Engine block penetrating firepower in a 9mm sized gun

Thanks for the link Ryan!!

Check out the 6.5x25 CBJ here.  A 9mm sized round, with a titanium sabot, and has enough power to penetrate steel plates while a 7.62 is defeated.

Fewer MEU's in the future?

I told you if the carriers could be cut back then they'd certainly go after the MEU/ARG's.

Check this out from Inside Defense (behind a paywall)...

Navy, Marine Corps In Talks On Fleet Response Plan For ARG/MEUs
As the Navy is working to implement its new Optimized Fleet Response Plan (O-FRP) starting with its carrier strike groups this year, the service is already in talks with the Marine Corps about rolling out the plan for Amphibious Ready Group/Marine Expeditionary Units next, U.S. Fleet Forces Commander Adm. William Gortney said last week.

I can't read the entire article but this part is rather ominous.

What's even more frustrating for me is the fact that if HQ Marine Corps been honest then they wouldn't have had to put on the dog and pony shows for the disaster in the Philippines or the embassy evacuation.

If the move back to the sea is going to be short circuited by the Navy then the MV-22 based SPMAGTF-CR makes sense.

It desperately needs to be re-worked, beefed up and based on an Infantry Battalion instead of a Recon Marine Company or Platoon but that's besides the point.

Amos finally did something that I could agree with but messed it up because of a lack of clarity behind the move.

That's disturbing.  Has a bunker mentality settled over the JCS/Commandant's Office?  Do they feel that they can no longer be honest over even an issue like this?  Is the blow back over his leadership more widespread than I even thought.

Hot Spots. Pakistan violates Line of Control (LOC) fires into Indian territory.

Major thanks to Tom for this heads up!

via NDTV.

Srinagar:  As India celebrated its 65th Republic Day today, Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir. The Army said that Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked firing for three hours.
"Today morning at 6:15 am, when it was dark, there was unprovoked firing from Pakistani side. They fired about three RPG rounds and small arms on to the Kaman post (in Uri sector) on the Indian side," General Officer Commanding of 19 Infantry Division Major General Anil Chauhan told reporters.
He said the aim of the firing was apparently to disrupt the peace and tranquility along the LoC.

A couple of things.  First, I think someone in the military blogging community needs to keep track of all the "Hot Spots" around the world.  If US forces aren't going then one of our allies is.

Second.  Is it just me or does it seem like the whole world is burning and no one is paying attention.

Chinese Military Experts believe a war with Japan will occur in 5 years.

Thanks for the link Slowman!

pic via AUSAirpower.net

via Ming Pao Daily.

Ming Pao News] Sino-Japanese relations has been deadlocked for more than a year, according to military experts analyze reports, information, etc., come to China has developed a new version of the Japanese war plan, a war against Japan will be concluded within five years. But diplomatic mainland scholars believe that Japan is in kind, the system is doing preparations for war, but the battle is still unknown whether the next day.

Huang said the air defense zone is part of the operational plan

Macau International Military President Huang said, the new version of the PLA war plan against Japan last May has been completed, the East China Sea is one of the air defense identification zone ring. Huang said that public information, the year before President Xi Jinping has been investigated since the South Sea Fleet and other naval forces to take over two months later visited the Air Force base in Gansu ASDC Airport workout, naval power to make bad habits disappointed, but confidence in learning than the Air Force large, so the development of operational plans, the main naval war against Japan had dominated the Air Force to consider. After the Sino-Japanese friction increasing air and air defense identification zone is in this context was born. Huang believes that once the Sino-Japanese war, the United States will be involved in, but the official media, the generals publicly visible speech, the Chinese lack of preparation for the U.S. intervention, the United States will not hold naive intervention.

Scholars refer to the war between the two countries without diplomatic intention

For Huang's view, deputy director of the Center for Japanese Studies Diplomatic Academy Zhou Yongsheng that the Japanese military preparations known, including the establishment of specialized units Diaoyu Islands, increased military spending and other physical preparations, including preparations such as liberalized regime three principles of arms exports. But he believes that the Sino-Japanese Peace and Friendship Treaty and so there are constraints, there is no war going to look at both sides.

China is gearing up for war. Too many war drums are being pounded for anything else to be plausible.

Even more amazing is the fact that not only are they openly predicting a war over the disputed islands but that they're changing their game plan.  Google Translate leaves alot to be desired but it appears that they're aiming for an air war!  Why is that important?

The Navy is about to start deploying only one carrier at a time to each ocean (I assume) and the USAF is already cutting fighter/attack squadrons to pay for the F-35.

This five year time span will be the sweet spot in preparations.  Just long enough for the cuts to have really sunk in, but not so late as to allow a dimwitted Pentagon and State Dept to realize the danger and start reversing the decay.

Deterrence works only as long as you have a credible force.

We're rapidly approaching a point where we don't.

Arjun MkII debuts via Livefist.

Read about it here.

Rest In Peace Round???

pic via Zombie Apocalypse Survival Guide

I need to see independent penetration tests before I'm convinced that this is nothing more than a frangible round in a new package.  The claim about it being good at penetrating barriers is also suspect to me because its so damn light...96 grains?????  Wow.  This thing better be hypersonic.

But ya know what?  Despite all that I'll probably pick up a box to see how it works in my carry gun and find a wild pig to see what it can do against a vicious human sized target.

Sidenote:  Just to stir the pot with all my gun guys and get the discussion raging you should also check out a couple of posts by American Mercenary regarding the 300 Blackout  (in doing so he makes the best argument for the 5.56 that I've read in a long time) and Long Range Shooting (he touches on a slightly embarrassing..to me..part of USMC Sniper History).  Thought provoking and definitely against the tide of conventional wisdom.  

SAAB is stirring the pot to blunt F-35 sales...

Thanks to Pietro Nurra for the link!

via Defense News.

Turkey has been in talks with Sweden’s Saab for pre-conceptual design work for the first Turkish national fighter jet. Saab produces the JAS 39 Gripen, a lightweight single-engine multirole fighter.
But industry sources say other foreign players could get involved in later stages. “It is not a secret that [Korea Aerospace Industries] is seeking to have a slot,” said one Western company source.
Turkey hopes that the indigenous TF-X will fly by 2023, the centennial of the republic. Turkey’s aerospace powerhouse, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has been debating three designs.

Read it all here.

If I was a F-35 supporter I'd be leery.  You're seeing an ill wind blowing for that program...

*The S. Koreans aren't happy about the cost of the F-35 and they are already looking at buying far fewer than they actually need because of that.
*Turkey is in the same position...they wanted 100 plus of those airplanes but probably won't be able to afford that many.
*The SAAB design house is going to be functioning whether or not they sell another Gripen.  There will be no monopoly on fighter production and the little company from Sweden is the reason.

This bears watching.  

Your WTF! thought of the week...

via Don!  Thanks buddy!

Pic is another gift from Don, but an issue that we need to get around to.  Notice how the architect of our victory in WW2 has a clean, dignified, neat uniform?  Notice how the leader of our failed effort in Afghanistan is festooned like a cheap whore on Bourbon Street?  The Marine Corps should lead the way on this effort.  No more stacks of ribbons (especially to Officers that get them for serving in a billet and not getting in trouble...I mean REALLY!) just the three highest awards.  I'm conflicted about jump wings and scuba bubbles but the JCS badge, foreign jump wings, drill instructor billet badges (I think that's what they call them) all need to go!  All the services keep trying to duplicate the Marine Dress uniform but don't get to the basic underlying problem.  They have too much shit on their stuff!

At the close of World War II, the Navy had about 130 ships for every admiral in the flag ranks. Today, that ratio is closer to one ship for every admiral.

Let that sink in.

One Admiral for every ship in Navy service.  If cutbacks in ship numbers actually come true...or if ship building continues at its current slow pace, then you will have more Admirals in the US Navy then they have ships.

Note:  The above info is from an August 10, 2010 Navy Times article.  The problem continues. 

Finland to cut the number of generals by 10%!

Many thanks to Giovanni de Briganti over at Defense Aerospace for pointing me to this article!

via YLE.fi

As part of the reorganisation of the Finnish Defence Forces, every tenth military general will be eliminated by early 2015 as four military divisions are set to be closed.
There are currently 31 Defence Force generals. Next year three generals will retire and no new replacements will be hired. The number of generals in the Defence Forces has remained the same for more than 20 years, but the number of staff such as officers has been reduced by ten percent between 2008 and 2012.

“Half the number of generals compared with others”

According to the Finnish Officers’ Union which represents officers and top-level generals, these cuts are a purely political gesture to mirror the other Defence Forces staff cuts. Finnish Officers’ Union spokesperson Jouko Seitakari says that the number of generals in Finland is very small compared with other countries.
“Ten percent of Defence Forces' top brass is quite a large ratio. If we compare the number of generals we have with other comparable countries, we have almost half the number,” says Seitakari.

Read the entire article here.

Just like Congress isn't serious about cutting the US deficit, the Pentagon isn't serious about cutting the FAT from its budget.  They prefer to cut muscle, cry that America's defenses are being neglected, and then fool the uninformed that they're underfunded, instead of taking reasonable and appropriate steps to get their house in order.

The Marine Corps should have about half the flag officers it currently does and that's being generous.  The need to have a Marine Officer serve as a Combatant Commander is obscene and arrogant.

You're going to have a force of 180,000 people and then have enough fluff and overhead that they can spare a flag rank to serve in that capacity?

Its laughable.

Tiny Finland is leading the way in REAL military reform.  Oh and be advised.  Until they cut Flag Officers, Senior Executive Service billets and the gross number of civilian DOD workers then nothing you read about the budget causing cutbacks is real.

NOTHING! 

Going from great to lame in one reorganization.

You're a US Air Force A-10 pilot.

You're a bad ass of the sky.  When Marines, Soldiers, Rangers, SEALs, Special Forces or any of the other so called heroes get in trouble, who do they call?

It damn sure ain't ghost busters!

You've spent half your life training hard, passing test designed to weed out the non-hackers.  You work to maintain proficiency.  You deploy and don't complain.

Its worth it.  When someone asks you what you do, you tell them I'm a pilot in the USAF.  I fly A-10's.  They know right away that you are doing what they can only dream of.

But one reorganization takes it all away.  You go from bad ass, pussy magnet to office dweeb.

The USAF takes away your flight suit, your airplane and stick you behind a console in a trailer.

They make you a drone operator.

You try and convince yourself that you're still serving.  That your job is important.  That you're making a difference.

But in your heart you know the truth.

You went from great to lame in one reorganization.  Read the story here.

F-35. In light of budget cuts, there is no way the program will remain untouched.

I ran a tally of weapon systems that I know (meaning have been stated publicly) are either delayed or canceled...

Ground Combat Vehicle, Armed Aerial Scout, AAV Upgrade, ACV, MPC, and LCS, B-1 Bombers, C-27J, KC-10 and A-10.

What we have seen reduced in service...

Numerous Air Force Squadrons, Army Brigades, Marine Corps Battalions and now Navy Aircraft Carrier deployments.

Personnel cuts are fuzzy and I've only payed attention to the Army and Marine Corps but the worst case numbers look about right....

380,000 Army end strength and 150,000 USMC end strength.

Having made cuts of this magnitude (and I'm sure I've missed some) then there is no way the F-35 comes away unscathed.  Interservice politics won't allow it.  Additionally there is no way that the US Navy signs on to buying F-35's at what appears to be an outrageous price when they can sustain their air arm with cheaper and more plentiful F-18's.

Sequester will do what Congress didn't have the balls to.  Additionally I expect more economic bad news to strike.  The Dow Jones was down 381 points on Friday and the day of reckoning in China is still looming.

Not only does the Pentagon have to contend with Tea Party and Republican budget hawks, Democrats that are doves and hate the military (the majority of that party) but they also have to worry about a public that thinks we've spent enough on the military, and doesn't want to see us involved in any foreign interventions.

The "cut personnel" and modernize the force gambit is not going to pay off.  Instead they're going to get the worst of all worlds.

No modernization.  Not even upgrades...and even smaller forces than they planned on.

I bet the JCS are all alcoholics by now.

The Navy will deploy only 2 carriers at a time in 2015.

via War is Boring...

The U.S. Navy is about to cut in half the number of aircraft carriers it keeps ready for combat. Starting in 2015, just two American flattops will be on station at any given time, down from three or four today.
The change is spelled out in a presentation by Adm. Bill Gortney, head of Fleet Forces Command. The U.S. Naval Institute’s published the presentation on its Website on Jan. 24.
The new “Optimized Fleet Response Plan” represents an effort to standardize training, maintenance and overseas cruise schedules for the Navy’s 283 front-line warships, in particular the 10 nuclear-powered carriers.
The OFRP is also meant to save money and keep the Navy functioning under budget cuts mandated by the sequestration law. But to be clear, even after the change the Navy will still deploy more, bigger and better ships than any other maritime force in the world.

Axe put a happy face on this whole thing but a few points...

1.  I predicted that China would achieve regional superiority by 2020.  They're five years early.
2.  If this is happening to the Carrier Force then its coming soon to amphibs. In this light the SPMAGTF-CR begin to make sense.  It will still get torn apart if it even faces light opposition but it does answer the bell on what to do if amphibs don't get the same number of deployments but you still want forward presence.
3.  In  this light the US Navy suddenly has a SURPLUS of aircraft.
4.  The F-35 is creating havoc across the board.  Modernization is being deferred AND additional risk is being assumed.
5.  This is the most idiotic decision that has been made so far. Forward presence is what the Navy is all about.  This creates less options for policy makers.  Instability  will increase.

I'll make the call right now.

We will see a regional war that will involve a US ally in the next five years and we will not be able to properly assist them.

If I was an enemy of the United States and I sniffed in our direction -- all I could smell is pussy

Please identify the device on this police car!

Alright guys, forget the chick with the out of control boobies ( I mean seriously...what's going on there?) what has my attention is the device on the squad car behind her.

What is that black thing just behind the light bar?

UPDATE!  Ok, Tommo made me play my hand with the question he asked.  It really looks like a FLIR device to me. The police can literally (depending on how its constructed) see through some houses and into certain buildings depending on their design. Oh and I found out the chick in the pic is Wendy Fior.

totally out of control....

good order is restored...and airbrushed.

F-35. It was always about the cost.

When historians look back on the F-35 program and wonder how did the Pentagon allow itself to get hoodwinked ... again ... its gonna make some fascinating reading.

But for the early critics...the Sweetman, Goon, Kopp, Palmers etc...they're going to have to look themselves in the mirror and kick themselves hard for focusing on tech---instead of costs.

We can't get the ACV and/or MPC done because the F-35 and MV-22 are raping the Marine Corps budget.  Its so bad that now the F-35 program is killing off the Ground Combat Vehicle for the Army, endangering the AMPV, the JLTV, killing off USAF squadrons, and even causing deeper personnel cuts than is advisable.

All because leadership is being sold the idea that airpower can finally deliver on the promise of winning wars by itself...or that airpower and SOCOM can keep the bad guys at bay.

But I guess better late than never.

The cost of the airplane is FINALLY getting airtime.  The Navy's strategy is FINALLY becoming obvious.

But it might be too late.  Leadership failed us again on this issue.  The battle should have been about cost, not tech...and thats where the war might have been lost.

Read about the cost battle over at Aviation Week here.

USMC Maritime Raid Force Security Element using Aimpoint Micro T-1's???

Staff Sgt. Jon Calaway, an explosive ordnance disposal technician with Combat Logistics Battalion 11, now part of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, begins to unload his weapon after shooting in the prone position during a live-fire exercise here Jan. 23. Personnel conducted a variety of different marksmanship drills to hone and maintain close range rifle skills. Calaway finished shooting a total of 15 rapid reaction shots in the standing, kneeling and prone positions. (Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Demetrius Morgan/RELEASED)

I'll leave discussions of MEU's being designed to serve as a big security element for SOCOM.

I won't touch for now how the Battalion of Marine Infantry is being seconded to a platoon of Force Recon on the MEU.

But I will look and marvel at a Marine using what looks like a Micro T-1 on his issued weapon.

ACV. Over complicating a straightforward requirement.

Thanks for the article Lee!

Why do many human endeavours fail?

In my opinion its because we complicate the simple, and then go on to focus on minor instead of major issues.

The ACV is a point in case.  First read James Hasik's take on the issue here.

My take is much, much simpler.

The Marine Corps needs a vehicle to transport Marines from ship to shore and then onto the objective.  It will spend the majority of its operational life on land but we must remember that the sea phase of the trip is as dangerous as an IED strewn battlefield.  We need it to be protected, networked, robust and capable of mounting different weapon systems.  

We also need to understand that the USMC is part of the Dept of the Navy.

James laid out his scheme but failed to note one important issue.  Most of the issues that must be solved are for the Navy.  Rolling back beach defenses, clearing corridors for the landing force etc...

THE IDEA THAT THE USMC IS DOING THIS ALONE IS CAUSING INDECISION AND THAT IS THE ROOT OF THE FAILURE.

The EFV concept looked to take away the role of the Navy at clearing away the danger for the landing force.  That's why it didn't work.

What should be done is to buy a company's worth of whatever vehicle scored the best in the MPC program and put them in the fleet with contractor support to see how they do in direct comparison to the AAV.

If they perform up to snuff then buy them.

If not then get a redesign and modernized AAV, produce new builds and be done with this nonsense.

Its past time for decisive action on this issue. 

Told ya. China is getting sick and we're getting bird flu!

Quite honestly, I am a bit surprised by the speed of this and how fast its affecting our stock market.

I just got clued into this Monday(?) and already its hitting our shores.

But the worst is yet to come if you're a stockholder.  Rumblings are that you're about to see a massive sell off in stocks because of profit taking.  Even more worrisome is the fact that S. America is literally falling apart and no one is watching.  You think the troubles in Ukraine are something?  Take a look at Venezuela!  Argentina is still a mess and the economy is a basket case.  Brazil is struggling under mounting debt, worry that the mess in Argentina will spill over its border and infect that country and its still trying to clean up the ghettos in preparation for the Olympics.

Italy, France and Spain are still in awful economic straits and many expect at least one of those countries to need a bailout.

2014 is going to be a helluva year.

Why is the UK pushing ahead on its order for fourteen F-35's?

Thanks for the idea Eric!

via Reuters.

(Reuters) - Britain may announce an order for 14 Lockheed Martin-built F-35 super-stealth jets as early as next week, three sources familiar with the talks told Reuters.
The so called 'Main Gate 4' order, for the F-35 B vertical take-off variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, would mark the Britain's first firm F-35 purchase since it committed to buying 48 planes in 2012.

Read it here.

Eric asked the question of why the UK would press ahead with the F-35 buy now instead of letting the USMC do the heavy lifting of getting the STOVL model sorted out.

My answer is simple.

The UK is just like everyone.  They're scared shitless about the cost of the plane.

They need it to be affordable.  They're buying into the Lockheed Martin talking points that the price will come down once they get production numbers up.  The problem?  Congress didn't play ball.  Instead of 36 airframes (as requested by the Pentagon) they're giving 29.  So what is the UK doing?

Making up for cut airframes.

They're hoping against all that is reasonable that they can finally bend the cost curve if they just keep pushing.

It reminds me of the old Bush line of staying the course.  Staying the course though is a very bad idea...especially when you're walking into disaster.

Custer stayed the course -- even when his scouts told him about the massive number of Indians he was facing ---at the cost of his command.

The stakes are higher with the F-35 though.  Staying the course with this airplane could cost the security of several nations.

F-35 USMC service date set to slip. Software to blame!

Thanks for the link Slowman!

via Reuters

The report cited projections that the 2B software would not be completed until November 2015, 13 months later than planned. This would delay release to the F-35 fleet until July 2016, a year after the Marines want to start using the jets.
It said there is also little margin for any weight growth, and the airplane's increased use of electrical systems makes it vulnerable to lightning and missile strikes.

Once I would have bitched about this news.  Now?  I cheer.

Read the entire article here...but be warned F-35 fans.  This delay puts the entire program at even more risk.  The plan was to get the airplane into service as quickly as possible---before Congress became aware.  Now that plan is in jeopardy.  Costs are gonna rise, and the death spiral will consume this beast.

Thank God! 

Indonesian Air Force T-50 via Guillaume Steuer

This plane looks good!  The S. Koreans might have a undercover winner on their hands.