Is the US Army suffering from an "aviation bias"?

via Daily Intercepts

Since the GCV is the Army’s second-highest acquisition priority after the WIN-T communications network and is being billed as the centerpiece of its armored formations of the future—replacing the Bradley Fighting Vehicle—Odierno told the audience that “we need the Ground Combat vehicle and we have to have it. Now, we might have to delay it because of budget cuts. I don’t know; we haven’t made the decision yet.”
While this wasn’t necessarily anything new, the GCV has taken its share of lumps in recent months, having been delayed in January and then being on the receiving end of a highly critical Congressional Budget Office report in April that evaluated several existing foreign infantry carriers that the government budgeteers said would meet most of the requirements of the GCV at a lower cost.
Still, the Army will do what it can to leave the program intact even as it prepares to absorb $52 billion in cuts in fiscal year 2014.

Sorry.  I'm running out of fucks to give for the plight that the services find themselves in.

The Army is following the USMC's lead by shielding its aviation programs and ignoring the issues with its armored forces.  Buys of the AH-64E and CH-47F are continuing.  Meanwhile the Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) and the Armored MultiPurpose Vehicle (AMPV) appear to be on life support.

I  point to the Stryker and talk about Army modernization efforts but the reality is that it was only meant to be an interim vehicle and served more to bring into being a Brigade based operating doctrine more than fulfill a requirement for a new Army troop carrier.

I don't know the hows or the whys but it appears that in both of the services that concentrate on winning battles and wars on the ground, aviation is taking a seat of dominance over armored protection for the troops.

I've got to figure out why.

Soldiers turned hitmen.

via Fox News.

Mexican cartels are recruiting hit men from the U.S. military, offering big money to highly-trained soldiers to carry out contract killings and potentially share their skills with gangsters south of the border, according to law enforcement experts.
The involvement of three American soldiers in separate incidents, including a 2009 murder that led to last week’s life sentence for a former Army private, underscore a problem the U.S. military has fought hard to address.
"We have seen examples over the past few years where American servicemen are becoming involved in this type of activity," said Fred Burton, vice president for STRATFOR Global Intelligence. "It is quite worrisome to have individuals with specialized military training and combat experience being associated with the cartels."

Click here to read it all.

DHS has the ball it needs to make every person that ever served in the military suspect now.  I find it interesting though that the "ex-LT" would engage in such behavior.

Well maybe I shouldn't be surprised.  If a lying to the Senate, using improper command influence, record falsifying Commandant can get the full support of the SecDef, then why shouldn't it be ok for an Army Officer to become a hitman for the drug gangs in Mexico while on active duty?

Welcome to the new US military.

4th Combat Aviation Brigade conducting training.

Note:  Does anyone remember the "netfires" concept?  Couldn't help but remember the promise of that project when I saw the shipping container.  

Marine Armor Predictions.

I've been playing catch up on the latest news from the SecDef regarding his "fears" if Sequestration continues.

Oh and be advised.  It will continue.

And I keep coming back to the same issue.  What does this mean for the Amphibious Combat Vehicle?

It means bad news.  The Aviation Commandant has already delayed it 3 times and when Sequestration hits full force this fall, that will be the final nail in the coffin for this program.  We'll hear the same excuses that we did for the Marine Personnel Carrier.  Talk about how it'll be revisited.  Talk about how we can make do with the vehicle we have.  Talk about how this is managed risk.

But in the end, we'll have Marines riding into combat in 50 years old vehicles.

SideNote:  From what I'm hearing the JLTV is DRT...Dead Right There.  Notice no public discussion of the program?  Its because its being taken down to the river and held under until it stops kicking.

Titillating Thursday.

Thanks All.

Just wanted to tell everyone that some VERY unforeseen issues popped up that had me knocked on my ass looking slack eyed and silly.

I appreciate the concern and I'm trying to get my blogging legs back.  Expect things to be a bit helter skelter for a day or two till I settle in.

Amos. The lying piece of shit Commandant.

I'm not even going to bother compiling all the articles outlining his wrongdoing.

Suffice it to say that my instincts were right on.  He is a lying, sniveling, weird, disgraceful, arrogant, and totally insufficient Commandant.  During a time when we needed bold leadership we got this instead.

Undue Command Influence.  Improperly classifying information to hide his acts.  Lying to the Senate with regard to the performance of the V-22....

I'll sit on my hilltop and keep beating this drum.  Amos must go.

F-35 IS gobbling up the Pentagon.

via Standard  Examiner.

Hagel outlined the broad dimensions of two approaches. One is deeply reducing forces, especially in the Army, while retaining a greater technological capability. The other is delaying weapons advances to maintain the force at levels currently planned.
Hagel briefed congressional committee leaders Wednesday on the “Strategic Choices and Management Review,” effectively warning lawmakers they must alleviate cuts or take responsibility for the alternatives.
Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, criticized the review in an e-mailed statement as being “entirely budget-driven, deferring any further consideration of strategy.”
If the Pentagon cuts deeply into forces, Hagel said, the military will be able to protect certain programs such as Lockheed Martin Corp.’s F-35 fighter, a program to build a new long-range bomber and upgrades in submarine cruise missiles.
That approach calls for reducing the Army from a planned 490,000 active-duty personnel to as few as 380,000. The Marines would be reduced from a planned 182,000 to as few as 150,000.

Read the entire article men.

Cuts to the Marine Corps to 150,000!  How long have I been beating that drum?

"If the Pentagon cuts deeply into forces, the military will be able to protect certain programs..."

I rest my case.

To all those that gave lip?  Kiss my ass.

I was late to the realization that the F-35 was a budget bomb but at least I got there.  We could have managed this better, but you want the bad news?  Personnel cuts are already baked in.  Want to know why?  Because all the people that insisted on military pay raises, increased benefits to dependents have all unknowningly conspired to make tech cheaper than troops.  We're on a bad piece of ground.  On one side we have the techies...those that believe that high tech is the only way to go.  On the other side we have the COIN mafia that believes that all future wars can be won by SOCOM alone, and in the middle you have Joe Marine, Soldier, Airman and Sailor that are actually the glue to it all about to get bum rushed out the door.

You heard it here first. 

US Navy P-3's are monitoring Chinese Naval activity near the Philippines.

Well ain't this lovely!?!  Cold Warriors rejoice.  Looks like we have the beginnings of a new frosty one developing with the Chinese.  The idea that the USN is monitoring Chinese naval activity isn't surprising.  The fact that they're doing it over disputed territory between China and the Philippines is.  via ABS News.

MANILA - A classified government document seen by Kyodo News on Friday confirmed that U.S. Navy surveillance planes conduct routine maritime patrol to monitor activities in the disputed South China Sea.
"(There were) confirmed flights of U.S. P3C Orion aircraft over the South China Sea especially (in the contested Spratly Islands)," according to the document.
Last year, Philippine President Benigno Aquino revealed that Manila was seeking U.S. deployment of P3C Orion spy planes over the disputed sea since the Philippines lacks the capability to monitor its territorial and maritime claims in the sea.
"We can only do (the) best (with) what we have," the document says. "The military is aware of its limitations as regards equipment, naval and air assets, facilities and funding to support our efforts" in the South China Sea.
It says the military "needs another perspective of intelligence from higher headquarters and agencies that are relevant to our efforts".
Military experts describe the P3C Orion, a land-based maritime surveillance and antisubmarine aircraft that can intercept communications, as one of the most sensitive planes in the U.S. fleet.
Its reconnaissance flights are focused on Second Thomas Shoal, a submerged shoal 128 nautical miles (237 kilometers) off the Philippine island province of Palawan.
Since February, the Philippine military says, China has sent frigates and maritime surveillance vessels to the vicinity of the disputed shoal to maintain a presence, setting off alarm bells in Manila.
The territory, which is known to the Philippines as Ayungin Reef and to China as Ren'ai Reef, is part of a group of islets, shoals, reefs and cays known together as the Spratly Islands, which are claimed in whole or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.

I'm gonna make a call on this one.

The Philippine Govt released this classified information to let its people know that it wasn't sitting back getting pushed around by China.  If help has to come from the US, then so be it, but the threat is real to the Filipino people and any aid is appreciated.

Last year Vietnam called for a regional response to Chinese aggression.  Just recently Japan gave the Philippines patrol ships...and now we hear about US Navy activity.

Just plain wow.

J-31 Concept Art by Min Hua Li

Sunday Wallpaper. A Kevin Martin 1 Special.

Social Unrest is coming to America. Here's the proof.

via AP.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four out of 5 U.S. adults struggle with joblessness, near poverty or reliance on welfare for at least parts of their lives, a sign of deteriorating economic security and an elusive American dream.
Survey data exclusive to The Associated Press points to an increasingly globalized U.S. economy, the widening gap between rich and poor and loss of good-paying manufacturing jobs as reasons for the trend.
The findings come as President Barack Obama tries to renew his administration's emphasis on the economy, saying in recent speeches that his highest priority is to "rebuild ladders of opportunity" and reverse income inequality.
Hardship is particularly on the rise among whites, based on several measures. Pessimism among that racial group about their families' economic futures has climbed to the highest point since at least 1987. In the most recent AP-GfK poll, 63 percent of whites called the economy "poor."
"I think it's going to get worse," said Irene Salyers, 52, of Buchanan County, Va., a declining coal region in Appalachia. Married and divorced three times, Salyers now helps run a fruit and vegetable stand with her boyfriend, but it doesn't generate much income. They live mostly off government disability checks.
"If you do try to go apply for a job, they're not hiring people, and they're not paying that much to even go to work," she said. Children, she said, have "nothing better to do than to get on drugs."

Read the entire article and then consider this.

What we saw in Southern Europe and Brazil won't hold a candle to events here if things go off the rails.

The economy sucks, isn't getting better and (my opinion, your mileage may vary) the different "made up" battles between the sexes (war on women), gay rights (forcing marriage equality onto regions of the country not ready for it or against the will of the people where there have been elections), women in combat, sequestration, Trayvon Martin incident, and other issues are all being used to mask the real problem.

Those are all symptoms of a society under pressure.

The economy is still on the skids, the President and Congress don't give a fuck and trouble is ahead.

I'll enjoy watching the fireworks. 

Royal Navy, A Global Force 2013 via ThinkDefence.

  Global Force 2013

Modest Proposal. Cancel the CH-53K, marinize the MH-47.

A quickie here.

A modest proposal.

Cancel the CH-53K and Marinize the MH-47 (without penetration avionics but keep the increased fuel carriage and refueling capability) for Marine Corps use.

Its simple.  The US Army and Marine Corps would operate the same heavy lift helicopter, could fall on similar supply lines and would push down the price because of increased buys of the vehicle.

I don't say this lightly because I'm a huge fan of Sikorsky, but we can't afford a 115 million dollar heavy lift helicopter (according to Wikipedia that's the cost with R&D mixed in...84 million without).

Yeah.  My budget cutting, money saving hat is on.

It's late, but finally an answer to the different looking BAE/Iveco MPC's we saw.

Remember the above foto taken at Modern Day Marine?  Everyone including myself said WTF!  Did BAE and IVECO pull a fast one on the (at the time soon to be doomed) Marine Personnel Carrier Program?

Well actually, no they didn't.  In a totally unrelated article that discusses how IVECO is able to offer MRAP armored protection to the Italian Army/Marine Corps in their soon to be introduced SuperAV, I found this illustration and explanation.

They were add on flotation assistance devices.  A simple explanation but one that eluded me.  Pretty cool.  I'd love to know if they are actually needed and how much they weigh and whether or not they could be shed once on land

Oh and I still say we should have proceeded with the MPC.

Will there be war between the Philippines and China via Bantay Spratly.

Read the article here.  Its fascinating but the comments are even more revealing.  For some, it seems that China and the US are simply using the Philippines as pawns in a game that it can't win.  I might be showing a bit of nationalism myself, but I marvel at how the Chinese can do all kinds of provocative acts and yet the US be blamed for engaging in some type of super power game.

As a sidenote, if you're interested in keeping up with the issue from a Philippine perspective then I highly recommend you bite the bullet (I did) and get a facebook account so you can keep up with Bantay Spratly's postings.  Its one of my best sources for info on the region.

Anti-Access? China's building an expeditionary force!

Y-20 undergoing flight testing.

Everyone is predicting that China is in the midst of building an anti-access force to deal with the US Navy in the Pacific.

I think they're wrong.  Or at best we're seeing a hybrid strategy...a type of mixing between the old strategy of the USSR of keeping US reinforcements from reaching Europe and the US Joint Forces Command attempt at integrating Stryker Brigades, Airborne Units and Marine Forces into an effective expeditionary force.

Take for example the Type 81 LHD.  China watcher Feng (of Information Dissemination) estimates that the Type 81 will be within 30-40 thousand tons and will rival the America class in carriage.  That isn't a ship designed for anti-access operations.  Consider the Y-20 at the top of the page.  A heavy transport that should achieve high speed and heavy lift?

Take into account a turn by the Chinese Army to lighten it forces in the form of Wheeled Armored Fighting Vehicles.  And even more than that, they seem to have settled on two types...a heavy (for Chinese forces...light by new Western standards) eight wheeled model and a light 6 wheeler.  Why is this significant?  Because it will give the Chinese armored protection across all terrain to be found in the Pacific.  It also lightens the logistics burden because these families of armored vehicles are fully amphibious meaning that your Fire Support Gun, Artillery, Anti-Air, Engineer, Personnel Carrier, NBC Vehicle, Command etc...are all operating off the same supply chain, will not weigh down local bridges and have similar mobility.

All in all I think we're missing the boat on China's military intentions.  Luckily our allies seem to be locked in and focused.  Between India's new Strike Force on the Chinese border and Japan establishing diplomatic ties with any and everyone it can--while acquiring new abilities is telling.

Anti-Access my ass.  China is going expeditionary.

Are US Marines in the Pacific about to experience exercise overload?

via ABSCBN News.

MANILA - The Philippine Navy is set to do a war exercise with its United States counterpart in October.
The war exercise, the third major military activity this year, is initially scheduled for ten days beginning October 7. The activity, called the PH-US Amphibious Landing Exercise, will involve at least 1,000 troops from each side.
Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Gerard Fabic said the exercise will be held at the training grounds in Zambales, Crow Valley in Tarlac, Marine Base Ternate in Cavite and in the National Capital Region.

"The purpose is to promote interoperability between the Philippine Marine Corps and the US Marine Corps. The focus will be in the areas of warfighting, disaster response and nation building," he said.
The first major exercise, the Balikatan, was done last April in Clark Air Base in Pampanga, Camp O'Donnel and Crow Valley in Tarlac, Subic Bay in Zambales and Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.
The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (Carat), meanwhile, was conducted in June near the Scarborough Shoal in Zambales.

The shoal is being claimed by both the Philippines and China. The United States earlier promised defense capabilities for the Philippines.

Looks like ops tempo isn't going to decrease after the drawdown is completed in Afghanistan.

Quite honestly I'm of mixed opinion...the Chinese need to be put back in their box, but the forces need to be reconstituted.

A bigger concern is that we're seeing the military acting in the role of the State Dept.  Military exercises, memorandums of understanding between forces etc ... are being established throughout the Pacific but we don't see nation to nation work being done.

Mutual defense pacts, donation of material, foreign aid that would require the US manufacture goods to be sent to some of the smaller nations isn't be negotiated.

This will bear watching.

Side Note;  The you notice the words "NATION BUILDING" in the statement.  We're back to that tired old concept.  You would think that we would have learned our lesson.

Militarization is coming from the Feds...happily accepted by the locals.

If you're like me and a bit alarmed at the Militarization of local police departments nationwide, then let me give you a disturbing fact that you're probably already aware of.

The Federal Government is funding it.  And they're doing it nationwide, in almost every town and city...big and small...and the locals are accepting it greedily.

I have a Google Alert setup specifically to let me know of any news on the sale of armored vehicles inside the US.  I've quietly watched this for the past two weeks and its been stunning.  Almost everyday a city counsel, board of alderman etc...are approving the acceptance of Federal Funds for the purchase of "life saving" armored vehicles.  Check this out via the Union Leader....

Concord is poised to accept $258,000 in federal funding to buy an armored vehicle that police say would provide protection for officers and civilians alike during a terrorist attack, riot or shooting incident.But some - notably the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union - are questioning the increasing use of what they call "militarized" equipment by civilian police forces.
Concord's City Council will hold a public hearing on Aug. 12 about the proposed purchase of a BearCat G3 rescue vehicle, paid for entirely by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security.The police department applied for the grant on behalf of the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit, which includes 20 local communities, Merrimack County Sheriff's Office and Plymouth State University. The SOU has an "early 80s-vintage" Peacekeeper armored vehicle, but it needs to be repaired "constantly," Concord Police Chief John Duval said.
Concord's City Council unanimously approved the grant application for a new BearCat last fall, according to Duval. But in the months since, some have raised concerns about just how and when such a vehicle would be used.
Duval said he understands concerns about government overreach, especially in light of recent revelations about government surveillance of telephone and email records. But he said those questions need to be asked "in context."Built on a Ford chassis, the BearCat, Duval said, is "an armor-plated box on wheels."
"That's all it is. It is not digital communication, it's not a listening device, it's not weaponry, it's not any of those things.
"Every year," Duval said, "police officers are lost in the line of duty protecting the rights of citizens. Tactical response units go into known lethal, hostile situations.
"And this vehicle is simply a vehicle to remove people who may be in harm's way, remove injured parties and bring police officers in closer."

A few things.

*  Funded entirely by the Federal Govt.
*  Emphasis is placed on life saving work.
*  Acknowledges govt over reach but ignores the chilling effect that militarization has on local populations

This is a big ticket item.  We don't know whats going on behind the scenes with body armor, weaponry, communication etc...

This is the Local Army that could rival the US military that Obama was talking about.  Standardization of local PD's nationwide is a logical step toward a federal police force.  Note, I said police force, not investigative agency.

For once, I find myself applauding the ACLU.  It seems that only the ACLU and Libertarians are upset about this.  Everyone else is sloganeering about "not having anything to hide"... 

Quote of the day.

The prospect of unlawful behavior within the commandant’s office is of deep concern....Jones asked the IG to be diligent in its review of Weirick’s complaint and do what’s necessary to “restore dignity to the commandant’s office.”
Rep. Walter Jones during an interview with the Marine Corps Times.