Conventional Truths via AM.

I won't spoil it by posting one word of it here.  Click this link and read it at his house.

Can you identify this weapon sight Security Forces uses? Update. Identified.

What is the weapon sight this Security Forces Airman using?  I've seen some Aimpoints that appear similar but I just don't know.  If you have REAL knowledge hit me up.

Med Fleet Deployment Graphic via PostSkriptum Blog

Its getting crowded.

Oh and these are the overt deployments.  I wonder what "secret" assets are being moved?

Information Dissemination is wrong about Army Aviation at sea.

via ID.

Count me among those who see this as training that will be used in theater for action one day.
In the 1980s the US Army deployed small special forces helicopters on US vessels in dealing with Iran during the Tanker War. Those Army helicopters did very well against small boat combat, and it is worth the effort to put Apache's into that role today to see what Navy needs to do to support it.
Over the last decade there have been a number of sea base proposals that never panned out. One of the proposals I was always particularly found of was developing the capability to field the 101st Airborne division from a Sea Base. I'd like to think this activity helps the Army clarify what needs to be done in support of that eventual capability.

Yeah.  Operations at sea are fun until the first mishap occurs.

Go to Information Dissemination website to read the whole article to get a flavor of where he's coming from.

I think we're still in the embryonic stage of all this.  Consider.

*  Riverine is struggling to find its footing.  Every time it seems to settle on a concept of operations it finds itself drifting into Naval Special Warfare turf...especially Special Boat Team territory.
*  Marine Aviation should be looking for every chance possible to guard its turf.  They better be anyway (not their fault Amos has put the wing in a terrible position).  Every mission set that can be accomplished by the MV-22, AH-1Z and UH-1Y better be one where Marine Aviation is fighting to get that slot.
*  Naval Aviation should be looking for every chance possible to guard its turf.  If Naval Rotorcraft want to be seen as more than simply a supply service to do shuttle runs between ships then it better get into the littoral fight in a big way.
*  Naval Unmanned Rotary Aircraft are going to be taking up deck space.  FireScout B or C will be taking up deckspace, flying longer missions and hitting as hard as their manned brethren   Additionally for the space of two Fire Scout B's you can get one MH-60?  Yeah.  Some smart boy in the Surface Navy is going to do the math.  

Long story short.

It might make a pretty picture, and everyone might be fired up about the image it presents but its waaaay different from what we'll actually see in a combat zone.

Blast from the past. Old Skool Top Gun.

Robocop. This remake might not suck.

Brazil looking to buy the Pantsir S-1 via www.forte.jor.br

Read about it here.

A vivid illustration of the differences via TacBlog.

 Wow.  I don't have any other words that properly describe this except wow...and well done.

 

Mig-15 rear visibility via Paolo Nurra

Rear visibility from the cockpit (rear), Mig-15 better than F-35!

The USMC uses optics on its rifles but still teaches basic marksmanship with iron sights.  Why?  Because stuff breaks and when it does you have to go back to the basics.

Like being able to look behind you.  For what its worth, YMMV.

Ft. Bragg opens its Air Assault School.

The Fort Bragg Air Assault School is now open. Brig. Gen. Wayne Eyre, second to right, XVIII Airborne Corps deputy commanding general of operations, and Command Sgt. Maj. Isaia T. Vimoto cut the ribbon Sept. 5, officially opening the school. 
(U.S. Army photo by Spc. Paul A. Holston/XVIII Abn. Corps PAO)

Geez!

What's next?  Jump towers at Ft. Campbell?  That's all the world needs....A new cadre of Black Hats (intense sarcasm).  

BAE/Iveco Marine Personnel Carrier to be displayed at the 2013 Maneuver Conference

Absolutely Amazing.

Way to go Army.

Way to twist the knife.  I don't even know if they're serious or not, but when I got word that the Marine Personnel Carrier was going to make an appearance at the 2013 Maneuver Conference, I swallowed hard, sat up a bit straighter in my chair and said Holy Bat Shit loud enough to get some stares from the more genteel persons sitting near me.

Even if the Army decides against testing the vehicle, the Marine Corps is being put on notice.

We won't be the only ground force operating in the Pacific.  The Army is making serious plans to gear up for the fight in that region too.

Sidenote:  Despite all the talk of budget cuts the US Govt will protect what remains of our manufacturing base.  That means that heavy vehicle plants will find work.  BAE seems like its getting ready to fight for some of  that work.  It might be just a dribble, but even a little can keep valuable design teams together.  That alone will be worth the investment.

This is what should scare everyone about Syria. CRS estimates it will take over 75,000 troops to secure chemical weapons.

via CNS News.

The CRS report saying that the Pentagon had estimated it would take "over 75,000 troops" to secure Syria's chemical weapons was issued just one day before an August 21 chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs. According to an assessment released by the U.S. government, that attack killed 1,429 people. Ten days after the attack--and eleven days after the CRS released its report--President Obama announced his intention to use military force to penalize the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Asad for perpetrating the attack.
“U.S. officials have expressed confidence that chemical weapons stocks in Syria are secured by the Asad regime, which dispatched elite Special Forces for that purpose,” said the CRS report--“Syria’s Chemical Weapons: Issues for Congress.”
But the report also said the U.S. government has been making contingency plans to make sure the Asad regime’s chemical weapons did not fall into the hands of terrorists “in the event of the regime’s loss of control.” In this context, the CRS said the Pentagon had estimated it would take “over 75,000 troops” to neutralize the weapons

Read it all here.

Hmm.

So that means the entire Ranger Battalion, probably a couple of Special Forces A Teams...MARSOC Regiment...maybe a couple MEU's formed up to make a MEB (-) and perhaps the 101st along with the 1st Armored sitting in the Jordanian desert.

They'll have to fight there way to the weapons, secure them for transport or destruction and then fight their way back out.

Syrian Army remnants, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda fighters and the Iranian Kuds force will all be taking swipes at our guys.

We'll be lucky to keep our casualties under 20%.

This is the real nightmare scenario that we're facing.  Everyone and their mother (meaning the UN, European leaders and Neo-Cons here in the US) will be begging us to take on this fight.  And the worse thing is that this is probably unavoidable.  Unless we swallow pride and negotiate a way for Assad to peacefully transfer power to a caretaker--moderate government, then we'll have to get those chemical weapons.  In other words we're fucked.

Opposition to Syria spells trouble for defense budgets.

The powers that be in Washington have effectively killed the golden goose.

I'm one of those people that say that defense is one of the few real responsibilities of the Federal Government and that it is a jobs producer.

Unfortunately a mix of bad policy, sorry oversight of weapons procurement, sky high deficits and poor war planning has all conspired to make the American people (myself included) leary of foreign entanglements.

Opposition to our involvement in Syria spells trouble for the Pentagon when it comes to reconstituting our forces after the current war winds down.  It appears to me that our citizenry isn't gung-ho when it comes to playing world police.  Whats more alarming is the fact that it appears our current SecDef has no problem with the US being a MUCH smaller military power.

Add this all together and my prediction about sequestration being here to stay no matter what happens with Syria seems spot on.  Additionally I can see further cuts to the defense budget.  It hasn't gotten there yet, but soon bone will be cut instead of fat.

Consider this another log added to the fire that is the legacy of Amos and the Joint Chiefs.  Poor leadership yields poor results.

Blast from the past. Old Skool Big 7.

Harvest Hawk. Flawed from the start.

I'm a blogger with a Marine Corps focus.  That makes me part cheerleader, part critic but sometimes.  Sometimes.  I take a step back, look at what we've done and have to say What the Fuck?!?!

The Harvest Hawk is one of those programs that in hindsight falls into the WHAT THE FUCK camp.

When I first heard about it, I cheered.  The Marine Corps is being innovative, forward thinking etc...

Now?  All I can say is really?  Seriously?

Consider this.  The Marine Corps has the F/A-18 A/C/D, all designated to fly Close Air Support and Air Interdiction missions for the Marines.  We have the AV-8B Harrier II for the same.  Additionally we have the AH-1W/Z Super Cobra/Viper and the UH-1N/Y Venom to also put down fire for our forces.

I won't even list the artillery, mortars, vehicle mounted cannons, infantry carried missiles etc that also provide firepower for our forces.

Yet with all that, we decided to take C-130's and ignore the need to take convoys off the roads and instead turned them into shooters too.

Sometimes the best thing a leader can do is to say no.  Turning the KC-130 into the Harvest Hawk was and is a bad idea.  Why it was allowed to continue is beyond me.  The fix is simple.  Give the gear to SOCOM and make the C-130s pure transports again.  We have firepower.  We need to fix our logistics with the tools we already have on hand.

Internal Marine Corps Politics.

Many thanks to Dave for sending me the link to this story.  It definitely flew beneath my radar.

via Foreign Policy by Thomas Ricks...

Last month (mid-August) the Marine Corps announced that it would start firing captains and majors who have repeatedly been passed over for promotion. Or, as the announcement of the policy change put it, "EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, MARINE CORPS POLICY IS TO SELECT FOR CONTINUATION ONLY THOSE TWICE PASSED MAJORS AND TWICE PASSED CAPTAINS WHOSE CONTINUED SERVICE IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE MARINE CORPS BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE MARINE CORPS IN ACCORDANCE WITH CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY THE SECRETARY Of THE NAVY."
Two e-mails about this appeared in my inbox.
The first was from a more senior Marine officer: "We are institutionally breaking faith all over the place. Amos is killing the soul of the Corps. His legacy is going to be one of division and resentment."
The other, immediately above it, was from a field-grade officer: "About time."
Which one is right?

Hmmm.

This is a tough one.  Unfortunately they're both right.

First.  The "more Senior Marine Officer" is spot on.  Amos IS killing the soul of the Corps.  I've never seen more division in our cohesive organization in my life.  Resentment isn't vocalized, instead its talked about in hushed tones with trusted individuals.  No one is being honest in their opinions because it could be a career ender if you buck HQMC when it comes to a new questionable policy.

Second.  The Field Grade Officer is spot on.  This is a gun club.  Not a university.  We don't (or rather shouldn't) promote on the basis of diversity, ass kissery or any other form of favoritism.  If you can't don't pack the stones to be the best among the best then thank you for your service but move on to another stage in your life.  No embarrassment.  No need for a lowered head.  You did your bit for God and Country but there are better qualified men that earned what you couldn't.

Unfortunately that isn't the case.  People are being passed over because they weren't able to check all the boxes because they were down range doing the deed.  Meanwhile some individuals that lived comfortably, were never subjected to the rigors of living in an outpost or dogging IEDs are seen as golden because they accomplished all the required PME and we can't give extra marks for doing what Marines do.  Go to war. 

This necessary reform will not work because the man at the top is not trusted.  Faith is being broken and it will take a new Commandant to restore confidence.

Amos is without a doubt the weakest, most incompetent, and totally despised leader the Marine Corps has had in my lifetime.  His retirement can't come soon enough.

Sidenote: Rumor central has it that he's already politicking for a Combatant Commander posting.  These same rumors state that he's aiming for the Pacific.  God help us all if its true.  God save us if he's selected.

MAKS-2013 via English Russia.

That's a full size, Hummer style vehicle rolling off this helicopter...no break down required...ready for action.  This is the one Russian Helicopter that I most want to see in person one day, attack helicopters are a dime a dozen but a helo that almost has the internal volume of a C-130?  Yeah I'd love to see it.

Would the shooting be ruled justified?

The above video has been sweeping the internet and its "somewhat" cool.

I do have a few issues though.  First the clerk was awesome.  His draw was slow, but he took control of the bad guys wrist and put him in a totally defensive situation.

Having said that, I do wonder why he didn't pull the trigger?

Next, if he did pull the trigger would it have been a legal shoot?  I live in the deep South so it wouldn't be an issue.  But what about in different parts of the country (and I'm not talking about Kalifornia, Kommunist Chikago or Socialist DC .... see what I did there)?

And then my last question (and this is pure dee arm chair quarterbacking) why didn't he detain the guy and give the police a chance to arrest him since he didn't do his other civic duty (ventilate the bad guy).

All in all very cool but after actions are where you learn how to do it better next time.

Are we seeing an internal battle being played out in public?

via Bloomberg Business Week.

The Pentagon’s weapons buyer questioned whether operating costs for Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT:US)’s F-35 fighters will drop as low as the $857 billion over 55 years predicted by the office developing the plane.
“We’re looking at that number,” Frank Kendall, the Defense Department’s undersecretary for acquisition, said today.
He was asked about an estimate provided to lawmakers by the F-35 program office in July that said maintaining a fleet of the fighters would cost 22 percent less than the official estimate of $1.1 trillion developed two years ago by the Pentagon’s independent cost-assessment office. Operating costs include expenses from spare parts to repairs and fuel.
“We are going to do a review of F-35 this fall and we’ll get another estimate out of” the cost-analysis office, Kendall said after speaking at defense conference in Washington. “We’ll probably make some adjustments. I do expect it to come down. I don’t know if it will come down” to $857 billion.
The F-35 is the Pentagon’s costliest weapon system, with an estimated price tag of $391.2 billion for a fleet of 2,443 aircraft, up 68 percent from the projection in 2001, as measured in current dollars.
The rising costs and troubles in building the plane even as it’s being developed have led to criticism in Congress. This year, lawmakers, the Government Accountability Office and the Pentagon test office have said the aircraft is making progress in flight tests and in stabilizing production.

I said in an earlier post that we're reaching critical mass with the F-35.  Consider this.

*  The X-47 has thrilled with the potential it displayed during its carrier trials.  Its obviously well suited to perform the deep strike mission especially in the anti-access environment of the Pacific.  Yet for some reason, the powers that be are insisting that ISR be prioritized over strike in its development.
*  We just heard that the Navy is showing interest in the Ultra Hornet.
*  S. Korea rejected the F-35 in favor of the more affordable F-15SE.
*  Norway and Canada both appear to be suffering from a bit of sticker shock and estimates for the cost of the plane have swelled beyond what was originally programed.
*  LM and the Marine Corps suddenly found cost savings, when before we were being told that the program is being ran as efficiently as possible.
*  And now this story.  The Chief Weapons Buyer for the Pentagon doesn't seem to trust the numbers being put out by the Program Office.

Critical Mass?

If I didn't know better I'd swear that we're seeing a program fighting for its very life.  Have you paid attention to the advertising that LM, the Marine Corps and the Program Office is involved in when it comes to pushing the F-35?

Its almost obscene.  Danger focuses the mind and it appears that the Commandant's Office and the others are all focused like a laser right now.

I'm of the opinion that we're seeing the first real threat of program cancellation for the F-35.  We've heard talk before but judging from the reactions of those involved, shit just got real.

Critical mass has arrived with a vengeance.

Breaking! Syria Crisis Resolved via Ka-Bar