An unknown contender enters the ring...

Don't know who she is but she's hot...and fit.

Coastal Command Patrol Boats.

Read the story here.  But a tidbit.

The first of a new class of coastal command patrol boats has arrived in Southern California, heralding the advent of new craft bridging the gap between the large, blue-water Navy and brown-water coastal and green-water inland forces.
Manned by a Fleet Integration Team consisting entirely of Navy Reservists, the craft has been undergoing testing in the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca areas since April.
According to the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command, the boat contains a hydraulic crane and shock-mitigating seating for 18 crew members. The boat also features sound-deadening curtains which separate the berthing area from the galley and an electronics space and sound-deadening floor mats which isolate the pilothouse, main cabin and galley from machinery and hull-borne noise.
The CCB shares many characteristics with the larger, 85-foot Mark VI patrol boats also under construction for coastal and riverine forces.

I still think the CB-90's would have done a better job.

Interesting though.  Riverines are getting new gear while everyone else is getting cut.  I wonder why that is.

Why is the US Army buying 592,825 AK-47 Magazines???

via Fed Biz...

Synopsis:
Added: Jul 29, 2013 9:07 amThis is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; proposals are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

The U. S. Army Contracting Command - New Jersey, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, in support of the U.S. Army Research Development Engineering Command Armament Research Development and Engineering Center (RDECOM-ARDEC) and Several Program Offices, intends to issue a solicitation to all Basic Ordering Agreement (BOA) holders to procure the following:

1. 592,825 (approx) AK Rifle Magazines: 7.62x39mm Caliber, New Production, Steel, 30 Round Capacity

Please note that only contractors that have received previously established Basic Ordering Agreements (BOAs) under W15QKN-12-X-C003 will be issued a solicitation. If you believe you are capable of supplying the abovementioned Non-Standard Weapons (NSW), please respond to the Government's open and continuous sources sought notice, W15QKN-12-X-C003 and follow the detailed instructions. Responses to the sources sought notice will be assessed to determine the contractor's capabilities, and if determined capable, the contractor will be awarded a BOA.

The proposed contract action is for supplies for which the Government intends to solicit under the authority of FAR 16.703. The Government expects to award a Firm Fixed Price contract to the offeror that provides the best value to the Government. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. In addition, the Government will not pay for any information provided under this notice.

The point of contact for this requirement is Mr. Paul Giovannoli, Contract Specialist, ACC-NJ-MA, Bldg. 10, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000; email: paul.giovannoli.civ@mail.mil.

Contracting Office Address:
ACC - New Jersey, Center for Contracting and Commerce, Building 10 Phipps RD, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ 07806-5000
Place of Performance:
ACC - New Jersey Center for Contracting and Commerce, Building 10 Phipps RD Picatinny Arsenal NJ
07806-5000
US
Point of Contact(s):
Paul Giovannoli, 9737242136

Uh.

Excuse me, but what the fuck!

1/2 a million AK-47 Mags?

Ok.  Alex Jones ain't looking so crazy now.

An Army Colonel has the moral courage to state the obvious and gets fired for his trouble.

This guy is definitely no Amos.  He has the moral courage to say out loud what everyone already knows.  Did he get promoted for it?  No.  He got fired.  Read the whole thing here but the operative sentences are below.

For headquarters staff, war consists largely of the endless tinkering with PowerPoint slides to conform with the idiosyncrasies of cognitively challenged generals in order to spoon-feed them information. Even one tiny flaw in a slide can halt a general's thought processes as abruptly as a computer system's blue screen of death.
The ability to brief well is, therefore, a critical skill. It is important to note that skill in briefing resides in how you say it. It doesn't matter so much what you say or even if you are speaking Klingon.
Random motion, ad hoc processes and an in-depth knowledge of Army minutia and acronyms are also key characteristics of a successful staff officer. Harried movement together with furrowed brows and appropriate expressions of concern a la Clint Eastwood will please the generals. Progress in the war is optional.

Quite honestly, if the current leadership served during WW2, half of them (yes...especially Amos) would have been fired by now.  The other half demoted and they would be replaced by some tough as nails Colonels.

If they couldn't hack it, then we'd go down the line until we found someone who could get the job done.

But that isn't the world we live in today, so people like Colonel Sellin are fired. 

Bomb run completed...Fly it till the wings come off. WW2 Heroism via War Machine.

No Compromise, General Chapman 24th Commandant of the Marine Corps via Sgt Grit.

Marines Won’t ChangeThere will be no attempt whatsoever to make the Marine Corps a more congenial and comfortable organization to work for, its Commandant said yesterday.
"Negative," General Leonard F. Chapman Jr. replied with brisk, professional economy when asked about the prospects.
General Chapman spoke at a press conference at the Marines' Memorial Club during a one-day stopover in the Bay Area to inspect Marine facilities.
PROPOSAL
He was asked about proposals revealed last week by the Army which would ease life for the enlisted man by eliminating such trials as predawn reveille and midnight inspections.
Chapman, crisp, dry and unwrinkled, made his one-word reply when someone inquired as to whether the Marines might do likewise. "Why not, General?" another reporter asked.
"The object of recruit training is to instill discipline and other virtues of loyalty and patriotism and to put recruits under physical and mental strains to see if they can stand up to it," the four-star general said.
"If he can't take it at the recruit depot, he can't take it on the battlefield," Chapman added.
TOUGHER
In fact, he commented after a pause, if anything the Marines are going to "tighten up and toughen up".
The Commandant had occasion during the press conference to reject another suggestion from an Army source calling for the formation of longhair and shorthair platoons to spur rivalry.
That suggestion - with the inevitable allusions to General George Custer of the long, flowing locks - was made in this month's Military Review, a publication of the Army's general staff college.
"The Marine Corps is not going to do that because it's hazardous in combat," Chapman said, unsmilingly, noting that long hair tends to get tangled in rifle and machine gun parts.
Beyond that, he said, "wounds in hairy areas are much more susceptible to infection."
Chapman afterward awarded the Navy Cross - the nation's second highest decoration for heroism - to Staff Sergeant Harold A. Riensche, 29, now a mechanic for the city of Oakland.

F-35s and Super Hornets for Canada?

 

via The Star Phoenix.

If a competition is to be announced before the 2015 election, an opportune moment would be early in 2014 - in time for the government to take credit for doing "the right thing" by taxpayers, but not so proximal to the vote as to make it appear opportunistic, or risk its once again becoming an election issue. The idea, in other words, is to take the fighter contract off the table politically, while reasserting the Conservatives' reputation as responsible managers of the public purse.

That has been made possible, industry insiders believe, by commander of the RCAF Lt. Gen. Yvan Blondin's assertion before the Senate defence committee last March 25, that the Air Force's CF-18s are flyable through 2025. Previously the planes' best-before date was deemed to be 2020.

Why the change of heart? The theory making the rounds in Ottawa is twofold. First, members of the caucus and cabinet are acutely aware that they need good-news stories, or at least the absence of more bad news stories, as they head into the preelection period. Second, in the context of U.S. President Barack Obama's continuing chilliness towards the Keystone XL Pipeline, there is a new determination at senior levels of the government to put Canadian industrial regional benefits first, and cut the best deal possible, for the best plane, at the best price, with the greatest economic benefit to Canada.

All of which, if true, would appear to be good news. Better late - even very, very late - than never.

Read the whole thing here.

Navy to reduce Admirals? Troops better duck...its gonna be bad.

Upon the recommendation of the Chief of Naval Operations, the Secretary of the Navy has approved a plan that will result in 34 Navy Flag Officer positions being reduced, eliminated, or consolidated
The plan aligns Navy Flag Officer billet structure to inventory, complies with statutory limits of USC Title 10, and preserves Navy’s ability to meet Joint flag officer requirements
The plan balances these reductions across officer communities and enables Flag Officer promotions to occur within the year of selection.
Navy Flag Officer end strength adjustments are already underway using a phased approach that involves reduced promotions and increased retirements.
This revised billet structure postures the service to absorb future reductions in headquarters and staff due to sequestration.
This initiative is aligned with similar manpower policies enacted over the past few years to adjust inventory and billet structure of the officer and enlisted force.

Everyone has been sending me the blurb you see above as a sign that the Pentagon is getting its house in order.

Consider me a contrarian, but I see something different.  Just like certain programs were offered up to keep the F-35 untouched, I see this as an attempt to justify going after the troops in a huge way.

When the SecDef appears before congress and says I want to axe X amount of servicemen, you can bet a few Senators and Representatives will say cut the number of generals and admirals first.

He'll sit back and say, Sir, I already did.

Marines, Sailors, Soldiers and Airmen better saddle up.  This is gonna be nasty.  Oh and the reenlistment package you have stashed away thinking it makes you golden ain't gonna be enough once they start slicing.  Be smart, get your affairs in order now in case the worst happens. 

Marine test pilot makes first F-35B night landing at sea

Lt. Col. C.R. “Jimi” Clift makes the first F-35B Lightning II night landing on USS Wasp during the second at-sea F-35 developmental test event, Aug. 14. The F-35 Integrated Test Force is embarked on the Wasp for three weeks to expand the F-35B operational envelope in preparation for Marine Corps initial operational capability test in 2015. (Photo by MCSN Michael T. Forbes II, U.S. Navy)

I sit back and marvel.

Not at the achievement but at my reaction to it.

A little while ago I would have been thumping my chest saying that this is a great step toward the plane going into service.

That was before it dawned on me (with the cancellation of the Marine Personnel Carrier Program) that the Marine Corps was selling it soul for the privilege of paying through every orifice for the chance to buy the damn thing.

I got bombarded with e-mails saying that the F-35 wasn't causing budget issues, that the Marine Corps was paying for the plane from a separate account.  I got ridiculed for changing my mind about it.

Then the SecDef and later on that lying bastard Amos confirmed what I already knew.  Its buy F-35's or nothing else.

The F-35 landed on an LHA at night.  

It landed on the throat of the Marine Corps a loooong time ago.

Sidenote;  What is the real deal with the Wasp?  Its been out of service for so long that its almost criminal.  The Marine Corps is crying for amphibious shipping but we have a big deck that can't get out of sight of the coast for almost 8 years now?  This almost demands a Congressional Investigation.

F-35 potentially causing allies to cut Infantry....

Thanks for the article Doug.



via The NationalPost.

As Rob Nicholson, the new defence minister, settles in at National Defence headquarters, he will have been briefed on the war of the Two Towers — one run by DND bureaucrats who control the purse strings; the other by the uniforms of the Canadian Forces.
The on-going hostilities are likely to flare up as the new minister is forced to make some unpalatable decisions on resource allocation, including the possibility of reducing the size of Canada’s 68,000 regular forces by chopping one or more of its nine infantry battalions.
Earlier this month, U.S. defence secretary Chuck Hagel indicated the Pentagon might have to decide between a “much smaller force” or a decade-long “holiday” from modernizing weapons systems and technology. Word leaked that the cancellation of the $392-billion F-35 joint strike fighter program was being contemplated — a rumour defence officials later tried to quash.
Canada has its own cash crisis — by 2014/15, nearly $2.5-billion will have been cut from DND’s budget.

The F-35 is costing capability.

If you're a believer in hardware over people then the F-35 is your baby.

If you believe that its not the tech but the people then the F-35 is costing too much.

This is turning into a cost battle.  The member nations will try to slice the baby and the cost will increase.  That will mean others will be able to afford fewer of the planes.  One thing is certain.

Whether you're a supporter or critic, it should be obvious that projected buys will never come to pass.

Tail of the tape. Wasp vs. the Izumo.

She is definitely a beauty.

Strange article on the F-35.

I don't know this website or the author, but he attempts to make a case for the F-35.  Read it here.  But a tidbit.

As to the marines: What is the need of the marines? They are infantry! The need is to avoid paddling in with a 205 mm howitzer in the rubber dinghy as they cramp the gung-ho style – not to mention the ammunition going in the same way – such a beast makes gun toters REALLY tired just hearing of it. There is no way the US Navy will allow big gun ship within range of the beach (say 30 miles) as lorry mounted Harpoons or such can be hidden anywhere – a garage f.i., and making Old McDonnalds barn a strategic nuclear target is somewhat overdoing it. That is also why the Marines get their Osprey – otherwise they would have kept their Sea Knights forever.
The Harrier does that very well, and it has been operated from farmyards with just a strip (3 actually – the outrigger wheels take two) of pierced steel planking. Doing VTOL. Harriers have high casualties pr. flight hour as they spend a disproportionate time in the most demand phases of flight: Start, landing and bomb run. As to hangar deck having to be kept clean that goes for other planes too. Do you think the daily inspection walk on the deck is done JUST to piss off all the privates – no they look for gum wrappers, bits of rubber lost, nuts and bolts – everything a jet engine hates. Recirculation of hot air (and thus less thrust) IS a problem in all vertical take off with fixed wing aircraft, and is more problematic really for the Marines purpose than the lack of wing lift support.
The F-35C – the VTOL Marine model was NEVER intended as an interceptor and defender of the ship

Uh.

Wow.

Ignoring the article for a minute.  I have alerts out for F-35 articles and news.  That alert has been beeping more and more lately.  Maybe its just a bit of increased attention from the blogging/news community or it could be that we're seeing some type of information war going on.

The fight is on, the White House is pushing the Pentagon to make some pretty intense choices (the Pentagon wants to slash personnel, the White House is trying to limit it...probably for political reasons but nevertheless they want to hold the line) and Congress appears ready to hold firm on defense cuts.

The MPC, ACV, GCV, AMPV have all been offered up to the budget Gods.  The JLTV looks to be the next offering and after that I have no idea.

The only thing left will be the F-35.  Its supposedly untouchable.  I'm not so sure.

A final word on those crazy firing positions.

Gun guys have adopted without much thought the idea of shooting from unbalanced and unsupported firing positions as the way to go.  Its a bad idea all around.  This is 3-gun stuff only.  But American Mercenary said it best....

I call B.S.
I'm on my third deployment and never had to shoot laying on my side, or know anyone who has. I've been through the AMU's SDM and CQB train the trainer courses, and I've trained in CQB with the AWG. That is my resume. None of those units train any sort of "laying on your side like a Hollywood action hero" form of shooting.

He's exactly right.  Click here to read his blog.  

Defense Companies lead the way with how to deal with China.

Thanks for the link Kristoffer!

via WantChinaTimes.

American and British defense technology companies are refusing to receive Chinese customers at international defense shows as a way to deter copycats, according to the Canada-based Kanwa Defense Review and the Global Times, a tabloid published under the auspices of the Communist Party mouthpiece People's Daily.
Kanwa said that China's defense industry has changed dramatically over the past 20 years since the International Aviation and Space Show in Moscow in 1992. The attitude of Chinese representatives at international defense fairs has also changed significantly since 2000.
In the 1990s, Chinese representatives were known for wearing cheap suits with a sweater, avoiding reporters or giving ambiguous answers to their questions. Their behavior did nothing to attract buyers but actually turned them away.
However, as more Chinese defense companies entered the international market from 2000, these representatives began to wear better suits, which are often more expensive than their counterparts from other countries. They began to greet reporters politely, while still maintaining their distance.
The number of representatives has also increased significantly. Members of the Chinese military and technicians from private companies often swarm around the products of US and British companies displayed at international defense fairs. US military equipment is their focus, Kanwa said, adding that Chinese representatives take photographs and videos, which are then studied.
The French military began implementing measures to block these representatives since the Paris Air Show in 2006, where key parts of French military equipment was covered and sealed, and Chinese representatives were not allowed to get a closer look. US exhibitors reportedly said that they will also refuse to accept Chinese buyers.
The changes have made it increasingly difficult for reporters to cover western military defense systems. Since 2008, US representatives no longer provide detailed information or files regarding to their weapons' sizes and functions during the fairs.
Meanwhile, British and US defense companies have stopped providing printed documents, assigning experts to introduce their products instead. They claim the measure was implemented to save paper, but really it is to prevent people from copying their weapons, the Global Times said.
Aside from China, representatives from South Korea and Turkey and other emerging military powers have also begun to participate in the international defense shows, the paper said.

Seems like greed sent these companies to China and greed will lead them out.  Once General Electric and Pratt and Whitney finish teaching the Chinese how to build modern engines they won't need anything more from us anyway.

China is Frankenstien.  Its a monster that we created.

An audit of the V-22 is classified?

via Marine Corps Times.

The Pentagon’s internal watchdog is poised to publish a classified report scrutinizing how much time the military’s V-22 Osprey spends in maintenance and unprepared for flight.
The Defense Department inspector general’s audit will determine whether the Osprey’s performance “meets mission capability rate requirements, as well as how the frequency of repairs and the replacement of supply parts” affects its mission readiness, officials with the IG’s office wrote in their August newsletter.
It is not clear who requested the audit, but its results will be classified, according to Bridget Ann Serchak, the IG’s chief of public affairs. She declined to provide further details.
However, the process did encompass several years’ worth of data. A memorandum from the IG, dated January 2012, indicates the audit was to include V-22 operations from Oct. 1 2008 through Sept. 30, 2011.
MV-22s are operated by the Marine Corps, which has two variants, the “B” and “C” models. They’re used to move troops and equipment, and this week began flying in support of President Obama’s elite executive transport unit, Marine Helicopter Squadron 1. Air Force CV-22s are used for special operations missions.
The Navy has expressed interest in acquiring Ospreys, too, as have some foreign militaries, including both Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

V-22 audit is classified?

Why?  For what reason?

Unless its to help cover up wrongdoing by Senior Marine Corps Commanders...namely Amos and his directions to subordinate Commanders on how they were to report mission capable rates.

This guy is screwing up the Corps in ways that I could never imagine.

Amos has to go.  And the Pentagon needs to stop covering him on his bullshit. 

Scarier than Jump Week.

Tower Week!!!!!

JLTV is now rebranded as the next Light Infantry Vehicle????

via Defense News.

DALLAS — Due to funding cuts, program managers for the next-generation light infantry vehicle being designed for the US Army and Marine Corps are preparing to take a calculated gamble with the program’s testing schedule, an Army official said today.
With the cuts mandated by sequestration biting into the planned testing and evaluation budget of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV), joint program manager Col. John Cavedo said that instead of pushing back the start of testing in order to save money, the services are going to proceed as planned until next summer.
If sequestration remains in place and the program doesn’t receive a new infusion of cash by next July, then the services will have to begin curtailing planned testing and evaluation activities, which would push the program’s schedule back.
“We decided to start the program at full pace, and we’re going to fix those things that need fixing” next summer if sequestration remains in place, Cavedo told a small group of reporters. “We lost money due to sequester and we have to figure out how to do testing without that money” he said.

Read the entire article by clicking here.

Marine Land should be shocked.  A low priority program for both the Army and Marine Corps continues yet higher priority projects are placed, not on the back burner but off the stove entirely.

Why one red cent would go toward the JLTV is beyond me.  But its par for the course in Amos' Marine Corps.

Infantry needs a replacement for the AAV and what does he do?  He kills the MPC, delays the ACV to a point where his projected timetables are now jokes and even the upgrades for the 50 year old AAV are in doubt.

If that isn't enough to raise your blood pressure then calling the JLTV the next light infantry vehicle should send it over the top.

Its obvious the Pentagon has learned well from its civilian masters.  If something isn't working then use language to put it in a better light.  Joint Light Tactical Vehicle not moving the needle?  Then how about Future Light Infantry Vehicle instead (FLIV)? 

RHK111's take on a possible Perry Class Frigate donation to the Philippines.

I've been deep diving in the blogosphere to find Pacific area writers to get a local view of events there.

One of the blogs I ran across is RHK111.  His latest is quite good and gives some info on the Perry class that I never knew.  These warships, in their prime, were simply world class.  Enough of me, read his stuff here.

The pushback against militarized police begins.

via The Atlantic Cities.

Residents of Concord, New Hampshire, accomplished a rare feat earlier this week when they prevented their police chief, if only temporarily, from buying a BearCat.
What's a BearCat, you say? Lenco Armored Vehicles says its best selling truck can "be used as a S.W.A.T. or Military Counter Attack and Rescue Vehicle and is often used in hostile Urban Environments or as a Patrol/Reaction Vehicle on a Military Base." It holds up to 10 people, is cheap to maintain, and can be equipped with the "Mechanical Rotating Turret with Cupola (Tub) and Weapon Ready Mounting System, suitable for the M60, 240B and Mark 19 weapons system."

Read it all here.

One Brit's view of the F-35 via Save the Royal Navy.org.

via

via STRN.org

One of the many criticisms of the project is the spiralling unit cost of the planes and that no one will give a final exact price. Current estimates are around $220 Million (£143M) ‘fly-away’ cost for each plane. (Incidentally an F35 is also estimated to cost around $32,000 per hour to fly, although there are many variables that will affect this figure in UK service.) Just consider that figure £143 Million. Modern jets have always been expensive but this is a whole new paradigm. A single fighter/strike aircraft that costs as much as a small warship, a couple of hospitals… etc, A plane so precious and costly that it cannot be unduly risked? Although modern simulators will be able to prepare new pilots to a very high standard before they take the controls of a real plane, sooner or later they will have to fly real training sorties, and take the risks that accompany any flight in a fast jet. Even masters of aviation, the RAF have managed on average to lose at least one Tornado through accidents each year since it came into service.

The article is in the best British tradition.

Long.

But its worth the read.  Click here to go to his spot to check it out.