New Alert. President to visit 1st MarDiv tomorrow.

1st Marine Division Public Affairs Office put out a news blast that the President is to appear at Camp Pendleton tomorrow at noon to thank the Marines and Sailors for their work.

What would be discussed is the fact that cutting the Marine Corps down to 150,000 boatspaces is in the works.

How is this different from previous drawdowns?

Those were conscription forces.  They didn't volunteer (well some did, the majority didn't) so the drawdown came largely from people that didn't want to remain in service.  This time it will be different.  Saddle up and get ready.  The Corps can place its needs ahead of yours but you can't put the Corps ahead of the needs of your family.  Get your house in order for any eventuality.

Russian BTR-Boomerang family of vehicles.

Information is spotty and so far all I've been able to find are artist concepts.  One is of a vehicle that look alot like a Patria AMV and the others are variations on the theme.

Is the F-35 worth the cost?

Sferrin wants to be a jerk about the F-35 and whether it brings value?

Ok.  I'll play. Via Military.com

The Army would shrink to 380,000 troops, the Marines Corps to 150,000. The Navy would lose three carriers, and the Air Force would begin mothballing its B-52 bomber fleet under a worst-case budget scenario outlined Wednesday by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

&

The choice under the automatic budget cuts of sequestration came down to one between troops and new weapons systems, Hagel said. Defense leaders who led the review favored funding cyberwarfare, and such weapons systems as the F35 Joint Strike Fighter and the Littoral Combat Ship over personnel.
"We did not find any particular capability that we could do away with" and still maintain overall combat power, a senior Pentagon official said at a later background briefing of the proposed new weapons systems.
Winnefeld said the review was the result of a "deep and very painful look into every corner of our institution."
"Nobody was very happy" with the outcome, he said

Combat experience is being sacrificed on the altar of technological superiority.  But even that is in doubt when you consider the fact that the F-35 Program Manager has been quoted as saying that the secrets to the F-35 have shown up in Chinese aircraft under development and that he isn't sure that the contractors have secured their information against further hacking.

So with an Army that needs a new Ground Combat Vehicle and Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle...A Marine Corps that needs a new Amphibious Combat Vehicle...A Navy that would like to maintain 12 carriers.

Is the F-35 worth the cost?

Kamaz 63969 via War Machine.

Super Hornet now can carry the same internal fuel as the F-35.

Read the article about the CFT's here.

Someone has to get the balls to ask.  What do we need Naval Aviation to do?  Long loiter time while performing CAP missions to protect the Fleet?  Long loiter time to provide Close Air Support for Marines and other ground forces?  Deep strike missions against enemy installations??????

If you have the integrity to ask those questions then the next thing that must be asked is quite simple.  Does the F-35 provide enough value to justify cutting the Marine Corps down to 150,000?  Does it justify another decade or two driving a 50 year old Amphibious Assault Vehicle?

I'm just asking.

NavAir is sitting back, chilled the fuck out...laughing its ass off at the Marine Corps and Air Force.

Heartbreaking blast from the past via National Naval Aviation Museum

Final pages of the log book of Lieutenant (junior grade) Raymond Porter noting that he and his gunner, Aviation Radioman Third Class Normand Brissette, crashed during a strike against Kure Harbor in Japan. Taken prisoner by the Japanese, the Bombing Squadron (VB) 87 personnel were held captive in Hiroshima, where they died as the result of the atomic bomb dropped on the city on August 6, 1945, sixty-eight years ago today.

I'm calling bullshit on SLD in regards to Special Purpose MAGTF (Crisis Response).

SLD wrote an article trying to prop up the Special Purpose MAGTF (Crisis Response).  You can click here to read it for yourself, but be advised...I'm calling bullshit on the whole thing.

The thing that annoys me most about this is that it creates a brand new command.  The Marine Corps has its MEU's that are purpose built and float the seven seas waiting for trouble.  As a reader pointed out just yesterday when trouble hit in Liberia, the 26th MEU back in 97 (I believe thats the time frame) sent its LPD to conduct an embassy evacuation while its big deck remained on station conducting a larger more involved evacuation of personnel from another country.

So what is this formation really?  Its simply another slot for Marine Colonels to hang their hats. When did the Marine Corps become the land of the juicy command without actual need?  The fact that its aviation centric is another issue but one I'll ignore for the time being.

If you want to see how things are going off the rails then look at this SPMAGTF(CR).  If you want to see something that should be killed at birth then look at this formation. 

Unneeded Commands.  A Commandant that doesn't have the integrity to resign when he's caught up in wrongdoing.  And now a publication that is attempting to put lipstick on a pig.

Yeah.  We're screwed.

Extortion 17. Shot down two years ago today.

Two years ago today the Special Ops Community was shocked by the loss of a couple dozen plus SEALs from Team 6 in a helicopter shoot down.  You can Google the callsign and get more information (conflicting) than you can possibly digest.   I simply want to point to this passage from Wiki concerning the aftermath.

On 10 August 2011, the U.S. military claimed that the insurgent who fired the rocket-propelled grenade had been killed only two days afterward in a F-16 airstrike, saying only that intelligence gained on the ground provided "a high degree of confidence" that the person was among those killed in the airstrike from two days earlier, but providing no other details.[28]
During the same Pentagon news conference in which he announced that the F-16 airstrike had taken out "less than 10" of the insurgents involved, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) commander in Afghanistan John R. Allen said the military investigation into the helicopter downing would also review whether small arms fire or other causes might have contributed to the downing.[28]
Many of the men interviewed for the book Fearless: The Undaunted Courage and Ultimate Sacrifice of Navy SEAL Team SIX Operator Adam Brown by Eric Blehm perished in the crash.[29]
In 2013 Jason Chaffetz said he would hold an investigation of the United States House Oversight Subcommittee on National Security into the matter.[30]

I'm left speechless.   Two years later we're finally getting a review of events.



Quite honestly, we have family  members that are pushing for a probe but the vaunted Special Ops Command remains silent.

These guys deserve better.  Their families deserve better.  But just as importantly, our national defense deserves better.  Lessons learned from this incident could save lives in other theaters.  You can bet that the terrorist are doing their best to pass along lessons learned and best practices.

Click here to go to a Extortion 17 remembrance site.

C-2A Greyhound

Republic of Korea Army 5th Armored Brigade

More on the 22 DDH via Jeffhead's World Wide Aircraft Carriers.

SPECIFICATIONS

Designation: CVL (DDH)

Length: 815 ft

Width: 125 ft

Beam: 110 ft

Displacement: 27,000 tons (full load)

Propulsion: 4 GE LM2500 COGAG, 2 shafts

Speed: 30+ knots

Crew: 970 (Includes Air Wing)

Airwing: (Up to)

- 12 F-35B JSF

- 08 V-22 Osprey

- 08 ASW & SAR Helos

Armament:

- 2 x 21 Cell RAM (or 2 x SEARAM)

- 2 x 20mm Phalanx CIWS

- 2 x Triple 324mm topedoe tubes

Elevators: 2

Ships in class: 2 Planned

DDH-183, Kaga (Building)

DDH-184, Unnamed (Building)

Click here to go to Jeffhead's site on this and other aircraft carriers/amphibious assault ships. About the same size as the Australian ship but carries more aircraft.  According to articles I've read it carries vehicles and around 500 troops.  I haven't seen the ramp to allow roll on roll off of vehicles but if it isn't at a crazy angle (which it shouldn't be) and if they get AAVs, they should be able to launch them (recovery might be an issue....I'll have to check).

Long story short.  The Japanese just developed a pretty nice sea control ship with a minor amphibious assault capability.  That will be the next issue.  If they want it to flex into the LHD role then they'll need to get an effective troop carrying helicopter.

It'll be good to watch a Navy put its ship into service without its leadership hoping that the sailors that use it figure out how things need to be done or what roles it can fulfill (direct hit at Greenert and the LCS).

Japan to hold launching ceremony of latest aircraft carrier at Yokohama

The naming and launching ceremony of latest aircraft carrier-class destroyer “22DDH” will be held at Yokohama on Aug. 6, 2013. “22DDH" is a light aircraft carrier under the name of building "helicopter carrier". It's Japan's new generation helicopter destroyer. The Japanese helicopter carrier can be seen at the pictures. 

Its here.

The long awaited 22DDH is finally about to hit the water.  Somewhere Chinese leaders are shudering.  Japan is slowly but surely militarizing.

Won't it be ironic, if Japan becomes a major military power again all because China misplayed its hand?  Remember, while we're seeing countries unite in opposition to China, they also have age old beef between them.  S. Korean hates Japan.  Japan hates Vietnam.  Vietnam hates S. Korea.  Etc.

The guy sitting on the outside looking out his window at a neighborhood thats becoming dangerous is Australia.  Militarily they are outclassed by the S. Koreans, Japanese and maybe even Singapore.  Which is why I expect to see a major US Joint Base established there soon.

Today in Marine Corps History.

1990 - Marines of the 22d MEU (SOC) were flown to the American Embassy, Monrovia, Liberia, to help evacuate personnel.  

Please note that the MEU (not a Special Purpose MAGTF) did the embassy reinforcement and evacuation mission.

Note 1:  Naval Requirements blog reminded me of something.  We've had MEU's that have done embassy reinforcement, embassy evacuation, TRAP Missions into hostile territory, demonstrations of force, humanitarian relief...the list goes on.  These missions were accomplished by regular infantry that were trained by our own Special Operations Training Group to be certified as Special Operations Capable MEU's.  We have what we need.  The Maritime Raid Force, MARSOC, SPMAGTF (Crisis Response Force) are all just add on's that are fashionable but add nothing.  We were doing it before we got those units and we'll be doing it once we close shop on them.  The next Grunt Commandant of the Marine Corps will have to clean house. Of personnel that are in positions they don't belong in and of equipment/concepts that make no sense.

Gripen Future Concepts.

Above you see a slide from the SAAB Group's brief.  I don't have a breakdown of the talking points from each but it appears that fully networked, and command/control of unmanned aircraft is being built into the Gripen.

Thought provoking articles...

Thanks Bob for the links....

Want to get your Monday started on the right foot?  How about some articles to get your brain juices flowing....

*How dictators come to power in a democracy.

*The hard long slog.

*Will China's economy crash.

If you do follow my advice and read the articles then do so with an open mind and a view toward looking at the world the way it is, not the way we want it to be.

If you do, then you'll start seeing and hearing the same warning signs that I do.

Blast from the Past. Fully Amphibious, Surf Capable M-113 (Modified) by FMC.

Note:  I've posted this before but sometimes it pays to dust off the old and reintroduce concepts already covered.

When will you know that the Marine Corps is actually serious about developing a modern Amphibious Combat Vehicle?

When we finally have a real discussion about how many Marines it should be designed to carry!

When the LVTP-7 was developed that was a discussion the old skool Marines had, and from my readings it was rather spirited.  The debate was between rapid buildup of forces ashore and the vulnerability of the vehicles (and potential loss of life if hit) when they traveled on to the objective.

Two vehicles were submitted.  One that carried a Squad plus of Marines (the LVTP-7...upgraded to the AAV we all know) and one that carried fewer Marines (the vehicle you see above).  The Marine Personnel Carrier Program that was recently cancelled split the baby perfectly and would have revolutionized mechanized combat in the Marine Corps.

Now.  We're stuck with old vehicles that will be upgraded for the foreseeable future.

Navantia responds to Philippine RFP with the Avante 1800.

  Avante 1800 Corvette_r01(1)

The Philippine Navy put out a request for proposals with regards to a new Corvette and Navantia was all over it with the Avante 1800.

Just a glance at the brochure tells me that its MUCH more capable than the LCS, at a lower cost with much greater firepower.

Let's hope that this is the beginning of common sense defense procurement for the Philippine people.

Blast from the past. F2H Banshees of VF-12 from National Naval Aviation Museum.

USMC JAG Lawyers.

via Marine Times.

The Marine Corps commandant’s controversial handling of legal cases tied to the infamous video of scout snipers urinating on Taliban corpses has caught the eye of attorneys involved in another hot-button issue for the military: sexual assault.
Mounting evidence that Gen. Jim Amos and some of his top legal advisers may have deliberately sought to sway the outcome of the war-zone video cases — which would constitute actual unlawful command influence — could be used by attorneys in an attempt to get military courts to take another look at unrelated sexual assault convictions the Corps has secured, said attorneys tracking the issue.
Amos last year cited both the urination video and sexual assaults as embarrassing examples of misbehavior during his “Heritage Brief” tour of Marine bases and stations around the world. He condemned immoral actions by Marines and pressed for aggressive responses when they were discovered.
That tough talk on sexual assault cases led military judges in at least four cases within the past year to rule that the commandant exerted apparent unlawful command influence, according to an active-duty military lawyer involved in some of those cases. The judges determined that Amos’ words potentially violated defendants’ legal rights by tainting jury pools and ensuring convictions before their cases played out in court.
The judges, however, did not find that Amos committed actual unlawful command influence, a more serious finding that could have led to the cases’ dismissal. 

Read the whole thing.  I'm pleasantly surprised that the Marine Times is staying on this.  Amos is hoping that if he keeps his head down he can weather the storm.  I'm not convinced but time will tell.

Well done to the JAG Lawyers that are going after this.

It takes a special kind of guts to go after the top ranking Marine while wearing the uniform. King size balls and ovaries reside in that shop.  I imagine they all wear the morale patch below.

Type 75 LHA under construction. via Chinese Military Review.

I've been waiting for this.

Carriers are cool.  But they don't signify a nations intent to be able to take and hold ground in distant lands.  Yes, they can control air space, they can launch punitive air raids...they can even level cities...but they can't deliver and deploy forces to take and hold real estate.

An LHA can.

If they build in numbers and continue to work on the other pieces of their Marine Corps then we will be faced with an issue the USMC hasn't dealt with since the Cold War.  The USMC will have to face fighting a conventional force, capable of landing at a spot of its choosing, backed with Carrier Aviation, using combined arms against our infantry.

At this moment the Chinese Marine Corps can in my opinion claim to have achieved at the very least equality with our Corps.  HQMC can keep pimping humanitarian assistance and disaster relief but it better dust off simulations using the projected Chinese Order of Battle against our own forces before it happens in real life.

SIDE NOTE:  Does anyone have a good definition of the difference between an LHA and a LHD?  At one time their was a clear distinction between the two.  LHA's could only land forces via aviation  where  a LHD used landing craft & aviation.  That no longer seems to be a valid definition.   Ideas?  Or is this another case of creeping classification to a point where it no longer makes a difference.