Asst Commandant takes aim at ships, hits SPMAGTF-CR instead.

via Marine Corps Times.

Their lifesaving work was impaired by a lack of amphibious ships, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps said this week.
“The Filipinos were living and dying based on V-22s and KC-130s,” said Gen. John Paxton, speaking of the Marine Corps’ tiltrotor and heavy lift aircraft. “And think of the difference it would have made if we had more ships.”

Make sure you read the entire article.  It seems that the Assistant Commandant is making the case for MANY more amphibious ships at a strange time.

While the Marine Corps is agitating for more shipping the US Navy is about to mothball a carrier.  Has already put a couple of cruisers in the cue for deactivation.  Is cutting its overall fleet size.

Meanwhile the USMC has asked and gotten a new amphib in the USS America class but even before its been put into service, has reversed itself and asked for a well deck, begged for a MLP and then stated that they would figure out how it would work once they got it...and now will find at least half of the class converted to AFSB's.

It doesn't make sense to me.

But a bigger issue is the SPMAGTF-CR.  Quite honestly I got the impression that the USMC tested the concept in the Philippines because the Brits, Japanese and Australians were able to sortie ships to the area and supposedly we weren't.

I really think we're seeing a well orchestrated lie.  I don't say that lightly.  I respect Paxton and he's a kick ass leader, but on this one he's following the company line, not standing up and stating facts plainly and clearly.

Sidenote:  I got an e-mail that frustrated me a bit today.  I am NOT a Marine Corps basher.  I love the organization and want it to succeed like none other.  BUT!  Its on a path that I can't support, making decisions that are clearly flawed and going toward a future that will cause unnecessary deaths for future Marines.  If I hated the Marine Corps I would watch all this and not speak out against it. 

Scorpion Jet Mock Airborne Intercept of Cessna 182

Russian SOI Instructors understand the pain!

The "Enhanced Company Landing Team".

You ever see one of those ideas that you thought had been thoroughly throat stomped, dragged to the river and held under till it was dead, tossed in to feed the catfish/crawfish...only to somehow rise up out of the swamp and come back to haunt you like some weird Walking Dead episode?

If you haven't then let me introduce you to the Enhanced Company Landing Team Concept.

I'm in the process of going through old files to gather the T/O of how the Marine Corps proposes to man/equip this beast but to give you a basic primer I recommend you check out this article by Col Goulding.

What should chill everyone's bones is that the Marine Corps is actually thinking of using CLT's to seize airfields, naval bases, establish forward operating bases and conduct raids (these were mission sets, especially airfield and naval base seizure, that many believed required a MEB).  

Independent combat operations for CLT's to last anywhere from 3 to 7 days.

The Special Ops Cabal inside the Marine Corps insists on pushing this concept despite the danger.  What we're seeing is General Purpose Forces being pulled toward counter insurgency operations at the expense of being able to conduct conventional warfare.  I believe that is a mistake.

More to come.

Quote of the week....

“Between 100 to 200 Marines will be the first wave in,” Cuomo said. “And that force is going to have to fight by itself for — in what Expe­ditionary Force 21 lays out — potentially three to seven days that force is on the ground.”
These initial Marines would potentially be responsible for — at times company by company — taking airstrips, naval bases, missile sites, and setting up small forward operating posts.The mission, along with the time spent without direct support, requires a more morally, mentally and physically capable Marine Corps....
Maj. Scott Cuomo, USMC, Director of Infantry Officers Course

Ukraine. The second act begins...

via NYTimes.

MOSCOW — Under the attentive eye of Russian state television, several hundred pro-Russian demonstrators in the city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, declared on Monday that they were forming an independent republic and urged President Vladimir V. Putin to send troops to the region as a peacekeeping force, even though there was no imminent threat to peace.
The actions in Donetsk and two other main cities in eastern Ukraine, which included demands for a referendum on seceding from Ukraine and joining Russia, seemed an effort by the activists to mimic some of the events that preceded Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea. However, there were no immediate indications that the Kremlin was receptive to the pleas.

What happens when you make a bluff and the other guy calls you on it?

In this case the loss of another chunk of Ukraine.

The second act has begun and the US/EU is helpless to stop it.  You're seeing an uprising by the people against the "newly installed" US/EU backed govt.  The weak sauce of economic sanctions is not working and if fully implemented would probably plunge Europe into a serious recession if not depression.

Ukraine is gone.

Time to decide how many US Army Brigades we'll support in Europe and send them to Poland, Romania and Georgia.

Chico, CA Police operate a "Soviet Bloc" armored vehicle???

Max Ordinate Academy
So with all this "Molon labe" craze happening right now how many of you know what armored vehicles your town has and their weak points if they were to "come and take it!" ?

I was making my spin around the internet this afternoon and came across Max Ordinate Academy's post on Facebook regarding armored vehicles in the US.

Is that a Soviet Bloc era armored car being shown for Chico, CA???

Sidenote:  I tracked it down.  Its an OT-64.

NUSHIP Canberra

NUSHIP Canberra departed Sydney yesterday on its way back to Melbourne.

The hull was cleaned in the dry dock and deck painted prior to sailing. More testing and trials are scheduled soon.

Defense News Editorial on Expeditionary Force 21. They get it wrong.

Thanks for the link Jonathan!!!

via Defense News...

With competition for scarce resources run­ning high at the Pentagon, documents such as the US Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Force 21 plan are as much about justifying systems and their costs as they are about strategy.
Still, the plan heralds a thoughtful readjustment for America’s sea-based crisis response force, which seeks to recast itself in the wake of two land wars.
The document makes it clear the Corps is not only heading back to sea, but operating in a more distributed manner than ever before, with smaller units in more places across larger areas. That’s key; a smaller force minds a still large and dangerous world.
The plan calls for the service to retain the ability to conduct amphibious landings under fire. But it also acknowledges the growing threat from ever­more- precise guided rockets, artillery and mortars.
Those factors will change how the Marines oper­ate and equip themselves. The concept makes it
clear that the Marines are thinking hard about a different future with a different mix of capabilities, not just a smaller version of their pre-9/11 air-ground task forces.
Although the Marines invested billions of dollars in a failed attempt to develop a 36-ton fighting vehi­cle required to travel at nearly 30 mph over water, the service now wants its future amphibious vehicle to have more modest specifications and be better optimized for land combat. That’s a welcome change.
The Marines now have two challenges. First, the US Navy may not be able to afford the amphibious ships and littoral connectors the Marines need to do their job. And second, their new ground mobility plans may not fare well with Congress, nor suffi­ciently offset the dangers posed by hybrid threats.
Without the right ships, connectors and vehicles, a smaller but more widely deployed Corps could find itself at greater risk.
- Defense News Editorial

Distributed Operations, Operational Maneuver from Ship to Objective, Ship to Objective Maneuver and Sea Basing is not designed to face near peer or peer threats.  Expeditionary Force 21 simply repackages those concepts and that is the problem.

While the Navy and Air Force are developing Air-Sea Battle to deal with a rising China, the Marine Corps is orienting itself to deal with terrorism and support SOCOM.

That is the weakness and danger in this concept.

Instead of maintaining a capable middle weight force that can fight across the spectrum of combat and win, EF21 will make the Marine Corps vulnerable to all but 3rd world opponents.

That's why its flawed.  Don't believe me?  Check this out from a different Defense News article talking about EF21....

Maj. Scott Cuomo, director of IOC, said today’s enemies have weapons they can fire from hun­dreds to thousands of miles away. That requires Marines to operate from greater distances in many sit­uations, he added, and that can limit the size of the force they’re able to put on the ground.
“Between 100 to 200 Marines will be the first wave in,” Cuomo said. “And that force is going to have to fight by itself for — in what Expe­ditionary Force 21 lays out — potentially three to seven days that force is on the ground.”

These initial Marines would potentially be responsible for — at times company by company — taking airstrips, naval bases, missile sites, and setting up small forward operating posts.

The mission, along with the time spent without direct support, requires a more morally, mentally and physically capable Marine Corps, Cuomo said. And Expeditionary Force 21 lays out the plan for operating in those more austere, forward-based conditions.

The very idea that the USMC thinks that a Company Landing Team can hold ground for three to seven days should make every Mother of America that knows her stuff opt to send her kid to another service.

This plan will fill body bags. 

The Navy's Mach 7 Rail Gun...

The Office of Naval Research-founded electromagnetic railgun, which is installed aboard the joint high-speed vessel USNS Millinocket (JHSV 3), shown by an artist rendering.

A long range weapon, railgun, can launch projectiles using electricity instead of chemical propellants and is under testing at Naval Sea Systems Command, Dahlgren Division.

Did the SAIC/Singapore Kinetics Terrex MPC swim off a LPD?

Interesting news appeared in my e-mail this morning.

I got a note from a reader in the Pacific and after taking me to task for not appreciating the qualities of the "technologically advanced, mine resistant, fully networked and completely amphibious" Terrex MPC...he went on to state that the Terrex MPC had conducted swim tests with the Endurance class LPD and swam from ship to shore and back again.

I'm trying to verify this using open source materials since proof was not forthcoming but this would be interesting...and a bit stunning.

Just to be clear.

The current Marine Corps administration (sic) does not have enough time to put into place a program of record...all it can do is basically alert industry that ANOTHER  competition is about to take place.

Quite honestly I don't believe that the ACV/MPC/AAV Upgrade programs will go forward for the balance of the current President's term.  But the technological expertise displayed by these companies has been impressive.

Indecision is why this program did not succeed.  Not technological over reach.  Industry delivered on this one in spades.  Any of the vehicles presented (with the exception of the General Dynamics offering...they hid that one from the sunlight) would have fulfilled the requirements originally set out for a Marine Personnel Carrier.

Mission Requirements Is Key via ComNavOps.

A must read by ComNavOps. Is stealth worth the squeeze? I don't think so and he makes the best argument why it isn't....

101st Airborne plans brigade-level air assault

via Army.mil

"We need to make sure the ground-force commander's mission and intent are met," said Maj. Matthew S. O'Neill, 3rd BCT aviation officer. "We also need to stay within the capabilities and limitations of the aircraft."
With any operation where aircraft are involved, safety is a primary concern. During Exercise Golden Eagle, there will be multiple aircraft flying close to each other, some while carrying equipment via sling load. In addition to having numerous aircraft conducting missions, there will also be live-fire exercises being conducted by artillery units.
"There will be approximately 40 aircraft in the air simultaneously," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Brian McKnight, 5-101st CAB standardization pilot. "There will be more than 30 sling loads and more than 1,000 personnel moved on the main day of the exercise. We also have to deconflict our air space with what the artillery is doing. The senior aviators have come together and used their experience to predict where the friction points are going to be and put plans in place to mitigate those risk factors."
Despite the myriad of moving parts and often tedious complexity of timing and synchronization necessary for success, having an air assault heritage in the 101st Airborne Division (AASLT) proved to be a major asset in the planning of Golden Eagle.
"We are the 101st and we have the Gold Book and we are the gold standard for air assaults," said Blanton. "

40 aircraft in the sky.

1000 personnel moved by air on the first day.

This is like an IA Drang Valley big freaking exercise kinda deal.  Quite honestly I've never seen an Army Brigade sized Air Assault.  I thought that they didn't do that anymore (not since Vietnam anyway).

This is impressive but it still faces the same issues that I see with the Marine Corps moving toward an almost exclusively aviation based assault structure.

What happens when you run into a helicopter ambush?

Did everyone forget Karbala?

F-35 News. “The estimate right now is deemed unaffordable.”

via National Defense Magazine...

Sullivan credited the Pentagon for making “difficult decisions through the years to put the F-35 on more sound footing, but more risks lie ahead and it will be important how these risks are managed.” The biggest snag is the F-35 software, which is holding back the entire program, Sullivan said. The other is the O&S cost.                 “The estimate right now is deemed unaffordable.”

Even if the gimmick of setting up a "Cost War Room" does bear fruit when it comes to acquisition (which I seriously doubt), then the next impossible leap will be to make maintenance affordable.

It won't happen, the Marine Corps has mortgaged its future on the promise of an under performing airplane and endangered the future security of the nation by stubbornly sticking with a program that should have been shelved long ago.

Historians will judge everyone involved as being either fools, criminals or both. 

Gripen IRST..

Alternate History. How WW2 could have turned out different....

via I09

8. Stalin's Red Army Continues West After Taking Berlin
By the time the Battle of Stalingrad had ended, the Soviet Union had transitioned itself from Great Power status to something approximating a Superpower. By early 1943, the war was no longer in doubt, with Stalin's Red Army persistently pushing the Wehrmacht back towards Germany. And as it went, it gobbled up territories that would later form an Iron Curtain separating Eastern Europe from the West. But as historian Anthony Beevor has noted, Stalin —for a brief time — seriously considered taking all of Europe for himself.
And he might have been able to do it, despite the fact that Russia was importing copious amounts of material and equipment from the U.S. (Russian soldiers were eating American canned food and driving in Jeeps and Studebaker trucks). But after the fall of Berlin, the Red Army consisted of 12 million men spread across an astounding 300 divisions. Meanwhile, the Allies had 4 million men spread across 85 divisions. By V-E Day, the Americans were still several months away from developing the bomb — enough time for the Soviets to push the Allies back into the French waters. What would have happened after that, with the advent of the bomb, is anyone's guess.

The article lists 10 ways things could have been different but number 8 has been the one that's always chilled my bones.

Stalin stopped even though both sides were tempted to start a new fight between the allies.

The US would have had to basically stop activities in the Pacific...in essence fight a holding action...and then shipped as many forces to Europe as fast as possible to even slow down the Russian horde.

Some have speculated that the combined British and US Army Air Force could have bought time but I seriously doubt that.  Armored formations that are skilled, battle hardened and experienced would make the kind of bombing raids that the allies specialized in kinda moot.

Read the article here. 

The best article on Active Shooter theory, I've read.

Thanks for the link Tony!!!

via PoliceOne

Looking at the Columbine shooting, it was clear that Harris and Klebold went through these five phases:
1.) The Fantasy Phase: Klebold and Harris dreamed, talked, drew and wrote about their fantasy of killing. They even video-taped their thoughts, desires and feelings.
2.) The Planning Phase: Harris and Klebold took time to meticulously plan this event together.
3.) The Preparation Phase: The two gathered materials, built improvised explosive devices, purchased weapons and ammunition illegally, and pre-positioned resources before the attack. They also trained in the use of their weapons.
4.) The Approach: During their approach they were dressed in garish outfits fashioned after a character in their favorite movie “The Matrix.” They even warned friends not to go to school ahead of time. They were initially engaged by an officer on the approach, but slipped by the officer into the school.
5.) Implementation: They opened fire and continued shooting until they realized the police had arrived in force. They killed themselves rather than be captured.

I don't read the police journals or forums very much (like hardly) but this Active Shooter issue is something that both Civilians and Police need to get on the same page.

Looking at this issue from the military blogging perspective, I turn to terrorism.  One day its gonna happen.  Teams of terrorist are going to hit a soft target in the US and use hand held weapons to inflict the damage.

I have never seen (although it might be old to many of you) someone break down the different "action phases" of the Columbine shooting.

All this is is a fantasy/juvenile/murderous version of BAMCIS.  Whats even more chilling is the fact that today's society would frown on someone noting that these men were acting strangely.  Even the "Approach Phase" would probably land someone in trouble for stereotyping someone based on appearance.

The author of the article, Lt Dan, shows us what to look for.  I can't wait to find out what solutions are possible...besides armed citizens that have the training and the will to put down these murderous bastards. 

The Marine Corps declared war on the Army. The Army fights back....

Thanks for the link Alexander!!!

Check this out from War is Boring Blog...

Army helicopters flew practice missions from the USS Ponce, a sort of prototype sea base. Navy destroyers and patrol craft and Air Force bombers also participated.
Now the ground combat branch is rewriting the book on flying from ships—literally. The existing Army manual on the topic is almost 17 years old.
The Army is already applying what it learned. The service’s helicopters flew from Navy ships during exercises off Hawaii earlier this year.
This is important. Pundits have questioned the ground branch’s role in the Pentagon’s pivot toward the Pacific. The military’s new Air Sea Battle doctrine places heavy emphasis on ships and planes.
The Army clearly wants to be able to participate in these sort of “maritime contingency operations” on a regular basis in the future. The Army-Navy tag team could help the ground branch prove its worth at sea.

Read the entire article but consider...

*  The Army has experience operating from Navy ships AND have the advantage of being able to source many of the same parts/mechanical expertise to service those aircraft because they're basically the same bird the Navy flies.  If they're smart enough to avoid trying to push CH-47's onboard ship then this is a winning move.

*  The Army is already joined at the hip with SOCOM through the Rangers, Special Forces, 160th and Delta.  Some type of RIP program lite for Infantry Battalions that can function as exterior security/support for SOCOM will get them firmly in the door of being SOCOM's go to force for support.

*  With a much more robust logistics capability than the Marine Corps, participation with the sea service is most desired.  You can't get austere enough to be able to negate the need for robust logistics if you operate vehicles.

And there are many more points that I haven't pointed out.  What should be noted is that this is to be expected.  I don't know what Marine Corps leadership is thinking but attempting to edge the Army out of its mission sets is not the way to go.

This is actually brilliant.  The Marine Corps Air Contingency Battalions will never be able to compete with the 82nd.  The Army will prove that they're willing to get aboard any ship that the Navy can provide, and still do there traditional missions.  In one quick swoop they've made a lie of the Marine General's requesting more amphibs and at the same time I've heard from reliable sources that Army quick reaction Brigades based around aviation and some type of air transportable armored vehicle are coming down the line.

We declared war with Expeditionary Force 21, but the US Army is about to fight back. 

Blast from the past. Old Skool Armor...

These are bad copies of pages from a very old Armor Identification Book that I picked up at one of those hole in the wall Mom and Pop second hand book stores.

I hit historic pay dirt and will be visiting often and looking for other used book sellers.

65 miles off shore is a joke!

I've already thrown away 3 posts on this and I'm still struggling to properly verbalize it but WTF...here goes.

The USMC is in a doctrinal black hole.

Marine Corps thinkers back during the late 80's and 90's looked at the world and came up with concepts that would allow the Marine Corps to fight and win on the battlefields of the 2000-2020 time period.

This thinking produced Sea Basing, Operational Maneuver From the Sea, Ship to Objective Maneuver and Distributed Operations (both on land and with mini MEU's made by sending individual ships to perform missions and then have them reunite).

Designed for the 2000-2020 time period this was ground breaking, paradigm shifting work.  It was revolutionary. 

Marine Corps procurement was based around this thinking.  The problem?  Instead of taking 4 or 5 years to get the designs ironed out it stretched to 5, 10, 15...even 20 years!

The protracted development time required by the EFV/ACV, MV-22 and F-35 has done more than caused a procurement train wreck.  Its left Marine Corps doctrine in tatters.  Where once we had systems that operated beyond the reach of threat weapons, we now are solidly vulnerable to them.

Heard of the  S-400/500?  Its an anti-air weapon that can reach out to 600 km.  Hovering at a distance of 65 miles from shore means that MV-22 and F-35 not to mention AH-1Z and UH-1Y can be shot down as they're leaving the deck.

Heard of the P-700 and 800?  Those are anti-ship missiles that can reach out over 300 km from shore (further if air launched).  What does that mean?  It means that the sea base itself is vulnerable to attack.

Even if the MV-22 dodges the long range anti-air missiles they still have to deal with Manpads at the landing zones.

LCUs, LCACs, JHSVs etc...are all much more vulnerable to enemy fire than swimming armor.  Add trophy type systems to those vehicles and they become even more formidable.

But the point isn't to praise the AAV type vehicle and curse other forms of getting to the beach...the point is that this concept is putting all the Marine Corps eggs in the aviation basket and in doing so is creating an unbalanced force that will be easily defeated and incapable of matching even a moderately capable force.