like you see demonstrated above, the best way to engage targets the best way to employ this short range weapon or is point shooting better?

A quick history.  Before WWII everyone bought into the thinking that instinctive shooting (point) was the best way to engage targets with a pistol.  The US Marine Corps was a big booster of this concept.  The following is from Wikipedia....

Another of Applegate's training innovations was the use of particularly intense combat firing ranges, which he called the "House of horrors". A cross between an obstacle course, a haunted house, and a shooting range, it used a three dimensional layout with stairs and tunnels, pop-up targets, deliberately poor lighting, psychologically disturbing sounds, simulated cobwebs and bodies, and blank cartridges being fired towards the shooter. The range was designed to have the greatest possible psychological impact on the shooter, to simulate the stress of combat as much as possible, and no targets were presented at distances of greater than 10 feet (3.0 m) from the shooter.
Applegate also used his house of horrors as a test of the point shooting training. Five hundred men were run through the house of horrors after standard target pistol training, and then again (with modifications in the layout) after training in point shooting. The average number of hits in the first group was four out of twelve targets hit (with two shots per target). After point shooting, the average jumped to ten out of twelve targets hit. Further shooters trained only in point shooting, including those who had never fired a handgun before receiving point shooting training, maintained the high average established by the first group (FMFRP 12-80, p. 286). Similar methods were in use as early as the 1920s and continue to this day, for example the FBI facility called Hogan's Alley.

A couple of things.

First, I've never seen a "kill house" or "house of horrors" that meets Applegates standards.  Next its obvious that Applegate didn't just put forth a theory of point shooting but he also tested the concept.

That alone is refreshing but it also proves that his method works.

The next question you should be asking is where aimed pistol shooting came from.  The answer is Col. Cooper.  I love the guy.  He was a true great but in this case he might have been wrong.  I point to police shootings as the case in point.  During shooting incidents, police have a horrible record.  Civilians in the same circumstances have a much higher hit rate.

I contend that the difference is that civilians are depending on instinctive (or point) shooting while police are using aimed shooting techniques.

I'm going to do a bit more reading but I think we may have gone on an evolutionary dead end when it comes to the way that we currently teach pistol shooting.  Adding holographic sights just digs the hole deeper but doesn't solve the issue.

More to come on this subject.

UPDATE:  Patrick pointed me to an article that is a must read (here) that basically boils this down quite nicely.  In it they state that traditional aimed shooting, press shooting (front sight aiming) and instinctive shooting all have their places.  If you're an armed civilian using his weapon as a defensive tool then I would recommend you practice instinctive shooting.  Most of your combat will take place in close quarters, low light and happen extremely quickly.  But read the article for yourself and make up your own mind.

All quiet on the Korean Peninsula.

The above photos are Patriot Missile Batteries in Japan.  But on the Korean Peninsula, its all quiet.

Many experts are predicting that the N. Koreans will launch on Monday in conjunction with a birthday celebration for the former leaders.

I disagree.  I expect the Chinese to have applied so much pressure that the N. Koreans WILL NOT launch.  I expect the rhetoric on both sides to fade over the course of next week and for everyone to go back to their sides of the ring without mention from the news media of what exactly happened.

Why do I say this?  Because the Obama Administration has a serious love of backroom deals.  Both on the domestic and international realms.  With that in mind, N. Korea probably got their usual tribute of food aid.  The only difference is that this administration is hiding the fact and might use China as a conduit for that aid...you know going through China and then to N. Korea instead of directly to that jacked up country.

The problem for the US and its people is this.  N. Korea proved to the world that they could back us down.  They smell pussy.  And that means we're eventually gonna get fucked.

AVX Gunfighter.

The Armed Aerial Scout by EADS North America

UPDATE & CLARIFICATION. CV-90 Armadillo (Denmark). More details

I need to clarify my previous post on the CV-90 (Denmark).  In it I said that the superstructure (I'll be calling it a turret...just one that doesn't rotate...from now on) housed the driver and track commander.

Didn't mean to confuse.  The driver is of course housed in the "vehicle body" and the TC will be in the turret.  Of course that makes nothing but sense.  Additionally I've been informed that the section behind the turret is capable of being removed and fitted with different modules.

I consider it the CV-90 on roids mixed with a big dose of SEP DNA.  Sidenote.  I still consider the SEP to be the best vehicle never to be procured.  That was a concept that was WAAAY before its time.

AW169 Armed Aerial Scout Candidate

CV-90 Armadillo (Denmark). More details...

Quick facts...

• The Armadillo has better than Stanag4A/4B mine protection with six tons spare payload above “fighting weight” of 29 tons. 
• Rubber tracks have some strong advantages:
• Less vibration, making the vehicle more reliable (especially electronics) and allowing for better crew comfort (important after long periods riding in a vehicle…)
• Decreases the vehicle weight by about one ton
• 10 decibels quieter (a massive amount, by the way), allowing the vehicle to be stealthier

One other thing of interest.  The superstructure is a design feature that provides additional room for the driver and vehicle commander as well as provided additional space for gear carried by the dismounts.

Not shown in the pics....equipment specified by the customer.  Remote weapon station, smoke grenade launchers, shot detection equipment, IED jammers etc...

NOTE:  The superstructure provides a degree of modularity that is beyond impressive.  If you've ever been inside the command versions of the AAV or M-113 or Bradley then you're well aware of the room needed to make it all work.  The same applies to medivac versions of these vehicles.  While the Danes are after a M113 replacement, the levels of armor protection, modularity, ability to fit different weapon systems onboard could well lead to a one vehicle fits all roles type of proposition.  Nicely done.  

Can't wait to see what BAE will do with an AAV upgrade.

NOTE 1:  I really wonder why we aren't seeing a wholesale movement to rubber tracks!  All the talk about fuel savings and this easiest of changes isn't going forward? Something is definitely off.