Type 52D receives Active Phased Array Radar??? via Chinese Military Review.

If you're not subscribed to Chinese Military Review you're missing out.  I highly recommend them.  They're not big on commentary but they hit hard with news and photos of the latest and greatest coming out of the land of the Rising Dragon.

The blurb they put out this afternoon about the Type 52D receiving an Active Phased Array Radar has me scratching my head though.  via Wikipedia.

APAR (Active Phased Array Radar) is a shipborne multifunction radar (MFR) developed and manufactured by Thales Nederland. It is the first Active Electronically Scanned Array MFR employed on an operational warship.[1]

Yeah.

That's what has me confused.  Did Thales sell the Chinese their radar?  Did China steal it?  Is it a copy?

The issue of cyber security is an issue that has to get much more attention.  If the radar was stolen then the Chinese are practically unstoppable.  Not only do they have manufacturing capability that the West gave away, but they also are technologically within reach of the US and its allies.  It would be like engaging in massive trade with the former USSR while they were arming to the teeth to invade Western Germany.

Its insanity.

So you thought I was the only one pissed off with Amos' leadership?

If you thought that I was alone in viewing Amos as probably the worst Commandant the Marine Corps has had since its creation then let highlight a few of the comments on the story of Amos using illegal command influence to see Marines "crushed" (make sure you read the story...its an eye opener and will show why I believe that he should resign...either willfully or by order of the SecNav).

Sad day when the Political Correctness out-weighs taking care of our own.......someone needs some loyalty training! Someone needs a dope adjustment!

They would never let General Mattis be the CMC...because he is a real Marine and not afraid to speak his mind. He backs up his Marines, and doesn't take crap from anyone. The current CMC is spineless. It's disturbing that he wears the Marine Corps uniform. He sure the hell doesn't rate too!

The current CMC would not be able to stand in the same room as Chesty or any other TRUE Marine Commandants.....

That's what you get when you put an airplane driver in the commandant's chair, the butt muncher never came close to combat from 20,000 feet.

Claims in public the Marine Corps is not zero tolerance and yet behind close doors and in secret like a coward wants to crush these young warriors...smdh! Can stand a spineless coward. I hope you get crushed CMC and fade away into retirement never to be heard from again!

Amos needs to realize that we're warriors, not PC commandos. He doesn't belong as CMC - or even in our Corps. We need a Mattis or an Al Gray.

There isn't one supportive statement on the page for Amos.

He is the most hated Commandant that I've ever seen.  Most have a legacy of sorts and are respected for the office they hold.  It almost borders on reverence.

Amos has none of that.

Any thoughts that he had of a second term as Commandant have evaporated.  Hopefully (as one of the commenters stated) he'll be forced to retire within a few months.  Doubtful, but I can hope.

Martial Law via dafuq-is-wrong-wit-choo tumblr

Note:  The authorities better get a handle on how they're viewed and do it quick.  I'm seeing more and more comparisons on the net between Socialist/Communist/Fascist regimes doing crack downs and US Law Enforcement.  Are they so caught up in their own world (meaning the various agencies) that they can't see how they're viewed?  Or worse.  Do they just not give a damn?

Japan and the Philippines unite in preparation to fight China.

via Gulf News. (read the entire article here.)

The Philippines and Japan are both confronted by the increasing boldness of China, in similarly asserting its claim over several islands close in the South China Sea.

The Philippines had earlier said that it will abide to a peaceful resolution in the territorial dispute had already sought the help of the United Nations which formed a an arbitral tribunal in response. China has yet to make a similar move.

Aquino also took the opportunity to express gratitude to Japan for donating several patrol vessels for the Philippine Coast Guard.

“We thank the Japanese Government for helping enhance the capacity of the Philippine Coast Guard by building multi-role response vessels and by providing communication systems for their use,” he said.

A few things....

*  Why we aren't donating gear to the Philippine armed forces is beyond me.  It seems like a no-brainer.  Is China blocking such a move?  I just don't get it.
*  I've been so focused on the various border disputes and how the US is/isn't reacting to them and missed the fact that the nations under pressure will be seeking to establish their own ties with like minded allies.
*  China has already jumped the shark.  Either stuff is so serious inside the country that their rulers believe that outside distractions are necessary, or they've miscalculated.  I think its a diversion.  There is no profit in provoking almost every nation in the Pacific.
*  Japan is gearing up in a hardcore way.  How much more will it take before they decide that they must have nuclear weapons to help with all the bullies in the neighborhood?  I have nothing to go on but it wouldn't surprise me if they had nukes already. 

The Amos issue.

Its been about 12 hours since I first read about Amos using undue command influence with regards to several Marines.

My question is simple.

Why haven't we heard any commentary on the issue?  No, I'm not talking about the mainstream media.  They're always late to real issues with the military and unless it involves women or homosexuals they really don't care.

No.  I'm talking about the thought centers.  US Navy Institute Blog, Proceedings, Sea Power and the Marine Gazette.

Nothing.  Nada.  What is tantalizing is that there is a way that what Amos did do is legal.  Correction, its still illegal and as Commandant, he should have had the courage and integrity to refuse, but if he was ordered by the President that these Marines "would fry" then he'd at least have an explanation...not an excuse (this is inexcusable) but he would at least be able to explain why he committed the act.

I'll wait with baited breath for Monday to arrive and hope that the news shops have caught up to the fact that we have at the very least a low grade scandal in the Commandant's office.

Side Note:  As bad as this is, I'm pleased to hear it.  My biggest fear is was that Obama was going to renominate Amos for another term as Commandant.  This little drama should put a kibosh on those plans.  THANK GOD!

Side Note 1:  This should effectively muzzle the biggest supporter of the F-35 within the Pentagon (notice I said supporter as in individual, not service...Marine Land is angry about quite a few things...the high cost of the F-35 and how its eating the budget is just one of those issues).  I don't know what effect that will have on the program but personal survival, not the survival of an airplane is now his main focus.  This bit of news might have ramifications beyond the Marine Corps.

Royal Marines dump SA-80 in favor of an AR platform!

Simply freaking amazing.  via the Truth about Guns....

“This is my personal preference. I do prefer it over the SA80 solely because in its own complexities, it’s an easier weapon to use. It’s very docile and it’s a lot lighter. It’s also a change because the SA80 can only be fired one way, from the right rather than the left.

Read it all here.

F-35. The Canary in the coal mine that I missed.

In an attempt to determine when we all received solid, concrete information that this program was in a tailspin, I looked up quotes from program officials that would tell us when the alarm bells rang for all to hear.

Let me add that these are the public statements.  Internally alarms should have been ringing possibly years earlier.

I want them both to start behaving like they want to be around for 40 years,” Bogdan told reporters during a visit to Australia. “I want them to take on some of the risk of this program, I want them to invest in cost reductions, I want them to do the things that will build a better relationship. I’m not getting all that love yet.”

“Its an unaffordable program at the numbers that we’re using,” Lieutenant General Terry Robling told Reuters earlier this month. 

What I see Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney doing today is behaving as if they are getting ready to sell me the very last F-35 and the very last engine and are trying to squeeze every  nickel out of that last F-35 and that last engine,” Bogdan said, who was speaking to reporters at the Australian International Airshow.

So yeah.

Those are alarm bells that we were given.  But what about recently?  Check out this carefully parsed statement by Admiral Greenert.

“Speaking for the Navy,” added the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, “I need the fifth-generation fighter, and that [F-35] provides it, so we’re all in — but it has to perform. It has problems; it is making progress.”
“I do not at this point believe that it is time to look for an exit ramp, if you will, for the Navy for the F-35C,” continued Greenert, who in the past has damned the Joint Strike Fighter with similar faint praise.

Yeah.  I missed Admiral Greenert well phrased statement earlier too.

"It has to perform..."

"I do not at this point believe that this is time to look for an exit ramp...."

That sounds like a guy that will bail if the tail hook isn't fixed and costs continue to rise.  But what should concern the planes biggest supporters and why they should be all over ANOTHER RESTRUCTURING of the program is the code issue.

I'm moving toward the cancelation, not the delay camp because I'm beyond frustrated with so much of the budget being tied up in one aviation program.  The pentagon would be wise to do a top to bottom review now...before signing a new production contract to see exactly where the program is and when it will be able to deliver a fully functioning airplane.

UPDATE:
How jacked up is this program and how fouled up is LM and PW?  via Defense News....

“There’s no doubt a large amount of our classified data probably made it into” the designs for the J-20, a Chinese plane modeled on the F-22, and the J-31, a JSF equivalent, according to Lt. Gen. Charles Davis, USAF military deputy for acquisition, who appeared with Bogdan at the hearing.
Both planes were developed in the span of about 22 months, according to Davis, which shows China has achieved a level of acquisition ability that could be potentially dangerous to U.S. interests.
Senators asked the panel, which included Davis, Bogdan and Vice Adm. W. Mark Skinner, whether China has faced any repercussions over the apparent theft of data.
“If they’re going to go ahead and copy what we got, they at least have to pay a little bit for it,” Manchin said. “Has their government been put to the task? It’s very obvious what they have done. ... Have we prosecuted anybody? Are we on the tail of anybody?”
The panel gave noncommittal answers to Manchin’s question, but Bogdan expressed confidence in the Pentagon’s ability to protect key information.
“In the last few years we have implemented some fairly robust procedures to keep F-35 data within the confines of the department,” he said, adding that the partner nations are also doing a good job protecting information.
But, “I am a little less confident about our industry partners, to be quite honest with you,” Bogdan said. “I am not that confident outside the department.”
While he did not elaborate, both Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney insist their cybersecurity is potent enough to protect sensitive information.

So they're late, leak like a sieve and want even more money from the DoD.  It must be understood that servicemen serve the state and contractors serve shareholders.  Don't be confused by the fact that these are "defense" companies.  They're profit driven monsters just like Facebook or Google. 

The Spying Kestrel.

via The Telegraph.

The kestrel was discovered by residents of Altinavya, a village in Elazig province, wearing a metallic ring stamped with the words “24311 Tel Avivunia Israel”. Suspicious that the bird may have been on a spying mission for the Jewish state, villagers turned the bird over to local authorities, according to Turkish media.

So great was the level of concern medical personnel at Elazig’s Firat University initially identified the kestrel as “Israeli Spy” in their registration documents. Intensive medical examinations - including X-rays - determined that the bird was, indeed, just a bird. There were no sign of microchips that might transmit information back to Israel, local media reported. The kestrel was allowed to fly off after authorities determined there was no need to press charges.
Yet the incident shows the degree of paranoia and xenophobia regarding Israel that exists among large segments of Turkish society. It comes as talks between Turkey and Israel over compensation for families of those killed in the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident have stalled.

Eight Turks and one Turkish-American were killed on May 31, 2010 when Israeli commandos stormed the Turkish vessel carrying aid to the embargoed Gaza Strip.

Ties between the countries suffered until United States President Barack Obama brokered a reconciliation between the two sides during a visit to Israel earlier this year.

Uh.

Wow.

The only thing that gives me pause about the story is that animals probably have been used in some weird fashion to spy on other countries.  I just don't have the imagination to think of the possibilities. 

More evidence that Amos is 100% pussy.

via Defense News.

The Marine Corps Times posted a pretty explosive story this morning explaining how and why Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Jim Amos stripped a three-star general of his authority to prosecute the Marines who has taken video of themselves urinating on dead Taliban fighters in 2011.
Documents obtained by the paper include a declaration signed by Lt. Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, who was removed from overseeing the case against the Marines by Gen Amos after he refused to kick the accused Marines out of the Corps.
The Times writes that:
The commandant wanted the Marines “crushed,” Waldhauser says in his statement, and asked if the steps Waldhauser was taking would result in their dismissal from the Corps. When Waldhauser pushed back, the statement continues, Amos threatened to remove him from the case, he said, and later directed the assistant commandant to deliver the news to Waldhauser that he was doing exactly that.
The commandant’s decision to reassign the cases was not explained publicly before now. In May, a source within the commandant’s office told Marine Corps Times that Waldhauser was removed from the job because his future role as the defense secretary’s adviser was of supreme importance and he needed time to prepare. That explanation proved untrue.
There’s lots more here, click through for the whole thing.

Wow.  The motherfucker is a liar.  Not surprising news at all.

I hated the bastard before.  Now I totally despise Amos.  I wondered if the disease that is Amos had spread to the rest of the Corps.

I am pleased to see that General Waldhauser, General Simcock and others are keeping the flame alive.

At least there are a few REAL leaders left in the Corps.  There is only one thing wrong with the Marine Corps and that's Amos.  Time for that son of a bitch to leave.

31st MEU's AAVs conducting amphibious landing at Talisman Sabre by Cpl. James Gulliver

Note:  Survival on the swim to shore isn't an issue for whatever armored vehicle the Marine Corps one day in the distance future procures.  Sitting low in the water while using proper vision/thermal obscuring devices will be enough to keep most anti-armor systems at bay.  The issue will be the vehicle picked to get the vehicles within launch distance and their survivability and the future armored vehicle once its on land.  Unfortunately, its hard to predict.  With a procurement decision put off until 2030 at best, the tech will have changed so much that speculation would be foolhardy.  Of course that assumes that planning isn't already taking place that would make the JLTV the main combat vehicle for a future commando Corps.

Gripen is looking to start/win a price war.

via Gripen Blog.

With the economic meltdown, defence budgets are facing major cuts around the world. Demands are getting tougher day by day. According to Saab’s CEO Hakan Buskhe’s  presentation ‘Breaking The Thought Barrier’, these tough demands however can benefit Saab.
“Our customers always demand more functions for less cost and that is rather unique in the defence industry. It is normal for other industries. But I believe that it is possible also in our business,” Buskhe says. 
He also stressed that these tougher demands have changed the market equation and competitiveness along with efficiency is the key thing now.
“Being a rather big defence company in a small country, spending 1 billion US dollars a year on R&D, we have to be lean as the Swedish state cannot bear all our investments. So we invest ourselves.”
There is an increased demand for an aircraft with multi role capabilities at an economical price. “This is something that will change the purchase pattern,” he says.

This will beg the question.

What is the floor on good enough?  What is considered an economical price on combat aircraft?  Can "prestige" be fully separated from aircraft purchasing decisions?  

The Gripen has tons of fans but few buyers.  We'll see if the economy truly has created a new buying paradigm.

Combat Assault Battalion. Just add Infantry and stir.

via Marines.mil

OKINAWA, Japan - The Marine Corps’ unique Combat Assault Battalion is designed to conduct and support amphibious operations by transporting surface assault elements and equipment from water-based staging areas to inland objectives.
This distinct capability was demonstrated during a battalion-wide field training exercise July 15-22 at the Central Training Area to improve and perfect the battalion’s ability to conduct close-combat engineer support, light-armored reconnaissance and limited offensive and defensive operations.
CAB supports different elements of 3rd Marine Division and III Marine Expeditionary Force throughout the Asia-Pacific region and is capable of executing a broad range of operations with its assets and personnel.
“We’re conducting this exercise using the unique aspects of CAB,” said Capt. John S. Kim, the Assault Amphibious Vehicle Company commander, CAB, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF. “We are also trying to continue to refine our ability to operate as a battalion.”
CAB provides 3rd Marine Division with engineers, assault amphibious vehicle support, and light-armored reconnaissance, motor transportation, heavy-equipment and communications capabilities, as well as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense assets all within one unit.

“We want to show what kind of force we have,” said Staff Sgt. Michael D. McGinnis, a section leader with AAV Co. “We’re not just a landing force with AAVs. We also have our combat engineers who can get out there and set things up, and at the same time, we have LAR to show a different side with their light-armored missions vice mechanized missions.”
During the exercise, AAV Co. and LAR Co. conducted a forward passage of lines operation, which involves a force moving forward through another force’s combat positions with the intention of moving to or from contact with the enemy.
“The biggest reason for the passage of lines was to coordinate our movement between the companies,” said McGinnis. “We were able to conduct and organize our movement, so that we did not hinder each other.”
The Marines of Combat Engineer Company also performed site improvement operations at the CTA, as well as squad live-fire maneuver exercises at Range 10, near Camp Schwab.
“Engineers train to infantry standards because we support infantry units,” said Capt. Timothy G. Ernst, the Combat Engineer Co. commander. “We have to be able to do everything they can do and still do our (primary) job.”
Training the Marines and exposing them to new concepts benefits their understanding and ability to work, according to Ernst.
“When we got here the big focus for us was mission readiness, so that we can actually go out there and show our capabilities,” said McGinnis. “Coming out of the exercise, I feel confident in our ability to support the division in any kind of operation we take on.”

I've always wondered if this concept could be applied to other regions of the world.

I'm also wondering if a second CAB will be established in Australia.  Either way, its an unusual (for the Marine Corps) organisation.   

Navy LCS Propaganda Vid.

Marine Air Vid.

Pentagon moving to put women in combat units.

via USNI News.

The Marine Corps intends to build up a female cadre of officers and noncommissioned officers to help women as more military occupations and units become open to females, the deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs told the House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee on Thursday.
Lt. Gen. Robert Milstead Jr. told the panel that it “is not going to happen overnight,” but the Marine Corps is learning from its pilot program—48 female Marines working in 19 the battalion headquarters of previously closed positions, such as tank units—on how to proceed in opening more military occupations to women by 2016.
Milstead stressed that women will “have to meet the [same] physical standards” established for men to be accepted into training for previously male-only jobs. He said that 250 of the 335 specialties in the Marine Corps have more than one demanding physical standard. The standards, such as lifting and loading a tank round, were “developed without regard to gender.”
His Army counterpart, Lt. Gen. Howard Bromberg, said that all standards are being reviewed now as the policy is lifted that excludes women from direct ground combat operations. “We’re looking at that for the 110-pound male as well,” he said.
“The key is to validate the standard . . . to ensure it’s right,” Juliet Beyler, director of the Pentagon’s Office of Officer and Enlisted Personnel Management, said.
Milstead said the services also need to study the social and psychological impact of opening those occupations both to the women entering them—their resiliency and ability to handle stress—and the effect on small units. “It’s equally important as the physical.”

Chesty you're a liar.

Old breed? New breed? There’s not a damn bit of difference so long as it’s the Marine breed. Chesty Puller, USMC

There's a huge fucking difference now.

But what kills me is this gender norming bullshit.  Milstead is lying his fucking ass off and he damn well knows it.  Put a female loader in one tank and male in another and see which one has a higher rate of fire.

Same thing on a gun line.

Have your mythical Amazons do a forced march against a group of male Marines and see how they fair.

But the real test will be in combat. That will be interesting.

Royal Marines develop a one stop amphibious shop.

IAF Chief in US for talks.

via Business Standard.

Indian Air Force (IAF) chief N.A.K Sunday left for the US on a four-day visit, during which he will hold talks on boosting defence cooperation between the two countries.
According to an official release, Air Chief Marshal Browne is visiting the US on an invitation of his US counterpart, General Mark A. Welsh III.
Air Chief Marshal Browne, who is also chairman, chiefs of staff committee, would be accepting the delivery of the second C-17 Globemaster III during the visit. The aircraft is scheduled to be delivered to the IAF July 22 at a ceremony at Boeing's Long Beach final assembly facility.
The IAF chief is scheduled to hold talks with senior military leadership of the US, including Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin E.Dempsey and Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Herbert J. "Hawk" Carlisle.
"He is likely to discuss a wide range of bilateral issues on the ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries towards strengthening the growing US-India security and defence relationship," the release said.
The IAF chief will also visit the US Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, and US Space Command located at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.
The release said that Air Chief Marshal Browne is visiting the US after 26 years. He graduated from Air Command and Staff College, Alabama, in 1987.

Hmm.

I'm going to have to update my news alerts.  It took a reader to alert me to his presence in the US (Big thanks to you...whoever you are).  Quite honestly I took news of the Indian Air Force receiving another C-17 as not really big news but the talks with our Chairman puts this in a different light.

The rush is on to bring India into our camp.

I don't think they'll bite, they value their independence too much, but I'm betting a full court press is being applied.

Side Note:  I also bet he's getting a classified brief on the F-35 and its capabilities.  If India was smart it would buy a couple just so it could war game it against its other fighters.  Think about it.  The Indians are being offered the F-35, are funding the PAK-FA, are supposedly buying the Rafale and they already have the SU-30 in service.  They could theoretically have under their roof two of the four stealth aircraft in production.  If for no other purpose than to wring as many secrets out of the lot and to develop tactics to defeat them it would be a worthwhile buy.

Scoring for female pullups is out. UPDATE. Male chart is posted for comparison sake.

According to ALMAR 046/12 the new scoring standard will be as follows:
8 pull-ups – 100 points
7 pull-ups – 95 points
6 pull-ups – 85 points
5 pull-ups – 75 points
4 pull-ups – 65 points
3 pull-ups – 40 points

They can try and dress it up all they want but the fact remains.  If they don't meet the same standards then its preferential treatment.

There is no equal rights association on the battlefield.  No female rights advocate.   If you're weak you get trampled.  "Nuff said.

Note:  Below you see the old standard.  I say old because the flex arm hang for females is dead, but it remains the same for males...make note of the issue here.  If a male performs the minimum number of pullups he is credited for 15 points  and will be hounded, degraded and punished for the effort.  He can basically kiss promotion goodbye and for all the talk of a kinder gentler Marine Corps he will be PT'ed at least twice a day, his life will be a living hell and he'll pray for the next PFT.  I've even seen guys request mast to ask for the chance to take the PFT again just so the pain can stop.

Japan is gearing up for the coming fight!

Thanks Nicolae for the link!

via Yahoo News.  Click here to read the whole thing but a couple of highlights...

The ministry will also consider buying unmanned surveillance drones and creating a Marines force to protect remote islands, such as those at the core of a dispute with China, media said.
"The acquisition of offensive capability would be a fundamental change in our defense policy, a kind of philosophical change," said Marushige Michishita, a professor at the National Graduate Institute of Policy Studies.
Obtaining that capability, however, would take time, money and training, meaning any shift may be more rhetorical than real. "It's easier said than done," Michishita added.
The updated guidelines could also touch on Abe's moves toward lifting a self-imposed ban on exercising the right of collective self-defense, or helping an ally under attack, such as if North Korea launched an attack on the United States.

and...

Just what hardware might come under consideration is as yet unclear. And with a huge public debt, Japan may be in no position to afford the bill.
Japan already has a very limited attack capability with its F-2 and F-15 fighter jets, mid-air refueling aircraft and Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kit. Tokyo also plans to buy 42 Lockheed Martin's F-35 stealth fighters, with the first four due for delivery by March 2017.
Acquiring the ability to hit mobile missile launchers in North Korea - the most likely target - would require many more attack aircraft as well as intelligence capability for which Japan would most likely have to rely on the United States, Michishita said. Cruise missiles might also be considered.
Obtaining the ability to strike missile bases in mainland China would be an even bigger stretch, experts said, requiring for example intercontinental missiles. "It would cost lots of money, and take time, training and education to acquire a robust and meaningful capability," Michishita said.

So Japan is considering a Marine Corps.

Buying F-35s, Drones, and possibly cruise missiles.

 This will be fun to watch.  I wonder if they'll be able to pull it off.

Royal Netherlands Air Force AH-64 2013 Display Team.